Bangladesh have finally managed to challenge the hosts on this tour, and that has set up an interesting contest in Guyana – conditions that should remind the visitors of home

The Preview by Mohammad Isam24-Jul-2018

Big Picture

Bangladesh have a chance to wrap up the three-match ODI series with a win in the second game at the Providence Stadium, just as West Indies will be looking to level it. The visitors’ first good day in nearly a month in the Caribbean has suddenly livened up the tour.Tamim Iqbal scored a century, Shakib Al Hasan came within three runs of a century, Mushfiqur Rahim struck his fastest innings in ODIs and Mashrafe Mortaza got his first four-wicket haul in nearly two years. It all managed to bring back a cricket team battered and bruised in the Test series. The format surely helped, as Bangladesh have been more consistent in ODIs than in Tests and T20Is.Wednesday should also be an opportunity to rectify their bowling in the death overs, after they conceded a 59-run stand for the tenth wicket with tail-enders Alzarri Joseph and Devendra Bishoo making 29 runs each. They would also look into how they bat in the last 10 overs, given the slow gear change that nearly derailed their innings. Anamul Haque too has to contribute, given how Liton Das is breathing down his neck.The home side has more to worry about. Their bowling attack lacked the killer instinct that was omnipresent in the Test series, while their batsmen looked to be waiting only for boundary balls. Chris Gayle battled 60 balls for his 40, but he was perhaps the only one who looked to have read the pitch properly. Shimron Hetmyer who made a half-century, was guilty of a mix-up with Gayle. West Indies also have to take their catches properly, having given Shakib and Tamim a number of chances to regain composure.

Form guide

West Indies: LLWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh: WLLWW

In the spotlight

In his ODI comeback, Andre Russell was too short at the start and not full enough towards the end, feeding Mushfiqur Rahim in his hitting zone. Russell did slam a huge six but it wasn’t enough for West Indies who would expect a little more from this blockbuster allrounder.After almost two years, Mehidy Hasan Miraz has started to look like a confident bowler. His six-wicket haul in the second Test has boosted a career that looked to be going stagnant. He took just one wicket on Sunday, but Mehidy had better control against a volatile batting line-up.

Team news

Kieran Powell and Keemo Paul are waiting in the wings but unless West Indies decide to add an extra batsman, it is likely to be the same XI.West Indies (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Jason Mohammed, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Jason Holder (capt), 7 Rovman Powell, 8 Andre Russell, 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Ashley Nurse, 11 Alzarri JosephWhether they stick with Anamul Haque or bring in Liton Das is perhaps the only question the Bangladesh team management has to ponder.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Sabbir Rahman, 7 Mosaddek Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

The visitors will once again pin their hopes on a Providence Stadium pitch that offers turn and bounce, although how it behaves in the second session would be a mystery to them.There’s a lot of rain in the forecast, so delays and disruptions wouldn’t be a total surprise.

Stats and trivia

• After his four wickets in the first ODI, Mashrafe Mortaza has now taken at least four in a match on eight occasions in ODIs. For Bangladesh, that ties him with Rubel Hossain and Shakib Al Hasan, with only Abdur Razzak up ahead with nine such performances
• Alzarri Joseph’s unbeaten 29 is West Indies’ second highest score for a No. 11, behind Joel Garner who made 37 against India during the 1983 World Cup

Quotes

“Guayana is much like Bangladesh, if you look at the pitches, the soil, etc. It is a positive thing for us. We have an important match tomorrow, so we are looking forward to it.”
Shakib Al Hasan

Four wickets for Liam Livingstone followed by a violent contribution with the bat set up an untroubled Lancashire win at Grace Road

ECB Reporters Network18-Jul-2018
ScorecardLancashire Lightning notched a fourth straight win to go top of the North Division of the Vitality T20 Blast after crushing Leicestershire Foxes at Grace Road.After a bright start, the Foxes collapsed from 88-1 in the 10th over to be all out for a disappointing 142 in the 20th after Lancashire had won the toss and put them in.Skipper Liam Livingstone, who made an explosive 100 off 51 balls in Lightning’s nine-wicket win at Derbyshire earlier in the competition, starred with the ball this time, claiming 4 for 17 from his four overs of off-spin.He and leg-spinner Callum Parkinson between them claimed five for 39 from eight overs as the Foxes were well and truly shackled, hitting only one boundary between the 10th over and the 17th and losing six wickets in the process.

Lancashire’s spin cycle

According to analysis from CricViz, Lancashire have bowled the highest proportion of spin overs (now up to 48%) in this season’s Blast, taken the most wickets with spin (15) and have the lowest spin economy rate (6.84). This is a side perfectly designed for a hot summer. They are one county desperate for the heatwave not to break

Livingstone then smashed the first three balls he faced for four off Pakistan strike bowler Mohammad Abbas on the way to 28 off 11 deliveries to give his side a flying start in pursuit of their target.Dropped twice as he swung at everything in an innings that began violently but had become frenetic long before the end, the 24-year-old all-rounder was eventually caught by Mohammad Nabi at mid-on (who had put him down off the previous ball) off Ben Raine.After closing the Powerplay on 68 for 1 Lightning lost Arron Lilley for a 12-ball 19 when Matt Parkinson’s twin brother Callum came into the Foxes attack but never looked in any danger of falling short of their target.Opener Alex Davies (51) and England’s Keaton Jennings (37) were able to ease them over the line with 20 balls to spare thanks to an unbroken partnership of 70.Leicestershire struggled to find gaps in the field in the first couple of overs but Cameron Delport got them going with two sixes and a four off left-arm seamer Toby Lester, whose second over cost 25.Neil Dexter eventually found his rhythm, although only after a double let-off against James Faulkner on eight. Reprieved when bowled as TV umpire Graham Lloyd spotted that Australian had over-stepped, he was caught at mid-wicket off the free hit.

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Dexter went on to score 30 off 28 balls after Delport had been caught in the deep by Livingstone off Graham Onions for 25 off 13 and Mark Cosgrave kept the momentum going with 31 off 21 balls.But the dismissal of Dexter off Livingstone in the 10th over sparked a flurry of wickets as the Foxes went from 88 for 1 to 91 for 4 in the space of six deliveries.Raine, after his brilliant century – the second fastest by an Englishman in T20 – as the Foxes blew away Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston last week, was bowled first ball by Livingstone before Dane Vilas executed an easy stumping to see off Cosgrove off Parkinson.After Nabi and Colin Ackermann had holed out off Livingstone, Foxes were 102-6 and never really recovered in a meaningful way, some lusty blows from Zak Chappell near the end coming as too little too late.Lancashire will go into Friday’s Roses T20 match against Yorkshire Vikings at Old Trafford full of confidence, especially with Jos Buttler available, while the Foxes have a difficult trip to Trent Bridge to take on a Nottinghamshire Outlaws side who have already beaten them at Grace Road.

McCullum made a 42-ball 66 after Trinbago Knight Riders’ spinners had blunted the home team’s batting after they’d elected to bat

The Report by Peter Della Penna27-Aug-2018
Brendon McCullum brings out his unorthodoxy•Getty Images

Trinbago Knight Riders joined Jamaica Tallawahs at the top of the table on eight points after a dominant display in a four-wicket win over Barbados Tridents. The final margin painted the Tridents in a flattering light, but they were out of the game by the second over when left-arm spinner Khary Pierre singlehandedly wrecked the Tridents top order with two wickets and a run-out off his own bowling in the space of four balls.From 3 for 3, Tridents scratched their way to 128 for 8, a total that was easily overhauled by a brisk half-century from Brendon McCullum. Trinbago needed five runs to win off the last 25 balls when Denesh Ramdin and McCullum fell on consecutive deliveries, a minor pair of blemishes in what was a comprehensive team performance.Oui, Oui Khary!Tridents’ night was virtually over not long after it began, after Pierre struck three times in the space of four balls in the second over of the match. Dwayne Smith was yorked by a quicker, fuller ball from Pierre. Shamar Springer, who took the place of an out of form Martin Guptill in the XI, did little to justify his inclusion ahead of the Tridents $160,000 man after he scampered down the track in search of a non-existent run to short midwicket as Pierre fielded off his own bowling and fired back to Ramdin with Springer four yards short.The biggest blow by Pierre was struck two balls later to round off the sequence. Steven Smith, who only arrived in the closing overs in Tridents previous match and faced three balls, had plenty of time to get his eye in but lasted one ball fewer than he had 24 hours earlier against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. Steven’s charge down the track went awry, fanning on a flick as Ramdin stumped the Aussie with ease for a second-ball duck to leave the Tridents three down just 10 balls into the match.Nick of Time Typically best utilized as a finisher, Nicholas Pooran joined Shai Hope at the crease in the second over and did his best to spare the Tridents from total humiliation. Counterattacking from ball one, he drove the first delivery he faced from Pierre through the covers for four to spark a 70-run partnership.Three boundaries off consecutive deliveries by Hope off Javon Searles in the sixth over stabilized the Tridents further and they ended the Powerplay on 46 for 3 before Pooran unloaded on Pierre again in the seventh over, striking him clean through the line over long-on for a colossal six. Pooran took Dwayne Bravo over the ropes for six more to start the ninth, but Bravo got his revenge to end the stand three balls later, fooling Pooran with a slower ball full toss that dipped late to clean up his Trini compatriot.Fawad it’s worthAustralian legspinner Fawad Ahmed removed Hope off the first ball of the 13th over with a luscious googly to clip the top of off. It was the start of a double-wicket over that may have intensified scrutiny over the Tridents bold selection calls for this match.The decision to drop Guptill for Springer had already returned zero dividends and Tion Webster’s call-up into the XI over Roston Chase was almost as fruitless. Entering at No. 7, Webster lasted just four balls before he sauntered down the pitch and fanned on a regulation legbreak from Fawad to be stumped for 1. At 92 for 6 after 13 overs, a few late swats from Jason Holder in his 30 off 33 balls managed to lift Tridents past 100 but nowhere near a defendable total.Mac AttackFor the second night in a row, Mohammad Irfan’s sensational opening spell was wasted on his teammates. Irfan snagged the opening pair of Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine inside the first five overs to leave the Knight Riders at 30 for 2, but McCullum entered at No. 4 and ensured that was the last genuine sniff the Tridents had at victory.McCullum cracked eight fours and three sixes in a typically aggressive knock. More than half the runs in TKR’s chase were scored in his 66-run fifth-wicket stand with Ramdin. With 36 to get off the last seven overs, McCullum scorched Wahab Riaz for three consecutive boundaries in the 14th over to bring up his fifty off 32 balls. He reached 66 before trying to end the match by slogging Steven Smith’s legspin over the midwicket rope, but a swirling top edge was taken by a backpedalling Smith. Two balls later, Bravo punched a drive through the covers for the winning runs.

Knight Riders now await the winner of the Eliminator between Patriots and Tallawahs; they will face the winner of that match in the second qualifier for a spot in the CPL final

The Report by Peter Della Penna12-Sep-2018Sohail Tanvir slams one away•CPL via Getty Images

In a tense low-scorer, hometown boys Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford reprised their heroics from Sunday, against the same opponent, before Sohail Tanvir struck the game-clinching blow, with a ball to spare, as Guyana Amazon Warriors made their fourth CPL final, with a two-wicket win over Trinbago Knight Riders at the Providence Stadium.Amazon Warriors made the most of home-field advantage in the early phase of the playoffs as the home team’s spinners held Trinbago Knight Riders to 122, before surviving their own testing times against the opposition spinners to scrape home in the final over.The list of dubious calls continueThe CPL organizers made the decision last week to have DRS in place for the second Qualifier and the final, in response to more than a dozen howlers this season. Unfortunately for the Knight Riders, the organisers decided to not extend DRS for all the playoffs, and it resulted in the visiting side receiving two decisions that more than likely would have been overturned on review.The first came at the end of the opening over, bowled by Tanvir. Brendon McCullum played well outside the line of a hooping inswinger that struck him in line with middle stump. However, he was also hit extremely high on the thigh guard. Umpire Leslie Reifer felt the line was a more compelling piece of evidence than the height and gave him out, much to the batsman’s dismay. Replays showed his frustration was justified as the ball would have likely carried over the stumps.Reifer then made another questionable call, in the fifth over, that accounted for Denesh Ramdin. The batsman swept at a very full ball from Imran Tahir and was struck on the front heel, which replays indicated was fully positioned outside the line of off stump. Instead of being able to review both decisions, Knight Riders lost both batsmen.Sticker shockKnight Riders lost not so much due to bad umpiring as due to their own inability to adjust quickly to a wicket that offered tremendous assistance to the slower bowlers. Finger spinners, in particular, found great success, starting with the Amazon Warriors captain Chris Green. The Australian struck in the second over, when a short of a length ball to Colin Munro stuck in the pitch, and the CPL’s leading scorer couldn’t keep his hands back on an intended cut and spooned a catch to extra cover.Green struck in near identical fashion in the sixth. Sunil Narine, promoted back to opener after scoring just 57 runs in the league stage, tried to swat a short ball through cover, but, due to the slowness of the surface, instead dragged to mid-off, offering a simple catch. By the end of the Powerplay, Knight Riders were 26 for 4. Colin Ingram and Darren Bravo’s partnership that followed lasted nearly half the innings, but only accounted for 48 runs. A late boost from Kevon Cooper and Dwayne Bravo helped the visitors claw past 100 and gave them a fighting chance.Dueling banjosNarine practically matched Green note-for-note with his spell, ending with 1 for 9 in four overs as he produced grip and rip on virtually every ball, starting in the second over. TKR had the advantage of playing one more specialist spinner than Guyana, and it almost won them the match in the end. Following Ali Khan’s opening over, Narine, Fawad Ahmed and Khary Pierre bowled 12 straight overs of spin to strangle the hosts.Fawad struck first in the third, getting Cameron Delport to hole out to deep midwicket. Luke Ronchi then top-edged a pull off Pierre to Narine at square leg to make it 23 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay, and by the halfway mark the hosts had added just 14 more to their score. Pierre swung the chase TKR’s way with a spectacular diving stop, scoop and run out off his own bowling to dismiss Chadwick Walton, and then found Green’s edge two balls later with the final delivery of his spell to leave Guyana 55 for 5 after 13.Keeping up the paceKnight Riders’ 12 overs of spin were complete, and despite an imposing required run rate of close to 10 on a tricky pitch, Hetmyer and Rutherford capitalized with pace back on the ball. Rutherford pierced Khan for two boundaries in the 15th, before driving Bravo for six early in the 16th. Another six over long-on by Hetmyer off Cooper in the 17th took the equation down to 21 off 20 balls.TKR sprung back to life, though, courtesy a mix-up between the batsmen that resulted in Hetmyer’s run out through a direct hit from point by Ingram. Rutherford drove Cooper to Bravo at long-off off the very next ball, leaving the tail to get Amazon Warriors across the line. Bravo had Rayad Emrit edging behind in the following over to put Knight Riders two wickets away from victory with 18 still to get.But Romario Shepherd clubbed his first ball for six to bring the equation down to a run a ball heading into the final two overs. Shepherd struck another crucial boundary through backward point off Cooper in the 19th, and took a single off the first ball of the 20th to make it three off five to win. Tanvir failed to put away three consecutive slower balls from Bravo, before a length ball was heaved back over Bravo’s head and over the rope to seal the match.

With the return of Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah, India could finally field a near full-strength side in the third ODI, with only Hardik Pandya missing

The Preview by Ankur Dhawan26-Oct-20183:22

Can Kohli beat Tendulkar’s 18K runs?

Big Picture

Is it better to have come close and not crossed the finish line; or to have not come close at all? West Indies must have briefly brooded over similar thoughts after they came within a run of toppling India. Much like the wire artist from the film , who considered the final few paces of his stunt the hardest, West Indies were at their most vulnerable when they were on the brink of doing what they have done only twice before: chase down a total over 300.West Indies had most things in their favour. A wet ball that nullified the spin threat. Two pacers who are not regulars in the ODI side. And a centurion in Shai Hope batting through the innings. What they perhaps lacked was a certain amount of know-how in finishing the job, something their opposition could be a case study for, as they showed in the first ODI.A source of solace could be that they have succeeded in their main aim of putting up scores of over 300. They had managed to do so only four times since the 2015 World Cup, the least among the top nine nations.But with opportunity slipping out of their grasp and India recalling their frontline pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah for the last three ODIs, even that task may only get tougher. Both of them have considerably better records against left-handers than Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav. That fact could serve India well against an intrepid Shimron Hetmyer, who has so far plundered 200 runs in the series, besides denting the confidence of the Indian spinners by consistently clobbering them into the stands. Furthermore, Bhuvneshwar will return to a venue where he was Man of The Match against New Zealand almost exactly a year ago. India could finally field a near full-strength side in the third ODI, with only Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav missing.3:33

Simmons: Bishoo needs to step up for West Indies

Form guide

India TWWTW
West Indies TLLWL

In the spotlight

After inexplicably benching Kuldeep Yadav in the first ODI, India corrected the error by including him in Vizag. While the combination of dew, Hope and Hetmyer rendered most of India’s attack powerless, Kuldeep managed to have an impact through the middle stages in customary fashion. The fact that all three of his victims failed to pick the googly should excite him.With over 900 runs in the country, West Indies’ most experienced batsman Marlon Samuels was expected to do more. In both matches, Samuels came in dressed as the protagonist and the stage set, only to be overshadowed by two youngsters. While lack of runs is surely a problem, the larger issue might be whether he is picking India’s wristspinners who are bound to bowl the bulk of the middle overs. In Guwahati, Yuzvendra Chahal pinned him lbw with the slider as he prodded forward in a pre-DRS manner, with his bat next to his pad, rather than in front of it. And in Vizag, after hitting three fours off overpitched balls, Samuels made the mistake of playing back to Kuldeep, hoping to read the turn off the pitch, and was bowled by the googly.

Team news

With Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah back, India will be tempted to draft both of them in the side straightaway, given how ineffective other pacers have been thus far. That could mean Umesh Yadav missing out.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Rishabh Pant, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Jasprit BumrahThe visitors may again be slightly torn between picking the extra pace of Oshane Thomas or the variations of Obed McCoy, who had replaced him in the last ODI.West Indies (possible): 1 Chandrapaul Hemraj, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmeyer, 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Ashley Nurse 9 Oshane Thomas/Obed McCoy, 10 Devendra Bishoo, 11 Kemar Roach

Pitch and conditions

The last time Pune hosted an international, curator Pandurang Salgaoncar was dismissed by the BCCI before the first ball was bowled after being caught on camera giving information to two undercover reporters who were posing as bookies. What he had predicted to be 337-338 run pitch, turned out to be a sluggish surface where New Zealand, who batted first struggled, but India found it easier under lights.

Stats and trivia

• Through the crucial middle stages, between overs 11 and 40, West Indies have only picked up two wickets in the series.
• Shikhar Dhawan is 144 runs away from becoming the fastest Indian to 5000 ODI runs
• Dhawan and Rohit Sharma require only 14 more runs go past Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag and become India’s second-most successful opening pair in ODIs

Quotes

“I have missed being part of the dressing room. Not sure if the boys have missed me. And looking back, now in Pune [with all the sights], maybe I should have held back and got banned here,”

England have not won a Test away from home for two years but, two days into the Galle Test, they have an excellent opportunity to put an end to that run

The Report by George Dobell in Galle07-Nov-2018England have never won a Test in Galle – they haven’t won a Test away from home anywhere for two years – but, two days into this game, they have an excellent opportunity to put both those issues right.It would be simplistic to suggest that Ben Foakes has earned them their dominant position over Sri Lanka. Simplistic but not untrue. For at the heart of almost everything good about this England performance to date has been the 25-year-old debutant who has taken to Test cricket as smoothly as he has taken every ball into his gloves.He resumed on the second day 87 not out. Personal landmarks probably shouldn’t have gained the status they have in a team game – Foakes had, after all, already ensured England had a competitive total having come to the crease with them teetering on 103 for 5 – but the fact is no England keeper had ever made a century in Asia and only one had made a century on Test debut. Even in a team game, these things matter. Especially when you’re standing in for an injured player who is expected to be fit in a few days.Despite easing the first delivery of the day through the covers for four – a typically sublime shot – it looked as if Foakes may be left just short of his century when Jack Leach was drawn into a back-foot push and edged to slip to give Dilruwan Perera his fifth wicket. Leach had taken a single from the fifth ball of the previous Suranga Lakmal over, putting him on strike against Dilruwan.Foakes was still five short of the landmark when he was joined by England’s No. 11, James Anderson. After watching Anderson survive a nerve-racking over from Perera – one ball was played agonisingly short of the packed slip cordon – Foakes decided to seize the moment and took the attack to Lakmal. He pulled the second ball of the over through backward square for four, then punched the fourth back past the bowler off the back foot – a high-class stroke by any standards – for another boundary to reach his hundred. To put his contribution in perspective, the next-highest score in the innings was 48 and only two men in the top five reached double-figures. Matt Prior is the only other England wicketkeeper to score a century on debut.Moeen Ali celebrates after another strike•Getty Images

But that was only part of Foakes’ job done. His primary role was still as a keeper. And, over the next few hours, he showed why Alec Stewart, his director of cricket at Surrey, rates him as the best in the world.If his first dismissal – an outside edge offered by Dimuth Karunaratne as he poked at one that left him from James Anderson – was relatively straightforward, it was still significant. It came from just the second ball of the Sri Lanka innings and therefore equalled a record set by Australia’s Peter Nevill for the earliest dismissal (in terms of deliveries) for a keeper on debut.Better was to come. A defiant stand of 75 for the fifth wicket between Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal appeared to have put Sri Lanka on course after they had slumped to 40 for 4. But then Adil Rashid saw Chandimal advancing down the pitch, held the ball back just a little and saw it turn past the outside edge. Foakes whipped off the bails both quickly and neatly to become the first England keeper to complete a stumping in the first innings of their Test debut since Bob Taylor in 1971.If it looked straightforward, it is worth remembering that England went three years between November 2012 and December 2015 without completing a stumping in Test cricket. Later he took an outstanding catch to see off Akila Dananjaya, poking at one that left him. Sometimes the very talented make the difficult appear deceptively easy.In the end, Sri Lanka conceded a first-innings lead of 139. Almost every plan that England had came off: from Sam Curran taking the new ball for the first time – in his second over he swung one back to trap Kaushal Silva leg before – to the trio of spinners combining to claim eight wickets.If Moeen Ali, who finished with 4 for 66 and passed John Emburey’s tally of 147 Test victims (in 11 fewer Tests and almost 6000 fewer deliveries), was the most successful, Jack Leach lost nothing in comparison. The wicket of Kusal Mendis, drawn forward from round the wicket before the ball turned to kiss the edge of the bat, would have pleased Rangana Herath or any other left-arm spinner in Test history.The key wicket of Mathews fell the ball after tea. Unfortunate to received one that bounced and turned, he gloved to short leg, having recording an assured half-century, before Niroshan Dickwella was lured into a loose drive and the tail fell to a succession of aggressive heaves. Herath, who had been given a guard of honour by the England team, was left unbeaten though you suspect he may have one more innings to play. By stumps, England had extended their lead to 177 with all 10 second-innings wickets intact.England’s most uncomfortable moment of the day came when Rory Burns, at short leg, was hit by a fierce sweep from Dickwella. Leaning forward, Burns ensured the ball did not hit his head but still took a painful blow on the upper back – just below the neck – and received several minutes of on-field treatment. An early tea was called and Burns spent an hour or so recovering in the dressing room, but had returned to the field before the end of the Sri Lanka innings.

M Vijay showed sparkling form, hitting a brisk century, while KL Rahul broke a lean run with a half-century on the final day of the India’s tour match

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-20181:18

‘Australian conditions suit my game’ – Vijay

A solid top-order show from Murali Vijay and KL Rahul headlined the final day of the drawn encounter between India and Cricket Australia XI. Vijay demolished an inexperienced host bowling attack as he made a 132-ball 129 laden with 16 fours and five sixes, while Rahul hit form with a 98-ball 62, following a string of low scores.Australia batsmen made the Indian bowlers toil at the start of the day, as they amassed 544 from 151.1 overs, after beginning the day 6 for 356. Harry Nielsen, who added 44 runs to his overnight score to bring up 100, was dismissed by Virat Kohli in the 21st over of the day. Aaron Hardie’s 86, and three 30-plus contributions from the tail, helped the hosts take a 186-run lead.In reply, Rahul reached his half-century shortly after tea in the 25th over, while Vijay was batting on 33. There was a short break in play in the 30th over, when a grimacing Vijay sought medical attention to his right thumb, and he resumed playing with a bandage on the finger. In the very next over, D’Arcy Short got the much-needed breakthrough as he dismissed Rahul for 62.Overcoming the pain in his thumb, Vijay set off to entertain the sizeable crowd at the SCG once he crossed 50. He destroyed the young Western Australian offspinner Jake Carder for 26 runs in an over, including three fours and two sixes, to move from 74 to 100. He smashed three more fours and two sixes before falling to Daniel Fallins in the 44th over, following which the teams shook hands with 15 minutes left to play.Vijay had been recalled for the Australia tour after losing his place due to poor form in the last two away Tests against England earlier this year. He impressed in a county stint with Essex and his first-class form was enough to get him picked for the Tests. Speaking about his comeback after the match, Vijay said his focus, even when he was out of the team, was on making sure he was always ready for the top level.”You’ve got to find ways to be in that positive frame of mind, where even if you’re not part of the team, you’ve still got to make sure you keep your work ethics to the top level, and once you get a chance, you should be ready to go,” he said. “That’s my basic funda. Once you play international (cricket), you’ve got to handle responsibility well. Whether it is four years or your first year, it’s about taking the responsibility and doing it for your team. Age doesn’t matter here.”

The Pakistan bowling coach said that the pitch had flattened out and his was a young attack which, admittedly, could have bowled better

Danyal Rasool at the Wanderers13-Jan-2019Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood admitted that his side could have bowled a lot better in the morning, as South Africa set the visitors a colossal 382 to avoid a whitewash in Johannesburg. He also added, however, that the pitch appeared to have flattened out, allowing South Africa a degree of comfort with the bat they had not enjoyed on Saturday.”We could have bowled a lot better today, and there were patches we didn’t bowl well in Centurion and Cape Town as well,” he said. “But as you see, our bowling line-up is very inexperienced, and this is a learning curve for them. Apart from Amir, no one came here before. These are different pitches, different atmosphere, so it’s a learning curve for them.”I think the pitch flattened out a bit. For the last three days, all sides opted for the heavy roller and the pitch flattened out. I think our plan was to get them out for less than 50 or 60 runs today, so we’d have to chase 270 or 280. But credit goes to de Kock and Amla. They played really well. They left the ball well, and when they got opportunities, they hit boundaries. On this ground, there are a lot of boundary options. You don’t get lot of runs by singles, because boundaries can be had on both sides.”South Africa had begun the day still slightly precariously perched at 135 for 5, but 129 from Quinton de Kock, a half-century from Hashim Amla, and contributions from the lower order took South Africa to 304. It was de Kock’s innings however – his first century in two years – that most impressed Azhar.”De Kock is a class act. He’s one of the best players in the world. We know when he’s at the crease he will get runs, because he likes ball on bat. He has the ability to hit good balls for four, and the innings he played was very good.”Pakistan still need 232 runs to win, with seven wickets in hand. The chase, if it were to be completed, would break all sorts of records, but will require the Pakistan batsmen to show a command over South Africa’s all-pace attack that they have not come close to achieving. Mahmood, however, still felt his side were in with a shot, pointing to the sturdy little 48-run partnership brewing between Babar Azam and Asad Shafiq.”We’ve done this before [in Pallekelle in 2015, where Pakistan also chased 382]. Babar and Asad are batting really well. If they bat for a long period of time, we’ve got a really good chance. Like I said in the morning, when you get 50, you have to turn it into 70, and then on to 100. If one of these guys can get a hundred like de Kock did, then I think we’ve got a chance.”Another slight peculiarity of the day was legspinner Shadab Khan, who had enjoyed turn since day one, not being called upon until the 34th over of the day. He sent down just under five overs, but caused the batsmen the greatest discomfort during that time, taking two wickets, including de Kock’s. Azhar admitted he may well have come on earlier, but said that the early swing made Pakistan stick with pace.”That’s the decision we had to take. The ball was doing a bit and there were a lot of plays and misses. We were hoping the fast bowler did the job for us and the captain thought that was the way to go. But when he came back, he bowled really well. I’m satisfied with the bowlers’ performance overall this series. As you can see, not only did the Pakistan batting line-up struggle, but the South Africans did too.”The issue about the performance of the bowlers has become a major talking point over the past week, with Sarfraz making his frustrations with their reduced pace obvious after Pakistan succumbed to a nine-wicket defeat in Cape Town. On the first day here, Amir, too, had made it clear that he would not take questions on the subject, abruptly ending a press conference when asked. But Azhar, who has been in charge of the bowlers, used the example of Shaheen Afridi, sitting this game out with an injury, to illustrate their workload of late.”Look at Shaheen: he’s a young guy. He only played six first-class games, out of which three were Test matches. He’s bowled a lot, and we’ve been playing Test-match cricket for the last three months. The boys played eight Test matches in a few weeks. It’s tough on a young guy, because he’s not used to the workload. We miss him, but we have to manage his workload for the ODIs as well, because he’ll be crucial in the ODIs for us.”

He is expected to wear a brace for six weeks before returning to training which will rule him out of the PSL and makes it highly doubtful he would be fit for the Pakistan one-day series

Andrew McGlashan12-Jan-2019Steven Smith requires surgery on the elbow injury that forced him home from the BPL and appears unlikely to be fit to resume his international career when his ban expires at the end of March potentially leaving him short of time to prepare for the World Cup.He is expected to wear a brace for six weeks after the operation before returning to training, which will rule him out of the Pakistan Super League, and makes it highly doubtful he would be fit to play any part in the one-day series against Pakistan that had been suggested as his international comeback if the fixtures lined up with the end of his year-long ban. The timescale for his recovery will also put him in doubt for the IPL which starts on March 23.However, the main concern for the Australia selectors will be if the injury means he is not able to play any international cricket before the World Cup squad has to be named on April 23.Smith arrived back in Sydney on Sunday and was assessed by Cricket Australia medical staff.”Steve Smith will undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair a ligament in his right elbow. He is expected to wear a brace for six weeks before commencing rehabilitation. Return to play time frames will be clearer once the brace has been removed,” a CA spokesman said.Depending on Smith’s recovery he may be available to take up part of his IPL deal with Rajasthan Royals, but those Australian players selected in the World Cup squad have to leave by early May for a preparation camp in Brisbane where they are set to play two matches against a New Zealand XI.During his ban, Smith has played T20 in Canada and the Caribbean before his aborted spell in Bangladesh. He has also played regular grade cricket for Sutherland and has trained with the New South Wales and Sydney Sixers squads but now faces an even bigger challenge to be ready for the demands of a World Cup campaign.

Jemimah Rodrigues moved up four places to No.2 while her team-mate Smriti Mandhana moved from tenth to sixth spot

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2019West Indies’ Deandra Dottin has leapfrogged her captain Stafanie Taylor to become the top ranked allrounder among women in T20Is. Dottin was central to West Indies’ 2-1 series win over Pakistan in the UAE, where she was the leading run-getter with 158 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 139.82 in addition to taking three wickets at an economy rate of 6.36. She now has a 37-point lead over Taylor, who has 387 points.ICC T20 rankings for batsmen•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

While New Zealand’s Suzie Bates retained her top spot among batsmen, India’s Jemimah Rodrigues moved up four places to No.2. The 18-year old made 132 runs in three innings in New Zealand. Her team-mate Smriti Mandhana, who was the top scorer in that series, with 180 runs in three innings, including two half-centuries, moved from tenth to sixth.Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, who was the joint-highest wicket-taker in New Zealand, with four scalps, broke into the top 10 among bowlers, as did South Africa seamer Shabnim Ismail.