England will include debutant spinner Dom Bess and Jos Buttler at No. 7, while Pakistan face a decision over their third seamer

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan23-May-20182:58

Should Bairstow drop the gloves?

Big Picture

The teams were jostling for the No. 1 Test ranking. Now they are battling mid-table mediocrity. Alastair Cook and Misbah-ul-Haq were the captains. Now it’s Joe Root and Sarfraz Ahmed. Younis Khan was jumping around the crease (and scoring a double century). Now Pakistan are trying to build a new middle order.It’s been less than two years since England and Pakistan last met for a Test series and much has changed. The latest series, which starts at Lord’s before continuing to Headingley, is a meeting of teams in various states of flux. England are still trying to find solutions to a number of familiar problem areas while Pakistan have lost three of their five series since taking the No. 1 spot shortly after the 2016 contest concluded with their series-levelling victory at The Oval.Pakistan are missing three men who were vital to that 2-2 scoreline – Misbah, Younis and the injured Yasir Shah – and another, Wahab Riaz, who could have added experience if not always direction with the ball. Their batting looks on the callow side and they almost came a cropper against Ireland, with much resting on Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq finding their touch quickly in a short series.With the ball, however, they will, as so often, remain a threat. Quite how much Test cricket Mohammad Amir will play remains to be seen but he bowled beautifully in Ireland and if his team-mates can catch he could run through a line-up. Mohammad Abbas will be a handful if there is any nibble on offer while Shadab Khan has immense promise and also the advantage of being new to England.For England there are subplots aplenty at the beginning of a second season in charge for Root. His own position (in the batting order, not the captaincy) is one talking point – can he settle at No. 3? – which is part of a larger reshuffle of the order. Will the punt on Jos Buttler at No. 7 pay dividends or just muddy the water more? Can Dom Bess take the most of an unexpected chance? Is Mark Stoneman facing his last chance? Can Alastair Cook go again as a Test batsman? Is there life beyond James Anderson and Stuart Broad?That’s a lot of questions. Of late, England’s Test side haven’t provided a whole lot of new answers. This season needs to change that.

Form guide

England DLLDL
Pakistan WLLWL

In the spotlight

A quick look at those who have batted at No. 7 for any significant amount of Tests (in this case at least 10 matches) and who haven’t taken the keeping gloves shows one thing: precious few specialist batmen. Yet that is, in effect, what Jos Buttler has been selected as on his return to Test cricket. Almost a wildcard pick. There was a spare slot and this is how Ed Smith and Joe Root think it’s best filled. In a perfect world, Buttler will be able to exploit tired attacks at 350 for 5 and counter-attack thrillingly at 150 for 5. In reality, it’s unlikely to be quite so simple.Two years ago Yasir Shah took 10 wickets in the match as Pakistan secured a famous win which led to celebratory push-ups on the outfield. Currently the only push-ups he’s doing are in the gym as he recovers from a hip injury. The legspin role is now with Shadab Khan who has shown terrific skills in white-ball cricket but is only just starting out in Tests. Yasir’s haul also came later in the year when the pitches were drier, but the recent warm weather in London could bring Shadab firmly into contest. And we all know about England and legspin.

Team news

England’s one decision is between Chris Woakes and Mark Wood for the final pace-bowling slot. Wood was recalled in Christchurch at the end of March and provides extra pace. Woakes provides more with the bat. There will be a debut for 20-year-old offspinner Dom Bess.England 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Mark Stoneman, 3 Joe Root (capt), 4 Dawid Malan, 5 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler, 8 Mark Wood/Chris Woakes, 9 Dom Bess, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James AndersonPakistan also have just a single spot to decide on: whether Rahat Ali retains his place after a wicketless outing against Ireland or he’s replaced by the skiddy pace – and extra batting ability – of Hasan Ali. Judging by nets on Wednesday, Hasan was favourite to play. Babar Azam took a blow on the finger on Tuesday but was expected to be okay.Pakistan 1 Azhar Ali, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Haris Sohail, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Babar Azam, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Rahat Ali/Hasan Ali, 11 Mohammad Abbas

Pitch and conditions

The pitch had a distinct tinge of green the day before the Test, but a fair amount of that grass was likely to be removed before play starts. Last year, the surface for the South Africa Test took considerable turn although that was in July. In September there was plenty of help for the quicks when West Indies visited. The forecast for this match is for a warm few days with the chance of showers – some thundery – at various stages but also plenty of dry weather.

Stats and Trivia

• Cook will equal Allan Border’s record of 153 consecutive Test appearances. The only match Cook has missed since his debut was what would have been his third Test, in Mumbai, when he was struck down by illness.
• If Rahat Ali is dropped, Pakistan will have just four survivors (Azhar, Shafiq, Sarfraz and Amir) from the side that won at Lord’s in 2016

Quotes

“Jos at seven can be an exciting and integral part of our batting unit, to take the game to the opposition from a position of strength and make it even stronger. The way he approaches his white-ball cricket, I think a lot of that can cross over.”
“Yes, the senior players in the team have to show responsibility. Amir and I have played here before so has Azhar and Shafiq, so we are seniors and the rest of seven players will play here for the first time. We have to lead from the front, we have more responsibility to give a good platform so that new players take from there”
Sarfraz Ahmed

Champions Nottinghamshire completed a second successive victory, with a bowling attack that showed its experience as the Outlaws beat East Midland neighbours Leicestershire by 19 runs at the Fischer County Ground

ECB Reporters Network08-Jul-2018
ScorecardChampions Nottinghamshire completed a second successive victory, with a bowling attack that showed its experience as the Outlaws beat East Midland neighbours Leicestershire by 19 runs at the Fischer County Ground.”They strangled us well in the middle overs,” Foxes’ captain Colin Ackermann said, after seeing his side collapse from 80 for 2 to 102 for 6 when in pursuit of a target that did not look unattainable on a good wicket and with a lightning quick outfield.Nottinghamshire’s Samit Patel said his side had completed a “convincing” win. “The intent we showed when we batted was good, Tom [Moores] and I managed a good partnership, and we accelerated nicely. Then we bowled to our plans and got wickets at the right time, because it’s always tough chasing ten an over.”The visitors’ total was based on a partnership of 97 for the third wicket between Patel and Moores. Coming together when Riki Wessels’ attempt to pull a quick delivery from Zak Chappell gave Mohammad Abbas a simple catch at mid-on, leaving the visitors on 17 for 2, both batsmen made half-centuries, albeit in contrasting styles.Patel, all wristy flicks, timing and placement, reached his fifty first, off 26 balls with ten fours, before holing out to long-on off Callum Parkinson. The young left-arm spinner picked up the wicket of Moores in the same over. Moores had just reached his fifty with a bludgeoned six over midwicket before his attempt to repeat the shot was well held by Raine.Captain Dan Christian, while unable to repeat his heroics of Friday evening, when he hit a century off 37 balls at Northampton, ensured his side would get close to 200 by thumping 47 from 29.Leicestershire’s reply began solidly enough, Cameron Delport and Neil Dexter compiling an opening partnership of 51 before Luke Fletcher yorked Delport for 33 in the final over of the Powerplay.Mark Cosgrove’s immediate dismissal for a duck, brilliantly caught by Steven Mullaney, one handed high to his right at midwicket, was a hammer blow to the Foxes’ chances, but the clatter of wickets that followed the loss of Dexter did not make for pretty viewing for the sizeable home crowd.Lewis Hill was caught slog-sweeping at deep backward square, Ackermann and Raine at deep midwicket, and although Mohammad Nabi, and in the final over, Abbas, hit out to good effect, there was never a sense that the Outlaws’ score was under any real pressure.”That we got quite close without looking likely to chase it down was frustsrating,” Ackermann said. “We’ve had a few decent knocks, but nothing really substantial and match-winning in the last two matches.”

Cheteshwar Pujara’s failure will be a cause of worry, but on the positive side, the visiting side can take heart from four half-centuries by the batsmen

Nagraj Gollapudi25-Jul-20181:03

How Essex’s Walter and Coles got Kohli and Dhawan

Four half-centuries and a modest total. Those were the couple of positive takeaways for the Indians who got to bat first against an Essex second XI. The pitch was lime green, something coach Ravi Shastri had said India were not shy of confronting.Even before the crowd took their seats, Shikhar Dhawan had edged his way back to the dressing room. And by the time the fans were settled in, Cheteshwar Pujara too walked back disappointed, also edging behind the wicket. But as a scorching sun blazed, India prospered.Here are the gleanings from first day’s play.India’s top order wobblesCheteshwar Pujara and Shikhar Dhawan both fell cheaply•BCCI

In the limited overs-leg of the UK tour, Dhawan lost his way after strong starts by running himself out twice. Today, even before he got his eye in, he inside edged the third ball of the match, which Essex wicketkeeper James Foster collected neatly. Foster cashed in on another opportunity when Pujara offered a thick edge as he was opened up by Matt Coles.With India opting to shorten this match to a three-day affair, the duo can only hope that they get another opportunity in the game. Of the two, Pujara would be the one more concerned. Despite being the most experienced batsman in English conditions due to his various county stints, the questions are piling up for Pujara.Vijay shows characterHis only error of judgement cost M Vijay his wicket. He had attempted to drive left-arm seamer Paul Walter away from his body, but the ball took out off stump instead. Still, Vijay had done a good job. He was out early in both innings in the India A match against England Lions last week in Worcester, but today, Vijay was solid and patient.Early on, Matthew Quinn used his height to extract good bounce and movement. In the third over after the first hour, Quinn consistently drew Vijay forward with length deliveries that seamed away. One of those induced an outside edge and nearly carried to Varun Chopra at first slip. Vijay, however, remained calm in the face of this early examination. He left the ball confidently and punched fluent drives on the off side to record a patient half-century. He will know that stiffer challenges lie ahead, when the ball comes at a faster pace repeatedly from James Anderson and Stuart Broad over the next month.Rahul fluentIf you look at purely the numbers, KL Rahul might have already won the race against Pujara for the No. 3 spot. Pujara got 1. Rahul got 68. But Pujara walked in against the new ball on a fresh greentop. By the time Rahul arrived, the pitch had dried out. The ball was old. The bowlers had lost a bit of energy. On the other hand, Rahul had walked in when India had lost two settled batsmen in Vijay and Virat Kohli, in the span of four overs, and the total hadn’t even reached 200.It took him a while to find his rhythm, but once he had it, Rahul was convincing. When Matt Dixon bounced him, Rahul was proactive and pulled him for an easy four over midwicket. When Aron Nijjar maintained an outside off stump line, Rahul moved outside the line of the ball to execute a lovely flick that raced past the ropes. Despite being dropped from the final ODI of the England series for reasons he said even he was not aware of, Rahul today showed good composure.But just like all the other men who had 50s today, Rahul too fell when he was going strong. Attempting a premeditated charge against Nijjar, Rahul lofted the ball into the hands of Dixon at mid-off.Kohli survives ‘the Anderson’Virat Kohli taps the ball down the ground•Getty Images

Ajinkya Rahane had walked in as No.4. Having just played the India A match, the think-tank would have wanted to give Rahane enough match time to get mentally ready for the Test series. Although Rahane did get a start, he was scratchy and was beaten a few times too many. Against one of those deliveries, from Quinn, he edged behind the wicket to help Foster pouch his third victim.Kohli did not let that affect him. India were 29 for 2 after the first hour in which 14 overs were bowled, and then 44 for 3. Immediately Kohli upped the intensity. He stood tall on his toes to unleash a powerful square cut against Dixon for his first four.But even though he was settled and nearing a half-century, Kohli faced a stern test from Quinn. On 41 Kohli received an Anderson ball: pitched on a length on off stump, drawn forward to play, bat left hanging, ball almost kissing the outside edge on the way to the keeper. Quinn used the same length and the same ball to beat Kohli thrice in a row. But no sooner did Quinn push the length by an inch, on the last ball of the same over, Kohli pounced on it to drive through cover for four. Kohli would still be annoyed at himself for trying to fetch the ball and edging a fuller one, which Paul Walter had angled towards the fourth stump, to second slip.Karthik cashes inWith Dinesh Karthik, you can never predict what you’ll get. No one, including the man himself, possibly expected to walk back raising his bat, undefeated, as the top run-maker on the day. Karthik played and missed and nearly edged frequently against the seamers. But one thing he did not miss was putting away the bad balls, of which there were many.With Hardik Pandya struggling against the moving delivery and spin, Karthik’s role at No. 6 is vital for India’s lower order. Karthik will be happy he could play his range of strokes despite some edgy moments.

In just his second Test, left-arm seamer Sam Curran made mark against India by taking out India’s top three on the second day

Andrew McGlashan02-Aug-20181:54

Roland-Jones: Curran gives England reason for excitement

Curran…there’s another of those, isn’t there?Yes, indeed. Sam’s brother Tom, who also plays for Surrey, made his Test debut against Australia in Melbourne and has also featured in the one-day and T20 sides. There is another brother as well, Ben, who is involved in the Surrey set-up and is very highly rated. Their father, Kevin, played 11 ODIs for Zimbabwe and had a long career in county cricket with Northamptonshire.Has it been a rapid rise for Sam?In a way as he’s only 20 – which is young for an international cricketer in England – but he’s been on the radar for a few years. He made his Surrey Championship debut as a 17-year-old in 2015, taking eight wickets in the match against Kent and by the end of the following season was already in the England Lions set-up. His Test claims were given a significant leg up early this summer when he took ten wickets in the Championship match against Yorkshire – a side that featured Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Cheteshwar Pujara (who he removed twice).How did his Test debut go?He was the seventh youngest man – at 19 years and 363 days – to debut in Tests for England. There were obviously a few nerves against Pakistan at Headingley – Stuart Broad said Curran struggled a little with the slope of the ground – and Curran joked that having his first Test wicket, Shadab Khan, caught at deep midwicket wasn’t quite how he’d dreamt it. But he was more comfortable in the second innings.He looked pretty solid with the bat as wellHe is certainly classed as an allrounder at first-class level and his batting ability is one of the reasons he was first called up and kept his place in this match ahead of Jamie Porter. There is even a school of thought that he could develop into more of a batting allrounder – he has spoken of his desire to bat higher up the order for Surrey and he already has 11 half-centuries in 42 first-class matches.He’s quite short for a fast bowler. Will that be a problem?It has been one of the debates raised about his long-term prospects of being an international pace bowler. There’s nothing he can do about his height, he just has to make the best of the natural skills he has which, as was on show at Edgbaston this morning, is making the ball swing. It’s true that there haven’t been too many successful short pace bowlers at the top level, but Curran will be about his all-round package. And, of course, there’s the variation he brings of being a left-arm which is something Trevor Bayliss has been keen on having in the Test side.

A CA investigation has found no evidence for further pursuit of the claim that an Australian player used a racial taunt against the England allrounder during the 2015 Ashes series

Daniel Brettig24-Sep-2018A Cricket Australia (CA) investigation of Moeen Ali’s allegation of a racial slur from an Australian player during the 2015 Ashes series has found no evidence for further pursuit of the claim.In an extract from his new book, Moeen stated that an Australian player had called him “Osama” during the first Test of the series, in Cardiff, and that he had told the England coach Trevor Bayliss, who then raised the matter with Australia’s then coach Darren Lehmann. However, the unnamed player involved denied the allegation, claiming he had called Moeen a “part-timer”.When Moeen’s account of events came to light, CA indicated that the governing body was in touch with the ECB, and that a further investigation would take place. The CA integrity unit, until recently headed by Iain Roy but now helmed by Sean Carroll, subsequently interviewed numerous Australian players from the 2015 Cardiff Test and team management, while also communicating with the ECB’s own integrity unit.The investigation concluded on the weekend, and it is understood that no other player said they heard the alleged remark. “We have followed up with the ECB and our team management and confirmed that the incident was investigated at the time, with a response provided to Moeen,” A CA spokesman said.”Moeen elected not to progress the matter any further and we have not been able to ascertain any new additional evidence through our enquiries. As such, the matter is considered closed. We take a zero-tolerance approach to remarks of this nature; they have no place in our sport, or in society and any allegations raised with us are treated seriously and respectfully.”Representatives of our country are expected to uphold a high standard of behaviours and values, and they are fully aware of the consequences should they fail to do this.”Bayliss has said that Moeen did not want the matter to be taken further, a process that would have involved the ICC and the racial vilification clauses of its code of conduct. “He didn’t want it to go any further. He was happy for it [to be dealt with between the two teams],” Bayliss told News Corporation. “He’s a very softly-spoken sort of a bloke. He doesn’t want to create too many problems for anyone.”I’m not going to make too much of it, it was bloody three years ago, let’s move on. [Cricket Australia] can do what they like I suppose, everyone has sort of forgotten about it and moved on since then. I don’t see it as any real big deal. It was a hard-fought series. But no, I thought [relations after that point] were OK. You’re not party to what goes on out on the field and certainly nothing else was reported or anything through that series so we just left it at that.”Under the CA code of conduct, the governing body would have had the option of re-opening the matter and laying a charge if new evidence had been found by the integrity unit.Meanwhile, CA’s own cultural reviews are believed to be in their closing stages, with the report on the organisation’s wider operations submitted by Simon Longstaff, the director of the Ethics Centre and has been viewed by the directors of the governing body’s Board. This review of the organisation is expected to be made public. According to the reviews’ terms of reference:”The first, overarching independent review will investigate whether any wider cultural, organisational and/or governance issues within CA, and more broadly within Australian cricket, should be addressed to ensure these events never occur again, either on tour or whilst playing in Australia. This review will investigate links between player behaviour (particularly on this tour of South Africa) and the organisational, governance and culture within CA and Australian cricket.”The separate player review will, in consultation with a small panel of current and past players, consider a behavioural Charter for the Australian men’s cricket teams that balances the performance demands of elite cricket with expectations of all Australians in regard to on- and off-field role modelling.”It is expected that at various stages the findings from this Wider Cultural, Organisational &/or Governance review will cross-check with the work of the panel that is exploring a Charter for the Australian men’s team – and, where appropriate, incorporate any findings or relevant information into its work.”The review of the Australian men’s team, conducted by the former Test opener Rick McCosker, is set to be submitted shortly, with a concurrent drafting of a charter for player behaviour also near to completion, as indicated by the national team captain Tim Paine before his departure for the tour of the UAE to play Pakistan last week.”Cricket Australia has committed to sharing the findings from the concurrent reviews before the season begins,” a CA spokesman said. “There are still a number of steps to be taken before the process is complete. At such time, we will engage key stakeholders, among them the media. It would be inappropriate to comment on speculation or provide a running commentary while the process is ongoing.”

The two quicks picked up three wickets each before fifties from Reeza Hendricks and Heinrich Klaasen steered South Africa home

The Report by Liam Brickhill06-Oct-2018AFP

Reeza Hendricks added to his debut hundred with an assured 66 and Heinrich Klaasen registered his maiden ODI fifty as South Africa chased down Zimbabwe’s 228 with four overs to spare in Paarl. On the best pitch so far seen in the series, South Africa’s frontline bowlers shared the spoils to bowl Zimbabwe out three balls short of a full innings. An inexperienced batting line-up then put in their best performance of the series as South Africa strolled to a four-wicket win.Dale Steyn’s successful return to ODI cricket continued and he led the charge with 3 for 29 in the afternoon, once again bowling with menacing pace. South Africa’s opening pair of Hendricks and Aiden Markram then shared in an opening stand of 75, setting the platform for Klaasen’s 59 and the unbeaten 25 from Khaya Zondo that guided South Africa to a 3-0 series victory.While Klaasen marshalled the latter end of South Africa’s chase, Hendricks and Markram were in complete control throughout the Powerplay, aided by erratic lines from Zimbabwe with the new ball. Tendai Chatara fed Markram’s whips through the leg side and then overcorrected on the off to leak five boundaries in his first two overs.Hamilton Masakadza cycled through his seamers and then turned to his spinners as early as the eighth over. But on a benign pitch the visiting attack lost their bite. There was accuracy, but not deception from Sean Williams and Brandon Mavuta tried to do a little too much with his variations of legspin, losing control of his length. Hendricks swatted boundaries whenever the young legspinner erred, while Markram skipped out to hit Williams twice down the ground before he was unluckily given out lbw for 42 – there is no DRS in this series, and Umpire Chris Gaffaney missed an inside edge.Faf du Plessis, returning to action after recovering from the shoulder injury he picked up in the field against Sri Lanka in August, eased himself in with a couple of confident strokes off the front foot but then picked out Craig Ervine at midwicket, pulling at a Mavuta half-tracker.The dismissal of the South African captain in the 20th over allowed Zimbabwe to build a little pressure in the field, and they might have had an opening when Hendricks was trapped in front of his stumps by Donald Tiripano for 66. Klaasen made sure they didn’t. Playing the pull with particular power, he raced to fifty from 59 balls and added 66 with Zondo to put South Africa within a couple of shots of victory.Klaasen laced two of fours off Kyle Jarvis, but fell attempting a third. Phehlukwayo then fell for a nine-ball duck as Zimbabwe delayed the inevitable, only for Steyn to arrive at the crease and thump the third ball he faced down the ground to end the match. On a pitch not dissimilar from those South Africa might expect to find at the World Cup in England next year, the hosts had finally flexed their batting bench strength a little.They also got the chance to try out an exciting combination with the ball, with Steyn and Imran Tahir sharing the new ball duties. While there was very little turn for Tahir, his variations of wrist and pace kept the Zimbabwean openers guessing, and soon did for Solomon Mire.When Craig Ervine feathered his third ball, from Steyn, through to Klaasen and Rabada set Masakadza up with a reverse three-card trick that went yorker, yorker, bouncer Zimbabwe were once again three down in close proximity to the Powerplay. Another low total loomed, but Williams and Taylor went on the counterattack in style.They added 73 for the fourth wicket, Taylor reaching a significant milestone in the process as he became the third Zimbabwean to reach 6,000 runs in ODIs, after the Flower brothers. Some brilliantly sharp keeping from Klaasen had Taylor stumped for 40, but Williams continued to attack and raced past his previous best of 55 against South Africa.He eventually played too early to be caught and bowled by Rabada for 69, and with Peter Moor and Elton Chigumbura falling cheaply it was left to Donald Tiripano and Mavuta to boost the score beyond 200. Zimbabwe didn’t have quite enough left in the tank to bat through their innings, Tiripano falling for 29 in the pursuit of quick runs with three balls to go. They did at least offer South Africa a reasonable target to chase under lights, and the hosts’ top order responded with their most compelling performance of a 3-0 whitewash.

Uncapped Sheneta Grimmond has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury and replaced by 17-year old pacer Qiana Joseph

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2018Hayley Matthews played a pivotal role in West Indies lifting the World T20 trophy in Kolkata in 2016, and now as they aim to defend the title at home, she has been named the vice-captain ahead of the tournament. The 20-year old allrounder has grown from strength to strength in recent years; exemplified by her maiden ODI hundred against South Africa two months ago.”I am very delighted that the hierarchy of Cricket West Indies see me as a good fit for vice-captain,” Matthews said after being appointed. “I think that the added responsibility will be of great benefit to my overall game. It will be an amazing feeling to play in front of home fans here in the West Indies.”The new appointee had her captain Stafanie Taylor’s full support. “Hayley is young, but very confident and knowledgeable about the sport,” Taylor said. “She is someone who can lead from the front, with bat and ball, and encourage her team-mates to raise their game in varying situations.”West Indies, however, suffered an injury blow, as uncapped 20-year old batsman Sheneta Grimmond was ruled out of the tournament. Qiana Joseph, who featured in two matches in the World Cup in England last year, was named Grimmond’s replacement. While not picked in the initial squad for the WWT20, 17-year old Joseph was with the team at all of their recent training camps in Antigua.”It’s so unfortunate that Sheneta had to be withdrawn, as it would have been a great experience for her,” Joseph said. “However, I must take this selection as a blessing and do my best to assist the team in retaining our World Women’s T20 championship at home. The team will do the best to make her proud.”

Hope was struck on the helmet during his unbeaten 108, while Roach hurt his right hamstring while bowling

Mohammad Isam in Sylhet14-Dec-2018Shai Hope and Kemar Roach were ruled out of the third ODI against Bangladesh in Sylhet mid-way through the game. Both were put under observation after they were injured on the field during the match.Hope was hit on the helmet with the ball deflecting off his bat as he tried to pull the first ball of the 50th over. It initially appeared to have not been much of a blow as he only called for the physio after facing two more Mohammad Saifuddin deliveries. He continued batting and remained unbeaten on 108 at the end of the innings but didn’t come out to field. In his absence, Shimron Hetmyer assumed the wicketkeeping duties.Roach, meanwhile, bowled only three overs in the Bangladesh innings before walking off holding his right hamstring. Roach’s hamstring spasms are being monitored by the team physio. Roach is not part of the West Indies T20I side and will be returning home after the third ODI. Hope is, however, part of the T20I squad. The series begins in Sylhet on December 17.”Kemar Roach is not in the T20 squad, so he gets time to heal,” captain Rovman Powell said after the match. “His foot is a little bit sore. Shai Hope is a little bit dizzy from the ball that he got struck in the head. Hopefully, overnight into tomorrow he can recover. He will be a vital part of the T20s.”

Handscomb has had his technique picked apart by India, but Australia may want a fifth-bowling option for Melbourne anyway

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2018The immediate Test future of Peter Handscomb remains the main selection debate for Australia after they named an unchanged 13-man squad for the final two Tests against India at Melbourne and Sydney.Chris Tremain, who was part of the squad leading into the series, was released before the Perth Test and the selectors have not felt the need to make any changes following Australia’s 146-run victory which levelled the series.Peter Siddle is retained as the back-up pace option to the main three quick men with the big decision heading into Melbourne whether allrounder Mitchell Marsh is recalled in place of the struggling Handscomb who has made 34, 14, 7 and 13 in the series.It is less about the low scores for Handscomb more the manner of dismissals, with his technique being given a working over by India’s quicks as it was by England’s in last year’s Ashes. In the second innings at Perth he was trapped lbw by a full delivery from Ishant Sharma having previously twice edged behind, albeit he fell to a wonderful Virat Kohli catch on the opening day of the second Test.Coach Justin Langer said the challenge for Handscomb was to escape the “noise” which comes with a high-profile Test series but added he had started conversations with him about his method.”There’s areas he can improve and every one of our players can improve,” Langer told . “Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, they’re all working so hard on their game. What’s hard is you come into an environment like this and then there’s so much spotlight on your game. So it’s just another distraction for him.”The only thing I’ve spoken to him about so far is I wonder if he’s watching the ball because there’s times where he was playing back to balls he could’ve played forward to, forward to one he could’ve played back to. That’s the toughest thing about Test cricket, concentrating on the next ball, and when there’s all this noise and distraction, that’s the courage and skill of Test cricket.”Looking ahead to the third Test and the consideration of including Marsh as a fifth bowling option, regardless of the form debate around Handscomb, Langer said that the MCG pitch would be the greatest consideration in varying the balance of the team, but he did not have any concerns about the workload of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.”We’ll look at the wicket, as there’s been a lot of talk about this wicket, there’s been a lot of talk about the MCG wicket after last year. In terms of the quicks, I think they’re all going beautifully at the moment, they’ve bowled a lot of overs but we’ve got a decent rest and all three of those guys super professional so they will be raring to go.”Conditions are going to be different at the MCG than they were here and then in Sydney. We will have to pick what we think is the best combination to win both of those Tests. If it’s this XI then great. But if we have to make some changes I am sure will talk about that at some stage.”Squad Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc

Now chairman of selectors for Delhi senior and Under-23 teams, Bhandari has been assaulted by a group of men wielding hockey sticks and iron rods at a practice match in Delhi

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2019Amit Bhandari, the former India bowler and now chairman of selectors for Delhi senior and Under-23 teams, is in hospital after being attacked by men wielding hockey sticks and iron rods, during a practice match in Delhi on Monday. Bhandari, who suffered head and ear injuries, was watching a selection trials match with two other selectors at the St Stephen’s Cricket Ground for practice matches among senior Twenty20 probables. Bhandari was later taken to Sant Parmanand Hospital in Civil Lines in Delhi.The accused and his brother have been arrested, according to a report. “At around 1.15 pm (Monday) at St Stephens ground where trials were going on, one person Anuj Dheda, who was not selected, came and asked about his rejection and slapped Bhandari. Some 10-15 more boys came and hit him,” Nupur Prasad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) told PTI. “Based on the complaint, a case has been registered and the accused and his brother Naresh were arrested,” the DCP said.The attack took place when the first match of the day was about to end. There was a second match scheduled. Eyewitnesses said when the players and other DDCA officials tried to intervene they were threatened they would be shot. A player present at the game said Bhandari was lucky he was able to run away and maintain distance with the attackers otherwise the injuries could have been much worse.Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Bishan Singh Bedi, three of Delhi’s foremost cricketers, condemned the incident and called for swift action. Gambhir went as far as to declare he would “personally ensure” the issue was dealt with, while Sehwag said it marked a “new low”.

Rajat Sharma, the president of DDCA, said they were trying to ascertain if this was a selection-related attack. “We are trying to procure all details of the incident,” Sharma told PTI. “As far as I have come to know, it is regarding one disgruntled player, who didn’t make it to the probables list for the National Under-23 tournament. The SHO [Station House Officer] from the local police station has reached the ground, and I have personally spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik. The guilty will not go unpunished. I promise exemplary action against whoever is found involved in this misdeed. We will register an FIR.”