Pakistan need to regroup even as rain forecast swirls around second ODI

Matt Roller09-Jul-2021

Big Picture

It’s a week short of two years since England played an ODI at Lord’s, and barring a 500-plays-500 tie, it’s hard to see how Saturday will match their last outing there. The euphoria on London’s streets in the past two weeks as England’s footballers edge closer and closer to European Championship glory has rarely been matched in terms of scale, but the scene in Trafalgar Square on July 14, 2019 was as close as another sport has come to replicating it in recent memory – limbs flying and beer thrown when Jos Buttler ran Martin Guptill out three miles away as England won their first 50-over World Cup.Needless to say, Saturday’s cast will be much-changed from the group that lifted the trophy, with only two of the 15 World Cup winners involved in both squads. In the aftermath of that final, the idea of Ben Stokes captaining England in an ODI in 2021 would have involved Eoin Morgan retiring prematurely and an injury to Buttler as a bare minimum, but these are unprecedented circumstances. Stokes’ involvement in Thursday’s thrashing at Cardiff was minimal, bowling a single over and being unused as a batter, but he can expect a greater role on Saturday.The other survivor is James Vince, whose international career looked as good as over until sporadic namechecks from Morgan while he was scoring freely in the BBL over the winter and this week’s last-minute recall. Vince was on the field as a sub fielder for Mark Wood during the Super Over two years ago, but one intervention he made in the final is little-known. With two required off the last ball, Vince came out as 12th man with a towel and a drink. “‘I think we win if we get a single,’ Vincey told me,” Stokes recalled in his book – mercifully, he checked the details with Marais Erasmus, rather than clipping a single into the leg side and celebrating with open arms on reaching the non-striker’s end only to find out there was still work to do.Much as Lord’s holds fond memories for Stokes and Vince, England have not been hugely successful there over the last six years. Since the start of the 2015-19 World Cup cycle, Lord’s is the only home ground where they have lost as many games as they have won, including a heavy defeat to Australia in the tournament itself. In his book , England’s white-ball analyst Nathan Leamon puts this down to two things: there has been more lateral movement for seamers at Lord’s than any other ground in ODIs, and overall scoring rates have been the slowest of any venues. Neither of those suits their batting-heavy strategy.Pakistan, by contrast, have won four of their last five ODIs at Lord’s, including victories against South Africa and Bangladesh in the 2019 World Cup. They will have a returning home crowd to content with – an English cricket ground will be at 100% capacity for the first time since 2019 – but a significant proportion will be made up of the Pakistani diaspora from around the UK.There is plenty to be said for Shahid Afridi’s advice to Pakistan this week – “We should forget this match as soon as possible!” he tweeted – given their recent record in 50-over cricket. They had lost one (two including a Super Over against Zimbabwe) of their last dozen ODIs heading into this series, and while a heavy defeat against a second-string side was humbling, it seems unlikely that Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam will fail to score a run between them for the second game in a row. England have won four consecutive tosses in their home ODIs this summer – if their luck finally runs out, Pakistan will be keen to bowl first under dark skies.

Form Guide

England WWWLW
Pakistan LWLWT

In the spotlight

Cardiff’s short straight boundaries are unforgiving for spinners, not least when bowling from the River Taff End when the risk of being chipped into the drink is all too real. As a result, Matt Parkinson‘s returns – 2 for 28 from seven overs – in the first ODI were pleasing for England. That said, while conditions were not conducive to legspin, the game situation meant he was not put under pressure by any recognised batters, and Saturday will probably be a bigger test. Discussion around Parkinson revolves around his pace (or lack thereof) and his struggles to left-handers, given his googly is still a work in progress; a strong series against a good batting line-up would help him answer both questions.Babar Azam‘s superlative record in England – 1006 ODI runs at 47.90 in 24 innings – was dented by his second-ball duck on Thursday, playing away from his body as he searched for bat on ball against the fiery Saqib Mahmood, but it is rare for him to fail twice in a row. His three ODI innings at Lord’s to date have brought scores of 30, 69 and 96, and he will be keen to consolidate his position as the ICC’s No. 1-ranked batter in the format, too.

Pitch and conditions

Saturday’s forecast for NW8 is not ideal, with dark clouds and persistent rain due throughout the morning, but the suggestion is that it should clear up in time for long enough to avoid a no-result. Lord’s has been relatively high-scoring in this year’s T20 Blast, with the three teams batting first posting 223, 183 and 166, but with the current batch of white balls swinging for prolonged periods at the start of an innings, conditions are likely to suit seamers early on.

Team news

It would be harsh for England to discard any of the side that routed Pakistan so comprehensively in Cardiff, though with three matches scheduled in six days, they may opt to give one of the seamers a rest, with Tom Helm, Jake Ball and David Payne the candidates to come in. With the bat, they will surely want to give Ben Duckett an opportunity at some stage in the series, but John Simpson can expect to keep the gloves on his home ground.England: (possible) 1 Phil Salt, 2 Dawid Malan, 3 Zak Crawley, 4 James Vince, 5 Ben Stokes (capt), 6 John Simpson (wk), 7 Lewis Gregory, 8 Craig Overton/Jake Ball, 9 Brydon Carse/Tom Helm, 10 Saqib Mahmood, 11 Matt ParkinsonPakistan were blown away so quickly that it was difficult to evaluate any individual performers on Thursday, and they are likely to stick with the same core and balance. Debutant Saud Shakeel was one of Mahmood’s four victims and it would be harsh to dispense with him after a single game, while the recalled Sohaib Maqsood showed a glimpse of his power-hitting when flogging Carse over cover for six. Haris Rauf bowled with good pace but was relatively expensive, and Mohammad Hasnain is waiting in the wings for an opportunity.Pakistan: (possible) 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Sohaib Maqsood, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Haris Rauf/Mohammad Hasnain.

Stats and trivia

• Ben Stokes will become the 25th England player to reach 100 caps in men’s ODIs, drawing level with Nick Knight. Eoin Morgan, the man he is standing in for, has the most, with 223 (and a further 23 for Ireland).
• Fakhar Zaman is the third-highest run-scorer in men’s ODIs this calendar year, with 349 runs in four innings. Mushfiqur Rahim (407 in nine) and Paul Stirling (546 in eight) are the two men ahead of him.
• Dawid Malan has made two fifties in his first four ODIs. If he can continue his run-scoring form, he is in with a chance of becoming the second England player to score an international hundred in all three formats, after Heather Knight.
• A comfortable win would see Pakistan leapfrog Australia and Bangladesh (on net run-rate) to go second in the World Cup Super League table.
• Zak Crawley has scored 378 runs in three innings against Pakistan in all formats, compared to 384 runs in 22 innings against all other international opponents.
  

  Quotes

  “Within sport we’re slightly in a different place to the public and having to be pretty careful with regards to Covid and not picking it up. It is slightly strange being stuffed in your hotel rooms when a lot of people are roaming around free but equally, it allows us to play in front of full houses and have this opportunity.”
  
  “It wasn’t a shocker but one bad day. Every day isn’t the same so I have a full confidence and belief on my boys and I will still tell them not to worry. There are ups and downs but you have to learn quickly from your mistakes. We will try our best to bounce back and not repeat our mistakes.”

The group stage of the Vitality Blast has been completed (with some Covid-19 disruption) and here’s a round-up of how the Australian contingent went

Andrew McGlashan19-Jul-2021

Josh Inglis (Leicestershire)

A magnificent tournament for Inglis who finished as the leading run-scorer in the group stage and struck two centuries – 103 off 62 balls against Northamptonshire and 118 off 61 against Worcestershire. At a time when the Australia T20 side has continued to struggle it was another strong nudge towards the selectors who have already taken notice of him, although he played as an opener throughout this campaign which isn’t where the vacancies really lie.

Marnus Labuschagne (Glamorgan)

One of the main reasons Labuschagne was not taken to West Indies was so he could have a sustained period of T20 cricket. A forced spell of isolation after being a Covid close contact interrupted things, but either side of that he made full use of his opportunities although as a team Glamorgan had a pretty miserable tournament with just three wins in 14 matches. Labuschagne struck four half-centuries in his eight innings having had none in the format before the competition started and was also Glamorgan’s second-highest wicket-taker.

D’Arcy Short (Hampshire)

A slightly underwhelming group stage for Short who made a lot of starts without quite converting although he was part of a Hampshire side that squeezed into the quarter-finals when a whole range of scenarios played out in their favour. Short saved his best for last as well with his one half-century coming in the final match against Glamorgan with 69 off 30 balls as they surged to a target of 186 in 13 overs.Related

• Labuschagne out of isolation with 2nd XI double century

• Could Smith's potential absence open T20 World Cup door for Labuschagne?

• Sussex seal quarter-final spot as Jofra Archer makes low-key return

• Inglis' second Blast ton sends Worcestershire crashing out

Cameron Bancroft (Durham)

Bancroft’s form faded towards the end of the group stage, with a top score of 20 in his last five innings, after a productive period in the middle of the competition where he made two half-centuries in five innings, both against Birmingham Bears at healthy strike-rates. They contributed to two of the five victories Durham managed as they missed a quarter-final berth. The majority of Bancroft’s innings were at No. 4.

Travis Head (Sussex)

It has not been the season Head would have hoped for with a lean T20 Blast following on from his County Championship struggles. He passed 20 in half of his innings but could not go beyond 27 and did not play the final two group matches although Sussex were able to secure a quarter-final slot.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Ben Dwarshuis (Worcestershire)

A solid haul for Dwarshuis, the Sydney Sixers left-armer, as he finished as Worcestershire’s second-highest wicket-taker. They probably came at a slightly higher cost than he would have liked but as is the case in the BBL he bowled a lot in tough periods – he sent down the third-most deliveries in the death overs (16-20) for the group stage behind Naveen-ul-Haq and Matty Potts. His overall numbers were also dented by the final two games where he went for 90 in seven overs.

Chris Green (Middlesex)

Sydney Thunder allrounder Green was a late call-up after Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s arrival at Middlesex was delayed. He had a memorable personal day against Kent where he claimed a career-best 5 for 32 which included a final-over hat-trick but it came in one of Middlesex’s nine defeats. Made some handy contributions with the bat including an unbeaten 26 off 13 balls in a successful chase of 217 against Hampshire.

Daniel Worrall (Gloucestershire)

Not much for Worrall to remember fondly from the tournament as he went wicketless in six consecutive innings and finished with an eye-watering average close to 100.

Tim David (Surrey)

A hurried late call-up for the Singaporean batter, who is a BBL regular and eligible for Australia, when Surrey were hit by an injury and illness crisis late in the competition. Only had two matches but gave another example of his finishing skills with 25 off 13 balls against Gloucestershire.

In a small chase, they stumbled to 65 for 6 before Agar’s calm helped seal the deal

Andrew McGlashan07-Aug-2021It may not rank particularly high in Australia’s sporting achievements today as the Olympics draws to a finish, but the cricketers avoided a series whitewash against Bangladesh with a three-wicket win in a low-scoring scrap on a devilishly tricky surface.The home side made them sweat for it, too, and when the chase subsided to 65 for 6 – with 30 of those runs having come when Dan Christian took Shakib Al Hasan for five sixes in an over – it looked like they could pull off an extraordinary victory. However, Ashton Agar produced a calm and clever innings to take Australia to the brink of the target alongside Ashton Turner.This entire series has been hard work for batters, and this match took it to another level. Bangladesh were set back by the excellent Josh Hazlewood, stumbled against the recalled Mitchell Swepson and only crossed three figures in the final over when Mahedi Hasan struck an enterprising 23 off 16 balls.Christian’s promotionWhen Matthew Wade fell in the first over the chase, missing an arm-ball from Mahedi that went between bat and pad, Australia signalled a change of intent. Christian walked in at No. 3 and it was clear from ball one that he was going to play his strokes. He thumped his second ball for four and then the fourth over against Shakib, he unleashed with five sixes in the arc from long-on to deep midwicket. Only the fourth ball of the over did not go over the rope when Shakib manage to toss one wider that spun to beat the bat. At 45 for 1 after four overs the chase was almost half done, but things had changed before the Powerplay was over with Ben McDermott lbw to Nasum Ahmed and then Christian carving Mustafizur Rahman to point as the left-arm started with a wicket maiden.Surely not, AustraliaThe tension started to grow, Bangladesh sensed Australia were vulnerable and it felt like Australia knew it themselves. Except for a thumping inside-out drive by Mitchell Marsh, he and Moises Henriques were cautious. There was no rush, of course, given the required rate but it did not feel convincing. Then a moment of fortune for Bangladesh when Marsh’s firm drive clipped Shakib’s fingers and went onto the stumps with Henriques short of his crease. Alex Carey was kept quiet by Mahedi and then pinned lbw by another superb cutter from Mustafizur. Five balls later, Marsh played inside one from Mahedi and Bangladesh were favourites before Turner and Agar combined. The tension was broken somewhat when Agar slog-swept Nasum with just enough power to clear deep midwicket in what became a little gem of an innings under pressure.Shakib’s tough nightAside from the finger-tip run out, it was not a night that Shakib will remember too fondly but it can happen to the best of them. Like most batters he could not get going, labouring to 15 off 26 balls after Bangladesh had made a relatively and deceptively brisk start. He was kept quiet by Agar, Turner and Andrew Tye before eventually falling when he tried to cut Hazlewood. With the ball, he responded well from going for 30 in one over but figures of 4-0-50-0 in a low-scoring match certainly stood out.Swepson grabs his chanceThis was just Swepson’s second outing of the twin tours to West Indies and Bangladesh but he took his chance to make a mark with his best figures of a short T20I career. He trapped Mahmudullah lbw sweeping then pinned Nurul Hasan first ball with a googly although couldn’t join Nathan Ellis with a hat-trick. But he did claim a third when Mohammad Naim, who top scored with 28 off 36 balls, top-edged a slog sweep. If a third frontline spinner is needed for the World Cup he should be locked in.

The hosts will have to make tough selection calls for the second Test in Mumbai

Shashank Kishore02-Dec-20219:39

Kimber: How Ashwin devours the souls of left-handers

Big picture

Mumbai returns to host Tests for the first time since 2016. But you will have to rewind as far back as 1988 for the last time these two sides met in the city. Just for context: Virat Kohli was just three weeks old then; Kane Williamson wasn’t even born; Richard Hadlee was Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker and West Indies the team to beat.

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New Zealand’s Test tours of India over the years have been rather one-sided; the closest the visitors came to a series win was in 1969. However, they’ve always shown signs of competing well, even if they haven’t gone on to win. Having fought their way through to eke out a draw in fading light in Kanpur, a series win isn’t beyond them, even if history may be against them.Unseasonal rains have hampered much of the lead-up to this Test. While India trained at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s indoor facility at the Bandra Kurla Complex, New Zealand opted for some much-needed rest for the two days they’ve been in the city.Related

• Kohli: Training during the break was 'to stay in the rhythm of playing red-ball cricket'

• Rachin Ravindra – the cricketer you want, and the friend you need

• Mhambrey backs Ishant to regain his rhythm with 'a couple of games under his belt'

• Ajaz Patel rides the nostalgia wave in Mumbai

Kohli returns to take over the India captaincy from Ajinkya Rahane, whose prolonged bad patch has raised question marks over his place in the side from several quarters, not as much from within the team management though.Kohli may have not played any competitive cricket during his three weeks away, but he was spotted at the CCI nets, working with former batting coach Sanjay Bangar.One thriller in, you can’t help but think why this India-New Zealand series, a contest between the top two Test sides, is a two-match series. But in these Covid times, short tours are perhaps a blessing for the players as most of them have been on the road for the better part of the last five months. One final bout then for these two sides, whose rivalry is fast becoming an intriguing one.3:32

What should teams do after winning the toss in Mumbai?

Recent form

India DWLWD
New Zealand DWWDW

In the spotlight

Wriddhiman Saha has had to make peace with being India’s second wicketkeeper, behind Rishabh Pant. But at 37, he isn’t getting younger. A stiff neck in Kanpur allowed his replacement KS Bharat to make a case for himself, and he did an outstanding job. Saha the batter has also struggled lately, but his fighting second-innings fifty in Kanpur may have given him some breathing space even as the case for a younger understudy to Pant grows by the day. If he gets another crack, Saha would want to show why he’s still the best gloveman in the country.Ajaz Patel will be playing in front of his parents and extended family for the first time, in an away Test at “home”. How’s that for a setting? The left-arm spinner batted out of his skin, along with Rachin Ravindra, to save New Zealand the Kanpur Test but it’s his primary skill with which he’ll want to make a statement.

Team news

Kohli’s return leaves India with a selection headache. How do they leave out Shreyas Iyer after his Kanpur efforts? Do they drop Rahane? Or do they try to find a stop-gap solution by leaving out Mayank Agarwal, as harsh as it may be on him? Also, do they bring in a fitter and faster Mohammed Siraj for Ishant Sharma? Decisions, decisions. There’s no way we’re finding the answers until the toss.India (probable): 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Axar Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Umesh YadavIndia and New Zealand played out a gripping Test in Kanpur•Associated Press

New Zealand may consider playing an extra seamer on a red-soil surface that aids bounce and carry. If so, it could potentially come down to Neil Wagner, the workhorse, replacing offspinner William Somerville.New Zealand (probable): 1 Will Young, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Rachin Ravindra, 8 Kyle Jamieson, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Ajaz Patel

Pitch and conditions

Kohli believes it’s a typical “Wankhede wicket” that will have bounce and carry thanks to a red-soil base. Rain in the build-up could mean it may not be as dry as you’d expect an Indian pitch to be.

Stats and trivia

• Last time India failed to win at least one match in a home Test series was back in 2003 against New Zealand. Both matches in that series ended in draws.
• Since the start of 2020, Rahane has only three fifty-plus scores in 29 Test innings. All three of those knocks came in the second Test match of the series (MCG 2020, Chennai 2021, Lord’s 2021).

Quotes

“We have explained it to the individuals, and they have understood the mindset behind going in with a certain combination. It is not a difficult thing to do when there is collective trust and belief in the group that we are working towards the same vision.”
“I have got a lot of flashbacks – leaving Mumbai for the first time and coming back to Mumbai for the first time, coming to Mumbai for a wedding and stuff like that. For me, it’s going to be a very, very special moment.”

He knows the five-for may not be enough to keep him in the team for Melbourne, but is “happy to go either way”

Alex Malcolm21-Dec-2021Jhye Richardson’s return to Test cricket could not have gone much better, taking a five-wicket haul in the fourth innings to help Australia claim a 2-0 Ashes series lead in Adelaide. But his reaction in the aftermath said a lot about his character.”More of a relief than anything,” Richardson said. “Especially after the first innings having a bit of a tough time of it out there, to come out again and most importantly get the win. It’s nice to make a contribution as well, but there’s no better feeling a Test win.”He also knows that a Test match five-for may not be enough to keep him in the team for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, with Pat Cummins certain to return and Josh Hazlewood pushing to be fit as he recovers from a side strain.Related

• Starc expected to be fit for Boxing Day but Hazlewood remains unlikely

• Scott Boland added to Australia squad for third Ashes Test

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• Australia reassert age-old dominance of England at home

• Stats: Australia make it 9-0 in pink-ball Tests

“The beauty of Australian cricket at the moment is we’ve got fast-bowling stocks for days,” Richardson said. “I think that’s a wonderful problem for the selectors and JL [Justin Langer] to have. Whatever happens, happens. I had an unfortunate first innings and then bowled a little bit better second innings. I’m happy to go either way. As long as we’re winning, then that’s all we can ask for.”Richardson, 25, marks himself harder than most young fast bowlers. He is a deep thinker and a perfectionist in terms of his craft.After nearly three years out of Test cricket following a shoulder dislocation that kept him out of the 2019 World Cup and the Ashes series that followed, and multiple surgeries thereafter that saw him nursed back through Sheffield Shield cricket while still being unable to throw with any venom in the field, Richardson could have forgiven himself for his first-innings figures in his first Ashes appearance.But the disappointment was written all over his face. Having bowled superbly on the second night, repeatedly beating Haseeb Hameed’s outside edge and bowling three consecutive maidens, he returned on the third afternoon to leak more than four runs an over without taking a wicket.”I think getting back into the intensity of Test cricket, it’s obviously a step above playing domestic cricket,” Richardson said. “You can often find yourself – if you haven’t played for a while – trying too hard because you feel like you need to impress. But having said that, I don’t think I bowled too badly.”Steven Smith on Richardson: “He thinks about the game really well and he’s got good control of his skills.”•AFP/Getty Images

Richardson went away and came back a different bowler in the second innings, something which his stand-in captain Steven Smith noted having never played with him before.”I think the way Jhye adapted throughout this match was really pleasing,” Smith said. “First innings we made a concerted effort to try and get the ball a little bit fuller, and we went for quite a few runs in that first session but I wasn’t too disappointed with that. We were still a long way in front of the game and we tried to bowl a lot fuller than England perhaps did.”In the second innings, I think he wanted to work his way up in terms of length. He wanted to start back a little bit and sort of drive his way forward from there. So that was fine. He’s a thinker. He thinks about the game really well and he’s got good control of his skills.”Richardson explained that he just wanted to get himself into a rhythm the second time around.”I think for me on a personal level, I probably started a little too full and didn’t give myself a chance to get it in the right area,” he said. “I sort of started too full and then struggled to bring it back a little bit and get into a rhythm. Whereas I think second innings, I probably started a little bit back of a length, and allowed myself to sort of creep up a bit more and get into a bit more of a rhythm.”Richardson’s skill set is unique, and he showed his full repertoire among his five wickets. At just 178cm, he is naturally skiddy but he can also produce extra bounce from nowhere, like he did to blow Hameed’s glove off on the fourth evening and to remove James Anderson to close out the match late on day five.He even dismissed Rory Burns with a skillful piece of bowling from around the wicket, angling in and seaming away to catch the outside edge. His ability to move the ball both ways did for Chris Woakes after his partnership with Jos Buttler frustrated Australia. Richardson’s wider release point always challenges the right-hander’s inside edge, but his ability to shape it away also threatens the outside edge. Woakes played for the latter and had the top of his middle stump rattled as it nipped back sharply through the gate at 139kph.”It was quite funny, I was getting frustrated at myself looking at the speed gun each ball and seeing sort of 131-132kph – I wasn’t too happy with that,” Richardson said. “So I said to Starcy [Mitchell Starc] at mid-on [that] I’m just going to charge in here, [and] try and get some airspeed because I was getting annoyed at the speed gun. I just tried to bowl fast and bowl straight. Thankfully, the wicket did something.”Most importantly, he took the key wicket of Buttler in unusual and fortuitous fashion, after he trod on his stumps as he pushed off for a single, having defended from deep in the crease. Amazingly, it is the second time he has dismissed Buttler hit-wicket. The first came in a BBL match nearly three years ago in January 2019. Buttler, on 55 playing for Sydney Thunder then, tried to reverse sweep a Richardson slower ball and clipped the stumps with his bat in his follow-through.”Maybe it might be worth mentioning if I get another Test,” Richardson said.

“The word from anyone overseas that I chat to is they don’t want to come here for that long and be stuck”

AAP24-Jan-2022Peter Siddle has urged BBL administrators to trim the length of the season but believes they were right to block Steven Smith’s request to play.Siddle’s Adelaide Strikers will face Sydney Sixers at the SCG on Wednesday night, when the winner advances to Friday night’s final against Perth Scorchers at Marvel Stadium. This season will end within school holidays. But concerns about its length, routinely raised since a broadcast deal in 2018 resulted in the competition expanding to a full home-and-away season, remain.Related

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• 'Once it hit, it hit so hard' – keeping the BBL going through Covid

• Sixers fume at CA after Smith ruled ineligible for BBL finals

Strikers spinner Rashid Khan and Sixers opener James Vince are among the international recruits to have already departed Australia.Siddle believes this summer, in which fixtures have been repeatedly rejigged because of Covid-19 cases, shows it is possible to squeeze the tournament into a tighter window.”It’s not a hidden fact that it is a bit long,” Siddle said after being named captain of the BBL’s team of the tournament. “Making it shorter is the key focus. The word from anyone overseas that I chat to is their biggest worry is they don’t want to come here for that long and be stuck.”If you’re a shorter tournament, you’re probably not losing guys like Rashid Khan, James Vince, Sandeep [Lamichhane]. This year we’ve had to rearrange games…now we realise that maybe to make this season shorter, we might have to play back-to-back games and do different things.”The decision from CA to deny the Sixers’ attempt to sign Smith for the finals has been widely criticised. Siddle disagreed, arguing it was a simple case of “rules are rules”.”They need to be followed sometimes and obviously they just fell a little bit late for the Sixers,” he said. “It’s probably no different to us having Heady [Travis Head] and Kez [Alex Carey] on contract for the whole season. That’s the risk you take.”Sixers opted against signing Smith because they believed he would be part of Australia’s ODI series against New Zealand, which was ultimately postponed.Meanwhile, Siddle also defended Fawad Ahmed after he claimed a contentious catch in Sunday night’s win over Sydney Thunder.Thunder captain Usman Khawaja said he accepted the umpire’s decision but “it looked like a blade of grass 100 percent touched the ball”.”I was at cover, so I had a good view,” Siddle said. “It looked clean live. Back in the day it would have been – you just take the fielder’s word for it and it’s out.”I enjoyed the good old days where you take a word for it, get over it and move on. Line ball, that’s the game.”

The hosts have their senior group back, while BPL experience should stand the visitors in good stead

Mohammad Isam22-Feb-2022

Big picture

ODI cricket is always welcomed with open arms in Bangladesh, and the three-match series against Afghanistan couldn’t have come at a better time. Super League points are at stake for both teams, but for the home side, there’s more: Bangladesh are trying to turn a corner after a difficult couple of years; the Miracle in Mount Maunganui was a huge respite, but it’s now in the past, and this ODI series could be the start of some course correction.Bangladesh’s series-winning run at home stretch back four years; they have lost just one bilateral series at home in eight years now. The Bangladesh selectors, already armed with all the senior players returning to the side, have also brought in a raft of recent (T20 and Test) performers, and the four uncapped players – Yasir Ali, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Ebadot Hossain and Nasum Ahmed – are likely to feature at different times in the series.Afghanistan, who have played only a single bilateral ODI series this year – against Netherlands, with the previous one coming in January 2021 against Ireland – have their task cut out. But they have a reputation in Bangladesh – especially after their breakthrough win against the home side in the 2014 Asia Cup, they are regarded as dangerous opponents in these shores. They played a three-match ODI series in Bangladesh in late 2016 too, but lost 2-1.Cricketers from Afghanistan are regulars in the BPL. During this season’s tournament, the Minister Group Dhaka team selected only Afghan players as their overseas picks.The visitors have Mohammad Nabi back in the ODI fold, and that will give them 30 overs of spin (with Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman). Mujeeb will feel good about himself too, having last week helped Fortune Barishal to the BPL final. Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmat Shah and Najibullah Zadran are there to marshal the middle-order, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz is expected to give them fast starts.Bangladesh have Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim back, which will give them middle-order firepower. Shakib and Mehidy Hasan Miraz should be a handful with the ball, while Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman will lead the pace attack.

Form guide

Bangladesh WWWLW
Afghanistan WWWWWAfghanistan will hope Rahmanullah Gurbaz gives them good starts•Abu Dhabi Cricket

In the spotlight

Afghanistan will hope that Rahmanullah Gurbaz, their hottest new T20 property, comes good at the top of the order. Gurbaz made a century against Netherlands in their last ODI series, and has been scoring heavily in the PSL. He has some experience of playing in Bangladesh, having played in the 2019-20 BPL.There is a lot of hope around Mahmudul Hasan Joy, and even Tamim Iqbal has backed the young man to be the next big thing, in both in the top and the middle-order. Mahmudul, who broke through with his 78 against New Zealand in the Mount Maunganui Test in January, is likely to bat at five or six in the ODIs. He has shown a bit of white-ball promise in the BPL too, so managing expectations could be one of his first tasks.

Team news

Mahmudul seems in front of Yasir to win a middle-order place in the first ODI. Bangladesh are also likely to field a three-man pace attack, in which case Shoriful Islam may get the nod over Ebadot because of his left-arm angle.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Litton Das, 2 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudul Hasan Joy/Yasir Ali, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanFor Afghanistan, Riaz Hassan is likely to hold on to his spot after the half-century in the third ODI against Netherlands. Nabi will be a shoo-in at No. 6, while Yamin Ahmadzai is likely to replace Qais Ahmad, pace for spin.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Riaz Hassan, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 9 Yamin Ahmadzai, 10 Fareed Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi

Pitch and conditions

The 11am start time suggests that the Bangladesh team management didn’t want to take a chance with the famed dew at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram. The average first-innings score in the last five ODIs at this venue is 254. The weather should mostly be dry.

Stats and trivia

• Afghanistan have won each of their last six ODIs, making it their longest winning streak in the format.
• In the last ten years, Bangladesh have a win-loss record of 6-1 in ODIs in Chattogram. Their only defeat came against England in 2016.

Quotes

“We have always done well against them (Afghanistan) in ODIs. There’s no doubt that they are a good side. They have a good bowling attack, but we have done well against them. Those who will play tomorrow, everyone is in good form.”
“To be honest, we think about the whole team. We plan for everyone (in the Bangladesh team). We know their strength and weak points. We are working on it. (But I mainly) care about our strengths, our boys, my team. We have a good team here. I have confidence in all our departments.”

Queensland wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson talks about Swepson’s development as he’s set for a Test debut in Karachi

Andrew McGlashan11-Mar-2022Few people have had a better view of Mitchell Swepson’s development over the last few seasons than Queensland wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson.Peirson, who also captains Queensland when Usman Khawaja is away on Australia duty, is certain that Swepson is ready for the Test debut that will now come his way in Karachi on Saturday. After a week where the game has mourned the death of the greatest legspinner of them all, Shane Warne, it will be poignant when Swepson becomes cap No. 464.He will be just the second specialist legspinner to debut for Australia’s men’s Test team since Warne’s retirement, after Bryce McGain’s one-off appearance in 2009, having first toured with Australia on the 2017 trip to India.”I’ve kept to him a long time and when he was younger he’d probably give you two or three bad balls an over, but as he’s gone on, and particularly the last two seasons, you just don’t get bad balls from him very often,” Peirson told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s unbelievable consistency and he’s bowling all his variations and landing them exactly where he wants to. You pair that up with his cricket knowledge, how he’s understanding his game and how to play certain scenarios, and I think he’s starting to become the full package.”Swepson enjoyed a breakout season in 2020-21 when he claimed 32 wickets at 23.40 in five Sheffield Shield matches to help Queensland to the title. This summer was tougher with just a single wicket from the two Shield matches he was able to play while being part of the T20 World Cup and Ashes squads – he only bowled two overs against New South Wales – alongside claiming four wickets for Australia A against England Lions in December.But it was the three matches in the Adelaide-based hub at the start of last season, where Swepson claimed 23 wickets and twice bowled Queensland to final-day victories and almost another against New South Wales, that gave an indication of the bowler he had developed into.”At the Gabba he probably doesn’t get the spin he would usually get, he gets the bounce which is also his friend, but playing a lot more games down south, and on day three, day four wickets which have started to deteriorate he’s come into his own,” Peirson said. “It’s fantastic to see that, knowing that if he does get the conditions then he’ll be really dangerous for Australia.”Swepson’s economy rate of under three an over is also eye-catching but Peirson always sees him as a wicket-taking option although Pat Cummins did note how he believed Swepson would be able to do a holding role.”First and foremost, Swepo is your attacking option, that’s why you are playing a legspinner,” Peirson said. “He’s not like a fingerspinner, he’s not holding as the quicks attack from one end, he’s coming on to take wickets. That’s how we’ve used him in Queensland and I think how he will be used moving forward in most teams he plays for. When he’s attacking, setting good fields and the ball is spinning, the scoreboard will naturally stop because he’s bowling so consistently.Having a frontline legspinner as part of a twin-spin attack will be another new chapter in Cummins’ young captaincy career as well, but Peirson has seen enough of Swepson to know he can also look after himself in the middle. He and Cummins will also have the benefit of Khawaja at close quarters.”That’s why he’s such a lovely spinner to have in the team because he knows what he wants to do,” he said. “He’s right at the top of his game in that sense with his skills and how he mentally approaches the game with his tactics. He’s someone who is a pleasure to captain and keep to because he knows what he needs to do.”Sure we can come up with ideas with him, but he has a very clear idea of how he wants to start his spell and that’s really refreshing as a captain. Then you can work together as the day goes on. He’s a forward-thinking spinner. He’s been around Nathan Lyon for a long time and has learnt so much.””It will be a new one for Pat to work out how to best use those guys. We’ve played two spinners before for Queensland and Uzzie was captain so he certainly has the knowledge of how he used Swepo and he’s someone Pat can lean on. I’m intrigued as a viewer to see how they use him.”

ECB dismisses ‘speculation’ about 12-team Premier League but Division Two counties in dark

Matt Roller31-Mar-2022It seemed a long way off when Nottinghamshire’s squad photograph was interrupted by a snowstorm at Trent Bridge on Thursday morning, but the English season starts next week with a round of eight County Championship fixtures with the competition under more scrutiny than ever.After two years in which the structure of the domestic first-class game was altered by the pandemic, the Championship reverts to two uneven divisions in 2022, with ten teams in Division One and eight in Division Two. This format was originally planned to be introduced in 2020, and finishing positions for 2019 have been honoured, much to the relief of top-tier counties who have struggled in the last two years and the irritation of second-flight teams who have punched above their weight.Notts have more right to feel aggrieved than most. They were relegated in 2019 after a winless season, but made significant strides in 2021 as they finished third, four points behind champions Warwickshire in a six-team Division One after topping their early-season conference.

England must bring back selector role – Newell

England’s “red-ball reset” must include the appointment of an independent selector, according to Mick Newell, Notts’ director of cricket who spent four years in the role from 2014-18.
Ashley Giles, the ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket, handed selectorial responsibilities to head coach Chris Silverwood last year when Ed Smith was made redundant but both men have since left their roles.
“There has to be a selector, absolutely,” Newell told ESPNcricinfo. “I think it was the wrong decision. There has to be somebody making the phone calls, watching cricket, putting the time in explaining decisions to players, and doing things that the head coach shouldn’t have to do because they should be concentrating on the performance of the team.”
Newell, who was beaten to the role of managing director by Giles in 2018, said he had not applied for the vacancy this time, with Marcus North and Rob Key among the leading candidates.
Peter Moores, Notts’ head coach, said he would not categorically rule out the prospect of a third stint as England coach but that he was “pretty confident that they might not be looking my way.”

“We’ve accepted it,” Peter Moores, Notts’ head coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “We’d have liked the decision to have taken the two years after 2019 into account, but we also accept that we got relegated in 2019. Everyone’s got their head around it now and we’ve all decided that we have a job to do, which is to win that division.””We’re all disappointed that we’re in Division Two but those were the rules that they came up with, and that was the vote that was carried out,” Mick Newell, their director of cricket, added. “There’s no point blaming the ECB. It wasn’t their vote; the counties voted for this system. We feel that last year we were the third best team in the country, but we’ve got to prove it again. If we play as well as we did last year, I think we’ll be okay.”What comes next is anyone’s guess. Andrew Strauss, the ECB’s interim managing director of men’s cricket, announced earlier this month the launch of a “high-performance review” into the English game at all levels, due to be published in September so that recommendations can be implemented in time for the 2023 season, but it remains at a nascent stage.The ECB issued a statement on Thursday morning dismissing as “speculation” and “not true” newspaper reports that the Championship could be split into a 12-team ‘Premier League’ and a six-team second division. County chief executives were told the same thing in a meeting on Wednesday.Related

• Haseeb Hameed's Nottinghamshire form gives hope that dark days are behind him

• Peter Moores extends Nottinghamshire tenure after interest from PCB

• Andrew Strauss says ECB to launch high-performance review of English game

• Alec Stewart calls on England selectors to keep faith as he defends county 'breeding ground'

“The terms of reference for the Strauss report are not out yet,” Rob Andrew, Sussex’s chief executive, said on Thursday. “There’ll be a game-wide consultation – coaches, players, media, PCA, fans. This is going to be a massive piece of work. I understand why you want to ask questions on this but it’s all speculation.”Anybody that is writing anything in newspapers at the moment is making it up. Until this process starts and the consultation is worked through to whatever the end result is, you’re all speculating.”But for second-division counties, the lack of clarity is a frustration. Their finishing positions in 2022 will determine which division teams play in next year, but it may not become apparent until the final weeks of the season whether teams need to finish in the top one, two or three to get promoted. In the event of a radical restructure – three divisions of six, for example – it may be that no teams in this season’s Division Two are promoted at all.”Everyone will be thinking a little bit about 2023 without really knowing what they’re playing for,,” Newell said. “I’m not sure we’re going to get [clarity] very soon. But clearly, there will be that realisation that if you’re not in the top two, you will definitely not be in a Division One in 2023.”Division Two is going to be interesting. Durham are obviously coming back well; Sussex have strengthened their batting which had been a problem; Middlesex I think will be good with their new coach. Nobody is saying it’s a foregone conclusion that Notts will be in the top two, but it should be a good, competitive division.””If we won the division this year and then didn’t go into Division One, after getting more points than anyone else last year [across both phases of the season], then you’d think the system is wrong,” Moores added. “The whole idea of divisional cricket is to get the best teams in it but we’ve got to keep it really simple: we’ve got to try and win Division Two. What happens outside of that will be dictated by other people and then we’ll take it from there.”

Sunrisers and Royal Challengers are right in the thick of it as the battle for the top four spots continues

Sruthi Ravindranath07-May-20223:08

Do Sunrisers Hyderabad need to rejig their batting order?

Big PictureThe playoffs race has started heating up and these two teams are in the thick of it. Royal Challengers Bangalore found a way to bounce back after three losses with a win against Chennai Super Kings in their previous match. Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are coming into this game losing three in a row, will be looking for that win to get back in the top four.While the Virat Kohli-Kane Williamson bromance is one part of the narrative, both the stalwarts have been enduring a rough patch this season. Their scoring rates are also hurting their respective teams. Williamson’s form has been among the major concerns for Sunrisers – he has scored 199 runs in 10 games, and his strike rate of 96.13 is the worst for a batter who has faced a minimum of 150 balls this season. And Kohli is second on this list, with a strike rate of 111.9. He has not found a way out of his batting slump yet – he has scored 216 runs in 11 games at an average of 21.60 – and has continued to struggle against spin.

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If at all the previous encounter between these sides is a testament to what Sunrisers are capable of, Royal Challengers will want to capitalise on their winning momentum to seek the perfect revenge. But Marco Jansen, who was instrumental in bowling Royal Challengers out for 68 in that game has been dropped following expensive returns in the last few games. Royal Challengers have also found an able uncapped pair in Rajat Patidar and Mahipal Lomror who have spruced up the batting. Josh Hazlewood and Harshal Patel have shown great control at the death on more than one occasion. But, they will be expecting more from their captain Faf du Plessis, who has also been struggling to find consistency this season.Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli haven’t performed up to potential this IPL season•BCCI

Sunrisers have already shown how well they can bounce back. It looked like they were in for yet another dismal season when they lost their first two matches. Then they won five on the trot and became strong contenders to make the playoffs These three losses have pegged them back and it’s been largely down to their bowling unit – which has been their strength this season – not performing up to mark. Umran Malik, who was their trump card in the wins, has erred in his lengths and returned expensive figures in the last two games. They also missed the injured T Natarajan’s accuracy at the death. Among the bright spots have been Aiden Markram, who has continued to show his value in the middle order, while Nicholas Pooran hitting form has added to the positives.

In the newsWashington Sundar and Natarajan were forced to sit out with injuries in Sunrisers’ previous match against Delhi Capitals. Head coach Tom Moody said they will be reviewing Washington and “there’s a chance he will be available for the next [RCB] game”. Natarajan meanwhile is likely to be available only for Sunrisers’ match against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 14, Moody said.

Likely XIsRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Shahbaz Ahmed, 6 Mahipal Lomror, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Josh HazlewoodSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Washington Sundar/Sean Abbott, 8 Shreyas Gopal 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. Kartik Tyagi, 11 Umran Malik

Strategy PuntPooran unleashed some big hits and took Sunrisers close in the previous match against Capitals, scoring 62 off 37. While he took on the quicks, he was cautious against spinners – even in the match against Chennai Super Kings where he scored 64. Royal Challengers can unleash Wanindu Hasaranga to keep Pooran quiet. While Pooran has struggled more against balls that have been spinning away from him, legspinner Hasaranga could keep him in check with his googlies. In fact, Pooran has faced just four deliveries of Hasaranga in T20s – all of which have been googlies – and has been dismissed once.

Stats that matter

• Josh Hazlewood needs to strike thrice to tally 100 wickets in T20s
• Since 2020, Sunrisers have won four of their six games against Royal Challengers
• Mohammed Siraj needs to strike two more times to tally 50 wickets for Royal Challengers in the IPL