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ScorecardTwo comfortable victories; two 22-point returns. It is Easter Monday and the trees in Broad Wood are still to be revealed in all their fragile ambition, yet the talk is of who will be promoted with Nottinghamshire.In private meetings and public fora Peter Moores and Chris Read will counsel against such presumption but the way in which their players eventually overpowered Durham on the fourth afternoon at the Emirates Riverside will only fuel the debate.Already 89 points separate the two relegated sides. Nottinghamshire return home to face Sussex on Friday with 44 points in the bank: Durham play Gloucestershire in Bristol on -45 points. It may be late May before Collingwood’s men clear their ECB arrears.While there was no doubt about Nottinghamshire’s superiority in this match, a fact courteously conceded by the Durham coach, Jon Lewis, neither could there be much dispute that the home side possessed the game’s best batsman.On this final morning Keaton Jennings batted through the innings and completed his first century since he made 112 on his Test debut in Mumbai last December; he did so in a fashion which proved the wisdom of his eventual England selection and the folly of omitting him from the original party to tour India.Jennings reached his landmark off 201 balls with a single to third man off Harry Gurney but a little more impressive on Monday had been his two pulls for four and the way he dug out a fine yorker from James Pattinson. Durham’s opener finished the match with an aggregate of 130 runs for once out and he could be comforted by the knowledge that it had taken the best ball of the game to dismiss him at all.Jennings’ batting is characterised more by manner than mannerism. Trademark fidgets have been eschewed in favour of a coolness of approach. It is no surprise his cricketing hero is Mike Hussey. It is curious to recall that a year and a week ago Mark Stoneman was considered a better bet to open the England innings.For the moment, though, Jennings’ priorities lie with Durham, and while he was putting on 45 for the eighth wicket with Mark Wood it was possible to believe that Nottinghamshire would be set a sterner target than the 108 they eventually required. The competence of Wood’s batting was encapsulated by his stylish cut through gully off Luke Fletcher, so his annoyance was plain when, having made 21, he slapped the same bowler to midwicket where Jake Libby took the catch.Three overs later the innings ended in slightly absurd fashion. First Graham Onions failed to get behind a straight delivery from Gurney and then Rushworth cover-drove his first ball pleasantly through the covers for a comfortable single only to run himself out when risking a second run to Jake Ball’s arm. Jennings, who might have forbidden such foolishness, was left, head bowed but unbeaten, on 102.Set to score 108 in perhaps the best batting conditions of the match – good light and a benign pitch – Nottinghamshire made light of their task. Libby and Greg Smith put on 93 for the first wicket in 24.2 overs and before long Paul Collingwood was trying more or less anything to get a breakthrough. In the 16th over of the innings Wood, that renowned equine impersonator, varied his run-up between five furlongs and a mile and a half but still bowled very quickly. Smith drove his final ball through the covers for four. Collingwood eventually put his seamer out to grass and popped Ryan Pringle on.Rushworth, for whom no cause is hopeless, bowled around the wicket and positioned two gullies. The only uncertainty that move occasioned was in the press box, where the plural forms of “gully” were debated with Jesuitical intensity. The high-clouded afternoon drifted away pleasantly and Nottinghamshire accelerated towards their win.Bowling when there is next door to no chance that your efforts can affect the result is cricket’s middle watch, a time of lonely labour. So it was to midshipman Paul Coughlin’s credit that he summoned the competitive spark necessary to pluck out Libby’s off stump with a fine yorker. Precisely two overs later Smith drove Coughlin to the midwicket boundary and the match was done.One question remains: if next week Durham played Leicestershire, the other penalised county, to what extent would the match be pointless? “Strange days have found us / Strange days have tracked us down,” sang The Doors. On balance one prefers “Blaydon Races”.

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha have been ruled out of contention for India’s fifth Test against England, which begins on December 16 in Chennai. Both are missing the ongoing Mumbai Test with injuries.Shami has had trouble with his right leg right through the series, right since he was seen clutching his hamstring while bowling in the first Test in Rajkot. He played the first three Tests, but was forced out of the Mumbai Test. On Sunday, the BCCI sent out a release saying he has “soreness in his right knee and has been advised rest and rehabilitation. He will be going to the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Bengaluru to start his recovery programme.”Saha suffered a hamstring tendon injury during the second Test in Visakhapatnam, and is undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA. Parthiv Patel has taken over the keeping gloves from Saha since the third Test in Mohali.

Twenty-five years ago, in the month of November, Jimmy Cook became the first South Africa batsman to face a white ball in international cricket. Twenty-four years ago, in the month of November, Jimmy was the first South Africa batsman to face a red ball in international cricket in South Africa in 22 years. Today, in the same month, his son Stephen, became the first South Africa batsman to face a pink one.Jimmy’s experiences created history because they came on South Africa’s readmission to international cricket as the country prepared for the end of apartheid. Stephen’s experience was part of South Africa’s attempt to become the first team to whitewash Australia in a three-Test series at home, having already beaten the hosts in a third successive series.Unfortunately for the father-son pair, neither went on to have innings they will remember. In the third ODI against India in Delhi, Jimmy faced 46 balls and scored 35, sharing a 72-run opening stand in the team’s successful chase of 288. In the Test against India in Durban, he was out first ball, caught at second slip by Sachin Tendulkar although the ball appeared to have bounced.In Adelaide, Stephen would have been out off the 12th ball he faced when he was trapped on the back pad by Mitchell Starc but Australia’s spearhead overstepped. After struggling through this tour with a top-score of 23 before today, Stephen received a much-needed reprieve and, in the first session, made full use of it.He survived a testing opening spell from Starc, who swung it significantly, tried to draw him into the drive and challenged his defence with yorkers. He found some rhythm against Jackson Bird and he helped his captain Faf du Plessis steady South Africa after three early dismissals. But 99 balls after Stephen became the second person in his family to rack up a first, he was dismissed. Starc angled one across him, Stephen got a thick outside edge and Steven Smith accepted the catch at second slip.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAll the major cricketing nations to visit Bangladesh in the past three years, with the exception of Sri Lanka, have discovered to their cost that they are far from the pushovers they once were. That truth is now painfully evident to England after a 34-run defeat in Mirpur in the second ODI that sets up a decider to the series in Chittagong on Wednesday.When Bangladesh set England 239 for victory, they knew they had a vaguely competitive, if unprepossessing, score, but surely even they could not have imagined that it would provide such a substantial winning margin. England’s 204 – bolstered by a last-wicket stand of 45 – could have been much lower.England’s cause was all but lost when Jos Buttler, their captain, became the seventh batsman out at 123, his serene resistance ended when he walked across his stumps against Taskin Ahmed and was given out lbw on review. After Bangladesh celebrated uproariously and Buttler took a drink of water before departing, something that was said riled him. He swung back in fury and was ushered away by the umpires. There were more words at end-of-match handshakes, England’s fury unabated. The match referee could well take an interest.That flare-up should not deflect attention from Mashrafe Mortaza’s rousing display. There have been many times in his long career when Mashrafe has seemed almost mashed-up, an allrounder of passion held together by desire and bandages, his follow-through often taking place in his mind only. But he was a potent force here, firstly to drag Bangladesh’s score to respectability with a rumbustious 44 from 29 balls at the death, roared in to take three top-order wickets and finally sealed victory by deceiving Jake Ball with a slower ball just as England dared to hope for a miracle.James Vince’s penchant for pretty off drives was again his undoing as Mashrafe nibbled one away to have him caught at backward point, Jason Roy played across a straight one and Ben Stokes was unhinged by a full inswinger which bowled him off his pads.Add Ben Duckett, who was bowled as Shakib Al Hasan turned one through the gate, and England ended the first Powerplay at 31 for 4 – their lowest 10-over score since they reinvented their 50-over cricket after a disastrous World Cup. Stokes, a century-maker in the first game, and Duckett, who had made a fifty on debut, had both fallen without scoring.Buttler was at his most serene. He cruised to his half-century at better than a run a ball, repeatedly advancing to the seamers, yet doing so with such smoothness that when he played the shot he appeared perfectly still and balanced. When he forced them to drop short, he preyed on the opportunity venomously.But what Mashrafe began, Taskin completed. His action was ruled illegal during the early stages of World T20 in India in March but he was cleared earlier this month and looks eager to make up for lost time.His first two overs leaked 19, but when he switched ends he found extra bounce and movement. Before Buttler’s dismissal, he dismissed the craggily-bearded Bairstow for 35, his drive flying through to Mushfiqur Rahim, a settling stand of 79 in 14 overs with Buttler ended. Afterwards, he had Chris Woakes caught at the wicket, trying to run one to third man. A spell of 3 for 11 in 11 balls turned the game. At 21, he looks a decent addition to Bangladesh’s pace stocks.Taskin Ahmed removed Jonny Bairstow in a three-wicket burst which changed the game•Getty Images

The pitch was a little slower and grippier than Friday’s surface, on which England made 309 and won by 21 runs. Nevertheless, Mashrafe faced a fading Bangladesh innings when he came to the crease at 169 for 7 with 8.2 overs remaining, the loss of Mahmudullah for 75 from 88 balls severely compromising their chances of putting England under pressure. His innings brought Bangladesh another 69 in a stand with Nasir Hossain until he was run out one ball from the end and cheered the outlook for a crowd that until then had watched events unfold with trepidation.Mahmudullah had been their only solace until then. He manoeuvred the ball skilfully in making 75 from 88 balls when he tried to paddle Adil Rashid and was lbw. His walk-off was arrested as he responded to calls to review the decision, but his initial suspicions proved well founded. Rashid’s ability to dismiss top-order batsmen is a source of debate, but he took the vital wicket here.England had chosen to bat in the first ODI, but Buttler, had indicated after the match that he felt he had made the wrong decision. Presented with an opportunity after winning the toss to switch tactics, he had a bowl. But by the end of the night, as the pitch became more uneven, it was tempting to contend that he had made the wrong decision twice.England’s pace attack responded to bowling in the heat of the day with a combative, disciplined display. The short ball soon dispensed with the openers. Imrul Kayes, after two hundreds in a week against the tourists, hauled a cutter from Woakes to Willey at deep square leg, just repositioned for the catch. Tamim Iqbal spliced Woakes into the ring.More than six years ago, Tamim announced himself to England with a century in an ODI in Dhaka. More runs followed in the Test series and when Bangladesh visited England that same year his reputation grew further with Test centuries at Lord’s and Old Trafford. Tamim was the representative, to England eyes, of all that was good about Bangladesh cricket, but that success has not been maintained and in his last eight matches against England in all formats he has failed to reach 50.Ball, fresh from five wickets on debut on Friday, struck in his first over as Sabbir Rahman, after making 3 from 21 balls, chopped on. Another pull shot, another wicket: Mushfiqur’s swivel well held by Moeen Ali, plunging forward at long leg. Shakib had a charmed life, almost chopping Ball onto his stumps, escaping a run out courtesy of Sam Billings’ inaccurate throw and then falling to Stokes when his glance off the hips was pouched by Buttler.Mahmudullah’s lone hand was staving off calamity, but it did not promise a competitive score. When he fell lbw to Rashid, who then ended Mosaddek Hossain’s innings with a long hop which was hauled to cow corner, Mashrafe, had little choice but to swing heartily and hope that luck fell his way.Two straight sixes off Moeen – the first of the innings – indicated his approach and prodigious strength, and minimal technique, came into play when he bludgeoned Willey over the ropes at long-on. “I just slog man,” he said later. But add his first four-wicket haul for eight years and it won the man-of-the-match award.Bilateral series are about as trendy these days as a Val Doonican CD, but the two matches in this series have been excellent, fought out with skill and fervour. England studied security advice and chose to tour Bangladesh and, with the entertainment at its height, the cricketing value of that decision was self-evident.

ScorecardDominic Bess claimed figures of 6 for 28•Getty Images

Somerset offspinner Dom Bess marked his Specsavers County Championship debut with 6 for 28 as 21 wickets fell on the opening day of the match with Warwickshire at Taunton. The 19-year-old produced a memorable 16 overs, including the wickets of Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell with successive deliveries, as the visitors were bowled out 123, Ian Westwood top-scoring with 34.That was after Somerset had been skittled for 95, having won the toss. Warwickshire’s pace bowlers did the damage, with Keith Barker claiming 4 for 33, Rikki Clarke 3 for 32 and Chris Wright 2 for 28.By the close of an extraordinary day the home side had made 41 for 1 in their second innings and led by 13. The pitch offered some assistance to spin and seam, without being in any way dangerous. Swing and poor shot selection also contributed to the carnage.Somerset named three spinners in their side, clearly expecting the ball to turn, but were undone by seam as they were bowled out in 30.1 overs before the end of an extended opening session. Barker bowled the first 14 overs of the day from the Somerset Pavilion End, sending back Chris Rogers, James Hildreth, Peter Trego and Roelof van der Merwe in an accurate spell that saw him swing the ball and nip it about off the seam.Wright had set the ball rolling by pinning Marcus Trescothick lbw, while Clarke sent back Lewis Gregory with his first delivery of the match and later accounted for Ryan Davies and Bess.With Somerset nine wickets down, Warwickshire claimed the extra half hour in the morning session and Jeetan Patel put the home side out of their misery by dismissing Jack Leach with his first ball after a last-wicket stand of 26 with Tim Groenewald, the best of the innings.Warwickshire reached 62 for 1 in reply before England U-19 player Bess had Trott caught at leg slip sweeping. The next ball saw Bell hit the ball into a pad and offer up a return catch which the teenager gleefully snaffled. Westwood fell to a good delivery from Bess that turned and lifted before Leach squeezed a ball between Matthew Lamb’s bat and pad to bowl him for a single.At tea Warwickshire were 81 for 5. Trescothick then produced a brilliant diving catch at second slip off Groenewald to dismiss Sam Hain for nine. Barker and Clarke fell to shots they will not want to remember as Bess, who bowled at just the right pace and trajectory to extract maximum turn, added to his tally.Patel was his sixth victim courtesy of another injudicious stroke and Leach wrapped up the innings by clean bowling Wright. Bess led his side off, showing the ball to all sides of the ground, as relieved home supporters gave him a warm ovation.There was still time for Tom Abell to fall lbw to Josh Poysden for 15 with Somerset’s second innings total on 31. The experienced duo of Trescothick and Rogers had five more overs to negotiate and did so thanks to Poysden dropping Rogers on 5 at fine leg off a top-edged pull, Barker being the unlucky bowler.

ScorecardNick Gubbins was in the runs for Middlesex•Getty Images

At 4.36pm on June 11 on a sun-drenched Lord’s day, Nick Compton trudged back through the Long Room at Lord’s. Compton had hit a trio of boundaries but, he knew, his 19 was nothing like sufficient to maintain the tenuous hold on his international career.A few days after, Compton announced that he was taking a break from all cricket. The reaction was understandable. Few cricketers have devoted so much of themselves to getting a chance in Test cricket. Having been dropped for the first time, in 2013, Compton struggled for motivation at having his dream taken from him, on the brink of an Ashes series.Yet he reoriented himself to returning to county cricket, moved back to Middlesex and, several thousand hours of hard work later, was recalled to the England side. A fine 85 in Durban helped to set up England’s series triumph in South Africa, but Compton’s Test returns deteriorated rapidly thereafter and, by the end of the series with Sri Lanka, to drop him from the side almost seemed an act of mercy.Compton earned himself a second act in Test cricket but, given his age and an often painstaking style at the crease, there will surely be no third act. So if he is to find fulfilment in the shires, it will not come through rekindling his England ambitions. It will have to come, instead, from taking pleasure in county cricket for its own sake: thinking not about what he has lost, but what he still has.And for all Compton’s anguish about the curtailment of his international career, he has still returned to a position of remarkable privilege: batting at No. 3, on his home ground of Lord’s, for the county best-placed to win the County Championship. It is not such a bad lot.So at 12.37pm Compton entered Lord’s by the very steps he had walked up disconsolately 55 days ago. He emerged with Middlesex having lost an early wicket in reply to Surrey’s 415, and Tom Curran bowling a zesty new-ball spell. There are exactly the conditions in which Compton’s defensive fortitude is so prized.If Compton felt any vulnerability, Surrey were determined to pry on it. He was greeted by a short leg and three slips and, perhaps, a chirp or two. It might not be Test cricket, but Division One of the County Championship is still a ruthless place.Compton’s first ball was a good length delivery outside off stump which implored him to play. That he did, defending the ball to third slip. Two balls later Compton pushed a ball into the covers and ran a single that was sharp without quite being one of Kevin Pietersen’s famed Red Bull runs.When he returned from the lunch interval, it was Compton’s ill-fortune to be stuck facing Tom Curran. A couple of times he played and missed, a couple of times Compton held his bat inside the line of the ball. When Curran dropped short, Compton rocked back and pulled him to the square leg boundary. But the illusion of release was deceptive: Stuart Meaker located extra pace, and Compton dragged the ball on. His off stump was left isolated and alone, and perhaps Compton felt the same as he walked back for 11 runs off 43 balls, the sort of innings that explained why he was here, rather than at Edgbaston, in the first place.Some at Lord’s believe that, in time, Nick Gubbins might go on to emulate Compton in playing for England. Unusually for an English opener, he seems particularly proficient against spin, and some sumptuous shots against Zafar Ansari demonstrated as much. One stood out: Gubbins took a step-down the wicket to meet the ball, flicked his wrists like he was playing a top-spin forehand, and stood to admire the ball clearing long-on for six.The shot also spoke of Middlesex’s determination not to allow Ansari to settle into a rhythm. But within three overs Ansari had snared two wickets: Dawid Malan, caught at short leg, and then Gubbins, bowled round his leg sweeping. Both wickets were vindication for Ansari bowling with more pace at the start of his spell, and the adjustment spoke of his shrewd cricketing brain and nurturing by Gareth Batty.Batty himself bowled with typical guile, adjusting his pace subtly, gesticulating to his fielders to move an inch here or an inch there, and giving off the air of a man relishing the tussle. George Bailey’s hard hands created an acute sense of vulnerability. On 2, Bailey edged to short leg but a sharp chance was put down; three runs later, Bailey inside-edged Meaker for four.On a day in which 11 Australian wickets fell for 77 runs in a Test in Sri Lanka, Bailey could not restore the reputation of Australian batsmanship. Indeed, against spin he inspired scarcely more confidence than Australia’s motley crew in Galle. After a few isolated glimpses of his assertive best, Bailey succumbed lbw, sweeping, Batty’s exhortations to the umpire answered.Now, at 204 for 5, Surrey could sense a hefty first innings lead, but John Simpson’s adhesive half-century was infused with the grit that has lifted Middlesex to the summit of the Championship table. Yet this Lord’s pitch is showing modest signs that it will deteriorate over the final two days, and Surrey’s spin twins will believe they can take the bulk of the 15 Middlesex wickets that remain in this match. For all Middlesex’s resolve, spectacular fielding from Rory Burns, flicking the ball back from the ropes to save two from the day’s penultimate ball, was a testament to Surrey’s spirit.

ScorecardBen Slater hit his first hundred for nearly two years•Getty Images

Derbyshire suffered another first innings batting failure despite a century from Ben Slater as Craig Miles bowled Gloucestershire back into the Division Two match at Derby.Slater’s 110, his first county championship hundred for nearly two years, should have set Derbyshire up for a commanding total but the last seven wickets fell for 67 runs as they subsided to 242 with Miles finishing with outstanding figures of 4 for 30 from 17 overs.Gloucestershire had bowled poorly after Derbyshire elected to bat and moved to 91 without loss until Miles ran through the top order to change the course of the day.Derbyshire hit back in the closing overs with Gareth Roderick falling to Tom Milnes but Gloucestershire held the initiative at stumps on 27 for 1 , 215 behind.Derbyshire would have expected to have a much bigger total to defend when Slater and Billy Godleman plundered some desperately poor bowling in the first hour to cruise along at six an over.Gloucestershire’s seamers failed to maintain an accurate line and it was only when Jack Taylor’s off-spin was introduced at the City end in the ninth over that they managed to exert some control.Only Miles consistently posed problems and he made the first breakthrough when Godleman drove firmly but straight to cover where Taylor took a good low catch.It was the first of three wickets in as many overs as Liam Norwell found some late movement to have Alex Hughes caught behind and then Wayne Madsen drove to point without scoring.Slater and Broom set out about rebuilding the innings after lunch with the opener adding to his three one-day hundreds this season before a second collapse handed the initiative to Gloucestershire.Broom had looked fortunate to survive an lbw appeal against Miles but edged to second slip in the bowler’s next over and Matt Critchley drove a return catch to Taylor before tea.The decline continued when Slater was caught down the legside in the sixth over after tea and Tom Milnes failed to beat David Payne’s throw from mid on when he was sent back by Harvey Hosein who faced 31 balls before he got off the mark.Will Davis drove and pulled Josh Shaw for three consecutive fours but when he edged the next delivery to second slip, Derbyshire had let an opportunity slip away on a decent pitch in good batting conditions.Milnes struck an early blow when he found bounce and movement to have Roderick caught at first slip but Derbyshire have a lot to do to claim a first championship win of the season.

ScorecardLiam Dawson thumped his way to a century from 68 balls•Getty Images

Liam Dawson smashed a 68-ball century and Glamorgan were then blown away with the ball to lose by 186 runs in Swansea. They slipped to 29 for 6 against the seam of swing of Gareth Berg and Ryan McLaren, the pair finishing with eight wickets between them to keep Hampshire’s hopes of a Royal London quarter-final alive.Forty runs came from the final two overs of Hampshire’s innings, with Dawson reaching an unbeaten hundred by hitting the last ball of the innings, bowled by Michael Hogan, for six. Having been 70 from 61, he cleared the ropes four times in six deliveries at the death to record the second List A hundred of his career.Glamorgan made a terrible start when David Lloyd was leg before to McLaren to the first ball of the innings and, despite the slow pitch, the Hampshire seamers repeatedly beat the bat, as Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg edged balls to the wicketkeeper.Colin Ingram, who struck hundreds in both one-day competitions against Essex last week, was the next to go when he top-edged a hook to fine leg. When Graham Wagg was leg-before to a perfect yorker from Berg, the home team, playing the first day of the festival at St Helen’s, had lost five wickets for seven runs, with Berg taking 4 for 2 from 16 balls.There were ironic cheers from the sizeable crowd in the 15th over when Mark Wallace became the first Glamorgan batsman to reach double-figures by driving Brad Wheal to the boundary. Craig Meschede top-scored with 45 and his partnership of 30 with Tim van der Gugten enabled Glamorgan to pass three figures, but it was little consolation for the home side or their supporters.In complete contrast, Hampshire scored freely after winning the toss. Tom Alsop, who has struck a hundred and three fifties in the competition this season, made a fluent 35, before chipping Meschede to mid-on while Will Smith made the most of being dropped on 23 at midwicket off Andrew Salter to an anchor the innings with 84, putting on 61 with Joe Weatherley and 86 with Dawson to take Hampshire to 223 for 4 in the 43rd over. Dawson then hit the accelerator during a partnership of 60 in 34 balls with McLaren.Dawson, captaining the side in the absence of Sean Ervine, said: “The win sets us up nicely for the final game against Somerset on Tuesday, and a chance to qualify for the quarter-finals. We were undecided what to do after winning the toss, but knowing the history of the Swansea ground, it was a good decision, as the pitch doesn’t get any better in the second innings. We thought that around 270 would have been competitive, but to reach 316 was a massive bonus.”

Match facts

Saturday, June 11, 2016
Start time 0900 local (0700 GMT)

Big picture

A second India tour of Zimbabwe in as many years. The last, and only, time that happened was in 1997 and 1998. When Sachin Tendlkar and Henry Olonga were still a thing, Andy Flower would reverse sweep first, ask questions later and Anil Kumble would fume. In essence, there was competition between the two teams. Palpable competition.Zimbabwe would be hopeful of rekindling that on Saturday considering India have left their biggest match-winners behind to make room for new ones to develop. A similar outlook towards a Bangladesh tour left India vulnerable on seaming pitches in 2014; the next year Bangladesh beat a full-strength Indian side 2-1. Imagine the weight it would lend to Graeme Cremer’s prospects of becoming permanent captain if his team can topple MS Dhoni’s.That’s a big if, though. The touring party may be fairly new to international cricket but together, they comprise the range of skills needed in limited-overs cricket. Manish Pandey has won an IPL final off his own bat. Karun Nair uses the straight drive just as well as he does the reverse sweep. Yuzvendra Chahal’s legspin isn’t traditional – he doesn’t toss the ball up and as such doesn’t get it to turn too much – but his flatter trajectory has worked for him in List A and T20 cricket.Zimbabwe, on the other hand, have picked a full-strength squad but they possibly need to do better at flexing their muscles. The batting can hold its own with Hamilton Masakadza at the top, Sean Williams and Craig Ervine to control the middle while Elton Chigumbura along with Sikandar Raza can be depended to provide a suitably breakneck finish. Their problem is the bowling, especially against a batsman who can go on a rampage as was evident against Afghanistan and an unstoppable Mohammad Shahzad.

Form guide

Zimbabwe LWWLL (last five matches, most recent first)
India WLLLL

Watch out for

For someone who does so little with his non-bowling hand, Tendai Chatara can generate considerable pace. While that isn’t a guarantee for picking up wickets, it’s a good place to start as he showed in the Harare Test against Pakistan in 2013. He dismissed Azhar Ali, a batsman who beds in at the crease like it was made of wet cement, for a duck and struck the first blow in his second over on the final morning. Essentially, he took the wickets the team needed at a time when they needed it most and he’ll have to take on that responsibility again.In contrast, India’s quickest bowler hasn’t played Tests yet. But with a bumper home season set for 2016-17 and if Jasprit Bumrah continues his limited-overs form, that may change. Much has been said about the accuracy of his yorkers, but Bumrah does have the ability to straighten the ball down the line and a tendency to gather pace off the pitch and surprise batsmen. Skills like that are important to a captain, especially when he wants to put a roadbock in front of an opposition running away with the game.

Team news

The experimental squad that India have picked makes it seem like any of the 16 could make the XI. Faiz Fazal, more than a decade after making his debut in domestic cricket, may win his first India cap as opener unless India consider Mandeep Singh a more worthwhile investment considering his youth and aggressive strokeplay. Chahal is another player eying his international debut, and his wristspin could put him ahead of Jayant Yadav, who relies on finger spin. Kedar Jadhav made a century the last time he was in Zimbabwe and could make a strong case for a middle-order spot, while Test specialist KL Rahul will want to prove he can be a viable option in one-day cricket too.India: (probable) 1 KL Rahul, 2 Mandeep Singh/Faiz Fazal, 3 Karun Nair, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Ambati Rayudu/ Kedar Jadhav 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Dhawal Kulkarni, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Barinder SranZimbabwe could opt for a lengthy batting line-up, with former captain Chigumbura coming in at No. 7. They appear well stocked with spin options, led by captain Cremer and part-timers Williams and Raza. So there is a case for dropping Wellington Masakadza for an extra fast bowler like Donald Tiripano.Zimbabwe: (probable) 1 Chamu Chibhabha, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 4 Sean Williams, 5 Craig Ervine, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Graeme Cremer (capt), 9 Neville Madziva, 10 Wellington Masakadza/ Donald Tiripano, 11 Tendai Chatara

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at the Harare Sports Club usually usually has a split personality, especially during matches that begin as early as 9 am. It would help the new ball dart around in the first hour or so, but following that batsmen would only have to be wary of its slowness. India’s interim head coach Sanjay Bangar felt that the pitch wasn’t as green as the one that greeted the team last year but cautioned his batsmen against the behaviour of the Kookaburra ball to be used in this series vis-à-vis a Duke ball that was used in 2015. Weather wise, a clear and pleasant day is expected, with temperatures in the low 20C range.

Stats and trivia

• India have had a different captain in each of their last four tours to Zimbabwe – Dhoni in 2016, Ajinkya Rahane in 2015, Virat Kohli in 2013 and Suresh Raina in 2010.
• Cremer has been Zimbabwe’s most successful bowler since his return from international hiatus in May 2015. He has 45 wickets in 33 innings across formats. The next best is Luke Jongwe with 32.

Quote

“MS [Dhoni] is very excited to be part of a young bunch of players. It’s been a long time since he is getting an opportunity to play with younger players and pass on his experience.”
Sanjay Bangar