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A wrap of the final day of the ninth round of Ranji Trophy matches in Group B

Sidharth Monga01-Jan-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Abhimanyu Mithun provided Karnataka the inspiration with a double-strike in the final session•AFP

After a disappointing season, Karnataka needed a host of things to go their way – not only in their match, but in their group – for them to qualify. They needed Odisha to lose. Odisha lost. If they didn’t win by a bonus point, they needed Delhi to take a first-innings lead but not win their match. That happened too.As Delhi failed to take their opponents’ wickets, Karnataka were running out of time too, but they somehow kept producing the wickets on a flat Pune pitch against a determined Maharashtra side. After they managed to wrap Maharashtra’s second innings up for 561, Karnataka were left with 89 to chase in 13 overs. Not without drama, they did so with eight balls to spare, and progressed into the next round.At the start of the day, Maharashtra were 315 for 2, a deficit of only 158. Ankit Bawne began the day on 80 not out, and would remain undefeated. Karnataka kept pegging away at the other end. In the first session, HS Sharath picked up two wickets.After lunch, Maharashtra looked comfortable, but Syed Moinuddin broke through with the wicket of the dangerous Kedar Jadhav. Another partnership followed, this time between Bawne and Rahul Tripathi, but Sharath got rid of Tripathi before tea.Going into the final session, though, Maharashtra had already taken a lead of 40 runs, and had four wickets in hand. Karnataka’s state was not at all enviable. They had to take the wickets, and then wipe off all the additional runs. The clock kept ticking away.Abhimanyu Mithun, who took six wickets in the first innings, now provided the inspiration with the wickets of Shrikant Mundhe and Stayajit Bachhav in back-to-back overs. Still, Maharashtra had got 62 ahead by then. A little over 20 overs remained in the day’s play.To Karnataka’s annoyance, No. 10 Sachin Chaudhari swung his bat, and scored 14 off 19 balls, taking the lead to 84. It was all getting away from Karnataka, but Stuart Binny’s inspired move to get Amit Verma to bowl worked. The legspinner trapped Chaudhari, and Mithun finished the innings off in the next over.With Robin Uthappa not well, Karnataka opened with Kunal Kapoor and Lokesh Rahul. Kapoor managed just 8 off 12, and his wicket meant Karnataka would not win with a bonus point. That ensured Baroda, seven points adrift of Karnataka, were ensured qualification, but also that Karnataka would need Delhi to draw their game.Delhi fell short by three wickets in Nagpur, and Rahul and Binny hit their way towards a win. Rahul scored an unbeaten 42 off 34. Binny fell for 25 off 17, but fittingly their record-breaking wicketkeeper-batsman CM Gautam finished it off with 16 off eight balls.In the quarter-finals, Karnataka will face Saurashtra in Rajkot, and Baroda will be hosted by Mumbai. Maharashtra were relegated.
ScorecardDelhi needed to win their final game to progress to the next round or hope that Karnataka don’t won theirs, but were disappointed on both counts. On a flat track in Nagpur, having somehow enforced the follow-on on Vidarbha, Delhi could prise out only seven wickets on the final day. And in exceptional circumstances, Karnataka won their game moments after Delhi were denied.Shalabh Shrivastava provided the resistance for Vidarbha, who came into the match with a realistic chance of progressing but were frustrated by the flat pitch. Pradeep Sangwan, Vikas Mushra and Sumit Narwal picked up the wickets, but not fast enough. Delhi even got in 95 overs on the day, but couldn’t get past Shrivastava, who batted for five hours and 11 minutes.Vidarbha’s captain, Sairaj Bahutule, announced his retirement from first-class cricket after the match.
ScorecardIn the rain-affected, inconsequential match in Chennai, even a first-innings result was not possible. Haryana finished with 180 for 3 in response to Tamil Nadu’s 571 for 6 declared.

Opening batsman Alviro Petersen has been recalled to South Africa’s 13-man squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2011Opening batsman Alviro Petersen has been recalled to South Africa’s 13-man squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka. Uncapped Titans seamer Marchant de Lange has also been included although he is unlikely to play because of a dislocated thumb. Lonwabo Tsotsobe, JP Duminy and Paul Harris have been dropped.Petersen lost his place for last month’s two-Test series against Australia after Jacques Rudolph was recalled to open the batting with captain Graeme Smith. Rudolph did not replicate the form he had shown in the SuperSport Series – where he topped the batting charts last season and scored 592 runs in four matches in this season – and only managed a top score of 30 in four innings.While Rudolph has failed to live up to the hype, Petersen has made a strong case for a recall. He is second on the first-class batting rankings, with 441 runs at an average of 55.12 and scored 186 in the opening fixture of the season. He also made a fighting 103, on a seamer-friendly pitch, against the touring Australians in a warm-up match last month in Potchefstroom.Petersen and Smith shared in nine opening stands of at least 50 in the nine Tests they played and there is some suggestion that Petersen will open the batting once again, with Rudolph likely to move down into the middle order, increasing pressure on Ashwell Prince. In his nine Tests Petersen has scored 572 runs at 33.64 with a best of 100.De Lange is fast emerging as South Africa’s Pat Cummins, having been elevated to the Test squad after just 14 first-class matches and while still playing in his first season. He caught the eye with an explosive 5 for 56 against the Australians in Potchefstroom and has impressed with his pace. Batsmen from the Knights, who played against de Lange’s Titans earlier in the season, said he was “faster than Morne Morkel,” after facing them both.His speedy rise to the national squad appears part of a plan to assimilate him with the group. De Lange was also he was also invited to train with the South Africa team in their preparations for the second Test against Australia. Barring injury or unusual circumstances, he will likely not be promoted to the starting XI and will be asked to use the experience as a learning curve.”There is some doubt about whether he will recover in time from his thumb injury but, even if that is the case, he will learn a great deal just from being part of the national squad environment,” Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors, said.The bowling attack will be the same as the one which played against Australia, spearheaded by Dale Steyn, who will likely share the new ball with Vernon Philander. Morne Morkel will have time to settle into a different role as first change while Imran Tahir is the sole spinner in the squad.Tahir’s debut was much anticipated but he fell short of expectations, save for a spell on the second afternoon of the Wanderers Test when he cleaned up the Australian tail. However, he has been given another opportunity to build on his domestic form.The only other player who was facing pressure for his place was wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, who did not contribute with the bat against Australia with 20 runs in three innings. Boucher remains the country’s top gloveman and the selectors have decided not to include a back-up keeper in the squad. They have the door open to add players for the second and third Test, with Hudson saying the squad is likely to expand over that period.A South African Invitation XI, which includes Thami Tsolekile and Harris, will play a three-day warm-up match against the Sri Lankans in Benoni starting on Friday, with the first Test scheduled to be played in Centurion from December 15.South Africa squad Graeme Smith (capt), AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), Marchant de Lange, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Alviro Petersen, Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn

Odean Brown scored 66 and took three wickets to give West Indies A an opportunity to push for a win against Pakistan A

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2010

ScorecardOdean Brown, the Jamaica legspinner, gave West Indies A an opportunity to push for a win against Pakistan A with his all-round performance on the third day at Arnos Vale. Brown first ensured that a couple of quick wickets from seamer Yasir Arafat, who has played three Tests for Pakistan, didn’t derail the West Indies A innings. Brown’s highest first-class score in 51 innings prior to the match was 33, but he doubled that on Friday to help West Indies reach 357 in their first innings. He then took three wickets to put Pakistan under pressure, leaving them at 122 for 3 at stumps, just 26 ahead of the hosts. Khurram Manzoor, who scored a century in Pakistan A’s first innings, was unbeaten on 66 and his captain Faisal Iqbal, who has played 26 Tests for Pakistan, was still at the wicket, batting on 33. The pair’s role will be crucial in trying to save the match on Saturday, as West Indies will fancy their chances of running through Pakistan’s lower-order after they took the visitors’ last seven wickets for 60 runs in the first innings.

A decision on whether the Ashes will return to free-to-air television will be taken before the general election, the Government said on Tuesday

Cricinfo staff12-Jan-2010A decision on whether the Ashes will return to free-to-air television will be taken before the general election, the Government said on Tuesday.Ben Bradshaw, the culture secretary, provisionally accepted the findings of a review panel led by David Davies, the former chairman of the FA, in November last year, which called for the home Ashes to be added to the list of ‘crown jewel’ sporting events protected from pay-only television.The ECB, however, vehemently opposed the move then, arguing that it would bring a severe loss of revenue and harm grassroots funding for the game. The ECB’s current deal with BSkyB and Five, which is worth a combined £300 million, runs until 2013 and includes the next home Ashes series. Under the recommendations the first series that could possibly be back on terrestrial TV would be the 2016 contest.When the move was announced in November the ECB were frustrated that the review committee did not commission an independent report into the economic impact of the decision, after estimating that some £30 million per year, which amounts to more than a third of their annual turnover, could be slashed from their budget.Yet John Grogan, Labour MP for Selby and a long-standing campaigner for wider access to televised sport, said that if governing bodies receive public money they should expect their major events should be shown for free.”If the governing bodies believe in an entirely free market approach, why are they receiving public money? You can’t have it both ways. If hard-pressed taxpayers and lottery players are funding the sports, should they not be able to see some of the events on free-to-air TV?”Sion Simon, a junior minister, told MPs that the government had provisionally accepted the findings of the review and final decision will be made shortly after the period of consultation ends in March.The ECB, however, have not changed their stance, and are holding out hope that the Government will reconsider its provisional decision. “Our position is that we will put in comprehensive documentation and research to the Government,” an ECB spokesman told Cricinfo. “We expect them to take the appropriate amount of time to consider the full financial considerations of any potential decision.”There is, however, only a short window between the end of the consultation period and the moment that parliament goes into recess ahead of an anticipated May election. The move to terrestrial could be seen as an attempt to woo voters, while sticking the boot into Rupert Murdoch, the owner of BSkyB, after the Murdoch-owned Sun backed the Conservatives for the election.

Alana King takes four wickets as struggling Essex slump to another defeat

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay30-Jul-2025A brilliant century from Lancashire and England’s Emma Lamb helped her side ease to their latest Metro Bank One Day Cup victory by 138 runs over struggling Essex at the beautiful surroundings of Sedbergh.Lamb hit a career best 142 and shared a mammoth opening partnership of 162 with Eve Jones (71) as the Red Rose racked up a total of 306 for 4 off their 50 overs after being put into bat by Essex skipper Grace Scrivens.As for Essex there were few highlights with only Jodi Grewcock’s half-century to take back with them on the long journey home from the South Lakelands.Lamb and Jones have proved a hugely effective opening pair this season with three century partnerships before this game and their fourth never really looked in doubt from the moment they began to stroke Essex’s Kate Coppack and Eve Gray around Sedburgh’s lush outfield.44 runs came off the first powerplay but it was after the introduction of Esmae McGregor and Abtaha Maqsood that the openers really got going with the former going for 25 off her four overs.The century partnership was reached in the 20th over with Jones bringing up he half-century soon after with the landmarks coming regularly thereafter with the opening pair reaching 150 in the 30th over.The long-awaited breakthrough for Essex eventually came when Jones mistimed a drive to Coppack off Sophie Smale but the disruption did little to put off Lamb who brought up her century with a huge six off a waist high full toss from the expensive Maqsood.By the time Lamb was out in the 42nd over most of the damage had been done with her superb knock ending off 109 balls with 15 fours and two sixes.Fi Morris quickly followed for five to a caught and bowled from Scrivens but Lancashire powered on through to the end of their innings with some energetic running from Seren Smale and skipper Ellie Threlkeld putting on 38 for the fourth wicket in just under six overs with Smale’s run out in the penultimate over scant consolation for a tired looking Essex.The early departure of opener Scrivens, who edged Mahika Gaur behind for two in the third over, ensured Essex were on the back foot from the off and in truth Lancashire never allowed their innings to gain any momentum.Cordelia Griffith edged Gace Potts’ first delivery to keeper Threlkeld for 13 and Smale, who had battled well for 38, holed out to mid off and a grateful Potts to give Alana King her first wicket.When King bowled Australian Maddie Penna for 15 it looked like the game was up with the visitors 100-4 and over 200 runs still required with the task getting even tricker when Jo Gardner was brilliantly caught by Kate Cross at mid off for eight off left arm spinner Sophie Morris.Meanwhile the stubborn Grewcock was providing the only solace for Essex as she reached her half-century from 54 balls but that would prove as good as it got as she departed hooking a Gaur slower ball straight to Morris for 52.Gaur suddenly found herself on a hat-trick when Amara Carr hit her first ball straight up in the air to Alisa Lister to leave Essex 142-7 and all hope all but gone.Coppack was run out for two and although Gray hit a flurry of fours that was pretty much it with King picking up a third wicket when MacGregor was stumped for one and then repeating the trick the very next ball when Maqsood departed the same way to leave Lancashire challenging at the top of the table going into the break for The Hundred.

They have an abundance of riches when it comes to spin bowling ahead of their title defence

Andrew McGlashan13-Jan-2024Australia have a focus on their first bilateral tour of Bangladesh as a valuable intelligence-gathering mission ahead of the T20 World Cup later in the year amid what shapes as a squeeze for spin-bowling spots.They will face South Africa in a multi-format series starting at home in late January, with those T20Is also providing valuable preparation for the World Cup in September, but it’s the first-hand experience over in Bangladesh that could be especially important. The ODI and T20I tour will take place at the end of March following the WPL.”We’ve got a couple of venues in Bangladesh that the World Cup will be played at so that will be part of the investigating during the tour, about how wickets are going to play,” Shawn Flegler, the national selector, said.Related

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Australia’s only previous trip to Bangladesh was when they won the 2014 T20 World Cup. Four members of the squad remain: Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney and Jess Jonassen.There will be an open mind as to how conditions will play, but whatever combination Australia take into the final squad there will be no shortage of spin options. Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham and Jonassen are the three in the T20I squad to face South Africa with Alana King unable to find a space in that group but will return for the ODIs.Adding to the depth has been the return from injury of left-arm spinner and allrounder Sophie Molineux, who will captain the Governor General’s XI against South Africa. She lost her central contract in 2022 and has recently returned from a year-long layoff with an ACL injury. With an all-round skillset that the selectors admire, there is a chance she could put herself back in the reckoning.”She’s been highly-rated by the Australian set-up for a long time and just great to have her back playing,” Flegler said. “It’s pretty clear having a left-arm orthodox spinner playing international cricket is pretty good. We’ve been blessed with the amount of spin options we’ve had; we’ve had a left-arm spinner either Jess Jonassen or Soph involved in our World Cups over the last seven campaigns, so we’ll see that continuing, I’m sure. It’s going to be a tight squeeze over the next few series, but really blessed to have those options available to us.”Sophie Molineux took six wickets and scored a half-century in her second game back in the WNCL•Getty Images

Jonassen, meanwhile, has lost her position as a first-choice pick in Australia’s white-ball sides having been dropped from the T20Is after Hayley Matthews’ onslaught at North Sydney Oval late last year and not playing ODIs since the tour of Ireland after the Ashes, with Gardner taking on the mantle of senior spinner.”Ash’s performances over the last 12, 18, 24 months have been outstanding and she’s taken on the senior spinner role and Georgia Wareham has come back into the team. Thought she bowled better and better as the tour went on in India,” Flegler said. “[Georgia] also adds a pretty powerful lower-order batting option and is outstanding in the field.”I’ve said a few times, we value those three skillsets really highly and if you can do all three that certainly gives you a leg up selection and that’s where Georgia and Ash have got the nod at the moment. Jess is certainly still in discussions and in the squad.”Further highlighting the depth in Australia’s spin stocks is that legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington continues to be overlooked despite her regular domestic T20 success, which continued with a pivotal role in Adelaide Strikers’ back-to-back WBBL titles.After that tournament, Wellington said she was at peace with where she stood, but revealed that she could apply for a British passport and had not ruled out looking to play for England.”It is in the back on my mind but making that decision would be really hard because there are some risks – for instance, it would make me an international player for the Big Bash,” she told . “Technically the door is still open…I just haven’t really explored it that much.”Flegler said the selectors had been in regular communication with Wellington and that she could continue to push for Australia honours.”It’s a personal decision for Amanda what she wants to do,” he said. “But we certainly haven’t said she’ll never play for Australia again. Can imagine it’s really frustrating for Amanda. If that’s something she does want to pursue, then that’s up to her.”Flegler also indicated he was hopeful of Australia arranging some extra fixtures before the T20 World Cup. Currently, after the tour of Bangladesh they have nothing on their calendar until the tournament.

Veteran of 2005 tour prepares to play first Test in country in 19-year international career

Vithushan Ehantharajah29-Nov-2022If you’ve been paying even vague attention, you’ll have heard that James Anderson is the only member of this England touring party to have played international cricket in Pakistan prior to this winter.Back in the winter of 2005, a younger, sprightlier but no less downbeat Anderson was part of the squad that last played Test cricket in the country. He did not get on the park during the three-match series, which the hosts took 2-0, but did take part in the subsequent ODI series, finishing with seven wickets. That included 4 for 48 in the final match – a consolation win with England losing 3-2 overall – at Rawalpindi, the venue for the first Test of this series.Given his lack of red-ball action on that tour and the time between visits, the 40-year-old Anderson is reluctant to play the role of wise old sage when it comes to predicting how things could pan out. Heading into the first Test, he and the rest of the team are happy to take cues from the conditions, while maintaining Brendon McCullum’s assertion earlier in the week that, however things pan out, a draw is not on the agenda.”No, not at all,” Anderson said, when asked if he had anything to pass on. “Seventeen years is a long time. It would be wrong if I said ‘the pitch is going to play like this, or this is what to expect’. It’s a completely different team we’re playing against, completely different conditions.”It’s about adapting when we get out there. We talk a little bit about the opposition but mainly concentrate on what we do well – that’s what we did in the summer. We don’t know how it’s going to play. Traditionally it is flat. We’ve seen Tests in recent times – the Australia game was very flat. It ended in a draw. We’ve got a captain and coach that don’t want draws. We’re not playing for draws. We’ll come out and try to win the game – we might have to be creative in how we do that.”The extent of England’s adaptation will be dictated by the varying conditions over the next month, and indeed over this first Rawalpindi Test match. England have noticed there has been dew for their morning training sessions, which will no doubt play a part early on given the 10am starts on match days, adding a bit of juice in the air and moisture into the pitch. Both of which bring Anderson to the front and centre of their plans.England have also been concentrating on honing their reverse-swing skills in anticipation of what might lie ahead. The training camp in Abu Dhabi last week saw them experiment with an assortment of balls worn to varying degrees. Anderson had also been fine-tuning his technique with the Lions in Dubai since the start of November. Both he and Ben Stokes will be the main proponents of the craft this week, with Mark Wood out recovering from injury. However, Anderson doesn’t expect it will play too big a part in the first Test.Related

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• Ben Duckett: 'There's no better time to play Test cricket than under Stokes and McCullum'

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“Just looking at the pitch out here and the outfield, it looks quite lush so whether reverse will play a huge part here, I’m not sure, at this particular ground,” he said. “But we will try and cover all bases and make sure we’ve got options, if and when we need them.”As Anderson approaches the 20th anniversary of his England debut, this Test bow in Pakistan represents a new and final frontier. It will be the ninth country he has graced in the format, and even coming into this series with 175 caps and a seam bowler’s record haul of 667 wickets, there is a palpable excitement from the usually reserved Lancastrian.”Firstly, it’s amazing to be back here,” he said. “I want to say thank you on behalf of, not just myself, but the whole team for the welcome we’ve had. We know how many cricket fans there are in Pakistan and how much they love and support, not just Pakistani cricket, but cricket in general around the world. I’ve not played a Test match here so I’m delighted to have the chance to be able to play here.As for who that first red-ball victim in Pakistan might be, Anderson claims he isn’t fussed, even if he recognises that one man in particular is likely to be a key adversary in the days ahead.”We are well aware how important a wicket Babar is for Pakistan, being the captain, as well as I’d say their best player. Yes, we will give him attention, but also we need to focus on the other guys as well because they’re very strong.”And I don’t care who it is, as long as I get a wicket and try and help the team towards a win. That’s what we’ve come here for – we want to win the series, so that’s our main focus.”

Thirty-eight Sri Lanka players have signed a statement refusing to sign the tour contracts offered by SLC

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Jun-2021Sri Lanka’s tour of England has been cast into serious jeopardy after the players expected to be selected refused to sign the tour contracts offered by Sri Lanka Cricket.This is as part of the men’s cricketers’ larger resistance to SLC’s new annual contracts scheme, which they believe lacks transparency and does not adequately compensate senior players. Although players have not been centrally contracted since last October when the previous round of contracts expired, series since then have been played under a succession of temporary tour contracts. But the players have now dug their heels in and are headed for a serious confrontation with SLC over the next 72 hours. The team is due to leave for England at 12.05am on Wednesday (June 9).Thirty-eight players have signed a statement refusing to sign the tour contracts – an increase from the 24 players who had previously made their resistance to the new scheme official. Primarily, the players’ contention is that the workings of the grading system devised by SLC to assign contracts of varying value to players have not been sufficiently made clear to them.”Because of the problems with the transparency of the ratings system devised by SLC, the players will not sign the [tour contract],” the release signed by 38 top players said.Their lawyer, Nishan Premathiratne, told ESPNcricinfo that in addition to refusing the tour contracts on principle, there was also a legal objection to these contracts.”The tour contract also refers to matters of the annual [main] contract for 2021, which is yet unsigned,” he said. “In the event, the annual contract is not settled and a dispute is pending, the validity of the tour contract referring to an unsigned contract is also an issue.”Related

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• Sri Lanka players 'not in agreement to sign unfair and non-transparent contracts'

• Aravinda de Silva on Sri Lanka players protesting their new contracts: 'They should win games and not complain'

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In addition to taking issue with transparency, the players have also stated they would prefer the only criteria for drawing up contracts lists should be player performance and fitness. SLC’s new scheme, however, also takes into account leadership, professionalism and future performance/adaptability.And while the annual contracts were offered to 24 players – a reduction from the 30 who were offered central contracts in the last round – players are also now suggesting that some compensation be given to a wider group of players. As 14 further players have joined the original 24 in resisting the new contracts scheme, this new request follows.”In addition, the players have decided they will not sign the contracts until players who have performed well in past years are looked after fairly,” the statement said.The new contracts scheme had been drawn up primarily by the technical committee headed by Aravinda de Silva and SLC’s new director of cricket Tom Moody. There will now need to be serious negotiations over the next few days if Sri Lanka are to fulfil their tour obligations.Players who have refused to sign the tour contract: Kusal Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Dananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lasith Embuldeniya, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Oshada Fernando, Ramesh Mendis, Lahiru Kumara, Danushka Gunathilaka, Ashen Bandara, Akila Dananjaya, Chamika Karunaratne, Asitha Fernando, Binura Fernando, Shiran Fernando, Avishka Fernando, Ishan Jayaratne, Charith Asalanka, Dananjaya Lakshan, Nuwan Pradeep, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamil Mishara, Praveen Jayawickrama, Roshen Silva, Minod Bhanuka

South Africa’s assistant coach backs Temba Bavuma to return stronger after being dropped

Firdose Moonda in Port Elizabeth14-Jan-2020Temba Bavuma is not among the 12 South Africa players who have assembled in Port Elizabeth to prepare for the third Test against England, but he remains close to the conversation. So close, that assistant coach Enoch Nkwe has indicated that if Bavuma finds form, he could be candidate for the national captaincy in future.That may seem like a long way away for a player with 39 Tests to his name and only one century, scored more than four years ago, who averaged 19.84 in 2019 and has scored 9 and 17 in his last two domestic first-class innings but Bavuma is no ordinary player. He is South Africa’s only only black African Test batsman and has accepted the pressures of being a flagbearer and leader for millions.Bavuma has chosen not to engage in the debate at the moment, posting on social media that his silence is “full of answers”. Instead it was Nkwe, himself a black African batsman, who spoke extensively on the expectations and challenges Bavuma faces and the reasons why the South African administration believes he will be back in a big way.Are you comfortable with where South Africa is in terms of transformation targets and how things are progressing? “There’s been a different approach, but that will come over time. We’re keeping very close with Temba Bavuma, for example. I strongly believe he’s a good player, and he’s in the process of making sure that — from a mental, emotional and skills point of view — when he gets an opportunity to come back, whether it’s in the next Test match or in a different format, he takes ownership of his position and does 10 times more than what he has done. We’re confident and believe in him. [Mark] Boucher is the same, and the rest of the team. All I’m going to ask is that we are more patient. We’re trying to put a few things in place so that we can shape things in the right direction.”Do you think the weight expectation on Temba, being the first black African Test batsman in South Africa, has been detrimental to him?“Knowing Temba, no. There is always going to be pressure in this environment but if you look at it, he has been unlucky. Let’s be honest. There’s been times where he got 95 not out and he was probably one big hit to get over the line and he was unfortunate. There’s been times where he got 70, 80. But also sometimes people tend to forget that the situations he has come in for South Africa have been challenging and he has been able to take the team from that position and put them in a much healthier position. Sometimes he gets out for 60, sometimes he gets out for 50 and if you look at the batting positions over the last couple of years – Nos. 4, 5 and 6 – he has been able to make those massive contributions. They might look small in terms of numbers but his contribution has been very powerful for the team and put them in a winning position. He has had good partnerships with Quinny [Quinton de Kock] and obviously Quinny has been more explosive. If maybe a bit of luck had gone his way, he would have got two or three more hundreds but those things we’ve put behind us.”I know that having spoken to him recently, he is someone that actually looks forward to getting an opportunity. He is going to do everything in his power to make sure that when the next opportunity comes he is ready for it. He wants to be in this environment and hopefully in the future he performs well enough and he can lead the team because I know having worked with him, he is a strong leader, very smart and he is able to lead a massive group to greater heights.”Do you see him as a future captain? “In my mind, yes. I can see that happening. But he does understand that he needs to put in some performances. The future could be in a year’s time, it could be in two years’ time, we don’t know. Having worked with him in the last year-and-a-half, he has got the qualities, there’s no question around that. I wouldn’t be surprised if, after Faf, he takes over. That will be great for South African cricket.”Was it the right decision to send Temba back to franchise cricket? “From a coach’s hat and a high-performance point of view, it’s not healthy just to sit around and not play. If you are not playing, you really need to go and find some game time and fortunately, we have some franchise cricket taking place at the moment and we saw that opportunity for him to go there and stay in the game. Some of the challenges we have when we go on tours, is we have a 15-man squad and only 11 can play and the challenge of those individuals to try and get some game time is massive. It’s not only him; it’s a couple of other guys we have released as well.”

Pakistan will be boosted by Shoaib Malik’s availability, while Australia expect a better show from a top-order quartet that is the envy of T20 franchises around the world

The Preview by Danyal Rasool25-Oct-2018

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If not for Usman Khawaja’s patience, Australia’s tour of the UAE would have been considered every bit of the car crash it has turned out to be since. Since his heroics in the first Test, Australia have showed themselves to be as substandard as they habitually are whenever they have reached Asian shores in recent times.It couldn’t have been much different this time, particularly since they arrived with a weakened side for reasons everyone knows about by now.But Justin Langer, and those higher up the pecking order Down Under, will be alarmed by the lack of fight shown by their side in the format that arguably gave them the best chance to be competitive. It is true, of course, that Pakistan are on a scarcely believable run in T20I cricket for the past two years, but this very Australian side matched them in Zimbabwe just a few months ago. You wouldn’t have guessed it by the limp performance they offered on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, especially in the Powerplay, where six Australian wickets fell and killed the game. Of those six, only one didn’t fall under the category of “given away”, so abysmal was the shot selection and decision making.Aaron Finch was rightfully scathing of his side’s performance after the game, calling it “embarrassing”, but even the wiliest spin doctor couldn’t have come up with an assessment too dissimilar to the Australia captain’s. Australia do know they can perform much better than they did, and their effort in the field had a lot going for it. Andrew Tye and Billy Stanlake bowled particularly well and never let Pakistan off a somewhat short leash, and their collective figures of 8-0-45-6 on the day would rarely end up on the wrong side of a drubbing.They would have been frustrated to see all that lost in the batting chaos that followed.But at the same time, Pakistan know they can play much better too. On track for 180 towards the tail-end of their innings, Pakistan experienced a dramatic collapse of their own that seemed set at one stage to prove decisive to the outcome of the match. Five wickets were lost in ten balls for three runs, and it was only three lusty blows from Hasan Ali in the final over that took them past 150. With a middle order that’s set to welcome Shoaib Malik back, Pakistan will have an ideal anchor through the later overs to prevent the sort of slide that nearly cost them in the first game. Their bowling, though excellent, was barely tested, too, and will be raring to press home the advantage.

Form guide

Australia LWLWL
Pakistan WWWWL

In the spotlight

Shadab Khan was peripheral to Pakistan’s victory in the first T20I, which isn’t a word one would use to describe the 20-year-old too often. That’s for good reason; he’s been a huge part of Pakistan’s T20I form ever since he burst into the limelight with three and four wickets in his first two T20Is, and has since risen to become one of the best limited-overs spin bowlers in the world. His economy rate – 6.61 – is exceptional, and he has gone wicketless in the shortest format just four times in 24 innings. However, since those opening two games, he’s never been able to take wickets in clumps and he’s yet to take more than two wickets in a game. It’s down to no obviously apparent reason, and it seems the legspinner is due another day in the spotlight. It could just be tomorrow.A top order comprising D’Arcy Short, Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and Chris Lynn doesn’t sit too comfortably with the perception Australia have been forced to field a weakened T20I side. The quartet is the envy of T20 franchises around the world, and the pride and joy of those fortunate enough to lay claim to their services. Their strike rates in T20Is are 131, 160, 160 and 134 respectively, but it won’t do their side much good if all four are back in the pavilion long before the Powerplay is done. That was the case yesterday, but Australia have to expect a better showing with an order like that. These players have delivered for sides all over the globe, and while none of them have played franchise cricket in the UAE, performances in the next two games could see that change as early as next year’s Pakistan Super League.

Team news

Shoaib Malik’s availability means it is likely Pakistan will make at least one change, but it isn’t yet certain who he would come in for. Pakistan didn’t need the bowling services of either Hussain Talat or Mohammad Hafeez in Abu Dhabi, and those two could be among the likeliest to sit out.Pakistan: 1 Babar Azam, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Mohammad Hafeez , 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Asif Ali, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Shaheen AfridiAaron Finch said there may be a number of changes after the disappointing performance on Wednesday, so Australia’s line-up is anybody’s guess.Australia (possible): 1 Aaron Finch, 2 D’Arcy Short, 3 Chris Lynn, 4 Ben McDermott/ Mitchell Marsh, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Andrew Tye, 11 Billy Stanlake

Pitch and conditions

Dubai has traditionally seen higher scores than Abu Dhabi, and under the lights tomorrow, batting first may not be an unwelcome prospect. The weather, like Abu Dhabi, will be hot and dry.

Stats and trivia

• The Dubai International Stadium hasn’t hosted a T20I between two Full Members since September 2016, when West Indies took on Pakistan. Pakistan have a mixed record at the ground, with 10 wins and 10 losses. The only tie here came in a match between Pakistan and Australia, with Pakistan winning the Super Over.
• Five of the top ten T20I run-scorers for Pakistan are in the squad for this series. Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed and Fakhar Zaman are all expected to play tomorrow.
• D’Arcy Short has reached double figures in 10 consecutive T20Is before the Abu Dhabi T20I. His only other single figure score in his career came on debut, when he was dismissed for 4 against New Zealand.