A win, irrespective of the margin, is enough to put Afghanistan in the final four, while nothing but a huge win will do for Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam24-Jun-2024

Match details

Afghanistan vs Bangladesh
June 24, Kingstown, 8:30pm local

Big picture – race to the semi-finals

It’s the last Super Eight game of the T20 World Cup 2024 and it’s open season as far as the fourth semi-final spot is concerned, with Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who will be out in the middle, and Australia, who can at best wait and watch, all in the fray.Here’s what will do it for each of them:

• It’s simple for Afghanistan – win and get into the semi-finals; lose and they are out, since their NRR will stay below Australia’s even with a super-over defeat.
• Australia are done with their games with a net run-rate of -0.331. They get into the semi-finals if Bangladesh win but Bangladesh’s and Afghanistan’s NRR remain below theirs.
• For Bangladesh to go through, they need to win by 62 runs (having scored 160, say) or win in 12.5 overs (chasing 160), which will take their NRR above that of the other two.
• There’s rain around, of course, and shared points do the job for Afghanistan.

But facing Afghanistan are a down-on-their-luck Bangladesh side, after two meek defeats against India and Australia.Related

• Naib flexes muscle as Afghanistan exorcise ghosts of Mumbai 2023

• Scenarios: How Afghanistan's win opens up Group 1

• Afghanistan show they are more than just their spinners

It has been another dream run for Afghanistan in a World Cup. They had fought hard in the 50-over tournament in India last year, only to finish in sixth place. This time, they have roared through the group stage, and although there were hiccups against West Indies and India, Afghanistan’s landmark win against Australia has put them right back into contention for the semi-finals.Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran complement each other, and they added their third century stand of the competition against Australia. That Afghanistan did not rely solely on their spinners in their historic win was also pleasing for them. Gulbadin Naib, who has bowled in only three out of 11 T20I matches this year, stunned Australia with a four-for, with Naveen-ul-Haq chipping in with three. This sort of performance frees up Rashid Khan from always having to deliver the knockout punches while also keeping things tight.Bangladesh’s batting has also struggled significantly at this T20 World Cup. The top order has the lowest collective average among the Super Eight teams. Their middle-order is also showing signs of wear and tear, which has led the team management to tinker with the fast-bowling line-up to bring in the extra batter.2:01

Trott: ‘Nice feeling to know what’s needed to qualify’

Form guide

Bangladesh LLWWL
Afghanistan WLLWW

In the spotlight – Gulbadin Naib and Shakib Al Hasan

Gulbadin Naib was the eighth bowler against Australia, but he ended up taking his maiden four-wicket haul in T20Is in that game. He has been around for 12 years now and only recently made his IPL debut for Delhi Capitals. Needless to say, he is high on confidence.By his standards, this year’s T20 World Cup has mostly been a forgettable one for Shakib Al Hasan. He has scored one half-century, while it took him four matches to get his first wicket. Shakib became the first bowler in the tournament’s history to reach 50 wickets, but has only taken three at an average of 37 in this edition. He hasn’t batted high enough and Shakib’s bowling too hasn’t been properly utilised. Could this be Shakib’s swansong in the T20 World Cup?

Team news – Bangladesh might bring Taskin or Shoriful back

Bangladesh could go back to Taskin Ahmed or Shoriful Islam to replace Jaker Ali. Afghanistan are likely to go in unchanged at the same venue where they beat Australia.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Litton Das (wk), 3 Najmul Hosain Shanto (capt), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Jaker Ali/Taskin Ahmed/Shoriful Islam, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Mahedi Hasan, 10 Tanzim Hasan, 11 Mustafizur RahmanAfghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Azmatullah Omarzai, 4 Karim Janat, 5 Rashid Khan (capt), 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Gulbadin Naib, 8 Nangeyalia Kharote, 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiShoriful Islam could replace Jaker Ali in Bangladesh’s XI•ICC/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

Teams batting first have won every game in Arnos Vale, including Bangladesh defending 106 against Nepal. Afghanistan will also have a fair measure of the pitches after their 21-run win against Australia. Weather, however, may not be great as there’s some rain forecast.

Stats that matter

• Naib became the first bowler in the T20 World Cup to take a four-wicket haul after coming into the attack as the eighth bowler
• Gurbaz and Ibrahim now have three century opening stands in the T20 World Cup, the most by a pair
• Tanzim Hasan and Rishad Hossain have 11 wickets apiece, equalling Shakib’s tally from 2021 for the most wickets in an edition for Bangladesh

Quotes

“It’s a nice feeling to have that fact that we’re playing the last game as well. You will know exactly what the scenario is and then what’s needed to win. That’s always a nice feeling. But I think with cricket, so many things are thrown in and so many results can go against you or for you. So, we’ve just got to focus on our match against Bangladesh and when all the other matches are played. We’ll know what we need to do and the decisions we need to make.”
“One thing you’ve got to acknowledge is you can’t fight genetics. You have to have a genetic predisposition to power initially. But power is something that takes a lot of time. If you’re not predisposed to being strong… West Indians don’t have to find power. They’re born with power. We’re not born with power, so we have to do it a different way. We’re looking at the strength and conditioning element, we’re looking at different things of how we can do it a Bangladeshi way.”

Pair delayed because of Hurricane Beryl; it is understood Motie landed in London on day one of the game, while Shamar will arrive on day three

Nagraj Gollapudi03-Jul-2024
Fast bowler Shamar Joseph and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie were late to link up with the West Indies Test squad in England after their flight from Guyana was cancelled because of Hurricane Beryl, which has left the Caribbean in distress over the past few days. Shamar and Motie, subsequently, were absent from the visitors’ line-up for the three-day warm-up game against the First Class Counties XI, which started in Beckenham from Wednesday.It is understood that Motie landed in London later in the day, while Shamar will arrive on Friday. This means they will be good to go for the first Test, which starts at Lord’s on July 10.Shamar had grabbed the headlines in January after a fantastic spell to stun Australia in the Brisbane Test and help West Indies draw the two-match series 1-1. He is expected to play a key role for West Indies in England too, as part of a fast-bowling unit which will be led by Alzarri Joseph after Kemar Roach pulled out due to injury recently. Jayden Seales is likely to be the third fast bowler West Indies utilise in the three-match series, keeping in mind the strong form he has displayed in the second division of county cricket where he is among the leading wicket-takers with 24 wickets in six matches at an average of 24.25 including two five-fors.

Kavem Hodge shines on day one of tour game

July might be summer in England but Wednesday in Beckenham was overcast and windy, forcing both locals and visitors to put on their hoodies and tuck their hands into their pockets. The nippy weather, though, didn’t have any impact on the West Indians: on the back of a spirited 112 from Kavem Hodge and half-centuries from Alick Athanaze, Kirk McKenzie and Mikyle Louis, they posted 339 in their first innings after electing to bat in front of 1200-odd fans, including a healthy Caribbean contingent.Hodge, who is on his maiden England trip, said he found it cold but enjoyed his first outing and cannot wait to get to Lord’s.Kavem Hodge celebrates getting to his century in the tour game•Kyle Andrews

“It’s always a dream to play that at Lord’s,” Hodge said after the day’s play. “Something growing up as a kid that you sit and dream about, you watch a lot of cricket at Lord’s. It’s something I am looking forward to: getting the opportunity to sit and watch the game, play there with the crowd, the prestige, the home of cricket, it’s something that every cricketer aspires to do.”Like Shamar, Hodge – who at 31 has played only two Tests – was part of the memorable win at the Gabba win in January, scoring 71 and 29. Hodge said the character shown by West Indies in the Australia series could keep their self-belief high in England too.”It [the Gabba win] has played a big role in the sense of belief that we have as a team. Going into a Test match against Australia with [several] debutants [on the tour], I don’t think much people give us a sniff, but it proved to everybody that the belief that we have as a team, we prepared well.”I must big up Andrew Coley [head coach] and his backroom staff, they put in a lot of work and a lot of work that people don’t see, but it showed there on the field. So it’s something that really pushed us and we just continued to ride off that.”

Ahead of a rare jampacked season the duo discuss the need for more Tests, scheduling and what Pakistan need to do better at home

Osman Samiuddin13-Aug-2024Pakistan’s Test captain Shan Masood has called on Pakistan to play more Test cricket, as he readies his side for a rare season of Test cricket bounty.Pakistan start a jam-packed home season with a two-Test series against Bangladesh, beginning in Rawalpindi on August 21. They host five more Tests at home, against England and then West Indies, and in between play a two-Test series in South Africa. As an indication of how rare this is, the last time Pakistan played more Tests in a season was over 25 years ago, in the 1998-99 season when they played ten.More than the number of Tests, the long gaps between them have hindered any chance of progress. The Tests against Bangladesh will be Pakistan’s first since the New Year’s Test in Sydney this year. Once they finish the series against West Indies in January 2025, they are not scheduled to play any Tests until October when South Africa visit (and then none until a series against Bangladesh in March 2026).Related

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• Pakistan set to play all-pace attack in a home Test for the second time in 28 years

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• Jason Gillespie: 'I want people to be able to say, yes, this is the style of cricket Pakistan are playing'

• Gillespie appointed Pakistan men's Test coach, Kirsten named white-ball coach

Masood argued that the stop-start, intermittent nature of this scheduling has caused a gap to develop between the big three of India, Australia and England and other Full Members. He is not alone in this, with Kraigg Brathwaite having made a similar appeal after West Indies’ 3-0 series loss against England last month.”We need more Test cricket,” Masood said on the PCB podcast, in which he was interviewed alongside Test coach Jason Gillespie, by former cricketer and broadcaster Bazid Khan. “We play a lot of domestic cricket, so I don’t think we can blame that. We do play ten first-class matches minimum, and with the introduction of departmental cricket, some players ended up playing 16-17 first-class matches in a year.”For me, it’s more about how we can get our team to play more Test matches. That comes down to scheduling, reducing the gaps, and ensuring we have consistent Test squads going forward. We’re playing nine Test matches in four months, but we’ve also had to deal with an unfortunate calendar where we played in Australia, and then we’re playing our next Test after ten months. These are challenges that Pakistan cricket needs to address going forward.”Masood replaced Babar Azam as Test captain last year, his first assignment a daunting trip to Australia where Pakistan haven’t avoided defeat – let alone win a Test – since 1995-96. They were duly whitewashed but having pushed Australia in a couple of the games.The first step, Masood believes, however, is to become more formidable at home. For a couple of seasons after Test cricket returned to Pakistan, they built up a winning home record. But since beating South Africa in January 2021, Pakistan have not won in three home series since, and not even won a Test. They were whitewashed by England before somehow escaping with a 0-0 draw with New Zealand.Those series – as well as an earlier one with Australia – were played on lifeless surfaces, in stark contrast to the livelier ones when Tests first returned. With a new curator – Tony Hemming – in place, that will be under scrutiny again this season.”In Test cricket, which is the ultimate challenge in the game, you have to be familiar with certain conditions,” Masood said. “Yes, we’ve been playing at home since 2019, but other teams have been playing on their home soils for much longer. We still have to decide what our best approach at home is.”If I’m being brutally honest, in home Test matches, because they’ve been played at different times of the year and against different nations, we still haven’t found our ideal way of playing at home that suits our batting, bowling, and overall style. That’s something we need to quickly figure out.”We need to determine what helps us win as a team. How can we create conditions that suit us more and put us in the driving seat, rather than just thinking about how we can cope with the opposition?”Pakistan have packed their side with fast bowlers for the Bangladesh Tests•AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan’s intentions in the upcoming series against Bangladesh are clear. They have packed their Test squad with fast bowlers and just one specialist spinner in Abrar Ahmed. In part that is down to a lack of spinning options – Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan have both been dropped. But in those initial series at home against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa, Pakistan relied on pace and succeeded. They switched to spin against Australia, England and New Zealand and struggled.There is evidence, as Masood pointed out, that Pakistan have competed reasonably well in more challenging conditions, where they’ve been able to rely on their fast bowlers, but Gillespie said it’s still early in terms of figuring out and settling on an identity.”I think the identity will sort itself out. In this next period of time, seven Test matches out of nine are in Pakistan, which is fantastic,” Gillespie said. “I echo Shan’s sentiments – it would be great to play more Test cricket. The PCB is exploring ways to have more Shaheens (Pakistan A) games and four-day cricket to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket. As for identity and playing in Pakistan, there are varying surfaces and conditions depending on whether you’re in the north or south of the country. I don’t think that will be resolved right now. It will be a process to figure out exactly what surfaces we want to play on going forward.”But I firmly believe we’ve got all bases covered, whether it’s fast bowling, slower bowling, or playing on faster, bouncier tracks that offer more assistance to seamers, or surfaces that are lower and slower. We need to be flexible and adaptable, but we’ll certainly have a basic blueprint on how we want to play our games.”The series against Bangladesh will be Jason Gillespie’s first assignment as Pakistan Test coach•AFP via Getty Images

Pakistan’s upcoming series has already meant that workload management has been an issue. A spate of top players, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, were not given NOCs to play in leagues. Gillespie admitted it was a challenge to balance the demands of playing for Pakistan against separate financial opportunities on offer. But he said the priority, especially for the multi-format players, was to play for Pakistan.”There are challenges, no question,” he said. “We want to find the balance between representing Pakistan and not denying players opportunities for experiences. There are financial incentives for players to go and play overseas. I know there’s been a lot of media discussion recently about some decisions made by the PCB on player availability. Shan touched on it – there are nine Test matches in the next four months.”That’s just Test cricket. There’s domestic cricket, white-ball cricket in the 50-over and T20 formats, not just in Pakistan but all around the world.”We’ve got multi-format players, and we’ve got to look after them as best we can. The priority is representing Pakistan, but if there are opportunities -on a case-by-case basis – where a player can learn about their game and play better cricket, which in turn will help them be a better cricketer for Pakistan, then we’ll certainly consider those opportunities. But we won’t be in a position where we compromise the team, whichever format.”

It will be a new home for cricket in Ireland and will host matches during the 2030 T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2024The Irish government has granted approval for the development of a permanent international cricket stadium and a High Performance Centre at the National Sports Campus in Dublin. The overall project takes the long-term view of preparing Ireland to host the 2030 T20 World Cup, along with England and Scotland.Earlier this year, Ireland had to postpone the opportunity to host Australia for the first-ever men’s bilateral series between the two teams because of the lack of a permanent home stadium.Ireland currently has four ODI-rated grounds – Malahide, Clontarf, Stormont and Bready – but all of them are club cricket grounds with temporary seating. The cost of staging matches there, including significant temporary infrastructure, is too high.Related

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• Warren Deutrom to step down as Cricket Ireland CEO after nearly 19 years

• Ireland cancel home series against Afghanistan for 'financial reasons'

• Ireland to host South Africa in Abu Dhabi

• Ireland confirm postponement of men's bilateral series vs Australia

In the last couple of years, Ireland staged their home fixtures against South Africa and Bangladesh in England. Later this year, they will host South Africa in Abu Dhabi. This new stadium will solve that problem.The whole project will be completed in a phased manner. This first phase includes the delivery of a main cricket oval, with a permanent seating capacity of 4000, a high-performance centre, and facilities such as players’ and officials’ pavilion, and is scheduled to be completed in 2028. The proposed facilities will include both indoor and outdoor practice and training areas.”Today’s announcement is absolutely fantastic,” Warren Deutrom, the CEO of Cricket Ireland, said. “It is a huge tribute to everybody involved at all levels in Irish cricket who have got us to the stage whereby the government genuinely regards us as a sport of national significance worthy of major investment.”For me, it is probably up there in terms of significance with the day that we became a Full Member of the ICC. These facilities will help drive the sport forward – they will significantly assist our highest-performing players nationally and provincially to prepare, train and perform better on the world stage.”It’s also going to increase the number of pitches that we can use, helping us ensure that we host more cricket in Ireland. Whether men’s, women’s, seniors, juniors, nationally or provincially, this new facility will help keep our product, our sport, on our shores.”

New Zealand ended the second day on 22 for 2, 580 runs behind, after Conway fell in controversial fashion

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Sep-2024Stumps For Sri Lanka, it was a day of big numbers. Kamindu Mendis became the fastest man to 1000 Test runs in 75 years when he struck 182 not out. He equalled Don Bradman’s pace to the milestone, and sits third-equal alongside the greatest batter cricket has ever seen.Kusal Mendis made a hundred too – the tenth in his career – as he and Kamindu put on an unbeaten stand of 200 for the sixth wicket. All up, Sri Lanka got to 602 for 5 before declaring the moment Kamindu had crossed the 1000-run mark. They had batted 163.4 overs.Related

• Kamindu equals Bradman, becomes fastest to 1000 Test runs in 75 years

For New Zealand, it was a day of much smaller numbers. They claimed only two wickets in the 73.4 overs they bowled on day two, with Glenn Phillips the only bowler to make breakthroughs. Towards the end of the day, they had 14 overs to face, and inside those, Tom Latham was out for 2, and Devon Conway dismissed – via a controversial third-umpire’s decision – for 9. They finished at 22 for 2, with hope getting slimmer by the over that they can meaningfully compete in this match. The pitch seemed to be taking substantial turn towards the end of the day, while Sri Lanka operated with the new ball at least.Kamindu’s progress from 51 overnight was largely in the morning session, in which he moved to 93. He scored heavily square of the wicket, as usual, rarely going several balls without finding a scoring shot. Through this period Phillips always seemed the likeliest bowler to get a wicket, thanks in part to the work he was putting on the ball.In fact, Phillips would get two, both off top edges as Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva attempted sweep shots. Mathews had added only ten to his overnight 78, before de Silva made 44 in Kamindu’s company.But after lunch, Sri Lanka had it almost entirely their way. Kamindu moved unfussily to a fifth Test hundred and celebrated with trademark reserve. Kusal started slowly as New Zealand put together some tight spells after lunch – Mitchell Santner bowling with particular control – before he too began to find run-scoring easier, particularly thanks to his strong sweep shot. He made only 24 off his first 71 balls, with only one four on his ledger. But with batting to come, and Sri Lanka’s total growing gigantic now, he began to attack, going after Phillips first, as he got to his fifty in an over that he struck two fours and a six in, before settling into a more positive outlook in general. Twice he launched Ajaz Patel, who went wicketless in the innings and conceded 135, over deep midwicket for six. Kamindu also launched Ajaz down the ground for a six.Glenn Phillips was the only New Zealand bowler who looked like taking a wicket – he finished with three•AFP/Getty Images

The pair batted right through the middle session, going to tea at 135 and 70. The evening was about notching milestones – Kamindu making the second 150 of his career, before Kusal strode to his century, off 148 balls in the end. After that it was about letting Kamindu get to 178, so he could surpass the 1000-run career tally. Captain de Silva declared soon as Kamindu had launched Ravindra down the ground for the six that got him there.New Zealand faced a testing spell from Asitha Fernando first up, as the bowler got substantial late swing in to the left-handed openers. One of these balls moved back in to Latham in the first over, took his edge and flew to gully, where Pathum Nissanka gobbled it up.The dismissal of the struggling Conway in the ninth over of the innings was not as straightforward. Conway had defended at a turning ball from Prabath Jayasuriya, with the bowler and wicketkeeper appealing immediately – seemingly for the lbw. Umpire Nitin Menon gave Conway out, but when the batter reviewed, there was an obvious outside edge, before the ball struck thigh pad.However, after it struck pad, the ball had flown to de Silva at slip, who seemingly took a low catch. The replays did not conclusively show that he had his fingers under that ball, though it was close. The third umpire ruled it out, however, much to Conway’s displeasure.Such was the amount of turn Sri Lanka’s spinners were generating towards the end of the day, even Kane Williamson struggled. He was 6 off 42 at stumps, alongside nightwatchman Ajaz.

Williamson suffered the injury in SL which requires extended rehabilitation; Chapman has been added to the squad

Alex Malcolm08-Oct-2024Kane Williamson is set to miss the opening Test against India in Bengaluru with his departure from New Zealand delayed by a groin strain he suffered during the Sri Lanka series.New Zealand have added Mark Chapman to the squad for the three-Test tour of India that begins in Bengaluru on October 16. The team will be led by Tom Latham after Tim Southee stepped down as captain following the 2-0 defeat in Sri Lanka.The rest of the squad remains unchanged from the Sri Lanka tour. Although Michael Bracewell will only be available for the first Test in India before departing for the birth of his second child. Ish Sodhi will join the squad as Bracewell’s replacement for the second and third Tests.Williamson’s injury is a major blow for the Black Caps considering his experience in India and New Zealand’s struggles for runs in Sri Lanka. He experienced groin discomfort during the second Test in Galle and requires an extended period of rehabilitation at home before flying to India.Related

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Black Caps selector Sam Wells was hopeful Williamson could play a part later in the series but confirmed he would miss the first Test.”The advice we’ve received is that the best course of action is for Kane to rest and rehabilitate now rather than risk aggravating the injury,” Wells said. “We’re hopeful that if the rehabilitation goes to plan Kane will be available for the latter part of the tour.”While it’s obviously disappointing to not have Kane available from the start of the tour, it provides an opportunity for someone else to play a role in an important series.”Williamson’s injury opens the door for Chapman to possibly make his Test debut having played 78 white-ball matches for New Zealand.The left-hander has played six first-class matches for New Zealand A, including scoring a century against India A in 2020 but has not played for New Zealand A since 2022 when he made 92 and 45 in a first-class match in Bengaluru.He only played three Plunket Shield matches for Auckland last summer in February and March but posted scores of 123 against Otago and 83 off 68 in his final innings against Central Districts, both of which came at No. 3.Former Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath will also travel to India with New Zealand as part of the coaching staff after his consultancy role as a spin-bowling coach in Sri Lanka.

New Zealand squad for India Tests

:Tom Latham (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell (1st Test only), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi (2nd and 3rd Test only), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young

“Right now, the back is feeling as good as it has felt,” Marsh says ahead of the Brisbane Test against India

Andrew McGlashan12-Dec-2024Mitchell Marsh has insisted there is no limit to the number of overs he can send down against India, having put his trust in the coaching and medical staff amid a cautious build-up to the series and then careful management ahead of the Adelaide Test, while Josh Hazlewood continues to push for a return to the side in Brisbane.Marsh has been nursing periodic back stiffness since the white-ball tour of the UK in September, where he bowled just once – in the ODI at Lord’s – which was the first time he’d had ball in hand since suffering a hamstring injury in the IPL in April.There had been plans for him to bowl in the Sheffield Shield early in the season but those were put on ice by the ongoing back issues. He took two wickets on the opening day of the Perth Test, sending down 17 overs in total for the match, after which he pulled up sore, which led to doubts over his place for Adelaide with Beau Webster called up as cover.Related

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Marsh didn’t bowl in the lead-up, with Pat Cummins saying it was a decision not to use up overs at training, before finishing with a innocuous none for 26 from four overs in the first innings.”Not in my mind, no,” Marsh said when asked if there was an upper limit on his bowling capacity for the series. “I’ll try and be ready to bowl as much as Patty needs me. Our allrounders haven’t bowled a hell of a lot in Australia the last few years, but I am really thankful for our medical staff and Ronny [coach Andrew McDonald] and Patty who have allowed me the space between that first and second Test to just get right for the game.”I didn’t bowl as much as I would have liked to in the lead-up to the series, but our medical staff, Ronnie and Patty were really clear. I trusted that.”Meanwhile, Hazlewood had another extensive bowl as he continues to overcome the side strain which kept him out of the second Test. With only short run-ups available in the Gabba nets and no spare centre wickets, Hazlewood went out to Allan Border Field to bowl off his full run alongside Mitchell Starc, under the eye of bowling coach Daniel Vettori. If he pulls up without problems on Friday he will be close to slotting back into side at the expensive of Scott Boland.Such was the speed with which Australia bowled out India twice in Adelaide, needing just 80 overs, that even Nathan Lyon was only required to send down a single over as Starc, Cummins and Boland went to work.In the Gabba Test against West Indies earlier this year, Australia used Marsh, Cameron Green, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne for a combined 23 overs.”I had an interrupted lead-in but I am really well placed,” Marsh said. “For me it is about being able to contribute. Whether that is five overs and bowling the occasional good ball and getting a wicket or just bowling overs to give our boys a chop out. Right now, it [the back] is feeling as good as it has felt.”Away from the bowling discussion, Marsh was involved in one of the more curious incidents during the Adelaide Test when he walked for an edge behind against R Ashwin only for replays to show he hadn’t hit the ball.”The reality is I thought I hit it and I didn’t,” Marsh said. “I didn’t speak to Heady [at the non-striker’s end]. I had a mare. When I got to the change rooms they asked if I hit it and I said ‘yeah, I smashed it’. And then the replay came up and the head went into the hands and about one minute later everyone else was laughing at me.”

The part-time offspinner claimed the wicket of Pant early in the final session and the home side then surged

Andrew McGlashan30-Dec-20243:17

Cummins: ‘One of the best Tests I’ve been part of’

Travis Head has broken Indian hearts a few times with the bat, but at the MCG he claimed the wicket which gave Australia an opening for their dramatic final-session surge, although captain Pat Cummins revealed he was partly being used to help improve the over rate.Head and Nathan Lyon sped through their overs after tea when India began the session just three down and Head managed to snare Rishabh Pant with a long hop that was pulled to wide long-on. Australia went on to claim seven wickets in 21 overs to secure victory early in the final hour on day five.Slow over rates can lead to points deductions in the World Test Championship [WTC] and defending champions Australia, who paid the price for such penalties in the inaugural cycle, were lagging for most of the game. It has yet to be confirmed if they had caught up by the end of the match. Australia are bidding to join South Africa in the WTC final at Lord’s and can secure their spot with victory in Sydney.Related

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• WTC final scenarios: India need a win in Sydney to stay in contention

“He’s got a bit of a Midas touch,” Cummins said of Head’s bowling at the presentation. “I’ll give the coach credit for that one [bringing him on]. Also, we were a bit behind on the over rate, so we thought, get Trav in there, [he] might get a breakthrough and help us out with some overs.”Head referenced his lean returns with the bat in this Test, where he made 0 and 1, having scored centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane when asked about his key contribution.”I’ve had four-and-a-half days off, didn’t feature, thought I’d watch the boys bat this week,” he told the host broadcaster. “And nice to contribute. I got told I was bowling [at tea], wasn’t too pleased about things. We are a pretty relaxed group, [we] don’t change too much, we knew what we had to do. Pat and Ronnie [head coach Andrew McDonald] come up with the plans, had a chat and we were able to go out and execute it.”It [the Test] ebbed and flowed throughout the five days and [was] probably one of the best Test matches I’ve been involved in. No matter what the result was going to be, two teams went at it pretty hard. There were moments where both teams stepped up, moments where they fought and it’s just nice we’ve been able to come out with the win. It’s been a long five days.”When asked about plans for Pant specifically, Head joked. “Bowl a rank [long hop] and have everyone on the fence. I just threw them down there, see what happens and it turned our way.”There was also an explanation from Cummins of Head’s wicket celebration, which referred to an on-going joke about putting his spinning finger in a glass of ice.Mitchell Marsh averages just 10.42 so far in the series•Getty Images

Although Australia emerged with a 2-1 lead and are now within touching distance of their first series victory over India in ten years, they do head to Sydney with a couple of areas of concern: the form of Mitchell Marsh and the fitness of Mitchell Starc who battled what appeared a rib or back problem during the match.Starc bowled superbly on the final day, claiming the wicket of Virat Kohli, and Cummins was upbeat that he would be available for the final Test.”I’m pretty confident he’ll be fine,” Cummins said. “We’ll reassess in a couple of days. He’s managing a couple of sore bits, mainly one sore bit on his ribs or something. But he’s a warrior, he gets through, his pace didn’t drop off, he didn’t even contemplate not being an option to bowl. So other than being in pain, he’s fully fit and available.”Should Starc not be right, it would bring Jhye Richardson into contention for a recall. Richardson, who played his last Test in the 2021-22 Ashes, was released from the squad on Monday so he could feature for Perth Scorchers against Adelaide Strikers on New Year’s Eve and will then link back up in Sydney on Wednesday.Meanwhile, Marsh has made 73 runs at 10.42 in the four Tests alongside claiming three wickets at 46.33 with all those coming in Perth. Uncapped allrounder Beau Webster is part of the squad should the selectors opt to make a change.

The two teams are in transition, but there’s plenty of firepower in both sides for what should be a high-scoring series

Sreshth Shah21-Jan-20251:20

‘Gambhir will be judged on CT and England tour’

Big picture: Teams in transition

Gautam Gambhir and Brendon McCullum have many things in common. They were both stellar openers, they were both captain and coach of Kolkata Knight Riders at different times, they’re both known for their “aggressive” mindsets when it comes to approaching the game from the dugout, and, now, they both find themselves trying to shepherd teams in transition.India’s has been easier, at least in this format, with three superstars calling time on their careers with T20 World Cup medals around their neck, and others fitting in smoothly over the course of wins against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa. England’s has been trickier, with one of the most exciting white-ball teams in world cricket struggling in ICC tournaments since their T20 World Cup win in 2022.This has meant McCullum enters the India T20I series as England’s white-ball coach for the first time, with ambitions of maximising the team’s unfulfilled potential. And for Gambhir, the aim is to show that the T20I team remains unaffected by the poor Test results that have shaken the establishment.Related

• Powerhouse line-ups clash in a series that could test T20's limits

It’s against this backdrop that India and England meet in a five-match series that could test the limits of the shortest format. And as the lines between T20Is and ODIs keep blurring, there will be opportunities for some T20I specialists to stake their claim for future ODI positions – especially after the Champions Trophy concludes.Five potentially delectable T20 batting surfaces await the two sides across the next fortnight, and the first salvo in Kolkata will give a glimpse of what to expect.

Form guide

India WWLWW
England LWWWWArshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami work together at the nets•PTI

In the spotlight: Bethell and Shami

Very few youngsters right now have the aura of Jacob Bethell. He made blistering international debuts in all three formats at the back end of 2024. He has had a stint with Melbourne Renegades in the BBL, and has an IPL contract with Royal Challengers Bengaluru without playing a single game in India. The left-hand batter has developed a reputation of smacking spinners for fun, is a handy left-arm spinner himself, and is considered an electric fielder in the ring and on the boundary line. Could there be a more perfect T20 cricketer in this era? Slotted in at No. 6 for the first T20I against India, Bethell’s stocks have never been higher. England see him as one of their future superstars. Now all he has to do is ace the India challenge.On the other hand, Mohammed Shami, at age 34, is making an international comeback after an ankle surgery and a knee niggle. He hasn’t played international cricket since India’s loss in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, and despite India trying other fast bowlers in the interim, there’s a feeling that Shami remains India’s second-best seamer behind Jasprit Bumrah. India have gambled by selecting him for next month’s Champions Trophy, and the focus in the T20Is and ODIs against England will be on how his body holds up. It’s also the perfect way for him to come back, at his domestic-cricket home ground.

Team news: Archer, Wood combine, but what of Bishnoi?

England captain Jos Buttler said he was especially pleased at having every first-choice T20I player available for this series. They have named their XI already, with Phil Salt taking the gloves and Ben Duckett opening alongside him. Buttler himself will be at No. 3, with England also having the searing pace and fit bodies of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood to attack India. England’s deep line-up makes them one of the most dangerous batting outfits at the moment.England: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jos Buttler (capt), 4 Harry Brook, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jacob Bethell, 7 Jamie Overton, 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark WoodIndia have two major decisions to make: how many spinners to play, and how deep their batting should look. Arshdeep Singh, Shami and Hardik Pandya should be be the seamers, while Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel could be the two spin options. That probably leaves India deciding between seam-bowling allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, spin-bowling allrounder Washington Sundar, and an outright wristspinner in Ravi Bishnoi. England are right-hander-heavy, and struggle against fingerspinners, two factors that could decide India’s eventual choice.India (probable): 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Nitish Kumar Reddy/Washington Sundar/Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.Brendon McCullum and Jos Buttler oversee England’s training session•Getty Images

Pitch and conditions: Dew and runs aplenty

Kolkata is going to offer a hard deck with true bounce. The boundaries are small, and the ball in January will get wet very quickly. That means Eden Gardens should be a paradise for batting. Suryakumar and Buttler both felt conditions would be the same irrespective of the toss result, so expect a belter with dew around.

Stats and trivia: Arshdeep closes in on Chahal

• Among Full Members, England have the second-worst batting average against fingerspin since the start of 2024: 26.8. Against top sides like Australia, South Africa and India, it drops to 13.88 at a run rate of only 6.74.
• With 95 wickets in 60 T20Is, Arshdeep is only one wicket behind Yuzvendra Chahal, who leads the pack for India in the format. If Arshdeep gets to the landmark of 100 wickets in this five-match series, he’ll become the quickest fast bowler to get there. Currently, Haris Rauf holds that record, having achieved it in 71 games. Also, since Arshdeep’s T20I debut, no bowler has taken more wickets in the powerplay (40) or in the last five overs (46).
• India have not lost a bilateral T20I series at home in the last six years. Their last defeat was against Australia in February 2019. In the 16 series since, India have won 14 and drawn two.
• Since the T20 World Cup 2024, India have scored at 9.2 runs per over in the powerplay, an astonishing 10.3 from overs 7-15 and 10.9 in the last five overs. In this period, no team has had a better run rate between overs 7-15 or a better ball-per-boundary ratio (4.7).
• Archer has the wood over both Suryakumar and Hardik, with both batters striking at only 116 against him while averaging 14.5 and 19 runs, respectively.

Quotes

“It’s a really exciting tour coming to India with what I’d say is a full line-up for us. Sometimes there’s so much cricket that certain players have to be rested or managed. But that’s certainly not the case for us at all in in this series.”
“Eden Gardens is a special feeling, because this is where I played when I started playing regularly.”

UP Warriorz were 48 for 6 at one point in reply and slipped to bottom of the table after an 81-run thrashing

S Sudarshanan03-Mar-2025It was not a happy homecoming for UP Warriorz, who received a thrashing at the hands of Gujarat Giants at the Ekana Stadium and slipped from third to last place on the points table in the process. In the first WPL match in Lucknow, Beth Mooney put on an exhibition to lead Giants to 186 for 5, the third-highest total this season.She provided a reminder of why she is the No. 1 T20I batter in the ICC rankings, and helped Giants vault from fifth place to second by the end of the evening.In reply, Warriorz went down without a peep, losing by a massive 81 runs. They lost two wickets in the first over, four inside the powerplay, and were 48 for 6 – only one batter in the top six scored in double-digits – before Chinelle Henry’s 14-ball 28 took them past 100. They were eventually bowled out for 105 as Giants became only the second team to successfully defend a score – the first, incidentally, were Warriorz – this season.Mooney scored a 59-ball 96 not out and was involved in a 101-run second-wicket partnership with Harleen Deol. She hit 17 fours in her innings, the second-most in an innings in the WPL.Thanks to the mammoth win, Giants’ net run-rate shot up to 0.357 from -0.450 and they are now placed only behind Delhi Capitals, their six points taking them level with Mumbai Indians, whose NRR is 0.166.

Mooney’s masterclass

It looked like this was not going to be Mooney’s season. Heading into the contest, she had tallied only 84 in five innings, averaging a mere 16.80. Since Giants don’t have a spare wicketkeeper in the squad, there was no question of dropping her. She started slow, being 23 off 21 when the powerplay ended, helped by a couple of fours in a Deepti Sharma over.But it was after the field restrictions ended that Mooney truly came into her own. She used her feet against both Sophie Ecclestone and Deepti, and used the pace of Henry and Kranti Goud. Whenever Warriorz had mid-off and mid-on up and bowled length, she used her feet to access the area down the ground and peppered the straight boundary for 49 runs in the arc between long-on and long-off. At one point, it looked like she would hit the first century of the WPL but she got to face only five balls at the death (overs 17-20).Thanks to Mooney’s middle-overs assault, Giants scored 104 runs in the ten overs from seven to 16, only the fourth time they scored over 100 in that phase in the WPL.Deandra Dottin shows Kiran Navgire where to go after dimissing her•BCCI

Deol supports, Dottin entertains

Going with the trend in WPL 2025, Warriorz opted to bowl on a mixed-soil surface that had a decent covering of grass, and tasted success in the opening over. Henry’s outswing had the out-of-form Dayalan Hemalatha caught behind for 2. It was her fourth single-digit score in five outings this season.Deol, at No. 3, got going with an aerial sweep off Grace Harris over square leg. But the highlight of her innings was her footwork against the quicks. She creamed Henry through wide mid-off to end the third over and then repeated the treatment against Goud after the powerplay ended. She enjoyed the ball coming onto the bat – Phoebe Litchfield later called the Ekana the “best batting conditions” – and stroked her way to a 32-ball 45. She missed one when she made room to hit Ecclestone over the off side and was bowled, thus ending the century stand.After a 44-run stand between Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner set Giants up for a strong finish, Deandra Dottin got going with a four off Goud in the 17th over and then hit Ecclestone for a six and a four in the next. She attempted an ungainly reverse sweep and was trapped lbw by Ecclestone for an eight-ball 17. Warriorz closed out the innings well, giving away just 16 in the last two overs, but that was not enough.

Warriorz and their wounded batting line-up

Having not played Chamari Athapaththu in the five games she was available for before leaving for national duty, Warriorz handed a debut to Georgia Voll, the replacement, at the first opportunity. Voll had found massive success while opening in the WBBL but Warriorz persisted with Kiran Navgire and Harris as their openers with Voll at No. 3.Navgire poked at an outswinger from Dottin without moving her feet and was caught by a diving Litchfield at slip for a golden duck on the second ball of the chase. Three balls later, Voll went for a wild drive away from the body, only for the ball to swerve in and hit the top of middle. And just like that, Dottin had put Giants on course for a win.From the other end, Kashvee Gautam found massive swing and success, after Vrinda Dinesh shaped to scoop but was beaten by the inward curve. Deepti also fell cheaply, nicking Meghna Singh behind. Harris kept running out of partners before missing the scoop off Tanuja Kanwar and Warriorz were tottering at the halfway mark.Henry struck a few lusty blows down the order, but it was really just a flicker before the fire was extinguished.