The Bangladesh captain copped a blow on his left index finger while batting against Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam07-Nov-2023Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has been ruled out of his side’s last World Cup 2023 match, against Australia in Pune on November 11, with a fractured left index finger. He will fly back to Dhaka today, while the rest of the squad heads to Pune from Delhi. Batter Anamul Haque will join them having received the ICC event technical committee’s approval to be Shakib’s replacement.Shakib’s injury happened during his innings of 82 against Sri Lanka in Delhi on Monday. According to physio Bayjedul Islam Khan, Shakib suffered the injury in the early part of his batting stint.Related

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“Shakib was struck on his left index finger early in his innings but continued to bat with supportive taping and painkillers,” Bayjedul said. “He underwent an emergency X-ray in Delhi after the game, which confirmed the fracture on the left PIP joint. Recovery is estimated at three to four weeks. He will leave for Bangladesh today to begin his rehab.”Shakib’s injury caps a dramatic 24 hours for him. During Bangladesh’s three-wicket win over Sri Lanka yesterday, he had initiated the appeal which resulted in Angelo Mathews becoming the first batter to be dismissed timed out in international cricket. After the game, Shakib said that he had felt like he was at a war out on the field.Bangladesh have lost six of their eight games so far in this World Cup campaign, putting them out of contention for the semis. But they still have hopes of qualifying for the Champions Trophy 2025; a top-eight finish on the table would seal that. Shakib himself had a lean run at the World Cup, scoring in single digits in three of the six innings he played before his Player-of-the-Match 82 against Sri Lanka.

Massive 360-run win set up by Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh’s partnership, before visitors folded for 89

Tristan Lavalette17-Dec-2023Offspinner Nathan Lyon claimed his 500th Test wicket as Australia’s formidable attack crushed hapless a Pakistan on a difficult Optus Stadium surface to win the first Test inside four days.In the middle of the final session, with victory imminent for Australia, Lyon became the eighth bowler to reach the milestone when he dismissed Faheem Ashraf lbw on review to spark jubilant scenes of celebration among the Australia players and the sparse crowd of 9000 fans. He joined Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath as the only Australians to the landmark.Lyon then clean bowled Aamer Jamal later in the over to cap a successful return, after taking five wickets for the match in his comeback from a calf injury that had prematurely ended his Ashes series. Pakistan, who lasted only 30.2 overs in their second innings, crumbled on a wicket that was spicy throughout and deteriorated as the match wore on, with rearing deliveries contrasted by balls that crept low. Set 450 to win after Australia declared 30 minutes into the second session, Pakistan succumbed to brilliant bowling from quicks Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.They already faced a daunting task to avoid a 15th straight Test defeat in Australia, and it went almost as expected, as Pakistan were blown away in the opening seven overs to slump to 17 for 3. Opener Abdullah Shafique was caught behind in the first over when he poked at a menacing Starc delivery outside off. It was Starc’s 200th Test wicket at home, as he bowled with far more consistency than in Pakistan’s first innings.Captain Shan Masood was dismissed for just 2 when he was caught behind off Hazlewood after driving loosely. It was a tough captaincy debut for Masood, even as he had made a breezy 30 in Pakistan’s first innings; but his team were unable to play a proactive brand of cricket he had promised ahead of the series.Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh had a rapid partnership•Getty Images

Pakistan’s hopes rested on talisman Babar Azam, who defied Australia’s attack for almost ten overs. He worked hard against Cummins, as the pair renewed their battle after a riveting contest on day two. But Babar was helpless against a cracking Cummins delivery that seamed away, as he was caught behind on 14 after having made 21 in Pakistan’s first innings.The only interest left was whether Pakistan could take the match into a fifth day, and if Lyon would reach his milestone. Pakistan’s hopes nosedived when Sarfaraz Ahmed was caught in the slips off Starc before their plight was underscored with a disastrous run-out of Salman Ali Afgha after a mix-up with Saud Shakeel. It brought back ghosts of the past for Pakistan, who were outclassed throughout the Test.They had entered with optimism and made several bold selection calls, including overlooking veteran quick Hasan Ali and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. But debutant seamers Khurram Shahzad and Aamer Jamal impressed by combining for 12 of Pakistan’s 15 wickets in the match. They bowled a hostile length late on day four and early on day five to rough up several Australia batters.They did the bulk of the heavy lifting, with spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi struggling throughout the match, having been elevated as vice-captain. He finished with match figures of 2 for 172 from 45.2 overs, and bowled mostly in the early 130kph range. Pakistan’s attack will rue their lifeless display early in the Test and had no answers for opener David Warner, who dominated the first day with a belligerent century after Cummins won the toss and elected to bat.Allrounder Mitchell Marsh also had a superb first Test on his home ground with two half-centuries and the wicket of Babar in Pakistan’s first innings. Opener Usman Khawaja made a gutsy 90 in Australia’s second innings, having overcome torrid bowling late on day three and early on day four. It was a dogged performance from Khawaja, having come into the match under the spotlight after not being allowed to wear shoes which expressed humanitarian views.Australia’s victory within four days came in the backdrop of a rebranded Perth Test match, with more than 59,000 fans attending – considerably more than last year’s corresponding Test against West Indies which went the distance. The surface was particularly spicier than last year’s game in a throwback to famous WACA Tests.For Pakistan, however, they barely mustered a better effort than their 72 in the previous Test match they had played in Perth back in 2004, as their horror run in Australia stretching more than two decades continued.

Pope says he tailored his technique for the Indian conditions after poor returns on his last tour

Matt Roller28-Jan-20241:32

Manjrekar: Pope’s innings ‘one of the finest’

Rahul Dravid said he hadn’t seen “a better exhibition of sweeping and reverse sweeping ever in these conditions, against that quality of bowling”. Rohit Sharma called it “one of the best that I’ve seen in Indian conditions by an overseas batter”. And Ben Stokes described it as “the greatest innings played in the subcontinent by an English batsman”.The innings in question, Ollie Pope’s 196, inspired England’s dramatic turnaround victory over India in Hyderabad, helping them overcome a 190-run first-innings deficit to win by 28 runs on the fourth evening. It was all the more remarkable coming after seven months out of the game with a shoulder injury – sustained during the Ashes – that required surgery.Pope said that he rated his fifth Test century “head and shoulders above the other four” and described India as “probably the toughest place for a batter to come at the minute”. On England’s most recent tour of the country, in 2021, he managed 153 runs across four innings with a top score of 34 and said that he had made technical adjustments during his comeback.Related

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“I’ve tinkered throughout my career so far,” Pope said. “I’ve changed my technique slightly for this series specifically. I had shoulder surgery, so I’ve had a long time to prepare for this series and make some adjustments to what I produced the last time we were here three years ago. I’ve worked hard on my game and tried to tailor my technique for these conditions.”Pope was caught at slip for 1, prodding at Ravindra Jadeja, in the first innings. “We played on some pretty extreme wickets last time around and you realise that there’s always going to be one danger. For me, that was the outside edge,” he said. “If the ball is turning away from me, someone nicks me off and I get caught at slip, I’ve got to be at peace with that.”It was about covering my inside edge and trying to put some pressure back on the bowlers as well with the sweeps and reverse sweeps… The guys we are facing are very skilled bowlers. You can pretty much know where each ball is going to land and if you try to defend each ball there’s probably more chance to get out than if you play a cross-batted shot.”Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England’s coach, have consistently told players that there will be no recriminations if they are out playing attacking shots. “We practise those shots enough and if you get out for none playing a reverse sweep you’re not going to get a load of chat in the changing room about that,” Pope said. “You can go and commit to it.”I don’t think I nailed my first 20-odd runs, I was thinking ‘why is it not hitting the middle of the bat’. But then out here it could be as safe as playing a defence, a sweep or reverse sweep. If we can keep nailing them we get more bad balls as batters if we can hit their best ball for four with a reverse sweep. That is going to lead to more short balls and more half-volleys and open up the outfield.”Boy, did Ollie Pope commit to the sweeps•BCCI

Dravid, India’s head coach, was particularly effusive in his praise for Pope. “That was an exceptional innings,” he said. “It’s important that we respond and come up with some plans and some strategies, and see how we can maybe make him play those shots from even more difficult lengths and be even more disciplined… hopefully in the next Test match, if we get our execution right, then I hope he makes a mistake.”Pope had not batted in a competitive match since the second Ashes Test in June, but said that England’s pre-tour training camp in the UAE had left him feeling confident heading to India.”It was just about getting back up to speed and playing cricket again, and getting my mind right – going through those processes you have as a batter,” he said. “In the past, I’ve generally been someone who needs a couple of knocks to start feeling my best, but credit to Baz [McCullum] and Stokesy for the way we’ve gone about this whole week in general. I brushed that first innings behind me pretty quickly… we got into a Test match pretty relaxed now. We put in all that work in Abu Dhabi in the pre-camp and just tried to enjoy it. That’s allowed us to come back from that big deficit.”Stokes said that Pope had also proved his worth in the field: not only when taking catches at short leg and silly point off Tom Hartley, but also as vice-captain. “I keep going to him for ideas, plans and what he sees,” he said. “There’s a lot of different angles and views from different parts of the ground. I thought Popey, not only with the bat this week but with his role as vice-captain, was fantastic.”Pope said that the role – which he has officially held since May – has helped him stay in the moment: “It’s good to immerse yourself in what you’re doing. Rather than just standing in the field thinking about my forward defence, which I probably did three or four years ago, actually thinking about plans and stuff is better. There’s no need to think too much about the batting.”

The RCB allrounder on letting her hair down, playing under Smriti Mandhana, the team’s change in fortunes this season, and more

S Sudarshanan13-Mar-20245:01

‘A chocolate ice cream and brownie’: How Perry celebrated her six-for

Ellyse Perry is not one to go overboard with celebrations and indulgences. She boasts of an enviable CV across sports – having played World Cups in football as well as cricket for Australia – and has seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows the sport has to offer.But after her T20 best figures of 6 for 15 against Mumbai Indians in Delhi, the Royal Challengers Bangalore allrounder let her hair down a bit.”Last night I had a chocolate brownie with the girls and some ice cream,” Perry laughed in a media interaction on Wednesday. “I then went to my room, put my red light glasses and read a few chapters of a book and fell asleep.”But she was quick to put the performance in perspective – she had bowled only six overs in WPL 2024 before Tuesday and was wicketless. She started with a two-run over before picking up two wickets each in the last three overs to become only the second Australian after Rhiannon Dick to return six wickets in women’s T20s.Related

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• The rise of captain Smriti Mandhana

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• Grace Harris doesn't want to be the big dog, just the best player she can be

“It’s easy to get really carried away when things go well,” Perry said. “But I feel like a lot of time you don’t have that much control over things panning well or not. You certainly work hard to put yourself in pretty good positions but there’s so many other factors that go into any game, and the outcome.”Especially as I have got older, I don’t really want to react either way – whether it’s a good night or a bad night. The sun comes up the next day. Fortunately, in this competition, there is always another opportunity to play games quickly. Whether it goes well or not, we are so lucky to be in the middle with these ridiculously big crowd who are so fanatical about it.”It’s a far-cry from what it was like when I first started playing some years ago. There wasn’t really anyone coming to our games, and certainly no interest in the sport like there is no. When it does go well it doesn’t feel like you have got too much control over it, other than the hard work you have put into it. It’s easy to kind of just enjoy it for the moment when it lasts and life goes on quickly after that.”Given the plethora of allrounders at Australia’s disposal, Perry has had a reduced bowling workload in recent times. In Australia’s tour of India at the turn of the year, she did not bowl at all in the white-ball games and sent down only four overs in the one-off Test. She then sent down 16 overs in the Test and four overs each in the ODIs and T20Is in the multi-format series at home against South Africa. But that does not change the way Perry trains ahead of a game.”I have played for a long period of time now, so I have got a bit of a handle on how I need to prepare. There is always opportunity before a match to bowl overs out in the middle while warming up. I do that keeping in mind that you are available if the opportunity presents itself to bowl in a game. [I have] been playing solidly for the last 18 months now, I don’t feel like I am short on cricket or overs. Whenever there is a chance to contribute to the team, it’s being ready for that.”Soon after the WPL ends, Perry will link up with Australia for their first women’s tour of Bangladesh. They play three ODIs and as many T20Is – all in Mirpur – in conditions where the Women’s T20 World Cup will be played later this year. Has Perry made a compelling case for her national captain Alyssa Healy to utilise her more with the ball in those competitions?Perry followed up her 6 for 15 with an important cameo•BCCI

“I don’t think there is a case for anything,” she said. “I have played a lot of cricket over a number of years. We have been pretty fortunate in the Australian team that we have a lot of options. Here we have got a lot of bowling options with RCB.”From my perspective, what I love doing as a player and something that keeps me motivated is to keep working on things and try to get better. I spent a lot of time last couple of years working on that. I feel like there’s been bits and pieces that have helped me feel confident that at times I can contribute when needed. At the same time it’s not a big deal either way. I just enjoy being part of a team where we are all working towards the same goal.”RCB started WPL 2023 with five losses but have made the playoffs in 2024. They will take on Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator on Friday in Delhi. Head coach Luke Williams was the new major addition for them this season while Smriti Mandhana has looked assured as the captain. What has been the reason for RCB’s change in fortunes?”There’s a really strong sense of calmness and people are enjoying themselves. Luke Williams has brought a lot to the group from that perspective,” Perry said. “He has been clear from the start along with the other coaches, just to give us all the confidence and clarity that our best cricket will be competitive enough in this competition. The team, as a whole, has had more time together. Last year we took a time to find our feet.”Smriti has led the group exceptionally well. Her personality is quite introverted. She is big on developing relationships with each player and really making sure that she knows we are supporting her, but also she’s been able to develop that relationship with us. That takes time but there is so much upside to that. The fact that we can take the field knowing each other and supporting each other has been great.”

ESPNcricinfo commentary of the final moments of their incredible game against Rajasthan Royals

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-202417.3 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 run Short and wide outside off. Stops in the surface a little and Rashid cuts it towards deep cover point17.4 Avesh Khan to Tewatia, 1 run Slower bumper on middle and off. Tewatia waits an eternity for it before dragging it towards deep square leg17.5 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 wide Short and too wide outside off. Rashid swishes and misses, and the umpire has no qualms in stretching out his arms17.5 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 wide Well beyond the tramlines again, and some more exercise for the umpire17.6 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 run What a save! Slower ball dug into the track outside off. Rashid stands up tall and slaps it flat towards long on. Buttler puts in a dive to his left and somehow manages to stop it on the half-volley. He went at it reverse-cupped and got the job done!18.1 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 run Sizzling yorker, honing into the pads. Rashid whips at it and squirts it away towards short fine leg. Might have nutmegged himself too but the important detail is that it is just a single. By the way, had Avesh hit the stumps at the batter’s end, Tewatia was well out of his ground18.2 Sen to Tewatia, 1 wide, Full and angled across the batter well outside off. Beyond the tramlines too, and called a wide18.2 Sen to Tewatia, FOUR runs Gets it over! Rank wide full toss and Tewatia makes the most of it. Does not middle it but gets enough to clear extra cover. Buttler gives chase from mid off but cannot rein it in!18.3 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 run Back of a length outside off. Tewatia sits deep in his crease and swings it away towards deep mid wicket 18.4 Sen to Rashid Khan, (no ball) FOUR runs, Shot! Goes for the wide yorker but errs on the fuller side. Rashid, sitting deep in his crease, gets under it and scythes it over extra cover. And, it gets worse for the Royals because Sen has overstepped…18.4 Sen to Tewatia, 2 runs Taken at deep square leg but it will not count! Banged into the track just outside off. Gets up very high and Rashid cannot control his pull. Skies it and deep square leg takes it running in. A brace to Rashid18.5 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 wide Slower ball that goes wrong and slides well down leg. Another wide, and Sen might just be feeling the pressure now18.5 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 leg bye Follows the batter well outside leg. Bowls it on a length and Rashid cannot connect with his swipe. The ball pings off the pads into the on side. Rashid livid with himselfRashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia were Gujarat Titans’ heroes•Getty Images

18.6 Sen to Tewatia, FOUR runs Four to finish the over! Shortish outside off and this sits up nicely to be hit. Tewatia opens up his stance and boshes it over mid off!19.1 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs Four off the first ball, oh my! Low full toss outside off. Rashid steps across his stumps and then shovels it over square leg. Deep mid wicket cannot get there either!19.2 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 2 runs Almost a yorker, just outside off. Rashid sits deep in his crease and tugs it towards long on. They hare back for two and RR are lucky there was someone backing up at the keeper’s end. That throw was wild19.3 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs An outside edge but they all count! Oh my days, the drama in Jaipur! Nails the wide yorker but Rashid somehow gets this away. He swishes hard at it and squirts it off the outside edge past the keeper!19.4 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 run Low full toss, following the batter on leg stump. Rashid can only dig it out towards extra cover for a single19.5 Avesh Khan to Tewatia, 2 runs, OUT Tewatia gets it over mid off, but it does not go for four! And there is a run out too! Short and wide outside off. Tewatia holds his nerve and slaps it over mid off. Buttler puts on his skates and pulls it back into play. The batters get across for two runs comfortably and then they decide to go for the third. Tewatia is always struggling to get there. The throw is accurate enough, and Avesh does the rest, with Tewatia well short. In the middle of all of that, there was a check for a short run. That has been sorted now, and GT need 2 off the last ball!Rahul Tewatia run out (Buttler/Avesh Khan) 22 (11b 3×4 0x6 42m) SR: 20019.6 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs Rashid wins it for the Gujarat Titans off the final ball! Oh my, this is some finish, and the Afghan Titan has come up trumps just when they needed him to! And the Royals, who looked so good for so much of the game, are no longer invincible! Short, wide and that is just begging to be hit. Not the best ball to bowl at this stage. Rashid lays back deep in his crease, brings those fast hands into play and thumps it over point. Speeds away to the fence and Rashid wheels away in celebration. He gestures to the dugout to not worry while he is there, and today, he has proven it!

“We’ve had injuries, we’ve been a little bit unsettled, but the main thing is getting guys in key areas and in form,” CSK coach Fleming says

Deivarayan Muthu24-Apr-20242:15

Fleming: ‘We’re a little bit uncomfortable with some areas’

Form – or the lack thereof – and the unavailability of key players have left Chennai Super Kings searching for their ideal team combination, eight games into the season. This is the assessment of CSK head coach Stephen Fleming after they suffered their first defeat at home, against Lucknow Super Giants, on Tuesday.CSK had left out Rachin Ravindra to bring back Daryl Mitchell and pair up captain Ruturaj Gaikwad with Ajinkya Rahane at the top. But the changes didn’t bring the kind of output that CSK were looking for, with Mitchell falling for 11 off 10 balls and Rahane for 1 off 3.”It’s a mixture of trying to find that [combination] and also form,” Fleming said at his post-match press conference. “We’re a little bit uncomfortable with some areas, so we’re trying to find not a quick fix, but the right combination where players are going to contribute for the back end of this tournament.”Related

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• Gaikwad: 'Dew took our spinners out of the game'

At various points during the tournament, CSK’s balance has been disrupted by injuries to Matheesha Pathirana (hamstring niggle) and Rahane (calf niggle). Mustafizur Rahman had also missed CSK’s away game against Sunrisers Hyderabad to tend to his US visa for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Mustafizur is available to CSK till May 1, when they will face Punjab Kings at Chepauk, and will then return to Bangladesh for their home series against Zimbabwe. Devon Conway’s replacement, Richard Gleeson, the England quick, is yet to join the CSK squad.”We’ve got another change coming up with Mustafizur [leaving] in a couple of games,” Fleming said. “So, we’re just trying to prepare and get a side that will give us the run home. We’ve had injuries, we’ve been a little bit unsettled, but the main thing is getting guys in key areas and in form. That sometimes takes a bit of time. Yes, there has been more change; some were forced upon us and some of it is form.”Mitchell, for whom CSK splurged INR 14 crore at the auction, has managed only 146 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 123.72. That he has batted in four different positions in seven innings hasn’t helped his cause, but Fleming is hopeful of Mitchell finding his feet at No.3, a role where he has had success for New Zealand.”There’s a lot of pressure obviously,” Fleming said. “Getting up the order is more comfortable for him. Me putting him down the order in the hitting role wasn’t his best position. So, we’ve looked to rectify that and get him up the order where he has had his best performances internationally. That might take a little bit of time, but the top three need to contribute the majority of runs.2:22

McClenaghan: CSK made mistakes in the field

“Ruturaj did that today, so hopefully he can continue his form and the others can pick that up… We’re not firing on all cylinders by any means but we’re in each game and we’re asking teams to play well to beat us. We just got to get a little bit better.”The surfaces in Chennai this season haven’t been as spin-friendly as they had been in the past, nullifying one of CSK’s major strengths. On Tuesday, in conditions that became better for batting with the onset of dew, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali bowled just two overs each. Overall, CSK’s spinners have picked up just four wickets in four home games and in contrast, the fast bowlers have taken 22 wickets in those games.”There’s not much assistance, we’ve had one pitch, which turned, and we won comfortably,” Fleming said. “Yeah, I would like more synergy between the pitch and what we’re trying to do. I unashamedly say that; it’s your home ground and you have to defend and pick teams accordingly. So, when it’s out of sync, you find it very difficult, so it’s not quite right yet.”But we just have to be good enough to play on what’s in front of us. So, while you can moan off the field and love to have a little bit different, it’s not the case and we just have to make sure we’re good enough to win and we have been. Again, today, we created a chance. It’s not like we’re down and out, but we know we could be stronger, if conditions are a little bit different.”The Chepauk conditions will come into sharp focus once again, ahead of CSK’s next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. While CSK have depth in their spin attack, SRH are missing Wanindu Hasaranga and their Indian legspinner Mayank Markande has leaked runs at 11.42 an over – the third-worst economy rate among bowlers who have bowled at least 15 overs this season.SRH have never beaten CSK in Chennai in four attempts.

Can KKR maintain their season’s flavour without Salt? How big a miss will Buttler be for RR? Is this finally RCB’s year?

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-20241:41

Moody: Faf’s leadership important in RCB’s revival

Here come the IPL 2024 playoffs. It took a thriller on Saturday to decide which of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) or Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would complete the playoffs line-up, and till the very last league game – a washout in Guwahati last night – to know who would play whom exactly, but now we know. And it’s a completely different playoff line-up from last season, with none of 2023’s top four making the cut here.

Qualifier 1: KKR vs SRH, May 21, Ahmedabad

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) come into the first qualifier as table-toppers, the first time they’ve finished the league phase at No. 1. They finished three points clear of anyone else on the table, despite having their last two games washed out. Will they be refreshed, or rusty? If SRH are any example to go by, a break from the cricket is a good thing: they came in after a 10-day break – partly down to the schedule and partly down to the weather – and aced a chase of 215 on Sunday against Punjab Kings. This was only the second time in IPL 2024 that SRH won a game chasing.Related

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• Tripathi the link at No. 3 that SRH had been missing

Previous meeting: They’ve played each other only once this season, both team’s first game of IPL 2024. It was a high-scoring thriller that ended in a last-ball four-run win for KKR at Eden Gardens.Player availability: The England players who will be going to the upcoming T20 World Cup have withdrawn early from the IPL, and among them is one of KKR’s lynchpins this season: Sunil Narine’s big-hitting opening partner, Phil Salt.Weather forecast: “Very hot with plenty of sunshine” – that’s the forecast for Ahmedabad on May 21, and the heat will hardly relent as the lights come on for the evening match: it’s a minimum of 31C on the day. The forecast says there’s a 0% chance of rain.

Eliminator: RR vs RCB, May 22, Ahmedabad

On April 22, RR were top of the table, flying high, having won seven of their first eight games. At the other end of the table, RCB were languishing, having lost as many as RR had won, six of those defeats coming in a row. Fast forward to May 20, and the turnaround is stunning: RR have since won one in six and lost four in a row before Sunday’s washout. RCB have won six in a row, and thus go into this knockout encounter with all the momentum on their side.Previous meeting: They’ve played each other once this year, a convincing win for RR in Jaipur, where Virat Kohli hit a century only to be outdone by Jos Buttler.Player availability: This time, RR will be without Buttler, who’s part of the English T20 World Cup contingent that’s left the tournament. RCB will be without Will Jacks and Reece Topley for the same reasons.Weather forecast: The forecast doesn’t change much from Qualifier 1. Ahmedabad should remain hot and dry for the Eliminator.After a blazing start to IPL 2024, things have gone downhill for Sanju Samson and Co•BCCI

Qualifier 2: Loser of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of the Eliminator, May 24, Chennai

Weather forecast: Some clouds are forecast during the day, but only a 5% chance of rain. A low of 29C, so another hot, sweaty evening in store for the players.

Final: Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2, May 26, Chennai

There’s a possibility of a first-time winner: RCB, ending a 16-year drought in the same season that their women’s team knocked off the Women’s Premier League title in its second edition.Is this, finally, RCB’s year?•Getty Images

Or RR could win their first title since the inaugural season when Shane Warne’s relatively unfancied team saw off MS Dhoni’s Super Kings in the final.For KKR it would be a first title since 2014, and their third overall. Quite the homecoming for Gautam Gambhir, that would be – he had captained KKR to both their previous titles, and played for them till 2017. This season, he shifted from Lucknow Super Giants back to KKR as team mentor.SRH’s only title (not to confuse them with the other franchise from Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers, who won it in 2009) came in 2016 – can they add to that?Weather forecast: Not much change from Qualifier 2, but slightly hotter even (min. 30 C) and even less chance of rain (4%).

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

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• 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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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.”