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Opening day of Surrey vs Warwickshire defined by two allrounders and outstanding signings

Matt Roller10-May-2024This was a day defined by the performances of two allrounders who have been among the outstanding county signings of the modern era: Jordan Clark, the underestimated linchpin of Surrey’s back-to-back Championship titles, and Ed Barnard, who needs four runs on Saturday to complete his maiden first-class hundred as a Warwickshire player.Clark showed some promise as a red-ball cricketer in his Lancashire days: he dismissed Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Jonny Bairstow as part of a Roses hat-trick in 2018, which proved to be his final season at the club. But when he arrived at Surrey, the defending champions, it was hard to see how he would become a regular feature in their Championship side.He has done that and more, playing a pivotal role in their recent success. His batting and bowling averages for the club are near-identical (28.20 and 28.23 respectively) and he has thrived as a first-change bowler in a four or five-man seam attack. Last week, he struck 106 not out off 102 balls in Surrey’s convincing victory over Hampshire.Related

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Clark burst this game open for Surrey after Warwickshire’s bright start, racing to 50 for 0 in 10 overs after being asked to bat first. He struck in his second over, going wide on the crease and nipping one back past Alex Davies’ leave to uproot his off stump; when Sean Abbott trapped Rob Yates lbw in his next over, Warwickshire had lost both openers inside three balls.Sam Hain made his return to the Warwickshire side after missing the start of the season for personal reasons, and started brightly after twin hundreds for the seconds last week. But he was incorrectly given out caught behind on the stroke of lunch to Kemar Roach, who then had Jacob Bethell caught at second slip – after Dom Sibley parried the initial chance at first – after lunch.And Clark struck regularly through the day, as if to prove his worth: he trapped Dan Mousley on the knee roll, had Will Rhodes well caught at slip by Sibley, and induced a chop-on from Michael Burgess with the old ball which left his leg stump on the ground. That left Warwickshire 222 for 7, and in danger of missing out on a single batting bonus point.But by the close, Barnard had guided them to 318 for 8, scoring heavily through cover-point. He added 50 for the eighth wicket with Aamer Jamal and an unbroken 41 with No. 10 Craig Miles, and should complete his sixth first-class hundred – and first since leaving Worcestershire – on Saturday morning, as Warwickshire target a third batting point.Rhodes was Warwickshire’s captain at the time they brought Barnard in, and recalls a queue of counties attempting to sign him. “That sort of cricketer comes few and far between and to have him here is fantastic,” he said. “It’s a massive help for the team if he can score these runs at No. 6 and then contribute with the ball.”With Tim Bresnan moving on, we were looking for that No. 6 or 7 who could bowl a lot of overs, and he’s probably one of the best in the country in the role. When he cropped up and said that he was looking to leave Worcester, we jumped at the chance to get him. He’s been an outstanding signing.”It is a running joke in the Warwickshire dressing room that Barnard always “misses out on flat ones”. At the start of the season, he made 1 off 4 balls in a team total of 698 for 3 declared against Durham at Edgbaston. “But he certainly cashed in today,” Rhodes said with a smile.Warwickshire have been involved in four draws out of four at the start of this season but this match looks likely to have a result. Their 318 for 8 is already the second-highest score that Surrey have conceded this year – behind Somerset’s 351 all out – and they have an opportunity to stamp their mark on this game on Saturday.

Brook came in for criticism during a relatively lean Test series against Sri Lanka but he has gas left in the tank after a long season

Matt Roller18-Sep-2024It tells you just how serenely Harry Brook’s international career has progressed that he came under scrutiny after averaging 30 in a series win. But by his own admission, Brook finds himself trying to avoid paralysis by overanalysis as he prepares to captain England for the first time at Trent Bridge on Thursday after his approach was questioned during Sri Lanka’s recent victory at The Oval.Brook made 19 and 3 in the final Test of the English season, having made between 32 and 56 in his first four innings of the series against Sri Lanka. If the scores were underwhelming, it was his manner at the crease that drew most attention: he grew visibly frustrated when Sri Lanka bowled wide outside his off stump, to the extent Michael Vaughan accused him of “taking the mick out of the game”.Related

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This has been a long season for Brook, who was England’s only ever-present across both June’s T20 World Cup and their six home Tests. He spent the three weeks between the West Indies and Sri Lanka series captaining Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, and will fly to Pakistan for October’s Test tour only three days after the fifth and final ODI of the Australia series.Brook seemed characteristically relaxed on the eve of his England captaincy debut at Trent Bridge, grinning through his pre-match press conference and laughing off the idea that he had ever craved leadership. He conceded that his Test summer had not quite gone to plan, but played down the suggestion that he was mentally drained after an intense season.”Because I wasn’t scoring the runs I wanted to, I probably was [feeling] a little bit [tired],” Brook said. “But if I’d have gone out and got two hundreds against Sri Lanka then I’d have been like, ‘I’ll just carry on’. But no, not really. I love playing cricket: I want to play as much as I possibly can. I do think breaks are important at certain times, but I was pretty chilled.”Obviously I didn’t do as well as I’d wanted. I want to get a hundred every innings, but it’s not going to happen, is it? Professional sport is not easy… I felt like I batted really well against West Indies and then didn’t play as well as I wanted to against Sri Lanka, but those things happen. You go away and think about it for a little bit, and hopefully come back stronger in Pakistan.”Harry Brook was in good spirits despite a long, busy season•Getty Images

Until the Hundred this year – where he oversaw five wins in six completed games – the majority of Brook’s captaincy experience came with England Under-19s, whom he led in 11 Youth ODIs, including five at the 2018 World Cup. Since then, he has played 50-over cricket only sporadically. Half of his 30 List A games have been full ODIs, and his record in them is underwhelming: 407 runs at 29.07, with three half-centuries.He will aim to keep things simple against Australia, batting at No. 4. “I’m just going to go out there and watch the ball as closely as possible,” he said. “If you have a few low scores here and there, you start thinking about different things and your technique and whatever. I’m just going to go out there, watch the ball as closely as I can and play on instinct.”Brook is only standing in as captain for Jos Buttler, who was with the squad on Wednesday as he continues his rehabilitation from a calf injury and will return for November’s Caribbean tour. “I might pick his brains here and there,” Brook said, “but he’s said I’ve got full rein to do whatever I want.”Buttler has challenged Brook to “identify those moments” in the field where he can change the game – something that Buttler himself has struggled with in ODIs. Brook showed signs of that instinct during the Hundred, and said that he would liberate his bowlers to make decisions: “Whatever you feel like doing, just do it. The only bad outcome is you could get hit for a boundary and the next ball could be a dot ball.”This ODI series is one of only three for England before February’s Champions Trophy, and the first since Rob Key announced that Brendon McCullum will take over as limited-overs coach as part of a “strategic restructure” of the senior set-up. The implication is that there will be greater convergence between formats, as evidenced by Ben Duckett’s promotion to open the batting on Thursday.Brook said that he has hardly spoken to McCullum, who has instead delegated responsibility to his Test assistant coach Marcus Trescothick. “It’s all going to merge into one at some point,” Brook predicted. “We want to go out there and entertain the crowd, take the game on, try to take wickets and put the pressure on their bowlers.”And after ending the Test summer on autopilot at The Oval, Brook hopes that this new challenge will prove reinvigorating. “I’ve only been here for two days, but the way the lads have gone about their business in training just seems so chilled at the minute. We’re all looking forward to going out there and having some fun.”

In Sylhet, North Zone and East Zone played out a low-scoring draw with only Mominul Haque hitting triple digits in the match

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2018Tushar Imran passed 10,000 first-class runs while Abdur Razzak took his 500th first-class wicket as South Zone drew with Central Zone in a high-scoring fixture in Savar.After being sent in to bat, South Zone racked up 448 on the back of wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan’s 133 off 129 balls. Opener Shahriar Nafees, Imran, and Al-Amin hit fifties to help swell the total. Seamer Abu Hider and Ebadot Hossain picked up three wickets each for Central Zone.Central Zone then mounted a strong reply with five of their top seven passing fifties. Though none moved to a hundred, it was enough to secure a 57-run first-innings lead. Razzak was the pick of the bowlers for Central Zone, finishing with 4 for 152 in 52.4 overs.In their second innings, South Zone scored 120 for 3 before the match ended in a draw.In Sylhet, North Zone and East Zone played out a low-scoring draw with Mominul Haque the only one to hit triple digits in the match. The East Zone captain hit 107 off 147 balls around a middle-order wobble in a chase of 261. Alok Kapali then played out an hour for eight runs to ensure a draw.Mominul, though, had bagged a duck in East Zone’s first innings after Abu Jayed’s 5 for 71 dismissed North Zone for 187 in 49.5 overs. Yasir Ali (45) and Mehedi Hasan Rana (46*) were the only East Zone batsmen to pass 30. No. 11 Khaled Ahmed also pitched in with 26 to hand his side a 24-run lead. North Zone then produced a better batting performance in their second innings, making 284 on the back of Farhad Hossain’s 85 to set East Zone 261.

“Shanto is the sort of guy who has the mentality to take responsibility as a challenge”

Mohammad Isam13-Mar-2024When Najmul Hossain Shanto reached his century in Chattogram, Mushfiqur Rahim charged towards him with a big smile on his face, and arms raised. This was Shanto’s second century as Bangladesh captain, coming shortly after the BCB declared him as their main man across formats.Shanto is an agent of change at a pivotal time in Bangladesh cricket. Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe backs him and by the looks of it, so do the senior cricketers currently in the team.Shanto added 69 runs for the fourth wicket with Mahmudullah and 165 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket with Mushfiqur, who said that Shanto steps up as a batter with added responsibility.Related

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“Shanto thoroughly deserved the century,” Mushfiqur said. “He was excellent. It was a one-man show tonight. I think leadership brings out the best in some individuals. Shanto is definitely one of them. He really enjoys the captaincy. Shanto is the sort of guy who has the mentality to take responsibility as a challenge. I knew that he would score runs at the highest level.”Atmosphere is very important. We don’t worry about the outcome. We try to keep our processes intact. We don’t expect all seven batters to get centuries every day but as long as he sticks to his strengths and practice routines, it was just a matter of time.”Mushfiqur said that Shanto has grown as a batter as he now makes the best use of good starts. He was impressed by how Shanto managed to play after reaching the century. “He batted very well today. He plays more fluently. He can be more dominating. He used to get 50s or 60s after getting a good start but now he is playing long innings.”The way he took a single to mid-on so easily just after getting that hundred, it showed that he was so calm and thoughtful towards the team. We kept telling each other that we should keep getting the next 20 or 30 runs, so that they don’t get a sniff in vital moments.”Mushfiqur also credited Mahmudullah for his run-a-ball 37 that set the tone for Bangladesh’s chase after they lost three early wickets.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We had a good partnership but the real work was done by (Mahmudullah) Riyad bhai and Shanto. The ball was new so they could swing the ball. The dew hadn’t taken full effect. We lost early wickets too. Shanto and Riyad bhai ensured we were always ahead of the required run rate because of their partnership. They made life easy for me.”It is called experience. After that big over, he struck Hasaranga down the ground for a six. When you put the opposition’s best bowler under pressure, they have a lot to think. They allow singles rather than going for wickets, which allows the partnership to go big. Experience is really a big thing. Shanto struggled at the start but this is a partnership game. First credit for this win must go to Riyad , for showing the intent,” he said.Mushfiqur himself played an important hand, particularly in the way he handled Sri Lanka’s main bowler, Wanindu Hasaranga. He took 29 runs off 25 balls off the legspinner, who has not yet got this batter out in eight innings in all formats.”When you play a bowler for a long time, you feel confident against him. The opposite also happens. I have been able to pick him. Hasaranga is a really good bowler, so I want to ensure he doesn’t have much impact on the game. The more I play against him, I feel more comfortable.”When you face a wrist spinner, he will bowl you a flipper, googly, legspin and top spin. You can’t always pick it from the hand. Sweep is a good option to have. You have to sweep against the good ball. If you can execute it well, it puts pressure back on the bowler.”

Division One leaders seal second win from three games inside first session on day three

ECB Reporters Network21-Apr-2024Jamie Porter and Shane Snater blasted through a brittle Lancashire batting line-up to give Essex victory by an innings inside three days at Chelmsford. The Essex pace bowlers exploited a pitch playing low by taking three wickets apiece as Lancashire capitulated in just 41 overs for the second time in the match.Porter set the ball rolling with the first of nine Lancashire wickets to fall in the session to finish with 3 for 24 before Snater took his match figures to 7 for 59 with 3 for 17 in the second innings. Essex’s second win of the season, worth 22 points, took them further clear at the top of the Vitality County Championship with only three games played.”We have started the season fantastically well,” Essex captain Tom Westley said. “Even that last game against Kent we were a bit unlucky with the weather so potentially, it could have been three wins from three.”We’ve been successful for a while now as a club so every game is a big game and we look to win every single game. We’ve just played some fantastic cricket and I think this is one of our better, most complete performances.”I thought the bowlers bowled amazingly well and I think our challenge is to maintain this momentum and keep the standards as high as they currently are.”We know what a good side Lancashire are, they are always identified at the start of the year as contenders to win the division. So to control the game and win every session is a huge pat on the back for Essex.”Lancashire had started day three on 10 for 1 and requiring another 221 runs to make Essex bat again. They lost five wickets in the first hour and never recovered with the game wrapped up in extra time before the scheduled lunch interval.Essex were forced to field 19-year-old Ronnie McKenna as substitute behind the stumps when Michael Pepper pulled out with a finger injury suffered the night before. The Basildon-born 2nd XI wicketkeeper, the third to do the job for Essex in three Championship matches this season, had four leg byes sail past him down the leg side in the first over from Cook.However, 11 balls into his first-team appearance, he was celebrating a first significant contribution as nightwatcher Will Williams edged Porter into his gloves having hung around for 36 balls.That precipitated a catastrophic collapse with four wickets falling in 16 balls. Josh Bohannon lasted 25 balls before he walked across a delivery from Cook and was lbw, while Luke Wells was beaten all ends up by Snater to be bowled for a 54-ball 21. In the same Snater over George Balderson saw the umpire’s finger go up as he played down the wrong line before Tom Bruce had his off stump sent cartwheeling by Porter.There was a 10-over hiatus while Matty Hurst and George Bell put on 30 runs before the wicketkeeper scooped Snater into square leg’s hands.Offspinner Simon Harmer had not bowled much on this seamer’s paradise, but in his fourth over of the innings he had Tom Bailey walking down the wicket and patting the ball back for a simple caught and bowled. Next over Jack Blatherwick followed Bailey’s lead and gave Harmer more catching practice by chipping the ball back to the bowler.Bell had hung around for 40 balls and appeared to be heading for a third fifty in four innings at Chelmsford when he nicked Cook to Dean Elgar at first slip to wrap up the match.

Bezuidenhout, Kerr and Devine slam half-centuries too as Pakistan, despite Ameen’s century, fall 131 runs short

Sruthi Ravindranath12-Dec-2023A powerful batting display from New Zealand’s top four set up a big win for them in the first ODI against Pakistan in Queenstown, as they went 1-0 up in the three-match series. Pakistan went down by 131 runs chasing a big target of 366.The result aside, Pakistan were also dealt a double blow with fast bowler Diana Baig ruled out of the series with a training injury, and captain Nida Dar taken off the field during the game after she was struck in the face while bowling. In Pakistan’s chase, Sidra Ameen made 105 but did not find much support from the other end as Pakistan went down by 131 runs chasing a big target of 366.After being put in, New Zealand openers Suzie Bates and Bernadine Bezuidenhout got off to a steady start, putting up 51 runs in the powerplay. They then started accelerating and scored boundaries regularly to take New Zealand’s total past 100 without any blemishes. Bezuidenhout brought up her half-century off 50 balls in the 18th over, while Bates got to her fifty off 57 balls in the 22nd over. A run out ended Bezuidenhout’s stay a the crease, as she departed for a run-a-ball 86, her career-best in ODIs, as Pakistan broke a 165-run stand.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Amelia Kerr joined Bates and the duo made sure the momentum did not slip away as they continued to pile on the runs. Together they took New Zealand past 200, with Bates bringing up her century off a boundary in the 38th over. She was, however, dismissed in the next over by Umm-e-Hani for 108.Shortly after, in the 44th over, Dar, who was bowling her seventh over of the match, was struck on the face by the ball when Devine was on strike. She received medical attention on the field before being taken off, putting her participation in the second and third games of the series in doubt.Captain Sophie Devine and Amelia then took charge of the proceedings as the duo started building towards a strong total. Devine shifted gears in the 47th over – until then not a single six was scored in New Zealand innings – as she hit Fatima Sana for two sixes off the last ball of the over. In the next over, she took apart Omaima Sohail, plundering four sixes off her bowling in a 27-run over. In the process, she also brought up her half-century off 29 balls.Nida Dar was ruled out of the game after being hit in the face with the ball while bowling•Getty Images

Amelia departed for a 69-ball 83, as she consolidated her position as the top run-getter in ODIs this year. This was her fourth 50-plus score of the year and she’s made 460 runs in seven innings in 2023. Devine was out for a 36-ball 70 in the penultimate ball of the innings, as the hosts made 365 for 4 which is the highest total in women’s ODIs in New Zealand. It was also the first time in women’s ODIs that all of the top four batters of a side scored 70 runs or above.In reply, Pakistan, too, got off to a solid start, with Ameen and Muneeba Ali bringing up their 50-run opening stand in the ninth over. Ameen posted her half-century off 51 balls in the 14th over, but Devine got the breakthrough in the 19th over, sending Muneeba back for 44. Fran Jonas then removed Sadaf Shamas, Dar’s replacement for the game, for 10.The New Zealand bowlers slowed Pakistan down significantly after that, rarely conceding boundaries as the required run-rate shot up. Ameen lost three more partners before she got to her century, her fourth in the format. She was eventually run-out for 105, with Pakistan at that point needing 154 runs from 36 balls.In the middle, Pakistan lost six wickets for 41 runs, and in the end could only make 234 as Kerr took the last wicket with one ball remaining in the innings to finish with figures of 3 for 44.”The way we went about with the bat was really pleasing and it’s something as a group we’ve talked about how we want to play 50-over cricket,” Bates said after the match. “And Sophie in at [No.] 4 is reasonably new and we’ve not quite nailed it but I thought at Bernie [Bezuidenhout] at the top was order was quite outstanding. That partnership set up the match and then Melie [Amelia Kerr] and Sophie came and played. To give us 365, quite impressive on what was really a good wicket. But to get that score, everyone played the conditions well.”Devine has been pushed to the No. 4 position in recent times, having previously played as an opener in the ODI side. After making 70 off 36 balls, she also impressed with the ball, getting a crucial wicket to break the opening stand and giving away just 19 runs in her five overs.”Melie was going at such a quick rate too and Sophie made it look really easy the way she cleared the rope. That’s why we have her at [No.] 4, she’s one of the most destructive players in world cricket and she can clear the rope easily. It’s great to get that finish we’ve been searching for a long time. She was outstanding, and she really changed the game not just with the bat but with the ball as well.”

There was no place for Rahmat Shah and Ikram Alikhil, with Afghanistan including Mohammad Ishaq and Wafadar Momand

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2024Afghanistan will continue to miss the services of their T20I captain Rashid Khan as he recovers from back surgery and has thus not been included in the 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who, as per a release by the ACB, had sustained “a sprain in his right phalanx (hand)” before the start of the ODI series against Sri Lanka, is also ruled out. Fast bowler Mohammad Saleem, who has failed to recover from a hamstring injury, is missing too.Afghanistan made four changes to the squad that faced India in a T20I series last month. While Mujeeb and Saleem are out injured, Afghanistan have dropped wicketkeeper-batter Ikram Alikhil and top-order batter Rahmat Shah.Related

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Mohammad Ishaq, the wicketkeeper-batter who was also named in the squad for the one-off Test against Sri Lanka, has received a call-up to the T20I side. In addition, fast bowler Wafadar Momand has been recalled in place of Saleem.Mujeeb played two T20Is against India, and then turned out for Gulf Giants in the ILT20 before flying to Sri Lanka for the ODI series, where he suffered the injury. Saleem, on the other hand, played the third T20I against India and the lone Test against Sri Lanka but was ruled out of the ODI squad due to a hamstring injury.Rashid, meanwhile, has not played competitive cricket since the ODI World Cup in November. He withdrew from the BBL this season, after which he underwent back surgery and was subsequently ruled out of SA20 as well.More recently, Rashid also pulled out of the upcoming PSL as he continues his rehab. Rashid was originally part of the series against India but was ruled out even before the T20Is began, though he did travel with the team throughout.In Rashid’s absence, Ibrahim Zadran will continue leading the T20I side, like he had against both India and UAE. He will have Gurbaz at the top of the order, with the likes of Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Hazratullah Zazai and Azmatullah Omarzai to follow. Fazalhaq Farooqi will lead the fast-bowling attack, which also has Naveen-ul-Haq, Fareed Ahmad and Momand. Noor Ahmad and Qais Ahmad, alongside Sharafuddin Ashraf, will form a young spin-bowling unit.Afghanistan have not had a great time in Sri Lanka so far. They lost the only Test by ten wickets, and are currently 0-2 down in the three-match ODI series. The T20I series gets underway on February 17, with the second and third games slotted for February 19 and 21, respectively. All matches will be played in Dambulla.Afghanistan squad: Ibrahim Zadran (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Wafadar Momand and Qais Ahmad

A battle between the two teams used to be uneven before 2015, but Bangladesh have realised it is not an impossible task to beat South Africa at home

Mohammad Isam27-Sep-20171:27

Moonda: Batting selection dilemma for SA

Big Picture

Aiden Markram’s Test debut, Ottis Gibson’s first match as South Africa coach, Bangladesh’s first Test in South Africa in nine years and the first at Senwes Park since 2002. All of these milestones will fade quickly on Thursday when arguably the best team in home conditions take on talented yet unpredictable visitors.Markram and Gibson are at the start of a busy home season. Gibson, of course, will look to renew his understanding of South Africa cricket, having played for Border, Gauteng and Griqualand West when he used to be a more-than-capable medium-pacer. He has the reliable Faf du Plessis at his side, who has his hands full as captain and one of the batting mainstays.Du Plessis will have to handle a bowling attack that has two high-class performers – Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada – but also a number of youngsters and newcomers who have to be given confidence. He also has a chance to define his captaincy and set the tone for the home season, either by bolstering the batting with the selection of Theunis de Bruyn or selecting pace-bowling allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo.Some may feel that Bangladesh are the ideal visitors to try new strategies against, but they are far from pushovers. Mentally, this team is different from the ones that traveled to South Africa in 2002 and 2008. Where previous Bangladesh teams wanted to avoid heavy defeats, the current set of players are thinking of ways to beat their opponents. Bangladesh know how different that mental switch can be.The task at hand for seniors Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and coach Chandika Hathurusingha is immense. Bangladesh are without their lynchpin Shakib Al Hasan who was granted rest by the Bangladesh board earlier this month, which means two players have to replace him.Luckily for Bangladesh, their younger players, like Sabbir Rahman and Mustafizur Rahman, are hungry performers. There is also competition for the second opener’s slot: Soumya Sarkar and Imrul Kayes will be aware that Liton Das is breathing down their neck, so a slip-up in South Africa could be critical for their future.A battle between the two teams used to be uneven until the 2015 ODI series but since then, Bangladesh have realised that beating South Africa, even in their home conditions, is not an impossible task.

Form guide

Bangladesh LWWLL (completed matches, most recent first)South Africa LLWLD

In the spotlight

Of the five pace bowlers in the Bangladesh squad, Mustafizur Rahman is the only automatic choice in the XI. The mystery around him has worn off but even on home pitches, that serve the spinners heavily, his short bursts have become crucial. He will enjoy conditions in South Africa if he can be accurate.Dean Elgar needs another 85 runs to topple Cheteshwar Pujara as the leading run-getter in Tests in 2017. A good start from the experienced opener would immediately put Bangladesh’s young pace attack on the back foot.

Team news

With Shakib rested, Bangladesh will have to pick four specialist bowlers. Taskin Ahmed’s extra pace and Subashis Roy’s relatively accurate seam-bowling could be preferred ahead of Shafiul Islam and Rubel Hossain. Soumya Sarkar’s shoulder niggle means he is not certain to play – a decision on his inclusion will be taken on the morning of the game.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Imrul Kayes, 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mehidy Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Subashis Roy, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.South Africa’s choice is between an extra batsman in Theunis de Bruyn or a seam-bowling option in Andile Phehlukwayo. Aiden Markram will make his international debut, replacing Heino Kuhn. Despite being passed fit, Wayne Parnell is unlikely to play.South Africa (probable): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Temba Bavuma, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Theunis de Bruyn/ Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Duanne Olivier

Pitch and conditions

The pitch looks a bit dry but the home side are hoping for good carry off the track, something Bangladesh are also expecting. While there is a forecast for rain on the last two days of the Test, the weather should mostly be dry.

Stats and trivia

• This is only the second Test to be held at Senwes Park after it hosted the South Africa-Bangladesh game in 2002.
• Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Imrul Kayes are the only Bangladesh players in the current squad to have played a Test in South Africa, having toured in 2008.

Quotes

“The last two years, their cricket has really improved. They are as tough as any team to play in their own conditions so their standard is on the up. This will be a real opportunity for them to show they can perform outside of their own country.”
“We have brought five fast bowlers and three of them will play in the first Test. I think they know all too well that if they don’t perform, there are others to take their place so that should be motivation enough.”

It is yet to be decided whether such provisions are for the next three years or until the end of the current rights cycle in 2031

Nagraj Gollapudi and Osman Samiuddin03-Dec-2024In a development that could potentially break the current deadlock over the upcoming Champions Trophy , the PCB has offered to consider a hybrid model but only if there is a concrete written agreement allowing Pakistan the same option when a global tournament is held in India.Although discussions are ongoing and the situation remains fluid, ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB put forward its proposal over the weekend in meetings with the ICC and BCCI in Dubai. In it, they called for an equitable and long-term agreement, stretching beyond the 2025 Champions Trophy, with reciprocal provisions for Pakistan to play outside of India during global events held there. It is yet to be decided whether such provisions are for the next three years or until the end of the current rights cycle in 2031.In this time, India are scheduled to host three global men’s tournaments – the 2026 T20 World Cup along with Sri Lanka (February), the 2029 Champions Trophy (October) and the 2031 World Cup along with Bangladesh (October-November) – as well as the women’s ODI World Cup in 2025. The co-hosted events provide a solution, though any India-Pakistan games will pose the same problem. And although it doesn’t come under ICC jurisdiction, the next Asia Cup – in October 2025 – is also scheduled to be played in India.Related

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“We will do whatever’s best for cricket,” Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chair, told reporters in Dubai on Sunday. “If we adopt any other formula [except hosting the tournament in Pakistan], it will be done on the basis of equality. The most important thing for Pakistan is its respect; everything else is secondary.”A one-sided arrangement is no longer acceptable. It cannot be the case that we continue to go to India, but they do not visit Pakistan. Whatever happens must be on the basis of equality.”While the BCCI remains tight-lipped, indications are it might not be willing to accept adopting a hybrid model for their tournaments. In either case, the ICC Board will reconvene and examine the PCB proposal before making a final decision on the Champions Trophy. And both PCB and BCCI will need to have that decision ratified by their individual governments. The ICC has tentatively penciled in December 5 as a date for that meeting.Options on the table for the tournament remain the same as they were when the board met briefly last week, otherwise – that the tournament will either be based on a hybrid model with India playing its games outside Pakistan; that the entire tournament is hosted in another country; or that the tournament goes ahead without India.In that meeting last week, it was decided to give the PCB time to hold separate negotiations with BCCI to find a resolution after the latter told ICC that the Indian government had denied permission for the Indian team to travel to Pakistan. Last Friday, a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that “security concerns” meant India were unwilling to travel. “The BCCI has issued a statement so I would refer you to it,” said the spokesperson during a press briefing. “They have said there are security concerns there and therefore it is unlikely the team will be going there. Please do refer to the statement issued by the BCCI.”Where will the next India-Pakistan match be played?•CREIMAS

No such statement has been publicly issued by the BCCI. The PCB says it has still not received an official explanation citing the reasons for India’s inability to travel, though it has sought one from the moment the BCCI informed the ICC.

Jay Shah to chair ICC meet on December 5

Since the first ICC meeting, a significant change has taken place at the ICC. Jay Shah, who has been the BCCI secretary since 2019, took charge as ICC chair on December 1. Imran Khwaja, the ICC’s deputy chair, has been dealing with the Champions Trophy issue as an interim chair. But it could not be confirmed who the BCCI representative at the next ICC Board meeting will be.The meeting is widely thought to be on the Champions Trophy, although there was also a suggestion that it might be a courtesy call for Shah to ring in his tenure.With time running out – there are only 77 days to the start date of the event – the ICC finds itself in a spot of bother. It has not yet released the tournament schedule (normally put out 100 days from the event) nor announced the ticketing process which would facilitate fans to make travel arrangements for the eight-team event.

The final schedule, where six teams will play a total of 34 games, is expected soon

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2023The second edition of the ILT20 is set to run in the window between January 19 and February 18 next year. The six teams – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Dubai Capitals, MI Emirates, Sharjah Warriors, Desert Vipers and defending champions Gulf Giants – will play a total of 34 games across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah within that 30-day period.Recently, the likes of David Warner, Mark Wood, Shadab Khan and Ambati Rayudu signed up for the second season. Warner and Wood, rivals at the Ashes recently, will play at Capitals, while Shadab joins Pakistan team-mates Shaheen Shah Afridi and Azam Khan at Vipers. Rayudu, who retired from all Indian cricket after IPL 2023 and is currently playing in the CPL, has been signed up by MI Emirates, while Martin Guptill and Maheesh Theekshana will play for Warriors alongside Lewis Gregory.The schedule will clash with the five-match India vs England Test series that begins on January 25 in Hyderabad; Wood and Joe Root, who are both part of the ILT20, are expected to be part of the England squad there. Warner, meanwhile, is expected to fulfil his BBL commitments with Sydney Thunder – the tournament will end on January 24 – before hopping across to the UAE to be part of the ILT20. He will require a No-Objection Certificate from Cricket Australia to play in the league.The second season of the ILT20 will also run more or less concurrently with the second season of the SA20 league in South Africa, which is expected to be played from January 10 to February 10. This was the case last year too. And while the dates for the PSL and the BPL haven’t been announced yet, there could be some overlap there too.The last stage of the squad-building process will involve selecting the UAE players, details of which will be “announced shortly” according to an official release.In February this year, less than a week after Gulf Giants were named inaugural champions at the first edition of the ILT20, it was announced that ILT20 2024 would kick off on January 13 2024. That has now changed. The ILT20 was one of two new men’s franchise leagues added to the calendar last year, along with the SA20, with a crossover of team owners in both leagues and the IPL.