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Fast bowler will travel with the squad on Friday having been forced to miss a UAE training camp

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2025Saqib Mahmood has finally received his visa for England’s upcoming limited-overs series in India, meaning he will be able to travel with the team to Kolkata on Friday ahead of Wednesday’s first T20I.Mahmood, who is of Pakistani heritage, had encountered a delay in obtaining the travel document, forcing him to miss an England training camp in the UAE. Two other members of the T20I squad of similar background – Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed – had received their visas earlier.The Lancashire seamer had encountered similar issues in the past when, in 2019, he was replaced for an England Lions tour of India following a drawn-out visa process. In 2024, he sat out Lancashire’s pre-season tour having anticipated the same problem, months after England offspinner Shoaib Bashir missed the first Test against India in Hyderabad due to the slow processing of his visa.Mahmood was supposed to attend a pace-bowling camp in Abu Dhabi ahead of the India tour, led by fast bowling consultant James Anderson, which featured the likes of Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood. Those plans were scuppered by the fact the Indian Embassy still had his possession of his passport, with Mahmood having originally intended to travel to the UAE with the group last Thursday.The 27-year-old has been on something of a comeback trail, overcoming consecutive lower-back stress fractures to return to the international fold last year, and was named player of the series during England’s T20I series in the Caribbean in November, taking nine wickets at 10.55. With 29 appearances in all formats, including two Test caps against West Indies in 2022, Mahmood will be keen to impress head coach Brendon McCullum who is now in charge of England’s red- and white-ball sides.

The trio complete an 18-man squad, with no one missing out from the squad that played T20Is against Bangladesh in July

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2021Sean Williams, Brendan Taylor, and Craig Ervine will be available for Zimbabwe again after being named in an 18-man squad for their limited-overs tours of Ireland and Scotland this month. Zimbabwe are due to play five T20Is to start the tour against Ireland from August 27, followed by three World Cup Super League ODIs at Stormont. They will then head to Scotland for three T20Is.Taylor had been rested from Zimbabwe’s T20I squad for the home series against Bangladesh last month, while Williams and Ervine missed out on all three formats against Bangaldesh after coming into contact with people who tested positive for Covid-19. The rest of the touring squad is the same as the 15-man squad that played against Bangladesh in the T20I series under Sikandar Raza.Zimbabwe have not qualified for the upcoming T20 World Cup, but the ODIs against Ireland will be a chance for them to drag themselves off the bottom of the World Cup Super league points table and push for qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup. In their most recent ODI series, Zimbabwe were swept 3-0 at home by Bangladesh. As for Ireland, they are placed seventh on the Super League table, although they have had the benefit of playing 12 matches; Zimbabwe have played only six.Zimbabwe squad: Brendan Taylor, Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Craig Ervine, Luke Jongwe, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tarisai Musakanda, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Donald Tiripano, Sean Williams

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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• Fate of Champions Trophy still unclear as no decision taken at ICC meeting

“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.

Danish Malewar also scored 73 to go with his 153 in the first innings

Shashank Kishore01-Mar-2025Vidarbha 379 and 249 for 4 (Nair 132*, Malewar 73) lead Kerala 342 (Baby 98, Sarwate 79, Nalkande 3-52, Rekhade 3-65, Dubey 3-88) by 286 runsIf fate had played out differently two seasons ago, Karun Nair would have been playing for Kerala after he first reached out to them when he was dumped unceremoniously by Karnataka. They couldn’t commit at the time and Nair, having sat at home for an entire season, couldn’t wait to grab his next opportunity. That’s when Vidarbha came calling.Two seasons on, Nair is at the forefront of Vidarbha’s charge to a third Ranji Trophy title, having batted all day to construct an unbeaten 132, his 23rd first-class century and fourth of the season. It helped stretch Vidarbha’s lead to 286 at stumps on the fourth day, and they still have six wickets remaining. If Nair does lift the trophy, it’ll be his third – his first two were with Karnataka in his first two seasons, 2013-14 and 2014-15.Nair shouldn’t batted this long, but luck shone on him. On 31, in the very first session on the third day, indecision against young seamer Eden Apple Tom had him playing at one that reared up awkwardly to lob off the glove to first slip where Akshay Chandran put down a dolly. Having already lost two early wickets, Vidarbha would have been 55 for 3. Instead, Kerala saw Nair and Danish Malewar, the 21-year-old batter in his maiden season, torment them again, as if to complete the business they had left unfinished in the first innings when a mix-up between the two led to Nair’s run out for 86.Malewar and Nair put on 182 for the third wicket – Malewar making 73 to go with his 153 in the first innings – to defuse any tension there might have been in the Vidarbha camp after they lost Parth Rekhade and Dhruv Shorey inside the first three overs. Rekhade was bowled through the gate by Jalaj Saxena’s in-drift, and Shorey was out to Mohammed Azharuddeen’s brilliance as he dived full stretch to pluck a healthy edge in front of first slip to give MD Nidheesh an early wicket.Kerala could have had a third very quickly, but Malewar was aided by luck when DRS deemed a not-out lbw decision off Saxena to be umpire’s call. It was the start of a frustrating few hours for Kerala, where they dropped a sitter of a big-match player, two of their frontline seamers – Nidheesh and Nedumankuzhy Basil – received warnings twice for running on to the danger area of the pitch, and then saw two healthy nicks off Saxena, their most prolific and in-form spinner, go through the vacant slip cordon when the need of the hour was to attack, not defend. All these factors combined to give Vidarbha the push they needed.Danish Malewar scored 73 in the second innings after 153 in the first•PTI

In the seventh over of the day, Malewar survived again, this time overturning an lbw call on DRS after being given out to Nidheesh, with replays showing the ball swung in late and would have missed leg stump. Things were happening quickly, and Kerala should have remained on the offensive. They didn’t and paid the price.Nair was good enough to pick gaps through the covers as Kerala left the off side open to have him drive against the turn. His ability to mix that up by playing a superb reverse sweep all along the ground made him a tough prospect to bowl to. Malewar’s temperament stood out as he absorbed the pressure from Saxena and played largely within himself until he got to his half-century and then stepped out to play a glorious drive over mid-off.As the partnership grew, Kerala resorted to a leg-stump line briefly to try to unsettle the batters. But given Vidarbha were sitting pretty with a lead, realisation dawned for Kerala that they needed to be a little more on the offensive, by which time the pair had already put on 100 runs.Nair survived on 65 when a leading edge off Saxena didn’t carry to the bowler, and he responded by offsetting any pressure by playing the reverse sweep. En route, he went past the 800-run mark for the season and charged into the 80s by hitting Aditya Sarwate for two back-to-back sixes – one over long-on and one over long-off. As he brought up his century, Nair dropped his bat, removed his gloves and showed nine fingers towards the dressing room to signal his nine hundreds across the season, before taking guard and continuing to blunt the bowling.It needed Chandran’s left-arm, part-time spin to break the mammoth stand when Malewar jabbed at one that flicked the glove and lobbed to Sachin Baby at slip. Then Yash Rathod came out and battled serenely with Nair, and at one point in the final session, overtook Madhya Pradesh batter Shubham Sharma’s tally of 943 to lead the run charts for the season.Then a sharp turner from Sarwate spun back in to trap him lbw, a decision that Kerala got overturned in their favour through the DRS. But moments like those were few and far amid a largely frustrating day for Kerala, whose hopes of a maiden title seem all but gone, with them needing a miracle to make a match of this on the final day.

Allrounder recalls ‘prison’-like circumstances of Covid tour in 2020

Andrew Miller08-Jul-2024Jason Holder says that his experience of looking on from afar as West Indies sealed their thrilling eight-run victory over Australia at the Gabba in January has given him “renewed energy” to pick up where he left off, as he prepares to face England at Lord’s in his first Test for almost a year.Holder, 32, was one of the notable omissions when West Indies chose to send a weakened squad to Australia earlier this year, having turned down a central contract in order to fulfil his lucrative deal with Dubai Capitals in the ILT20. In his absence, Kraigg Brathwaite’s team bounced back from a ten-wicket defeat in Adelaide to square the series in extraordinary style in Brisbane, a venue where Australia had lost just one Test since 1988.”It gave me a renewed energy to come back to the group, and try to be a part of something special again,” Holder said. “I missed Test cricket. This is my first Test match in a long time, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m just happy that I’ve been able to still get the body up and going and being up for the challenge here.”On the lure of franchise cricket, Holder insisted “it’s not my job to find a solution”, but pointed out that South African and New Zealand players have similarly opted out of central contracts in recent months to maximise their earning potential in T20 tournaments.”It is what it is,” he added. “This is where the game is moving, each and every person has their own personal decision to make. I was just so happy for the boys when they when they did what it did in Australia.”West Indies have arrived in London, where they will go into the Lord’s Test as underdogs given that 1988 was also the last time they won a Test series in England. But, as holders of the Richards-Botham Trophy after a hard-fought 1-0 win in the Caribbean in 2021-22, and with memorable victories at Headingley and Southampton in each of their last two away series in 2017 and 2020, Holder is confident that his team has the wherewithal to go one better this time out.”The guys took a lot from that Test victory in Australia,” he said after West Indies’ training on Monday. “We’ve been doing some really positive things over the last couple of months. And I think as a young side, the main thing is just to keep learning. What we have in the dressing room is some special talent, no doubt about it. It’s just a matter for us just to play some solid cricket and they’ll have just to believe. It’s time for someone to break the shackles, and there’s no better time for us to come here and beat England.”The circumstances of West Indies’ current visit could not be much further removed from their last tour in 2020, which took place at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, behind closed doors and in bio-secure environments at Southampton and Old Trafford. Holder himself was captain back then, and though his team earned huge respect for helping to keep international cricket alive in uncertain times, it was not an experience he looked back on with any great fondness.Jason Holder runs in to bowl at West Indies’ training session ahead of the first Test against England•Getty Images

“Firstly, it’s just good to be out in the open again,” he said. “I remember being locked in Manchester for three weeks before the Test series, which was tough because you stayed at the ground. And then we went down to Southampton for a week, which felt like a week out of prison. And then we went right back into prison after Southampton.”Related

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• James Anderson's seven-wicket onslaught condemns Nottinghamshire to follow-on

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The fact that the show went on, however, offered a degree of normality to a world that was otherwise in lockdown, and Holder hoped that something of the same could apply to the people of the Caribbean, a region that was last week hit hard by the devastation of Hurricane Beryl.”It was tough man, but reflecting on it, you just count your blessings right now,” he said. “Obviously, there were a lot of lives lost during Covid. And again, it’s a similar situation with the hurricane that just passed. The only impetus that people had was cricket. They finally got a chance to see some cricket which put a smile on people’s faces in the Caribbean.”So coming back here in England four years later, we’re just looking to take it one step further. We won one Test match last time out of three. Yeah, two will be a lot better on this trip.”Holder’s preparations for his Test return included two first-class matches for Barbados in March, followed by a five-match stint for Worcestershire in the County Championship, for whom he made an unbeaten century against Kent in his final appearance.”It was one hell of an experience,” he said of his time with the club. “It gave me new energy because the love that the boys showed me was second to none.”Although much of the buzz around the first Test will centre on James Anderson and his impending retirement, Holder was reluctant to be drawn into the conversation at this stage. However, he acknowledged the hole that Anderson will leave in England’s dressing room could be similar to that left in West Indies’ after the departure of Shivnarine Chanderpaul after his own 21-year career.”It was a bittersweet feeling in a sense,” he said, “where someone who’s done so much for West Indies cricket Is being pinched to wake up that he’s actually finishing.”You’re losing such a powerful figure in the dressing-room, I guess it’ll be the same thing for England. But, as with everything else, we’ve got to move on many times. You unfortunately can’t play professional sport forever. At some point, we’ve got to close the curtains.”Some people get to do it on their own terms, some people don’t . But the experience of me playing with Shiv, it was great to be in the dressing room with him and just learn so much from him.”

India captain Suryakumar Yadav said the move was planned in alignment with the BCCI and the Indian government

Shashank Kishore14-Sep-2025No handshakes were exchanged before or after India’s seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Sunday as tensions between the two countries spilled out onto the field in Dubai.Suryakumar Yadav, the winning captain, said India had decided before the match – in alignment with the BCCI and the Indian government – that they would not shake hands with the opposition, a move that left Pakistan visibly disapppointed. Mike Hesson, the Pakistan coach, said the team had been waiting after the game to shake hands only to discover India were snubbing them.Related

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That led to their captain Salman Agha not appearing for the post-match TV interview, as is a broadcast norm. Pakistan’s displeasure over these events has extended as far as match referee Andy Pycroft.Hours after the match ended, the PCB said in a statement that Pakistan’s team manager had registered a “formal protest” against him, because he had “requested the captains not to shake hands during the toss”.This was the first meeting between the two sides since India and Pakistan exchanged cross-border hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, and uncertainty had surrounded the match in the intervening months, with several calls for India to boycott it.Clarity only emerged when the Indian government came out with its official policy for sporting engagements with Pakistan, greenlighting meetings in multilateral events while refusing to engage in bilateral contests. All that remained to be seen was how the match would play out against this backdrop.”Our government and BCCI – we were aligned today,” Suryakumar said at his post-match press conference. “Rest, we took a call [about not shaking hands]. We came here to just play the game. We have given a proper reply.”The match was played against the backdrop of heightened political tensions between India and Pakistan•Associated Press

Asked if their refusal to shake hands was against sporting spirit, Suryakumar said: “Few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit also. I’ve [said] it at the presentation as well, we stand with all the victims of Pahalgam terror attacks, stand with their families, and express our solidarity.”Hesson expressed “disappointment” at India’s stance.”We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game, we obviously are disappointed that our opposition didn’t do that,” he said. “We sort of went over there to shake hands and they’d already gone into the changing room.”That was a disappointing way for the match to finish, and a match we were disappointed for the way we played, but we were certainly willing to shake hands.”Hesson said Agha’s absence from the presentation ceremony was a “follow-on effect” of India’s refusal to shake hands. The PCB statement confirmed this, terming India’s actions to be “against sportsmanship”.”Manager Naveed Akram Cheema has registered a formal protest against the match referee’s behaviour,” the PCB statement said. “Match referee requested the captains not to shake hands during the toss.”Pycroft’s response to Pakistan’s statement is awaited.

He has been ruled out of keeping wicket in the ongoing Test match, and will bat only if required

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Jul-2025

Rishabh Pant winces in pain after hurting his foot•Getty Images

Rishabh Pant is set to miss the remainder of the Test series against England with the right-foot injury he suffered on the opening day of the fourth Test now confirmed to be a fracture. The BCCI said that Pant will not keep wicket in the rest of the Test and will bat “as per team requirements”.* Dhruv Jurel will keep wicket for India for the rest of the Test.The fracture is understood to be of the metatarsal bone in the right foot. The initial diagnosis is that Pant would need six-to-eight weeks’ rest. Clips captured by fans outside the India team hotel in Manchester showed Pant’s right foot in a moonboot.The injury took place during the second session of play when Pant tried to reverse-sweep a delivery from Chris Woakes, which he ended up inside-edging onto his foot. He was in visible pain, and the affected spot swelled up immediately. Pant had to retire hurt – he was on 37 at the time – and went off the ground on a golf buggy. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Pant underwent scans soon after, which revealed the fracture.Related

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The England players, having missed the edge, went up in appeal for lbw, even as Pant reacted to the pain. He survived the lbw shout and the subsequent review, but the swelling and his inability to put any weight on the foot were visible.Pant, India’s wicketkeeper and vice-captain, was taken to the medical facility at the ground first, and captain Shubman Gill went to enquire about his well-being there. Pant was taken to a hospital after that.Liam Dawson, the England spinner, said at the end of the day’s play that he “can’t see him [Pant] playing much more part in this game”. B Sai Sudharsan, who was the non-striker at the time, said later, “Oh, he was in a lot of pain definitely.”This is the second injury he has sustained in as many Test matches, following a blow on his left index finger while keeping in England’s first innings at Lord’s. Jurel had substituted as India’s wicketkeeper for the rest of that Test as well.Pant’s innings of 37 off 48 balls was largely restrained but featured several characteristically outrageous shots, including a slog sweep for four off Jofra Archer, followed by an unsuccessful reverse sweep off the next ball.BCCI are yet to officially confirm Pant’s fracture and name a replacement for Pant for the fifth Test. During the two unofficial Tests between England Lions and India A, which preceded the England series, Ishan Kishan was the second wicketkeeper behind Jurel.*GMT 1100 Updated after the BCCI statement

Brad Hodge has played his last first-class game after a knee injury ruled him out of what was intended to be his finale against New South Wales in Newcastle starting on Friday

Cricinfo staff16-Dec-2009Brad Hodge has played his last first-class game after a knee injury ruled him out of what was intended to be his finale against New South Wales in Newcastle starting on Friday. Hodge struggled with knee soreness after aggravating an existing problem during Tuesday’s FR Cup match against South Australia.He announced his impending retirement from first-class cricket last month after family commitments won out over the desire to add to his six Test caps. Hodge leaves the first-class arena with 17,084 runs at 48.81 from 223 appearances, with 51 centuries and a top score of 302 not out.However, Hodge is keen to play on for Victoria in Twenty20 and one-day cricket and he has not given up hope of making the Australia squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies next year. The Bushrangers will reassess Hodge’s fitness next week before the one-day against New South Wales in Sydney.Victoria have also lost Darren Pattinson to a calf strain, while his brother James Pattinson is having his workload managed and will miss Friday’s Sheffield Shield match. Jon Holland, Steven Gilmour and the uncapped left-arm fast bowler Will Sheridan have been included in a 12-man squad.New South Wales will again be captained by Moises Henriques, who at 22 last week became the fourth-youngest skipper in the state’s history. The legspinning allrounder Steven Smith will rejoin the side after a quick trip to Perth to act as cover for Nathan Hauritz in Australia’s Test squad.Victoria squad Chris Rogers, Nick Jewell, Lloyd Mash, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Andrew McDonald, Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Jon Holland, Bryce McGain, Steven Gilmour, Will Sheridan.New South Wales squad Phillip Hughes, Phil Jaques, Usman Khawaja, Moises Henriques (capt), David Warner, Ben Rohrer, Daniel Smith (wk), Steven Smith, Grant Lambert, Stephen O’Keefe, Aaron Bird, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc.

Australia sweat over captain Healy’s fitness ahead of the knockouts

Sruthi Ravindranath16-Oct-20242:46

Aus vs SA match-ups: Can Schutt trip up Brits?

Australia vs South Africa

Dubai, 6pm local timeAustralia squad: Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Heather Graham, Tayla Vlaeminck (ruled out)South Africa squad: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe TryonTournament form guide: Australia are unbeaten in this T20 World Cup, winning all four of their games so far. In their last group match, they beat India in a high-octane clash by nine runs. South Africa have a 3-1 record having lost their second match of the tournament to England.News brief: Australia were without captain Alyssa Healy for their match against India. She arrived at the game in Sharjah on crutches having sustained a foot injury while batting on 37 against Pakistan on Friday. Tahlia McGrath led the side in her absence, with Ellyse Perry deputising and Beth Mooney keeping wicket.”As it stands, it’s the same thing for Midgie [Healy],” Perry said on the eve of the semi-final. “The medical staff and the team are going to give her every opportunity and possibility of playing tomorrow night but I don’t think anything’s changed in that respect. We’ll just have to see in the next 24 hours.”Alyssa Healy watched Australia’s win against India from the sidelines•ICC/Getty Images

Fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck, who hurt her shoulder on her T20 World Cup return against Pakistan, was ruled out of the tournament with Heather Graham named her replacement. Grace Harris and Darcie Brown came into the playing XI as replacements for the India game.South Africa do not have injury concerns and are unlikely to make changes to their winning combination. Their record against Australia is not great, having won just one out of the 10 T20Is they’ve played each other. Their first-ever win came in Canberra in January this year in a bilateral series. South Africa have not won a single World Cup game against Australia in either format. Thursday will be a rematch of the 2023 T20 World Cup final, in which South Africa suffered a heartbreaking loss in front of their home crowd in Cape Town.South Africa have played three matches in Dubai this tournament while Australia have played just one match – against Pakistan – at the venue. The average first-innings score is 126, with India posting the highest total of 172 against Sri Lanka last Wednesday.Player to watch: Experienced pacer Megan Schutt’s miserly spells have been crucial to all four of Australia’s wins. She started the tournament with 3 for 12 against Sri Lanka on a spin-friendly track, finished with stunning figures of 3 for 3 against New Zealand and followed it up with 1 for 7 in her three overs against Pakistan in Dubai. Against India, she gave away 24 runs in her first three overs but returned to turn the game on its head in the 17th over by conceding just one run, leaving India with 40 to get off 18 balls.Tazmin Brits’ solid starts have been among the biggest positives for South Africa. After a 57 not out to start the competition, she crossed the 40-run mark in each of her last two matches. Against Bangladesh, on a slow track, she played a patient innings of 42 off 41 balls to help South Africa to a comfortable win. She also played an important hand in South Africa’s first and only T20I win against Australia earlier this year, scoring a fiery 41 off 28 with eight fours in a chase of 143.

Meanwhile, Chris Silverwood has declared an interest in becoming the county’s new head coach

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2024Jonny Bairstow will play his first match of the season for Yorkshire this week when the County Championship returns following a six-week break.Bairstow has only played two first-class games for his home county since the end of the 2020 season due to his England and IPL commitments. He is yet to feature for Yorkshire in any format this season, having taken a short break from the game between the T20 World Cup and the start of the Hundred, where he represented Welsh Fire.But he will return for Thursday’s fixture against Sussex at Scarborough, with Yorkshire sitting just outside of the two promotion places in Division Two. They are four points behind second-placed Middlesex heading into the final five games of the season, and can close the 27-point gap on leaders Sussex this week.Bairstow made 123 runs in seven innings for Welsh Fire this season•Getty Images

Bairstow lost his place in England’s Test team after failing to reach 40 on their tour to India this year, and appears unlikely to feature in their T20I and ODI series against Australia in September. He declared at the start of the Hundred that “all I want to do is play for England”, but was short of runs for Welsh Fire, with 123 runs and a single half-century across seven innings.”I spoke to Jonny, and he still has ambitions of getting back into the England team,” Ottis Gibson, Yorkshire’s head coach, said last week. “When he was coming back from his injury last year, our medical team and coaches – everybody associated with the club – helped him get back into the England fold.”If it’s that we need to do that again with him, give him some love and get him into a position where he puts good performances in, everybody benefits from that. Jonny Bairstow is a serious cricketer anyway, but when he has a point to prove, he’s even more dangerous. Hopefully, we can take advantage of that.”Related

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Yorkshire confirmed on Monday that Bairstow is available to play at Scarborough after a shoulder niggle, but his availability for the final four games of the season has not yet been confirmed. They will be without their captain Shan Masood this week, who is with Pakistan’s Test squad ahead of their series against Bangladesh.The club announced earlier this month that Gibson will leave his job at the end of the season, and are also in the process of recruiting a new director of cricket, having advertised for the role earlier in the summer.Chris Silverwood, who recently left his job as Sri Lanka coach, has declared his interest in the head coach vacancy: “I haven’t spoken to anybody as yet,” he told talkSPORT. “Would it interest me? Absolutely, it’s my old county and I have a great love for Yorkshire.”