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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.

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.”

With one win sufficient to retain Ashes, imposing record since 2017 augurs well for holders

Andrew Miller11-Jul-2023Tahlia McGrath says that a return to Australia’s favoured 50-over format will help their players rediscover their “fearless” mindset, as they seek to close out the Women’s Ashes after a rare setback in the T20I leg.After victory in the one-off Test at Trent Bridge, followed by a tight four-wicket win in the first T20I at Edgbaston, Australia had taken an imposing 6-0 lead in the multi-format points system, and needed just one more win from the remaining five matches to retain the Ashes for the fifth consecutive series.And while still they remain one win away from their goal, the pressure has since been ramped up by England’s stirring fightback in the back half of the T20I series. Consecutive victories, by three runs and five wickets in a pair of tense finishes at The Oval and Lord’s, condemned Australia to their first bilateral series loss since the corresponding leg of the 2017-18 Ashes.But, with the scoreline now a more competitive 6-4 in Australia’s favour, McGrath says the players’ eyes have not deviated from the prize, and they will not be satisfied with a mere retention of the Ashes.”I don’t think that’s enough,” McGrath said in Bristol, on the eve of the first ODI. “We want to win every game of cricket. Yes, first and foremost, we want to retain the Ashes, but we want to win these three games coming up. Winning 8-8 doesn’t sound as good as winning them outright.”To that end, the holders can point to one of the most imposing records ever compiled by an international sports team. In 45 ODIs since their semi-final defeat at the 2017 World Cup, Australia’s women have won a remarkable 43 times, including their last 15 in a row – a span that encompasses their unbeaten run to the 2022 World Cup title in New Zealand.Since securing beating England in the final of that tournament, at Auckland in April 2022, Australia have only played three more ODIs – each of them an emphatic win over an outclassed Pakistan in January. However, McGrath is confident that the more drawn-out nature of the 50-over format will give the matchwinners in their line-up all the more time to produce their very best.”It’s where we’ve been so successful in the past,” McGrath said. “You’ve just got so much more time. You can build your innings a bit more, and we’ve had players cash in and score those big hundreds with players supporting them.”From a bowling point of view, you can build a bit more pressure, work batters out a bit more … we’ve just been consistent in that format. And we play that team-first [brand of] cricket, so players coming in know exactly what they need to do for the team, and then play their role to the best of their ability.Tahlia McGrath celebrates with Ellyse Perry during the T20Is•Getty Images

“The 50-over format is one we’ve been really consistent and really good at, so from there it’s about fine-tuning and playing a little bit more fearlessly.In the last five years, India are the only team to have toppled Australia in the ODI format, and that result – a gripping two-wicket win in a dead-rubber third match in September 2021 – arguably helped to sharpen Australia’s focus going into the World Cup the following spring.England, by contrast, last beat Australia across 50 overs in the 2017-18 Ashes, but despite eight subsequent defeats – up to and including the last World Cup final – McGrath said her side would never under-estimate the threat that Heather Knight’s team would pose, especially after their T20I showing.”Every time we play against England, it’s really good cricket, really hard-fought,” McGrath said. “We get pushed every time we play against England, and they were better than us in the last two games, and we’ve got to acknowledge that and fix some areas of our game.”No game against England is ever easy. It feels as if, every time we play each other, it comes down to the last over. All four games in this series have all been close, or had some key moments to determine the game, so we’re excited for some more good cricket.”That rare sensation of defeat, however, has obliged Australia to embrace their vulnerability on this tour, with McGrath admitting to some honest chats in the dressing-room in the aftermath of the T20I losses.Related

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“People put their hand up when they’re not playing at their best,” she said. “We help each other problem-solve, because everything’s team-first. We put egos aside and we try to help each other improve, and that’s been a strength of this side for so long.”Win, lose or draw, we are always looking to get better. So, yeah, it’s not ideal to lose but there’s always some positives to take out of it, and we’ve had some really good chats as a group.”Individually, we’ve discussed our batting, bowling and fielding plans, but at the end of the day, it just comes down to playing some fearless cricket,” she added. “If there’s something you’re thinking about, or a plan you want to put in place, you’ve just got to be confident and go ahead and do it.”The truth is we weren’t at our best [in the T20Is] and we have to find a way to fix that. Even if we’d have won some of those games, it’s still about having those chats because we want to be the best team in the world in every format. We want to keep evolving.”It’s not nice that we’re losing, but it felt as though there were some moments where we perhaps might have got into our shells a little bit. We’ve just highlighted that maybe we’ve been off the mark there a little bit, so we’re pretty keen to be on the front foot.”An added factor in England’s revival has arguably been their vociferous support for this series, with an average of 20,000 fans attending the three T20Is, and further full houses anticipated for the ODIs in Bristol, Southampton and Taunton. But, with the growth of the women’s game a huge subplot in this series, McGrath has been delighted with the turnout, even if the cheers haven’t always accompanied her own performances.”The crowds have been a real highlight,” McGrath said. “We’ve really embraced it. We’ve loved playing in front of packed houses. We’re hopeful that they continue, because we’ve heard there’s really good ticket sales coming up.”It’s awesome to see the support they get, it’s awesome to hear how loud it gets. And I think it’s pretty cool with the [Barmy Army] trumpet going in the background. We all enjoy playing cricket when you get to play in some really nice iconic stadiums with a packed house.”They let me have it when I dropped a catch,” she added, referring to a bad miss off Sophia Dunkley in the second match at The Oval. “But that’s part of it.”We’re just focused on ourselves. We’re pretty comfortable with what we do and how we go about our cricket. There’s a lot of external things that goes on with the Ashes, a lot of chat, a lot in the media, but first and foremost, we’re just focusing on ourselves. Sticking with our batting and bowling plans, and then going out there and playing some really good cricket.”

The India tour, WTC final and the Ashes in England lie ahead for Pat Cummins’ side

Andrew McGlashan27-Jan-2023Usman Khawaja believes this Australia men’s Test team will be remembered as a great side if they can sweep the three major challenges ahead of them in the next six months.The squad flies to India next week for the first of a trio of overseas assignments that will shape where the team sits in the history of the game. Australia have not won in India since 2004-05 and that will be followed by a likely World Test Championship final in early June before the Ashes, where they will not only look to retain the urn as they did in 2019 but win the series in England for the first time since 2001.Khawaja, who had a prolific 2022 following a last-minute recall and began this year with a career-best 195 not out at the SCG, shapes as a key figure in an experienced batting line-up where the likely top five all average over 45.Related

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“100%, definitely,” Khawaja said when asked if the side would be worthy of the great tag should they collect the three trophies on offer. “But win, lose or draw, we’ve played some amazing cricket. We are the world No. 1 team at the moment, have been for last year, we’ve got some terrific players in this team. [We’ve got] one of the best Test cricket batsmen I’ve seen, Steve Smith, and got some amazing bowlers, too.”Personally, it’s probably the best team I’ve been a part of because even when I came into the side we were sort of in transition. We had some great players, [and] some new players in between, so it’s just really nice to be in a team where everyone trusts each other and looking forward to what will happen over the next six months.”Jason Gillespie, who was part of the side than won in India in 2004 after having seen the 2001 series slip away, added his voice to what victory in India would mean for the team.”Let’s be honest, for this group of Australian players, this could be a career-defining tour,” he said. “All us cricket tragics and fans should be pretty excited about this group of players, I know I’m excited as a cricket fan to see what this group of players can achieve in India.”

Usman Khawaja prepares for first Test in India

Khawaja was part of the squads for the 2013 and 2017 tours of India but has yet to play a Test in the country. He was one of four players suspended for a Test on the 2013 trip for what became known as homeworkgate, when they did not return an assignment ordered by coach Mickey Arthur.This time, Khawaja returns as a more complete player of spin and much more comfortable in a relaxed set-up. He has had an eye on the India tour over the last few months and has tailored some of his preparation during the home summer.”We’ve always got one eye on future tours, no matter what,” he said. “We do take it one tour at a time but you have to have one eye on the tour, especially if you are going from here to India with very different conditions.”Even the way I’ve been practicing, I’ve been practicing for these [home] games here but when I feel I’ve ticked that off I go and do stuff I feel I need to for next two months. I know there’s a lot of other guys who are similar, just comes from maturity. A lot of us are pretty old now, we’ve been around for a while now, with that maturity we understand you need to have one eye ahead.”Some of the 18-player squad will head into a camp in Sydney while others, including Khawaja, will continue with their BBL sides during the first phase of the finals series. The squad heads to India early next week where they will initially be based in Bengaluru before heading to Nagpur for the first Test, which begins on February 9.

Sussex say seamer unavailable for first two T20 Blast fixtures

Matt Roller10-Jun-2021Ollie Robinson will not be part of Sussex’s squad for their first two T20 Blast fixtures as he takes a “short break from the game” following his suspension from international cricket pending an ECB investigation into offensive tweets he posted as a teenager. Sussex condemned Robinson’s tweets and said that they would “turn [their] attention to supporting Ollie in his commitment to continue to educate himself”, but he will not face further disciplinary action from his county.Robinson is not a centrally-contracted England player and the ECB clarified at the time of his suspension that he was available for selection at county level if Sussex opted to pick him, but the club released a statement on Thursday confirming that he would not be involved at the start of the Blast.”After a difficult week, Ollie has decided to take a short break from the game to spend time with his young family,” the statement said. “Player and staff welfare – including mental health and wellbeing – is a priority for the club and, as such, Sussex Cricket fully supports Ollie in his decision.”When he is ready to return, Ollie will be welcomed back to the club, where discussions with the remainder of the squad over the last week have made clear that he retains the support of all his Sussex teammates. We remain in close contact with Ollie from a welfare perspective and will issue further updates on his availability at the relevant times.”Related

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The statement went on to describe Robinson’s tweets as “completely unacceptable”, adding that “their content is totally at odds with our stated ambition to inspire people from every background in our county to say, ‘I feel part of Sussex Cricket’.””Ollie is a very different man from the one that wrote those tweets and has clearly learned much in the intervening years,” the statement continued. “He has made clear the shame, embarrassment, and remorse he feels for the discriminatory comments he made.”As a result of his actions, Ollie has had the opportunity to represent his country suspended, is at the centre of intense public and media scrutiny and faces the possibility of further disciplinary action from the ECB. Sussex Cricket will not be adding to these significant penalties.”The club will turn its attention to supporting Ollie in his commitment to continue to educate himself in the area of equality, diversity and inclusion. Ollie has more to learn in this area. We all do. We all have a responsibility to improve and to make cricket a game for everybody.”The ECB released a statement on Tuesday evening after further unsavoury tweets emerged from England players, including members of the current Test squad, saying that it would “discuss how we deal with issues over historical social media material in a timely and appropriate manner”.England and New Zealand took part in a ‘moment of unity’ on the first morning of the ongoing Edgbaston Test, with England’s players again wearing anti-discrimination t-shirts bearing the message: ‘Cricket is a game for everyone’.

Injuries and departures have derailed the hosts, while the visitors might bring in Sharjeel Khan and Haider Ali

Danyal Rasool09-Apr-2021

Big picture

Given there is a certain other tournament that happens to coincide with this four-match series, South Africa against Pakistan at the Wanderers is unlikely to have global eyeballs fixed firmly upon it. One of the few T20I series longer than three games, it must have appeared, on paper, as the perfect appetizer ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year. These are two evenly-matched sides who have produced some of the most evenly-matched cricket in recent times, with the T20I series in Pakistan earlier in the year producing three enthralling clashes that had ebbs and flows usually only associated with cricket’s longer formats.When Pakistan edged South Africa out 2-1 two months back, South Africa’s squad was severely depleted as they attempted to rest up for a then scheduled Test series against Australia that eventually never ended up taking place. However, the then visitors will have been buoyed by the performances of what was effectively a second-string XI, and must have been confident they would get their first-choice XI back in the return leg with a more seasoned side.But this series’ clash with the IPL has exacted a heavy toll on the South Africans, five of whom are in India at the moment. To make matters worse, injuries have struck a number of those waiting in the wings to replace them, with Temba Bavuma and Dwaine Pretorius – who famously took 5 for 17 in Lahore in February – both ruled out. Rassie van der Dussen is also a doubt, while Reeza Hendricks has withdrawn due to the birth of his child this week.All this gives Pakistan a clear shot at stamping their authority in a country where their T20I series-winning streak ground to a halt in 2019, with the wheels coming off the hottest T20I run since the format’s inception. Two years on, Pakistan are a shadow of that dominant unit but will fancy themselves to avenge that defeat with a squad that has no real injury issues of its own. Shadab Khan’s absence is well covered by Usman Qadir, while Fakhar Zaman’s ODI form has earned him a recall for this format. Mohammad Hafeez, one of the key absences for Pakistan in the home series in February, is also available.The Pakistan bowlers likely to feature are mostly the same personnel who did the job in the ODI series, though should the visitors wrap this series up early, there might be the possibility of younger players being handed international experience. Nineteen-year-old Mohammad Wasim was one of the most impressive PSL prospects earlier this year, and is a part of the squad. As is Arshad Iqbal, who followed up a stellar PSL season last year with another distinguished campaign this time around. With the T20 World Cup fast approaching and the opposition down to bare bones before the series even begins, Pakistan may find they have the chance to flex their bench strength in a way few sides do in South Africa.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WLWWL
South Africa LWLLLKyle Verreynne will be looking to grab a spot in South Africa’s T20I side•AFP via Getty Images

In the spotlight

Kyle Verreynne hasn’t yet played a T20I match, but already seems like he will be one of the key hopes for this depleted South Africa side. The 23-year old has long been regarded as one of the stars of the future generation and in the few ODIs he has had the chance to play, he has shown why. His most recent game – the third ODI against Pakistan – saw him drag his side from a near-certain defeat to well within contention with a 53-ball 62. It is that sort of confidence in his abilities that has sparked comparisons with some of his more decorated countrymen over the years. His domestic T20 record isn’t quite as impressive as his first-class numbers, but if he’s looking to grab a spot in this side, this is an obvious chance.Sharjeel Khan looks set to return to Pakistan colours for the first time in four years. Few selections have been as contentious or had as many points of interest as the inclusion of the left-hand opener. There have been questions about his past as well as his fitness, but despite all the baggage Sharjeel brings with him, there is a reason Pakistan’s selectors have been so keen to welcome him back. Half a decade ago, he was among the most fearsome strikers of the ball, and that hasn’t changed in all these years. A glimpse of his power was on display at the PSL, where only Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan scored more runs than him, though neither could match his strike rate of 170.94. Against this severely-depleted South Africa attack, expect Sharjeel to go in all guns blazing.

Team news

For South Africa, this squad inherently means an uncertain XI. van der Dussen’s inclusion would be a major boost for an inexperienced middle order, while Aiden Markram, Andile Phehlukwayo and Wiaan Mulder have been called up as cover.South Africa (possible): 1 Janneman Malan, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Pite van Biljon, 4 Kyle Verreynne, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (capt & wk), 6 Andile Phehlukwayo, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 George Linde, 9 Beuran Hendricks, 10 Lizaad Williams, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi/Daryn DupavillonZaman, who wasn’t a part of the original T20I squad, might slot back straight into the side, while Haider Ali might be included after being overlooked for the ODIs. It is unlikely Pakistan will line up with two spinners at the Wanderers, so Zahid Mehmood might miss out.Pakistan (possible): 1 Sharjeel Khan/Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam (capt), 3 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 4 Haider Ali, 5 Mohammad Hafeez, 6 Asif Ali, 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Hasan Ali, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Haris Rauf/Mohammad Hasnain, 11 Usman Qadir

Pitch and conditions

This should be a high-scoring game, in line with the Wanderers’ reputation. Inclement weather is unlikely to make its presence felt.

Stats and trivia

• Mohammad Hafeez will become just the sixth player to feature in 100 T20Is should he play on Saturday. One Pakistani has achieved the feat so far – Shoaib Malik.
• The Wanderers is the venue of South Africa’s heaviest T20I defeat – a 107-run thumping against Australia last year.

Quotes

“They are a quality side. It’s nice playing against them. We need to win this series to get back at them. They’ve played good cricket against us.”

Ryan Burl’s counterattacking fifty and a screamer in the deep went in vain as his team couldn’t close the game out even after having Bangladesh at 60 for 6

The Report by Liam Brickhill13-Sep-2019On a dramatic evening in Dhaka, Bangladesh overpowered a spirited Zimbabwe to win a see-sawing opening match of the tri-series by three wickets. With little to separate the two teams, it was an 82-run seventh-wicket stand between Afif Hossain and Mosaddek Hossain that made the difference, setting up Bangladesh’s chase.Afternoon rain meant the start of the game was delayed by around two hours and reduced to 18 overs a side, but once play began the action was relentless. Taijul Islam became the very first Bangladesh bowler to strike with his first ball on T20I debut and Zimbabwe’s middle order crumpled before Ryan Burl and Tinotenda Mutombodzi patched up the innings, Burl launching a blistering attack on Shakib Al Hasan to register his maiden T20I fifty.Zimbabwe had been 63 for 5 before their stand, and Bangladesh slipped to an even more perilous 60 for 6 before Afif and Mosaddek launched their game-changing counter attack. Afif charged to a maiden fifty of his own, and Bangladesh got over the line with two balls to spare.Taijul’s perfect startTaijul clearly enjoys playing against Zimbabwe at this ground. In just the third Test of his career, he took what remains a career-best 8 for 39 against them in October 2014. Two months later, he made his ODI debut at this ground, against the same opponents, and became the first bowler ever to take a hat-trick on debut. So there was always going to be a good chance that he would make an impact once again when Shakib tossed him the ball to bowl the second over of the innings.Taijul didn’t disappoint, drawing an injudicious heave from Brendan Taylor with his very first delivery. The ball skewed off the top edge and looped up to be easily pouched by Mahmudullah at short third man.Some trademark biffing from Hamilton Masakadza helped Zimbabwe to overcome the early loss of Taylor, with sweeps orthodox, reverse, paddled and slogged to reap boundaries on both sides of the wicket. The fifty came up in the seventh over, but then came a mini-collapse
as four wickets fell in the space of four overs. Mustafizur Rahman struck in his first over, Mohammad Saifuddin his second, and Mosaddek nipped Sean Williams out with his first ball. When Timycen Maruma was needlessly run out, Zimbabwe were in serious strife at 63 for 5.The Ryan and Tino showBefore today, Burl and Mutombodzi had played a combined 13 T20Is between them, and neither will have registered as threats on Bangladesh’s radar. Neither looked like turning the innings around as they groped and poked their way through probing overs from spin and seam alike in the middle of the innings. With four overs to go and time swiftly running out, Burl finally found his range, crunching Mustafizur over wide long-on and then paddling him to fine leg.Then came an onslaught the likes of which Shakib had never before experienced as Burl took on the world’s leading limited-overs allrounder – and won. Favouring the leg side, Burl unfurled an array of attacking strokes as 30 runs flowed from the over, the most Shakib has ever conceded in this format. Burl raised his maiden T20I fifty and Mutombodzi joined the party in the next over, crunching a meaty blow over cow corner. Together they had successfully repaired Zimbabwe’s innings with an 81-run stand: a Zimbabwean record in this format.Bangladesh’s top order collapseAfter Williams’ left-arm spin opened the chase, Masakadza brought on the quicks, put himself at slip, and kept himself there even as both Kyle Jarvis and Tendai Chatara over-stepped and gave away Free Hits in their first overs. Masakadza, nevertheless, kept his faith in his quicks, even as Bangladesh cruised to 26 for 0. Then came a collapse that put Zimbabwe’s wobble earlier in the evening in the shade, as four wickets fell in the space of 10 deliveries, with Jarvis and Chatara picking up two apiece.The Afif and Mosaddek showWhen Burl put himself back into the action by taking a blinder of a catch in the deep to get rid of Sabbir Rahman, Bangladesh were six down in the 10th over and increasingly rudderless. Enter Afif, just 19 years old, barely over five feet tall and possessed of a rake thin frame that belied wrists of steel and an unflinching temperament.Afif slapped the very first ball he faced from Madziva, who had his tail up after an early strike, straight back over the bowler’s head and continued in much the same vein. Williams was immediately dispatched for 15 runs off his second over, and Mosaddek followed Afif’s lead by swiping a brace of sixes off Burl’s legspin. A run rate that had been creeping up towards 10 was brought back close to a run a ball by two extraordinarily deft boundaries – ramped over short third man, and then scooped over short fine leg – off Jarvis.As the match slipped out of Zimbabwe’s grasp, sloppiness crept into their fielding effort, and Afif brought up a 24-ball fifty thanks to a fluffed run-out chance by Chatara. With three needed from the last five deliveries, Masakadza held onto a stinger in the covers to finally see the back of Afif, but Saifuddin walked in and tonked the second ball he faced cleanly to midwicket to bring a breathless match to an end, much to the enjoyment of the fans who had packed the stands despite the early rain.

While Shikhar Dhawan is set to return after an injury lay-off, Harbhajan Singh will lead Punjab in his first match of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2016 Harbhajan to lead Punjab on returnHarbhajan Singh will lead Punjab in the Group A match against Tamil Nadu in Nagpur in his first Ranji Trophy game of the season; the offspinner will be returning to the squad after a long personal break. Harbhajan will take over as captain from Yuvraj Singh, who will miss the matches against Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (starts from November 29) due to his wedding. Punjab are currently fourth in Group A with 16 points. Yuvraj is among the top five run-scorers this season with 672 runs, including a career-best 260 against Baroda, in five matches at an average of 84. “I am [still motivated],” Yuvraj told . “I got a career-best 260 just weeks ago. I’m not through with the game.”Gambhir set to lead DelhiHaving been released from the India squad, Gautam Gambhir is set to lead Delhi in their Ranji Trophy fixture against Rajasthan in Wayanad. Fast bowler Ishant Sharma was named the 16th member of the squad, although he is likely to stay with the national team as cover. Shikhar Dhawan, however, is a certain starter in the Delhi XI, having recovered from a thumb injury he sustained in the only Test he played against New Zealand, in Kolkata. Dhawan will be keen to prove his fitness in domestic cricket, in line with national coach Anil Kumble’s policy, and press his case for the hotly-contested opening spots.Mishra boost for HaryanaLegspinner Amit Mishra is set to turn out for Haryana in their Group C fixture against Goa in Ghaziabad after being released from the Test squad. Mishra picked three wickets in the first Test against England and his economy rate was over four runs per over in both innings. He was dropped for the second Test in Vishakhapatnam, and instead his Haryana team-mate Jayant Yadav was handed a debut. The match against Goa will be Mishra’s first Ranji game since February 2015. Haryana are currently placed second, behind Andhra, in Group C with 19 points from six matches.Vinay targets India returnKarnataka captain Vinay Kumar, who went past 400 first-class wickets with a nine-wicket haul in Karnataka’s 393-run win over Rajasthan, has now set his sights on a return to the national side. Vinay has made 41 appearances for India, with the last one in an ODI against Australia in Bangalore three years ago. “I am not going to be satisfied with this [400 first-class wickets] as my main goal is to make a comeback to Indian team,” Vinay told . ” I am feeling much better even though I am 32. Age is just a number. I will keep working on my batting and bowling and try to keep myself fit. I am never going to give up.”Krishna, Mathias included in Karnataka squadSeamers David Mathias and Prasidh Krishna have been called-up to the Karnataka squad for their Group B clash against Orissa in Delhi, with Abhimanyu Mithun still recuperating from injury. Mathias played two Ranji Trophy games last season, while Krishna is yet to make his debut in the tournament. Left-arm spinner Abrar Kazi, meanwhile, replaced J Suchith in a like-for-like swap. Karnataka are currently on top of the Group B table with 29 points.

England selector Mick Newell praised the unyielding virtues of Haseeb Hameed and predicted a Test future as Lancashire held out at Trent Bridge

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge06-Jul-2016
ScorecardHaseeb Hameed’s unyielding style won a new fan in England selector Mick Newell•Getty Images

Lancashire’s resilience secured them a draw that is enough to take them back level on points with Warwickshire and ahead by virtue of having won one match more, although now behind Middlesex following their win at Scarborough. Nonetheless, at the halfway stage of the season, it is a position with which they are understandably delighted.They were helped by a docile pitch that was of little real help to any of the bowlers, to the frustration of the legspinner Imran Tahir, to whom Nottinghamshire were looking in particular to lift them out of the doldrums. They are without a win since the opening match of the season.Nonetheless, for all that conditions were not as testing as they might have been, Lancashire still had to pass a test of patience and concentration to come through. Five down at tea and only 51 in front, they lost their sixth wicket soon afterwards as Tahir winkled out Karl Brown for his only success but Steven Croft and Jordan Clark used up another 20 overs before Nottinghamshire made another breakthrough. Lancashire had a lead of 108 and 11 overs remained when handshakes were offered.Croft’s 141-ball 34 was a gutsy, captain’s effort, although it was the opening partnership between Tom Smith and Haseeb Hameed that was the key factor in saving the game. Nottinghamshire needed to part them early but it was almost an hour before Harry Gurney found some extra bounce to have Smith caught at first slip off the shoulder of the bat and there were no further losses before lunch.By then there had been confirmation that their young opener, Hameed, has the attributes required for such circumstances in abundance as he completed a second hundred in three matches.The 19-year-old from Bolton, who delivered an innings of similar match-saving qualities against Surrey in only his third appearance last season, continued until he had batted for almost six and a half hours for a career-best 122, his dismissal coming not until mid-afternoon, more than 24 hours after the innings began on Tuesday.Until that point he had made barely a mistake, certainly nothing that would offer much encouragement to the opposition. But then, faced with a change of bowler and possibly beginning to tire, he was drawn to play a good ball outside off stump and was caught behind.It was his second century in three matches, with an 89 in between. Only Alviro Petersen has made more Championship runs for Lancashire. Mick Newell, momentarily swapping his duties as Nottinghamshire spokesman for his England selector’s cap, described him as a player “born to open the batting in Test cricket.””He is a throwback,” Newell said. “An old fashioned type of cricketer who looks like he was made for Test cricket.”He’s gone out to bat 200 runs behind against bowlers of the quality of Stuart Broad and Imran Tahir and played exceptionally well. I thought he was absolutely terrific. I just hope that Test cricket lasts long enough for him to play!”The young right-hander admitted that taking on two such accomplished international bowlers was as tough a test as he has faced, revealing as he was asked questions that as well as batting with a maturity beyond his years he is as thoughtful and eloquent in his self-assessment, too, as someone much older.”It was a real challenge today against international players but to have that challenge motivates you and gives you that hunger to score runs because they mean more if it is against better opposition,” he said.”You could see how good they are in the spells they bowled. Broad came back with the new ball and got two quick wickets and we have seen in the past that once he gets a couple of wickets he can go through a side.”His patience and ability to concentrate for long periods come naturally, he says. “It is not something I’ve worked towards, it is the way I have always played,” he said.Taking the new ball at lunch, when Lancashire had eradicated their first innings deficit but only just, Nottinghamshire’s hopes were raised when Broad dismissed Luke Procter and Alviro Petersen in the space of four balls to leave Lancashire effectively 15-3 and when Brett Hutton followed up his dismissal of Hameed by having Liam Livingstone caught at mid-on they were five down and just 35 ahead.Time was always against Nottinghamshire achieving a win, even after a stunning catch by Brendan Taylor at short leg helped Tahir remove Brown just after tea.Yet Newell, switching to his Nottinghamshire director of cricket perspective, saw encouraging signs.”There have been parallels with last season in that we have reached the halfway stage looking back at games in which we haven’t batted well enough and not been able to fight back when we have been under the pump,” he said.”But I can’t fault us for effort and commitment and the skill we have shown over these four days. I can’t think of a dropped catch and in terms of batting and bowling we dominated the game.”Now we have to maintain this standard. That’s our challenge because we’ve only got six games left and others have more, and we’re in the bottom three. We do need quite a lot more points.”

South Africa had been frustrated by the wet weather in Dhaka, more so because their side is still in transition and they need more game time to figure out their best XI

Firdose Moonda27-Jul-2015Dale Steyn has played street soccer and been taken out for supper by Shakib al Hasan. Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada have been watching horror movies and Hashim Amla has entertained some of his younger crop – Simon Harmer, Dean Elgar and Dane Vilas. But none of that has left South Africa any happier with their lot in Bangladesh.”It’s very frustrating for us at the moment, especially after Chittagong, it looks like the rain followed us here or it’s been here as well,” Elgar said at what was supposed to be a team training session in Dhaka.Wet weather meant the South African practice had to be moved indoors, which extended their cabin fever to a fourth day after two from the first Test were washed out as well. With more rain forecast for the week, it’s little wonder Elgar could not find a silver lining.”It looks like we are never going to play cricket again here,” he said.If the second Test scheduled for Thursday struggles to get underway, South Africa will only have played eight out of a possible 15 days of international cricket on their five-week tour of Bangladesh. And they will leave with a lot of unfinished business.Apart from a series victory, which South Africa will be going after with some gusto should play take place, they will also want to establish which players to take to India – their next, and perhaps most important, Test assignment this year. There, South Africa will not want to be a team in transition, as they are now in Bangladesh. But without sufficient match time in Mirpur, they may not have another choice.South Africa will be heartened by Harmer’s claim for the specialist spinner’s role but may still want to turn to Dane Piedt, or Aaron Phangiso, or Eddie Leie. They will be satisfied in the way Temba Bavuma stepped up but may not know where they can fit him, especially when AB de Villiers returns. They will also be impressed with Stiaan van Zyl’s first attempt in the opening role but may have wanted to see more of him.At least on that last count, they can rely on Elgar’s assessment: “Stiaan is very new to the opening berth and I see where I can assist and help him. He is a very talented player,” Elgar said. “There’s no added pressure irrespective of the guys who have retired – Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen. What they have done was awesome but it’s time for myself and Stiaan to put our hands up and make the position ours.”With regards to South Africa’s prospects in the Mirpur Test, Elgar said a big first innings total may be the only way to beat the weather. “In the subcontinent, the first innings seems to be quite important for both teams and batting once is an ideal but we understand there’s a lot of hard work that goes into doing that,” he said. “It takes a lot of pressure off the side and then you can just go out and express yourselves with the ball.”Elgar admitted South Africa did not “execute well,” enough to do that in Chittagong, but said if they improve on that it could create the canvas for the bowlers to colour. “Our bowlers are experienced enough to get 20 wickets in these conditions. We definitely have the best bowlers around at the moment,” he said.Unless the rain stops, all of that will just be talk; something South Africa generally prefer not to do when it comes to cricket. They also prefer to disconnect from the daily drag of the game, as Steyn did when went out to play football with no cricket possible.”It’s very important to switch off from the game totally so when you have your time off you try and not think about cricket too much,” Elgar said. “When it’s practice and game time, you switch back on. You can’t be playing the game in your head the whole time. It’s quite exhausting when you are always thinking about the game.”And so far on this wet old tour, South Africa are becoming experts in exactly the opposite.