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It’s been a dozen years since his debut, but the Australia captain admits he’s still coming to grips with the format

Firdose Moonda11-Oct-20231:39

Cummins: ‘It’s a clash of two very similar teams’

The strategies involved in structuring a spell in ODIs still present Pat Cummins with a conundrum he is keen to conquer, 12 years after making his debut in the format. That may seem a strange takeaway from an engagement with an Australian captain under some pressure after his team’s defeat to India and their struggles against spin, but it’s a small example of a bigger picture that we will be talking about all tournament: the future of this format.We don’t even need to go through the proposals to scrap bilateral ODIs and confine the format to World Cups only, because in Cummins, we have a ready example. He had only played 19 matches between the last World Cup and this one; and including Australia’s defeat to India in their World Cup opener this time, he has played only three this year, and just 78 across a dozen years. The consequence is that it has taken him longer than it may otherwise have to feel confident in his tactical approach to ODIs.”Early in my career, I found it a hard balance between Test cricket and T20, and I was getting too funky,” Cummins said at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, the day before Australia prepared to play South Africa. “With one-day cricket, your roles can be very different – from being an opening bowler with a ball that swings, to coming on first change and maybe bowling cross-seamers where you are trying to defend and get your wickets through pressure. It’s a different kind of challenge to the other formats.”Related

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It is also what Cummins called “the most physically taxing” of the three formats, because as we know from the ICC slogan – it really, truly takes one day. One. Whole. Day. Although the duration of a Test and the intensity of an T20 can’t be matched in an ODI, the amount of time spent on the feet and the kilometres run in the legs will be more than both the other versions of the game.”The biggest challenge is that you’ve got ten overs [to bowl]. It’s quite a physical format,” Cummins said of ODIs. “I find it the most physically taxing if you are doing two or three games in a week. We are doing 15k (kilometres) in a 50-over match.”And then there’s the trade-off between consistency and creativity that must come into play in one-day cricket, where some level of patience is required alongside a touch of all-out attack.”In T20, if you bowl one really good over that can be match-winning. But in one-day cricket, it’s not normally the case,” Cummins said. “And it’s rare that conditions are in the bowlers’ favour, which is fine. It’s just a challenge you’ve got to try and deal with. It’s tough but I do enjoy it.”Cummins expects at least one of those things will get easier on Thursday, when he thinks there will be pace and bounce on offer on a surface that remains something of a mystery. Only four ODIs have been played at the Ekana Stadium so far, with the highest score batting first being 249 in a full 50-over innings. Three of those ODIs were played in 2019, with one held last October, but the pitches have since been dug up and relaid.On Thursday, Australia play South Africa in Lucknow, where the pitches have been dug up and relaid•Getty Images

Cummins also feels his own form is “in as good a place as it’s ever been”, and backs himself to be “almost be prepared for anything”, including maybe “death bowling”. Against a South Africa line-up that is in good form, he also expects that he may have to try “to create a wicket out of nothing”, even as unorthodoxy is also something he has been working on.All that does not take away from his inexperience as ODI captain – since being named ODI captain in October last year, he has played only five out of Australia’s 15 ODIs – and the problems Australia have to solve in the middle overs. That’s where they lost the game against India, after they slipped from 110 for 2 in the 28th over to 199 all out.It’s something the batting group, under the guidance of Andy Flower, who has also been Lucknow Super Giants’ coach – the IPL team whose home ground is the Ekana Stadium – have been discussing, and much like Cummins’ own conclusions about bowling, it’s a balance between formats they’re seeking.”It’s no secret that the [middle-overs] period of the game seems to be the most important in one-day cricket,” Cummins said. “How do we create partnerships? If they’re bowling well, how do we shift the pressure back on to their bowlers, and try and force their hand to make some changes? It’s a real delicate balance in one-day cricket of not taking huge risks, but it’s not like Test cricket where you can wait it out. You have to keep the run rate ticking over.”The middle overs are also thought to be the hill on which ODI cricket may die, unless the narrative that unfolds in that passage is captivating even if nuanced. As Cummins hinted, those overs are the Goldilocks of the game where players are required to not do too much of one thing or too little of another, and for Australia, it’s about finding out how much is just right.

Player retentions for eight teams confirmed ahead of draft in March

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Feb-2024Jason Roy, Dawid Malan and Amy Jones are among the England players who will on the block in next month’s draft for the 2024 Hundred, after player retentions for the eight teams were confirmed.Roy was one of the most high-profile names among those released, having helped Oval Invincibles to win the men’s competition last year. Roy averaged 17.11 with a strike rate of 128.33 and his expected involvement in Major League Cricket – which will clash with the Hundred in 2024 – is likely to have been a factor. Invincibles also opted not to retain two of their overseas players, Sunil Narine and Heinrich Klaasen, both of whom featured in the first edition of MLC.There will, however, be an overlap of talent at the Hundred and MLC, with Rashid Khan (Trent Rockets), Finn Allen (Southern Brave), Haris Rauf (Welsh Fire), Adam Zampa and Spencer Johnson (both Oval Invincibles) all retained for this summer despite their involvement in the US, and other names likely to appear in the final draft list, which will be confirmed on Monday.Related

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Malan and Tom Kohler-Cadmore were among the top earners at Trent Rockets but both will go back into the pool, as will Tom Banton, who was not retained by Northern Superchargers. Ollie Pope, who has an ECB red-ball central contract, was not retained by Welsh Fire.In the women’s competition, where the three highest pay bands have received a significant boost, there will be seven spots to fill in the top £50,000 bracket. Jones, England’s first-choice wicketkeeper, was let go by Birmingham Phoenix, while the retirements of Katherine Sciver-Brunt and Anya Shrubsole have opened up spaces at Rockets and Southern Brave respectively.Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine (both Phoenix), Marizanne Kapp (Invincibles), Phoebe Litchfield (Superchargers), Hayley Matthews and Shabnim Ismail (both Fire) are among the overseas players who will be coming back.In all, 137 players have been retained – men’s teams could retain up to 10 players, women’s teams eight – with 75 spots to be filled via the draft on the March 20. Northern Superchargers, who finished last in 2023, will have the first pick in the men’s draft, with Birmingham Phoenix starting things off in the women’s.Teams will each have one Right-to-Match card at their disposal, allowing them to re-sign a player who was in their squad last year, as long as they match the salary band of the rival team bidding in the draft.The Hundred will get going on July 23 with a double-header at The Oval and run for four weeks, with the finals to be held at Lord’s on August 18.

Retained players

Birmingham Phoenix Women: Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Issy Wong, Emily Arlott, Hannah Baker, Sterre Kalis, Charis PavelyBirmingham Phoenix Men: Chris Woakes, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Ben Duckett, Benny Howell, Adam Milne, Jamie Smith, Will Smeed, Tom Helm, Jacob BethellLondon Spirit Women: Heather Knight, Grace Harris, Danielle Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sarah Glenn, Georgia Redmayne, Sophie Munro, Tara NorrisLondon Spirit Men: Zak Crawley, Nathan Ellis, Dan Lawrence, Dan Worrall, Liam Dawson, Adam Rossington, Olly Stone, Matt Critchley, Daniel Bell-DrummondManchester Originals Women: Sophie Ecclestone, Laura Wolvaardt, Emma Lamb, Mahika Gaur, Fi Morris, Kathryn Bryce, Ellie Threlkeld, Liberty HeapManchester Originals Men: Jos Buttler, Jamie Overton, Phil Salt, Paul Walter, Tom Hartley, Usama Mir, Wayne Madsen, Josh Tongue, Max Holden, Fred Klaassen, Mitchell StanleyNorthern Superchargers Women: Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Bess Heath, Linsey Smith, Alice Davidson-Richards, Hollie Armitage, Marie KellyNorthern Superchargers Men: Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, Harry Brook, Reece Topley, Matthew Short, Brydon Carse, Adam Hose, Matthew Potts, Callum Parkinson, Ollie RobinsonOval Invincibles Women: Marizanne Kapp, Alice Capsey, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Tash Farrant, Mady Villiers, Paige Schofield, Sophia Smale, Ryana MacDonald-GayOval Invincibles Men: Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Will Jacks, Adam Zampa, Jordan Cox, Gus Atkinson, Sam Billings, Saqib Mahmood, Spencer Johnson, Nathan Sowter, Tawanda MuyeyeSouthern Brave Women: Danni Wyatt, Chloe Tryon, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Freya Kemp, Georgia Adams, Rhianna Southby, Mary TaylorSouthern Brave Men: Jofra Archer, James Vince, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Leus Du Plooy, Rehan Ahmed, Craig Overton, Finn Allen, George Garton, Alex DaviesTrent Rockets Women: Nat Sciver-Brunt, Alana King, Bryony Smith, Kirstie Gordon, Alexa Stonehouse, Grace PottsTrent Rockets Men: Joe Root, Rashid Khan, Alex Hales, Lewis Gregory, Luke Wood, John Turner, Sam Hain, Sam CookWelsh Fire Women: Hayley Matthews, Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail, Tammy Beaumont, Georgia Elwiss, Sarah Bryce, Freya Davies, Emily WindsorWelsh Fire Men: Jonny Bairstow, David Willey, Joe Clarke, Haris Rauf, Tom Abell, David Payne, Glenn Phillips, Luke Wells, Roelof Van der Merwe, Stephen Eskinazi, Chris Cook

India batter had signed for county in 2023 only to win recall for World Test Championship final

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2024India batter Ajinkya Rahane has signed to play the second half of the county season with Leicestershire. He will be available for the club’s One-Day Cup campaign as well as five County Championship matches.Rahane, 36, had agreed to join Leicestershire last summer before winning a recall to India’s Test team for the World Test Championship final. He then went on the Test tour of the West Indies and subsequently did not play for the county in 2023.”We are thrilled to welcome someone of Ajinkya’s quality to Leicestershire,” Claude Henderson, Leicestershire’s director of cricket, said. “It was unfortunate that Ajinkya’s schedule didn’t quite work with ours last year, but it’s a massive boost to have secured his services for the business end of this season.”He holds immense experience and vital leadership qualities, which will be hugely beneficial to the team alongside his run-scoring ability. Ajinkya’s arrival also presents a fantastic opportunity for our batters to learn from one of the game’s best.”Rahane played both of India’s Tests in the Caribbean last July but has not featured since. He has scored more than 13,000 runs in first-class cricket, at an average of 45.76, and another 6475 at 39.72 in List A.His arrival in mid-July will cover for the expected departure of South Africa allrounder Wiaan Mulder on international duty, and help strengthen Leicestershire’s defence of the One-Day Cup that they memorably lifted last September.Rahane said: “I’m really excited to have another opportunity to come to Leicestershire. I’ve built a strong rapport with Claude and [head coach] Alfonso [Thomas], and I’m looking forward to playing for the club this summer.”I followed the team’s results last year and was very impressed with what I saw. I’m hoping to enjoy my cricket and contribute to more success for the club this season.”

Legspinner released from tour squad to manage workload ahead of busy rest of winter

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2024Jafer Chohan, the Yorkshire legspinner, is to return home from England’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean before he has had a chance to make his international debut, with the team management choosing instead to manage his workload ahead of the forthcoming Lions tour of South Africa.Chohan, 22, made history last month when he became the first graduate of the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) to be named in an England squad. Launched in 2021 by Dr Tom Brown, the academy aimed to remedy the under-representation of British South Asian players in the professional game, with Chohan’s opportunity with Yorkshire arising after he had been released by Middlesex as a 17-year-old in 2019.Chohan will not, however, be making the step-up to England international status just yet. Instead, he will fly home on Monday, with the rest of the squad relocating from Barbados to St Lucia, having last night taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series, following a comfortable seven-wicket win.In addition to the Lions tour, which takes place from November 20 to December 14 and will be Andrew Flintoff’s first outing as head coach, Chohan is also due to play for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, with that tournament commencing on December 15.Related

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His release from England’s white-ball squad is a reflection of the T20I team’s current success, as well as the wealth of spin options already available to Jos Buttler and Marcus Trescothick, the interim head coach.In addition to Adil Rashid, Chohan’s mentor at Yorkshire, with whom he has been working in the nets for the past fortnight, England also have Rehan Ahmed waiting in the wings as a back-up legspinner, plus Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Dan Mousley and Will Jacks in the current starting XI.Nevertheless, his fast-tracking into the England set-up remains a notable achievement, given the distance he has come since 2022, when he was playing National Counties cricket for Berkshire.”SACA helped me a hell of a lot,” he told ESPNcricinfo in the wake of his call-up. “I felt like my game was in a pretty good place, but there’s no real way in, once I got out of the system. It was really tough to think, ‘Okay, I want to become a pro cricketer, how can I actually do it?’ And SACA provided that opportunity for me.”

He is still recovering from an ankle injury picked up in January and remains a doubt for the white-ball tour of New Zealand after the Champions Trophy

Danyal Rasool07-Feb-2025Pakistan opening batter Saim Ayub has been confirmed out for at least another five weeks owing to injury; he continues his rehabilitation from the ankle injury he sustained in South Africa in January. It further confirms that he will not be available for the Champions Trophy, which runs until March 9, and the extent of his involvement in Pakistan’s white-ball series in New Zealand after that remains uncertain.A PCB statement said Ayub was “progressing well in his right ankle fracture injury”. He remains in England, where he will complete the remainder of his rehabilitation, and has been ruled out for 10 weeks from the time of his injury, which he picked up while fielding in the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town five weeks ago.Ayub had to be stretchered off the pitch in just the seventh over of the match, when Ryan Rickelton edged a delivery through the slips, sending Ayub off on a chase to deep third alongside Aamer Jamal. Jamal pulled it back in as Ayub stood poised to be the relay fielder, but lost his balance and twisted his ankle. He went down immediately and appeared in anguish holding the lower part of his leg as the physio rushed on.Related

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Despite prolonged treatment outside the boundary line, Ayub was unable to put any weight on his right ankle, and appeared to be in tears as he was placed on to a stretcher and taken off. He was later seen on crutches in the medical booth.The PCB initially said he would be ruled out for six weeks, which offered some hope of his availability for the Champions Trophy, which Pakistan host. Last week the board announced the squad for the tournament, with Ayub absent from it.A week after the Champions Trophy final, Pakistan embark upon an eight-match white-ball tour of New Zealand, playing five T20Is and three ODIs between 16 March and 5 April. The Pakistan Super League starts on 8 April.

Pakistan team director believes Shan Masood captained well overall and blamed his side’s fielding for their 0-3 series defeat

Danyal Rasool06-Jan-2024Shan Masood’s communication skills have garnered plenty of praise throughout his career, but this afternoon in Sydney, it seemed no one could quite understand him.After Australia were set 130 to win the final Test, Pakistan didn’t turn to the series’ joint-leading wicket-taker Aamer Jamal all morning. It was only after lunch that, with Australia needing 33 to win with nine wickets in hand and all jeopardy squeezed out of the game that Masood tossed him the ball in the 20th over.It was a decision team director Mohammad Hafeez appeared to slightly distance himself from, saying he believed Jamal should have bowled earlier. However, he also stressed Pakistan understood the importance of bowling offspin on a wicket that was beginning to take plenty of turn, and backed Masood to take on-field calls. Offspinner Sajid Khan opened the bowling and took a wicket in his first over, as well as another one shortly before Australia wrapped up an eight-wicket win.Related

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“It’s up to the captain,” Hafeez said after the game, talking about the bowling plans. “All bowlers were available but it’s the captain’s tactic. We wanted to bowl more from the offspinner because this track can offer a lot from the far end but the rest is up to [Masood]. Tactically, I think Jamal should have bowled earlier, but inside the field, the captain is the best judge so you have to back that up.”In truth, the decision to overlook Jamal will go down as a curious detail in a match where Pakistan’s advantage had been squandered in other areas and phases of the game, most notably a madcap final hour on the third day when they lost five wickets for nine runs to slump from 58 for 2 to 67 for 7. Pakistan frequently found themselves on the wrong end of those sorts of frenetic passages with huge swings of momentum, especially in the last two Tests.In Melbourne, Pakistan found themselves at 124 for one in response to Australia’s first innings score of 318, but lost the next five wickets for 46 runs. In the second innings, the visitors reduced Australia to 16 for 4 in the second innings, before dropping a vital Mitchell Marsh catch early only for him to take the target out of sight. The following day, Pakistan were 98 runs away from chasing down the total with half the side intact but lost 5 wickets for 18 runs to slip to a painful defeat.Sajid Khan did take two wickets but it wasn’t enough•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

In this Test, Pakistan had the momentum after skittling Australia’s final five for just 10 runs that gave them a slender first-innings lead, only for a Josh Hazlewood-inspired bowling attack to wrest back those losses.”We learned hard lessons,” Hafeez said. “As a team, we had our moments but we couldn’t grab those. We perhaps didn’t [deserve] 3-0, as a team I think we did some really good things this series, but we couldn’t win the crucial moments of the game and that’s the reason for the 3-0. We lost the series, but watching the talent of the players is what made me say we could compete right from the start. We’ve seen some glimpses of it. There were certain moments in these games that we should have grabbed because they can make a difference, especially in Melbourne when they were 16 for 4. It could have been a situation where we needed to chase just 140-150 but it ended up above 300.”Even here, we dropped some catches. Mitchell Marsh was dropped by Saim Ayub. We didn’t drop catches, we dropped the winning moments of the game. That is the negative side of our team: our fielding. We need to really work hard on this. The coaches worked really hard on it but when the players went inside they couldn’t respond accordingly. This is the one area I believe we need to work on.”It was hard to miss the cosy congeniality that formed a recurring theme in this series. Both sides’ players have spoken about the relationships that were built when Australia went to Pakistan in early 2022 to play series in all three formats, and over the last month, those relationships have sustained. Pakistan’s players presented gift baskets and sweets for the Australian players’ children on Christmas Day, with players and families interacting with easy familiarity. Pakistan formed a guard of honour for David Warner in Sydney in both innings, applauded him off the field and presented him with Babar Azam’s playing top signed by the whole team.”Playing the cricket with the right spirit of the game [was a positive],” Hafeez said. “Our captain led the side very well. He made correct calls at important times. It’s not just about your cricket, it’s about how you behave as an ambassador. I think he did most of the things correctly.”But the cold, hard facts remain unchanged. Pakistan may have competed more ably than in any of the six series they have now been successively whitewashed in against Australia away, but that streak – now stretched to 17 – remains stubbornly unbreakable. And though Australia were pushed closer than most people – even in Pakistan – might have expected given the visitors’ depleted bowling attack, the appetite for drawing consolation in Australia from what-ifs and so-nearly’s has begun to wear thin.

The pair scored centuries to set up a match-winning total of 334

Abhimanyu Bose03-Sep-20231:21

Jaffer: ‘Kind of a complete game for Bangladesh’

Bangladesh bounced back from their defeat against Sri Lanka with a much-improved batting display to thump Afghanistan and secure a spot in the Super Fours of Asia Cup 2023.Centuries from the in-form Najmul Hossain Shanto and makeshift opener Mehidy Hasan Miraz helped Bangladesh post an imposing 334 for 5 before Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam helped bowl Afghanistan out for 245.Shanto followed up his fighting 89 against Sri Lanka with a brisk second ODI century, while Mehidy posted his highest score in the format before retiring hurt due to cramps in his left arm.Mehidy, opening the batting for the first time in ODIs since the 2018 Asia Cup final, took his time to get in and it was Mohammad Naim who dominated the powerplay.Naim took the attack to the bowlers from the first over, slapping Fazalhaq Farooqi’s second delivery through point for the first boundary of the match.Bangladesh were ticking along at around a run a ball for the powerplay and almost completed it without taking any damage but for a terrific googly from Mujeeb Ur Rahman that turned past Naim’s outside edge to crash into his off stump.Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took the game away from Afghanistan•AFP via Getty Images

Surprisingly, it was Towhid Hridoy who came out at No. 3 ahead of Shanto, but Shanto did not have to wait long to get in the action as Hridoy was out second ball, edging Gulbadin Naib to first slip.Shanto took six deliveries to get off the mark, with a boundary through the leg side, and then found his rhythm, hitting Naib for back-to-back fours. Mehidy and Shanto proceeded to wear Afghanistan down with a 194-run partnership off 190 deliveries before Mehidy retired hurt.Afghanistan’s star spinner, Rashid Khan, hurt himself while fielding and was introduced only in the 17th over. He started with a maiden but bowled only four overs in his first spell and was reintroduced for a second spell in the 32nd over.Bangladesh had injury concerns of their own, with Mehidy struggling throughout the innings and Shanto also pulling up while completing a run, but both batters fought on in the Lahore heat. Mehidy reached his half-century in the 24th over; Shanto pulled Farooqi for a six in the 31st to get to his.Mehidy got to his century off 115 deliveries, scampering for a single after miscuing a pull off Naib. When Rashid came back for his third spell in the 42nd over, Shanto pulled him for two boundaries in a 12-run over. In the next, Mehidy went inside out to hit Mujeeb for a six over extra cover before physios had to come out to treat him for cramps. Mehidy left the field but Shanto, who had scored 89 against Sri Lanka, reached a 101-ball century in the same over.Rashid Khan went wicketless in his 10 overs•Associated Press

Shanto was run out for 104, having slipped while attempting a single after reverse-sweeping Mujeeb.Bangladesh carried the momentum into their defence of 335, with Shoriful Islam trapping Rahmanullah Gurbaz lbw with the fourth delivery of the second over. Shoriful could have had Gurbaz two balls earlier when rapped him on the pads with an inswinger but Bangladesh chose not to review the on-field not-out decision. It did not prove costly.Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah then put on a 78-run stand off 97 deliveries, but Rahmat taking 57 deliveries for his 33 meant the asking rate was rising with every over. Rahmat eventually fell to a slower one from Taskin that stayed low.Ibrahim tried to keep Afghanistan in the hunt with a 74-ball 75 but edged Hasan Mahmud and Mushfiqur Rahim took a brilliant one-handed catch diving to his right.Hashmatullah Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran picked up the tempo, adding 62 off 52 deliveries for the fourth wicket before Najibullah missed a swipe across the line and was bowled by Mehidy.Shoriful then had Shahidi caught at deep third before knocking Gulbadin Naib’s stumps for his third wicket. Taskin finished with four, claiming the wickets of Mohammad Nabi, Rashid and Mujeeb at the back end.

‘That was the slowest pitch a visiting team could ever play on in Australia,” Pakistan team director says

Danyal Rasool11-Dec-2023Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez has criticised the pitch and conditions laid out for Pakistan’s warm-up game in Canberra, saying he was “really surprised and disappointed by the arrangements.”Speaking to reporters at the WACA ground following Pakistan’s morning training session, Hafeez said Pakistan were excited by the challenge, but appeared particularly irked by the tour arrangements for game against the PM XI in Canberra, at one point implying it might have been tactical.”That was the slowest pitch a visiting team could ever play on in Australia,” he said. “As a team we are really happy with our preparations because we ticked most of the boxes.”Everyone knew [the pitch wasn’t what we wanted], so there was no point of saying it again and again and raising the issue with Cricket Australia. The disappointment was really high because we weren’t expecting these kinds of arrangements. Maybe it’s tactical but we’re ready for it. We’re not using it as an excuse, we’re absolutely ready for the challenges coming up.”The PM XI game has traditionally been a limited-overs game in the Australian capital city, but has been played as a four-day contest over the past two years. Only three days of play were possible, with a freak storm bringing an early conclusion to the game. Pakistan batted 116.2 overs and scored 391 for 9 before declaring. But on a noticeably slow surface, they toiled for 141 overs, managing just four wickets.Related

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The game being a proper first-class game meant they could only use eleven players, and were further reduced to ten when Abrar Ahmed went off with an injury that has now ruled him out of the first Test.While Hafeez – and Pakistan – were clearly upset by the variance between the conditions they wanted and the ones they got, the weather may have had a bigger say in it than any tactical considerations. There was significant rain in the lead-up to the game, to the extent the ground was underwater at one stage, so preparing a pitch to any particular specifications was always going to be a challenge. In addition, the Manuka Oval has historically tended to offer flat decks, with limited pace on offer. Recently, the outfield was relaid, and was also quite slow.But there were positives to take from the contest for Hafeez, most notably in the form of the new Pakistan captain Shan Masood’s innings. Masood scored an unbeaten 201 in an innings where none of his team-mates managed a half-century. Hafeez was particularly effusive about him and his abilities as a leader.”For me, seeing Shan become captain is no surprise” Hafeez said. “He was always ready for this role, and when you get this sort of opportunity, it shines. He’s a superb player, and as a leader, he’s got a great rapport with the players and a great relationship with the whole team. His experience as a captain and what he’s learned over the years – especially the couple of years he’s played county cricket – have all seen his management skills have come to the fore even more. What’s important is this is a confident unit that’s here and Shan is playing his role very well.Hafeez also insisted he wasn’t pointing out his disappointment with the Canberra surface as an excuse, saying he was confident this team had the ability to walk away with a series win. Pakistan have traditionally found playing in Australia harder than anywhere else, having lost their last 14 Tests on the bounce in the country, spanning five whitewashes.”This Test team is very settled. They’ve all done a great job for Pakistan cricket. Everyone is excited to take the challenge. Performing in Australia would be great for them. We are here to beat Australia, not just to compete.”As a team, we believe we have great talent within the team who can win in Australia. The guys are really hungry to perform in Australia. They wanted to take that excitement and challenge in the right spirit. The message the team conveyed is they want to beat Australia this time.”

Veteran recovers from horror drop at short third to take 4 for 21 with his knuckleballs

ECB Reporters Network18-Aug-2023Ravi Bopara went form villain to hero as London Spirit beat Northern Superchargers by 13 runs at Lord’s to keep alive their hopes of a place in the knockout stages.The veteran allrounder dropped a sitter of a catch early in Superchargers’ attempted chase of 161 but atoned – and then some – with ball in hand. He finished his spell with 4 for 21, including the prize wicket of Harry Brook for 44 from 24 balls – the youngster having played like a man scorned following his omission from England’s provisional World Cup squad earlier this week.Earlier, Adam Rossington made his second half-century in as many games, sharing a stand of 66 in 32 balls for the third wicket with Matthew Wade (42) as the home side posted 160 for 6. Adil Rashid took 2 for 18 and Reece Topley 2 for 20 for the visitors.Zak Crawley struck three fours before becoming Topley’s 11th victim of the tournament, caught at mid-on by David Wiese. The England man stood his ground but a check by the third umpire sent him on his way.Dan Lawrence didn’t stay long, bowled by Rashid attempting a reverse-sweep, but Rossington picked up where he’d left off against Oval Invincibles on Tuesday, unleashing a flurry of boundaries including a six into the Mound Stand off Wiese.The Essex wicketkeeper followed up with successive sixes off South African Wayne Parnell, the first a towering blow into the pavilion seats as his 50 came up in 25 balls. Rossington’s pyrotechnics inspired Wade, who sent one from Matthew Potts over the ropes in taking 18 from one set.Rossington though lost the strike and with it his rhythm and soon mishit Rashid into the hands of mid-wicket. Wade followed when Parnell trapped him in front and with that Spirit lost momentum, only a late six from Daryl Mitchell (34 from 19) taking them to 160.Under darkening skies, Lyth began by belting Dan Worrall into the stands but he should have been out for 8 when skying Jordan Thompson to Bopara at short third, only for the Sussex man to spill the regulation chance. To compound the error, Matthew Short sent the next ball into the crowd. Lyth then celebrated his reprieve with a second six off Worrall.Spirit’s ragged fielding gave Lyth a second life on 25, Nathan Ellis the culprit, but his luck ran out when he sent one from Liam Dawson into the hands of Thompson.Bopara though bowled a stunning opening set, first having Short caught in the deep before knocking Tom Banton’s off stump out of its groove. Unsurprisingly the allrounder was kept on for another set and promptly had Saif Zaib caught at short fine leg.All eyes were now on Brook who lofted one from Bopara into the crowd before crashing Thompson for three fours in a set. Critchley was treated with equal disdain, but Bopara returned to have Brook caught on the rope by Mitchell.Hose continued to swing valiantly, but when he fell to Ellis’s stunning diving catch, 24 from the final six proved too many as Ellis closed out the game, bowling 15 of the final 20 deliveries with a wet ball.

Hardik Pandya is expected to be available for Titans, while Kings will be tempted to field both Rabada and Livingstone

Sidharth Monga12-Apr-20236:30

Will Punjab stick with Ellis and bench Rabada?

Big picture: Gujarat Titans look to bounce back

Rinku Singh did to Gujarat Titans an extreme version of what they did to teams last year. In fact, their next opponents, Punjab Kings, last year had every reason to believe they had done enough when they got Hardik Pandya first ball of the last over with 18 still to get, but Rahul Tewatia won Titans the match with two sixes off the last two balls.When Titans come up against Kings in Mohali on Thursday, they will have to quickly bounce back from the five-sixes finish from Rinku, which lost them what seemed an unlosable game. Kings, coming off a loss themselves, will try to cash in on any residual effect of the defeat Titans suffered.On the line in this match is a ticket into the early top three. Both teams have won two games each in their first three matches. Titans have looked the more formidable side, but Kings will look to use their home advantage to the fullest.

Team news: Liam Livingstone is here

After a long wait, Liam Livingstone is finally in Mohali and training at the nets. If he plays, this will be his first formal cricket match since he jarred his knee on Test debut in Pakistan in December. He should take Matt Short’s place in the XI. There might be temptation to play Kagiso Rabada, but Nathan Ellis has not done badly at all. If they bat first, Kings could think of bringing one of them in as Impact Player.Hardik Pandya was unwell and missed the last match, but should be available for this encounter.3:34

Dhawan and the difficulty of being an anchor batter in T20s

Toss and Impact Player strategy

Punjab Kings
In the last match, Kings started without Sikandar Raza to see if they could squeeze in Rabada during the second innings. A collapse with the bat meant Raza had to be substituted in. Now, though, Livingstone’s arrival could make Kings go with a more conventional side.Probable bat-first XI: 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Sam Curran, 7 M Shahrukh Khan, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Arshdeep SinghProbable field-first XI: 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Sam Curran, 6 M Shahrukh Khan, 7 Harpreet Brar, 8 Rishi Dhawan, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Arshdeep Singh2:08

Moody: Vijay Shankar repaid Titans’ faith in him with an extraordinary performance

Gujarat Titans
Hardik should replace Abhinav Manohar in the bat-first XI while it remains to be seen if they show faith in Yash Dayal or give him a break after that fateful last over to Rinku. It is not a bad time to introduce the impressive left-arm spinner, R Sai Kishore. Their Impact Player scene seems sorted: Sai Sudharsan starts if they bat first, Josh Little if they field.Probable bat-first XI: 1 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 David Miller, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 R Sai KishoreProbable field-first XI: 1 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Hardik Pandya (capt), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 David Miller, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Josh Little, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 R Sai Kishore

Stats that matter

• Livingstone has scored 119 runs off 69 balls against Rashid Khan: an average of 30 and a strike rate of 173.
• Mohammed Shami has never dismissed Shikhar Dhawan, who strikes at 149 against him.
• At 70.5%, the Kings top three have made the second-biggest contribution to their team’s total this IPL, behind only Royal Challengers Bangalore.