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Opener completes the task of securing draw after rain wrecked day three

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay01-Aug-2025Kent 445 for 8 (Compton 221, Finch 54*) drew with Leicestershire 471 (Rehan 119, Patel 85) The Rothesay County Championship match between Division Two leaders Leicestershire and Kent at Canterbury ended in a draw, after the hosts reached 445 for eight on day four, trailing by 24 when bad light stopped play.Ben Compton hit a career-best 221 and Harry Finch made 54 not out, while Rehan Ahmed three for 134, but the chances of a positive result were effectively neutered on day three, when a mere 9.5 overs were bowled.Leicestershire remain top of the table, while Kent stay bottom.Conditions were significantly better on Friday morning but as soon as Kent passed the follow-on target of 321 a draw seemed inevitable.The nightwatch, George Garrett, survived 67 balls spread across days two, three and four but he was the first man out when he edged Logan van Beek to Louis Kimber for 10.The first shot of Ben Dawkins’ first-class career was a stylish drive that might have gone for four but for the slope, but he was out for seven, inside-edging Ben Green behind.Compton, 111 not out overnight, reached 150 in the penultimate over of the session when he cut Tom Scriven for four and Kent eased to 307 for four at lunch.Scriven subsequently had Joey Evison caught behind for 38, but an elegant sweep off Rehan saw Compton to 200. He took a single off Patel to pass his previous highest score of 217 and was finally out when he came down the wicket to Rehan and was stumped.Rehan then had Matt Parkinson lbw for two and Kent were 429 for eight at tea, after which Finch cover-drove Rishi Patel to bring up his half-century, but play was suspended at 4.40pm and both sides looked as eager as the umpires to shake hands on the draw.

Health, family, security behind Paul, Bravo, Hetmyer’s decisions

Nagraj Gollapudi04-Jun-2020Concerns about their families are understood to be the primary reason behind Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul declining to be part of the West Indies Test squad for the England tour. Both the prospect of leaving their families for seven weeks and concerns about how quickly they would be able to see them on their return to the Caribbean at the end of July are understood to be key factors in the players’ decisions, with uncertainty around the quarantine requirements that may be imposed by their respective governments.On Wednesday, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced a 25-man squad including 11 reserves for the three-Test series in England which is scheduled to start in Southampton on July 8 subject to the UK government’s approval. CWI said it “fully accepts and respects” the decision taken by Bravo, Hetmyer and Paul to opt out of the tour and would “certainly not hold it against” them in future selections.Talking to ESPNcricinfo, Johnny Grave, CWI chief executive, said that the board wanted players who were “comfortable” travelling without any “nagging doubts” as otherwise it might impact their performances. Grave said he totally understood the doubts and fears expressed by the three players after speaking with Bravo last Friday and receiving emails from the other two players over the weekend.Grave said Paul, the 22-year-old allrounder, wrote an email to CWI explaining how difficult a decision it was for him to not travel to England. “Keemo Paul is the sole breadwinner in his entire household and wider family,” Grave said. “He was really concerned if something happened to him how his family would cope.WATCH: CPL Life Stories: Keemo Paul on growing up in Saxacalli“He wrote a personal note to us to explain it was with a heavy heart that he had decided not to tour but that he just didn’t feel comfortable going to England. He wrote passionately about how hard a decision it was for him and how much he loves playing for West Indies, but with consultation with his family he doesn’t feel he can leave them and doesn’t want to go on the tour.”According Grave, Hetmyer said that he “didn’t feel comfortable from a safety point of view, leaving his home, leaving his family and heading over to England”. Paul and Hetmyer both come from Guyana, where the number of Covid-19 cases is under 200.As for Bravo, who lives in Trinidad, Grave said he was concerned about the situation in the UK. “Darren Bravo had concerns about his health and any consequences that it may have on his young family. He also mentioned he made his decision with great remorse as it was always a huge honour for him to play for West Indies. So, yes, perfectly valid reasons and the ones that we fully respect. We were never going to force or try to coerce and we didn’t ask them to reconsider.”Bravo, Hetmyer and Paul are centrally-contracted, all-format players. Among the three, only Hetmyer has consistently featured in the Test team since his debut in 2017, but all three have struggled with form in the last year. Last year, Bravo managed just 106 runs at an average of 13.25 which included the two-Test series against India. The selectors dropped him for the one-off Test against Afghanistan with chief selector Roger Harper saying Bravo needed to be “away” from international cricket to find his form back. Hetmyer, too, had a forgettable 2019 in Test cricket, scoring 244 runs at 24.40, while Paul has played three Tests in his career with six wickets to his name.Keemo Paul “wrote passionately” to explain his decision•AFP / Getty Images

In May, Grave had pointed out that he understood why players who come from smaller Caribbean islands would be nervous about going to England, which was seen as “one of the eyes of the storm” with the official death count due to the virus nearing 40,000. Subsequently, the players grew more confident once they heard of the “robust and safe plan” the ECB had put in place to conduct the tour within a bio-secure environment behind closed doors.ALSO READ: Bio-secure venues can withstand second wave – ElworthyOn June 1, both ECB and CWI medical experts had another call before the tour schedule was made public. On the same day, CWI had a call with the wider pool of players from which the final squad would be picked to update them on the final arrangements. “We gave them all the most up-to-date information on the tour,” Grave said. “All I clarified to them on Monday on the call with Professor Nick Pierce (ECB chief medical officer) and our medical practitioners was: were they happy that they had all the information and did they have any further questions.”I then explained that Roger Harper, CWI lead selector, would contact them regarding whether they were selected or not and that they had until the following day, having slept on it, to confirm their position.”Ultimately, we want a group of players that are comfortable to be there so that they are not worried about these things and therefore they have got a chance to perform at their best. If they have got nagging doubts or worries about their families they are not going to be performing at their best.”It is in everyone’s interest if you are not comfortable to say so and not tour and be certain that it is not going to be held against you. Rather than go, be worried, and ultimately don’t perform or want to come home. So it is a good decision all round. We are still taking a strong Test side to England.”CWI is now waiting for the test results for the squad to come back from Miami, which are expected within the next 48 hours. Anyone who tests positive for the virus will almost certainly not take the charter flight that is set to leave on June 8 from Antigua.

She praised the performances of India’s debutants in Bristol, especially fellow opener Shafali Verma

Annesha Ghosh18-Jun-20211:37

Smriti Mandhana: Verma’s maturity a positive for India

India batter Smriti Mandhana believes that more opportunities to play Tests can help cultivate a better understanding regarding approaching the closing stages of each session in a day’s play.Mandhana’s views came after stumps on the rain-affected third day of India’s one-off Test against England in Bristol, where she fell for 8 in her second innings on the stroke of lunch, with her side following on after being bowled out for 231.In her first innings, Mandhana made 78 before her wicket became part of a collapse that started late in the final session of the second day, as India slipped from 167 for 0 to 183 for 5 – in all they lost all 10 wickets for 64. On the opening day, England, too, had suffered a collapse after tea losing 4 for 21 before the close.”I think that will just be an excuse to give,” Mandhana said when asked about the trend around a flurry of dismissals coming about towards the end of sessions in the match. “But we can consider for sure that we aren’t used to batting beyond 50 overs that much. But I wouldn’t say I got out because of lack of experience in Test matches because I threw my wicket away in the last session of yesterday.”But, definitely, I think a slight pressure of ending the day being not out, that might play a bit of a part [in the loss of wickets in a heap] and that will come with experience. The more we play Test matches, the more we’ll get used to the conditions – one over before lunch or one over before the day’s end and all those sessions, so we can be more mature about [approaching them] and not take pressure.”Related

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Mandhana’s half-century in the first innings was pivotal to India putting on their highest opening stand in the format in response to England’s 396 for 9 declared. Ninety-six runs in that record 167-run opening tally came from 17-year-old debutant Shafali Verma. On the penultimate day of the Test – the standard length of women’s Tests is four days – Verma got India off to a brisk start in their second innings, having fallen 15 shy of their follow-on mark.After Mandhana’s dismissal, Verma pressed on to bring up her fifty off just 63 balls. In doing so, she became the first Indian, and the youngest player from any country, to make half-centuries in both innings on Test debut in women’s cricket.”It’s quite impressive to watch her bat from the other end,” Mandhana said of Verma, who is also her designated opener partner in T20Is. “I think we both are very similar [in our approach] to keep things simple, so we don’t really discuss much about batting in the middle. The way she changed her game and the kind of maturity she showed at this stage of her career, it’s very positive for Indian cricket going forward. Her shots, in T20Is I’ve always watched them from the other end. It’s amazing what she does. I hope she keeps going the way she is.”Smriti Mandhana was left frustrated by her dismissal on the third day•Getty Images

Mandhana, who had played only two Tests before, made her debut in the format at age 17, in the Wormsley Test in August 2014. In the India XI for the Bristol Test, she is one of the six players with prior Test experience. On Friday, she praised the performances of India’s five debutants – Taniya Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Sneh Rana, and Verma.”All the debutants have really got onto a good start,” Mandhana said. “In general, everyone was excited to play this Test match, and not just the debutants because we all are playing after a very long time, so I think it is a really special match. But all the debutants have really stepped up – Deepti, Shafali, Pooja and even Taniya with the catch [of opener Lauren Winfield-Hill in the first innings] – everyone has done a lot of contribution.”Mandhana got off the mark in her second innings with a cracking punch off fast bowler Katherine Brunt that went for four through backward point. But her 13-ball stay ended in the fifth over when she edged a wide, fullish delivery from the same bowler to be caught by Natalie Sciver at second slip.”Really disappointed,” she said when asked to review how the day had ended for India, on 83 for 1, forced into early stumps due to rain. “But, of course, before the game stopped, before lunch, I got out, so definitely disappointed.”I would have loved to stay there and come back fresh tomorrow to bat again, but that’s what the day’s cricket is, so we’ll take it. But Shafali and Deepti stitched in a good partnership at the end, so I think at the end we were in a good position.””The conditions changed slightly [on day three],” she said. “It was just windy, but it wasn’t swinging that much that it was not playable or something. It was good conditions to bat on still even if conditions were cloudy or overcast.”We just needed to take a few minutes initially. Of course, I lost my wicket, but I wouldn’t say that it was a very good ball. I think I gave away my wicket because it wasn’t that great a ball.”

Australia lost both openers after India declared early in the second session

Annesha Ghosh02-Oct-2021A high-octane second session in which Jhulan Goswami’s epic two-spell new-ball burst accounted for Australia’s openers headlined day three of the standalone pink-ball Test in Carrara. Ellyse Perry, who shortly before India’s declaration on 377 for 8 had become the first woman with the double of 300 wickets and 5000 runs in international cricket, rode her luck through her 98-ball 27 to carry the hosts to 143 for 4 at stumps, 85 behind the follow-on target of 228.A booming inswinger from Goswami crashed into left-hander Beth Mooney’s leg stump in the seventh over and when she returned for her second spell in the 23rd over, she renewed her battle against Alyssa Healy, who had creamed her for a crackling cover-driven four five balls into Australia’s innings. In her second burst, Goswami, in the space of three balls, beat Healy’s defence with one that came back in, hurled a bouncer into the opener’s front shoulder, and drew a faint outside edge with an outswinger to leave Australia at 63 for 2.Meghna Singh complemented Goswami in a fiery 12-over pace-bowling opening charge. The pink ball, which India had their first brush with only two days out from the start of this day-night fixture, moved in the hands of the pair and later Pooja Vastrakar, who, on the night, delivered her most incisive performance with the ball in international cricket yet, taking out captain Meg Lanning – albeit via an erroneous lbw decision – among her two wickets.Vastrakar set up a riveting battle against Lanning, who struck three fours – including a trademark square drive and an emphatic pull – en route to 17, when she survived two edges off back-to-back Vastrakar deliveries: Deepti Sharma shelled a thick outside edge at gully before a leading edge landed in an unpatrolled area at short cover.Left-arm spin, a missing component in India’s attack in their drawn Test against England in June, was deployed to good effect in the form of Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who remained wicketless for her 12 overs, but beat Lanning’s outside edge twice, including a dropped chance by the wicketkeeper off the final ball before tea.Ellyse Perry celebrates her 300th international wicket alongside Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham•Getty Images

Goswami challenged Perry, taking an inside edge precariously close to her stumps on 2 and then beating her front-front drive’s outside edge. With Australia on 86 for 3, Perry survived an lbw appeal on 8, with replays showing Gayakwad taking top of leg in what eventually proved to be a pad-bat front-foot block.After Lanning’s departure, a steady rebuild had ensued via a Tahlia McGrath-Perry stand, before McGrath’s uppish cut to Smriti Mandhana at point gave Vastrakar a well-deserved second wicket.Aggressive tactical ploys from India captain Mithali Raj bookended the day’s play, both in the form of attacking field placements inside the circle and repeated insistence on swapping the wet ball with dry ones before a final burst from the three quicks post-tea.The opening session of the day had been largely sluggish, with Australia picking up just two wickets before dinner, the second of those, Vastrakar’s scalp, being Perry’s 300th international wicket to go alongside 5000 runs. Australia also dropped two chances, which meant India gathered 83 runs in a session spanning 40.4 overs, going into the session break at 359 for 7, which had already become the highest by any visiting side against Australia.Deepti put on 45 with Taniya Bhatia, building on India’s overnight score of 276 for 5. Before Perry removed Vastrakar for 13 at the stroke of the dinner break, Stella Campbell offered a reverie-snapping breakthrough with her second ball of the day. The tall debutant’s nagging fourth-stump line, helped by healthy bounce and carry off the drop-in surface, forced Bhatia to prod at the outswinger for wicketkeeper Healy to gobble it up, and give the 19-year-old her maiden Test wicket. She clocked 124kph with that delivery.Having picked up her first wicket of the series in the second session of the truncated day two, Perry almost had a second with her third ball of the day. An inswinger, Perry’s yorker, struck right-hander Bhatia on toe on the off-and-middle line, but there was hardly an appeal for lbw. From that lifeline on a duck, Bhatia, playing her first match since the ODI series against England, unfurled an array of cover drives and cuts before perishing to Campbell.Deepti then added 40 with the Vastrakar, playing mostly risk-free against spinners and pacers alike, riding on five scares since day two, including two close shaves past first-slip Lanning. The closest of them was when, on 24, she nearly chopped on and her attempt to brush the ball, rolling millimetres away from the off stump, almost put her in further jeopardy. A single off her 148th ball took her to her second straight Test fifty, the previous having anchored a rescue act against England. After she was given out when India batted on briefly after dinner, replays showed the ball had pitched outside leg. In the absence of DRS, the umpire’s call couldn’t be challenged.With just the fourth day left in the game, chances of a second drawn Test for India this year – extending their unbeaten streak to six in the longest format – seems the likeliest outcome.

Khawaja’s scans clear after he was hit on the helmet by an Andre Russell bouncer that forced him to retire hurt

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2019Steven Smith maintained a promising run of scores ahead of the World Cup by guiding Australia to a comfortable warm-up match victory over the West Indies in Southampton. This was after Usman Khawaja sent a scare through the camp when he was struck on the helmet by Andre Russell.On his way to 76 batting at No. 4, Smith added 53 with his captain Aaron Finch and 109 with Shaun Marsh, who then formed a union with Glenn Maxwell to glide the Australians past their target of 230 with 11.3 overs to spare.It was Smith’s third half-century in as many practice games, having also batted effectively against New Zealand XI in Brisbane before the team’s departure for England, via Gallipoli.”It’s certainly the best seat in the house, he’s going fantastically since he’s come back in and it’s great to see him come in, score some runs and no doubt he’s ready for a big tournament,” Marsh said of Smith. “I don’t really speak too much out there but he’s obviously got a great understanding of the game and you try to feed off that, so he’s been fantastic to bat out there today and I’ve always enjoyed batting with him so it’s good fun.”He’s come back in and done what he usually does, score runs, so it’s fantastic to have them both back in the team and they’re both really valuable players for us. [Smith] has been fantastic since our camp for New Zealand and the way he batted up there, and to come out and bat like he did today was fantastic for us.”Andre Russell checks on Usman Khawaja after hitting him on the head with a bouncer during a World Cup warm-up match•PA Images via Getty Images

Khawaja had earlier gone to hospital for scans on his jaw after suffering a nasty blow from Russell’s bouncer. The opener retired hurt and looked to be in some discomfort, indicating an area on the right side of his head as he walked off the field accompanied by Australian team doctor Richard Saw. He did not take any further part in the match, but was later cleared of any structural damage. Khawaja was expected to take part in a light training session on Thursday.”It was very scary actually, it copped him on the side of the cheekbone I think,” Marsh said. “I think he’s okay so that’s the main thing and hopefully he’ll bounce back pretty quickly. Obviously he’s a little bit shaken, when you do get hit in the head you do get shaken by it, but Uzzy’s a tough cookie and he’ll be fine and ready to go.”Khawaja’s presence at the top of the order had meant David Warner moved down to No. 3. Khawaja was on 5 when he retired hurt and Warner made 12 before he was dismissed by Oshane Thomas.West Indies were bowled out for 229 on the small out ground, as the Australian pacemen Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile made frequent use of the bouncer, well supported by the wrist spin of Adam Zampa. Among the bowlers, only Jason Behrendorff (1 for 65 from nine overs) was got at by the West Indies, who were missing Chris Gayle.Marsh’s unbeaten 55 batting at No. 5 gave him a head start in the race for batting berths once the tournament begins on May 30, also recalling his runs against England in the bilateral series the two team played a year ago. Australia’s next warm-up fixture is against the tournament hosts on Saturday.”I’d like to think I’m nice and flexible, I’ve batted from one to six throughout my career,” Marsh said. “So I’m just going to enjoy the next two practice games, spend some time in the middle and see what happens. It certainly does give you confidence knowing you’ve scored runs over here in the past and it was nice to spend some time out in the middle and get my feet moving. Good fun.”Importantly we played well as a team today, I think the bowlers did fantastically well on that wicket and I thought he way Zampa bowled on a smallish ground was fantastic and it was nice to spend some time out there and bat with Smithy as well.”

Rory Burns leads Surrey’s response after record-breaking sixth-wicket stand

David Hopps12-Jul-2022They know their history in Yorkshire. When Adam Lyth and Jonny Tattersall broke Yorkshire’s sixth-wicket batting record, prolonged applause burst across North Marine Road the moment that Lyth flicked the ball off his hip. Such momentous achievements have always been met by an outbreak of White Rose pride but these days there is a touch of defiance, too – a statement that the much-chastised County Championship is deep-rooted and forever worthy of protection.Fortunately, by the time Lyth and Tattersall broke the record, the spectator vainly trying to come to terms with his new yellow-plastic rain-protector had decided that the risk of a shower had receded and removed it. He had become so entangled in it, failing to find the arm holes in several futile attempts, pulling it backwards and forwards over his head at various angles, that he would have found it impossible to clap.As far as the main stage was concerned, it was less about contortions than skill and concentration. Lyth and Tattersall had logged 239 runs on the first day and they had extended that to 305 in 77 overs when Lyth pulled Conor McKerr to deep square leg to fall for 183, an innings that spanned nearly eight hours and his highest score in his home county. Tattersall, on his Championship return, was left with an unbeaten, career-best 180 as Tom Lawes took three quick wickets after lunch and Yorkshire were dismissed for 521.Related

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But they are not yet on solid ground and Surrey, the Championship leaders, 191 for 1 at the close, will imagine that they have the batting prowess to put Yorkshire under pressure on the final day. Dom Bess can anticipate a heavy workload and the offspinner took the only wicket to fall when he drew Ryan Patel down the pitch with one that dipped and turned a shade and Tattersall completed a straightforward stumping.There had still been life in the surface on a cloudy morning, for Dan Worrall in particular as he came down the hill, but Yorkshire’s attack rarely threatened. Rory Burns was calmness personified as he closed the second day on 93 not out. He was assured square of the wicket on both sides and his commitment to the long game was illustrated when he made only 10 runs in the last 12 overs of the day, from which he faced 33 balls. He had one moment of fortune, caught at first slip on 72 only to be reprieved because Shannon Gabriel, the West Indian quick who has joined Yorkshire on a short-term contract, had overstepped.Considering the overpowering nature of Yorkshire’s cricket history, it is instructional to reflect that five of the highest batting partnerships for each wicket have been made this century. Holmes and Sutcliffe are famously there for their 555 for the first wicket at Leyton in 1932 – the world record that wasn’t thanks to a faulty scoreboard – and Geoffrey Boycott makes an appearance for his 10th wicket stand of 149 with Graham Stevenson at Edgbaston in 1982 when he memorably remarked, with a lopsided grin, that was down to “his brawn and my brains”. But there are many names of modern vintage – Jonny Bairstow and Tim Bresnan, Bairstow again with Joe Root. Lyth broke his own sixth-wicket record, too, a stand of 296 in league with Adil Rashid in the Old Trafford Roses match eight years ago. Flatter pitches for sure – markedly so – but Lyth, too, and the rest will enter Yorkshire folklore.Major renovations are in progress at North Marine Road•Matthew Allen

For Scarborough to protect its place in history, however beloved it is, the ground must remain solvent. Crowds here have been a little above 3,000 on the first two days which are reasonable, but well down on pre-Covid days and not entirely in keeping with the esteem in which the ground is held. A recent 10-year staging agreement with Yorkshire helps in an age when outgrounds are permanently under pressure but it is also ambitious to become an established centre for women’s cricket. It would have to address primitive broadcasting facilities to achieve that. But anyway, changes are afoot and that can only be positive.The very thought will have been enough to leave Yorkshire traditionalists on red alert because they routinely insist North Marine Road is perfect and want no messing with their memories. The last time it was suggested the place needed a revamp, a Yorkshire supporter on the wooden-benched banking took umbrage on and countered: “You don’t need a sofa to sit on”.Rest assured there are no unwelcome fripperies in a £500,000 upgrade. The first two phases – improved toilet facilities, better communications and new practice net facilities – are largely completed. The final phase, subject to planning approval, is a refurbishment of the incongruous West Stand, which will have new seating and a new ground-floor frontage which will also house a heritage museum and improved catering facilities – or, as they are known these days “innovative places to linger”.Scarborough is also an unusual place to linger for Clean Slate Filmz, Yorkshire’s main sponsor, which is making a biopic of Jhulan Goswami, the great champion of India women’s cricket, in September.Also attracting interest was Yorkshire’s 2nd XI match against Derbyshire at Chesterfield where Gary Ballance is continuing a low-key return to action after missing the bulk of the season with mental health issues. Ballance has made back-to-back hundreds so it appears from afar that he is feeling his way back successfully. He is one of seven people charged – and the only current player – by the ECB after their investigation into Azeem Rafiq’s racism allegations. There is no regulation that stops Yorkshire selecting him, but there is no suggestion that any 1st XI return is imminent and that seems to be the most sensible approach.Yorkshire’s fast-bowler injuries are also relenting. Ben Coad is also involved the 2nd XI fixture, although he is following a programme of limited workload and has yet to bowl, and Matthew Fisher has not given up hope of a match or two at the back end of the Championship season. He has been undertaking fielding drills during the lunch interval on the last two days as he recovers from a stress fracture.

Whitewashing by second-string ODI team leaves visitors short of answers

Danyal Rasool15-Jul-2021

Big Picture

English eyeballs might have primarily focused on football heartache over the past week, but those who tuned into the cricket received the fillip they might have craved. An ad-hoc English squad cobbled together from a motley crew of country cricket staples and international reservists overwhelmed a Pakistan side that, despite its recent travails, will have felt fairly star-studded in comparison. The visitors were swept aside 3-0, an England team that will never again play together did what was expected of them, and plenty more.The sight of John Simpson being put out to pasture, only to be replaced by Jos Buttler, and the general return of a near-full strength England side for the T20I leg should send a shudder down Pakistani spines. The tiresome cliché about Pakistani cricket’s unpredictability continues to hold, but the ODI series threw up very few of the highs and far too many lows for a casual observer not to suspect the hangover to bleed into the shorter format. It’s quite all right to succumb to England in an ODI series away, but the embarrassment around the circumstances of the defeats are set to define this tour, no matter what happens in the T20Is that follow.Some English fans – and many, many Pakistani ones, rest assured – might worry England’s full-strength squad threatens to make this even more of a no-contest than the ODI series was. However, Pakistan retain the uncanny ability to drop or raise their level, especially in T20I cricket, in accordance with the quality of opposition they face. The most recent T20I series ended in a narrow 2-1 win for Babar Azam’s side in Zimbabwe, which included a game where they were bowled out for 99. Two series against rather stiffer opposition, South Africa, ended in 2-1 and 3-1 wins for Pakistan earlier this year. And when they last played England in this format? A creditable 1-1 draw last year. Mercifully for England, when cricket throws up that scoreline, there’s no penalty shootout to follow.The return of some of their more renowned power-hitters is timely for England, given the venue of the first T20I. Trent Bridge is among the more conducive venues to run-scoring in T20s around the world, what with its short boundaries and flat wickets. Pakistan will remember England chasing down 340 in an ODI against them at this ground two years ago, with Jason Roy, among the returnees for England, smashing an 89-ball 114. Not to mention the 444 for 3 and all that at the same venue in 2016.However, Pakistan should find some joy in playing T20I cricket at Trent Bridge too, whatever the relative strength of their opposition. For inspiration, they need only rewind to their last meeting on this ground, in the World Cup group stage in 2019. Pakistan’s ODI middle order is notoriously porous, which forces conservatism up top, but that shouldn’t shackle the batsmen when they have only 20 overs to get through. Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali and Shadab Khan might not be around for long, but they continue to be explosive in brief cameos, and if Mohammad Rizwan’s form up top continues, that might just be good enough to give what is still a quality bowling line-up a fighting chance.

Form guide

Pakistan WLWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

England WWWLL

In the spotlight

Tom Banton might argue that England owe him an outing. He would have been an ideal candidate for their emergency ODI squad last week, except that his non-playing presence on England’s bench during the Sri Lanka series meant Phil Salt claimed the stand-in opener’s role while he served his period of self-isolation. Prior to that call-up, Banton had been setting the Blast alight, as he seems to do year after year, but puzzlingly, that form hasn’t quite translated into white-ball explosiveness for England, either in T20Is or ODIs. The sample size remains small – he has played just nine T20Is, but crossed 20 just twice. The last series he played, against Australia last year, he managed 12 runs in three innings. His showings in the Pakistan Super League haven’t exactly burnished his reputation back in Pakistan, where only 83 runs across nine innings and two seasons saw him left out of his franchise sides. However, Pakistan might do well to remember both innings of consequence he has played in T20I cricket came against them in last year’s series, in the shape of a 42-ball 71 and a 31-ball 46.Related

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Everyone knows Babar Azam scores runs, but that’s really not enough in T20 cricket. He was the highest scorer at the PSL this season, with seven half-centuries across 11 innings, and two fifties and a hundred in his last six T20Is. However, criticism over his strike rate has mounted, especially over the past year, and many feeling his side was hampered the longer he stayed at the crease, particularly with Karachi Kings. He comes into this series fresh off the memory of a career-best 158 in the final ODI, an innings he took time to settle into, only for England to chase their target down with time to spare. In high-scoring T20s, as the one at Trent Bridge is overwhelmingly likely to be, the role of an anchor is especially reduced, and the Pakistan captain might find he needs to be at his sizzling, stylish best if he is to give his side the best shot.

Team news

England’s primary headache revolves around how many of their ODI heroes deserve to get a go at Trent Bridge, now that the big boys have turned up. Saqib Mahmood might retain his place ahead of Tom Curran, though Matt Parkinson has a struggle on his hands now that Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali have turned up. Skipper Eoin Morgan slots back into the middle order comfortably, with Jason Roy and Jos Buttler likely to open. In Sam Curran’s absence, there’s a potential berth for Lewis Gregory as their all-sorts allrounder.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Jonny Bairstow, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Lewis Gregory/Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Saqib Mahmood/Tom CurranHasan Ali will miss the first match as a precautionary measure due to a strain in his left leg, which he picked during a training session at Trent Bridge on Thursday. Mohammad Hasnain may get his first outing of the tour. There are more Pakistan batters eyeing a spot in the top order than there are slots to accommodate them, so some will play outside of their preferred positions. Shadab Khan will vie with Usman Qadir for the spinner’s role, though it might not be a surprise to see both line up in the starting eleven.Pakistan (possible): 1 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 2 Babar Azam (capt), 3 Sharjeel Khan, 4 Sohaib Maqsood, 5 Mohammad Hafeez, 6 Faheem Ashraf, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Haris Rauf, 9 Mohammad Hasnain, 10 Usman Qadir, 11 Shaheen Shah Afridi

Pitch and conditions

The weather across the UK has been grim for weeks, but Nottingham is braced for a relative heatwave in the coming days, so the conditions on Friday evening are expected to be balmy. The wicket should be true, despite the rain that’s been around, and the boundaries small. Expect a run-fest.

Stats and trivia

• Only four venues have seen runs come at a greater rate than Trent Bridge’s 8.70 in T20 cricket over the last five years. Three of them are in New Zealand, with Eden Park leading the way (9.01). Taunton (8.92) is the other.
• Should Fakhar Zaman play, he needs just 52 runs to become the 7th Pakistani batter to reach 1,000 T20I runs
• This is the first T20I to take place at Trent Bridge in nearly a decade. The last one, in which England beat West Indies in 2012, included three players from the current English side – Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow
  

  Quotes

  “We’re treating it as if it’s our last chance to look at guys in various positions”
  
  England captain Eoin Morgan suggests there might be an element of rotation to the home side’s line-up this series

India wicketkeeper undergoes plastic surgery as well, to manage injuries suffered during Friday’s car crash

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2022The results of India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant’s MRI of the brain and spine are normal. He has also undergone plastic surgery to manage his facial injuries, lacerated wounds and abrasions suffered in a serious car accident near Roorkee, Uttarakhand, on Friday morning.Related

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• Rishabh Pant suffers multiple injuries in serious car crash

MRI scans of his ankle and knee have been postponed till tomorrow because of pain and swelling.The doctors at Max Hospital in Dehradun have also given him “above knee splintage … for suspected right knee ligament injury, and suspected right ankle ligament injury”. The medical bulletin released by the hospital on Friday evening also said Pant is “stable, conscious and oriented”.The bulletin noted that “prima facie, he had sustained multiple abrasions on right-hand forearm and leg, and lacerated wounds over forehead and near eyebrow, and multiple graze abrasions on the back”.The accident took place in the early hours on Friday, when Pant was driving to Roorkee. His car, which was severely damaged in the accident, is reported to have hit the divider on the road and subsequently caught fire. Pant was initially taken to a local hospital – Saksham Hospital Multispecialty and Trauma Centre – where he was treated for impact injuries before being moved to Max Hospital in Dehradun. He had reached the hospital at 6am.Pant, 25, was not part of the India squads for the T20I and ODI home series against Sri Lanka beginning on January 3. He was due to head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for strength and conditioning before the Test series against Australia in February.He most recently played a match-winning innings of 93 in the second Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur, which helped India clinch the series 2-0.

It will be held in September 2020, a month before the T20 World Cup in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2018The next Asia Cup will be hosted by the PCB for the first time in over a decade, but whether that means it will be played Pakistan or the UAE, is not yet clear. The tournament, which will switch back to being a T20 event, is scheduled to be played in September 2020 – a month ahead of the World T20 in Australia.If the situation in Pakistan, or Pakistan’s relationship with India, does not improve between now and then, it would seem logical for the tournament to be held in the UAE, the PCB’s de factor home ground since 2010. That would mean the UAE would have hosted back-to-back Asia Cups, having held a 50-over version this September.The tournament just gone was hosted by the BCCI, who opted to play it on neutral territory given that a Pakistan team traveling and playing in India would’ve been a complicated political issue. Ties between the two countries are at a low ebb, neither side having played a full bilateral series against the other in over a decade and India not having played in Pakistan since June 2008. Tensions remain between their boards too, most recently in the dismissal of the PCB claim that the BCCI “legally breached” an agreement to play bilateral series in 2014 and 2015.ALSO READ: PCB’s case against BCCI dismissed by ICC dispute panelThe 2008 visit, incidentally, was also for the Asia Cup, and the last time Pakistan held a multi-nation competition. The PCB has not yet responded to queries about where the tournament is planning to be staged.Since the Lahore terror attacks on the Sri Lankan team in 2009, international cricket has slowly returned to Pakistan. In the last year, Lahore has hosted T20Is against Sri Lanka and a World XI while West Indies played a series in Karachi in April this year. Added to are the staging of several high-profile PSL games in both cities over the last two seasons, with the involvement of foreign players.

The sanction is in relation to their conduct in Japan, where they were favourites to win a qualifying tournament for the Under-19 World Cup; however, 10 players missed a crucial game against Japan

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2019The Papua New Guinea cricket board has suspended 10 of its Under-19 players for a year for bringing the game into disrepute. The sanction is in relation to their conduct in Japan, where they were favourites to win a qualifying tournament for the Under-19 World Cup in 2020; however, 10 players missed a crucial game against Japan and the team had to forfeit the game because they didn’t have enough players to field an XI.Cricket PNG chief executive Greg Campbell said: “The behaviour of our players is not what we would expect from international cricketers of any age. The players have expressed sincere regret at their actions and in addition to their suspension from cricket, they will undertake a comprehensive rehabilitation programme over the next 12 months.”ICC General Counsel and COO Iain Higgins added: “This has been a highly unusual incident by a group of young players and I would like to thank Cricket PNG for acting swiftly and decisively. It sends out a clear message that the sport will not tolerate this sort of behaviour at ICC events.”We are obviously extremely disappointed with the behavior of the players, but we are satisfied that Cricket PNG has delivered a suitable and proportionate sanction and programme for rehabilitation. Therefore, the ICC will not take any further action against any of the players.”In addition to being suspended, the 10 players will take part in 60 hours of community service and also attend a counselling programme.