All posts by n8rngtd.top

Capsey hit seven boundaries in her 48-ball knock

ECB Media28-Jul-2024England star Alice Capsey followed up her opening-day 51 with a well-made 59 as Oval Invincibles defeated Welsh Fire by six wickets at Cardiff.Capsey hit seven boundaries in her 48-ball knock before she was brilliantly caught at long-on by Hayley Matthews off Freya Davies with 27 runs still required.All-rounders Marizanne Kapp (26*) and Mady Villiers (11*) then took the reins to extinguish any Welsh Fire hopes, guiding Invincibles home with 12 balls to spare.The Invincibles’ chase got off to a far from ideal start as they lost Lauren Winfield-Hill on the second ball of the innings, caught at cover by Tammy Beaumont off Shabnim Ismail for a duck.Paige Schofield (11) and Capsey didn’t let this early loss faze them, playing fluently to move the score along to 37 for 1 after 20 balls, the latter crucially being dropped at long-on by Ismail off Jess Jonassen two runs later.Capsey overturned an lbw decision on 43 off the bowling of Jonassen and went on to bring up her fifty from 42 balls.Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to bat, losing Beaumont for four to the eighth ball of the innings, an outswinger from Kapp which drew an edge behind to Winfield-Hill.After 25 balls, Welsh Fire had laboured to 17 for 1 and they soon found themselves 20 for 2 when Amanda-Jade Wellington struck first ball to remove the dangerous Matthews for just 6, caught brilliantly by Kapp running in from the cover boundary.Sophia Dunkley made 35 from 26 balls before skying Wellington to Ryana MacDonald-Gay at long-on and Jonassen, who took over Dunkley’s role as aggressor, played enterprisingly for 32 not out from 22 balls as Welsh Fire closed their innings on a below-par 116 for 5.Meerkat Match Hero Capsey, said: “Pace on was really nice, so capitalising on that up the top in the powerplay. When it got a bit harder, they were bowling really well with change-ups and bowling a bit slower, me and Kappy built a partnership and knew the longer it went on, the easier it would get for the others coming in at the back end.”I’ve been feeling in really good nick but I think the most pleasing thing for me is my calmness. I think last year I was a bit frantic. So, it’s nice to be back in this space where I can contribute to team wins.”

Tent set up over outdoor training facilities comes in handy in wet conditions

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jul-2020Trent Boult did not train on day two of New Zealand’s camp in Mount Maunganui; Boult, it is understood, was feeling unwell and stayed away as precaution. Ross Taylor said he was hopeful the pacer would be fit to go on the third day of the camp, which is running from July 19 to 24 at Bay Oval with cricketers from the national men’s and women’s teams based in the North Island.”I think he’s just tired from his eight overs bowling at us yesterday,” Taylor joked, adding, “Obviously, with what’s going around, you’ve got to be a bit smart around things like that. Hopefully he’s fine and raring to go tomorrow.”Taylor and Boult were two of eight men’s players to attend the first half of the North camp, alongside Colin de Grandhomme, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner. The second half of the six-day camp will have Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Jimmy Neesham, Will Somerville and Will Young taking part.The camp will give the two groups of men’s players, as well as seven women’s players – Anna Peterson, Katie Perkins, Lauren Down, Holly Huddleston, Hannah Rowe, Rosemary Mair and Natalie Dodd – the chance to get a feel of the turf again, even while being protected from the elements in the New Zealand winter. A marquee tent has been set up at Bay Oval, over the outdoor nets, meaning the players could train despite it raining on Monday.New Zealand’s bowling coach Shane Jurgensen, who is part of the support staff present at the camp, explained the men’s camp had been split in two to limit the number of players present. “Geographically, with the way things are set out, we’ve got more [players training] on the North Island. We split this camp into two for that reason,” he said. “For now it’s a temporary [tented] structure, we’ve got two nets. The bigger structure will come in next year.”We want to make sure we maximise our time with the guys, give them every opportunity over three days, and then we have the second group coming in later in the week.”Jurgensen, who was part of the camp in Lincoln for players from the South Island last week as well, said that from a skills point of view, work has begun on tweaking bowling plans and habits to meet the new playing conditions – such as the ban on saliva to polish the ball – in the era of Covid-19. “We’re trying to adjust to potential new rules, in my department, with the bowling,” Jurgensen said. “We’ve got to look after the ball in a different way now, we’ve got to come up with some new deliveries. So this week’s been a good starting point.”Rowe, the seamer, said it was good to get back on turf, and to pick the brains of the men’s players. “We’ve all been training indoors. It’s really good to get that opportunity to get back on grass. If we didn’t have the marquee up here, we’d be back indoors [due to the rain],” she said. “Also, to share facilities and obviously to learn off [the men’s players] as well… I know the girls down South [Lincoln] had really good conversations with the boys regarding different ways to play the game, so, yeah, it’s awesome to be able to share that with them.”In all, New Zealand have six national camps scheduled this winter, three each in the north and south islands, in their bid to shake off the effects of the pandemic-induced lockdown.

Ireland batter admits first-innings total below par but encouraged by fall of late wickets

Mohammad Isam04-Apr-2023Before the Dhaka Test, Harry Tector played just a single first-class match in four years. He didn’t feel too nervous coming into this game, admittedly not as much as he thought he would, but enough to keep him awake to the challenge at hand.Ireland’s long gap from Tests was the overriding theme on the first day at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. The batters needed a lot of adjustment as a result. While 214 is a below-par score at this venue, Ireland certainly had their moments.Tector became the first Ireland batter to score a fifty in his first Test innings. He played some great drives, particularly one through the covers off the back foot that stood out. But he said that controlling his urge to loft the flighted delivery was probably the hardest part of the innings.”[Scoring a Test fifty] is very different [to scoring white-ball fifties],” Tector said. “I think in one sense it is a lot easier because there’s a lot more gaps. You can hit the ball and get it away for four. But there’s a lot of challenges with different fields. The ball does a bit more. I think this was only my 11th first-class game. I think I played one first-class game in the last four years.Related

• Shakib 'didn't think' Bangladesh would lose, but praises Ireland for spirited comeback

• Ireland set for multiple debuts as they return to Test cricket after four-year gap

• Bangladesh lose two after Taijul's five-for dismisses Ireland for 214

“It certainly takes a lot of adjustment for a lot of us to shift back into red-ball cricket. Trying not to hit the ball that loops up for a six, it is quite a challenge. You are trained to do that, because you play so much T20 and one-day cricket. Big shift in mindset. We have to learn from today.”Tector said that his dismissal – bowled by Mehidy Hasan Miraz shortly after reaching his half-century – was avoidable had he tried to defend the ball. The dismissal cut short a promising fourth wicket stand between him and Curtis Campher.”It felt good for all of it until I got out,” he said. “It was a poor decision in the shot I played, not so much a decent ball. I think if I defended that, it wouldn’t have got me out. [There is] a lot of learning to do across the board. I put on a good partnership with Curtis Campher. We thought we could certainly put up a good total. We probably were a bit shy of where we wanted to be with the bat.”Tector praised the lower order, particularly Lorcan Tucker, for adding 90 runs for the last four wickets. It got Ireland past the 200-run mark from 124 for 6 in the second session.”You need the lower-order to put on runs in these conditions. The big challenge here is to not lose wickets in clusters. I think we lost three for two. You can’t really afford to do that. We built a nice partnership and then to go bang-bang-bang, it kills you. The guys certainly did very well. They batted nicely, nice and positive, played their shots.”But it would be Tamim Iqbal’s wicket off the last ball of the day that spurs them on for the second day.”[The Tamim wicket] was huge, unbelievable,” he said. “I think it makes the day a bit more even. We are shy with the bat but getting two wickets tonight is huge. It gives a lot of momentum for us tomorrow. I think that dismissal in particular, the way the ball spun, it is a good sign for us on this wicket. It was amazing.”It was an exciting day all around for Ireland. It in fact started on the eve of the match when the team management decided to do the usual cap ceremony in the team hotel. There were so many to hand out – seven in total – that they couldn’t do it on the morning of the match.Tector, who said that it was a highlight of his short career, was informed that he is the 706th player to appear for Ireland at every level. This count goes back to the 19th century.”It was pretty cool. We had a bit of a ceremony last night. There was seven of us, so presenting seven individual caps on the morning of day one would take a bit of time. It was really special.”I am the 22nd Test player for Ireland but I am something like the 706th player to play for Ireland overall. It is a very special achievement. We are a lucky group of player to play Test cricket. It was an amazing feeling to play Test cricket for my country.”

Shanaka on chat with Dhawan: “We get advice from our former players too, but this was a chance to hear from a current player with a lot of experience”

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Jul-2021Among the themes of India’s tour of Sri Lanka was the chumminess of the two sides even in difficult bio-bubble situations. Hardik Pandya went viral in Sri Lanka when he was seen singing their national anthem. He had also given fellow seam-bowling allrounder Chamika Karunaratne – who describes Pandya as a role model – one of his bats. At another point in the series, India coach Rahul Dravid was seen having a brief conversation with Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka.And finally, ahead of the third T20I, Shikhar Dhawan was addressing a whole bunch of Sri Lanka players as they huddled in the outfield. After his team had sewn up the series against a depleted India side, Shanaka revealed a little of what he had hoped to get out of the interaction with Dhawan.”Shikhar is a player who has played [for] 10 years, and has a lot of experience,” Shanaka said. “What he has to say about making game plans, and situation handling is something that’s important for all of us to hear – for me as a captain, and the rest of the team.Related

• Kusal Perera tests positive for Covid-19, to isolate for at least ten days

• Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal and K Gowtham return home after testing negative for Covid-19

• Stats: Hasaranga's birthday bash, and SL break 13-year duck

• Hasaranga leads the way as SL claim 2-1 series win

“He’s someone who’s mastered even his breathing pattern. I thought if we could speak with a player like him, our players would get some sort of knowledge about how to raise our game. We get advice from our former players too, but this was a chance to hear from a current player with a lot of experience. I’m grateful to him for that chance.”But Shanaka mentioned that the conversation with Dravid earlier on in the series was more general.”I talked with Dravid about how the India players approach their innings,” he said. “They are really positive from the moment they get into the ground, and I asked him a lot of the questions we also asked Shikhar.”Sri Lanka were ultimately able to win the T20I series 2-1, thanks in no small part to legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who claimed seven wickets and maintained an economy rate of 5.58 across his 12 overs in the series. During the course of the past week, he also became the second-ranked T20I bowler in the world.”He’s a player who has matured really quickly,” Shanaka said of Hasaranga. “I don’t think No. 2 is enough for him, he’s someone who should be at No. 1. I think he’ll get there quickly.”

13-member committee suggests “removing bilateral ODIs, other than in the one year preceding each World Cup”

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2023The MCC has suggested limiting men’s bilateral ODI cricket after the 2027 World Cup, questioning the value the format adds to an already jam-packed calendar.The MCC’s World Cricket Committee met on the sidelines of the recent Ashes Test at Lord’s and have come to the conclusion that in a world of growing franchise T20 tournaments around the year, something has to give.The 13-member committee, led by former England captain Mike Gatting, is hopeful that “a scarcity of ODI cricket would increase the quality, achieved by removing bilateral ODIs, other than in the one year preceding each World Cup. This would, as a consequence, also create much-needed space in the global cricketing calendar.”The ICC and its various members have been grappling with this situation for a while now. Jason Roy is foregoing a part of his incremental contract with England to play in the US’s Major League Cricket (MLC). Trent Boult gave up a central contract with New Zealand last year, and the IPL has expanded into a two-month window with its franchises buying teams in other leagues as well, leading to the prospect of players being offered year-round T20 contracts.Related

• Wasim Khan: International cricket must find a way to 'co-exist' with T20 leagues

• Will IPL franchise owners swallow international cricket whole?

The FTP for 2023-27 is more or less set. “Nothing is going to be removed,” Wasim Khan, the ICC’s general manager of cricket said in May. But he also highlighted that, going forward, the international game needs to find a way to co-exist with the ever-increasing number of T20 leagues.

MCC wants to know how much it really costs to host a Test match

Test cricket faces challenges of its own. The widely-held belief is that only a few countries don’t lose money hosting a five-day game. In 2017, for example, Zimbabwe were exploring the possibility of playing a majority of their matches away from home because of these very concerns. To address this, the MCC’s World Cricket Committee has asked the ICC to undertake an audit of the Test game with the view to setting up a “Test fund”.”This audit of operational costs [of hosting a Test match] versus commercial return would help the ICC identify nations in need of support in order to sustain a Test match programme,” an MCC press release on Tuesday said. This need could be subsequently addressed via a separate Test fund, established to “protect the sanctity of Test match cricket.”The ICC established a Test fund after the Big Three boards of the BCCI, ECB and CA took administrative control of the game’s governance in 2014. That, however, did not last long.Gatting, who is on his way out as committee chair, added: “In many ways, cricket is growing and, on the surface, seems financially strong. However, we are increasingly seeing a game which focuses on a powerful few, as opposed to a democratic and inclusive approach for the benefit of the whole sport.”It’s time for the global game to reset. Too often, member nations are finding themselves living hand to mouth with their cricketing operations, versus having a long-term, viable strategy in place that future-proofs the game in their country, both financially and in terms of participation.”We are currently at the commencement of a new ICC Future Tours Programme and financing cycle, and we would recommend further evidence of the requisite funding being directly apportioned to the strategic needs of cricket.”The World Cricket Committee also advised the setting up of a “substantial and ringfenced fund” solely for growing women’s cricket, the money from which can be “allocated on a required basis to full member and associate nations who, amongst other key initiatives, fully commit to their women’s pathway and national team. The WCC also believes that in order to qualify as a full ICC member, each nation must be required to commit to investing in both men’s and women’s cricket and field a national women’s team.”

Bangladesh batter to miss T20Is in Zimbabwe as well as home fixtures against Australia and New Zealand

Mohammad Isam20-Jul-2021Tamim Iqbal will miss competitive cricket for at least two months because of a knee injury. He will return home from Harare after the ongoing ODI series against Zimbabwe – the third game is taking place today – and miss the entire three-match T20I series as well as the upcoming T20I series against Australia and New Zealand at home.”Tamim will return home alongside Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam from the ODI side,” Minhajul Abedin, Bangladesh’s chief selector, said. “Tamim has been advised to rest for six to eight weeks. He won’t be able to play against Australia [in August] and New Zealand [in September] at home, but he might play against England [in October]. We have asked Rubel (Hossain), (Mohammad) Mithun and Mosaddek (Hossan) to stay back with the T20I side as part of our contingency plan for the Australia series.Related

• Bangladesh look to maintain their dominance over Zimbabwe despite Tamim Iqbal's absence

• Change in schedule: Zim vs Ban T20Is brought forward

• Saifuddin: 'It was a childhood dream to bat with Shakib'

“We have to keep players in quarantine for ten days ahead of the Australia series bio-bubble. We want to have as many options as possible as we won’t be able to call up players from outside the bio-bubble.”Iqbal reportedly sustained the injury in Sri Lanka in April, but recovered enough to play the ODI series against them in May. He also played 11 matches in the T20 Dhaka Premier League, but the injury forced him to miss the Super League phase of the competition.He went on to miss the one-off Test against Zimbabwe earlier this month, before saying that he would “manage” the injury and play the ODI series, chiefly because it is part of the World Cup Super League.The decision to take time off came following a recommendation from Dr David Young, the Melbourne-based orthopedic surgeon, who many Bangladesh cricketers, including Iqbal and Mashrafe Mortaza, have consulted over the years.Australia are expected to arrive in Dhaka next week to play five T20Is, scheduled from August 2 to 8. New Zealand are likely to play three or five T20Is in Dhaka starting early September, before England arrive in October to play three ODIs and three T20Is.

England dismissed for 185 after another flaky display with the bat in Melbourne

Valkerie Baynes26-Dec-2021It was a case of the more things change the more they stay the same for England as Australia took a stranglehold on the Ashes, bowling out the tourists for 185 on the opening day of the third Test at the MCG before reaching the close one wicket down and only 124 runs behind.England had made four changes to their side that lost by 275 runs in Adelaide to concede a 2-0 lead in the series, but again their batters struggled as Pat Cummins ripped through the top order by lunch and Nathan Lyon matched his captain’s haul of 3 for 36 as England succumbed for under 200 runs for the 12th time this year.In between, Cameron Green reaped rewards for a suffocating four-over spell and Scott Boland claimed a wicket on Test debut while also taking two catches to have a further hand in England’s demise before a Boxing Day crowd of 57,100.The Australians reached 57 without loss before James Anderson had David Warner sharply caught by Zak Crawley at gully. The hosts closed on 1 for 61 with under-pressure opener Marcus Harris unbeaten on 20.Cummins won the toss after rain delayed the start and sent England in to bat on a pitch offering some grass coverage. He capitalised with his fifth ball – the 11th legitimate delivery of the match after Mitchell Starc had opened with a no-ball – when he had Haseeb Hameed out feathering a catch behind to Alex Carey for a second consecutive duck.Cummins then had Crawley, replacing opener Rory Burns, caught by Green at gully for 12 as England slumped to 2 for 13 inside eight overs.
The tourists were again looking to Joe Root and Dawid Malan to steady them and they did, to some extent, with a 48-run partnership from 115 balls. But England needed so much more than even the 162-run stand they put on to give them some hope in the first Test in Brisbane and, when Cummins had Malan caught in the slips by Warner on the last ball before the lunch, they were again in strife at 3 for 61.Root brought up his ninth fifty in Australia after the break, but he fell a short time later when Starc – used sparingly in the morning session – had him caught behind chasing a ball outside off stump. Visibly furious with the fallibility of his dismissal, Root now needs to score a maiden century in Australia – 109 runs to be precise – in England’s second innings if he is to pass Mohammad Yousuf’s record for runs scored in a calendar year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

More importantly, however, England needed their skipper to convert to dig them out of a hole. Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, the latter replacing Ollie Pope, set about trying to salvage the innings but Green applied sublime pressure in a four-over spell which included three maidens and one wicket for one run, when Stokes tried to lift him over the slips cordon, but picked out Lyon at point for 25. Green threatened to claim another two balls later with a pearl of a delivery that zipped back between Jos Buttler’s bat and pad as the scoreless batsman lunged forward.It was Lyon who had Buttler out, England’s No. 7 advancing down the pitch and skying the ball straight to Boland at deep midwicket – a rash shot which saw him depart for just 3 on the stroke of tea. Lyon also dismissed Ollie Robinson for a spirited 22 from 26 deliveries and Jack Leach, who took his fellow spinner for 11 runs off one over – including a thumping straight six, before falling for 13. Leach had returned to the side after his bowling had been punished at the Gabba, making his courage with the bat a short-lived bright spot for England.Starc claimed his second, cramping Bairstow with a short ball that saw him lose his footing as he toppled backwards and gloved a catch to Green at gully. Bairstow was England’s second-highest run-scorer with 35 but, in an all-too-similar vein to the other recognised batters, it was simply not enough.Mark Wood, coming in for Stuart Broad in England’s other personnel change, had earlier became Boland’s first Test wicket when he was trapped lbw. Boland became the fourth Indigenous Test cricketer after Faith Thomas, Jason Gillespie and Ashleigh Garner in one of two changes for the Australians alongside the return of Cummins, who missed the second Test as a close contact of a Covid case.Wood threatened with the ball, showing England what they had been missing Adelaide, but it was Anderson who made the breakthrough that was a rare moment of solace for the battling tourists.

Warwickshire captain unbeaten on 142 after 165-run stand with Sam Hain, who made 55

ECB Reporters Network22-Aug-2020Will Rhodes hit his career-best score and first century since being appointed Warwickshire captain to frustrate Bob Willis Trophy Central Group leaders Worcestershire on the opening day of the derby clash at Edgbaston.Rhodes ended unbeaten on 142 from 263 balls with 15 fours as the Bears closed on 228 for 3 from 90 overs after being put into bat by home skipper Joe Leach. It surpassed his previous highest of 137 against Gloucestershire at Edgbaston in August 2018.Rhodes received admirable support from Sam Hain, who made 55, in a second-wicket partnership of 165 from 60 overs on a flat and sluggish pitch.He completed the sixth first-class century of his career just two balls after tea with one of his few false strokes when he edged former England Under-19 team-mate Ed Barnard to the third man boundary. It came from 181 balls and contained 13 fours.Rhodes took over as skipper after Jeetan Patel had stepped down from the role last winter and had begun the season in decent form with three 40-plus scores in the BWT without fully capitalising. But this time he batted with great solidity and composure in laying a solid foundation for Warwickshire to build a substantial total in their remaining 30 first-innings oversRhodes gave only one chance when on 123 with Tom Fell at mid-on spilling the chance off Daryl Mitchell.Worcestershire went into the game a point ahead of Somerset and needing a substantial points haul in the battle to secure a place in next month’s Lord’s final. They will have to overcome history as their local rivals have won the last eight first-class meetings between them and are unbeaten in that format against Worcestershire for two decades.But their bowlers deserve credit for sticking to their task in the benign conditions and restricting the Bears to around two and a half runs per over despite Rhodes’ excellent knock.Worcestershire showed one change from the line-up which had triumphed at Northampton in mid-week with Charlie Morris replacing fellow paceman Dillon Pennington.Warwickshire made two changes – one enforced – from the drawn home game versus Somerset with Dan Mousley and Ryan Sidebottom replacing the injured Matt Lamb and Henry Brookes.Morris made the breakthrough when Rob Yates was squared up by a delivery which he nicked through to Riki Wessels at first slip with 13 on the board.Rhodes immediately looked in good touch and turned Morris through mid-wicket for the first boundary of the innings while Hain slowly played himself back into form after scores of 6,8,0,1 and 7 to start the campaign. He waited patiently until his 47th delivery before dispatching Morris for his first four.The Warwickshire pair accumulated in unhurried and untroubled fashion and the 100 partnership with Hain came up in 42 overs. Hain eventually fell to Barnard when he flicked at a leg-side delivery and keeper Ben Cox pulled off another fine one-handed catch.There was more joy for Worcestershire in the next over when Ian Bell drove at Leach and perished to a smart catch by Barnard at point at 179 for 3 in the 67th over.But Rhodes, who achieved his career best with a single off Brett D’Oliveira, and Dan Mousley, not out 18, saw Warwickshire to the close without any further alarms.

Rollicking chase sealed with 77 balls to spare as tourists ring changes in build-up to series

Matt Roller12-Jul-2022Was this a case of mistaken identity? As England’s full-strength 50-over side capitulated to a ten-wicket defeat in south London, bowled out for 110 by India, their second-string counterparts blitzed their way to a target of 319 in just 37.1 overs against South Africa in Taunton.Somerset had made 265 for 5, the highest total in the history of English domestic T20, at this ground on Saturday night and the short boundaries are notoriously inviting. On another excellent batting pitch at their home ground, Will Smeed and Tom Banton added 113 for the first wicket in 13.4 overs – more than the ODI side had managed in 25.2 – to remove any kind of scoring pressure from the chase.Smeed eventually fell for 90 off 56 balls in what was his first senior 50-over innings, hitting seven fours and six sixes against the same South Africa attack that will be used in next week’s ODI series against England. Ben Duckett and Stephen Eskinazi added 127 for the fourth wicket in 15 overs; Duckett fell with two to win, but Eskinazi hit the winning runs by crashing Marco Jansen through point, bringing up his half-century in the process. The margin of defeat was six wickets, but with as many as 77 balls remaining, this was a genuine thrashing.South Africa were not overly concerned. “It was good for the batters to spend some time in the middle and get used to the conditions,” Janneman Malan, who top-scored with 103, said. “We always saw today as a warm-up: time in the middle for the boys, time on our feet. Their guys were prepared well for today and they played well but we saw this as a proper warm-up game and it’ll be a competitive game in two days’ time.”Keshav Maharaj, standing in as captain for the 50-over leg of this tour with Temba Bavuma absent through injury, juggled his bowlers and the tourists used 16 players with either bat or ball; Quinton de Kock, who was rested as a precaution due to a bruised finger, was the only squad member who did not play some part. Thursday’s second tour match, which has List A status, will be a better test of their standing heading into the England series.But this was still a significant result, one which reasserted the extent of England’s depth in limited-overs cricket – even if the cream of the crop were enduring a rare off-day simultaneously. Like Manchester City, Barcelona and Ajax’s football academies, England have encouraged their developmental sides to play in the same manner as the first team, as evidenced by the team that reached the Under-19 World Cup final earlier this year, and the Lions’ romp had all the hallmarks of the first team’s style. “They fell into the brand that England want to play perfectly,” Malan said. “They obviously have their structures and their blueprint. It looks like they bought into it.”Related

• Injured Bavuma ruled out; Maharaj and Miller to lead white-ball teams in England

• Will Smeed loves living in the 90s as Somerset defeat Surrey

• Rilee Rossouw gives Derbyshire a rocket in record-breaking Somerset win

• Boucher on Bazball: 'It's probably the way that red-ball cricket is going'

• Taunton tussle awaits as South Africa take on Lions in tour opener

South Africa started cautiously, working their way to 39 for 1 after the powerplay after Kyle Verreynne had slashed Sam Cook to point. Malan and Reeza Hendricks took a liking to George Scrimshaw’s extra pace, adding 80 for the second wicket, but England’s slower bowlers dragged things back: Benny Howell, making his Lions debut at 34, restricted the scoring with his unique brand of “fast spin” and Jake Lintott, the left-arm wristspinner, had Hendricks caught behind, edging a googly through to Banton.Malan continued to accumulate, reaching a 112-ball hundred, but was one of three men to fall to Rehan Ahmed, the 17-year-old legspinner, as South Africa looked to take him down. He finished his six overs with figures of 3 for 54 as Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller attacked, but David Payne nailed his yorkers at the death, taking four late wickets to restrict South Africa to 318.Smeed and Banton, Somerset’s opening pair, were both beaten outside off stump early on but soon found their range, adding 78 inside the 10-over powerplay and taking on Anrich Nortje’s express pace. Banton reached his half-century off 43 balls and whacked his next for six off Maharaj, but then fell looking to repeat the trick as he top-edged to short third.Smeed, the 20-year-old batter, will not make his List A debut until Thursday and last played a 50-over game in club cricket, but looked like a natural after getting himself set. He generated remarkable power off the back foot against South Africa’s spinners, clubbing Maharaj for two sixes in the space of four balls before hitting a back-to-back pair off Tabraiz Shamsi to fly into the 70s.He was in no mood to slow down, reaching 90 with a hoick over midwicket off Andile Phehlukwayo, but was bowled a ball later, looking to swing him across the line once more. His innings, off 56 balls, reinforced his status as one of England’s brightest young talents; a full international debut is a matter of when, not if.Sam Hain came and went for a 17-ball 20 at No. 3 but Duckett and Eskinazi did not let up. Duckett breezed along, scooping and dinking South Africa’s seamers and accumulating at will against spin, while Eskinazi – overlooked by all eight teams in the Hundred – brought up a 36-ball half-century when he hit Jansen for the winning runs, crashing him through point. If England need reinforcements for the second ODI at Lord’s on Thursday, they will not have to look far.

Afghanistan will be particularly concerned by the form of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who endured a rough week in the recently-concluded tri-series

Danyal Rasool08-Sep-20254:10

What was the biggest turning point in Rashid Khan’s career?

Big picture: First of three big tasks for Hong Kong

Measured by eyeballs, this is the largest non-ICC international tournament cricket has to offer, even if an opener between Afghanistan and Hong Kong doesn’t help make the case for that argument. But in a tight format, there is little bloat, and Hong Kong have the misfortune of being grouped with three legitimate contenders for the trophy.They have played 16 T20Is this year, but nothing that comes close to the sharp uptick in quality they will need to reckon with in a group that also includes Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They got to the UAE almost three weeks in advance, and booked themselves four warm-up games to get into tune ahead of the tournament: a pair against Oman, as well as two against local club sides. That they split the fixtures with each opposition is perhaps suggestive of their level, as well as the task that lies ahead of them against last year’s T20 World Cup semi-finalists.Related

• Back-to-back games plus travel 'not ideal' – Asalanka, Rashid on gruelling schedules

• Kaushal Silva on coaching Hong Kong: 'No one is going to hand us anything'

• 'Maybe I have something…' – the phenomenal rise of Noor Ahmad

• Stats – Nawaz sets new benchmarks as Afghanistan sink to record low

• Asia Cup 2025: Politics, passion and a stage for new rivalries

However, there may not be a better time for Hong Kong to play Rashid Khan’s men. The fixture comes just two days after Afghanistan suffered a bruising defeat in the tri-series final against Pakistan, their batters looking totally ill-equipped against Pakistan’s spinners on a turning track in Sharjah. The emotional toll of that defeat, as well as the quick turnaround, offers Hong Kong a potential opportunity to catch Afghanistan out in Abu Dhabi.Realistically, though, that possibility is remote. Afghanistan are among the best sides in these conditions, and have a win over Pakistan as well as two against UAE from the tri-series under their belt. They boast a well-rounded bowling attack, as well as a batting lineup that combines destructiveness with a more classical poise. They demonstrated their strength in depth by rotating half the side against UAE in a dead rubber before the tri-series final, and still ended up winning. The shorter format and the timing may give Hong Kong the feeling they have a chance, but victory would still make this the greatest upset in Asia Cup history.

Form guide

Afghanistan: LWWWL
Hong Kong: LWWLW15:43

Can Afghanistan make the final of the Asia Cup?

In the spotlight: Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hong Kong’s openers

Afghanistan’s highest profile players are invariably the bowlers, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz bucks that trend. However, Afghanistan’s biggest batting superstar endured a rough week in the recent tri-series, scoring just 98 runs at under 110, 40 of which came in a dead rubber against UAE. The impact of his early dismissals has been somewhat mitigated by the remarkable consistency of Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal, but none have the explosiveness Gurbaz does when in full flow. Simply put, Afghanistan won’t make a deep run without his impact, and a game against Hong Kong represents an ideal opportunity to blast his way back to form.If Afghanistan’s opener has hit a dry patch, that certainly can’t be said for his Hong Kong counterparts Zeeshan Ali and Anshuman Rath. Far and away Hong Kong’s two leading run-scorers, they have demonstrated themselves to be consistent as well as dynamic, with strike rates hovering in the mid 140s. Both boast T20I hundreds this year, while Rath’s consistency, in particular, has made Hong Kong especially dependent on his runs. He has scored a further five half-centuries, and averages just under 50 for the year, the standout innings an unbeaten 59-ball 100 in a mauling of Singapore. Hong Kong need a fast start, and in that department at least, their openers have a track record of taking care of business.

Team news

Since reintroducing Noor Ahmad into their side, Afghanistan have favoured the extra spinner. Expect a similar team to the one that played Pakistan in the final.Afghanistan (possible): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Sediqullah Atal, 4 Darwish Rasooli, 5 Karim Janat, 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Rashid Khan (capt), 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 AM Ghazanfar, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiHong Kong (possible): 1 Anshuman Rath, 2 Zeeshan Ali (wk), 3 Babar Hayat, 4 Nizakat Khan, 5 Matthew Coetzee, 6 Yasim Murtaza (capt), 7 Ehsan Khan, 8 Aizaz Khan, 9 Ateeq Iqbal, 10 Nasrulla Rana, 11 Ayush ShuklaNoor Ahmad and Afghanistan will be expected to be a formidable force in familiar Abu Dhabi conditions•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

Abu Dhabi is considered slightly less conducive to spin than Dubai, which may dull Afghanistan’s edge marginally. It is expected to be warm and humid in the evening, as is routine in the UAE this time of year.

Stats and trivia

• In 21 years of their presence in the Asia Cup, Hong Kong have lost all 11 matches they have played.
• Afghanistan have a better T20I record in Abu Dhabi – the venue of the match – than at any other ground in the UAE, winning 11 and losing 5. However, they lost their only match against Hong Kong at this venue, in 2015.