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.

The PCB had terminated its cable-distribution deal and suspended the broadcasting deal with PTV Sports, which was expected to earn them US$ 200 million over three years

Umar Farooq23-Nov-2021A sessions court in Lahore has issued a stay order to prevent the PCB from suspending its deal with the state-owned broadcaster PTV.The PCB had signed a three-year broadcast deal in 2020 with PTV, as well as an agreement with I-Media Communications Services, to ensure the PCB’s broadcast content is not redistributed illegally by cable operators. The official signing of the deal had taken place in the presence of Imran Khan, the Pakistan prime minister who is also the PCB’s patron-in-chief.But last week the PCB terminated its cable-distribution deal and suspended the broadcasting deal with PTV Sports, deals from which, on signing them, the PCB said were expected to fetch them US$ 200 million over three years. The PCB also opened a new tender inviting bids for new media rights for home internationals for the upcoming series against West Indies and Australia. That process will have to be put on hold for now until the dispute is sorted.At heart is the nature of the arrangement. The deal allowed PTV to broadcast all Pakistan’s home bilateral commitments as well as all domestic cricket, though the PCB held on to the production rights. The deal with I-Media Communications Services was meant to ensure that the distribution of cricket content would only be done through licensed cable operators, and the value of the content would be protected against potential illegal distribution.The expected earnings from this deal would come from advertising revenue and also, for the first time in Pakistan, distribution revenue from the cable operators – the equivalent of revenues that broadcasters make from subscriptions – through I-Media. That revenue is important in countries such as England, Australia and, increasingly, India but has been non-existent in Pakistan due to the nature of the industry.It is believed to be on the basis of non-compliance on payments from the I-Media contract that the PCB has gone to court. In its plea before judge Talat Mahmood, PTV said that it “had been honouring” the terms of the deal at every stage. PCB, however, had suspended the deal with both parties because of the supposed non-compliance when it came to implementing the Digital Pakistan policy (one part of which is regulating the illegal cable operator business).PTV also claim that PCB had never addressed any grievances to PTV’s managing director, as the contract stipulated – ESPNcricinfo understands that PCB wrote directly to the Information Minister – who oversees the state-owned PTV – when required.The broadcast deal was signed in the face of a shrinking broadcast market, more so after the Covid-19 pandemic. It ended a long-running broadcast relationship with Ten Sports. International rights for PCB’s home series were sold separately to various channels around the world.Pakistan has few local sports broadcasters to choose from though recently, the ARY Group has launched an HD sports channel called A-Sports, which covered the T20 World Cup and is presently broadcasting the Abu Dhabi T10 league. PTV, however, broadcasts its content on standard definition, which the PCB wants to change to HD.Neither PTV or PCB chose to speak on the matter when contacted.

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.

Hetmyer still out on fitness grounds, but chief selector Desmond Haynes says he remains in West Indies’ plans

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2022Captain Kieron Pollard and vice-captain Nicholas Pooran will lead a familiar squad in the T20I series against India in February. West Indies did not make any changes to the 16 that was named to take on England at home for the away series against India. West Indies, at the time of naming the squad on Saturday, were leading that home series against England 2-1, with two games to play.West Indies had announced their squad for the preceding ODIs against India on January 27, and 11 players feature in both the limited-overs squads: Pollard, Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith and Hayden Walsh Jr.Related

• West Bengal government allows 75% attendance for India-West Indies T20Is

• Shahrukh Khan, Sai Kishore part of India's stand-bys for West Indies T20Is

• Roach handed ODI recall as Haynes picks his first WI squad

Allrounder Odean Smith keeps his place after a bizarre incident this past week which included claims of him being “victimised” after he was left out for the third T20I against England to make way for Rovman Powell. The claims were made in a voice note sent to the media – by whom it is as yet unclear, though local media reported it was “a regional cricket commentator” – and duly rubbished by coach Phil Simmons. Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt termed the allegations “a malicious attack on the credibility of the West Indies Captain, designed to sow division within our team”.West Indies’ tour to India is the first assignment for new West Indies chief selector Desmond Haynes. The tour comprises three ODIs in Ahmedabad starting on February 6, followed by the T20Is in Kolkata between February 16 and 20.Hetmyer still out on fitness grounds, Lewis yet to return post-Covid
Shimron Hetmyer was left out of the squad on fitness grounds once again. Earlier this month, West Indies head coach Phil Simmons was critical of Hetmyer’s attitude towards physical fitness, saying it was “heart-wrenching” to see him fail to reach the minimum standard. Haynes, however, stressed that Hetmyer is still part of West Indies’ plans moving forward. The 25-year-old batter is currently part of the Quetta Gladiators squad at the PSL.”What we need to do is we need to put our arm around these guys and let them know that we are interested in their development… to also [make them] understand that there’s a level of fitness that is required to play at international level,” Haynes said. “But Hetmyer is in our plans. There’s no question about it. Hetmyer was ill this month at the beginning of the year and obviously we’ve got a squad of people here who are doing well at present in the T20 tournament. So, we decided we will keep them for the tournament going to India.”As for opening batter Evin Lewis, he is yet to return to competitive action since testing positive for Covid-19, ahead of the Ireland series. While Haynes said that the selectors wanted to give the squad that is playing against England at home another go in India, he pointed out that Lewis, too, will be part of West Indies’ future plans.”This year both Evin and Hetmyer had illness and I think Evin was recovering from Covid,” Haynes said. “I just want to let everybody know that Evin is still in our plans. Evin is not part of the T20 squad that was selected before I took on the role of a lead selector. We’ve done well against the England T20 team and I believe that it was right of us to give these guys a chance.”Left-arm seamer Obed McCoy, meanwhile, is still recovering from the shin injury he sustained at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE.Haynes impressed by Powell, Hosein
Dwayne Bravo’s international retirement after the T20 World Cup last year stripped the side of an experienced all-round option, but Powell and Hosein have since stepped up, impressing Hayes. Dominic Drakes, who had a breakout CPL 2021 and then got gigs in the IPL and T10 league, is also part of the squad for the T20I leg of the India tour.Replacing Smith, Powell walloped a 51-ball hundred to hand West Indies a 2-1 lead in the ongoing T20I series against England. Left-arm fingerspinner Hosein, who had batted up the order for West Indies Under-19s back in the day, showed his batting chops in the second T20I, when he smashed an unbeaten 16-ball 44 from No.10 to give England a massive scare.”Yeah, I’m very impressed with the guys,” Haynes said. “I liked the innings that Powell played – I think that was fantastic. Here was a guy who struggled to play spin, I was told, and then he came in and the first shot [with which] he got off the mark was a sweep for six. England then were planning to bowl a lot of googlies at him and he just paddle-swept. Also, he’s a strong guy too; when it was time to use his power coming down to the end, he played very well and I was very, very impressed with him.”I was also very impressed with Akeal in that one run-defeat. He came in there and everybody thought it was over. He played exceptionally well and that’s what you want because in T20 cricket you want the guy batting up to No.11 to be able to hit a six.”Squad: Kieron Pollard (capt), Nicholas Pooran (vice-capt), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Brandon King, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Kyle Mayers, Hayden Walsh Jr

Setback for the defending champions as they slump to their second straight loss

Firdose Moonda08-Mar-2022After their takedown of hosts New Zealand on the opening night, West Indies beat England for the first time at a Women’s World Cup to throw the qualification race wide open. A second straight win, this one almost as late in the script as the previous one, took them to the top of the standings, even as the defending champions suffered their second straight loss.Stafanie Taylor’s side defended 225 on a slow pitch in a see-saw match. For a while, it seemed to have settled with England as their ninth-wicket pair of Sophie Ecclestone and Kate Cross added 61 to take them within nine runs of victory. Then some magic, along with a bit of luck, for Anisa Mohammed turned the game again as West Indies pulled off a sensational win.Tasked with bowling the 48th over, Mohammed was at the receiving end of a ferocious Ecclestone hit. But she stuck out a hand and deflected the ball on to the stumps to run Cross out at the non-striker’s end. Three balls later, Mohammed bowled Anya Shrubsole, who yorked herself as she charged down the track and missed a full ball, to seal the deal.It was heartbreaking for England after Ecclestone and Cross had brought them back from 156 for 8, through a mix of street-smart cricket and calculated aggression.The game was set up, however, by West Indies openers Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin, who added 81. Then they lost four wickets for 17 runs to concede the advantage. And then came the bailout courtesy a 123-run fifth-wicket stand between Shemaine Campbelle and Chedean Nation, which took them to 225, which at the halfway point seemed a decent total on a slow pitch.Anisa Mohammed leads the West Indies victory sprint after her sensational last over•Getty Images

It looked even bigger than it was when England were reduced to 94 for 5, before Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley put on 60 for the sixth wicket to keep England in the hunt. But they fell away again by losing three wickets in six balls before Ecclestone and Cross took them close, only to fall short again.Both teams will be disappointed with their efforts on the field. England dropped four chances, and West Indies three. England sent down 23 wides, West Indies 15. Yet, the clincher that started England’s troubles was Dottin’s leaping one-handed stunner at backward point that broke England’s steady opening stand. She was fully airborne as she leapt to her left and put out her non-dominant hand to dismiss Lauren Winfield-Hill. It came on the back of two dropped catches.Three overs later, Heather Knight was out caught behind as she advanced down the pitch to a Matthews delivery that drifted away and held its line. The decision was initially referred for a stumping, but UltraEdge confirmed a thin spike and Knight was given out. Matthews had a second when Nat Sciver top-edged a slog sweep to mid-on. England had slipped to 58 for 3 at that stage.When Amy Jones offered a return catch that was shelled by Aaliyah Alleyne, England had a brief reprieve, but Alleyne had the last laugh when she had Jones driving to Matthews at slip. Tammy Beaumont looked good, but fell to Mohammed when she played all around a full ball. A wobble had turned into a full-blown collapse.Dunkley and Wyatt repaired the innings by ticking the runs sensibly. The pair put on 60 and appeared to have eased the nerves in the England camp when Dunkley mistimed a swat straight to Taylor at short midwicket in the 34th over. Two balls later, Wyatt sliced a lofted hit to mid-off. When Katherine Brunt slapped Shamilia Connell to point, it looked like the writing was on the wall at 156 for 8.Sophie Ecclestone was impressive, and her three-wicket burst gave England a good chance•Getty Images

Earlier, Dottin and Matthews started briskly, scoring at close to six runs an over. It changed after the 11th over. Cross could have had Matthews but for a return catch that went down. She did, however, apply the squeeze with Sciver before Ecclestone forced a slowdown through eight boundary-less overs that led to a collapse.Matthews was the first to go on 45 when she top-edged a heave to short third to break an 81-run opening stand in the 21st over. Three balls later, Dottin was run-out after a mix-up with Kycia Knight, as Wyatt swooped in to under-arm a direct hit at the striker’s end. One ball later, Taylor met a slow Ecclestone delivery with an open-faced bat to defend but got the outside edge and was caught behind for a first-ball duck.West Indies could have lost a fourth shortly after but Campbelle’s lbw decision was overturned by DRS when the impact – she had attempted a sweep off Knight – was found to be outside off. But England only had to wait until the next delivery to get a wicket as Knight drilled Ecclestone straight to short cover.West Indies were 98 for 4 after 27 overs. Only 37 runs came in the next ten overs, with just one boundary, as England continued to apply pressure, but Campbelle and Nation absorbed it. They saw off Ecclestone, who bounced back from none for 77 against Australia to finish with 3 for 20 today, and brought up their 50-run stand in the 40th over.As the innings approached its end, the pair became more aggression. Nation broke a 13-over drought when she drove Sciver square of the wicket for a boundary in the 45th. Then Campbelle swivel-pulled Sciver behind square and flicked her to midwicket to raise a 70-ball half-century. Soon, they also raised the century stand. This proved to be the difference in the end as it gave West Indies a total they managed to defend after a struggle.

He came in at 162 for 5 and ensured a first-innings lead despite Delhi having piled on 452

Deivarayan Muthu19-Feb-20223:27

Shahrukh Khan: ‘The four-year wait to make it to the Ranji team really made me mentally strong’

After causing a stir at the IPL mega auction last weekend on the back of his white-ball heroics, Tamil Nadu’s M Shahrukh Khan made another splash this weekend, clattering an 89-ball century in the Ranji Trophy game against Delhi. The 26-year-old nearly converted his maiden first-class hundred into a double-century as Tamil Nadu overhauled Delhi’s 452 in Guwahati.By the time Shahrukh was trapped lbw by Nitish Rana’s part-time offspin in the post-tea session on day three, Tamil Nadu were into the lead. Left-arm fingerspinner Vikas Mishra, however, cleaned up the tail swiftly and bowled out Tamil Nadu for 494 at the stroke of stumps, limiting their lead to 42.That Tamil Nadu would snatch the first-innings advantage appeared unlikely when Shahrukh joined former captain B Indrajith at 162 for 5. The current captain Vijay Shankar had just offered a bat-pad catch to silly-point for five. R Sai Kishore, the nightwatchman, and M Kaushik Gandhi, the opener, had already fallen in the morning as Delhi dominated the early exchanges.Sai Kishore (11) had been caught short by a direct hit from Lalit Yadav while Gandhi (55) nicked off a quick dart from Mishra. Shahrukh then immediately changed the mood and tempo of the game with a barrage of boundaries.He had started off in a skittish fashion, flapping a weak pull in front of mid-on, but stayed true to his usual attacking instincts and went about bending the Delhi attack out of shape. Shahrukh was particularly brutal on left-arm seamer Kuldip Yadav, taking him for 50 off a mere 20 balls. All up, he walloped 20 fours and 10 sixes.That Sharukh is particularly strong against pace is fairly well-established in Indian domestic circles. Recently in the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy, Prasidh Krishna, too, felt the power of Shahrukh. On Saturday, while his big-hitting against pace would have been the more headline-grabbing passage of play, it was his patience and technique against spin that highlighted his growth as an all-format domestic batter.He was either forward to smother Mishra’s turning balls or right back – when the bowler dragged the length back – to cut him or pull him away. In all, he made 29 off 48 balls against Mishra. Over the last two years, Tamil Nadu’s assistant coach R Prasanna has had a variety of local spinners bowling at Shahrukh at the nets and all that training was put to good use against Delhi.On his Ranji debut in 2018, Shahrukh had set up Tamil Nadu’s victory with a first-innings 92 not out on an atypical Chepauk track that aided seamers. He has played just four-class matches since, before this Ranji season, but there are already signs that Shahrukh could be a match-winner in red-ball cricket as well.Related

• Shahrukh Khan: 'Even if I only play five balls, there's a process to it'

• Yash Dhull hits 113 on first-class debut to lead Delhi charge

• Bihar's Sakibul Gani enters record books after hitting triple ton on debut

“Touch wood, things are going well for me in white-ball cricket for Tamil Nadu. I feel that people brand quickly that he is a white-ball player only, but I want to do well and hit the next level in all formats,” Shahrukh had told ESPNcricinfo in the lead-up to this Ranji season.”I want to get big runs in Ranji Trophy. I might also bat down the order in red-ball cricket and I want to handle those situations better, with Prasanna as the example. He has bailed out Tamil Nadu from so many situations in swinging conditions. The margin for error in red-ball cricket is a lot lesser and I enjoy that challenge.”Shahrukh walked the talk, striking up rapid century stands with Indrajith and then N Jagadeesan. Shahrukh had brought up the century stand with Indrajith in grand style with a rasping cut over backward point off Kuldip – a genuine candidate for the shot of the day. Indrajith was more aggressive and proactive against spin, often disrupting lengths and lines by jumping out of the crease.Indrajith reached his hundred off 126 balls when he glided Kuldip to the third-man boundary in the 71st over, which yielded 22 runs. Seven overs later, though, Rana pinned him lbw with an offbreak that shot low. There would be no stopping Shahrukh however, as he zipped into the nineties with a brace of sixes.After getting to a century of his own, with a single to long leg, he seemingly pointed to his white jersey and soaked in the applause from the Tamil Nadu camp. Shahrukh then needed just 24 balls to go from 100 to 150.After a slow start, Jagadeesan, too, hit a higher gear, launching Mishra for sixes over long-off and long-on in the 92nd over. At one point, Delhi spread out the field, deploying fielders at deep midwicket, deep backward square leg and long-on, but Shahrukh kept peppering that arc or clearing those outfielders.Rana and Mishra made some late strikes for Delhi, but this was Shahrukh’s weekend once again.

The series, which was earlier postponed following the Covid-19 pandemic, will be part of the ODI World Cup Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2022Netherlands are set to host Pakistan for three ODIs in August in Rotterdam. The series, which was supposed to be held in June 2020 and was postponed indefinitely following the Covid-19 pandemic, will be part of the ODI World Cup Super League.The series will also be the inaugural bilateral ODI series between the sides, with the three matches set to be played on August 16, 18 and 21 at the VOC Cricket Ground. The two sides have previously met in the World Cup in 1996 and 2003, and the Champions Trophy in 2002 with Pakistan winning the three encounters.

Netherlands vs Pakistan in Rotterdam

• 1st ODI – August 16, 2022

• 2nd ODI – August 18, 2022

• 3rd ODI – August 21, 2022

Zakir Khan, PCB director, said: “We are pleased that with the support of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond (KNCB), we have been able to reschedule the series, which is important to the growth and development of cricket in Netherlands as well as to the two teams’ chances of progressing directly to the 2023 World Cup.”Our men’s national cricket team had an excellent 2021-22 season and I am confident they will build on the momentum to entertain expat Pakistanis and the Dutch spectators with good cricket. This series will also help KNCB attract new and young audiences towards the game.”Netherlands are currently at the bottom of the Super League table in the 13th place with two wins in 10 matches while Pakistan have won six out of 12 matches and are in the ninth place. The top seven sides plus hosts India will qualify directly for the 2023 Men’s World Cup.

Super Giants are coming off four wins on the trot, while Titans’ momentum was hampered with two straight losses

Srinidhi Ramanujam09-May-20222:41

Do Gujarat need Hardik the bowler back?

Big Picture

Eleven matches. Eight wins. Three losses. The two IPL newbies – Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans – are only separated by net run-rate on top of the points table, and a win on Tuesday will propel one of them to 18 points and help cement their playoffs spot.While Super Giants are coming off four wins on the trot, Titans suffered consecutive defeats against lowly-placed Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings. Having lost the match against Mumbai by a small margin, there were a few positives for Hardik Pandya’s men, with Shubman Gill and the captain back among runs after failures in the recent games. A stable batter at No. 3 is still a concern for them, but thanks to match-winners like David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan, Titans have managed to stay ahead in the playoffs race.Having played many games where the results could have gone either way, a third loss in a row might start to affect Titans’ confidence and their aim of a top-two finish in the group stage. With Wriddhiman Saha providing them with quick starts, Titans will want to seek consistency from Gill and Hardik.

LIVE in the USA

You can watch the match on ESPN+ in English and in Hindi.

Super Giants, on the other hand, will be brimming with confidence after crushing Kolkata Knight Riders with an all-round performance in the previous game. The addition of Mohsin Khan has only strengthened their bowling attack that comprises the likes of Avesh Khan, Dushmantha Chameera and Jason Holder. In Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya, they have reliable wicket-taking spin options.Their batting has primarily been taken care of by KL Rahul – who is also the leading run-getter for them with 451 runs at a strike rate of 145.01 – and Quinton de Kock at the top with Deepak Hooda now back to No.3 after they dropped a struggling Manish Pandey at one-down. A top-heavy batting has covered up for their underperforming middle order and this might be the one area that Titans would aim to exploit.

In the news

Avesh Khan came back into the XI against KKR after missing a few games due to a “small injury” and is expected to retain his place. Both teams are unlikely to change their playing XIs.

Likely XIs

Lucknow Super Giants : 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 KL Rahul (capt), 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Krunal Pandya, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Avesh Khan/K Gowtham, 9 Mohsin Khan, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Ravi Bishnoi Gujarat Titans : 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Pradeep Sangwan

Strategy Punt

Mohammed Shami will be key to Titans’ bowling plans as he has dismissed Rahul twice in three T20s. The fast bowler has also removed Quinton de Kock three times with the batter averaging just 14 against him.

Stats that matter

• Saha has an average of 51.7 against seamers this season.
• Lockie Ferguson’s economy has jumped to 10 in the last six matches, after having conceded 7.7 runs an over in the first five matches.
• Chameera is two short of completing 100 wickets in T20s.

Head coach believes team had been “really good over a period of time'” before Shanaka changed the course of the game

Andrew McGlashan12-Jun-2022Not much has gone wrong for Australia’s T20I side since the start of last year’s World Cup, but Saturday night’s heady scenes in Pallekele – as Sri Lanka pummelled a record-breaking 59 from the last three overs – put the spotlight on an area of their game that will need some refinement ahead of their title defence later this year.For the third time this year Sri Lanka put Australia’s death bowling under severe pressure defending a target – the stunning chase followed a victory in Melbourne in February and a tie in Sydney which Australia ultimately won in a Super Over.Related

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• Shanaka's 25-ball 54* scripts stunning victory for Sri Lanka

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• Injured Starc in doubt for ODIs

The Melbourne chase was never in the realms of what Dasun Shanaka achieved in Pallekele – Sri Lanka needed 28 off the last three overs and nine off the last – but Sydney had provided a warning when they ransacked 45 off the last three before Josh Hazlewood’s five-run Super Over decided the contest.The latest contest, with the series decided after Australia went 2-0 up in Colombo, again saw Aaron Finch give his team the chance to defend as he had done in Melbourne instead of continuing with the successful bowl-first model. There was little broader consequence in the outcome of the game for Australia, but that would not be the case in a World Cup knockout where the decision to defend could be taken out of their hands.”The small reviews we had last night with individuals was that if you had the time again you’d have taken some different options,” head coach Andrew McDonald said. “We felt we got a little one-dimensional at certain periods, a little too predictable and probably went away from what made us really good in the first two games, albeit we weren’t defending a total.”As in Melbourne, it was Jhye and Kane Richardson who were given the 19th and 20th overs of the innings, but it also went wrong for the previously outstanding Hazlewood who missed his length and went for 22 in the 18th over having started with remarkable figures of 3-1-3-2.”We feel that pressure probably took us away at times from what made us really good,” McDonald said. “We’ve been really good over a period of time and even last night you could argue that for 34 overs that we playing really good cricket. We’ve got some personnel who are getting exposed to situations which is always a positive.Dasun Shanaka blazed his bat around to give his team an unlikely win.•Getty Images

“There were a couple of areas we could tidy up, no doubt about that. When you get put under that type of pressure…we didn’t execute as well as we may have hoped to in that situation but full credit to an innings of that quality, it deserves the result it got and it was a great game. Unfortunately we were on the wrong side of that but plenty of opportunities to learn from those types of situations.”Starc, who was injured in the first game of the series, and the rested Pat Cummins were missing from Australia’s side although Cummins was also among those taken to in the Sydney chase when he conceded 17 off the 18th over.The next opportunity Australia will have to fine-tune their T20 game is a three-match series in India in mid-September before the final lead-in to the World Cup with matches against West Indies and England at home.On this tour, the focus now switches to the five-match ODI series which begins on Tuesday and marks a starting point of sorts for the 2023 World Cup build-up. Although missing Adam Zampa, who is on paternity leave, and having Starc and Mitchell Marsh carrying injuries, it is the closest Australia have come to having a full-strength ODI side together since the start of the series against India in November 2020 – albeit this is only their third series since then.A patched-up side won 2-1 in West Indies last year and another started well in Pakistan in late March before losing the series. Australia have a lot of ODI cricket on their calendar due to Covid catch-up series, although some may not feature a full-strength team and the three matches against South Africa next January remain in doubt with CSA wanting them moved due to their new T20 league.The five games in Sri Lanka will likely see most of Australia’s squad get some match time fitness permitting, particularly among the quick bowlers who will be rotated amid a tight schedule. Allrounder Cameron Green, who made a century for Australia A last week, will not be available to bowl for the first two matches as a cautious approach is taken with his workload.”He’s just a fraction behind where we’d like him to be so we’ll go on the conservative side there,” McDonald said. “But the three games back in Colombo we feel he’ll be well positioned to fill his full capabilities in being an allrounder.”With Marsh also unavailable at least for the start of the series Australia may need to find 10 overs between Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Marnus Labuschagne depending on the final balance of their side.

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

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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.