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David Warner insists that his relationship with Steven Smith is intact in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, and has echoed the former captain’s words that a 12-month ban from international cricket is the sort of imposed break from the game that he needed after seven years in a “bubble”.A day after Smith made 61 on his return to cricket at the Global T20 Canada, Warner was bowled by Lasith Malinga second ball in a far briefer stint at the batting crease. But he professed to enjoying the run around the outfield for Winnipeg Hawks, and described the tournament as a small step forward on the road back from his role as the primary instigator of the Cape Town ball-tampering plot, where he instructed Cameron Bancroft on how to use sandpaper on the ball, with the tacit approval of Smith.”It definitely has been [tough], not just for me but for my family, obviously the fans out there that support cricket and Australian cricket, so I’m responsible for that, that’s my fault and why I’ve had some tough times,” Warner said in Toronto. “But I’m an adult, I’m big, strong, I’ll move forward and keep continuing to move forward and making sure I’m doing the right things at the right times to keep playing the best cricket I can.”Steve and me are good mates. If people hang in the hotel, they’ll see us hanging out with each other and stuff. At the end of the day, it was a big thing that happened and for us, you’ve got to handle it in your individual way and then how you handle it collectively. We haven’t really been able to catch up because he’s been away, Cameron’s been in Perth and I’ve been doing what I’m doing and got family at home. So it’s been hard, but this has been good, we’ve had numerous chats and I’m sure we’ll hang out plenty more, we’re in the same hotel.”Another member of the Newlands team, Mitchell Starc, had described the way relationships in the team had been strained: “It was such a stressful time in our lives. There was strain on relationships both as individuals and as a team. However, the relationships of that group remain very much intact. I look forward to the opportunity to play alongside every one of my team-mates from that tour again. We still have a long way to go in rebuilding the trust with the Australian public and I know personally, that I am 100% committed to doing that.”David Warner celebrates a wicket as Australia close in•Getty Images

On his return home from South Africa, Warner had considered taking his Cricket Australia code-of-conduct sanction to a formal hearing before accepting his punishment alongside Smith and Bancroft. He said the ban, which has also seen him barred from taking any leadership positions in Australian cricket ever, had proven beneficial in allowing him more time at home. One of the flow-on effects was the cancelling of his IPL contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad, meaning Warner missed the tournament for the first time since its inaugural edition in 2008.”Being at home for the last 12 weeks has been great for me,” Warner said. “There were a lot of mental scars after the Ashes and that probably saw my form [dip] and maybe [for] Steve as well in the one-day series against England. It takes a lot out of you, and moving onto South Africa and what happened, it was really tough. We’re responsible for that and we’re moving on. But to get back out here and play cricket is really good for us mentally. I was excited about the chance to come here and play, and to do what we love. Can’t sit at home and dwell on the past, you’ve got to move forward, and I felt this was a great opportunity to get out there, play cricket and be happy.”If you were stuck inside this tent for 365 days you’d probably go insane, so in the bubble we’ve been in for the last six or seven years, you need time out and I think this 12 months is going to be a good reflection upon myself as a person and a character, as a dad and a family man. The last 12 weeks have been tough, but it’s enabled me to spend a lot of time with my family, and that’s something I’ll always cherish every day. To have my daughter on Facetime and say that she misses me and loves me and she wants to come over here and watch cricket, I’m excited that they want to get back into it as well. It’s those things we miss.”I’m extremely grateful for cricket and what it’s brought me; the game owes me nothing. To be here, I’m just so grateful for Canadian cricket to have this tournament and it’s a reflection of what we do day in and day out. It’s tough on the road, all three forms, but a lot of time in this next eight or nine months to ponder and think about what my future holds. I’m just grateful to be back out playing cricket.”Unlike Smith or Bancroft, Warner did not give any overt indications about returning to play for Australia when his ban expires in March 2019. CA’s punishment included a clause stating that the place of all three players in the esteem of the Australian public would be a factor in whether or not they were reinstated.”Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion and I look back at the past that’s happened and the sanctions that have been handed down by the ICC, it is what it is,” Warner said of his critics. “For us to come out here and play the game we love, we’re very fortunate for that and grateful for that opportunity that Canada cricket have given us. Critics will be critics, that’s why they’re behind the keyboards, they do what they do and we just move forward and try and ignore that.”For me it’s about getting back into the rhythm of cricket again, making sure I’m putting my best foot forward for this tournament, making sure that I’m putting 100% in all the time, giving advice to the guys who don’t get the opportunity to play on the big stage as well, and just to compete. It’s been a long three months, thinking that I probably wouldn’t be over here, but it’s a good opportunity, I’m excited about it, and I look forward to the rest of the tournament.”

The sight of three left-arm wrist spinners bowling at England in the nets at Edgbaston underlined the extent to which the talk of spin bowling has dominated the lead-up to this series.It’s not just England’s reputation against such bowling or the dramatic impact made by Kuldeep Yadav at the start of the limited-overs series between these sides. It is that England has experienced a prolonged spell of unusually hot and dry weather. Even if the squares were heavily watered, it was argued, the dry outfields would draw moisture out of them and leave the pitches dry and dusty.So, Akhil Patel (the brother of Samit Patel), William Blackwell (a club cricketer at Coggeshall in Essex) and Sam Wisniewski (a Yorkshire Under-17 cricketer) were all recruited to bowl to England’s batsmen in the nets. And, had Jake Lintott, a left-arm wrist-spinner of the fringe of the Hampshire side been available, he would have done so, too. Dom Bess and Jack Leach also took part.But a first look at the Edgbaston surface suggests such talk may have been overplayed. The pitch looks similar to the surfaces seen here for the 2015 Ashes – when England’s seamers took 19 of the 20 wickets to fall – and the 2016 Test against Pakistan, when England’s spinner, Moeen Ali, took just two of the 20 Pakistan wickets.Not only has Birmingham seen the dry spell end in recent days – the city experienced minor flooding in some areas on Saturday after torrential rain – but the groundstaff at Edgbaston have pumped millions of litres of water onto the outfield in recent weeks. At one stage, they were putting as many as 47,000 litres of water on to the outfield in 36-minute bursts. Even on Monday night, the groundstaff were spraying seaweed onto the outfield in order to ensure the grass retained moisture even if another hot spell occurs during the game.As a result, conditions are remarkably similar to usual despite the extreme weather. Indeed, it might be the sort of surface where the captain winning the toss has a tricky decision to make over whether to bat or bowl first. The first session is likely to prove hard work for batsmen and the pitch is unlikely to deteriorate much over the first three days at least.It therefore seems most unlikely that India will play three spinners and means there is every chance that Kuldeep will not be selected.The Edgbaston surface two days before the first Test•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It is also quite possible that, even after the furore into Adil Rashid’s selection, he could be omitted. While Moeen was informed a few weeks ago that he would subsequently be considered only as a second choice spin bowler, he looked back to his best in the recently concluded Championship match against Somerset – he claimed the 10th five-wicket haul of his first-class career – and has, at least, had a chance to play some first-class cricket. Rashid has not played a first-class match since September.It is 25 years since England played two frontline spinners (Moeen is being classified as a frontline spinner for the purposes of clarity) in an Edgbaston Test. On that occasion, England fielded two offspinners against Australia – Peter Such and John Emburey – and slumped to an eight-wicket defeat.While Jeetan Patel has enjoyed a good season with Warwickshire – who are based at Edgbaston – he usually gains little help from the surface and sometimes benefits from the footmarks left by Keith Barker, the club’s left-arm swing bowler. The legspinner Josh Poysden also claimed a five-wicket haul at the ground when playing as a second spinner, though he would be the first to admit than some poor batting from Glamorgan played a large part in that haul.With Moeen and Ben Stokes offering all-round depth, England are blessed with many options. They could play two spinners without weakening their seam bowling. If, for example, they omitted a batsman – Dawid Malan – they could bat Moeen at No. 7, with Rashid at No. 8 and James Anderson, Stuart Broad and, probably, Jamie Porter to follow.While Sam Curran could also come into the equation, it could be that his left-arm angle counts against him: England, despite the possibility of playing five left-handers in their top seven, are unlikely to want to provide R Ashwin and co. with any help from Curran’s footmarks. Malan, it might be noted, averages 29 in Test cricket. Moeen averages 32.40.Either way, it seems spin may not play the prominent role in the match that was originally anticipated. Whether by accident or design, Edgbaston appears to have survived the warm spell with its characteristics intact. It looks, in short, a good, English, Test surface with some encouragement for seamers but where batsmen can also prosper.

ScorecardAfter a month-long heat wave across the UK, the weather gods decided to play a prank on a pair of Associate nation guests making their long-awaited return to Lord’s. In the T20 tri-series played by hosts MCC, Nepal and Netherlands, rain was the ultimate winner as a pair of scheduled 20-over matches between the MCC and each Associate were reduced to six-over affairs before the finale between Nepal and Netherlands ended with a no result after 16.4 overs.For Netherlands, this was their first T20I at Lord’s since the 2009 World T20, where they pulled off one of their greatest triumphs against England. Two years ago, Nepal had made their 50-over Lord’s debut against the MCC in front of more than 5000 fans. Despite it being on a weekend, just over 2000 fans turned up to Lord’s on this day as the majority of fans around the UK were scared off by damp weather, a scarce occurrence all July.Fans who did show up were treated to an impressive Dutch batting display through much of the afternoon. Making use of the short east side boundary on offer thanks to a pitch chosen near the end of the Lord’s square, Wesley Barresi powered the Netherlands with an impressive 44 off 24 balls after entering at No. 3. His innings included six fours as well as an exquisitely timed six driven over cover off medium pacer Sompal Kami.Barresi added 54 for the third wicket with Ryan ten Doeschate and when Barresi departed near the end of the ninth over, it was ten Doeschate who dazzled with a series of elegant flicks over mid on. Playing his first T20I in more than eight years, the ageless wonder spent his day off from Essex captaincy showing he hasn’t lost his touch at international level one bit as he cruised to 38 off 27 balls.A rain break after 12 overs broke Netherlands’ momentum. They resumed at 112 for 3 with two overs shaved off the match and two balls later ten Doeschate was run out thanks to a brilliant charge, scoop and fire by Dipendra Singh Airee from backward point.Michael Rippon showed how much he was missed at the World Cup Qualifier by dismantling Nepal’s spinners on his way to 38 not out off 22 balls. Shane Edwards was just as relentless, swatting an unbeaten 34 off 14 that included three fours and back-to-back sixes off star legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane in the 16th. He was the most expensive bowler on the day, finishing with 0 for 43 in three overs.Captain Paras Khadka vigorously dried the ball with a towel after nearly every delivery in a vain attempt to make it easier for Lamichhane and the other spinners to grip in the midst of a steady drizzle. A short time later, the drizzle turned into a thick shower and it became clear that play would be difficult to continue. When Rippon backed out of a delivery with the wind and rain blowing in his face midway through the 17th over, that became the final signal and the umpires took everyone off one ball later with Netherlands’ innings declared finished at 174 for 4.Despite hopes of a restart, officials called off play more than an hour before the official cutoff time as the forecast for the rest of the evening remained bleak. Nepal’s players shook hands with the Dutch, then continued on to the edge of the stands to show thanks to their supporters. With many having traveled from as far as the USA and even Nepal to take in the occasion, a selfie with Khadka, Lamichhane and the rest was just as good as a six.

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A volcanic century by Matthew Wade in an opening stand of 170 with Ben McDermott set Tasmania on the path to a match-winning total against Victoria in the domestic limited-overs match in Townsville.Wade’s 117 from 74 balls featured six sixes and included particularly severe punishment of the sometime international paceman Chris Tremain. His partnership with McDermott, who made a relatively sedate 56 in a supporting role, occupied a mere 22.5 overs, but ensured a mighty Tasmanian total even if Victoria’s bowlers recovered.This they did, restricting the rest of the Tigers’ batting line-up to 8 for 151 from the remaining 27.1 overs of the innings, notwithstanding swift cameos from George Bailey and Simon Milenko, but the final tally was still steep. The youthful Victorian pair of Will Sutherland and Tom O’Connell both bowled serviceably for their captain Peter Handscomb.The Victorian chase began promisingly via an opening stand of 72 between Marcus Harris and Seb Gotch, but neither batsman would be able to go on to the score managed earlier by Wade. Tasmania were duly able to make regular breakthroughs as the required run rate steadily climbed, largely through the bustling seam of Tom Rogers.Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell and Nic Maddinson all made starts, but were confounded by Rogers and also the left-arm spin of the former Victorian Clive Rose, who in taking 4-42 delivered the best figures of his domestic 50-over career.

Rangana Herath, the most-successful left-arm bowler in Test history, will retire after the first Test in Galle, having told the selectors that he is reluctant to play through an entire three-Test series.Galle is a sentimental venue for Herath – not only did he make his Test debut there in 1999, he also needs only one more wicket to join Muttiah Muralitharan in having taken 100 wickets at the ground. It was at this venue that Herath also reignited his career at the age of 31, taking five wickets in a Test against Pakistan in 2009, after having been suddenly called up to the Test side while he was playing league cricket in England.Herath, 40, has not played a complete three-Test series since January 2017, having since left two India series early due to injury, before playing no more than one of the three Tests in West Indies in June this year. Herath has had to manage knee injuries for several years now; the strain of carrying Sri Lanka’s spin attack since the retirement of Muralitharan is understood to have caught up to him.His retirement will leave a substantial hole in the Sri Lanka side, with offspinner Dilruwan Perera likeliest to replace him as leader of the spin attack, for the remainder of the England series at least. Sri Lanka also have three other spinners in the squad: all-sorts offspinner Akila Dananjaya, left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan, and left-arm orthodox bowler Malinda Pushpakumara. Of the remaining spinners only Dilruwan has played more than 10 Tests, however.A beloved figure across the island, Herath’s retirement will also bring to an end one of the most remarkable careers in modern cricket. Not only is he the 10th most successful Test bowler in history with 430 wickets, all but 36 of those dismissals came after he had turned 31, with Herath having struggled to maintain a place in the Test side in the first decade of his career. No bowler has also taken as many as his 230 wickets after turning 35. If he takes five wickets in his final Test, he could move up to seventh on the all-time list, passing Richard Hadlee (431 wickets), Stuart Broad (433) and Kapil Dev (434).Herath is also the last active Test cricketer to have made his debut in the 1990s.The Galle Test begins on November 6.

Containing Virat Kohli in the first 15 deliveries and attacking Rohit straight up will be key to New Zealand gaining advantage over India, when the teams contest in a five-match ODI series in February next year, according to former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson.India’s top-order has shown superiority in the shorter formats, and they proved it again during the recently-concluded home series against West Indies. Kohli and Rohit in particular have been instrumental in setting up and chasing down big targets over the last few years, especially at home.However, Hesson felt both batsmen could be challenged in swinging conditions in New Zealand, although the host bowlers will have to work hard, especially against Kohli. “The key thing is if you can contain Virat Kohli in the first 10-15 balls where he has to take some risks to get his innings underway then that will provide opportunities,” Hesson told ESPNcricinfo. “How you do that is dependent on the surface. But, if we found a magic formula, I’m sure it would be circulated all around the world very quickly.”Hesson also warned that New Zealand would need to have plans for Rohit. “Rohit Sharma is in incredibly good form at the moment and has been for a long time. The thing with Rohit is that once he is in, once he gets himself set, he generally dictates the outcome of the game. It’s making sure that the new-ball bowlers can attack Rohit early on whether it’ll be with swing or with some other variations wide outside the crease or whatever.”New Zealand had blanked out India 4-0 at home in 2014 in an ODI series, which also featured a tie in Auckland. Hesson, the then coach, predicted a 3-2 series score in favour of the home team for the upcoming series. “I think it was 4-0 last time with a tie. I think it’ll be 3-2 [this time]… it’s going to be tight… I think Black Caps 3-2.”New Zealand are currently the third-ranked ODI side, one behind India, but Hesson pointed out that Kane Williamson’s men would need to quickly sort out a couple of key issues for them to arrive at next year’s World Cup as favourites.”I think there are a couple pieces of the puzzle the Black Caps would be keen to find out before the World Cup. Who is the allrounder? Who provides that balance? A lot of options there. From a bowling point of view, who’s going to take wickets in the middle overs when it’s flat? I think if they can get that sorted then the side’s looking very good.”

The mutually-agreed-upon line in this series seems to be drawn at swearing, and despite all the hype around the chatter between the two teams, the two captains are happy with each other’s behaviour. Since the third day, which featured Virat Kohli’s displeasure at the contentious low catch that dismissed him and his banter with Tim Paine later in the day, the clamour for the next exchange has reached a fever pitch, ending with the host broadcaster advertising a clip of Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja having an animated discussion as a sign of all not being well within the Indian camp.Jasprit Bumrah had said after the third day’s play that India were surprised that the soft signal, in the case of the low catch to dismiss Kohli, was out, but Kohli seemed to have gotten over it by the end of the match. “I don’t think I showed any displeasure at the dismissal at all,” Kohli said. “A call was made on the field, and that’s it. It was done. Australia played better cricket than us, and they deserved to win.”Kohli’s reading of the banter was plain: “As long as there is no swearing, the line doesn’t get crossed. That’s it.”In one of the exchanges, when the umpires tried to restrain him and Kohli, Paine was heard telling the umpires it was just conversation, and that there was nothing wrong with that. Paine reiterated that, and seemed to agree with Kohli that as long as nobody swore or got personal, it was fine. “That is the main part. I don’t think the amount of it matters, it’s the nature of it and the language,” Paine said. “What is said is important, not how much.”A lot was said, or possibly observed, because everybody is on the lookout. Kohli told Paine he was staring at 2-0 if he messed up when batting in the second innings. He also allegedly told Paine he was the best player in the world, and Paine just a stand-in captain, a claim denied to ESPNcricinfo by Indian team management. In retort, Kohli was reminded he was batting last, “big head”. M Vijay was asked how could he possibly like Kohli “as a bloke”. A lot of it went on, but neither side has reported any personal abuse on the field.”I don’t think we did touch to be honest,” Paine said of the near chest-bump. “It got pretty close. But it is what it is. It was a highly competitive Test match from both teams. There’s a lot on the line, and both teams desperately want to win, and sometimes that stuff happens.”When Paine was dismissed on the fourth afternoon, he turned back to look as he walked back, but he clarified there had been no send-off. “I actually had spoken about a crack to KL Rahul about two minutes before I got out, so he said did that came off it,” Paine said. “Nothing, not a send-off.”Things heated up between Virat Kohli and Tim Paine in the first session•Getty Images

Paine dismissed the idea that it might be annoying to play against Kohli, who loves, and sometimes goes looking for, a confrontation. “Not to me, I love it,” Paine said. “I enjoy watching him, I always have. I think he brings out the competitive spirit in a lot of people, which is great, and I’m sure it was great to watch.”One of the underlying threads of the chatter is the medium through which it has reached homes. The scrutiny from the cameras and the stump mics seems unparalleled. The invasiveness can sometimes affect how players behave, and also play. Kohli said there was no threat of that happening to him.”As long as there is no swearing out there on the field and there is no personal attacks, the line doesn’t get crossed,” Kohli said. “There is banter going on. Even at Adelaide there was banter here and there… it’s Test cricket at the end of the day, it has to be competitive. You can’t say that people aren’t going to try and get you out in any way possible at all.”With the stump mics and cameras and all these things, honestly when the bowler is bowling you aren’t thinking whether the stump mic is on or the camera is on or not. And when you are facing that ball, literally there is no one in the stadium apart from you and that ball. So, these things are totally irrelevant, and you are actually not aware of them when you are on the field. It’s never bothered me, it’s never been something that’s of importance to me to be honest. For me it’s irrelevant.”For all the talk of banter, this is perhaps the best-natured Australia-India series Kohli has been a part of. “Nothing compared to 2014 to be honest,” Kohli said. “But look, it stays on the field whatever happens. In competitive spirit it stays on the field, I am not going to go into details but to be honest it’s not of importance for me to speak on and it’s something that’s done. We are looking forward to Melbourne now.”Whatever happens, at the end of the series, there will be a beer or 35 shared between the sides at the end of the series. At least there will be an invite from the Australian side. “Tonight ? No,” Paine said, when asked if the custom was to invite the opposition for beers after every Test. “We definitely will after the series. That’s always been the thing that has happened, and will always be the case.”

On a day when the bowlers found no real purchase – barring occasional uneven bounce – from the MCG surface, India continued their batting dominance, consolidating their overnight position before declaring just under half an hour from stumps.India rode on the back of a 170-run third-wicket stand between Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara – the overnight pair batted out the first session – before useful contributions from the middle order took them to 443 for 7. Their bowlers then tested Australia’s openers for the last six overs of the day.Australia collected five wickets on the day, and the manner of a couple of them may have caused furrowed brows among their batsmen. Balls that stayed low accounted for Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, and instances of such misbehaviour are only likely to grow more frequent as the Test match wears on.Nathan Lyon, so influential in Adelaide and Perth, struggled for a similar impact on a pitch with much less bounce for him to exploit. As on the first day, India’s batsmen comfortably negated the offspinner, using their feet to reach the pitch of the ball, and drove him through the covers or midwicket almost every time he went too full. A switch to round the wicket didn’t help Lyon either, and it took him nearly 40 overs to earn his first wicket of the game. By the time Lyon struck after tea, trapping Rahane lbw with a ball that kept low, India had already built handsomely on their first-day platform.Kohli and Pujara began the day crisply, flicking and nudging to the long square boundary for a collection of threes, before settling in to protect their wicket. They weathered Australia’s bowlers, adding 62 runs before lunch and ensuring India’s second straight wicketless session.4:00

Laxman: Pujara showed application and looked at ease

Kohli chose to curtail his game after a few outside edges scuttled past the slips. He had collected his 20th Test half-century in the day’s first over, but was troubled by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins early on. It was an unusually defensive innings but it kept India in control and he walked off at lunch, a smile plastered on his face, having successfully completed the mission India had in mind for the opening session. At the other end, Pujara brought up his 17th Test century, and his second of this series, with a straight drive off Lyon a couple of overs before lunch.After lunch, Kohli was troubled by a sore back that forced the physio Patrick Farhart onto the field. Kohli appeared to be struggling, getting down on his knees between deliveries. In an eventful over from Starc soon after the physio’s appearance, Kohli pulled in front of square for three, then hit another pull for four. By the time the over had ended, however, Kohli had steered an upper-cut right into the hands of third man. It was relief for Australia, a sedate celebration after almost 70 overs of no joy.Pujara would have liked to build on his 17th Test hundred, but he received a delivery from Cummins that he could do little about. It snaked through low off the surface from just short of a good length, and slid under Pujara’s back-foot defence and took out off stump. Cummins didn’t celebrate too hard, perhaps aware that the uneven bounce could pose a danger to Australia’s batsmen too.Pujara’s dismissal brought Rohit Sharma, who had missed the second Test due to injury, into the middle. He took the back seat early on, as Ajinkya Rahane took control till tea. Rohit looked comfortable in the middle – at one point his control percentage was 96 – but nearly fell against the run of play when he top-edged a sweep off Lyon. Substitute Peter Siddle, however, dropped a simple chance at backward square leg, handing him a reprieve on 16.Following Rahane’s dismissal, Rohit went on to add 76 for the sixth wicket with the No. 7 Rishabh Pant, who also enjoyed a bit of good fortune, with Cummins dropping him at long-on off the luckless Lyon.With Australia’s lead bowlers struggling for incision on the largely docile surface, Mitchell Marsh bowled a long spell of stump-to-stump medium-pace in the afternoon, with Tim Paine standing up to the stumps. Marsh finished as Australia’s most economical bowler, conceding only 56 off his 21 overs.With the day coming to a close, Rohit finally began to hit out. He swatted a length ball to deep midwicket to bring up India’s 400, and celebrated his 10th Test fifty, his second in Australia, two overs later. Australia took the third new ball in the 166th over, with Starc and Hazlewood returning for another late spell, but the harder ball only made run-scoring easier for Rohit and Pant. Both creamed fours off one Starc over, before Pant fell for 39, miscuing a leg-side heave. Ravindra Jadeja was out the next over, and at 443 for 7 Kohli declared, having kept Australia on the field for nearly 170 overs.Aaron Finch and Marcus Harris were left to face six tricky overs before stumps. There were two inside-edges in Ishant Sharma’s first over, and from the other end Jasprit Bumrah rattled Harris’s helmet with a short ball. The openers managed to survive this period, adding eight runs by stumps.

The big picture

The result of the Test series may be as disappointing for Mickey Arthur as it was gratifying for Otis Gibson, but in a World Cup year, it is the limited-overs results that will truly stand out. To that end, South Africa, desperate to finally snap their global tournament jinx, made an inauspicious start to their year, falling to a defeat they primarily owed to their own batting conservatism. It gave Pakistan, far better suited to the Port Elizabeth pitch than the hosts, the chance to break their duck on tour, condemning South Africa to their fifth ODI defeat in six matches between the two teams.It is an odd defeat for South Africa to analyse, particularly given the batting scorecard, and the positives to be drawn from it. Hashim Amla roared back to form with a classy hundred, while Rassie van der Dussen enjoyed an excellent debut, pacing his innings better than any of his counterparts. As far as the bowling went, Imran Tahir was perhaps slightly removed from his brilliant best, while the faster bowlers were never likely to enjoy much assistance from the Port Elizabeth surface.Faf du Plessis and his men will be likelier to find Durban more conducive to their skillset, though by no means is it as quick and bouncy as the ones in Centurion and Johannesburg. The increased pace and bounce it offers compared to Port Elizabeth will buoy Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Olivier plenty, with Pakistan, who never themselves looked like taking too many wickets, also challenged to raise their game.Pakistan couldn’t have asked for a better start to the series, eager for a clean break from their ODI form in 2018, where they began the year with a whitewash suffered against New Zealand and finished with just one top eight win all year. Having matched that number in just one game, they will feel eager to move into a commanding position in the series at a ground where they have won their last two ODIs against South Africa.Mohammad Hafeez hitting the ground running allows Pakistan to balance their side once more, with the allround ability of Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf meaning they bat far deeper than their Test match side. Fakhar Zaman missing out in Port Elizabeh will have frustrated them, but Imam-ul-Haq’s return to form was timely, while Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali never allowed South Africa to get away in the first innings. There might still be plenty Pakistan have to work on, but reassuringly, there’s a lot they have to work with.

Form guide

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In the spotlight

For all of their brilliantly skilled batsmen and raw, fierce pacers, Imran Tahir could be the singular factor that helps South Africa break their World Cup duck in England. Without question, this is the biggest year of his career, his last realistic chance at a World Cup. It is a career that began in Pakistan over two decades ago, and while it has been a glorious success, it still requires a defining moment of fulfillment. Playing against the country he grew up wanting to play for, he hasn’t quite enjoyed as much success in South Africa as in the UAE. But here in Durban, he will have a better chance of success than when the series moves to Cape Town and Gauteng. His ODI average against Pakistan is 28, four runs up from his career average of 24. But in this of all years, against this of all teams, Tahir will be desperate to raise his game, and if there’s one player in world cricket who can make things happen by sheer force of will, it is the South African legspinner.Pakistan’s victory masked somewhat Sarfraz Ahmed‘s continuing struggles in the two longer formats. Two half-centuries in the Tests have been blighted by what are now five single-digit scores on this tour. He has now been captain for precisely one third of his ODI career – 33 out of 99 matches. In that time, he averages 26.46 with the bat; he had averaged a shade under 35 when appointef. He has scored just 3 half-centuries as captain, only once in a winning cause, and surpassed 30 just once more. As evidence of his dwindling influence with the bat, Sarfraz has – in 17 of those 33 matches – either not come out to bat at all, or remained unbeaten on a score under 25. With the World Cup approaching, Pakistan cannot afford to be carrying any passengers, and Sarfraz will know that better than anyone else when he steps out.

Team news

South Africa are still without Dale Steyn and Quinton de Kock, which means Heinrich Klassen will continue in the keeper’s role, with not too much alteration expected in the bowling department. Tabraiz Shamsi may come in if the hosts feel an extra spinner may help them on the surface, while Aiden Markram, who sat out of the first game, is an option replace Reeza Hendricks.South Africa (possible): 1 Aiden Markram/Reeza Hendricks, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Heinrich Klassen (wk), 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Dwaine Pretorius/Tabraiz Shamsi, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Duanne Olivie, 11 Imran TahirPakistan are likely to field the same side for the second ODI.Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Babar Azam, 5 Shoaib Malik 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt./wk), 7 Shadab Khan 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Fahim Ashraf, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Usman Shinwari

Pitch and conditions

It was suggested the ODI pitches may have less spice than the ones in the Tests, but even so, Durban does tend to keep the quicks interested. With the ground so close to the ocean, conditions can often be impacted by the tides. What appears certain is it will interest spinners more than the pitches the remaining three ODIs will be played on.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan have a winning record against South Africa at Kingsmead, having triumphed in three of the five ODIs the two sides have contested here
• Despite three half-centuries and a hundred in ten matches at his home ground, Hashim Amla’s average in Durban is just 39.50, almost 11 runs fewer than his career ODI average of 50.34
• Only two of the current Pakistan side played in the last ODI between the sides in Durban in 2013. On that occasion, Mohammad Hafeez became just the fourth batsman to be dismissed obstructing the field in ODIs, and the first under new rules

Strong hands from Tammy Beaumont, Danielle Wyatt and, especially, Heather Knight with the bat set up a comprehensive 41-run win for England in the first of their three T20Is against India in Guwahati on Monday.Asked to bat, England blazed off the blocks with an 89-run first-wicket stand between Beaumont, who went on to hit a half-century, and Wyatt, before Knight hammered a 20-ball 40 later in the innings to put the game well beyond India.

India captain Smriti Mandhana on

Where India lost the match
I think in ODIs and in T20s, two wickets should not fall in a span of three or four balls. Our top three or four lost their wickets in a short period. I think that makes the batting order look very thin. It’s important as a batting unit to take responsibility and chase this kind of total. As a batter who is settled, our top four , we are playing for a long time now. I, Mithali [Raj], Jemi have to take more responsibility and bat more and take the time through (the finish line). We have to give a bit of cushion to the youngsters.
Whether her field placements were reactive with England exploiting areas made vacant by a player who was stationed there earlier
It was the first time I was leading for India. It was a good experience, with a lot of takeaways. As a captain, I need to learn from the mistakes I did today and also as a player. I don’t think the field setting was based on reactions. We had two sets of plan for each batter. So when the first plan wasn’t working, we went with the second. It was not due to where the batsmen was hitting the ball. Definitely, next time we will plan much better, and I will be more proactive.

Chasing 161 to go 1-0 up after they had won the preceding ODI series 2-1 in Mumbai, India went off the rails from the get-go. Katherine Brunt sent back debutant Harleen Deol first, and left-arm spinner Linsey Smith then put India firmly on the back foot by dismissing Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, the big guns, off consecutive balls. And, just like that, India were in a big hole at 23 for 3 inside three-and-a-half overs.Mithali Raj didn’t last long either, and when Veda Krishnamurthy was sent back by Anya Shrubsole for 15 at the halfway mark, the scoreboard read a sorry 46 for 5.From there, all India could hope for was to keep the margin of defeat to a minimum, and the lower middle-order of Deepti Sharma (22 not out), Arundhati Reddy (18) and Shikha Pandey (23 not out) did well on that front. They ensured India survived their 20 overs, with Deepti and Pandey adding 43 runs for the last wicket, but that didn’t change the fact that England were the better team by far, on all counts, on the day.Katherine Brunt bowled with fire•PTI

In the first half, Wyatt was the early aggressor after three quiet overs as she sent Deepti to the boundary thrice in the fourth over of the innings. There might have been a fourth had it not been for Poonam Yadav’s dive at short fine-leg.Beaumont joined in the fun soon, and by the end of the Powerplay, England were at 45 and coasting. The spread of the field didn’t change the script much either, as Mandhana, captaining India in Harmanpreet Kaur’s absence, looked short of ideas, changing the field after every other ball.There was at least one four in every over as Beaumont picked up speed and outscored Wyatt, till India got a lucky break when Wyatt made room for herself and slapped a delivery from Pandey straight to Mandhana in the covers.One wicket brought another as Radha Yadav, who had been expensive till then, got Natalie Sciver to hole out at square-leg, and that brought the scoring rate down a bit.At 124 for 2 with three overs to go, India had a chance of keeping England to under 150, but Knight chose the 18th over to change the tempo of the game altogether, hitting Reddy for five successive fours after Beaumont had turned the strike over first ball. It was poor bowling, but Knight was superb, sweeping the first, going over cover in the next two, and then smashing one through the covers and hammering the last past long-on.Two more fours came from the England captain’s bat in the next over too, off Deepti, before the bowler finally found joy off the last ball, getting Knight caught at long-on.Beaumont had quietly gone past her half-century by then and, going for a big one in the last over, was stumped off Radha. Her 57-ball 62 was an excellent effort, exactly what England needed to hold the innings together as Knight went hammer and tongs at the other end.The second game will be played on Thursday.