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Joe Burns and Will Pucovski set for Australia A showdown to earn Test berth

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Steve Smith, David Warner, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood will not play any long-form games prior to the Test series

Alex Malcolm and Andrew McGlashan12-Nov-2020Joe Burns could have a final chance to keep his Test place in a head-to-head battle with Will Pucovski after both were named in the Australia A squad for the two warm-up matches against India.Fellow Test specialists Tim Paine and Travis Head have also been included, but Steven Smith, David Warner, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood will not play any red or pink-ball cricket prior to the four-Test series.Selectors named a 19-man Australia A squad for two three-day tour games against India in Sydney on the same day they announced the 17-man Test squad. The most interesting aspect will be the head-to-head between Burns, who made just 57 runs in five Sheffield Shield innings, and Will Pucovski for who will open in the Test series following the latter’s back-to-back double hundreds.”[It] could well do,” national selector Trevor Hohns said when asked if the A-games could decide the Test line-up. “Particularly those who won’t be playing any cricket between now and the Test match [we] will certainly be using the Australia A games to give us an indication of where some of our players are at that stage.”Hohns indicated that the judgement call will be between current form and the success the Test side had last season during which they went to No. 1 in the world. Although Burns did not score a century last summer his partnership with Warner has been a success.”If we’re looking at where Will bats up the top there, the partnership that our openers have formed over the last 12 months have been instrumental in helping us get to that No.1 position in world cricket,” he said. “So we have to take that into account, but of course it would be nice to have everybody in form right now.”Hohns added there wasn’t any consideration given to keeping Pucovski or Cameron Green, who is also in both squads as well as the limited-overs set-up, away from the Indians ahead of the Test series.”We are using these games really as preparation,” Hohns said. “Also, it gives our players the opportunity to have a look at the Indian players so I don’t see that as an issue at all.”The first tour game against India A will take place at Drummoyne Oval, starting on December 6, while the final two games of the Australia India T20 series is happening across town at the SCG. The second game is a day-night fixture at the SCG starting on December 11, which will be the final warm-up for both nations prior to the first test in Adelaide.Paine, Burns, and Head will all likely play in the first fixture after all three played in the opening four rounds of the Sheffield Shield fixtures in Adelaide. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey has also been included in the A squad and looks poised to replace Paine for the second fixture once the T20 series is completed. Carey missed the first four Sheffield Shield rounds due to IPL duty.But Warner, Smith, Cummins, and Hazlewood will not play any long-form cricket prior to the Test series having missed the opening four rounds of the Sheffield Shield due to IPL duties in the UAE. They have all been included in Australia’s limited-overs squads but could be rested from some of the six white-ball matches to allow for time at home prior to the Test series.Mitchell Marsh has been included in the Australia A squad subject to fitness after suffering a serious ankle injury early in the IPL that ruled him out of the tournament and the early rounds of the Shield season.Moises Henriques, Ashton Agar and Sean Abbott have all been included in the Australia A squad despite being in the limited-overs squads and could well play in one or both of the A matches.Marcus Harris missed out on the Test squad but has been included along with fellow Victorian’s Nic Maddinson and Will Sutherland.Jackson Bird, Harry Conway, and Mark Steketee have been rewarded for their consistent wicket-taking over recent seasons, joining Michael Neser, James Pattinson, and Mitchell Swepson who have also been included in the Test squad.Australia A squad Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Joe Burns, Jackson Bird, Alex Carey, Harry Conway, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Nic Maddinson, Mitchell Marsh (subject to fitness), Michael Neser, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Mark Steketee, Will Sutherland, Mitchell Swepson

As it happened: Australia vs India, 3rd Test, Sydney, 1st day

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Join us for updates, analysis and colour from the first day of the SCG Test

Vishal Dikshit07-Jan-2021*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates.

6.55pm local time/1.25pm IST: Australia on top after first day

Smith tells the broadcasters he was looking to be “positive, wouldn’t say aggressive” against Ashwin after the spinner got the better of him earlier in the series. With that session, that saw only one wicket, we’ve come to the end of the first day that saw only 55 overs, which means early start for the rest of the days, starting 10am local time (4.30am IST). The hosts are looking set for a big score here on this flat pitch and India’s inexperienced attack will have to do a lot more to tilt the game in their favour. Not to forget, they’ll have to hold on to the catches too after the two drops today. That’s a wrap from me, catch you all tomorrow for the live action and this Live Report again. The end of day report will be up soon.

6.30pm local time/1pm IST: Labuschagne chugs long

Australia are finally looking set to cross 200 for the first time this series, and today it’s largely thanks to Marnus Labuschagne. While most of the focus has been on the two debutants and Smith, Labuschagne is now ticking along with a strike rate of nearly 50 to keep Australia on top. His patience laid the foundation early with Pucovski for a century stand, he negated R Ashwin’s threat early on, and he even set the platform for Smith to get back among the runs on this batting-friendly track. He has blunted Ashwin carefully on the leg side by closing the face of the bat at the right time and playing with soft hands; he was the first one to punish the spinner when he pitched too wide or short in the second session. And Labuschagne has also been on the prowl for the loose deliveries from the quick; they pitch too short, he cuts, and if they are too full, like Siraj was few overs ago, he’ll drive and drive you for more boundaries. He’s batting nicely on 65, his ninth Test half-century.Meanwhile, Jadeja into the attack for the last eight overs of the day.

6pm local time/12.30pm IST: It’s Smith vs Ashwin

In the first two Tests Ashwin was responsible for two of Smith’s three dismissals in only 23 balls, threatening both edges of the bat. Now he’s back in the attack after Smith has faced 15 balls. Was it a bit too late? The tension of the contest is palpable; Ashwin desperately wants Smith on strike, and Smith is eager to dominate Ashwin this time. At the start of the second over of Ashwin’s spell, Smith dances down and lofts him over mid-on to signal his aggression and mindset. Remember, Smith said this to SEN Radio after the second Test:

“I probably haven’t played Ashwin as well as I would’ve liked. I probably would’ve liked to have put him under a bit more pressure. I’ve sort of let him dictate terms and that’s something I’ve probably never let any spinner do in my career.”

5.25pm local time/11.55am IST: Debutant gets debutant

Navdeep Saini is pumped after getting his first Test wicket•Getty Images

Saini’s first two balls in Test cricket had been struck for fours with disdain by Pucovski just before tea. And now, Saini comes back, adjusts his length and shows that still targeting the stumps is not a bad idea at all. He bowls a full delivery to Pucovski, the batsman shuffles across the stumps as he’s done the whole day against the quick bowlers, misses the flick and is struck in front to be given lbw. Saini is clearly fired up: he runs in hard next ball and oversteps for a no-ball against Smith. Another ball later, Saini delivers a yorker that Smith clips to the leg side and gets off the mark. Australia 108 for 2 with Smith and Labuschagne batting now, and India will be hoping they can get one more before these two settle into a partnership.

4.55pm local time/11.25am IST: Pucovski gets to fifty before tea

Rishabh Pant drops the second catch on the first day•Getty Images

With those two reprieves and a close run-out miss from the deep, Pucovski has welcomed fellow debutant Navdeep Saini with two powerful strokes to stamp his authority. A fierce cut off the back foot off the first ball and then a handsome pull to smash Saini past mid-on for four on the next ball to reach 53 in the last over before tea. Australia now looking on top with their scoring rate at three per over, having put together 46 runs in the last 10 overs. Here’s Sid Monga:

If you were going to look at one figure to sum up India’s bowling effort today, it is R Ashwin’s figures of 9-1-33-0. You go deeper, and you see it is a spell of two parts: 5-1-7-0 of amazing offspin bowling on an unhelpful day-one track, a drop catch, and then 26 runs in the next four overs.

Ashwin’s success this series has relied on shutting down right-hand batsmen by making them play to a heavily populated leg-side field. Which is what he kept doing in the first five overs, mixing it with the drifting delivery that challenges the outside edge. With the last ball of that fifth over, he drew the edge. Now when you are outmatched and have a thin attack, you need everything to go your way to pull off wins like Melbourne. Dropped catches are a part of life in Test cricket, but with India’s attack you can’t afford those.

Ninety overs into the series, Ashwin now began to tire and perhaps bowled more bad balls in the next four overs than he has bowled all series. A big part of his success has been in not allowing the batsmen to hit him against the spin into the off side. For that to happen, he either has to go too wide or too short. He has been erring on the short side. In just one spell, he has conceded 24 off-side runs to right-hand batsmen in Sydney. In Adelaide he gave 28, in Melbourne 51. And those tiring legs and more frequent loose balls might become the story if Australia can keep India on the field long enough.

4.30pm local time/11am IST: Pant drops Pucovski twice!

In the space of 10 minutes and 12 balls Pucovski faced, Rishabh Pant has dropped the debutant twice! Not easy chances by any measure, both of them, but you’d like the keeper to take them because they won’t come often on a flat pitch.The first came at the end of the 22nd over when Ashwin lured Pucovski into a forward lean outside off and beat him on the outside edge but Pant had his hands moving with a bit of gap between them and couldn’t hold on. Pucovski was on 26. And the second was off Siraj who pounded in a bouncer that rose on Pucovski and took his glove, went behind Pant who ran back and put in a dive and even got both hands to the ball but it escaped again, and he tried again to get his hands under the ball before it could touch the ground but didn’t do it cleanly enough. Pucovski saved on 32 this time.

4.10pm local time/10.40am IST: Eyes on the debutant

Taking it on – Will Pucovski has a go at a short delivery•AFP via Getty Images

Gnasher is finally getting to watch some cricket at the SCG after the rain break:

There has been an impressive calmness to Will Pucovski’s debut Test innings so far. Any Test opener will be beaten on occasions, but he has not appeared rushed or flustered although has been given a life on 26 when Rishabh Pant could not hold onto a thin edge against R Ashwin (I’ll leave the wicketkeeper debate to others). The battle against top-quality spin will be fascinating one. His first boundary, the hook off Mohammed Siraj, had some top edge about but he was committed to the stroke and it was well away from the field. There is a simplicity and crispness to his strokeplay – both qualities that have been on display in abundance during a first-class career that already includes three double centuries – with a game based on timing not brute force. It is perhaps a little surprising that India have tried a more sustained period of short-pitched bowling at him, but they are probably conscious of not wasting the new ball on a well-grassed surface.

3.25pm local time/9.55am IST: The leg-side fields in focus

More than five overs bowled since play resumed and two different kind of fields so far while keeping two slips and a gully. For Siraj India have kept a silly mid-on, midwicket and square leg, and for Bumrah there’s an orthodox mid-on and two square legs – one behind square and one in front. Both bowlers are sticking to their usual plan of bowling on or around the stumps with the odd short ball. Pucovski and Labuschagne are being very watchful, though, and are leaving plenty of deliveries outside off, unleashing the pull or flick on the occasional delivery that’s either too short or full. There was a loud lbw appeal on the second ball after play resumed but we haven’t seen its ball-tracking yet, strangely. And hello! Only 13 overs into a Test in Australia and we have Ashwin into the attack, with a slip and short leg. Australia 36 for 1.

2.50pm local time/9.20am IST: SCG will BRB

So it’s a 3pm local time start (9.30am IST), finally! And since we’ve had enough cricket, tea will be taken at 4.40pm local time. We can see some blue skies over the SCG, and it’s much brighter now. Umpire Paul Reiffel confirms the 3pm start and says the area just behind where the bowler jumps up before delivery is still a bit damp so the leaf blowers are drying that out.

2.25pm local time/8.55am IST: Sun is shining (kind of)

Fingers crossed, the next inspection is at 2.30pm local time or 9am IST. Let’s hope and pray the rain stays away until then at least. It was raining or drizzling on this very day at the same ground two years ago as well, and on that occasion it wiped out the final day of the fourth match to give India a historic (2-1) series win in Australia for the first time. Australia were made to follow on for the first time at home since 1988. The architects of the victory were Cheteshwar Pujara, who made 521 runs in the series, including 193 in Sydney, and Jasprit Bumrah, who took 21 wickets at 17. Rishabh Pant, followed up his maiden Test hundred, at The Oval in 2018, with a second in Sydney.India won the Adelaide and Melbourne Tests in 2018-19 to take the series 2-1•David Gray/AFP/Getty Images

All that and more in our On This Day page for January 7.

1.55pm local time/8.25am IST: Ponting’s take on Warner not 100% fit

David Warner’s stay at the crease on returning from injury was a short one•Getty Images

Gnasher can also talk cricket in between his weather updates:

During his brief innings David Warner certainly did not appear that comfortable between the wickets. It was always accepted he wouldn’t be 100% fit for this game, but in the build-up it wasn’t the batting or running that was the main cause for concern but how he would go in the field. On Channel Seven, Ricky Ponting suggested the booming shots Warner played, with the last resulting in an edge to slip, may have indicated he was having problems.

“I think everyone knew that he probably wasn’t going to be 100% coming into the Test match,” Ponting said. “The only thing I hope is that he hasn’t tweaked it again, doing something more there. It was pretty much from that moment on that those loose shots started. So hopefully it wasn’t playing on his mind, hopefully he’s okay and hopefully we can just say that that’s the way David Warner plays a shot like that early on in a Test match.”

1.40pm local time/8.10am IST: It’s a cat and mouse game

As soon as the India players emerged for a warm-up, it started to rain again. It’s pretty dark and gloomy at the SCG, a bit windy and the covers back on intact. Here it from the Pauls yourself…

1.20pm local time/7.50am IST: Still no play

“The rain has stopped now and it’s much brighter,” our weatherman Gnasher reports from the ground. “The groundstaff and fourth umpire are coming out. And covers are coming off.” Umpires Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson also having a look at the conditions, the next inspection is at 1.30pm local time (8am IST).

12.25pm local time/6.55am IST: Lunch taken

No respite from rain yet so let’s make sense of debutant Will Pucovski’s situation during the lunch break (I’m having black coffee to stay up though). Making a debut after a long concussion history, he’s already faced two bouncers in the first 35 minutes of play, and will now feel some sort of responsibility to score after Warner’s early dismissal. Remember, it’s not been a great series for openers so far. We’ve already seen him walk across a fair bit to the fast bowlers, and a leg gully was kept for him too after the first few overs. He must be expecting more short balls once play resumes, and his state coach Chris Rogers looks back at Pucovski’s recent form and how he prepares for short balls.

“When I first turned up as coach of Victoria, him and Sammy Harper, they do a lot of work with tennis balls, getting in really close with a tennis racquet and firing them in at each other. Will’s done a heap of work where he wants to stand up and roll the ball down to fine leg. You’ll see that shot from him quite a bit,” Rogers told RSN Radio. “Then it came to the matches and we played SA early on and Wes Agar came on first change and went straight to bouncers at Will, and he pretty much ducked them for the whole first session.

“Then after lunch he played one of these rolling pull shots and from there he never looked back. They targeted him with the short ball for prettymuch the whole game and then WA did it from about the ninth over onwards as well. He would have faced a heap of short balls and he looked comfortable doing it and the way he stood up and played it, he made it look easy. So when that happened on day three at Drummoyne, it was an awkward situation where there was nothing to gain and he probably just got caught in two minds, so hopefully he’ll learn from that.”

12pm local time/6.30am IST: Still drizzling

Reserve umpire Claire Polosak watches on as groundstaff cover the pitch during a rain delay•Getty Images

I’m not going to say, “I told you so” about the rain but it’s back and it’s a “reasonably steady drizzle again,” says Gnasher from the ground. I forgot to mention, the fourth/reserve umpire today is Claire Polosak, the first female match official in a men’s Test match. She was out on the field some time back with her umbrella and the other match officials.

11.40am local time/6.10am IST: Play resuming soon

Play is set to resume at 11.45 local time (6.15am IST), unless rain arrives again by the time you read this. Fans appear to be having a good time at the SCG though.A glimpse of different kinds of attire fans took to at the SCG•Getty Images

11.15am local time/6.10am IST: Rain arrives at SCG

Rain was forecast and here it is! It’s largely the pitch that is covered with the umpires out under the umbrellas after the players jogged off the field. Andrew McGlashan from the ground: “There is a line of showers coming up from the south. Today was the day with the highest chance of interruptions. The forecast for the next four days is good.” Twelve minutes after the players went off, the rain has stopped and the covers are coming off.Will be interesting to see if this will add any swing once play resumes. Meanwhile, there’s been a lot of debate on social media on Mayank Agarwal’s exclusion. Was it fair to leave him out? Vote in the poll below:

11am local time/5.30am IST: Siraj removes Warner for 5

Mohammed Siraj has silenced Australia’s opening stand with the wicket of David Warner•Getty Images

A very intriguing 18-minute stay for Warner. He was running those quick singles with visible discomfort in his groin, eager to rotate the strike, and falls after flashing well outside off twice in a row off Siraj. On the second ball of the fourth over he went after one that seamed away from outside off, and when Siraj pitched it away further and a tad fuller next ball, Warner didn’t move his feet enough to get close to the ball while chasing it, and edged to first slip. Pucovski, meanwhile, is leaving well outside off while walking across the stumps a bit, and got a bouncer in the very first over from Bumrah. No swing at all in this pitch even though there was some rain in the lead up to the Test, and some more is expected today and tomorrow. Australia 18 for 1 after the first half hour. “Looks like a very good batting track,” Glenn McGrath says on TV commentary.

10.35am local time/5.05am IST: Warner and Pucovski walk out

Boy, will Australia be excited by Warner’s return. He’s still not 100% fit after his groin injury but given the nature of this series and what all is at stake, Australia have decided to play him, partnered by a debut. Tim Paine said at the toss Warner’s “high energy” will bolster their “confidence”. Not to forget, Australia have endured their slowest scoring home series of the century so far, just ahead of the 2018-19 series which also didn’t feature Warner. Pucovski, on the other hand, has been around the Test set-up for close to a year now, has a history of concussion injuries, and has bossed his way into the Test XI with plenty of runs in domestic cricket. Here’s more on Pucovski’s journey so far.

10.10am local time/4.40am IST: Two more debuts in the series

After Cameron Green in Adelaide, Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj at the MCG, we have two more debutants as expected: Will Pucovski and Navdeep Saini. Pucovski given the cap by Andrew McDonald and Saini by Jasprit Bumrah. Australia have opted to bat, with David Warner coming in place of Travis Head, and Matthew Wade moving down to the middle order. For India, we already knew yesterday that Rohit Sharma will open with Mayank Agarwal given the axe, and Saini making his debut because Umesh Yadav has flown back home.Speaking of fast bowlers, India’s pace battery has Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj and Saini with a combined Test experience of 17 compared to Australia’s tally of 144, thanks to Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. That’s one thing Australia will be excited about that they haven’t had to change their attack since the first Test.

10am local time/4.30am IST: More reports about doubts over fourth Test in Brisbane

And we have news coming in already, even before the coin has been flipped. Here’s Andrew McGlashan with what’s brewing in Australia for the Brisbane Test:Cricket Australia will seek clarification from the BCCI after more suggestions emerged that India would not travel to Brisbane for the final Test but continue to insist they have not been made aware of concerns. And a report on Thursday morning said that the BCCI had officially written to CA to say they did not want to head to Brisbane. However, ESPNcricinfo understands that the updated plans for the Gabba Test, in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney which led to border restrictions to Queensland, were approved by the BCCI office bearers on December 29 and no objections have been received since.CA have largely been dealing with BCCI secretary Jay Shah and it’s understood will seek further conversations on Thursday.The players are not confined to their rooms when at the team hotels in Sydney and Brisbane – which have been entirely booked out by Cricket Australia – and are able to mingle in communal areas. The one difference is that the restrictions in Sydney are CA protocols while those in Brisbane are imposed by the Queensland government as the terms to allow exemptions to be granted.

9.55am local time/4.25am IST: Warming up for toss

Australia will be banking on David Warner’s return for the third Test•Getty Images

Hello everyone and a very warm welcome to the third Test of this exciting series that’s level 1-1. Another Test, possible another set of debuts (there’s at least one confirmed from India), another tight race for the WTC points and the ICC rankings (New Zealand are on top now), another debate on selection, another discussion on who is going to open, and much much more. I’ll steal Tim Paine’s words and just say there is “tension starting to boil under the surface”.

Australia set to tour Bangladesh later this year for T20Is, not Tests

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Australia are set to go nearly 10 months without a Test match between the two summers

Daniel Brettig10-Feb-2021Australia are set to make a belated trip to Bangladesh later this year for their first tour since 2017. Not for the Tests originally scheduled as part of the World Test Championship, but instead for T20Is intended as warm-ups for the T20 World Cup meant to be hosted by India soon afterwards.ESPNcricinfo has confirmed discussions around the brief tour, which are the result of India hosting the global T20I event in 2021 while the 2020 edition, originally to have been hosted by Australia last year, was pushed out to 2022. According to the Future Tours Program, Bangladesh are also to host England for white-ball games ahead of the T20 World Cup, meaning the matches may well be arrayed as a triangular series.However, it has also been established that any prospect of last year’s postponed Test tour of Bangladesh, one of the first scheduled assignments delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has been effectively washed away by the fact it could not be rescheduled during the remaining window for WTC series before the table is finalised in April. Australia are duly set to go nearly 10 months without a Test match between the India series this summer and a rescheduled home Test against Afghanistan next summer, ahead of the Ashes.Related

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  • CSA asks ICC to intervene after Australia's decision to pull out of SA tour

Cricket Australia and the BCB have continued lengthy talks ever since the postponement of the series last April, but neither board was able to commit to a window for a Test match tour. CA’s protracted and ultimately fruitless negotiations with Cricket South Africa over their scheduled WTC series in March broke down irreparably last week, ironically leaving a 33-day gap in between the end of Bangladesh’s current home series against West Indies on February 15, and the start of their white-ball tour of New Zealand on March 20 where neither country will play at all.Australia’s Test team have lost control of their WTC destiny due to the decision not to tour South Africa, but could have regained it by playing and winning a Test series with Bangladesh at any stage between last June, when the tour was originally meant to be played, and the April cut-off point for the championship table. This was the case even after the ICC retabulated the WTC table to be ranked according to points won over matches played, accounting for the imbalances deepened by tour cancellations due to Covid-19.The deterioration of relations between CA and CSA around tour talks and biosecurity protocols has led to the South African board writing to the ICC by way of opening a conversation about financial recompense for countries who have their home series cancelled by touring teams unwilling to make the trip.Cricket’s global governing body is understood to be encouraging further, peacemaking dialogue between CA and CSA, while at the same time being wary of the possibility of a formal dispute resolution mechanism being triggered between the two boards.CA has fervently denied allegations of bad faith negotiating from CSA, arguing that the two boards had irreconcilably different attitudes to Covid-19 that made it impossible to find the common ground required for the tour to go ahead. The governing body has also argued that CA’s efforts to reschedule series is proven by the current tour of New Zealand, a makeup for last summer’s cancelled series, and the shift of the Afghanistan Test. A CA spokesman declined to comment on the Bangladesh tour plans.

Aaron Finch desperate for a break after 'absolute shocker' in BBL as hub life takes its toll

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Finch heads to the beach to freshen up for the tour of New Zealand after a nightmare season with Melbourne Renegades

Alex Malcolm27-Jan-2021Australia’s T20 captain Aaron Finch believes players will need to be rested from tours moving forward as he thinks months on end in Covid-19 bubbles are unsustainable following a nightmare BBL season.Finch will lead Australia’s T20 tour of New Zealand which departs Australia on February 7, one day after the BBL final.The 18-man squad was announced on Wednesday, just a day after the final round of BBL season where his Melbourne Renegades claimed a morale-boosting consolation win over Hobart Hurricanes despite finishing last on the table for the second-straight year.Finch scored just 179 runs at 13.76 from 13 innings and although he took full responsibility for his own form, he did concede the endless cycle of Covid hubs for touring Australian players had taken its toll on him.”I had an absolute shocker with the bat,” Finch said. “The harder I trained the worse I got, which is the opposite to what everyone tells you to do.”My wife worked it out the other day that I’ve had 20 or 21 days since April that I haven’t been in lockdown or in a bubble. I’m going down to the beach for a few days to relax. My kit bag won’t be coming out of my car, I can tell you. It will be locked away.Related

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“We’ve got 14-days of quarantine and training once we get to New Zealand. That plenty of time. For me personally, it will be maybe four or five hits once I’m there and that should be good enough. I know what I need to do to get ready. Just a clear mind. That’s the most important thing.”Trevor Hohns, the national selector, was confident Finch would be able to emerge from his slump on the New Zealand tour. “He’s been a bit out of nick or out of runs, whatever they like to say these days, and he’ll be concerned about his form but let’s face it on the international stage he’s very well credentialed and one of the best players in the world.Australia will send two separate squads overseas to New Zealand and South Africa at the same time. The selectors have picked a first-choice Test squad for the tour of South Africa while Finch has a T20I squad without the experience of David Warner, Steven Smith, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood among others, but featuring some exciting prospects who had starred in the BBL.But in the new post-Covid world where biosecure hubs are the new norm, Finch conceded that Cricket Australia may need to adopt England’s model of forcing multi-format players to rest from certain sections of certain tours, as England have done with the upcoming tour of India, in order to keep players fresh and at their best to avoid the type of form slump Finch has experienced.”I think if you’re playing a few formats of the game, there’s going to need to be a chop-out from selectors and from Cricket Australia,” Finch said. “You notice what England is doing with their squads at the moment, there are guys that aren’t travelling for the first two Tests [against India], and then coming in.”If the Covid bubble and hubs continue for a long time, that will be something that would be looked into, no doubt. The welfare of players is paramount and being locked up for months is pretty unsustainable I think, when you’re away from your families and your families can’t travel.Aaron Finch will be back in Australia colours at the end of February•Getty Images

“That will be individual as well. Some guys who are married with kids will find it tougher than a young single guy, for example. I think you just have to monitor everything in that regard.”Australia allrounder and Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques, who was selected in the Test squad to tour South Africa has endured an unusual summer by comparison to Finch. He has been in hubs since October but has hardly played while being a squad member for the entirety of Australia’s four-Test series against India.”To be honest, I don’t feel like I haven’t played much,” Henriques said. “When you’re away in that set up, when you’re away with the Australian team there’s a lot of external noise that you take in mentally. You’re constantly preparing to play each day and then you train. You don’t really have too many days off.”I think a couple of days off here and there always helps the mind and the body. The other thing you’ve got to remember as well is for the last 10 years I’ve almost played cricket for 11 months of the year anyway. I think it’s almost a matter of a mindset personally. If I can reframe how I see things and how I want to look at things, it really determines whether or not I feel fresh or not.”But Henriques was keen to stress that the players were well looked after in the various hubs and they did have the chance to opt-out at any stage.”They’re all decisions that at the end of the day are mine,” he said. “If I am feeling fatigued or tired or whatever I don’t have to go on those tours if I really don’t want to. We’re not forced to go anywhere. It’s always the player’s decision. If I’m feeling exactly how I’m feeling now I’ll be welcoming any opportunity that comes my way.”

England may extend rest and rotation policy into Ashes

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Head coach Chris Silverwood also plays down concerns about quality of training facilities in Ahmedabad

George Dobell07-Mar-2021Chris Silverwood has warned England may extend their controversial rest and rotation policy into the Ashes if Covid restrictions are still in place.Each of England’s all-format players has been given a break at some point during the tour of Sri Lanka and India. While the arrangement provoked criticism in some quarters, Silverwood, the England head coach, insists the team management will continue to ensure they are “proactive” in “looking after the players”.In particular, it seems the policy will be utilised if players are obliged to remain within bio-bubbles while on international duty. With England having previously experienced several cases of burn out and anxiety exacerbated by prolonged exposure to high-pressure environments, they are keen to ensure the dangers are mitigated by opportunities to spend time out of the bubble and with family.Related

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England’s winter schedule includes limited-overs tours of Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as the T20 World Cup and the Ashes. Although the dates of the Ashes are likely to be pushed back a couple of weeks – it seems they may start sometime around December 8 – it still presents an impossibly busy schedule. Two tours of the Caribbean, a T20I one starting in late January, and a Test one, in March, will also be confirmed in the coming days.”We have to look after our players,” Silverwood said. “We want to keep them fit, fresh, healthy and on the park and make sure we’re trying to get it right. We’re constantly talking about it and trying to make sure we’re doing it to the best of our ability.”I don’t think it’s acceptable to push somebody until they break and then try and pick them up. We have to make the intervention before anybody does break so we can get them back in an England shirt quicker.”Equally, everyone misses their family. The families miss the players that are here. If we can’t get the families to the players as we normally would, it’s important we do our best to get the players to the families. From a well-being point of view, it’s so important these players stay connected with their families.”Will the policy continue into the English summer? It’s certainly something we have to be aware of and consider because we don’t know what the landscape will look like from a Covid point of view.”Could players be flying home midway through the Ashes? We have to be proactive in looking after them, so it’s certainly something that we may have to look at, yes.”I know things are slowly opening up, but we will be guided by the medical advice and what’s happening in the country. It’s certainly something that we are probably going to have around.”Sam Curran was granted an extended break, given the time he has spent in bio-secure bubbles•Getty Images

The suggestion that England may consider resting players from the Ashes may assuage those angry that the policy was utilised during the India series. So, while Silverwood ultimately hopes he can build a squad of players strong enough to ensure that on-going rotation can take place without any noticeable weakening of the side, he insists this is no reflection of any diminishing desire for success.”We are trying to grow a group of players where we can put a strong side all the time,” he said. “Again, we have to be aware that we have to look after our players. There is a whole load of cricket coming up this summer, then we very quickly disappear abroad once our summer is finished. We’ve got to make sure we are proactive and look after our players.”No-one took this series lightly, I can promise you that. Absolutely not. We came here wanting to win and we went hard in that first Test and won it. India then came back hard in the last three Tests. It’s a very difficult place to come to and win. History tells you that. Don’t for one minute think we took this series lightly because we didn’t.”Meanwhile, Silverwood played down concerns about the quality of training facilities in Ahmedabad, insisting they were “the same for both sides”. ESPNcricinfo understands the outdoor nets at the stadium have been considered inadequate since the eve of the third Test, with seamers unable to bowl to batsmen due to fear of injuring them.That has led to fears that some players – especially those who have just joined the squad from England – could be obliged to go into the series without the preparation they might have liked. The T20I series starts on Friday. There are no official warm-up games ahead of it.”The training facilities are the same for both sides and whatever we get, we will work around it,” Silverwood said. “What we did have today was a very good indoor school so we have got facilities to make things work.”

How is a drawn Sheffield Shield final decided?

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Home advantage does not carry quite the same weight as it used to do

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2021The final act of the Australian season starts on Thursday with the Sheffield Shield final between Queensland and New South Wales at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.New South Wales are aiming to defend the title awarded to them last season when the tournament was curtailed by the onset of the pandemic while Queensland last won the Shield in 2017-18.Queensland finished top of the table after the final-round draw against New South Wales in Wollongong, but that does not carry the significant advantage it used to do when, in the event of a drawn final, the leaders would be awarded the title.Now if there is a draw the title would be decided by the same bonus points system that is in place during the regular season. It was brought in as a trial in the 2018-19 season (although wasn’t needed as Victoria won the final outright) and after last season’s final was cancelled it will be used again should the situation arise.This is how the bonus points system works: the batting side earns 0.01 points for every run scored above 200 in the first 100 overs of the first innings and the bowling side earns 0.1 points for every wicket taken in the same period.So, if we use the previous match between these two sides last week as an example it would work out like this: New South Wales were 4 for 310 after 100 overs so that earns them 1.1 batting points and Queensland get 0.4 bowling points. Queensland were then 4 for 293 after 100 overs earning them 0.93 batting points and New South Wales 0.4 bowling points.In total that would be 1.5 bonus points for New South Wales and 1.33 for Queensland.”It means the game is in play the whole time,” Mitchell Starc said. “We’ve seen in years gone by the home team don’t have to win so they can play the way they want and not have to worry about pushing for victory. To have the bonus points system there is a big carrot for us, we’ll be in the game for the five days.”The one caveat with the bonus points is that they only become the decider if a minimum 270 overs have been bowled in the match. If weather means that mark hasn’t been reached then the tiebreaker reverts to who led the table. Also, if the bonus points are tied in a drawn game the top team is declared the winner.The final is played over five days so there is extra time to get an outright result. The forecast also looks good for the duration of the game with just a few showers predicted for Saturday at the moment. The last Shield match in Brisbane, which was set to take place at Ian Healy Oval, was abandoned without a ball bowled largely due to a saturated outfield following heavy rain. The match before, at Allan Border Field, had just 76 overs across the first two days.The other factor with the final taking place much later than usual is the length of daylight hours (Allan Border field doesn’t have floodlights). Play will begin at 9.30am to try and ensure the 96 overs per day can be completed.

Qais Ahmad signs Kent deal for T20 Blast, two County Championship games

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Last season’s beaten quarter-finalists lean towards spin-heavy strategy for Blast

Matt Roller12-May-2021Qais Ahmad, the Afghanistan legspinner, has signed for Kent for the whole of T20 Blast and two County Championship fixtures, adding to the burgeoning list of teams he has represented around the world in short-form cricket.Ahmad, 20, was due to join Gloucestershire as an overseas player last summer but had his contract cancelled on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, this will be his first stint in county cricket.He is also due to play for Welsh Fire in the inaugural season of the Hundred, after he was retained ahead of February’s re-draft. As a result, he will stay in the UK after the conclusion of the Blast’s group stage, and is likely to be available for the knockout stages.The club also signed Mohammad Amir for the second half of the competition last month, while Heino Kuhn is registered as an overseas player after the expiration of Kolpak status. Counties are allowed to register three overseas players simultaneously, but can field a maximum of two in a match.Ahmad is the fifth Afghanistan player to sign a deal for this year’s Blast, after Rashid Khan (Sussex), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Middlesex), Mohammad Nabi (Northamptonshire) and Naveen-ul-Haq (Leicestershire).Related

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Kent were beaten quarter-finalists in last year’s Blast, and the signing of Ahmad hints at a change in strategy for the 2021 season. They generally fielded a solitary frontline spinner in Imran Qayyum last summer, alongside Joe Denly’s part-time legbreaks, but may now opt for a spin-heavy side this season.Ahmad is also due to be available for Kent’s final two games of the initial group stage of the Championship, against Lancashire at Old Trafford and Sussex at Beckenham. If selected, they would be his first first-class games since he made his Test debut against Bangladesh in September 2019, and he would become the first Afghanistan player to appear in the Championship.”I’m excited to play in the Vitality Blast and I’m really looking forward to being a Kent Spitfire,” he said. “Having played alongside Daniel Bell-Drummond at Colombo Kings, I have heard good things about Kent and I will give it my all.”Paul Downton, the club’s director of cricket, said: “Qais Ahmad is an exciting talent who has shown his ability in top quality leagues all over the world. I am confident that his enthusiasm for the game will make him a firm favourite with our members and supporters as we look to welcome crowds back to watching live cricket again.”

As it happened – England vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Edgbaston, 2nd day

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All the updates, news and stats from day two of the second Test at Edgbaston

Valkerie Baynes11-Jun-2021* Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local

6.35pm: Young out last ball

New Zealand boasted an embarrassment of riches for a second day running as Devon Conway and Will Young frustrated England’s bowlers and moved to within 74 runs of the hosts’ first-innings 303 with seven wickets in hand at Edgbaston.Conway, who put his place in the side beyond doubt with 200 on debut in the first Test at Lord’s, produced another valuable, though not chance-less, innings of 80. And, while he would have been disappointed not to press on to triple figures again, a gutsy 82 from Young – in the side as a replacement for injured captain Kane Williamson – mitigated the damage.Stuart Broad bowled superbly for his 2 for 22 from 15 overs, including six maidens, but he was the only England bowler to reap any reward for his considerable efforts – until Young’s dismissal by part-time off-spinner Dan Lawrence on the last ball of the day.Will Young got to his maiden Test fifty•PA Images via Getty Images

6.05pm: NZ bring up 200

5.20pm: Broad works over Taylor

By Matt RollerStuart Broad has just finished an eight-over spell which spread across the tea interval, conceding only 12 runs and taking the wicket of Devon Conway, caught at deep backward square leg. It was his working-over of Ross Taylor – a man he has dismissed ten times in Test cricket – that was particularly impressive, with James Anderson providing support at the other end.Broad’s plan was to set him up with a number of outswingers, dragging him across the crease before angling one back in, and he beat the bat a number of times, putting his hands on his head in frustration after missing the top of off stump by a hair’s breadth. With the crowd urging him on, he hit 87mph/140kph at times and was consistently operating in the mid-80s – according to a Sky Sports graphic, his average speed this summer has been higher than in any of the last three years.Agonisingly, he couldn’t get his man, and while Anderson had him given out lbw shortly after the end of Broad’s spell, the decision was overturned on review with the ball clearly missing leg. Taylor is a notoriously poor starter and has looked out of nick on this tour. With Will Young gritting his way to a half-century, Taylor could do with a score here: Kane Williamson will return to the side in the WTC final next week and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Taylor could be the man to miss out.Stuart Broad appeals unsuccessfully for the wicket of Ross Taylor in the first Test•Getty Images

5.00pm: He goes alright

Devon Conway has scored more runs in his first three Test innings than any other NZ batsman•ESPNcricinfo

4.40pm: Have your say

4.20pm: Conway departs

Stuart Broad finally strikes again with the valuable wicket of Devon Conway, who picks out Zak Crawley at deep square leg for 80. New Zealand are 137 for 2 and Broad is trying to get the crowd more involved as he looks to boost his impressive figures of 2 for 19 from 12 overs.Devon Conway fell on 80•Getty Images

Whipped away with that Conway flourish that we are used to by now, but he has found deep square leg with it. That is that idiosyncratic flair-filled shot. Most people flick this length ball off the pads into the ground, but Conway likes to give it a Humpty. This time he has hit this straight down the throat of deep square leg. Just the break England needed

3.50pm: Tea time

Olly Stone rues a dropped catch by Joe Root•Getty Images

England rue a couple of missed opportunities, one they couldn’t do anything about with Zak Crawley not awarded a slips catch to dismiss Devon Conway for 22 when the soft signal was not out (bump ball) and the hosts’ review couldn’t unearth enough evidence to show the ball hadn’t, in fact, touched earth. And then Joe Root shelled a slips catch that would have sent Will Young packing for just 7.As it stands, Conway and Young have put on an unbroken stand of 115 for the second wicket.

3.35pm: Tourists ticking along

New Zealand are ticking along nicely here with England in need of a breakthrough. Conway and Young have pushed their partnership up to an unbroken 111 with Conway 78* and Young 36*. They’ve just changed the ball, Stuart Broad will look to see what he can do with this one. He beats the bat with his first delivery since the change, seaming away from Conway’s attempted defence, and ends with a maiden.Will Young tucks into the off side•Getty Images

2.50pm: Root spins in

Joe Root is into the attack as England’s spinner with the home side seeking to break up this partnership between Devon Conway and Will Young, worth 73*.Sampath Bandarupalli, our statstician, pointed out: “Between 2004 and 2020, England played just one home Test without a front-line spinner in the XI (vs SA in 2012 at Leeds).” Now they’ve done it twice in as many matches this summer.Conway is 55 not out and Young is on 21. Root has 0 for 3 heading into his third over.Joe Root is England’s sole spin option – again•PA Images via Getty Images

2.35pm: Fifty up for Conway

Devon Conway flicks one away•Getty Images

Devon Conway, who made such a remarkable debut at Lord’s with 200 in the first innings, brings up his fifty with a drive off a Joe Root half-volley just past deep cover, running two as Stuart Broad fields.Having survived on 22 when Zak Crawley’s slips catch off Broad’s bowling wasn’t given amid doubt over whether the ball touched the ground, Conway is now 51 not out and Will Young unbeaten with 21, their partnership worth 69*.

2.00pm: Oh no, Joe!

Joe Root, the England skipper has just juggled – and dropped – a catch that would have dismissed Will Young on 7. A lovely ball from Olly Stone found the outside edge and the ball sailed to Root at first slip. He had a couple of goes at grabbing it as he went to ground but couldn’t hold on! It looked a pretty standard chance too. New Zealand were 52 for 1 at the time.Olly Stone coulda, woulda, shoulda had had a wicket•Getty Images

1.50pm: Heart-warmer

Regardless of your team loyalties, this celebration of fans returning to the stands at Edgbaston is pretty enjoyable to watch. Yes, he’s understandably biased, but it warmed the cockles of Chris Woakes’ heart.

1.10pm: NZ 260 in arrears at lunch

Devon Conway steers New Zealand to lunch at 43 for 1 in the face of an excellent spell from Stuart Broad, which netted him the wicket of Tom Latham for 6 and gave him figures of 1 for 10 so far. Conway is 27 not out and Will Young – in the side for Kane Wiliamson, who has sore elbow – is unbeaten on 6.Stuart Broad bowled a strong opening spell•PA Photos/Getty Images

12.50pm: Another close call for Conway

Devon Conway, the double centurion on debut at Lord’s, has had another escape. Conway edged Stuart Broad to Zak Crawley at third slip and it was one of those where it was difficult to tell whether the ball hit the ground as Crawley was taking the catch. He definitely got his fingers under it but the key was that the soft signal given by the on-field umpire was not-out. Broad was incensed but, on review, there was just enough doubt for the decision to stand. Broad. Not. Happy.Devon Conway is hanging in there•PA Photos/Getty Images

12.30pm: Broad breaks through

12.20pm: That was close!

A hearts-in-mouths moment for New Zealand fans there, but Devon Conway keeps his cool. Tom Latham strikes the ball straight back down the pitch and Stuart Broad, in his follow-through, manages to get his fingers to it before it crashes into the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Conway, who was advancing, was watching the ball like a hawk as well though, and managed to turn and stretch his arm out, getting his bat back inside his crease in time.Stuart Broad looks on•AFP/Getty Images

12.00pm: England all out for 303

Innings break England 303 (Lawrence 81*, Burns 81, Boult 4-85) vs New ZealandNeil Wagner congratulates Trent Boult after the fall of Stuart Broad’s wicket•Clive Mason/Getty Images

A Dan Lawrence-led recovery has pushed England’s first-innigs total to 303. Lawrence was unbeaten in matching Rory Burns’ top score for England of 81 while Mark Wood produced some entertainment – and valuable runs – with a knock of 41 before he was bowled by Matt Henry.
Trent Boult, who took two wickets yesterday, cleaned up the tail, Stuart Broad caught behind for a duck and James Anderson lbw for four. Anderson was initially given not-out by umpire Richard Kettleborough but that decision was overturned on review, which showed Boult had beaten the inside edge with the ball tracking to hit leg stump.Now, with New Zealand getting the ball to swing nicely, home fans will eagerly anticipate seeing Anderson, playing an England-record 162nd Test, do the same.

11.25am: Wood gives it some welly

I could tell you how Mark Wood came rollicking out of the blocks this morning, cutting, pulling, driving and dinking like an Ashington Sehwag, but Sid Monga said it better on the ball-by-ball commentary. Matt Henry ended the fun with a full ball, inside-edged onto the timbers, but it’s given England the leg-up they needed, even if Stuart Broad has just nicked off to Trent Boult for a duck. Dan Lawrence has the record-breaking James Anderson for company at 289 for 9, and the onus is on him now to push England past 300.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Here’s Matt Roller with a more considered take on the morning’s tonkings:”Joe Root highlighted the “added responsibility” that England’s bowlers have with the bat on the eve of this series. “If we’re going to grow as a team, if we’re going to become more consistent, we’ll have to add lower-order runs,” he said.
While opting to pick Olly Stone – who has batted at No. 10 for most of his first-class career – as a No. 8 might seem to fly in the face of those comments, England’s tail has taken on the additional responsibility.Out of England’s six 50+ partnerships in this series, three have involved lower-order contributions: 52 between James Anderson and Rory Burns and 63 between Burns at Ollie Robinson at Lord’s, plus 66 between Dan Lawrence and Mark Wood here. Stone also added 47 alongside Lawrence last night, helping England towards 300 after they had slipped to 175 for 6.”

10.45am: Looking back

Rory Burns celebrates his half-century•Getty Images

Rory Burns has reflected on his knock of 81 yesterday and he spoke to Sky Sports at the close about his form, which includes a first-innings 132 in the first Test at Lord’s and seven fifties in 10 Championship innings this season. That came after he lost his place in the Test side on England’s recent tour of India. Here’s what he had to say:”It’s been quite a quite a tough day of Test cricket, it’s been pretty even there by the end, I think Dan [Lawrence] has played really well there and in that latter part of the day, probably got us back to scrapping away quite nicely so there’s a there’s something in that surface for everyone.”It’s probably swung a little bit more for them after lunch, and whether that’s conditions over top or on the surface we’ll see.”I felt good, my rhythm’s felt good coming from county cricket and into this environment. I’ve felt in a good place in summer, which is pleasing. It’s nice to be able to get in there and get in amongst it.”

10.00am: Dan’s the man

Dan Lawrence drives down the ground•Getty Images

Welcome back to the our coverage of the second Test at Edgbaston and all eyes will be on Dan Lawrence, England’s No. 7 playing his seventh Test and unbeaten on 67. From a home perspective, England want to see how many more he can add to their score of 258 for for 7 with Mark Wood not out 16 and Stuart Broad and James Anderson to come. Lawrence will be the main wicket New Zealand are focused on prising out on this second morning before getting stuck into the tail.Higher up the order, England have some concerns, as explained by George Dobell while Matt Roller writes that New Zealand showed their impressive strength in depth in making six changes to the side which drew at Lord’s and three of the bowlers who came in – Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Ajaz Patel – claiming two wickets apiece so far.

Sri Lanka search for answers as Bangladesh eye clean sweep

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Sri Lanka’s top order have lacked runs, while Bangladesh’s bowlers have hunted in a pack

Mohammad Isam27-May-2021

Big Picture

Although they are 2-0 up and have sealed the series, Bangladesh will not allow themselves to relax in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Dhaka. The home team has just got out of a ten-match winless streak and there remain many areas to still get right, with bigger challenges coming up later in the year. The same, if not more, applies for Sri Lanka. It has so far been a tough few days for the visitors who, after enduring a Covid-19 scare, went down in both ODIs quite easily.Sri Lanka’s biggest headache on this tour has been the lack of runs from their recognised batters. Wanindu Hasaranga is their highest run-getter with 80 runs, including a half-century in the first game. But those runs were made from No. 8, with Sri Lanka’s top seven yet to register a half-century across both matches.But as much as there has been criticism of their selection policy to drop some of their experienced players from the squad, the likes of Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva have been around for long enough to carry a batting line-up. Pathum Nissanka, Ashen Bandara and Dasun Shanaka are relatively new, but they all possess the ability to play spin.What should have heartened the team must be their bowling and fielding in these two matches. Dushmantha Chameera and Lakshan Sandakan have been among the wickets, while Hasaranga has bowled some accurate legspin too. Sri Lanka have had Bangladesh on the ropes a few times, but the home side has fought back from situations like 99 for 4 in the first ODI, and 15 for 2, 74 for 4, and 184 for 7 in the second to eventually post match-winning totals.This is where the experienced Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah have made the difference between the two teams. Whenever they have faced trouble, one of the three has stood up with the bat. While Rahim has made 209 runs in the two matches, equally important have been his partnerships of 109 and 87 with Mahmudullah from difficult positions.The lack of runs from the likes of Liton Das and Afif Hossain could be a worry though. Mohammad Mithun and Mosaddek Hossain have got a match each, but on the whole, there has been an over-reliance on the senior batters, who may not always manage to score at a higher rate in every phase of the innings.Bangladesh’s bowling, though, has really come forth in difficult times. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mustafizur Rahman have been great support acts to Shakib Al Hasan, while youngster Shoriful Islam didn’t look out of place either on his ODI debut in the last game.

Form guide

Bangladesh WWLLL
Sri Lanka LLLLLMehidy Hasan Miraz has picked up seven wickets in the two matches so far•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight

Mehidy Hasan Miraz is now the second-best bowler in the ICC ODI bowlers’ rankings, having picked up seven wickets in the two matches. He has taken control of Sri Lanka’s middle overs while using a fine mix of flight, spin and accurate length.Dushmantha Chameera bowled a superb first over in the second ODI, removing both Tamim and Shakib in the space of four balls. And though Sri Lanka couldn’t take advantage of it, Chameera has come off as one of the highlights for the visitors on this tour.

Team news

Mohammad Naim’s inclusion in the squad suggests that the team management must be seriously considering Das’ spot. Soumya Sarkar and Mahedi Hasan are the others who remain unused in the squad so far. A decision on the availability of Mohammad Saifuddin will be taken on match day. The allrounder had suffered a blow to his head during the second ODI, but was cleared of anything serious.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Liton Das/Mohammad Naim, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5
Mosaddek Hossain, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur RahmanNiroshan Dickwella could replace Ashen Bandara to beef up Sri Lanka’s middle order. Although allrounder Ramesh Mendis and Akila Dananjaya are also in the squad as spin-bowling options, it is the team’s batting that needs more attention.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Kusal Perera (capt), 3 Pathum Nissanka, 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Lakshan Sandakan, 11 Dushmantha Chameera

Pitch and conditions

Bangladesh chose to bat first in both matches as the pitches appeared two-paced, thus hardly encouraging big-hitting. The pitches also seemed to get slower as the game progressed, and it is unlikely to be too different in the third ODI. The weather forecast is mostly for clear conditions in Dhaka.

Stats and trivia

  • Shakib needs one wicket to become the highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh in ODIs. But he needs two more to overtake Mashrafe Mortaza as the one with the most wickets from his country in the format, as Mortaza took 269 for Bangladesh and one for Asia XI against Africa XI in 2007.
  • When he reached 113 in the second ODI, Rahim became the fourth cricketer to cross 6000 ODI runs as a wicketkeeper. Kumar Sangakkara, MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist are those above him.

Quotes

“When I see the guys playing in the net they look really good. They’re playing with freedom. But when I see the guys out in the middle, it’s different – there’s pressure. A lot of the guys are freezing.”

Sussex frustrated as Surrey game called off one ball before DLS result possible

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Umpires halted play after 4.5 overs of chase with home side ahead on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern

ESPNcricinfo staff and ECB Reporters' Network27-Jun-2021The Sussex Sharks and Surrey were just one ball away from completing a Vitality Blast match at Hove when umpires Tim Robinson and Paul Baldwin led the players from the field. They did not return, so each team took one point from a no-result.Surrey had scored a challenging 175 for 7 at the 1st Central County Ground and with rain in the air, the Sharks openers Luke Wright and Phil Salt began their innings at a hectic tempo in order to get ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern rate. They took 36 runs off the first three overs and at 43 for 1 off 4.5 overs, they were well ahead on the DLS.But with the fourth ball of a Kyle Jamieson over, the New Zealand bowler struck Sussex skipper Wright on the helmet. One ball later, with light rain falling and the light deteriorating, the umpires conferred and then left the field with the players as a number of the controlled maximum crowd of 2500 vented their frustration. To make a match a minimum of five overs had to be bowled, and while Sussex were ahead of what a revised five-over target would have been – meaning they would have won if the umpires had decided the rain cleared sufficiently for the final ball to be bowled, without taking the field – they had to settle for a point.”It’s not how you want to finish a game of cricket,” Sussex coach James Kirtley said. “The lads are very gutted but they’ve shown incredible character in what might have been a provocative situation. As a coach I’m there to keep calm and keep the team calm. We would obviously have liked to see it managed differently. But the decision was made and sadly we were a ball away from securing two points.”The umpires said conditions had got worse. And it was their judgement that that was the time to call it. It’s frustrating. It’s hard from the sidelines. But we’ve got to remain calm. The lads have shown real maturity because it could be blue touch paper time, things like this. Because we play at the height of our emotions. They’ve handled themselves incredibly well.”

With 24.5 overs bowled, this game became the longest-ever T20 to finish as a no-result and the outcome was particularly disappointing for Sussex, who were well positioned. They lost their first game in the competition to Gloucestershire on Friday and before that they had three games washed out.Surrey had made a positive start to their innings after Sussex chose to field, scoring 29 from their first three overs. But when Tymal Mills replaced Ollie Robinson at the Cromwell Road end he struck with his first delivery, as Will Jacks skied to Wright at long-off.Former Sussex batsman Laurie Evans looked in good touch against his old team-mates and hit Robinson for two sixes in an over, flicking him to long leg before hoisting him over midwicket for another maximum.Rain drove the players off the field for an hour after 6.1 overs, when Surrey were 53 for 1. When they returned the innings was anchored by Jamie Smith, who reached his fifty off 40 deliveries, with two fours and a six. He then hit Robinson for another six, over extra cover, before he walked across his stumps in an attempt to work the ball to leg and lost his leg stump.England quick Chris Jordan bowled only one over and came off early with a groin injury. There was a brutal cameo at the end from Jamie Overton, who hit three sixes and two fours in a 14-ball 28. But it all counted for nothing at the end of the damp day.

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