All posts by n8rngtd.top

No Irishman surpasses Balbirnie’s 27 in steep chase

Firdose Moonda24-Jul-2021
South Africa swept the T20I series 3-0 to finish their winter tour with three out of a possible four trophies. They won both the Test and T20I series in West Indies and shared the ODI rubber in Ireland. The T20I victory also gave Temba Bavuma a second successive series win as captain, and Mark Boucher a second win in seven T20I series as coach.Batting first, for the third time in the series, South Africa successfully defended with a completely new-look attack. They rested Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi, and didn’t field Anrich Nortje in this series at all. Quinton de Kock, Janneman Malan and Rassie van der Dussen too were given a break, yet Ireland stood no chance.Bavuma scored a maiden T20I half-century, a 51-ball 72, and shared in a 127-run opening stand with Reeza Hendricks to set up the innings for David Miller to finish. The end result was that South Africa posted the highest total of the three-match series and flayed all but one of the Irish attack. Only Simi Singh returned respectable figures of 1 for 27 in his four overs, while the rest of the home bowlers conceded at nine runs an over or more.In reply, Ireland were never really in the hunt. None of their batters made more than Andy Balbirnie’s 27, and they had no partnerships higher than 33. George Linde, Wiaan Mulder and Lizaad Williams took two wickets apiece to close out a dominant South African performance.Bavuma and Hendricks pose questions
South Africa used their fifth opening combination across the white-ball matches they’ve played in the Caribbean and Ireland. However, instead of clarity over their best option, Bavuma and Hendricks gave them more questions. The domestic team-mates put on the highest T20I stand in the eight matches South Africa have played. Though they started slowly, they accelerated smartly.Bavuma and Hendricks shared in South Africa’s lowest Powerplay total without losing a wicket (35). They scored just 28 runs in the next four overs to take South Africa to 63 at the halfway stage and then were almost separated when Hendricks took on Simi Singh and found Ben White at long-on. However, the debutant palmed the chance over the boundary.The pair’s individual scores just about mirrored each other and they reached fifties in the same over – Hendricks’ off 39 balls with an inside-out drive through extra over and Bavuma off 41 balls, also with a drive. They were finally parted when Hendricks was caught behind attempting a reverse sweep off Singh.Miller’s promotion pays off With de Kock and Malan rested for this match, David Miller was initially down to bat at No. 4, but earned a promotion courtesy a strong start. It was the perfect time for him to play finisher, and he started with a pull off the very third ball he faced, in the 16th over. He went on to strike at 200 and scored 36 runs off 18 balls, including all 15 of the 16 runs in the most profitable over of South Africa’s innings – the penultimate one bowled by Craig Young. South Africa added 66 in the last five overs to post the highest total of the series.We need to talk about Kevin
It may be unfair to single him out, but Kevin O’Brien’s form has been an issue for Ireland. He has now scored seven runs in his last eight innings, and most times Ireland have found themselves on the backfoot early in the innings. It wasn’t too different on Saturday. O’Brien top-edged a sweep off left-arm spinner Linde, who opened the bowling alongside South Africa’s other spinner, Bjorn Fortuin, and was caught at square leg. Ireland were 9 for 1 after nine balls.Mulder two in two
Mulder showed his batting worth in the second T20I when he partnered Miller to take South Africa to a match-winning score, and his bowling worth in this one, when he took two wickets in his opening over to all but end Ireland’s challenge. MMulder had Lorcan Tucker caught behind off an inside-edge with his first ball and Harry Tector caught at long-on off the last delivery of the over to move Ireland from 75 for 3 after 10 overs to 78 for 5 after 11.Mulder also removed two of Ireland’s biggest hitters, who may have at least tried to meet the required run-rate of 11.5. The next two overs were boundary-less and Ireland needed 101 off the last seven overs, which was a bridge too far.

Domestic cricket in South Africa does not take place under strict biosecure bubbles

Firdose Moonda02-Dec-2021CSA has postponed all three Division 2 four-day matches scheduled to start on Thursday after some players were tested positive for Covid-19. The one-day matches due to take place on December 16 have also been pushed back to 2022. This is the first disruption to the domestic cricket season in South Africa since the discovery of the Omicron variant of coronavirus last week and the second major casualty of the pandemic this summer.Last week, the second and third ODIs between South Africa and Netherlands were called off after several countries, including many in the European Union, imposed travel restrictions on southern Africa. The Dutch team remains in a biosecure bubble in the country and will leave later this week.On the contrary, domestic cricket in South Africa does not take place under the same strict measures, and with cases going up countrywide, several of those due to take part in this week’s matches have tested positive.”Activating the precautionary and preventive measures stipulated in the organisation’s Covid-19 protocols to ensure the health, safety and well-being of all involved is a top priority for CSA,” a CSA statement read. “CSA is monitoring the situation closely and a decision regarding the remainder of the fixtures this year will be made in due course as it develops.”Related

• Duanne Olivier returns as South Africa name 21-member squad for India Tests

• India to tour SA for three Tests, three ODIs in rejigged tour; T20Is postponed

• South Africa vs Netherlands: New Covid-19 variant forces postponement of last two ODIs

• India tour of SA: BCCI awaits government go-ahead amid fears of new Covid-19 variant

• Newsfile – New Covid-19 variant threatens South African home summer

As things stand, a full round of Division 1 four-day fixtures is due to be played between December 19 to 22 before the festive break. At this stage, those matches remain on the schedule.The news comes on the heels of South Africa awaiting the Indian government’s permission to allow their men’s team to embark on a three-Test, three-ODI and four-T20I tour from mid-December. The India A team is currently in a bio-bubble in Bloemfontein, where they are playing the second of three unofficial Tests and there is no indication of them leaving earlier than planned.However, it’s understood there are concerns about the senior side’s arrival, not least because South African scientists predict that cases will continue to go up in the next month. On Wednesday, South Africa reported 8561 new cases, up from 4373 the day before.India’s Test captain Virat Kohli expects the team to get clarity on the tour “in a day or two”, while some Indian media are reporting that the BCCI may need more time to decide if the tour will go ahead and has requested to push things back by a week. CSA, though, has not received any communication from the BCCI regarding a change in the schedule. “There hasn’t been such a request or discussion with the BCCI, hence it is purely speculation unless or until they engage us on this. So as of now, CSA is not aware of this,” Pholetsi Moseki, CSA’s acting CEO, told ESPNcricinfo.

England’s stand-in coach expects “caged tigers” Stokes and Broad to make a mark in the SCG Test

Andrew McGlashan04-Jan-2022Pat Cummins continues to bask in the glory of retaining the Ashes in ruthless fashion, but has also lent a sympathetic ear to England’s off-field challenges with Covid-19, even as the visitors’ stand-in coach Graham Thorpe hoped that cricket could find a more sustainable way to deal with the ongoing challenges.Related

• Lyon excited about bowling partnership with Swepson

• Root hopes for turnaround despite 'disjointed' situation

England have had to prepare for the Sydney Test with a threadbare coaching staff, with four members, including head coach Chris Silverwood, isolating back in Melbourne after Covid was initially detected among family members that are part of the touring group.”They’ve sacrificed quite a lot to come over here,” Cummins said. “Two weeks’ quarantine, time away from families, some restrictions on what they can do, opposed to pre-pandemic. They’ve had some positive cases, the coach being away from this game, it’s been really tough for them. We are really thankful they are out here as part of the series.”Australia have also been impacted, with Travis Head ruled out of the fourth Test after testing positive, but that remains the only case in the camp even though Cummins was forced to miss the second Test in Adelaide after being deemed a close contact. Under the current government guidelines, he would have been free to play.Both teams wanted to avoid biosecure bubbles for this series and Cricket Australia has resisted tightening restrictions beyond their level-four protocols, which mean players can still dine outside and maintain a degree of freedom but that has brought additional risk, especially in Melbourne and Sydney.England’s hopes of bolstering resources by bringing in Adam Hollioake, who lives on the Gold Coast, were scuppered when he was also deemed a close contact and had to isolate. It has meant everyone has had to chip in with different roles, including the physios and analyst helping with fielding drills and players giving plenty of throwdowns. On Monday, Joe Root called on his players to use the adversity as motivation as they try to regain some pride after three thrashings saw the Ashes decided inside 12 days.Thorpe, who has taken charge in Silverwood’s absence, supported by James Foster and Ant Botha, admitted there had been distractions for the players. Numbers have skyrocketed in New South Wales in the last couple of weeks with over 20,000 per day and the squad has been tested daily since the first cases were detected in Melbourne, although that is now set to be relaxed somewhat.”[Covid] has always been lingering in the back and it has been distracting,” Thorpe said. “Not knowing whether you’ll be moving into the next venue, or whether your family is going to be in a hotel room for seven to ten days, similar with players. The constant testing day-in, day-out is a distraction.”I’d like to think we can find a better way around it in the future. I do understand it. Australia is in a very different situation. I’d like to think cricket can find a way around it because England have played a lot of cricket as well. A lot of our players have been in these environments for quite a while. Being able to look after their mental state of mind is very important.”Thorpe expects “caged tigers” Ben Stokes (in pic) and Stuart Broad ” to put in a performance” at the SCG•Getty Images

In terms of trying to turn their fortunes around on the field, Thorpe wants to see freedom from the players and made specific reference to Ben Stokes and the recalled Stuart Broad, who has made his displeasure of only playing once in the first three matches clear.”We’ve got a couple of caged tigers coming into this match, Ben being one of them and Stuart Broad is another,” Thorpe said. “They’ll want to put in a performance for themselves and collectively as a team and that’s been our focus over the last few days.”The batting line-up that capitulated for 68 in Melbourne has been given another chance, but Thorpe acknowledged that there were players fighting to keep their positions in the team. While his remit has been wider this week without Silverwood on duty, the major focus has remained on the batters.”You have to be able to find ways of throwing punches back at good bowling attacks,” he said. “I’ve always been one for trying to set up to score (and) then trust your defence if the ball is in the right area. So trying to keep that simple for the players. Also to show some character and fight and have the right attitude when we go on to the pitch this week. That’s absolutely paramount, match Australia for the competitiveness on the pitch.”You get knocked down sometimes in life, you do have to get back up. There’s no hiding place. Some players are trying to establish themselves in the team, that’s an opportunity, some you might say are trying to stay in the team and that’s an opportunity as well.”

Scorchers overhauled Heat’s 155 with eight balls to spare highlighted by Marsh’s brutal 59 off 34 balls

Tristan Lavalette17-Jan-2022Mitchell Marsh made a spectacular return to the BBL as minor premiers Perth Scorchers tuned up for the playoffs with a six-wicket victory over Brisbane Heat.In their regular season finale, a reloaded Scorchers overhauled Heat’s 7 for 155 with eight balls to spare highlighted by Marsh’s brutal 59 off 34 balls.The match played at almost empty Marvel Stadium lost its edge before a ball was bowled when Sydney Sixers’ earlier defeat to Adelaide Strikers locked up top spot for Scorchers and a place in the Qualifier on Saturday between the top two teams on the ladder.Seventh-placed Heat, whose campaign had been derailed by Covid-19, were out of playoff contention and their season ends against Sixers on Wednesday.Marsh returns with a bangMarsh lit up the BBL before being called up for Australia’s Ashes squad and he has clearly not lost his form after destroying the Heat. After the early wickets of Josh Inglis and Kurtis Patterson, Marsh returned to his favoured ground where he twice bludgeoned Melbourne Renegades last month.He started slowly by knocking the ball around before launching a slog sweep for six off left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann in the 11th over.
Marsh then put the foot down in a remarkable power surge with 35 runs from 12 balls as he muscled the ball to all corners to pulverise a deflated Heat. He fell shortly after but the damage had been done in an ominous warning ahead of the playoffs. He combined well with Colin Munro, who returned after recovering from Covid-19.Inglis, who like Marsh had been part of Australia’s Ashes squad, missed out on invaluable time in the middle making just 18 in his first BBL match since December 28. He has scored just 45 from six innings this season after being locked in a running battle with Alex Carey for Australia’s vacant wicket-keeping position ahead of the Ashes.Swepson shines for Heat Heat’s bowling has looked formidable after the recent inclusions of Michael Neser and Mitchell Swepson, who were both part of Australia’s Ashes squad. They have missed most of the BBL but showed their prowess with three wickets between them but there wasn’t much Heat could do when a red-hot Marsh started teeing off.In an encouragement for Australian cricket, legspinner Swepson bowled well and tied down Scorchers mid-innings in a notable improvement from his ragged performance against Melbourne Stars a day earlier.He picked up the wickets of Patterson and Marsh to stand out for Heat, who would have wished he was available for much more of the season.Peter Hatzoglou picked up two wickets and conceded just 17 runs in his four overs•Getty Images

Hatzoglou and Agar restrict HeatWith the match essentially a dead rubber, Scorchers appeared to go through the motions with a flat effort early before clawing back control in trademark fashion after the powerplay. In his return, Marsh made an immediate impact with the wicket of Chris Lynn in his first over as Scorchers’ spin duo of Peter Hatzoglou and Ashton Agar took over with a strangulation in the middle overs.Legspinner Hatzoglou has proven a good recruit having crossed over from Renegades and he bowled miserly while claiming the wickets of Ben Duckett and Nathan McSweeney. He was well supported by Agar, who returned from a shoulder injury, in what has become an important tandem for Scorchers’ attack.It wasn’t all rosy though with seamer Andrew Tye, who has had a stellar season, unusually wayward leaking 37 runs from three overs while speedster Lance Morris was also expensive.Bryant rediscovers big-hitting exploits In his first match since January 1, Max Bryant returned in style in his best knock in a difficult season, where he had made double figures just three times in eight previous innings.Bryant dominated the strike early and regulated Lynn to an onlooker as he smashed 34 of Heat’s 39 runs in the four-over powerplay. But he lacked support with wickets tumbling regularly as Heat lost their momentum. They finally used the power surge in the 16th over and it provided the necessary tonic with Bryant smashing a six off Marsh over midwicket while skipper Jimmy Peirson also swung lustily.Having posted his highest BBL score, Bryant eyed his maiden century but fell short after holing out in the 18th over. A six off the last ball from Peirson, who finished 31 not out off 19 balls, pushed them past 150 but it was another mishmash of a batting effort from Heat who have long frustrated their supporters.

Charges against him bring into question his handling of the BLM campaign, his management of former assistant coach Nkwe, and his treatment of then team-mate Adams

Firdose Moonda21-Jan-2022Cricket South Africa will argue for Mark Boucher’s dismissal in a disciplinary hearing which will take place in the next few months. Boucher was served with a seven-page charge sheet on Monday, which accused him of gross misconduct and bringing CSA into disrepute through historical and current handling of racial issues.The most serious charges against Boucher relate to his role in singing the words “brown s***” to his then team-mate Paul Adams, which was revealed by Adams at the Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) hearings. Boucher admitted to singing the song, but said he did not compose the lyrics and in a written affidavit apologised for his conduct. He also said CSA did not appropriately educate players in the immediate post-Apartheid era. Boucher did not appear for oral testimony. CSA was not satisfied with Boucher’s response and the charge sheet claims he has conducted himself in “a racist or subliminally racist manner”.Related

• 'Not my job or desire to find Boucher guilty or not' – Adams to not testify against former team-mate

• Mark Boucher hearing – current South Africa players to testify on behalf of coach

• Bavuma outlines difficulties of leading South Africa amid off-field issues

• Twin series triumphs suggest South Africa turnaround despite off-field uncertainty

• CSA's SJN follow-up: Boucher charged with 'gross misconduct'

“Having had your racist and/or offensive and/or inappropriate utterances drawn to your attention,” points 21.2 and 21.3 of the charge sheet say, “you failed to adequately and/or sufficiently and/or appropriately apologise for these utterances and/or acknowledge the racist nature of these utterances and/or the hurt that they caused; and/or … you have conducted yourself in a racist or subliminally racist manner by failing to acknowledge the impact of your conduct towards Mr Adams thereby exacerbating the offence of racism, bearing in mind your current position as the coach of the national team, which places you in a position of leadership and responsibility.”Boucher has also been charged with improper conduct when dealing with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaign in sport. According to the charge sheet, “when dealing with the BlackLivesMatter issue and the question of ‘taking the knee’, you allegedly dealt with the white players’ concerns and requested that the team manager (who is black) deal with the black players’ concerns. This allegedly created or exacerbated division and alienated players and the team.”South Africa initially opted not to take a knee when the anti-racism movement resurged in sport in mid-2020 but U-turned on that at the 3TC event in July 2020 when all players and support staff took a knee. Boucher was not part of the tournament because he had Covid-19 at the time. The national team then also chose not to take a knee when they played England in November 2020 but raised fists against Sri Lanka in December that year. By the time they travelled to West Indies in June 2021, the players were given the option of taking a knee, raising a fist or standing to attention. Then, at the T20 World Cup in October last year, CSA mandated that the team must collectively take a knee before every game. They have since done that. The team have consistently said they are in agreement over their gestures – though Quinton de Kock refused to take a knee at first – and understand and respect each other’s positions, but CSA believes there has been some division.Mark Boucher was appointed head coach of the men’s team in December 2019, and Enoch Nkwe, who was team director, and had a stellar coaching record, was moved to the position of assistant coach•AFP

Boucher is also accused of poor man management of his former assistant coach Enoch Nkwe, who resigned in August. Nkwe cited concerns with team culture and insiders confirmed he had a difficult working relationship with Boucher. The charge sheet claims Boucher did not provide clear “roles and responsibilities” or “meaningful key-performance indicators” for Nkwe, did not define his role or any development plans for him and, thus, “allegedly treated Mr Nkwe in a manner unbecoming of a leader in your position”.In totality, this trio of accusations has brought CSA to the conclusion that Boucher’s “conduct has resulted in an irretrievable breakdown in the trust relationship between you and CSA”. “In the circumstances, the sanction of dismissal will be sought before the Chairperson of the disciplinary enquiry,” point 23 of the charge sheet reads.Boucher, appointed in December 2019, is contracted until the 2023 World Cup. During his tenure, South Africa have won three of the five Test series they’ve played, including their most recent triumph over India, one out of five completed ODI series, and three out of eight T20 series. They also narrowly missed out on a semi-final spot at the T20 World Cup.CSA and Boucher will meet next Wednesday to outline a timeframe for the disciplinary hearing. Several sources have told ESPNcricinfo that the hearing is unlikely to start before South Africa return from their two-Test tour of New Zealand at the end of February as Boucher’s legal team needs time with him to prepare their responses. As things stand, Boucher remains in his job and will continue working with the team, despite initial plans to suspend him.CSA’s first communication on Boucher’s disciplinary hearing was titled “CSA suspends Boucher and Smith” but that was quickly retracted and replaced with the same statement headlined “CSA appoints highly respected advocate Terry Motau (SC) chairperson of disciplinary hearing into allegations against Mark Boucher”. CSA also apologised for the error.ESPNcricinfo understands that CSA had done various scenario planning in the lead up to charging Boucher and was considering suspending both him and Smith and had designed a template to communicate this. After legal consultation, the organisation concluded there was no basis to suspend them and they will continue in their roles.No disciplinary action has been instituted against Smith, who was also tentatively found to have engaged in prejudicial conduct but CSA is in the process of conducting arbitration agreements with him. That means Smith is unlikely to face a hearing in the same way Boucher will, but will still have to answer to the questions raised from the SJN report.

Pakistan veteran Mohammad Hafeez and Zimbabwe allrounder Sikandar Raza are also in the mix

Shashank Kishore15-Mar-2022Hanuma Vihari and Abhimanyu Easwaran are among seven Indian players who are taking part, for varying durations, in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League (DPL), Bangladesh’s only List A (50-over) competition. The others are Parvez Rasool, Baba Aparajith, Ashok Menaria, Chirag Jani and Gurinder Singh. All of them were unsold at the February auction ahead of IPL 2022.Vihari, who was a part of India’s Test XI, which completed a 2-0 sweep over Sri Lanka in Mohali and Bengaluru, will head home to Hyderabad for a short break before traveling to Dhaka. He is expected to join his team, Abahani Limited, later this week. He will miss the first three games of the season for the team, and Afghanistan middle-order batter Najibullah Zadran has been signed up by the club for those games.Easwaran, captain of the Bengal first-class side in India’s domestic circuit and also on the fringes of the national Test side, which he has been with as a reserve in recent times, will turn out for Prime Bank. Rasool will play for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi, Aparajith for Rupganj Tigers, Menaria for Khelaghar, Jani for Legends of Rupganj, and Gurinder for Gazi Group Cricketers.Vihari, Easwaran, Aparajith, Menaria and Rasool aren’t strangers to the DPL, having taken part in it before Covid-19 struck in 2019-2020. Other prominent Indian players, like Dinesh Karthik, Manoj Tiwary and Yusuf Pathan, have also played in the DPL in the past.This season, all the participating teams have been allowed one overseas player. Apart from the Indians, Pakistan veteran Mohammad Hafeez will play for Mohammedan Sporting and Zimbabwe allrounder Sikandar Raza will turn out for Shinepukur.The premier Bangladeshi cricketers are on tour in South Africa•AFP

Traditionally a 50-overs tournament, the DPL was tweaked to a T20 format last year to give national players game time in preparation for the T20 World Cup in late 2021. That was also the only year when no foreign players were brought in.The DPL features 11 teams, which will play each other once in a round-robin format. The top six teams then play each other in the Super League once. The bottom two teams from the league phase will be relegated to Dhaka’s first division league.The addition of several overseas players adds some heft to a competition that will largely be devoid of local star power, as the national team is currently in South Africa preparing for three ODIs and two Tests. With the tour set to end on April 12, it’s likely the country’s top players will only be available for the last two weeks of the competition.April to September is typically seen as a free window for India’s domestic players that don’t have IPL teams. While some head to Bangladesh for the DPL, some others, like Faiz Fazal, have featured in club cricket in the UK. This season, too, Cheteshwar Pujara will play for Sussex in the English county circuit.This year, the BCCI is in the process of concluding the first phase – league and one pre-quarter-final – of a truncated Ranji Trophy, with the knockouts scheduled for June, after the IPL.

South Africa grappling with the unavailability of their experienced Test stars away at the IPL

Mohammad Isam30-Mar-2022

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362 caps v 206 caps.For the first time since they got Test status in 2000, Bangladesh are in South Africa with an opportunity to challenge the home team. They have already won the ODI series, they have the more experienced Test squad, and can potentially take advantage of South Africa missing their IPL stars in the two-match series.South Africa captain Dean Elgar has toned down the rhetoric after he had called the players’ choice between national duty for this series and IPL as a “litmus test of loyalty.” Having not got his way with the squad, the onus is on Elgar to bat, bat and contribute big.Elgar will heavily bank on Temba Bavuma and Keshav Maharaj, the other experienced players, along with Duanne Olivier, the fast bowler who leads an inexperienced pace attack. Maharaj may be able to bowl in tandem with offspinner Simon Harmer. who is set to return to international cricket for the first time since 2015.The only solace for the home side is that Bangladesh won’t have Shakib Al Hasan, who is home for personal reasons. Shakib aside, Bangladesh have their best players available, particularly with Tamim Iqbal back in the Test fold after missing the New Zealand series. Bangladesh can look at that tour for inspiration too, having recorded their first-ever Test win in New Zealand.Tamim, Mominul and Mushfiqur would once again carry the batting. Their form will be particularly crucial because Bangladesh have averaged 18 with the bat in South Africa, so just like the ODI series, they have a lot of room for improvement in this country.

Form guide

South Africa WLWWL (Last five completed matches; most recent first)

Bangladesh LWLLW

In the spotlight

Taskin Ahmed was named Player of the ODI Series. This has helped rebuild his reputation in South Africa after his disastrous 2017 tour. That said, Taskin has lots to prove in Test cricket still. The initial signs are encouraging. Over the past 11 months, he has brought down his bowling average from 97.42 to 56.73. He’ll be looking to improve further.All eyes will be on Dean Elgar whose 74 caps make up for one-third of South Africa’s Test experience ahead of the series. Apart from, of course, wanting talk about the missing stars to die down, he has to bounce back with some runs too, having managed just 55 runs in four innings.

Team news

From the XI that beat New Zealand by 198 runs to level the series last month, South Africa will be without Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada. Ryan Rickelton is likely to be handed a debut, while Harmer, Olivier and Keegan Petersen could also get games.South Africa (probable): 1 Dean Elgar (capt), 2 Sarel Erwee, 3 Keegan Petersen, 4 Ryan Rickleton, 5 Temba Bavuma, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Simon Harmer, 9 Duanne Olivier/Glenton Stuurman, 10 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Lutho SipamlaTamim Iqbal and Mahmudul Hasan Joy will form the opening pair while Mushfiqur Rahim returns to the middle order after missing the second Test in New Zealand in January.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Mahmudul Hasan Joy, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mominul Haque (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Yasir Ali, 7 Litton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Ebadot Hossain

Pitch and conditions

Rain is in the forecast for the first four days in Durban. The Kingsmead pitch is synonymous with pace and bounce but spin has played its part in recent years. First-class teams this year have averaged 400 runs in the first two innings.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have four uncapped players in their current Test squad. In 2017, they fielded two debutants in the Potchefstroom Test, the most against Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque and South Africa’s Temba Bavuma will play their 50th Test in Durban on Thursday. Mominul will be Bangladesh’s seventh, and Bavuma South Africa’s 24th.

Mumbai challenge could prove tricky since Rohit’s side have very little to lose

S Sudarshanan16-May-20222:35

Should Rohit experiment with batting down the order?

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Okay, let’s get this straight. Bowling isn’t really Sunrisers Hyderabad’s major worry. Yes, they have conceded runs at an economy rate of 8.74, which is the second-most. But it is not too much if you see that the best team has an economy rate of 8.09.That Sunrisers are still in contention for the playoffs – after five straight losses following five straight wins – is purely down to their batting from Nos. 3 to 6. Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran have been the key players at those positions and Sunrisers average 35.5 per dismissal for those spots combined, the best among the teams in IPL 2022.Kane Williamson’s run at the top of the order has been quite a forgettable one; his batting average of 18.9 this season is only better than Rohit Sharma’s 18.2 among captains. Moreover, his strike rate of 92.9 is the fifth-worst by any player to have batted in ten innings in an IPL season.With Abhishek Sharma being the leading run-getter for Sunrisers this season, it is perhaps time for Williamson to move down the order with either Glenn Phillips, who can bat anywhere in the top five, or Tripathi to take his spot at the top in order to maximise the powerplay. After all, Sunrisers have to win both their remaining matches in order to keep their hopes of a top-four finish alive.

LIVE in the USA

Watch the match on ESPN+ in English and in Hindi.

For Mumbai Indians, though, it is all about continuing to check out how their players do at different spots with an eye on the next season, something they have already started. Very little of Tristan Stubbs could be seen against Chennai Super Kings and they could continue to back him in the middle order, while young Tilak Varma continues to impress. While Mumbai are playing for pride, stopping another team from qualifying could be enough motivation to bring out their A-game.

In the news

Medium-pacer Akash Madhwal has joined Mumbai Indians as a replacement for the injured Suryakumar Yadav.

Likely XIs

Mumbai Indians: 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Tim David, 6 Daniel Sams, 7 Hrithik Shokeen, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Riley Meredith, 11 Kumar Kartikeya SinghSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Shashank Singh/Glenn Phillips, 8 Marco Jansen/Kartik Tyagi, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T Natarajan

Strategy punt

• Both Rohit and Ishan Kishan strike at 90 or lower against Washington Sundar. As a result, it could pay for Sunrisers to bring the offspinner in early.
• Jasprit Bumrah has dismissed Kane Williamson once in ten T20 innings and Nicholas Pooran twice in three innings. That is perhaps a case for holding Bumrah back for the second half of the innings

Stats that matter

Notts need 162 fourth-day runs with 10 wickets in hand after Paterson, Pattinson strike

ECB Reporters Network21-May-2022Derbyshire defied Nottinghamshire’s push for a three-day victory with a final0session fightback in the LV= Insurance County Championship match at Trent Bridge.Trailing by 98 on first innings, Derbyshire slipped to 161 for 7, putting the home side within sight of the fourth win of the season that would take them back to the top of the Division Two table before attention turns to the Vitality Blast next week.But Alex Hughes, a late call-up to the Derbyshire XI after Anuj Dal was injured on Thursday morning, led a show of post-tea resistance, sharing an eighth-wicket stand of 90 – the highest of the match from either side – with fast bowler Liam Hurt before Derbyshire were all out for 262, leaving Nottinghamshire still with work to do on the final day chasing 165 to win.Hurt, making his Derbyshire debut on loan from Lancashire, posted a career-best 49 before he was caught behind off former Australian Test bowler James Pattinson. He hit six boundaries – four of them off England’s Stuart Broad. Hughes also missed out by one on a half-century when he was bowled by Pattinson, who took 3 for 59 with Dane Paterson finishing with 3 for 35.Nottinghamshire, who were three without loss after facing two overs at the close, are still clear favourites to win but Derbyshire – unbeaten so far – can at least take credit for putting up a fight.Related

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Earlier, 19-year-old seamer Nick Potts, in only his third first-class match, took 4 for 50, his best return so far, and 23-year-old Sam Conners 4 for 93 as Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 358 in their first innings.Potts struck in the first full over of the morning as Liam Patterson-White was leg before trying to work one, falling on 39. Broad was bowled by Conners making room for himself before Pattinson, having sent the previous delivery soaring over deep backward square for six, was caught at deep midwicket as he tried to clear the ropes again, giving Potts his fourth wicket.Nottinghamshire’s first-innings lead looked still better when Broad then pinned Shan Masood in front for a third-ball duck, bringing an abrupt end to the Pakistan opener’s outside hope of completing 1,000 first-class runs in May. He remains on 844.Brooke Guest was leg-before to a ball from Paterson that kept low, after which Billy Godleman’s third-wicket partnership with Wayne Madsen was beginning to look durable when Godleman, whose 27 had taken him past 10,000 all-format runs for Derbyshire, fell into a trap set by Paterson and was caught on the hook.Madsen cut Steven Mullaney for three boundaries as Derbyshire wiped out the first-innings arrears yet two wickets in the space of seven deliveries saw them suddenly five down and only 26 in front.Du Plooy looked unlucky, given out leg before as Lyndon James celebrated his first wicket in four matches, but there were no doubts over the demise of Luis Reece – carrying a groin injury and belatedly joined by a runner – who was caught behind off a snorter from Pattinson.Madsen moved past fifty for the sixth time this season but then wafted at a ball from James to be caught behind, plunging Derbyshire into seemingly terminal decline at tea, effectively 40 for 6.Patterson-White had Alex Thomson lbw on the back foot as Derbyshire slipped into more trouble but, one low chance to Moores on 23 apart, Hurt stuck with Hughes impressively and their efforts kept Derbyshire in the game against the odds.

Mumbai were 49 behind at stumps on day four after MP secured a 162-run first-innings lead

Shashank Kishore25-Jun-2022Madhya Pradesh are nearly there. But no one from the team or from the periphery is ready to celebrate just yet. That is because there is still one full day, offering a minimum of 95 overs left in the Ranji final. Mumbai trail by 49, with eight wickets in hand, but must find a way to not just wipe out the deficit but also get ahead, and then take the ten remaining wickets to pull off a coup.It’s improbable but Mumbai have nothing to lose, and it’s this fearlessness they will try and carry forward on Sunday. Prithvi Shaw’s robust second-innings 44 has given them just a glimmer, but there’s a mountain to climb.That is because Rajat Patidar and MP’s lower order extended Mumbai’s agony on the field to 177.2 overs in which they made 536, securing a first-innings lead of 162. Patidar was the third centurion of the innings, after Yash Dubey and Shubham Sharma. It was also the most enterprising of the three, an innings full of authority, class, and a slice of luck on 52, when he was reprieved off a no-ball on the third day.Having shut shop after the reprieve until stumps on Friday, Patidar restored normalcy under overcast skies on Saturday, picking off runs with ease and giving a crowd of around 1500 people something to cheer about. Apart from ensuring the bad balls were put away, Patidar respected the bowling and ensured Mumbai weren’t handed any chance of a comeback despite striking twice in the morning.Aditya Shrivastava was out to a short ball from Mohit Avasthi, which was grabbed on the rebound at slip by Sarfaraz Khan, while Tushar Deshpande sent Akshat Raghuwanshi’s stumps cartwheeling with a superb in-ducker he should’ve been playing forward to.Parth Sahani, the debutant, was reprieved early when Shaw put down a tough chance at slip, but he was out lbw soon after to Shams Mulani, the left-arm spinner. It was largely down to Patidar from there on to steer the lower order.When Sahani became the sixth wicket to fall, MP were just 56 ahead, but Patidar found an able ally in allrounder Saransh Jain, who hung around to support him for as long as he was around, and then brought out his shots to make a maiden half-century to extend Mumbai’s misery. In all, the last four wickets added106. Mulani finished with a five-for after 63.2 overs of toil taking his wickets tally this season to 42.Needing to start aggressively, Mumbai lived up to their side of the bargain as MP quickly went on the defensive, mindful of cutting out Shaw’s scoring areas, especially the point region. Without Yashasvi Jaiswal, who spent large parts of the day off the field due to an ankle niggle, Mumbai opened with wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore, and he was off the blocks quickly too.It was Shaw who played some jaw-dropping shorts, like the swat for six over long-on, but he also rode his luck, with Gaurav Yadav failing to latch on to a mistimed pull to fine leg. Gaurav also reprieved Armaan Jaffer early in his innings but hit back to dismiss Shaw right at the close when the batter toe-ended a wide delivery to cover.Towards the end, MP bowled defensively, with spinners landing deliveries outside leg and pacers bowling wide outside off. For a team on the cusp of history, MP appeared just a tad nervy, even if they were within their rights to imply such tactics. To Mumbai’s credit, they found ways to play around it and give themselves a window of opportunity, however slim it may be.Tonight’s sleep or the lack thereof could either jangle MP or relax them to such an extent that Sunday is a mere formality. It’s one team fighting the odds to try and gun for No. 42, the other their first.