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Handscomb is set to take Carey’s place behind the stumps, while Renshaw is on track for selection after having missed the first match with a hamstring strain

Varun Shetty06-Sep-2018Australia A vice-captain Alex Carey is set to miss the second unofficial Test against India A starting Saturday as he has returned home for the birth of his child. Peter Handscomb will keep wicket in his place. Meanwhile, opening batsman Matt Renshaw is on track for selection for the second Test, having missed the first with a hamstring strain.Carey had an impressive outing behind the stumps during the first match in Bengaluru, and although his two catches in the game don’t tell that story, Carey was reliable on a low and slow pitch, particularly as it deteriorated on the last day.With Australia likely to rotate the squad around to bring in two spinners – Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson – Handscomb’s job as stand-in keeper will be particularly challenging. While Handscomb is no stranger to wicketkeeping, having done the job for Victoria, Melbourne Stars and Yorkshire before, it has largely been restricted to limited-overs cricket.According to ESPNcricinfo’s records, Handscomb last started a first-class match as designated wicketkeeper in December 2015, when he kept for Victoria in Melbourne during the Sheffield Shield.Handscomb has kept in India before, in an ODI in Indore last year, but the rigours of a four-day game will be markedly different.It will also add extra pressure in what will be Handscomb’s final push for a spot in the senior Test squad for their series against Pakistan in the UAE next month. Handscomb’s last first-class century came in February this year, but in the seven innings since – including two in the Johannesburg Test against South Africa – Handscomb has managed to get into double-figures on only one occasion. Handscomb had a poor quadrangular series last month as well, managing only four runs in two innings, and is on something of a remodelling phase, having admitted that bowlers had worked him out.Handscomb still remains a strong contender for Test selection, particularly for his skills against spin. With the additional responsibility of wicketkeeping, he could be pushed down the order, presumably to No. 6 where his said skills will be more prominently on display. It could allow him both time and freedom to get himself in, unlike in Bengaluru where in both innings at No. 4, he was at the centre of middle-order collapses. Should that be the case, Queensland’s Marnus Labuschagne could be pushed up the order. Labuschagne, who had stayed back with the Test squad for the first Test as a reserve for the injured Renshaw, will now remain with the squad for the second game as well.Australia A squad for the second Test: Usman Khawaja, Matthew Renshaw, Kurtis Patterson, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Peter Handscomb (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Ashton Agar, Brendan Doggett, Jon Holland, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Mitchell Swepson, Chris Tremain

Raza also acknowledged continuity, a theory endorsed by head coach Heath Streak and chief selector Tatenda Taibu, for their recent upswing

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Jul-2017On a track that has now begun to produce unplayable balls, Zimbabwe’s key to victory on day five will be discipline. So says Sikandar Raza, whose maiden Test century played a pivotal role in transforming the match situation.Zimbabwe are seven wickets away from history, and have 218 runs to defend. Though the overnight pair – Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews – have each produced great rearguard innings before, there isn’t much experience to follow. Niroshan Dickwella and Asela Gunaratne have played only 12 Tests between them; Gunaratne is carrying a hamstring injury in any case.”I think patience and discipline will play a huge role,” Raza said. “If we can stay disciplined and patient, I think there is enough for Sean Williams, Graeme Cremer and the other spinners as well – for balls to misbehave. You could get a jaffa that you can’t do much about. I think on a track like this, once you get the senior players out, with the way their batting is at the moment, it could open a door for us to sneak through.”As was seen with the dismissal of Dimuth Karunaratne, the pitch can also occasionally produce big-turning deliveries out of the rough. Karunaratne had in fact left a Williams delivery that pitched wide but leapt back at him to clip off stump. Williams persisted with a legside line, trying to find the same patch of rough, for many of the remainder of his overs in the day.”We discussed with Sean, and because there was a lot of turn with that dismissal,” Raza said. “The moment they try and get greedy to score, the slip could come into play, the off stump could be exposed, and we could sneak in a wicket there. We wanted to hold one end so that Cremer can attack from the other. While we are holding it, we’re still creating a few chances.”Of his knock, Raza partly credited the inspiration he derived from batting coach Lance Klusener. Zimbabwe had been 23 for 4 at lunch on day three, then 59 for 5 not long after. But by the time Raza departed, they had a lead greater than 300 and were running the match. Along the way, he had forged partnerships worth 86 with PJ Moor, and 144 with Malcolm Waller.”Yes, the heads were down for a little while during that lunch break when we were 23 for 4. Klusener had a word with us and said that it’s up to us – the guys who were still to bat – whether we go down without a fight, or we show some heart.”Zimbabwe have used the sweep shot to excellent effect throughout the tour, and Raza – in particular – combatted the spinners with a range of cross batted strokes. Almost all the batsmen have contributed at some point in the tour, and Klusener has played a role in the run-making, Raza said.”The batting plans come from us. Then we discuss and share our plans with Klusener and then he has his input. Of course he has a world of experience. If I have a plan which I think is too risky, Klusener will always advise me and say you could have a better plan – do XYZ. It’s quite a nice relationship all the batters have got with our batting coach.”If you look at the Sri Lanka tour, everyone has scored runs. In the ODI series we started with Solomon Mire, then Hamilton Masakadza. Then we had Tarisai Musakanda, who is a young guy who got into a team, batted in a difficult place, and did exceptionally. Craig Ervine, has been performing. Sean Williams had been performing.All the guys heading into the Test had runs behind them. Everyone has a different plan. Everyone has their own plan. All our plans worked around being positive. Some were around being aggressive. My plan was certainly like that.”Zimbabwe had not had the happiest year before coming to Sri Lanka, having lost a home ODI series to Afghanistan, and one ODI to Scotland as well. But in keeping the same players around since the start of the year has begun to pay dividends, Raza said.”I think since Heath Streak has become head coach and Tatenda Taibu has been chief selector, we have kept the same group of players. So, certainly it has been about six months that we’ve been together – this core of players.”We haven’t had a lot of changes in our touring 15 or playing XI either. Every time someone has got a chance in the playing XI, they’ve stepped up as well. We’ve had a very consistent squad, and I think that goes hand in hand with consistent performances as well.”

Sri Lanka Cricket has appointed Kent coach Simon Willis to the post of high performance manager

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-May-2016Sri Lanka Cricket has appointed Kent coach Simon Willis to the post of high performance manager. Willis – who has been involved at Kent for 23 years, becoming the county’s high performance director in 2009 – will oversee SLC’s cricket academy based in Khettarama and play a key role in identifying talent and developing cricketers within the Sri Lankan system. He takes up his new position on June 1, having been specifically sought out for this job by the board.”I am very grateful to Sri Lanka Cricket for offering me this exciting new opportunity,” Willis said. “I see it as an exciting time to get involved with Sri Lanka Cricket and I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”Kent won the T20 cup in 2007 and were finalists in two one-day tournaments in 2008, during which time Willis worked under Graham Ford, Sri Lanka’s current coach. When Willis moved on to the post of high performance director, Paul Farbrace, the former Sri Lanka coach, became Kent’s head coach. Farbrace and Willis are understood to have worked closely together for two years. Willis also played a leading role in launching the county’s cricket academy in 2003.Willis holds a number of coaching qualifications, including the ECB’s Level 4 certificate, a Level 4 specialist wicketkeeping qualification, and a Level 3 certificate for coach education. His work as a coach educator is understood to have impressed Sri Lanka’s board, who had sought someone capable of developing coaches as well as players. He will report to the SLC CEO, and work in coordination with current head of coachng Jerome Jayaratne.Willis played 16 first-class matches for Kent as a wicketkeeper-batsman.

Ravi Shastri has been named India’s team director for the upcoming tour to Bangladesh, while Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar will continue as assistant coaches for the tour

Amol Karhadkar02-Jun-2015Ravi Shastri has been named India’s team director for the upcoming tour to Bangladesh, while Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar will continue as assistant coaches for the tour. However, the long-term coaching appointments are likely to be finalised in consultation with the cricket advisory committee before India’s tour to Zimbabwe in July.The appointments, announced by the BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, meant the only name missing from India’s coaching staff from the World Cup was Duncan Fletcher’s, whose contract has ended.Shastri is understood to have been interested in a long-term position, either as head coach or team director but for now, he has agreed for the short-term assignment of one Test and three ODIs in Bangladesh.Since the BCCI didn’t want to rope in new appointees for the short tour, the three specialist coaches were also retained. One of the three is in danger of losing his post after the Bangladesh series.Meanwhile, the high-profile cricket advisory committee is likely to meet in Kolkata on June 6 to spell out the procedure for appointing the head coach or team director. Besides Shastri, the BCCI is believed to have been in touch with former Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody and Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Daniel Vettori.While Moody is understood to have been recommended by VVS Laxman, his colleague at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Vettori has been recommended by Test captain Kohli.Shastri had been named director of cricket after India’s poor performance in the Test series in England last year and the BCCI had appointed Bangar, Arun and Sridhar as assistant coaches at the same time. Their tenures with the Indian team were then extended until the end of the 2015 World Cup.

Graeme Swann, England’s premier spinner, has flown home ahead of the final tour match against Haryana to spend time with his daughter who is unwell. He is expected to return before the first Test on November 15.

George Dobell07-Nov-2012Graeme Swann, England’s premier spinner, has flown home ahead of the final tour match against Haryana to spend time with his daughter who is unwell. He is expected to return before the first Test on November 15 in Ahmedabad.”This is a personal matter and we would ask for everyone to give Graeme and his family privacy. We will not be making any further comment at this time,” the ECB said in a statement.The development means England will be without three of their first choice four-man attack in the final warm-up match ahead of the first Test against India with Stuart Broad and Steven Finn both suffering from injury.Neither Broad or Finn are expected to play in the match against Haryana that starts on Thursday, meaning that, even if they recover in time for the Test that starts on November 15, they will have had very little preparation. Finn, who has a thigh strain, managed just four overs in the first warm-up match before he was forced from the pitch, while Broad, who has a bruised heel, missed the first game and bowled only 10 overs in the second. Finn’s injury is thought to be the more serious and he must be considered most unlikely to play in the first Test.England may also decide to rest James Anderson for the final warm-up match. Anderson, Broad and Finn were expected to play as part of a three-man seam attack in the Test series. With Anderson, who has played in both of the first two matches, the last man standing, his importance to the team has grown even further. England have called-up Surrey fast bowler Stuart Meaker as back-up and it is likely that he will come into the team to play Haryana. Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan are the other seamers with the squad.”It’s unlikely that Broad or Finn will be considered for this game,” Graham Gooch, England’s batting coach said. “They’ve both got injuries, and I don’t think they’re going to be ready for this game.”With a bruised heel, it is something that can be very annoying and can take time to clear up. You’ve got to see how it goes each day, whether it gets better with the rest – keep checking it and see how it comes on. There’s no other way of going about it really.”There was better news for England in the form of Kevin Pietersen. England were given a day-off on Wednesday, but Pietersen was among three players – Meaker and Samit Patel were the others – to take advantage of some extra batting practise. Certainly Gooch has been impressed by Pietersen’s determination to prove his worth upon his return to the team.With fences mended and differences made up, Pietersen’s determination is renewed and his motivation high. “I know Kevin is focused,” Gooch said. “I’ve seen the way he’s been practising. A fit and strong Kevin Pietersen is a player to be reckoned with.”He’s looking forward. What’s in the past is in the past. The only thing that counts is what’s in the future – what he’s going to do, how he’s going to interact with the team, what sort of performances he’s looking to give.”I don’t think it’s an issue with Kevin. All the things have been done and dusted. From my conversations with him and from the way he is working, he’s looking forward to this tour.”While it is anticipated that England’s batsmen will face a trial by spin in India, Gooch is taking nothing for granted against India’s seam attack. But as well as preparing batsmen for the cricketing challenges, the England management also prepared them for the noise and hostility they anticipate by playing crowd noise from loudspeakers and the team psychologist, Mark Bawden, occupying the net next to the batsmen and testing their ability to ignore distractions by clapping, appealing and shouting.”We’re not majoring on spin,” Gooch said. “That’s not the only type of bowling we’re going to face. They’ve got two very good opening bowlers, two out of three from Umesh Yadav, Zaheer Khan or Ishant Sharma, and two spinners.”Our build-up has gone to plan. People have got runs; there’s been some wickets. Some of our players have learned a little bit in the couple of weeks we’ve been here.”Nowadays, when you are trying to stimulate players with training, you come up with different ideas. There’s a bit of noise there, a little idea to make it slightly different. You’re looking to motivate, to push the players to get the very best out of them. You come up with different ideas. It’s not a major thing, just something that’s a little bit different.”I think coming to India is one of the greatest challenges. It’s a wonderful place to play cricket. The enthusiasm for the game – with the advent of the IPL – has created even more excitement. We know India are a top side in their own country. Not long ago they were rated number one, and you don’t do that without putting on consistent performances. But we’ve come here to win the series; we’ve not come here to make up the numbers.”While only one new face – probably Nick Compton – is anticipated in the team for the first Test, there is likely to be an opportunity for another specialist batsmen in the second Test with Ian Bell expected to return to England to be present at the birth of his first child.”It’s going to be quite a difficult selection,” Gooch said. “Our guys are pretty much all experienced Test players: Alastair Cook; Jonathan Trott; Kevin Pietersen; Ian Bell and Matt Prior. There will be maybe one new face.”Nick Compton and Joe Root are two very good players, obviously at different levels of their career. One has been in the first-class game for quite a while. Compton has gained experience and found his mark. He has found the way he can score runs and been very successful over the last couple of years for Somerset.”The other lad is obviously a young, exciting player. He has a good technique from what I’ve seen – this is the first time I’ve seen him close up – and he bowls a bit. So it’s going to be quite a difficult selection.”Then you’ve got Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Samit Patel all bidding for places. But I like competition for places. You want that. You want people to be putting their hand up and saying ‘I want that place in the side’.”

MS Dhoni reckons England might need to change their strategy of verbal intimidation considering it has not actually worked in their favour in the ongoing series

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2011MS Dhoni reckons England might need to change their strategy of verbal intimidation considering it has not actually worked in their favour in the ongoing series in which India have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead.On the eve of the Mohali one-dayer the England pair of Tim Bresnan and Samit Patel had stressed on the importance of unsettling their opponents with “a little bit of a word or a look or a stare”. The planned aggression cost Bresnan 7.5% of his Mohali match fee, after he was found guilty of breaching the ICC’s code of conduct by snatching his cap from umpire Sudhir Asnani at the end of the 18th over of the chase. Players from both teams have been involved in a few verbal confrontations and Dhoni said he did not mind a little bit of “chit-chat” as long as long as his players did not step over the line or make personal remarks.”A bit of chit-chat is fine because it makes things interesting. You don’t always want a friendly series. But I think they should change their strategy for the next two games,” Dhoni said after the five-wicket victory in Mohali.Dhoni also did not want to get carried away and term this series victory as “revenge” for the disastrous summer India had endured in England, where they lost the Test and one-day series and the solitary Twenty20 match. “I don’t think the word revenge should be used. On the one hand we talk about the spirit of cricket, and on the other hand there’s this talk of revenge, which I don’t think is right.”In Mohali, India were cruising in the chase before a few quick wickets left Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja 64 to get off 50 balls. Dhoni said he just wanted to bat till the end because he knew the bowlers would eventually feel the pressure. “You always want to stay till the end because you reach a stage where the bowlers and batsmen are under pressure, and then whoever executes better wins. We knew that if Jadeja and I are there in the end then even if we needed 20-25 runs off the last two overs, Twenty20 cricket has taught us that is possible.”Dhoni also pointed out that he would not like to disturb the winning combination and instead would persist with playing their young batsmen at the top of the order because they needed time in the middle. “The youngsters need to be batting 20-25 overs. Once they are more experienced, then we can experiment with batting them lower in the order. Nos. 6 and 7 are difficult places to bat because there’s only one or two batsmen behind you so it’s better players are only tried there when they have a few games under their belt.”After having been thumped in the first two matches, England gave a better account of themselves in Mohali, but their captain Alastair Cook said that did not make the loss any easier to bear. The match once again threw the spotlight on Jonathan Trott’s position in the one-day side. Though Trott scored 98 not out, he took 116 balls to get there and struggled to hit boundaries in the end overs. Cook, though, insisted Trott played his role perfectly.”Trott played the anchor role and did it nicely,” Cook said. “Fifty overs is quite a long time to bat and you need people to bat around him. Three hundred was a decent score and was defendable. Trott’s instructions are the same as everyone else’s: to play positively and try to get 300. Today we did that and he got 98 at a strike rate of 80-odd, so he did his role.”Cook again highlighted his side’s fielding as the most disappointing part of their performance but said the team would still battle in the last two games. “One of the toughest challenges in sport is to lift yourselves when you’ve already lost a series. But there’s still desperation to win.”

Shane Warne believes Ricky Ponting is the best man to captain Australia to an Ashes triumph this summer, despite his criticism of Ponting’s field placements last week

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2010Shane Warne believes Ricky Ponting is the best man to captain Australia to an Ashes triumph this summer, despite his criticism of Ponting’s field placements last week. Warne wrote on his own website that there was no rift between him and Ponting, and that “Never at any stage did I say or imply that Ricky’s time as captain is up”.However, the former fast bowler Geoff Lawson has raised the idea of taking the captaincy off Ponting so he can focus on his batting. The issue has occupied plenty of airtime on sports talkback radio stations over the past week, but Warne doesn’t agree with the many callers who think Ponting’s reign should end.”Ricky, to me, is the right man to lead Australia for the Ashes,” Warne wrote. “It’s a great opportunity for him to show his leadership and captaincy skills. He also looks in super touch with the bat; I am sure he’s going to fill his boots this summer.”This Ashes series is going to be the biggest of his and the Australian team’s career. I think Ricky is at his best when he shows his Tassie devil side which is, aggressive with a dash of flair.”Although Ponting was disappointed with Warne’s tweet about the fields set for Nathan Hauritz, the pair later made up by SMS. Warne said he found it “staggering, but not surprising” that his original tweet was reported as a falling-out between he and his former team-mate Ponting.”My tweet about Ricky’s fields for Nathan Hauritz for two overs has been portrayed as a rift between myself and the Australian captain and journos have tried to start a slanging match between us; what rubbish. Commentators on the match, cricket journalists and even the Indian captain, MS Dhoni, have agreed with my tweet. It was an observation, not an attack!”

Ricky Ponting was a relieved man at the end of a gripping game in Hyderabad, with Australia taking a 3-2 series lead after Sachin Tendulkar threatened to chase 351

Cricinfo staff05-Nov-2009Ricky Ponting was a relieved man at the end of a gripping game in Hyderabad, with Australia taking a 3-2 series lead after Sachin Tendulkar threatened to chase 351. Having made 350 on a pure batting track, Ponting was indebted to his replacement players who he felt stepped up admirably in a display that saw Australia edge India by three runs.Australia have so far lost five players to injury and Ponting was pleased with the way the replacements responded. “It’s remarkable considering the number of players we have had injured on this tour and we had a couple of our better players who didn’t make the tour,” Ponting said. “When you take all those things into consideration, the way we are continuing to improve our cricket is fantastic.”It is a great win for the boys and I am really happy to see some of the young guys doing well. It’s a really good sign for the team.”Ponting was also full of praise for Tendulkar, whose superb 175 was cut short with India needing 19 from 17 deliveries. “Sachin played beautifully. It was one of the best knocks I’ve ever seen,” he said. “We just had to keep hanging in there and I kept telling the bowlers to stick to their plans and to execute them well.”It just takes one false shot and you are back in the game, but Sachin didn’t play too many false ones tonight. I thought we batted well too and Shaun Marsh and Watson were terrific for us today at the top of the order.”Marsh scored his first one-day international century and finished with 112 at a run a ball in his first series back after six months out of the Australia team. Marsh was a regular at the top of the order for Australia until suffering a hamstring injury in the series against Pakistan in the UAE and his nagging problem, combined with the success of Tim Paine as a replacement opener, meant he faced some nerves about whether he could regain his position.”It felt like I was never going to get there when I was doing recovery with my hamstrings and all that,” Marsh told AAP. “It was a long six months when I did it in Dubai and knew it would be a lot of hard work. All the hard work I have done over the past six months is paying off a little bit so I have to continue now to make sure I don’t get too far in front of myself as I know this game can bite you on the bum very quickly.”Marsh has now followed in the footsteps of his father Geoff Marsh, whose first ODI century was also against India. “It’s a day I will remember for a long time,” he said. “It’s a good feeling to know that he [Dad] has scored a century for Australia and that now I have has well.”

The opener was struck on the elbow and retired hurt while a number of other batters fell to the moving ball

Tristan Lavalette15-Nov-20242:59

Sneak a peek at India’s Perth preparations

KL Rahul left the field after being struck on the elbow in an injury concern for India ahead of the first Test, while Virat Kohli shrugged off speculation over his fitness but was one of several batters caught behind the wicket in an intra-squad match simulation at the WACA.After three days in the WACA nets, India ramped up their preparations a week before the series-opener at Optus Stadium with an XI featuring their main stars out in the middle against a side filled with mostly their fringe and India A players.In perhaps an indication that he is earmarked to open the batting if captain Rohit Sharma misses the first Test, Rahul opened alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in overcast conditions.Related

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Rahul looked in fluent touch and appeared to be handling short bowling well until he was struck on his right elbow by a rising delivery from quick Prasidh Krishna. The blow left him grimacing and he trudged off the ground after seeking medical attention.Rahul did not come out to bat later in the day as India’s main batters had another turn at the crease.Jaiswal started aggressively with a belligerent whack through the covers, but on 15 he nicked off to second slip in what would become a common sight through a simulation that lasted two-and-a-half hours before lunch.Amid reports that he has undergone scans in recent days, Kohli looked in fine touch and hit a couple of gorgeous shots through the covers. But on 15 he nicked seamer Mukesh Kumar to second slip before he then spent around 30 minutes in the nearby nets.Short-pitched bowling had been a priority for India’s batters on Thursday, with local club quicks unleashing rapid speed while some batters took part in a drill where a tennis ball was fired from close range aimed at their heads.The WACA surface so far in this simulation has had considerably less bounce and carry than Sheffield Shield matches this season. But there has been some movement off a length and India’s batters looked wanting.Rishabh Pant, who had struggled against the short ball at times during his net sessions earlier in the week, smoked a boundary through the off-side early in his innings but he seemed shaken after copping a blow to the groin. He was cleaned bowled by a quick delivery from Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was a standout after also later claiming Dhruv Jurel in the slips.KL Rahul walks off after being hit on the arm•Getty Images

No. 3 Shubman Gill started slowly and struggled to get the strike for his two-hour stay at the crease. He started looking more comfortable before on 28 fending to gully a short of a length delivery from quick Navdeep Saini who celebrated with gusto.The rare sight at the WACA of spin from both ends occurred just before the interval with Washington Sundar and Tanush Kotian bowling in tandem as the batting side reached the break at 106 for 5 after 28 overs.Befitting the simulation, with it not being an official match, India’s main batters had another go of it. It appeared there were more specific match situations being tested as Jaiswal and Gill, who was scratchy the first time around, went all-out attack.But they soon reverted to a cautious approach as they mostly dead-batted in a sedate passage of play as India’s coaching staff walked laps around the boundary.Jaiswal has looked the most comfortable against the short ball, including during the net sessions, and he was also ultra-attacking when spin came into the attack. He finished 58 not out, while Gill, who sometimes appeared anchored to the crease, made an unbeaten 42.After the final interval, Kohli and Pant returned and they were confronted by sharp short of a length bowling from Prasidh and Reddy. Kohli was particularly troubled and played and missed on several occasions. But he found his rhythm and played a few gorgeous backfoot strokes, including a pull shot to the boundary which damaged his bat and required a change.Kohli did not look in any discomfort, quelling injury fears, as he batted for an hour before finishing up on 30.Pant tried to counter the length by skipping down the pitch and he had mixed success. He was eventually bowled on 24 by the impressive Mukesh – the second time in the day his wickets had been rattled.Jurel returned and was joined by Akash Deep in the final passages as the batting side finished on 339 for 8 in a match simulation that lasted 75 overs.The simulation is expected to continue over the weekend.

Pakistan have called up Shahnawaz Dahani and Zaman Khan as back-ups for the injured duo

Danyal Rasool11-Sep-2023Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah’s participation in the rest of the Asia Cup is in doubt after they picked up injuries during the Super Four game against India in Colombo over Sunday and Monday.ESPNcricinfo understands that the fast bowlers are almost certain to miss Pakistan’s next game, against Sri Lanka on Thursday, and they are also uncertain for the final – should Pakistan get there.Pakistan have called up Shahnawaz Dahani and Zaman Khan as back-ups for the injured duo. The PCB has, however, made it clear that Rauf and Naseem have not been ruled out of the tournament and would remain under the observation of the team’s medical panel.”This is only a precautionary measure keeping in mind the fitness and well-being of the players ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup next month,” a PCB media statement said. “Haris and Naseem will continue to remain under the observation of the team’s medical panel. The team management will only request replacement from the ACC technical committee if Naseem or Haris are ruled out for the next seven days.”Rauf felt “a little discomfort in his right flank” on Sunday, which prevented him from taking the field on Monday, while Naseem went off in the 49th over of India’s innings on the reserve day with an injury to his bowling shoulder. Neither batted in Pakistan’s chase, which ended on 128, giving India a 228-run win.It capped a poor two days for Pakistan, during which all three premier fast bowlers – Shaheen Shah Afridi the third – went off the field nursing injuries at some point or other.Pakistan found themselves outplayed in all departments right from the outset, with India amassing 356 for 2 in their 50 overs across two days. Pakistan were never in the hunt in their chase, losing regular wickets and collapsing either side of a lengthy rain break on Monday.