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Surrey spinner “working as hard as I can on my bowling” ahead of England’s return to Pakistan in December

Matt Roller26-Sep-2022Will Jacks is one of six England players who will fly home from Pakistan next week while the rest of the touring squad travel to Australia for the T20 World Cup, but he hopes that he will have the chance to return before long.Jacks had only taken four first-class wickets this time last year and his first-class bowling average is 53.28 but he made a significant contribution to Surrey’s title-winning County Championship season with bat and ball and is in the frame for a place in the Test squad as a back-up allrounder for England’s three-match tour to Pakistan in December.Gareth Batty, Surrey’s interim head coach, has drawn a comparison with Moeen Ali and Jacks revealed that the pair spent some time working on his bowling together during the Karachi leg of England’s T20I series. With Moeen distancing himself from a Test call-up earlier in the tour despite having reversed his retirement from the format earlier this year, Jacks will come into contention.Related

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“I’m working as hard as I can on my bowling,” Jacks said, speaking at the Pearl Continental hotel in Lahore after flying from Karachi on Monday. “I’ve been chatting to Mo since I’ve been here and we’ve been talking about our similarities as bowlers, me compared to him when he was younger.”He sees a lot of similarities in our actions – the way our arms move, all technical stuff – and it’s about how I can almost… not replicate what he’s done, because everyone is different, but take things from how he’s gone about changing his action [and] become tighter, so that I can bowl more consistently.”I know there’s something there for me and I know if I can improve then going forward, I can make myself into that allrounder and push for spots. I know how important that is and I’m giving everything to try to make myself that.”Jacks has developed his bowling significantly in recent years, to the extent that Batty told him in pre-season that he was likely to start as Surrey’s main spinner. His selection was controversial at the time, squeezing Amar Virdi and Dan Moriarty – widely considered to be two of England’s most promising young spinners – out of the side, but has been vindicated by their title win.Jacks’ contribution with the ball was relatively modest, with 17 wickets at 47.00, but he regularly performed a holding role and allowed seamers to rotate. He also finished the season with 648 runs at 54.00 from the middle order, and earned a Lions call-up for the four-day match against South Africa in August.”There were chats with the coaches there,” he said of his experience with the Lions. “They spoke about how they liked the way I put shape on the ball and spin the ball, so they’re obviously telling me to keep working and keep pushing which I am doing.”The first five or six [Championship] games before the T20s, I made loads of mistakes and bowled a lot of terrible balls, but it’s something that I’ve really had to grow. It’s forced me to learn quickly, which has definitely helped me, and when we came back I feel like I bowled much more consistently and more maturely.Jacks made 40 from 22 balls on his T20I debut•Getty Images

“I was coming in and playing instead of two guys who have done really well. They’ve got records over a few years, so I did kind of feel that pressure. At the beginning, I put too much pressure on myself: I was expecting to bowl like a real high-quality county spinner when at that stage I wasn’t that.”Jacks is one of three Surrey players in Pakistan for the T20I series and admitted it was “strange” to miss out on their title celebrations after playing an important role in their title win. “Me, Sam [Curran] and Toppers [Reece Topley] were on the WhatsApp group, seeing the photos and videos sent through and were disappointed to be missing out on the fun,” he said.”But you wouldn’t change playing for England for anything. It’s a mixed feeling: I’m over the moon and delighted to be here – it’s something I’ve worked my whole life for. But seeing those celebrations… I’m not going to lie, I was gutted to miss out. When I go back in a week’s time, I’ll celebrate with them.”Jacks has not yet been required with the ball in this series and has experienced contrasting emotions with the bat, hitting 40 off 22 on debut before being bowled by Mohammad Hasnain for a third-ball duck in Pakistan’s last-gasp win on Sunday night.”I’ve loved every second,” he said. “All the games have been such high intensity, and the crowds have been amazing. The message to me coming in has been to play my natural way and play how I’ve done for Surrey: that’s what’s got me into this team so I should play how I have been to stay there and perform in international cricket.”

Glenn Maxwell had the cast removed off his fractured wrist on Wednesday and has started mobility work with the hope of potentionally playing in the last three T20Is against India

Alex Malcolm09-Oct-2025Glenn Maxwell is optimistic he can still play a part in Australia’s upcoming T20I series against India despite having surgery on his fractured right wrist last week.Maxwell suffered the fracture when he was hit on the wrist by a powerfully struck shot from Mitchell Owen while bowling in the nets in the lead-up to the T20I series against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui.He was immediately sent home to see a specialist and opted to have surgery to try and hasten the recovery time down to four weeks to give himself a chance to play against India.Related

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Maxwell was not named in Australia’s squad for the first two T20Is on October 29 and 31 in Canberra and Melbourne, but speaking in Melbourne on Thursday, he hoped to be fit to play a part in the final three matches, with the third match of the series on November 2 in Hobart, the fourth on November 6 on the Gold Coast, and the final match in Brisbane on November 8.”I think having the surgery last week sort of gives me a little bit more hope of playing some part in that India series, if I can get myself right,” Maxwell said. “The only reason I had the surgery was the options they gave me were miss that series completely and no surgery, or have surgery and it gives me a slim chance to hopefully play a part. And if not, I’ll be ready earlier for the BBL, and I think it leaves me in good stead to get the rest of my body right.”Maxwell said he had a cast removed on Wednesday and will now wear a moulded plastic splint to protect it for a period of time, but he had been given the all-clear to start moving the wrist again. “I only met with a hand therapist yesterday,” Maxwell said. “He only gave me some really basic movements, things that look really boring, but I suppose they’re going to strengthen the wrist.”Returning early for the back-end of the India series is unlikely to come with any added risk in terms of further injury. Maxwell said the main concern will be pain management depending on how it feels when he bats.It is yet another freak injury to add to Maxwell’s bizarre catalogue, that includes a broken leg at a birthday party and a concussion from falling off a golf cart.”I was probably just a bit unlucky with the position that it hit me on the arm,” Maxwell said. “When it hit me, I thought I was lucky that it hit just bone and it wasn’t too much flesh, and it was going to be right.”But, yeah, another unlucky one.”The injury has made him rethink bowling in the nets to power hitters like Owen and some of his other team-mates. “I try to avoid bowling to those guys,” Maxwell said. “Guys like Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Mitch Owen and Cam Green, long levers, strong, it just comes back too quick. It’s not fun, But I should know better. I should know better to bowl into the hip and I’ll be doing that I think come BBL time.”Maxwell was frustrated to miss the series against New Zealand given he was in excellent form. In his last T20I innings in August against South Africa, he steered Australia home to a series win with a remarkable 62 not out from 36 balls in a nail-biting chase. Then in late September, despite retiring from ODI cricket earlier in the year, he played two Australian domestic One-Day Cup matches for Victoria to prepare for the New Zealand tour and smashed 107 off 82 balls against Queensland.Glenn Maxwell pulls behind square•Getty Images

He was asked whether he had a timeline on the end of his T20I career and if the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles were in his mind, but he said he had not thought past December.”I’m literally thinking about round one of the BBL at the moment,” Maxwell said. “Let’s just get there first. If I’m still enjoying my cricket by then… I’m not setting dates or anything.”Maxwell is excited about the upcoming BBL season where he hopes to help Melbourne Stars to an elusive BBL title, having been equal Player of the Tournament last season as they played the finals for the first time since losing the 2019-20 final under his captaincy in heartbreaking fashion to Melbourne Renegades.He said the arrival of former India spinner R Ashwin is going to supercharge the BBL season.”That’s really exciting,” Maxwell said. “It’s great for the competition. I think anytime you can get world-class superstars who have got the career that he has as a part of the BBL is a massive bonus for us. He’s been extremely successful. He’s got a hell of a lot of wisdom in the game. I think he’s going to give back a lot to the players in the BBL. I don’t think it’s just the Sydney Thunder, I think the guys that are playing against him will probably ask him a lot of questions, and he’s certainly going to bring in a lot of fans as well.”

The coaching staff has been given a break after the T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2022Rahul Dravid has been given a break now that India’s T20 World Cup campaign is over with VVS Laxman taking over as acting head coach for the team’s white-ball tour of New Zealand starting on November 18.A PTI report also suggests that Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Sairaj Bahutule will join the New Zealand-bound squad, taking up the roles of batting and bowling coach respectively.Related

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Laxman, who runs the National Cricket Academy, has had other short-term stints as India’s coach, namely the tours of Ireland and Zimbabwe earlier this year, as well as the last month’s home ODI series against South Africa. He was also in charge of the India Under-19 side that won the ODI World Cup in February.India’s tour of New Zealand will kick off with a three-match T20I series next Friday in Wellington.Dravid will return to his coaching duties when India travel to Bangladesh immediately after the New Zealand tour. India play the third ODI against New Zealand on November 30 and will then play the first of three ODIs against Bangladesh on December 4.Apart from the coaching team being given a break, India have also rested regular captain Rohit Sharma and senior batters Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.Allrounder Hardik Pandya will captain India in the T20I series, while Shikhar Dhawan will lead the team in the ODIs.On Thursday, India were knocked out of the T20 World Cup as England thrashed them by 10 wickets in the semi-final. The members of the Indian team who are not part of the New Zealand tour have already started dispersing from Australia, according to reports. While Kohli left from Adelaide, Rahul and Rohit are also expected to fly out soon.

Offspinner picked for England tour of India after six first-class matches

Vithushan Ehantharajah14-Dec-2023Shoaib Bashir admitted he cried after receiving the call informing him of his selection for England men’s Test series against India.The Somerset offspinner was a shock inclusion in the 16-man squad just six months after making his professional debut. Bashir has just six first-class matches to his name, all for Somerset, with 10 wickets at an average of 67.He was selected on a Lions training camp in the UAE as one of seven spinners and impressed throughout on surfaces created to replicate what is likely to await England in India. He capped off the three weeks with 6 for 42 in a two-innings match against Afghanistan A, leaving an impression on Test coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key who travelled over to run the rule over potential spin options for the Test squad.”You (could) see that there’s something different there, or that looks special,” explained Key on the punt taken to select Bashir. It was McCullum who phoned the 20-year-old with the good news. While Bashir sensed he had performed well on the Lions tour in front of the right people, he was overcome with emotion when told he had made the cut for the five-match series in the New Year.”When I got the call, I let my emotions fall out,” Bashir told BBC Radio Somerset. “I was very numb inside – I cried. It’s just so special and I’m so grateful and thankful for the opportunity I’ve been given.”I’m very grateful. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do since I started playing cricket, since I started holding a bat, since I started bowling a ball – I wanted to represent my country. For this to happen at such an early part in my career is very special.Related

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“I think they were keeping a close eye on me since I made my debut. In Abu Dhabi they saw what I could do on a different surface to England, more for India. I felt like I showed a good representation of what I can do as well. I think that’s what caught the eye.”Bashir’s route to international recognition has not been straightforward or guaranteed. He had been part of the Surrey pathway since Under-9 level before being released almost a decade later, trialling briefly at Middlesex before stabilising himself at Berkshire.It was for Berkshire’s Under-18s that he first came up on Somerset’s radar, taking 5 for 26 in a 50-over semi-final against them. He was subsequently offered a two-match trial in their second team – the first locally against Surrey at Guildford, where he lives, taking 3 for 51 in a rain-affected game. He then took 4 for 44 against Warwickshire which led to his first professional contract.He came to prominence on his first-class debut against Essex this summer when his maiden over featured two deliveries that beat Sir Alastair Cook. Though he would only end up averaging a wicket an innings in Division One of the County Championship, there was clear promise. Watching on from afar, selectors were enticed by traits they sought for Indian pitches – specifically, Bashir’s high release-point from a 6’4″ frame, driving the ball into the surface without compromising on turn or flight.”My journey has been very special,” Bashir said. “Everyone has their own journeys but I feel like my journey is for me. My journey started from when I was in the Surrey pathway from U9s to U17s when I got released. It was probably the rock bottom of my career. I didn’t think I’d be playing at any kind of level at that point.”Thankfully I joined Berkshire, minor counties team, and actually really enjoyed my time there. I met some of my closest mates, to this day, and I think when you enjoy playing cricket, you put in performances.”Looking back now, it’s just so special. For any young kids out there, just work hard, and if you really want something, you put in the time, things will happen.”

Skipper says domestic players can stake claims ahead of T20 World Cup and the Ashes

Matt Roller19-Apr-2024Heather Knight, England’s captain, has challenged her squad to “go out and dominate” in regional cricket this summer and hopes domestic players will stake strong claims for selection ahead of the T20 World Cup and the Ashes later this year.The 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy begins on Saturday with a full round of games and while many of England’s centrally-contracted players will miss the opening weekend to attend Tammy Beaumont’s wedding, they will have some opportunities to feature for their regions ahead of England’s T20I series against Pakistan, which starts on May 11.”It’s never a closed door, if people are performing well,” Knight said at the ECB’s launch of a national tape-ball competition. “The standard of those regional games has gone through the roof in the last couple of years, so those performances are worth more. It’s a really exciting time and obviously we’ve got huge competition in the squad as well.”You want to see England players go and dominate, and really put their name forward to keep being in that England side. It’ll be an individual basis as to who plays what… most of us will miss the first round at least. But I always keep a close eye on what’s going on, what young talent is coming through, and it’s going to be no different this year watching those games.”Related

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There is substantial competition for places in England’s T20 set-up ahead of the World Cup in Bangladesh later this year, and Knight took confidence from the recent 4-1 series win in New Zealand. “We’ve got Mahika Gaur [who missed the tour due to school commitments] and Freya Kemp coming back from injury as well,” she said. “We’ve got a real depth of players we can pick from.”It’s super exciting. It makes selection a lot of tougher and sometimes you have more unhappy players – which is completely fine. It’s a really good place to be. With that World Cup in October, it’s really important that we keep moving forwards… Bangladesh is a tough place to go and play, so that’s the focus of the summer: trying to get in a really good place, ready for that tournament.”England were without four first-choice players for the first three T20Is in New Zealand due to their Women’s Premier League commitments, which gave them the opportunity to test their depth. With the chance to bat in the top three, Maia Bouchier was the tour’s breakout star and finished the T20I series as the leading run-scorer with 223 in five innings.Knight bats at the ECB’s launch of a national tape-ball competition in Birmingham•ECB/Getty Images

“She had a really good tour, particularly in the T20s off the back of a really good summer last year,” Knight said. “She’s always had the talent, but she’s just starting to work out how to manage herself in the middle and how to convert her talent into performances. That has been pretty cool to watch. She’s someone that you watch and think, ‘how does she play that shot?'”It’s remarkable, some of the shots she’s played. Obviously she had a brilliant tour, and now for her it’s about building on that and having that consistency. She’ll get a bit of a run in the team, particularly in that T20 opening spot which we haven’t quite nailed on so for her to grasp that [means that] she’ll get a little bit of a run. Hopefully, she continues the form that she’s had.”Edgbaston have already sold more than 10,000 tickets for England’s opening match of their T20I series against Pakistan, and Knight believes that the ECB’s joint marketing campaign with the men’s series against the same opposition can help build on the commercial success of last summer’s Ashes series.”It was a really awesome summer to be involved with: you felt the support and momentum for cricket around the country,” she said. “It’s obviously slightly different to an Ashes summer, but the amount of people that came along and – anecdotally – have said, ‘we want to come back, we want to come watch you guys’ has been pretty cool. Hopefully we can put on a show.”

Afridi, Naseem and Rauf restricted the hosts to 140 before Pakistan completed a smooth chase in the decider

Tristan Lavalette10-Nov-2024Completing a remarkable revival, having been engulfed in turmoil ahead of the tour, Pakistan claimed a rare series triumph in Australia after a comprehensive eight-wicket victory on a bouncy Optus Stadium surface in the third and final ODI.Having lost a heartbreaker in the opener at the MCG, Pakistan rebounded brilliantly with almost flawless performances in Adelaide and Perth to completely overwhelm world champions Australia, who have plenty of question marks ahead of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.It was Pakistan’s first series victory in Australia since 2002 and a result made more incredible given white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten quit just a week before the tour amid well-worn Pakistani turmoil.But Pakistan appeared galvanised under Jason Gillespie, their Australian Test coach who is filling the shoes of Kirsten, and were ignited by a rampant four-pronged attack that routed a shorthanded Australia without their Test stars for 140 in just 31.5 overs.There were no infamous wobbles for Pakistan, who romped home in the 27th over.Australia capped a sluggish series with a sloppy performance in the field. Opener Saim Ayub had an early reprieve, while Adam Zampa spilt a sitter at deep square leg to reprieve Abdullah Shafique as Australia faced the humiliating prospect of a first ever 10-wicket ODI loss at home.But Lance Morris, who showcased his trademark pace by hitting speeds in the mid-140 kph, at least saved Australia from an unwanted place in the record books with the wickets of Shafique and Ayub in the 18th over.Lance Morris dismissed the two openers in one over•Getty Images

Interim captain Josh Inglis opted not to use Morris until the 15th over with allrounder Marcus Stoinis surprisingly given the new ball alongside Spencer Johnson.Skipper Mohammed Rizwan and Babar Azam, his predecessor, were nerveless with a flurry of boundaries to complete a match that finished two hours ahead of the scheduled close time.It completed a memorable first series in charge for Rizwan, who had no hesitation to bowl first and his decision was vindicated. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah claimed three wickets apiece, while in-form Haris Rauf finished with 2 for 24 as his sheer speed once again shook up the batters.Numerous batters succumbed to hostile short balls, while allrounder Cooper Connolly had to retire hurt on 7 after copping a blow to his left hand attempting to pull Mohammad Hasnain. He was taken for scans and did not field in Pakistan’s innings.Pakistan’s attack smartly did not get carried away with the bounce on offer as their quicks bowled unrelenting line and lengths to totally smother Australia, who once again would be disappointed with their shot selections on a surface that was not a minefield. No Australia batter scored a half-century across the series.Pakistan entered in the unfamiliar position of favourites in a country where they have endured so much misery over the years.Their optimism was heightened by Australia making five changes after skipper Pat Cummins, Steven Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Marnus Labuschagne were rested as they start to prepare for the first Test against India.Australia had to rejig their batting-order, but openers Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk remained at the top of the order and desperate to fire having struggled across the opening two games.They appeared intent on backing their ultra-aggressive methods and scored 12 runs in the opening over. But things quickly went downhill with Fraser-McGurk caught at second slip after attempting to drive a good length delivery from Naseem.Josh Inglis gives the team talk on captaincy debut•Getty Images

He failed to move his feet in a dismissal that is common in Perth and his wicket brought to the crease allrounder Aaron Hardie, who was elevated to No. 3 in a role he fulfils with aplomb for Perth Scorchers in the BBL. Even though he was on his home ground, Hardie looked nervous and fell in a moment of indecisiveness and edged to second slip in a reward for Afridi, who conjured beautiful seam movement.The pressure was on Inglis, who was already amid a big day in his captaincy debut having been earlier selected in Australia’s 13-member squad for the Perth Test against India. Inglis has often performed a rescue role for Scorchers in the BBL, but he couldn’t get going and skied a short Naseem delivery to Rizwan.Short managed to get through the early barrage as he set his sights on furthering his bid to become Australia’s permanent ODI opener. But on 22 he picked out square leg to gift a wicket to Rauf, who was feeling giddy at his good fortune.Rauf ramped up his speed and claimed Glenn Maxwell for a duck as Australia stared down the barrel of being routed for under 100. The only momentary concern for Pakistan was Afridi grimacing in agony after being whacked on his left thumb taking a throw at the stumps.But he returned and was faced with a counterattack from Sean Abbott, who top-scored with 30. But Afridi ended Abbott’s resistance and then knocked over Morris to send the large contingent of Pakistan fans in the terraces into raptures and they continued to roar through the afternoon.

Bangladesh have to put their off-field issues behind whereas Afghanistan would want to shed their tag of big tournament underperformers

Mohammad Isam06-Oct-20231:42

Shahidi: ‘Want to make this a historic tournament for our people’

Big picture: Bangladesh, Afghanistan look to move on from pitfalls, drama

Afghanistan have been hot on Bangladesh’s heels for the better part of the last decade. This year alone, they are locked at 2-2 after Afghanistan won the bilateral ODI series in Chattogram 2-1, but later Bangladesh beat them by a handsome margin in the Asia Cup. The two sets of players respect each other. There’s bonhomie. But the gloves will be off in the World Cup opener for the two sides in Dharamsala on Saturday.Bangladesh are coming off a 2-0 series defeat against New Zealand at home, having also won just two games in the Asia Cup, where they couldn’t make the final. Off the field, there has been high drama after Shakib Al Hasan blasted Tamim Iqbal on the day Bangladesh left for India for the World Cup.But there is hope. They have a group of youngsters who have an Under-19 World Cup title from three years ago. Towhid Hridoy, Shoriful Islam, Tanzid Hasan and Tanzim Hasan are looking primed for their first senior 50-over World Cup. Hridoy has been the standout performer this year while Shoriful has snuck past Mustafizur Rahman in the left-arm quicks pecking order in the team.There is much running on Tanzid, the left-hand opener, because Bangladesh have opted for just two regular openers in him and Litton Das. Although Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Bangladesh’s all-weather batter this year, could open against Afghanistan, like he did briefly in the Asia Cup. Mehidy has shown great form with both bat and ball this year, and so has the pace attack, led by Taskin Ahmed. They have shown that Bangladesh no longer need to rely on their spinners in the subcontinent no matter what format.Bangladesh would also want to stop relying too heavily on the likes of Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim, who are playing their fifth World Cup, and Mahmudullah, who is playing his fourth tournament. Their future depends on it.Afghanistan, meanwhile, have their own demons to deal with. Their biggest worry could be the lack of ODIs over the last four years. They are way below the average among the nations participating in the World Cup. As they often do in big tournaments, Afghanistan have brought back experienced players among their squad and traveling reserves.A lot will depend on how their spin trio Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman performs. Their batting also needs to step up in the big tournament. The fact that Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran have been in good form this year and Rahmat Shah, captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and Nabi have also shown decent touch bodes well for them.Afghanistan, however, have to shed their tag of big tournament underperformers. They didn’t win any games in the 2019 World Cup, while in the recent Asia Cup, they choked against Sri Lanka in the most miserable way. They would want to avoid these pitfalls on the biggest stage.

Form guide

Afghanistan LLLLL (last five ODIs, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLWLL

In the spotlight: Afghan openers and floater Mehidy

Everybody talks about Afghanistan’s spinners, but they want you to know that their opening batters are impressive, too. Zadran and Gurbaz are their top two run-scorers this year, and they are the most likely pair to add a fifty or a hundred partnership in a line-up where batting has not always given them the best numbers. Like fire and ice: Gurbaz provides the big hits and Zadran keeps the innings moving with regular strike rotation. Zadran too is capable of big hits, having emerged as one of their brightest stars since the 2019 World Cup.Afghanistan often depend on their top order for quick runs•AFP via Getty Images

Mehidy Hasan Miraz has batted at four different spots this year. In the two warm-ups, he scored confident fifties against Sri Lanka and England at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. He struck an unbeaten 112 against Afghanistan as an opener in the Asia Cup so he could be opening again on Saturday. The team management believes he is especially good at nullifying mystery spinners like Mujeeb.

Team news: Naveen and Omarzai expected to come in

Afghanistan last played the Asia Cup and they have left out Gulbadin Naib and Karim Janat since then, who should be replaced by Azmatullah Omarzai and Naveen-ul-Haq.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Najibullah Zadran, 7 Azmatullah Omarzai, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Naveen-ul-Haq, 10 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiTen Bangladesh players pick themselves but they have to make a call between left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed and offspinner Mahedi Hasan for the No. 8 spot.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Nasum Ahmed/Mahedi Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Hasan Mahmud

Pitch and conditions

India collapsed to 29 for 7 in the last ODI held at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Ground six years ago. It suggests swing and seam movement for an early start. There have, however, been big scores in the two IPL matches held here this year. The hilly town is expected to have crisp weather.

Stats and trivia: Bangladesh on the cusp of a three-peat

• Bangladesh have a chance to win their third successive opening match of a World Cup campaign after beating Afghanistan (2015) and South Africa (2019). Afghanistan have lost both first matches in their previous World Cup appearances.
• Shakib Al Hasan needs 41 more runs to top the list of allrounders with 1000 runs and 10 wickets in World Cups. He has 34 wickets already, free and clear of the next best on that same list.
• Afghanistan’s 29 ODIs in the last four years are the least among all participating teams in this year’s World Cup.

Quotes

“I think four or five players from that [Under-19] World Cup winning side in 2020. They will bring so much positivity to the group. They have done it in the past. They have a lot of energy. I am excited about the whole team, including my staff. We have high hopes and want to enjoy.”
about the first-timers playing the senior World Cup

The Capitals head coach says dropping Kyle Mayers early on was a big reason for their loss

Ashish Pant01-Apr-20231:25

Ponting: ‘I don’t think it was a 190-plus wicket’

Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting reckoned that dropping Kyle Mayers early on, and the team’s lacklustre fielding in general, was a big reason behind their 50-run loss against Lucknow Super Giants.Mayers was on 14 off 15 balls when Khaleel Ahmed shelled a sitter at short third off Chetan Sakariya in the sixth over. The opener then flicked a switch and clubbed 59 off his next 23 balls. As a result, Super Giants amassed 193 for 6 despite being 30 for 1 after the powerplay. It was the fourth-highest total in Lucknow across all T20s.”To be totally honest, I think they got more runs than they probably should have,” Ponting said after the game. “I don’t think we helped ourselves in the field today. Our fielding after the first four overs was really sloppy.Related

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“A couple of chances went down, a few misfields. One of those chances that went down was Mayers’, who ended up going on a bit of a run after that, which put us behind the game a little bit.”The thing with giving chances in the IPL is you’re giving very good players a second opportunity. And he cashed in. For pretty much from that moment on, he hit everything in the middle. He attacked our spin, which he played really well. So that’s just a good lesson for us.”We know that we have to be really sharp in the field. You can’t afford to put chances down, and if you do, you have to expect that they’re going to make you pay. There are a few reasons why we lost the game, and we’ll address those and hopefully improve for our next game.”Mayers’ knock meant Capitals ended up conceding 163 in the last 14 overs. Another staggering statistic was that Super Giants hit 16 sixes and just five fours in their innings. Ponting suggested that the surface in Lucknow wasn’t one where 190-plus should have been scored.”I think we conceded 16 sixes in our bowling innings. That goes to show that we were a fair bit off with our execution with our bowling,” Ponting remarked. “Whenever you’re giving up 16 sixes, and there’s only five fours, which is quite remarkable. So, whenever you’re giving up that many, it’s going to be hard to drag yourself back into the game.”Looking at the wicket today, I didn’t think it was a 190-plus wicket. There was a lot of dew there. If anything, on that wicket, it was probably better for us batting second.Ponting was also effusive in praise of Mark Wood, who rocked Capitals’ batting unit, finishing with 5 for 14 from his four overs. The Capitals coach, however, suggested that the Englishman’s spell wasn’t totally unexpected.”He bowled the way we thought he would bowl,” Ponting said of Wood. “We know he will run in and bowl fast; we know he will run in and attack the stumps and use his bouncer. That’s what he did.””He got those couple of bowleds and used his bouncer really well. He’s a world-class fast bowler. As this tournament goes on, if he stays fit, you will see him bowl some really fast spells.”

United could field only two overseas players due to Covid-related absences but they still came out on top

Danyal Rasool02-Mar-2021
Islamabad United won the toss, and, yes, Islamabad United won the game. While that continues to be the story of this year’s Pakistan Super League, reducing the contest to that dynamic would take away from a spellbinding performance from a side racked by off-field complications, with Covid-related absences meaning the two-time champions could field only two overseas players.One of them was Paul Stirling, whose knock in the powerplay blew the Quetta Gladiators away before they had a chance to try and defend a below-par 156. Stirling brought up his half-century in just the fifth over of the chase – off just 21 balls – with his side plundering 76 off the powerplay. That left the chasing side with less than a run-a-ball for the remainder of the innings, and despite slowing down, Shadab Khan’s side got there with three overs to spare.The longer sides batting first remain winless, the greater the psychological burden becomes. For the Gladiators, who have yet to win a toss, the mental hurdles are particularly heavy, but losing four wickets in the powerplay is unlikely to put a side in a strong position in any league. Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf both struck in the powerplay, before returning at the death to stifle the scoring and rip through the lower order. The only resistance came in the form of Sarfaraz Ahmed whose 41-ball 54 helped ensure that the Gladiators could get to a total they’d have a flickering hope of defending.Two overs through the middle saw Ahmed at his best power-hitting ability for years. Against Khan, who looked especially dangerous as he flighted a ball that gripped on the surface, he would manipulate the field to pick up three boundaries that kept the scoreboard ticking, before taking Iftikhar Ahmed to the cleaners the following over. The allrounder was smashed for four successive sixes, all through the offside, with the United missing a trick and playing into Ahmed’s strength: right-arm off spin. When pace was introduced, the scoring dried up again, and the Gladiators ended up with a total that looked significantly below par.Related

• Stirling named Ireland men's player of the decade

• Islamabad-Quetta game postponed

• After Fawad, two overseas players test positive for Covid-19

• Steyn: PSL, LPL more rewarding than IPL

Ashraf’s bowling form
Ashraf has been in scrutiny of late over his indifferent performances with the ball, even as he has sizzled with the bat, both for the national side and his franchise. But the man who recently said he would consider himself a bowling allrounder “till the day I retire” demonstrated today why he retains such self-belief in that discipline. Relentlessly accurate when he went for the yorkers and judicious in the way he mixed up his length and pace, he prised out Cameron Delport with his first ball, before a short delivery brought the priceless scalp of Azam Khan.With Ahmed threatening to help the Gladiators post closer to 180, Khan turned once more to Ashraf, who promptly brought the scoring rate down, and even trapped the Gladiators captain with his penultimate delivery. Figures of 4-0-11-3 are tribute enough, but the impact of each wicket demonstrated his enduring value as a bowler for his side.Sarfaraz Ahmed hit three fours and four sixes•PSL

Nawaz’s nightmare
Mohammad Nawaz hasn’t missed a game for Quetta Gladiators in the best part of half-a-decade, and several priceless contributions explain why he’s such a nailed-on player for the side. As recently as last week, it was his cameo with the bat that took Quetta to 178 against Lahore Qalandars. But when his side needed a huge contribution with both bat and ball after a poor start on Tuesday, Nawaz struggled to effectively complement his captain through a 63-run sixth wicket partnership, contributing just 18 to it himself. The whole innings was a stop-start, constrained affair; in the final four overs, while he was the senior batsman, only a single boundary was hit. Nawaz himself would finish with 31 off 29.And it was about to get worse. Unwilling to give Alex Hales and Stirling pace on the ball, he was tasked with opening the bowling. He would catch Stirling in sizzling form, though, being smashed for three boundaries in the first over in which he leaked 17, and the tone for a thumping United victory was set. Two further overs produced 24 more runs against him, and if this was a forgettable day for the Gladiators in general, Nawaz in particular would want to put it out of his mind.How things stand

United joined Peshawar Zalmi and Qalandars at the top of the points table with just the net run-rate separating the three teams. The Gladiators, meanwhile, remained pointless and winless, having lost all their four matches.

Smale comes in after Bess Heath injury; MacDonald-Gay added to England Test squad

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2024England have called up Seren Smale for their ongoing tour of South Africa, after reserve wicketkeeper Bess Heath was ruled out with a fractured thumb suffered in training.Heath was only part of the T20I squad, but sustained the injury before Sunday’s first match in East London and will return to the UK for her rehabilitation.Smale, 19, made her ODI and T20I debuts in Ireland in September. She joined up with the touring party on Tuesday, ahead of the second T20I in Benoni, and has been added to the Test squad as cover.Also heading out to South Africa for the one-off Test is seamer Ryana MacDonald-Gay. The 20-year-old, who debuted like Smale in both white-ball formats in Ireland, will link up with England on Wednesday, bringing the number of players in the Test squad up to 15.England took a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series at the weekend. They will also play three ODIs before the start of the Test in Bloemfontein on December 15.