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Harmanpreet fell with six needed off final ball as hosts clinched error-strewn win

Valkerie Baynes04-Jul-2025England overcame an astounding collapse and a rash of fielding errors to defeat India by five runs and keep their T20I series alive in a last-ball thriller at the Kia Oval.England squandered the most promising of starts at 137 without loss in the 16th over – built on excellent half-centuries by Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge – by losing nine wickets for 31 runs in the space of 25 balls. Deepti Sharma and Arundhati Reddy claimed three wickets apiece and N. Shree Charani two.After an 85-run opening stand between Smriti Mandhana, who scored a classy half-century, and Shafali Verma, India looked like overhauling the target with ease, especially after being gifted several lives by the home side’s poor fielding. Lauren Filer bowled with searing pace, particularly in her final over – the 16th of the run-chase, in which she prised out Mandhana – and finished with 2 for 30 as England’s only multiple wicket-taker. Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Bell and Issy Wong took one each.India needed six off the last ball of the match, bowled by Bell, but Harmanpreet Kaur picked out Ecclestone at mid-off, allowing the hosts to claw their way to a 1-2 series scoreline with two matches to play.Dunkley’s 75 off 53 balls was her first innings of note since the start of the international summer when she scored an unbeaten 81 in the first T20I against West Indies. For Wyatt-Hodge, her 66 off 42 ended a run of 17, 17, 0, 0, 0, and 1 since her previous T20I fifty, which came during the second match of the series in Australia on England’s ill-fated Ashes tour.Whether such a rousing win – under the leadership of Tammy Beaumont, who was standing in for injured captain Nat Sciver-Brunt – can turn the series around remains to be seen, especially given that England were outplayed in the first two games. But they have given themselves a chance and rekindled a series in which India will be looking to turn things back in their favour in the fourth match in Manchester on Wednesday.

England’s openers set the stage

With Sciver-Brunt sidelined by a groin injury, England needed a big stand from their openers and they delivered. Dunkley’s shot selection was top-notch throughout and she cashed in on a second life when she was dropped on 43 to reach fifty off 35 balls. Importantly she pulled her batting partner with her as Wyatt-Hodge finally settled from a scratchy start with 11 off 15 balls at the end of the seventh over to 30 off 25 at the halfway point of the innings, then 50 off 34. Wyatt-Hodge’s second six went a long way beyond the rope when she slammed a Reddy delivery back over the bowler’s head, the ball dropping just shy of the first row of spectators. She raised her half-century in the next over – Sneh Rana’s second – with consecutive fours, driven through the covers and flicked over midwicket.

India hit backCharani’s flippant shrug and flicker of a smile said it all when she had Wong caught behind attempting to cut a wide ball outside off. England were in the midst of the most dramatic of meltdowns and Charani, the 20-year-old left-arm spinner who made her T20I debut in the first match of this series, was in the thick of it with two wickets in as many deliveries. She had just lured Paige Scholfield down the pitch, her swing in vain as Richa Ghosh whipped off the bails with the batter well out of her ground.Sophie Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge put on a century stand•Getty Images

There was to be no hat-trick for Charani, or Deepti, who removed Ecclestone and Filer with the first and second deliveries of the final over of England’s innings, which had gone from promising to pitiful at breath-taking speed. Dunkley’s innings had come undone when she skied a Deepti full-toss and the bowler wheeled round to take the ball neatly over her shoulder. Alice Capsey failed to pass 5 for the third time in this series when she attempted to ramp Arundhati and was well caught by Charani at short backward square leg.Arundhati struck twice more in the same over, the 17th, first with a slower ball which Wyatt-Hodge struck straight to Harmanpreet at deep cover to end her redemptive knock, then pinned Amy Jones lbw next ball, although it took an India review to overturn Jacqueline Wilson’s decision. Beaumont needed to steady things but she missed an attempted sweep off Radha Yadav and was bowled for just 2, setting the stage for Charani to add to her leading wicket-taker’s tally of eight for the series so far and match figures of 2 for 43.

Fielding woes abound

India had made their share of fielding errors in this match. Charani saw two chances put down off her second over. Wyatt-Hodge was on 17 when Jemimah Rodrigues dropped a sitter at deep midwicket and she evaded the same fielder’s fingertips next ball as Rodrigues leapt in vain trying to pull the ball down before it cleared the rope. Dunkley was then handed a life when she chipped to cover and Harmanpreet failed to hold on.Then it was England’s turn. Bell looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her up when she fumbled a chance right in front of a full stand at deep third, the ball dribbling into the rope for Shafali’s second four in as many balls from Filer – her first scoring shots of the match. There was no consolation when Bell, standing in the same place, plucked Shafali’s ramp out of the air and held on for the most spectacular of takes, but landed sprawled across the boundary, her arms and the ball well over.Capsey shelled a chance off Harmanpreet’s top-edged pull to midwicket in Filer’s final over, but Filer made the crucial breakthrough with her next delivery as Mandhana picked out Ecclestone at mid-on. She didn’t let up, striking Richa Ghosh on the helmet with her very next ball as Charlie Dean did well to collect at point. She briefly thought she’d put Filer on a hat-trick until replays showed no contact with the bat.

Mandhana all class

Shafali and Mandhana set India’s run-chase off to an excellent start with their opening stand. Mandhana had led their reunion at Trent Bridge with a maiden T20I century as Shafali felt her way back into the side with a laboured 20, which she then followed up with just 3 in the second match in Bristol. However, her 25-ball 47 in London included seven fours and marked another encouraging step in her comeback before she was bowled by Ecclestone. Mandhana’s innings was another classy one as she raised her fifty in 38 balls.England found a real sense of hope when Filer had Rodrigues caught behind off a faint edge and in her next over accounted for Mandhana. Ghosh was put down by Bell at short backward square, but fell to Dean’s outstanding catch in the deep off Wong, the fielder roaring and pumping her fists to thunderous cheers from the crowd.The home side’s fielding woes weren’t done though. India needed 12 off the last over and when Scholfield dropped Amanjot Kaur off the third ball, bowled by Bell, they needed eight. A dot ball followed and then Harmanpreet cleared mid-off but could only manage two form the penultimate delivery. As she attempted to clear the rope for the winning runs, Harmanpreet picked out Ecclestone at mid-off and England sealed an unlikely victory.

The road to 2027 begins already for two teams in search of better 50-over fortunes

Andrew Miller02-Dec-2023

Big picture – Caribbean reboot

The return to action hasn’t been quite so jarringly immediate as it was for India and Australia in the wake of the World Cup final, or indeed for England’s T20 World Cup winners in Australia last winter. And, let’s face it, a four-island jaunt to the Caribbean in December is a reasonably palatable assignment after the indignities that preceded it.Nevertheless, it’s still only three weeks since Jos Buttler’s browbeaten squad limped back to Blighty with their World Cup dreams in tatters, and less than a fortnight since their four-year reign as 50-over world champions was formally ended in Ahmedabad. Whatever way you look at it, it seems a curious juncture in the global cycle to be undertaking another three-match ODI series.And to judge by the inexperienced squad lining up against them, West Indies might be in broad agreement. Not only did they miss out entirely on the World Cup just gone, having fallen short in the brutal qualifying tournament that took place in Zimbabwe in June and July, it now transpires that that failure has condemned them to onlooker status at the 2025 Champions Trophy as well. The road to 2027 will feel all the more dim and distant without that staging post to aim for.Related

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• Switch Hit: Dreaming of a white-ball Christmas

• Shane Dowrich announces international retirement

• 'The system failed again' – Dwayne Bravo on brother Darren's exclusion from WI ODI squad

Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder are among the big names who have opted out of ODIs since the qualifiers, seemingly indefinitely, while Shane Dowrich’s retirement only days after his recall – having played his one previous ODI back in 2019 – was further evidence of the format’s lowly standing within the region at present.Rovman Powell, Dominic Drakes, Kyle Mayers and Jayden Seales are among the other familiar names missing for this campaign, and while Shimron Hetmyer is back in favour with the selectors, the decision to move on from the veteran Darren Bravo feels peculiar in light of the reasons given for Hetmyer’s absence in Zimbabwe. Though he is already 34, and therefore unlikely to feature in 2027, Bravo was still the leading run-scorer in this year’s Super50 Cup, as he captained Trinidad and Tobago to victory in the final.In the bigger picture, it feels there’ll be significantly more at stake for these two teams come the T20I leg of the tour later in the month, when the narrative shifts from two World Cup also-rans to a clash of the defending champions versus the impending hosts of the 2024 tournament next June. Nevertheless, all revivals have to have a starting point, and in the 50-over stakes, that begins at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Sunday afternoon.From England’s perspective, it’s a shot to nothing. A chance for a cast of talented fringe players to impress their captain (and indisputable white-ball GOAT, notwithstanding his recent struggles) Buttler, and make the case for a 2015-style cleaning-out of the stables – even if Ben Duckett, one of the players with most to gain in the coming weeks, has played down the likelihood that any long-term places are up for grabs in the coming days.As for West Indies, at least it’s a return to the fray after their telling absence in the months just gone. Financially, if not necessarily competitively, England’s visit – and moreover the hordes of supporters that are sure to accompany them – offer significant compensation for the recent dents in their coffers. And besides, it’s cricket in the Caribbean with Christmas drawing nigh. What’s not to enjoy?

Form guide

West Indies LWLLW
England WWLLL

In the spotlight – Shimron Hetmyer and Will Jacks

There are a fair few players with a point to prove in this series, but Shimron Hetmyer’s back-story takes some beating. He’s been powerless to influence not one, but two recent World Cup campaigns. In 2022, he was axed on the eve of West Indies’ T20 World Cup campaign after missing a connecting flight to New York, then last summer, he was overlooked for the ODI qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe because the selectors decided to stick with the players who had made their mark on the tour of South Africa earlier that year … and we all know how that decision panned out. Never mind that Hetmyer’s absence had been due to his forceful displays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, or that in 2019, on his previous ODI tour of India (the venue for the World Cup that West Indies missed) his fifth and most recent century had helped to secure a startling eight-wicket win in Chennai. He’ll no doubt be eager to make up for that lost time.Of all the England players who might believe their time has come, few have a better case than Will Jacks. As a hard-hitting opener for Surrey and Oval Invincibles, he had been outshining the mighty Jason Roy at a domestic level long before the selectors decided that Roy’s lock on a World Cup place was untenable. Jacks wasn’t awarded a central contract in the recent round of deals, but that fact has the potential to work in his favour at this early juncture – with nothing to lose, he has everything to win next time out if he can set about making a long-term case. And to judge by his forceful 94 from 88 balls against Ireland in September, he offers an unfettered attitude to top-order strokeplay that wasn’t adequately replicated in Roy’s absence last month.

Team news – Rookies to the fore

Bravo may have been a notable omission but his Trinidad and Tobago team-mate Kjorn Ottley – only a year younger at 33 – is back in favour for the first time in three years and looks set to open alongside Brandon King. Shai Hope, the captain and wicketkeeper, is by some distance the most experienced man in their ranks, although Hetmyer, Alzarri Joseph and Oshane Thomas offer a decent spine to a side that could feature two new ODI caps, including the talented allrounder Matthew Forde, 21, who impressed for the Academy side in the Super50 Cup.West Indies (probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Kjorn Ottley, 3 Alick Athanaze, 4 Shai Hope (capt, wk), 5 Keacy Carty, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Yannic Cariah, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Matthew Forde / Gudakesh Motie, 11 Oshane ThomasAll change for England after their World Cup catastrophe, although how much of it will be permanent remains to be seen. For now, only Jos Buttler remains from the class of 2019, but with the ink still drying on a host of multi-year ECB contracts – including for the likes of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid – you’d suspect one or two of the old guard aren’t quite done yet. That said, there ought to be at least seven names in this opening XI who played no part in the tournament just gone, including the same top three who finished the series against Ireland – Will Jacks, Phil Salt and Zak Crawley – and potentially a spot for the Lancashire left-arm spinner, Tom Hartley.England (probable): 1 Will Jacks, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Zak Crawley, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Ben Duckett, 6 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 7 Sam Curran, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Tom Hartley, 11 Gus Atkinson.

Pitch and conditions

No major damage has been reported after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake in the early hours of Saturday morning in Antigua, so there’s no suggestion that the match will be affected. The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is not traditionally the most high-scoring of Caribbean venues, with just three scores in excess of 300 in 20 previous matches, and none higher than the 322 for 6 posted by Ricky Ponting’s all-time-great Australia in the venue’s maiden fixture during the 2007 World Cup. It’s been an intermittent host for ODIs in recent years, however, with just three matches since 2017. Local knowledge suggests the pitch will take spin.

Stats and trivia

• England have won 52 of their 102 previous ODIs against West Indies, against 44 losses and six no-results.
• West Indies, however, have the edge on home soil, with 23 wins against 17 defeats since their first ODI meeting in the Caribbean in 1981.
• England have won each of their last four ODIs at the venue, spanning their tours in 2014 and 2017, having lost their first three, including two at the 2007 World Cup.
• England’s last series, in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup, ended in a 2-2 draw, including a memorable match in Grenada that featured a world-record 46 sixes.
• Jos Buttler needs 39 runs to reach 5000 in ODIs. However, he has passed that total just once in his last 12 innings.

Quotes

“You see the depth of talent of guys coming through and you want to help shape that period of white-ball cricket. That’s something I feel responsibility and motivation for….to get England white-ball cricket back to where it’s been for a long time.”

Rohit Sharma’s team will be looking to top Group A with another victory in Dubai

Shashank Kishore30-Aug-20226:15

Should India play their full-strength XI against Hong Kong?

Big picture

The build-up to India versus Hong Kong could not be more different to India versus Pakistan. The buzz around the training grounds, press conferences and the match – in terms of ticket sales and anticipation – is extremely low-key. It’s almost as though everyone’s just waiting for next Sunday, when India and Pakistan are likely to face off in the second of three possible meetings at this Asia Cup.But India will remember all too well just how close Hong Kong came to pulling off an incredible upset the last time these sides met. Chances to play India are rare and it’s an opportunity Hong Kong are keen to embrace, even if it means a few players sacrificing time with their newborns at home. How a bunch of semi-professional players handle their nerves could determine how far they go in the contest.Hong Kong’s cricket structure is possibly smaller than what you would find even in a tier-2 city in India. They have a pool of 20 players to choose from at the best of times. In comparison, India’s senior squad has a pool of 40 that plays simultaneously in different countries. And then there are 20 others who are part of the ‘A’ tour programmes, all training to be match ready. The gulf Hong Kong have to bridge is monumental.Related

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• 'A fit Hardik Pandya is 24-carat gold'

• Hong Kong's motley crew makes big sacrifices to keep the dream alive

India had optional nets on the eve of the game, mindful of the heat and giving their senior players a break. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar took the day off as the rest of the squad trained in the afternoon heat.Hong Kong have preferred to train at night. They are coming off a steady diet of games – at least 30 – in the past three months alone in Namibia, Uganda Zimbabwe, Jersey and Oman. But everything pales in comparison to the opportunity ahead of them on Wednesday.They are excited, and nervous too, but Hong Kong’s coach Trent Johnston knows a thing or two about orchestrating upsets – Pakistan in Jamaica (2007), England in Bengaluru (2011) among his famous ones.

Form guide

India WWWLW (last five completed matches; most recent first)
Hong Kong WWWLWNizakat Khan narrowly missed a century in Hong Kong’s previous match against India in 2018•Associated Press

In the spotlight

All eyes were on Rishabh Pant at training on Tuesday evening, and he was smashing balls hard and far. Yorker-length deliveries disappeared into the arc between long-on and deep midwicket, short balls were swatted, and full deliveries driven handsomely. After being benched against Pakistan, Pant looked in imperious form.Hong Kong captain Nizakat Khan came so close to scoring a century against India four years ago. But he’s been in good form in the lead-up to his game, hitting a century against Jersey in a third-round clash of the ICC Challenger League B just three weeks ago. More recently in the Asia Cup qualifiers in Oman, he anchored a chase against Kuwait with a half-century.

Team news

India have spoken about their willingness to experiment. Don’t be surprised if they make some changes.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Dinesh Karthik, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Arshdeep SinghHong Kong don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing, and will stick to their first XI that played the qualifiers in Oman.Hong Kong (probable): 1 Nizakat Khan (capt), 2 Babar Hayat, 3 Yasim Murtaza, 4 Kinchit Shah, 5 Scott McKechnie (wk), 6 Haroon Arshad, 7 Aizaz Khan, 8 Zeeshan Ali, 9 Ehsan Khan, 10 Ayush Shukla, 11 Mohammad Ghazanfar

Pitch and conditions

A fresh, hard surface will be used for Wednesday’s game and that should mean bounce for the bowlers. The biggest factor, though, has been the absence of dew in Dubai, which has reduced the difficulty of bowling second. And then there’s the extreme heat, which caused delays and brought the over-rate penalty into play in both innings of the India-Pakistan game.

Stats and trivia

• KL Rahul has an impressive T20 record in Dubai – 731 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 147.67, including one century and six half-centuries.
• Offspinner Ehsan Khan was Hong Kong’s leading wicket-taker in the Asia Cup qualifiers, picking up nine wickets in three games.
• In Hong Kong’s previous game against India in 2018, Ehsan dismissed both Rohit and MS Dhoni.

Kusal Mendis continues to be omitted; injured Kusal Perera also out of the two-match series

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Apr-2021Uncapped left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama and left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka have been named in Sri Lanka’s squad to play Bangladesh in the two-Test series that starts on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka squad

Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Roshen Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Asitha Fernando

Kusal Mendis was omitted again, while Kusal Perera was out through injury. The batting group, otherwise, largely comprised the players that toured the West Indies last month. Angelo Mathews returned to the squad after having left the West Indies tour for personal reasons. Offspin-bowling allrounder Ramesh Mendis was picked again.In what may be an indication of the pitches that could be expected in Pallekele, no fewer than five quicks were selected. Not among them was Dushmantha Chameera, who is on personal leave with his wife expecting a child. Returning to the squad, though, was Lahiru Kumara, who had missed the West Indies tour after testing positive for Covid-19. Kasun Rajitha continued to be unavailable through injury.Related

• Hasaranga, Nissanka, Oshada and Embuldeniya – Mickey Arthur's picks for Sri Lanka's future

• Three questions for Sri Lanka, three questions for Bangladesh

• Uncapped Mukidul, Shohidul in Bangladesh 21-player Test squad that will travel to Sri Lanka

Surprisingly for a home series, only one specialist spinner was named. Legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga was in the squad, but left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan was not. Ramesh Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva – who are both primarily batters – are on hand to provide support with their offspin.Twenty-two-year-old Jayawickrama’s selection was due to the absence of Lasith Embuldeniya, who picked up a serious soft-tissue injury while fielding in the second West Indies Test. The selectors are understood to have considered two other left-arm spinners to replace him, but both were ruled out; Duvindu Tillakaratne was injured, while Prabath Jayasuriya failed to pass a fitness test.Madushanka, 20, meanwhile, was selected largely based on potential. He had played for Sri Lanka at Under-19 level, but has only three first-class matches on his record.Both Tests will be played in Pallekele. When Bangladesh last visited for an assignment in the longest format, they drew the series 1-1, recording their first win on Sri Lankan soil in Colombo.

Fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep is out injured and has been replaced by Kasun Rajitha

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2020Angelo Mathews has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the T20I series against India starting January 5, and he could play his first T20I in nearly 16 months if picked in the XI. Mathews last played in this format for Sri Lanka as captain, in a one-off match against South Africa in August 2018, and scored a duck. August 2018 also happens to be the last time Mathews played T20s of any kind at recognised level.Mathews’ career has infamously been stop-start due to recurring injuries, but he has been something of a regular in Tests and ODIs for Sri Lanka over the last year or so, playing as a specialist batsman rarely bowling. That makes him one of seven specialist batting options in the 16-man squad named for the tour.Fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep, who played in Sri Lanka’s last T20I series against Australia in November, is out injured and has been replaced by Kasun Rajitha, who had originally been left out of the squad. Shehan Jayasuriya misses out from that squad, and allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva is the other addition apart from Mathews.Squad Lasith Malinga (capt.), Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, Dhananjaya de Silva, Isuru Udana, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Oshada Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Kusal Mendis, Lakshan Sandakan, Kasun Rajitha

The toss may again prove crucial, lending a distinct advantage to whoever bats first

The Preview by Ankur Dhawan02-Dec-2018

Big picture

After everything that could go wrong, went wrong for Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, everything that could work, worked like a charm for them in Dubai. In many ways the hosts have stayed true to their reputation of blowing hot and cold, epitomised by the dramatic batting collapse in the first Test and an equally compelling win, orchestrated by a spell of legspin bowling that had all the necessary elements of a magic trick – drift, drop and turn.But you wouldn’t want to clap yet, because New Zealand have shown an eye for picking up clues, evidenced by a much-improved second-innings batting effort in Dubai, which they would hope to replicate in the decider.However, it is not through their batsmen that they have competed overseas in the last three years. Leaving aside their tour of Zimbabwe, their batsmen have put up a total of over 300 only once, which was in the second innings of the last Test. Their only away win (barring Zimbabwe again) came in Abu Dhabi in the first Test, and much of it was a consequence of keeping pace with Pakistan through disciplined bowling, allowing tension to build, before the hosts’ implosion gave them the series lead.Craig McMillan has urged his batsmen to come up with clear and precise plans against Yasir Shah, but truth be told, if he bowls like he did in the first innings in Dubai, New Zealand will need their bowlers to match him by producing a different kind of magic, one that’s synergistic in nature, a combined effect greater than the sum of its individual parts. The toss may again prove crucial, lending a distinct advantage to whoever bats first.

Form guide

New Zealand LWDWW (Last five Tests, most recent first)
Pakistan WLWDL

In the spotlight

Shaheen Afridi has been drafted into the squad for the injured Mohammad Abbas. Large boots to fill, figuratively, given Abbas’s impact in recent Test matches, but in a short international career Shaheen has shown he could be the perfect fit. He tormented New Zealand in the ODIs, picking up nine wickets in three matches, and his first-class numbers are even more impressive, highlighted by a record-shattering 8 for 39 on debut. His height and pace, in tandem with Yasir’s dip and turn, promise to pose a unique challenge to the visitors.Despite a modest record in Asia, Ross Taylor has played some of the stand-out innings for New Zealand against spin, particularly a rollicking hundred in Bengaluru and a match-winning one in Colombo. Both those knocks may now seem like fables from a medieval past, but in the absence of Brendon McCullum, who through his intrepid approach laid the foundation for a series-levelling win the last time New Zealand were here, Taylor is the one New Zealand batsman capable of replicating those heroics. He may not be one to dance down the track and deposit bowlers over the sightscreen like McCullum, but he possesses a delicate cut and a powerful sweep that could be equally effective tools when it comes to manipulating the field against Pakistan’s spinners.Yasir Shah delivers a ball from wide of the crease•AFP

Team news

Pakistan are going to be without Mohammad Abbas, who has been ruled out of the decider due to a shoulder injury. Shaheen Afridi will replace him. But Pakistan might consider another change, which is the inclusion of allrounder Faheem Ashraf to bolster the lower order and bowl seam in place of Bilal Asif.Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Asad Shafiq, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Bilal Asif/Faheem Ashraf, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Yasir Shah, 11 Shaheen AfridiWith the series on the line and 20 wickets paramount, New Zealand may be lured into replacing Colin de Grandhomme with the experienced Tim Southee, who much like Taylor has produced a couple of outstanding performances in Asia in the past. Although effective with the new ball, de Grandhomme is rendered just a support bowler once the shine wears off, and his batting, with a highest score of 14 in four innings in this series, has hardly warranted continued selection. However, at least on paper, that switch would lengthen New Zealand’s tail, so another option could be to keep faith in de Grandhomme and replace Neil Wagner, who has only three wickets in the series, with Southee.New Zealand (possible): 1 Tom Latham, 2 Jeet Raval, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Ajaz Patel, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

Six of the last seven Tests in Abu Dhabi have gone to the side batting first, and the other was drawn. The return to Abu Dhabi, which also hosted the first Test, would please the seamers on both sides, as its pitch offers at least a modicum of assistance: the quicks have taken seven five-wicket hauls here, compared to just one in Dubai.

Stats and trivia

• If New Zealand manage to win the third Test, it will be their first series win in seven away/neutral series against Pakistan. The last time they won a Test series away from home against Pakistan was in 1969-70.
• Yasir Shah is five wickets away from becoming the quickest bowler to 200 Test wickets, and bettering the current record-holder by a fair margin. Yasir has 195 wickets from 32 Tests. Clarrie Grimmett took his 200th wicket in his 36th Test.

Quotes

“If you look at Asian venues teams prefer to bat first and the advantage is that if you score a big total then you don’t need to bat in the fourth innings so obviously any team playing here thinks winning the toss is good.”
“I guess it was about 45 minutes of madness against someone like Yasir Shah who came out with an outstanding performance and put us under pressure to turn around the Test around from then on.”

Pakistani legspinner Mir first pick among overseas players at the draft in Dhaka

Mohammad Isam16-Sep-20171:11

Isam: Rajshahi lucky to get first foreign and domestic picks

Rajshahi Kings picked Mustafizur Rahman with the first overall pick at the BPL players’ draft in Dhaka. The franchise also had the good fortune of getting the first pick among the overseas players, and they took Pakistani legspinner Usama Mir with it.Mustafizur will receive $60,000 as the only player in Grade A+ in the local list. Abu Hider, another left-arm pace bowler, was taken by defending champions Dhaka Dynamites as the second overall pick in the draft before Khulna Titans and Rangpur Riders went for left-hand batsmen, taking Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Shahriar Nafees respectively.Comilla Victorians took pace bowler Al-Amin Hossain, Chittagong Vikings went for left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam, and Sylhet Sixers took local pacer Abul Hasan the first time around.Mir, the first overseas pick, will be paid $30,000 as he is in Grade D in the draft. Joe Denly (England and Dhaka), Najibullah Zadran (Afghanistan and Chittagong), Solomon Mire (Zimbabwe and Comilla), Shehan Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka and Khulna), Sam Hain (Warwickshire and Rangpur) and Chaturanga de Silva (Sri Lanka and Sylhet) were the first picks among the overseas players.Raza Ali Dar, Akeal Hosein, Luis Reece and Ghulam Mudassar, little-known players in the international T20 market, made it as high as the second round of the draft among the overseas picks.Squads
Chittagong Vikings: Misbah-ul-Haq, Anamul Haque (wk), Soumya Sarkar, Luke Ronchi (wk), Jermine Blackwood, Sikandar Raza, Liam Dawson, Jeevan Mendis, Taskin Ahmed, Subashis Roy, Sunzamul Islam, Al-Amin, Alauddin Babu, Tanbir Hayder, Najibullah Zadran, Luis Reece, Irfan Sukkur, Naeem Hasan, Yasir ArafatComilla Victorians: Imrul Kayes, Tamim Iqbal, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Shoaib Malik, Jos Buttler, Liton Das (wk), Mohammad Saifuddin, Fahim Ashraf, Mohammed Nabi, Rashid Khan, Hassan Ali, Imran Khan Jr, Al-Amin Hossain, Arafat Sunny, Alok Kapali, Mahedi Hasan, Solomon Mire, Rumman Raees, Mehedi Hasan Rana, Enamul Haque, Raqibul HasanDhaka Dynamites: Mehedi Maruf, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Evin Lewis, Cameron Delport, Mosaddek Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan, Shane Watson, Kevon Cooper, Rovman Powell, Shahid Afridi, Sunil Narine, Graeme Cremer, Mohammad Shahid, Mohammed Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Ronsford Beaton, Abu Hider, Jahurul Islam, Nadif Chowdhury, Saqlain Sajib, Joe Denly, Akeal Hosein, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Shadman Islam, Noor Hossain SaddamKhulna Titans: Rillee Roussow, Dawid Malan, Ariful Haque, Mahmudullah, Chadwick Walton, Sarfraz Ahmed, Carlos Brathwaite, Seekkuge Prasanna, Shadab Khan, Mosharraf Hossain, Kyle Abbott, Benny Howell, Junaid Khan, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Abu Jayed Rahi, Afif Hossain, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Shehan Jayasurya, Jofra Archer, Imran Ali, Mukter Ali, Dhiman Ghosh, Saif HassanRajshahi Kings: Mominul Haque, Luke Wright, Lendl Simmons, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Malcom Waller, James Franklin, Farhad Reza, Darren Sammy, Samit Patel, Mehidy Hasan, Kesrick Williams, Mohammad Sami, Mustafizur Rahman, Zakir Hasan, Nihaduzzaman, Rony Talukdar, Usama Mir, Raja Ali Dar, Hossain Ali, Naeem Islam jnr, Kazi AnikRangpur Riders: Adam Lyth, Kusal Perera, Johnson Charles, Mohammad Mithun, Ravi Bopara, Thisara Perera, David Willey, Sohag Gazi, Samuel Badree, Rubel Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahriar Nafees, Nazmul Islam Apu, Ziaur Rahman, Fazle Mahmud, Sam Hain, Samiullah Shenwari, Abdur Razzak, Ebadot Hossain, Elias Sunny, Nahidul Islam, Zahir KhanSylhet Sixers: Babar Azam, Andre Fletcher, Davy Jacobs, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Andre McCarthy, Ross Whiteley, Nurul Hasan, Dasun Shanaka, Taijul Islam, Wanidu Hasaranga, Liam Plunkett, Usman Khan Shinwari, Krismar Santokei, Abul Hasan, Shuvagata Hom, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Nabil Samad, Chaturanga de Silva, Ghulam Mudasser Khan, Mohammad Sharif, Imtiaz Hossain, Mohammad Sharifullah

Adam Zampa might be Australia’s specialist white-ball spinner at the moment, but he hopes to use the upcoming summer to prove that his skills can be transferred to the longer form of the game

Brydon Coverdale12-Aug-2016Adam Zampa might be Australia’s specialist white-ball spinner at the moment, but he hopes to use the upcoming summer to prove that his skills can be transferred to the longer form of the game. Zampa made his ODI and T20 debuts for Australia earlier this year and immediately impressed with his poise under pressure, a trait that has brought him success, particularly in T20 cricket.He was the leading wicket-taker among spinners during the recent Caribbean Premier League, in which he claimed 15 victims at 18.46 for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, and is about to join Australia’s squad in Sri Lanka for the limited-overs leg of their tour. The axing of Glenn Maxwell from the ODI squad should create plenty of chances for Zampa, named alongside Nathan Lyon in the squad.”It’s a big opportunity for me,” Zampa told reporters in Adelaide during a brief trip home between the CPL and the Sri Lanka series. “Looking at the next six months or so coming up too, there’s quite a lot of white-ball cricket. There’s probably three or four tours this summer. It’s a good opportunity for me to cement my spot even more in that one-day and T20 side.”However, Zampa also knows that opportunities are presenting themselves for spinners in the Test side, with Steve O’Keefe and Jon Holland both having played alongside Lyon during the ongoing Test series in Sri Lanka. In order to make himself a candidate for a Test call-up, Zampa will need to make the most of his opportunities at the Sheffield Shield level during the gaps between his white-ball commitments.Last summer, Zampa played five Shield games for South Australia and collected 10 wickets at 45.20, but he was far from alone in terms of spinners being overshadowed during that season. The top 10 wicket-takers in the previous Shield summer were all fast bowlers, including three from Zampa’s own state – Joe Mennie, Daniel Worrall and Chadd Sayers – who dominated the wickets tally.”It’s been made pretty obvious that I’m predominantly white-ball cricket at the moment,” Zampa said. “I want to try and show that I’ve actually improved as a bowler in the last 12 months. I haven’t had a great opportunity, but in Shield cricket last year, I actually felt like I bowled really well.”With our bowling attack and the way the wickets were going last year, I actually didn’t get too much opportunity. I’m hoping to get some suitable conditions this year, and I want to try and win some games for South Australia before I’m ready to play for Australia.”If Zampa can show his red-ball skills during whatever Shield games he plays this summer, the reward could be significant. A Test tour of India in February-March will require Australia to take at least two, and possibly, three spinners.”I’ve got to get quite a few more games under my belt,” Zampa said. “I’ve only played three or four four-dayers in the last 12 months. This year is going to be a great opportunity for me. There’s some opportunities coming up, you’ve seen with O’Keefe, Lyon, Holland… there’s an India tour coming up, so Shield cricket this year is going to be big for me.”

Trent Johnston, the former Ireland captain, has been named as the new coach of New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2015Trent Johnston, the former Ireland captain, has been named as the new coach of New South Wales. Johnston had joined New South Wales last September as an assistant to coach Trevor Bayliss, and has now been handed the top job after Bayliss was appointed to lead England.Although best known for his work with Ireland, for whom he played at the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, Johnston was also a former New South Wales player and made his first-class debut for the state in March 1999. After he retired as a player in December 2013 he moved into coaching, initially as head coach of the Ireland women’s team.”The NSW way is to back young talent and we are delighted to offer Trent the opportunity to lead the NSW Blues,” Cricket New South Wales chief executive Andrew Jones said. “I am confident he will be an outstanding success.”Trent is an emerging coach who has performed as a NSW assistant coach and a head coach at the youth, club and inter-provincial level both here and overseas. He is past Blues player with substantial playing and leadership experience and he has formed strong relationships and established credibility with our players since returning to Cricket NSW.”Johnston had taken over in an interim capacity after Bayliss departed, and he said he was looking forward to continuing his work with the squad.”The NSW Blues are about producing Australian players and winning national titles,” Johnston said. “We have a very talented squad ranging from experienced international players to rookies who are at the start of their professional careers. I look forward to helping all of them to achieve our team goals, as well as their personal ones.”This is a very exciting opportunity for me and I am ready to take this next step in my career. I am passionate about cricket, I am passionate about coaching and I am passionate about NSW.”Cricket New South Wales is still searching for a new Sydney Sixers coach, with an announcement expected in August.

Middlesex’s batsman Joe Denly, has flown out of Heathrow bound for Bangladesh as one of a rush of emergency replacements for Bangladesh’s T20 tournament. He will play for Barisal Burners.

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2013Middlesex’s batsman Joe Denly has flown out of Heathrow bound for Bangladesh as one of a rush of emergency replacements for Bangladesh’s T20 tournament. He will play for Barisal Burners.Denly joins the sprinkling of English county players who have ignored warnings from Angus Porter, the PCA’s chief executive, about potential payment problems and instead are gambling on making an impact in a televised domestic Twenty20 tournament.”I’m delighted to have received a call up from Barisal, and am looking forward to joining up with my new teammates,” Denly said at Heathrow Airport. “This is a great opportunity for me, and one that I am really looking forward to.”It’s been a little frantic since getting the call up, and having rushed to get my kit together, I am now thankfully sat relaxing in the departures lounge at Heathrow awaiting my flight out.
I’m grateful to Middlesex for allowing me to set off at such short notice.”Denly, who played for England in nine ODIs and five T20s without ever suggesting he would become a permanent fixture, finished third in Middlesex’s FLt20 averages last season, averaging 28.42 in eight matches with a strike rate of 101.The BPL has been thrown into chaos by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s refusal to issue No Objection certificates to 26 Pakistan players, so communicating their displeasure that Bangladesh had abandoned plans to tour Pakistan on security grounds.
While tit-for-tat reprisals go on, a few English county players are picking up last-minute deals and rushing to the airport. Mooen Ali, the Warwickshire allrounder, has joined Duronto Rajshahi.Middlesex’s managing director of cricket, Angus Fraser, said: “When Joe told us that he’d been asked to fly over to Bangladesh to join up with the Barisal franchise, and that he was keen to take advantage of this opportunity, we were more than happy to back his decision.”