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T20 talent developing longer-format skills as South Africa A score success in Sri Lanka

Firdose Moonda09-Jun-2023Learning to construct a 50-over innings was Tristan Stubbs’ chief takeaway from South Africa A’s series victory over Sri Lanka A, which was completed with a five-wicket win in Kandy. Stubbs was South Africa A’s highest run-scorer, and the only one to record two half-centuries, and hopes the experience will put him in good stead to add to his one ODI cap.”It’s closer to first-class cricket where you’ve got to bat time,” Stubbs told ESPNcricinfo shortly after scoring a match-winning 58 not out. “I haven’t played a lot of 50-over cricket but in this format, you absorb pressure and then apply pressure. T20 cricket you have to make a play almost every ball but in 50-over cricket and first-class cricket you can just bat time and that’s what I have really enjoyed doing.”Since starting his career three years ago, Stubbs has played 55 T20s, more than double his 21 List A matches, to go with 10 first-class games. His reputation as a big-hitter has seen him picked for the Manchester Originals in the Hundred, and Mumbai Indians at the IPL, although he has only played four matches, two in each of the last two seasons. He went straight from the IPL to Sri Lanka, keen to get game time after last turning out more than a month ago, on May 6.”It [the IPL] was an awesome tournament to be a part of, whether you are playing or not. And Mumbai made the semi-finals so I got to experience a semi-final with 100,000 people which was pretty cool,” he said. “But I hadn’t played in a couple of months
so getting some game time now is good. It’s been cool to spend some time in the middle and bat again.”Especially in unfamiliar conditions. This was Stubbs’ first visit to Sri Lanka and though he has been to India three times, he found that the surfaces were different and asked more questions of his game. “It doesn’t bounce as much [as home] and the ball turns a bit more but the conditions have changed between each game,” he said. “The pitch we played on today got more and more dry and it was turning a lot more. But in the second game the ball was seaming around a lot. It’s a nice challenge.”In both matches, Stubbs scored half-centuries, first taking South Africa A from 20 for 4 to 153 for 8, albeit in a losing cause, and then ensuring they recovered from 27 for 2 in the fifth over to successfully chase 173. In both cases, Stubbs saw an opportunity to work on pacing his innings and getting the balance between attack and defence right. “We were in trouble early on. In the second game, it tested my defence of seam and today it was spinning,” he said. “And you learn it’s all right to block a good ball in the longer game. It’s not ideal, but sometimes it’s required.”With his development of a more all-round game in subcontinental batting conditions, does Stubbs hope he is making a case for consideration for this year’s World Cup? “I am trying not to think about it,” he said. “I am just trying to take every game as it comes and just enjoy playing. Today, I could help the team get over the line. We have a pretty strong side so that always helps.”South Africa A will now play unofficial Tests under the tutelage of national Test coach Shukri Conrad to complete their winter program.

Despite boasting five current England internationals, Southern Vipers were skittled for 98

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2024Central Sparks defeated Southern Vipers by five wickets in the duel of already-qualified teams in the Charlotte Edwards Cup at New Road, Worcester.With both sides already assured a place in Finals Day at Derby on June 22, Sparks showed their bowling strength in depth as they rested Hannah Baker and Emily Arlott but still bowled the visitors out for just 98 in 17.5 overs.Grace Potts, Katie George, Bethan Ellis and Ria Fackrell took two wickets apiece as no Vipers batter reached 20, Rhianna Southby top-scoring with 19 from number eight.Sparks then eased to 99 for 5 with 31 balls to spare as Davina Perrin launched their reply with an assertive 26 from 17 balls and Amy Jones saw them to the threshold of victory 26 from 29.Put in, Vipers started positively as Maia Bouchier pulled Potts for six as the openers added 19 from 16 balls but from the moment that Danni Wyatt skied a drive at Potts the innings lurched downward.Bouchier’s blow proved the only six of the innings and only six fours were added to it as Sparks’ accurate and disciplined attack struck regularly. Charli Knott charged and missed at George and Bouchier chipped a return catch to Charis Pavely before Georgia Adams fell in slapstick fashion when Freya Kemp embarked on a leg-bye that didn’t exist and both batters ended up at the same end.Kemp soon joined her captain in the pavilion when she lifted Ellis to long off. Nicely flighted deliveries from Fackrell then teased Charlie Dean and Georgia Elwiss into sending up catches.Southby lashed a couple of leg-side fours but when she sought another but instead lifted George to deep square leg, the innings was over at fewer than 100.Ami Campbell launched the Sparks reply with three fours in the first ten balls and though she then lifted Freya Davies to mid off, the opener’s small but feisty contribution had made inroads into the small target.Abi Freeborn was run out, going for a second, by Lauren Bell’s throw but Perrin quickly made further inroads. She stuck three fours and lifted Dean over long off for six but went back to the next ball which struck off stumpGeorge fell lbw, slog-sweeping at Linsey Smith and Smith bowled skilfully to conceded just 13 runs from her four overs, but Vipers’ faltering batters had given their bowlers too much to do. Jones struck Adams gloriously into the Basil D’Oliveira Stand and though the England batter then holed out to long on, Courtney Webb (saw her side comfortably over the line.

Gambhir told senior India player R Ashwin that India’s T20I squad selection should be based on IPL performances

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-20242:26

What impact has Gambhir had on KKR this season?

Gautam Gambhir has said that “creating hype” around young Indian players based on specific criteria such as bowling speeds can “backfire” and “deviate” them from hard work. The Kolkata Knight Riders mentor, who’s also one of the frontrunners to take up the India coach job, said team selection in T20Is should be based on IPL performances but not solely on batting averages or bowling speeds.”In India we start creating so much of hype with these young cricketers coming through,” Gambhir said on R Ashwin’s YouTube channel. “Everyone gets excited if someone is bowling 150 clicks. The point is you need to look at the conditions as well. Going forward in T20 cricket, the average and runs will have no impact. It is the strike rate, when you select a batter, and when you have to select a bowler, it is the kind of tough overs he can bowl. That will be the discussion that will happen in next two or three years.”We keep talking about the amount of runs and averages, and all that stuff, someone bowling 150s. Sometimes when you go in conditions like West Indies or Bangladesh, you don’t need someone bowling 150. You need someone who bowls cutters as well. That is where the vision lies with the selectors. Sometimes you pick raw talent. But creating so much hype after two or three games, we need to have a balanced approach.Related

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“The graph goes [up and down] in India, and it is not good for a young player. That is where the experts and commentators need to be balanced when it comes to these young players. It is easy for them to get deviated from the hard work and the good things they are doing. Because suddenly when you start talking about a young player doing well, it can backfire for them.Gautam Gambhir: ‘Easy for youngsters to get deviated from hard work’•CAB

Gambhir emphasised the importance of domestic cricket and added that IPL performances shouldn’t influence selection for red-ball cricket.”India’s T20I side should be selected from IPL [performances],” Gambhir said. “For 50-over format, it should be selected from Vijay Hazare, and your Test side should be selected from your first-class cricket, red-ball cricket. As simple as that. If you start selecting people for 50-over format or red-ball cricket from an IPL competition, you are making a lot of shortcuts for a lot of these young players to not focus on red-ball cricket or 50-overs format, and you are walking on the edge.”

Gambhir – ‘Two new balls in ODIs the worst thing in cricket’

The introduction of the two new balls rule in ODIs, in 2011, has been “the worst thing” that has happened in cricket, Gambhir said. He also added that the rule has led to fingerspinners fading away, saying that was the reason the likes of Ashwin and Australia’s Nathan Lyon haven’t made it big in the 50-over format then on.”The worst thing that has happened in cricket is the introduction of two new balls,” Gambhir told Ashwin. “You’ve taken the entire skill of a fingerspinner away from the game, whether it’s a left-arm spinner or offspinner. You’ve got two new balls, you’ve got five fielders inside, how do you expect a fingerspinner to get anything out of a surface and how do you expect a fingerspinner to be included in the playing XI?”You’ve taken out two of the best fingerspinners in the world – you [Ashwin] and Nathan Lyon. The reason why you guys didn’t play was there was nothing for you guys. If you were bowling the 20th over, you’re bowling with a 10-over new ball, and with five fielders inside and on a flat track. And with big bats, and with power-hitters, and with small boundaries, and with smaller boundaries and on top of that DRS. It’s not about you and Nathan Lyon. It’s about the job of ICC. The job of ICC is that you promote every kind of bowler who wants to become an offspinner and fingerspinner. Tell me how many youngsters going forward want to take up fingerspin? This art of bowling offspin or left-arm spin? No one would want to, because they know they’ve got no future in white-ball cricket.”Gambhir added that the ICC should have looked to “change the ball manufacturers” than change the rule that has gone on to affect the players.”I love that format or the rule where you had one new ball. It’s not a player’s problem. If the ball manufacturer can’t keep the ball in good shape for 50 overs, might as well change the manufacturer. Don’t introduce two new balls because one ball can’t hold whatever colour for 50 overs. That’s a manufacturer’s problem. When people talk about taking wickets in the middle innings suddenly they realise that the only wicket-takers could be wristspinners. Unless you’ve got a carom ball or a flicker, but where is the art of bowling genuine offspin or a left-arm spin which can beat people in the air or off the wicket as well?”Because there’s nothing off the wicket and you’ve got five fielders inside. So I think ICC has messed it up and we can change it going forward and have one ball for entire 50 overs.”

The ICC is expected to make a decision this week on where the tournament is hosted

Andrew McGlashan19-Aug-20241:23

Healy: ‘I just want to create a really connected group’

Australia captain Alyssa Healy has said it feels like the “wrong thing” to host the upcoming T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as the country continues to deal with the consequences of the recent violence which led to hundreds of deaths and the ousting of the government.The ICC is expected to make a decision this week on where the tournament will be hosted with UAE considered the favourite after BCCI declined a request. Sri Lanka is another option while Zimbabwe has emerged as a potential late solution.The Australian government is among those including the UK and India to have issued warnings about traveling to Bangladesh.Related

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“I find it really hard to see a cricket event going on over there at the moment and taking resources away from a country that is really struggling,” Healy said. “They’re needing everyone they can possibly get in there helping people that are dying.””I’d find it hard to fathom playing there at the moment, as a human being, I feel like it might be the wrong thing to do. But I’ll leave it to the ICC to work out.”Speaking on Sunday, allrounder Sophie Molineux said players had been kept in the loop.”We’ve been [in] chats with Cricket Australia and they’re doing a lot of work with the ICC, and we’ve got full faith that they’ll come up with the right decision for everyone.”Australia will name their World Cup squad next Monday and Healy was confident they would be able to adapt to whichever country ended up hosting. They had seen their tour of Bangladesh earlier this year where they played three ODIs and three T20Is as a key fact-finding mission.”I feel like we’re so well balanced in the…players that we get to choose from, wherever the World Cup gets put, I think we’re going to have the right squad to take it on,” Healy said. “We’re obviously blessed we got to Bangladesh and got a taste of those conditions. But wherever we get put, we’ll be ready to adapt.”Meanwhile, England captain Heather Knight said that if the replacement venue was UAE then she does not expect vastly different conditions to those in Bangladesh.It is expected Australia will name a settled squad. Fast bowler Darcie Brown is set to be available after spending the winter recovering from a stress fracture of her foot which kept her out of the Bangladesh tour. Molineux (rib) and Grace Harris (calf strain) were also recently ruled out of the Hundred through injury, but neither are considered a major doubt for the World Cup.Jess Jonassen was the significant omission from the previous squad for Bangladesh and she is likely to find it hard to squeeze back in for the World Cup barring injuries with Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Alana King and Ashleigh Gardner the spin options. The World Cup squad will also play the three T20Is against New Zealand in September which act as preparation for the tournament.

Fast bowler gets stitches on his head for an external injury

Mohammad Isam18-Feb-2024Fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been taken to hospital in Chattogram after taking a blow to the head during a Comilla Victorians training session at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.Mustafizur fell down immediately after being hit by a ball on the left side of his head. The incident took place on Sunday morning while Comilla were preparing for their next BPL game against Sylhet Strikers on Monday.Eyewitness reports said Mustafizur was near his bowling mark when he got hit by the ball. Team-mates and coaching staff rushed to his side and took him to the ambulance at the ground.”During practice a ball hit directly at the left parietal area (head) of Mustafizur Rrahman,” Zahidul Islam, the team physio, said. “There was an open wound at his parietal area and we have worked with compression bandage to stop bleeding and immediately had shifted him to Imperial hospital. After CT scan we are satisfied that he had only external injury. There is no intracranial bleeding. Now surgical team has given him stitches on the open wound.”Comilla’s media manager Sohanuzzaman Khan told ESPNcricinfo that Mustafizur was in good spirits. “When we were prepping him for the ride to the hospital, he seemed to be acting normally,” he said.Comilla are at No. 2 in the BPL points table with seven wins in nine games.

Nishita, Sanjida dropped for ODIs while Rani and Trisna have been left from the T20I squad

Mohammad Isam14-Nov-2023Allrounder Lata Mondal has returned to the 16-member Bangladesh side for the tour of South Africa. The tour begins with three T20Is followed by three ODIs which will be part of the 2022-25 Women’s Championship.Mondal, who had missed Bangladesh’s home series against Pakistan, last played in the ODIs against India in July. Bangladesh won both the ODI and T20I series against Pakistan 2-1.Meanwhile, 15-year-old offspinner Nishita Akter, who made her debut in the Pakistan series, left-arm spinner Sanjida Akter, opener Sharmin Akhter and left-arm pacer Fariha Trisna are all part of the reserves. Opener Shathi Rani who was part of the T20I squad against Pakistan, misses out.

Bangladesh tour of SA

1st T20I: Dec 3, Benoni
2nd T20I: Dec 6, Kimberley
3rd T20I: Dec 8, Kimberley
1st ODI: Dec 16, East London
2nd ODI: Dec 20, Potchefstroom
3rd ODI: Dec 23, Benoni

Bangladesh begin the tour with the first T20I in Benoni on December 3, followed by two T20Is in Kimberley on December 6 and 8 respectively. The ODIs will be played in East London, Potchefstroom and Benoni on December 16, 20 and 23.Bangladesh are seventh on the championship table with three wins from 12 matches whereas South Africa occupy the fifth spot having played nine games and winning seven of them.That apart, Bangladesh have beaten South Africa only two times in the 18 ODIs and only once in 11 T20Is.Bangladesh squad: Nigar Sultana (captain), Nahida Akter (vice-captain), Shamima Sultana, Murshida Khatun, Sobhana Mostary, Fargana Hoque, Lata Mondal, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Shorifa Khatun, Sumaiya Akter, Rabeya Khan, Sultana Khatun, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Disha Biswas

Allrounder takes four in each innings as Madsen battles to 95 not out for Derbyshire

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay02-Jul-2025 Lancashire 367 (Green 121, Jennings 106) and 406 for 6 dec (Turner 121, Balderson 82, Jones 63) beat Derbyshire 261 (Andersson 79, Madsen 70, Balderson 4-71) and 251 (Madsen 95*, Guest 46, Balderson 4-54) by 261 runs George Balderson ended Lancashire’s red-ball drought when he bowled them to a crushing 261-run victory over Derbyshire in the Rothesay County Championship match at Chesterfield.The all-rounder took 4 for 54 and eight in the game as the Red Rose finally celebrated a first Championship victory of the season with Derbyshire dismissed for 251 which ended their unbeaten run in Division Two.Set an improbable 513, skipper Wayne Madsen made an unbeaten 95 and Brooke Guest 46 but once the fourth wicket pair were parted, the hosts collapsed with Tom Bailey taking the last two wickets to finish with 3 for 39.The grey clouds over Queen’s Park suggested the conditions were good for the bowlers, especially Jimmy Anderson, and although the bat was beaten, Derbyshire survived the first hour in relative comfort.Madsen eased Anderson to the cover boundary on his way to his second fifty of the match which came off 86 balls and when the former England fast bowler failed to take a wicket in his four over opening spell, Derbyshire had achieved their first objective of the morning.With Anderson out of the attack, Madsen and Guest kept the board ticking over without taking any risks and the stand was worth 127 in 18 overs when Lancashire finally broke through.The decision to bring on Chris Green at the Lake End was rewarded when Guest tried to shovel the off spinner through mid-wicket, missed, and was lbw.That would have come as a relief to Lancashire who might have been starting to get a little anxious but they were soon celebrating again.Martin Andersson had top scored in the first innings but this time he got a good ball from Balderson that straightened to take the off stump.The morning got even better for the visitors when Anuj Dal, who has figured in several Derbyshire rearguard actions, tried to whip Green off his legs and was bowled.When Balderson again found just enough seam movement to bowl Zak Chappell, Madsen was in danger of being stranded and he saw another wicket fall in the last over of the session.Ben Aitchison edged Balderson low to second slip where Green took a good catch which meant Derbyshire had lost 5 for 33 in 11 overs.Madsen went into lunch unbeaten on 78, his eighth 50 in 15 innings this season, and it was now a question of whether he could convert that into three figures.He was denied by Bailey with the new ball which accounted for Blair Tickner and Jack Morley with Anderson taking the catch at third slip which sparked Lancashire’s long awaited celebrations.

Off-field issues cloud club’s development, but crushing victory over Gloucestershire is on cards

Alan Gardner28-Sep-2023Whether or not Sussex win their final match of the season – and they were well placed to beat Gloucestershire at the close on day three – could be the difference between finishing third or fifth in Division Two; between narrowly missing out on promotion or midtable mediocrity. Although in truth, as is the way with superficial summaries, neither would be an entirely accurate portrayal of how the campaign has gone.Paul Farbrace’s arrival over the winter came with a challenge for Sussex: to stop talking about potential and start doing the business on the pitch. The club, having made a public commitment to developing young players as a way of tightening their belt financially, had managed just three first-class victories – one per season – over the previous three summers. In 2022, they finished second from bottom in Division Two.Farbrace openly spoke of promotion as the goal for this year, and they made the perfect start by beating eventual Division Two champions Durham in a close season-opener at Hove. But an inability to drive home the advantage led to a succession of draws and Sussex had to wait until the 12th round before they achieved victory for the second time. Perversely enough, that 15-run win over Leicestershire was also the end of their promotion challenge – two further umpiring penalties taking the club’s tally to four for the season and resulting in an automatic points deduction, effectively ending any hopes of pipping Worcestershire to second spot.The mood of optimism has been tempered, with questions asked of the club hierarchy both at the members’ forum during the Gloucestershire game and in interviews with Jon Filby, Sussex’s chair, and Farbrace on the livestream. Among issues raised with Filby during an occasionally testy discussion with the BBC’s Adrian Harms were the club’s youth policy, matters of player discipline, Farbrace being linked with the Kent director of cricket job, and whether Ollie Robinson’s injury-enforced absence from the season run-in was genuine after the fast bowler was spotted caddying for his girlfriend at the PGA Championship Pro-Am earlier this month (it was, Filby assured listeners).Farbrace retains the “complete and absolute support” of the Sussex board, Filby added, and the head coach has already been making his assessments of where improvement can be made. While admitting that the job had perhaps been “a bit tougher than I thought it would be”, Farbrace indicated that Sussex would be aiming to bring in a number of signings to add an experienced core to the squad.”We have got some very talented youngsters and we very clearly need some experienced, solid cricketers on the field to help the players,” Farbrace told the BBC, adding that it may take a couple more seasons to achieve the right blend.”We probably need to bring in four or five senior players … It will probably take us two winters of good recruitment, get some really good senior players – men – around some of these young lads, and then I think the team will grow very quickly from that point onwards.”One of those who won’t be joining for next season is Chris Wright, however. Sussex announced the signing of Wright from Leicestershire in June, alongside that of Lancashire allrounder Danny Lamb, but Farbrace revealed that a change of family situation would prevent the 38-year-old seamer from fulfilling his contract.Sussex could bring in an overseas signing to captain the side, although it seems unlikely that Pujara will return in the role. Pujara, who averaged 79.22 across two seasons of Championship cricket (and 84.00 in the One-Day Cup), was suspended for the penultimate game at Derby and duly flew back to India ahead of his involvement in the Irani Cup with Saurashtra.There is no doubt that Sussex still have a depth of homegrown talent to draw on, and the emergence of James Coles in the middle order has been one of the undoubted success stories of Farbrace’s first season in charge. Coles started the summer in the seconds but has been ever-present since forcing his way into the first team after two rounds of the Championship, scoring his maiden first-class hundred in May and adding his third in the ongoing game against Gloucestershire. Coles is just 19 but finishes the season as Sussex’s second-leading run-scorer, with the club anticipating that involvement with England Lions is not far off.Coles’ efforts here underpinned a position of second-innings dominance for the home side. He was involved in a stand worth 155 with his captain, Tom Alsop, although received a left-off on 93 when Zafar Gohar put down a catch at fine leg off the bowling of Zaman Akhtar (Gohar also dropped Alsop, off the unfortunate Akhtar, earlier in the morning session). Further stands worth 79 and 68 followed with Oli Carter and Fynn Hudson-Prentice – the latter coming in the space of seven overs as Hudson-Prentice thrashed a 26-ball half-century.A target of 513 looked like being more than enough as Sussex set about making quick inroads with the new ball – although they are fielding a depleted attack and it is only two weeks since tempers flared as Leicestershire came close to chasing 499, while Glamorgan escaped earlier in the season after a first-innings blowout by making 737 second time around.As well as being without Robinson in this match, Sussex were missing their leading wicket-taker in the Championship, Ari Karvelas, with the fast bowler under investigation for another incident in the Leicestershire game. That Karvelas was referred to the ECB by the club themselves, over a comment reportedly directed at Leicestershire’s overseas player Umar Amin, only adds to the sense of a narrative yet to be fully formed.Speaking on the livestream, Farbrace admitted that he was happy to “ruffle a few feathers” and it has certainly been a season at Hove to leave one or two sitting uneasily in their deckchairs. But victory over Gloucestershire on Friday would secure a third win of the summer, and third place in Division Two might be regarded, after all, as tangible sign of progress.

Alick Athanaze was the only bright spot for West Indies on a day of dominance by the visitors

Hemant Brar12-Jul-20231:03

Dasgupta: Ashwin, a modern-day great

R Ashwin’s 33rd five-wicket haul in Test cricket helped India bundle out West Indies for a mere 150 on the opening day of the first Test at Windsor Park, before an unbroken 80-run opening partnership between Rohit Sharma and debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal further strengthened India’s grip on the match.Back in the playing XI after being left out for the World Test Championship final, Ashwin dismissed Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kraigg Brathwaite in the first session, Alzarri Joseph and debutant Alick Athanaze in the second, and then wrapped up the innings with the wicket of Jomel Warrican. As usual, he found good support from Ravindra Jadeja, who chipped in with three wickets.Twenty-four-year-old Athanaze was the only West Indies batter to offer any resistance. Last month, he had scored the joint-fastest half-century by anyone on ODI debut. On Wednesday, the left-hander showed he had the temperament for Test cricket as well. With wickets tumbling around him, Athanaze batted with a mix of caution and aggression but his stay came to an end when he top-edged a pull against Ashwin and was out for 47.Alick Athanaze in action on Test debut•Associated Press

When India came out to bat, Rohit did the bulk of the scoring initially as Jaiswal took 16 balls to open his account. The left-hander got off the mark by cutting Joseph over backward point for four, and increased his scoring rate as the innings progressed. By the end of the day, he had outscored his captain.The West Indies spinners, Rahkeem Cornwall and Warrican, found turn as well, but Rohit and Jaiswal faced few problems in dealing with them as the pitch had slowed down significantly by then. In the final over of the day, Jaiswal even reverse-swept Warrican for four.Earlier, Brathwaite won the toss and opted to bat first on a pitch with plenty of moisture in it. Mohammed Siraj found movement off the surface to beat Brathwaite’s outside edge three times in one over but he also strayed down the leg side more than once. Jaydev Unadkat was a lot more disciplined, bowling two maidens and conceding just four runs in his first four overs.Ashwin was introduced into the attack as early as the ninth over. He found Chanderpaul’s inside edge with his very first ball but it went past short leg.The offspinner, though, wasn’t to be denied for long. In his third over, Ashwin went wide of the crease from around the wicket and got the ball to land around middle stump. Chanderpaul looked to defend on the front foot but the ball turned just enough to beat the outside edge and hit the top of off. Having accounted for Shivnarine Chanderpaul four times in the past, Ashwin became the fifth bowler to dismiss a father-son pair in Test cricket.R Ashwin joined a small list of bowlers who’ve dismiss a father-son duo in Tests•AFP/Getty Images

Continuing around the wicket, Ashwin got rid of Brathwaite too. The West Indies captain tried to loft him over mid-on; instead, he ended up skying it to Rohit Sharma at extra cover.Shardul Thakur had Raymon Reifer caught behind in his first over, courtesy of a low catch by debutant Ishan Kishan, to make it 47 for 3. He could have had Jermaine Blackwood too but the leading edge just evaded a diving Shubman Gill at cover.On the last ball before lunch, however, Blackwood miscued Jadeja to the right of mid-off where Mohammed Siraj leapt in the air to take a one-handed stunner behind his body.Joshua Da Silva became Jadeja’s second victim soon after lunch. The wicketkeeper-batter went to cut Jadeja but extra bounce and little room resulted in an outside edge, which Kishan pouched on the second attempt.Ashwin too extracted prodigious turn in the second session, troubling both Athanaze and Holder. But the duo didn’t miss out on rare loose deliveries. Neither batter hesitated in taking the aerial route and added 41 for the sixth wicket to take West Indies past 100.The stand was broken when Holder fell into a short-ball trap laid by Siraj. The bowler banged one into the pitch and Holder pulled it straight into the hands of deep-backward square leg. A couple of overs later, Siraj hit Athanaze on the tip of the helmet with a bouncer as the batter took his eyes off the ball.While Alzarri Joseph, sent in ahead of Rahkeem Cornwall, could manage only four before Ashwin had him caught at short third, Athanaze was looking good for a half-century. He had the opportunity to reach there with a boundary when Ashwin bowled a short ball. Athanaze had pulled a similar delivery from Ashwin for four in the morning session, but this time he erred in execution.With West Indies eight down, Cornwall hit Ashwin for two fours in the first over after tea, but Kemar Roach and Warrican didn’t last long, falling to Jadeja and Ashwin, respectively, as the innings came to an end 25 minutes into the final session.

Jansen misses out as he’s recovering from surgery to his left thumb while Miller will be playing in the Hundred

Firdose Moonda24-Jul-2025South Africa’s regular white-ball captains Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma will return to lead the T20I and ODI squads, respectively, for next month’s tour of Australia. Markram was rested from South Africa’s Test and T20I series in Zimbabwe while Bavuma missed the Zimbabwe Tests with a hamstring injury he sustained at the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June. Both skippers will have relatively full-strength squads available to them.Notably, the squad was announced a week before Patrick Moroney, the new convenor of selectors, starts work on August 1, which means this was the last squad that all-format Shukri Conrad picked independently.”It’s great to have our senior players back in the mix after their rest following the WTC Final,” Conrad said in a statement. “Their experience and quality add real value to the group as we continue to build a strong core in both formats. Every series from here on plays a part in shaping our squads for next year’s T20 World Cup and the 50-over World Cup at home in 2027.”Of South Africa’s regulars, Marco Jansen and David Miller are the only two not named. Jansen is recovering from surgery to his left thumb from an issue picked up at the WTC final, while Miller will be playing in the Hundred. He is expected to return for South Africa’s white-ball tour of England in September.South Africa’s squads for Australia tour•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The rest of South Africa’s frontline attack, led by Kagiso Rabada in the seam department and Keshav Maharaj in the spin one, are all included. But Maharaj is not part of the T20I squad.Instead, left-arm spinners George Linde and Senuran Muthusamy, who are both currently in Zimbabwe, will play the T20Is alongside legspinner Nqaba Peter as South Africa assess their options for next year’s T20 World Cup. Tabraiz Shamsi, who opted out of a national contract last year, is not included in either squad. Conrad had indicated prior to the Zimbabwe series that he would speak to Shamsi to discuss his future.”Unfortunately, things got away from me, and I was never able to have that chat,” he said. “The spinners who have been selected have the inside track.”South Africa’s T20I playing group sees the return of Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs to the batting line-up, and the retention of Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis, who are both in Zimbabwe. Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger, Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka make up the seamers, but Gerald Coetzee is not included.Rassie van der Dussen was not included in the ODI squad for Australia•Zimbabwe Cricket

“There are only so many quicks you can put in your team in terms of balance,” Conrad said. “The players who have been selected are ahead of Gerald in the pecking order. In the 50-over squad, I wanted to try and get as many allrounders in the squad. You cannot ignore what Corbin Bosch has done. Gerald sits behind him.”The ODI squad’s batting line-up has the four named above as well Matthew Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi. Wiaan Mulder provides an all-round option in Jansen’s absence. While Rassie van der Dussen, who has South Africa’s second-highest ODI average, is not included in the ODI squad, Conrad also conceded that he is “very much in contention for the T20 World Cup”.”He gives you the option of batting at the top and at No. 3, and he is a great in a leadership role. With the 50-over [team], because I’ve got time before 2027, it gives me the opportunity to blood new players and see how they develop.”

T20I squad

Aiden Markram (capt), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, Rassie van der Dussen

ODI squad

Temba Bavuma (capt), Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen