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A round-up of the Sunfoil series matches that finished on March 13, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2016Bad light curtailed a thrilling chase at Kingsmead, where Dolphins fell 18 runs short of a mammoth target of 354. The evening’s events seemed highly unlikely when they were reduced to 2 for 1 at lunch, but out came Vaughn van Jaarsveld and took control with a measured century. He took the side to tea at 149 for 1. But Titans wouldn’t have been too worried. The required rate was still above eight an over and they had dismissed Jonathan Vandiar, who had chipped in with 69, and Khaya Zondo for a duck. Even with wickets in hand, 141 off 102 balls was a tough ask. But scoreboard pressure did not leave Dolphins all at sea.Van Jaarsveld fell for 124 off 156 balls and big-hitting allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo walked in with Dolphins 100 runs shy of their target with 12 overs left.Phehlukwayo cracked 40 off 24 balls with two fours and three sixes to push Dolphins ahead again. He was at the crease, looking at an asking rate of a mere 4.5. Titans needed four wickets in four overs. They had the express Marchant de Lange in fine form too – 4 for 90 in addition to 3 for 92 in the first innings. All was set for a photo finish, except the light gave out.Van Jaarsveld had starred in that first innings as well when Dolphins declared on 306 for 4 in the 92nd over, trailing Titans’ 451 presumably in an effort to force a victory. His 92 off 162 balls wasn’t the top score though. That belonged to opener Sarel Erwee with 108 off 232 balls.Titans’ second innings lasted most of the morning as they hoped to eat into the time left for the chase. Heino Kuhn (80) and Dean Elgar (66) provided the bulk of their total of 208 for 4 when the declaration came.Kuhn had a very productive match, he made 96 in the first innings and Titans were powered to their 400-plus total by a century from Qaasim Adams, who was batting at No. 6. A high-scoring match was primed for a high-scoring chase, but it was not to be.A seven-wicket haul from Duanne Olivier was complemented by Rudi Second’s half-century to secure Knights a 10-wicket victory over Lions in the Sunfoil Series.Lions were asked to bat in Johannesburg and they didn’t quite go about it well enough. There were four ducks, and only their opener and captain Stephen Cook (43) and Temba Bavuma (28 off 71 balls) managed to spend enough time in the middle. There were four ducks as Olivier picked up 3 for 34 and Malusi Siboto finished with 3 for 35 and Lions were bundled out for 144.Knights’ innings was fed by Second’s 70 off 157 balls with nine fours and Shadley van Schalkwyk’s half-century when he came in to bat at No. 8. Hardus Viljoen and Dwaine Pretorius picked up three wickets each, but the total had by then swollen to 248.With a lead of 104 runs, Knights’ bowlers set about dismantling the Lions line-up again. There were five single-digit scores and again Cook was the top-scorer with 42 off 90 balls. Olivier was skillful with the new ball again, with 4 for 63. Lions were rolled over for 214, leaving Knights a target of 115. Openers Reeza Hendricks and Michael Erlank hit fifties to seal a 10-wicket victory.

A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy Group C matches on October 3, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: After scoring 91 on a turning track, Ravindra Jadeja finished with 11 wickets in the match•Associated Press

This was Ravindra Jadeja’s match. After scoring 91 in the first innings to take Saurashtra to 307 on a turning track, he took six wickets to enforce a follow-on on Tripura. On the third morning he completed his second five-for of the match to help Saurashtra win by an innings and 118 runs. The win gives Saurashtra full seven points, and Jadeja a timely return to form and confidence at the start of India’s season. This was his third 10-wicket match haul in first-class cricket.Tripura began the day on 11 for 3, and resisted Saurashtra’s charge for what looked a certain innings win, but the other Jadeja – Dharmendrasinh – broke the back of their resistance. Once he got Maura Singh out at the team score of 56, the rest fell like a house of cards. Seven wickets fell for 30 runs, and the only contest now left was between the Jadejas: who would complete the five-for. Tripura’s ninth wicket fell to Dharmendrasinh, tying the two Jadejas at four wickets apiece. Ravindra, though, ended the proceedings with the return catch of Tushar Saha, his third such dismissal of the innings.
ScorecardThat Services would win, chasing 77 in the fourth innings, was almost a foregone conclusion at the start of the third day’s play. Their openers still began under pressure for on their staying till the end depended the extra point from the match. If Services had won by 10 wickets, they would have got seven points, otherwise just the six. Anshul Gupta and captain Soumik Chaterjee began cautiously, adding 59 in 24 overs, but Chaterjee fell to the Jharkhand quick Rahul Shukla. Thereafter Gupta and Ravi Chauhan completed the formalities to send Services to top of Group C for a couple minutes. Two minutes later Saurashtra completed their win, and went past them by one point.
ScorecardCenturies from Sachin Baby and Sanju Samson powered Kerala to a 155-run lead against Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar. Kerala, who began at 158 for 2, were dealt an early blow on day three when Rohan Prem, the overnight batsman, was dismissed for 69. Baby and Samson, though, held firm, batting through the next 57 overs and adding 177 for the fourth wicket. Samson, on his captaincy debut, struck 101 with 16 fours before being dismissed by Ram Dayal. Baby, however, hung around with the lower middle order and made his way to 151. He hit 21 fours and one six during his 310-ball knock, but was removed in the penultimate over of the day, as Kerala ended with 485 for 8.
ScorecardFour Goa batsmen chipped in with fifties, as a strong performance from the team’s top and middle order secured a first-innings lead against Hyderabad in Povorim. Goa, who began at an overnight score of 47 for 1, powered to 349 for 5 thanks to handy knocks from Swapnil Asnodkar (53), Rituraj Singh (59), Sagun Kamat (81 not out) and Darshan Misal (67). Asnodkar and Rituraj laid the groundwork, sharing a 98-run stand for the second wicket. Hyderabad fought back with two quick scalps, but Kamat strung together two more big partnerships – 69 for the fourth wicket with captain Dheeraj Jadhav, and 120 for the fifth with Misal – to ensure Goa carried a lead of 24 going into the final day.

Shakib Al Hasan spoke of the Bangladesh’s frustration on having a second consecutive day washed out due to rain, but said the players were doing other things to stay focused

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur01-Aug-2015As the sun appeared for the first time in two days at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Saturday, both Bangladesh and South Africa made their way to the ground at around 1:00 P.M. Soon, they got down to business by warming up for the third day’s play, which was set to begin at 2:15 P.M.But it was not to be. Just eight minutes before the players were supposed to walk out to the field, rain poured down again and in less than an hour, play was called off for the second successive day.The shortest Test played in Bangladesh was the 164.1 overs bowled during a match against New Zealand in 2008 in Dhaka, when the first three days were washed out. The one-off Test against India earlier in June was also short in terms of overs, with the second day being completely rained out in Fatullah. This game, though, is threatening to be even shorter unless the weather improves over the next two days.Shakib Al Hasan spoke of the players’ frustration, but also said that they were doing other things to stay focused.”It is frustrating but we can’t do anything about this,” Shakib told . “We need to focus on starting well, whenever we get a chance to play. We have two wickets in hand so we need to get as many runs as possible. We need to bowl well to restrict them for a reasonable total.”Some of us do gym or running session, or have a swim normally. Whatever makes them comfortable, it can be spending time with the family. We do these things to keep our mind fresh so that when we get a chance to play, we do well.”Shakib said that getting starts was an encouraging sign, but at the same time, felt it was important to capitalise on them and get settled for a big score. Five Bangladesh batsmen, including Shakib, were dismissed between scores of 30 and 65 in this Test.”If you see our scorecard, there are five-six guys who got starts but no one got a big run. That’s the frustrating part. But everyone is contributing. It is a good sign. We would love to see more people getting hundreds and when that happens, they get a big one,” he said.Shakib added that the pitch was not playing out as expected, and said it was equally difficult to score runs freely or expect to take wickets.”It is very hard to score runs in this track. Ball doesn’t come on to the bat. You can’t play your shots. At the same time, it is hard to get wickets if you are willing to play according to the ball and not make any mistakes. The pitch is not behaving the way we are expecting, so it is going to be harder whenever we get a chance.”Shakib expects Bangladesh to add more runs to their 246 for 8, but called for the spinners to quickly to come into the thick of things, hopefully on the fourth day.”Whenever you get one or two quick wickets, it will put opposition under tremendous pressure and hopefully our spinners do what we are expecting them to do. Hopefully it will be a very good match,” he said.

South Africa have a task on hand, facing up to the No. 1 Twenty20 side and their much-vaunted short-format attack so soon after the ODI series thumping

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Aug-2013

Match facts

Friday, August 02, 2013
Start time 1900 local (1330 GMT)South Africa’s batsmen have the demons of the ODI series to overcome•AFP

Big Picture

Before South Africa can even allow the lessons of a deflating ODI series loss to sink in, twelve of their one-day squad must now gather themselves for battle in a different format. The teams will play three matches over the next five days, beginning with a game at the R Premadasa Stadium, which has not only been the scene of two mammoth South Africa defeats in the past two weeks, but also a venue that only brought them sorrow in the World Twenty20 last year.Worse for the visitors, Twenty20 has become Sri Lanka’s strongest suit. They have been the top-ranked side in the format since October last year, and have arrived at a short-form formula few teams have successfully countered. The diversity in their attack is Sri Lanka’s greatest forte, but the top order packs a punch as well, and with two bona fide Twenty20 finishers in addition to Nuwan Kulasekara, lower down, they are not far from being a complete Twenty20 side.Chief among South Africa’s concerns has been their batsmen’s inability to handle Sri Lanka’s spinners, and they will hope the format’s demand for aggression will help them shake their funk against the slow bowlers. Ajantha Mendis was their primary tormentor in the ODIs, and though Mendis’ record has worsened in the longer formats overall, his Twenty20 statistics remain as daunting as they have ever been. Teams have unsettled Mendis by attacking him early in his spells in the past, but in order for South Africa to be in a position to do that, they must ensure the top order provides a more stable foundation than they have managed so far in the tour.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WWWLW (most recent first, last five completed matches)
South Africa LWLWL

Players to watch

Mahela Jayawardene could not make a significant score in the ODIs, and will want to emphasise his continuing importance to the side as the two other seniors have already done during the tour. He has been Sri Lanka’s best Twenty20 batsmen in the past, but his best innings have come when he has opened, which he may not do on Friday. He did not play in the fifth ODI and perhaps that short break will assist a return to form.AB de Villiers had been woeful with the bat in his first four innings in Sri Lanka, but indicated he had finally come to grips with the conditions with a run-a-ball 51 in the last match. He has been adamant that he is hitting the ball well in training, but may need to shoulder greater run-making responsibility as the most experienced batsman in the Twenty20 side. He will also be rid of the captaincy that appears to have worn him thin in the last fortnight, and perhaps a less burdened mind can spark the sort of innings his side expects from him.

Team news

Sri Lanka may think about batting Kusal Perera in the middle order, given that is where he has prospered in domestic cricket, but will also be tempted to try him at opener once more. Kulasekara is available for the first time in three weeks, but whether he plays or not will be determined by whether his batting now is deemed good enough for him to replace a batsman. Lahiru Thirimanne will likely make way if so.Sri Lanka (probable): 1. Kusal Perera, 2. Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3. Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4. Mahela Jayawardene, 5. Dinesh Chandimal (capt), 6. Angelo Mathews, 7. Lahiru Thirimanne/Nuwan Kulasekara, 8. Thisara Perera, 9. Sachithra Senanayake, 10. Ajantha Mendis, 11. Lasith MalingaDe Villers will likely open the innings alongside Henry Davids, as he did in South Africa’s last Twenty20 against Pakistan. Imran Tahir is likely to play as well, and will provide the attacking spin option South Africa have lacked in the ODIs, but the pace bowling spots are less secure, with at least four frontline fast bowlers vying for spots there.South Africa (probable): 1. AB de Villiers (wk), 2. Henry Davids, 3. Faf du Plessis (capt), 4. JP Duminy, 5. David Miller, 6. Ryan McLaren, 7. Chris Morris, 8. Wayne Parnell/Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 10. Rory Kleinveldt/Morne Morkel, 11. Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

Slow surfaces have compounded South Africa’s woes, and they should not expect respite from the Premadasa curators for this match. Thunderstorms continue to blow through Colombo, but the rain expected for Friday is forecast to ease well before the match is set to begin.

Stats and trivia

• If Sri Lanka defeat South Africa, they will have the best win-loss ratio in Twenty20 internationals, edging out Pakistan, who have won 1.68 games for each of their losses
• South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 32 runs, the last time the teams met, during the World Twenty20. The match had been reduced to seven overs a side, due to rain.

Quotes

“They’ve got some great Twenty20 players coming in; Wayne Parnell, Imran Tahir, Henry Davids. We haven’t played a lot of these guys before, so we can’t take this side lightly – they are still very good.”
“It’s great to have Imran with us because he gets wickets. That’s something that the Sri Lankan spinners have done very well, they’re always picking up wickets. It’s nice to have one of our own to do that and I’ll be using him to attack.”

In 12 months, 17-year-old quick Holly Ferling has gone from playing club cricket with her younger brother to impressing on the biggest stage in the women’s game

Abhishek Purohit in Mumbai18-Feb-2013A couple of hours after Australia had won their sixth Women’s World Cup, three of their players walked onto the outfield of Brabourne Stadium and lay down in the sea of confetti that covered the ground following their celebrations. Seeing that, an excited Holly Ferling raced towards them from the dressing room, her speed matching that of her run-up. She poured still more confetti on a team-mate, clicked photographs and then leaped onto the back of another team-mate who carried her all the way to the dressing room.Seventeen-year-old Ferling, the “baby of the team” in her own words, had been in tears before the start of the final when informed by her idol, Ellyse Perry, who’d missed the Super Sixes stage with injury, that she was replacing her for the big game. Overcoming her disappointment, Ferling had hustled drinks to the middle with all the enthusiasm of the teenager she is, feeling “more nervous” than the batters themselves. She’d hesitated to walk across the TV cameras stationed just outside the boundary rope, stopping to gingerly ask for permission from the cameramen. She’d heard people calling out her name, posed for pictures, and signed autographs, all the while “pinching” herself to confirm all this wasn’t the dream of a “star-struck” girl.A day earlier, Ferling couldn’t stop laughing while speaking. She was sharing space with women such as Perry, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Lisa Sthalekar. It had been an “unreal” 12 months for Ferling, in which she’d gone from playing club cricket with her younger brother to delighting audiences on the biggest stage with her pace, her bounce, her vivacity and her joyous celebrations.Ferling’s goal this year was to make her state debut for Queensland. Little did she know what was in store. “I will never forget this,” Ferling said with sparkling eyes and a permanent grin on her face. “I was playing age-group stuff. I was playing my grand final for my A-grade team [in club cricket]. I was Queensland Junior Cricketer of the Year [the first woman to win the award]. I went to Sri Lanka [with the World Twenty20 squad], made the Shooting Stars group [the junior national side]. It is an absolute honour … so hard to put into words. This is something you only dream about, to grow from making my state debut to making my international debut in months.”I am really very star-struck to be honest. It was the time I went to Sri Lanka, I had seen some of these girls on television, I hadn’t actually played with any of them. I didn’t know what to expect. I was like, ‘I am training alongside my heroes, sharing a room with them.'”Ferling said all she had been told to do in the tournament was to run in and bowl fast, and credited her use of the bouncer to growing up playing alongside men, especially her brother. “I do love my bouncer. I worked on it playing against the men, having a variation when they are coming at me. I definitely wanted to have it against my brother if he ever annoyed me. He is over six foot now and he is learning to bowl them back at me. It fires me up.”He plays for the same club as me. I was an opening bowler and he was an opening batter. It worked out well until he started getting stronger and older and started hitting me. Now he is bowling even quicker. I have had to improve my batting otherwise I am going to get hit. He likes the short one as well.”Ferling obviously shares a close relationship with her brother, who told people at the pub he works in to go home and watch his sister play for Australia in the World Cup. In the team, Ferling’s guide was the captain Jodie Fields. “She is my club captain and my state captain as well, someone I know really well and trust.”At 17, Ferling had the chance to witness how “fanatical” people are about the game in India. She found it “incredible” they knew her name and wanted her autograph. Fielding in the deep, she would struggle to hear her captain’s instructions amid the crowd’s cries in Cuttack.She relates all this without pausing for breath, with the infectious zest of a teenager who’s having the experience of her life and can’t wait to tell it all to whoever is willing to listen. Holly Ferling, 17, World Cup winner. “Incredible” indeed.

Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, has said new-ball bowler Zaheer Khan must continue to work on his fitness before the start of the Test series in Australia

03-Dec-2011Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, has said Zaheer Khan, India’s spearhead, must continue to work on his fitness before the start of the Test series in Australia. Zaheer was out of cricket between August and November due to injury, and was conditionally selected for the Australia series that begins with the Boxing Day Test.”I feel that Zaheer is still not 100% fit and we can’t afford to have a 50% fit Zaheer Khan in Australia,” Ganguly said during an event in Delhi. “For India, Zaheer still needs to play a lot more matches and for that he needs to be fully fit. One Ranji Trophy game is not enough.”There are still [some] days left [before the Tests] and I believe he will play another Ranji game as well as two practice matches in Australia. The BCCI has planned his schedule well, unlike ten years ago when I had to appear for a fitness test only ten days prior to an important tour.”Zaheer had injured his right hamstring on the first day of the England-India Test series this summer, before a recurring ankle injury re-surfaced later during the tour, forcing Zaheer out of the series. He underwent ankle surgery and made a return to competitive cricket on November 29, when he played a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai in Cuttack. He bowled 22 overs in the match, over two innings, and took four wickets.Ganguly also said R Ashwin, the offspinner who took 22 wickets in his debut Test series, against West Indies, will face a much tougher challenge in Australia. “Ashwin is a gifted cricketer. But bowling in India with SG balls against an inconsistent West Indies batting line-up is completely different from bowling with Kookaburra balls. Also the quality of batsmanship will certainly be higher [in Australia].”India faced another injury setback with medium-pacer Praveen Kumar being ruled out of the Tests in Australia earlier this week because of a fractured rib. His replacement will be named on December 5, and Ganguly said the decision should be carefully weighed.”We should have a good young pacer whoever it is. As far as Irfan [Pathan] is concerned, I have heard that he is bowling well [in the Ranji Trophy] but my question would be whether he is good enough to get into the team on his bowling alone.”Ashish [Nehra] is also getting wickets which is a good sign. I don’t think that not being centrally contracted [Nehra was not in the BCCI’s list of centrally contracted players released in October] is an issue. He is only 32 and can still play for India for some time.”Ganguly scored his first first-class century in two years this week, for Bengal against Haryana in the Ranji Trophy. The four-day match, though, ended in a draw. With draws in the tournament not being uncommon, Ganguly said its structure could do with a review. “I know there are times when the second innings becomes immaterial. Certainly we need to look at the possibility of whether we can make it a five-day affair.”

Lahiru Thirimanne pushed for a berth in Sri Lanka’s squad for the first Test with an unbeaten 100 for the Board XI against the Australians on the final day of the tour match at the P Sara Oval

The Report by Daniel Brettig at P Sara Oval 27-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Michael Clarke retired after reaching his century•AFP

Lahiru Thirimanne pressed for a berth in Sri Lanka’s team for the first Test with an unbeaten 100 for the Board XI against the Australians on the final day of the tour match. His determined and at times handsome innings also served to cloud Australia’s spin bowling plans for the first Test at Galle, as neither Michael Beer nor Nathan Lyon were able to pose too great a threat on a pitch that offered sizeable rough and some sharp turn.The Australians had been bowled out for 393, the captain Michael Clarke retiring after a suave 104, before the Board XI sailed smoothly to 174 for 2 by the time the teams agreed to an early close at about 4pm local time.Trent Copeland, with 1 for 14, and Ryan Harris again looked the tourists’ most likely bowlers, though Lyon (1 for 51) was able to claim the wicket of Thilan Samaraweera. Beer was the more economical of the pair, leaving the selectors a choice between promise and parsimony. It now seems unlikely that both will play in the Test, which starts on Wednesday.Clarke began the final morning intent on a century, which arrived at a considerable clip in the company of Harris after Peter Siddle played on and Copeland edged behind. Intent on remedying a drought of Test runs in the year leading up to his appointment as captain, Clarke showed precision, verve and some power off both front and back foot, against pace and spin.Kosala Kulasekara drew perhaps Clarke’s only false stroke, a top-edged hook that landed safely short of two men out for the shot, and followed it up with a few sharp words. Clarke responded spikily and the dialogue continued at the non-striker’s end. From there Clarke showed as much belligerence as elegance, and retired soon after reaching three figures in only 123 balls – he met the milestone with a most perfunctory wave of the bat.Harris made 26 before he was last out on the stroke of lunch, opening the afternoon for an audition by Lyon and Beer. Lyon was on first following the exit of Tharanga Paranavitana, edging Copeland behind, and immediately gained some turn. His flight raised the eyes of Samaraweera, who advanced once to clout Lyon for six, again to collect four via a thick inside edge and a third time for a skied drive and a catch to mid-on.This episode provided decent evidence of Lyon’s belief and attacking approach against a batsman intent on doing likewise, but he did not follow it up with further wickets. At the other end Beer was taken for 10 from his first over, but dropped onto a length subsequently and spun one delivery past Angelo Mathews as he sauntered forward, though the square-leg umpire ignored Brad Haddin’s stumping appeal.Neither Lyon nor Beer were able to tie down the local batsmen, and it may be helpful for the Australian selectors on tour to recall that the previous Test in Galle was a high-scoring draw, in which Suraj Randiv and Ajantha Mendis had to bowl a combined 107 overs for their nine wickets in the visitors’ first innings.Siddle’s place in the Test XI was open to question after the first innings, and his second effort did little to improve his position. He bowled a little better than on the first day, when a majority of his deliveries were pitched too short, but runs still accrued at too free a rate.Thirimanne played instead of an injured Tillakaratne Dilshan during the Sri Lankans’ Test series in England, and largely looked the part against the Australians. He was accompanied towards the end by Mathews, who played unobtrusively but well enough as the shadows lengthened.

Split-innings one-day matches will be taken to Townsville, Bunbury and Burnie after Australia’s domestic fixture list was released

Cricinfo staff25-Aug-2010Split-innings one-day matches will be taken to Townsville, Bunbury and Burnie after Australia’s domestic fixture list was released on Wednesday. The season begins with the first match of the new National One-Day Cup between Queensland and Tasmania at the Gabba on October 6, and it will be followed by the opening Sheffield Shield fixture two days later.Brought in to attract new spectators, the split-innings 45-over format will not be limited to the traditional home grounds. The Bulls will play against South Australia in Townsville in October while Tasmania will face New South Wales in Burnie in December and Western Australia will host the Tigers in Bunbury in February.”We are excited by the new concepts set to be trialled in interstate cricket this summer and look forward to public comment the split-innings format is set to create,” Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland said.The extended Twenty20 Big Bash, which includes 20 games, will start on December 30 and conclude on February 5. Victoria begin their Sheffield Shield defence at the MCG on October 25 and the final of the tournament is scheduled for March 17-21.To see the fixture list go here.

“I’m always going to have to live with Cape Town regardless of whether I lead again or not”

Reuters and ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2021Three years after his ignominious exit as Australia’s captain in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, Steven Smith has said he is keen and ready to lead the national side again if an opportunity came his way.Smith was suspended from international cricket for 12 months and banned from leadership roles for two years for his role in the scandal during the Cape Town Test in March 2018.After Smith’s ban Tim Paine took over the reins of Australia’s Test side while Aaron Finch was handed the captaincy of the white-ball formats.”I’ve certainly had a lot of time to think about it and I guess now I’ve got to a point where if the opportunity did come up again, I would be keen,” Smith told .”If it was what Cricket Australia wanted and it was what was best for the team at the time, it’s certainly something I would be interested in now, that’s for sure.”Related

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The scandal centred around Smith, his deputy David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, who was caught on camera attempting to change the condition of the ball using sandpaper, and it plunged Australian cricket into crisis.Paine has since led Australia’s Test side with distinction, but with the wicketkeeper-batsman turning 37 by the time he captains in the Ashes series against England at the end of 2021, a clear succession plan would be required.Few players have better credentials to succeed Paine than the 31-year-old Smith but it has been fast bowler Pat Cummins who has been nurtured in the past as Australia’s vice-captain and he has been handed the one-day captaincy of New South Wales this season”I’m always going to have to live with Cape Town regardless of whether I lead again or not. It’s always there,” Smith said. “I’ve been through all that now.”Time keeps moving forward, and I’ve learnt so much the last few years about myself and grown as a human being. I feel as though I’d be in a better place if the opportunity did come up.”If it doesn’t, that’s fine as well and I’d support whoever is in charge the same way I’ve supported Tim and Finchy. I haven’t always felt like I wanted to do it again. That’s only come in the last little bit.”The topic of Smith captaining Australia again came up during the visit by India this season when Finch missed the second T20I with injury and Cummins was not part of the squad. Matthew Wade was handed the role with coach Justin Langer there is a “process” to go through before Smith can captain again.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo late last year, CA chairman Earl Eddings said that there had not yet been discussions about Smith.”We’ve got some great young leaders coming through,” he said. “So it’s not just about should Steve take over, it’s about what’s best overall. Steve’s a great young man and he was a good captain when he was there. Like any succession there’s planning in place. Have we sat down as a board specifically to discuss the next captain? No we haven’t.”We’ll be guided by the recommendations of the selection panel, they always come back to our board at the right time with their recommendation, and we’ll go through it in detail when they do that.”

Hardik Pandya came close to taking a wicket in Hamilton on several occasions, but instead ended up with 44 for 0

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2019
4.3
HH Pandya to Munro, FOUR, magnificent! Picks the length early and whips this up and over the infield as it bounces past Vijay Shankar at deep midwicket. Vijay covered good ground again but the ball spun away and he ended up crashing into the advertising hoardings. Seems fine though12.1
HH Pandya to Munro, 1 run, dropped by Khaleel! Slower short one, spinning away from the batsman who plays half a pull, skies it towards backward square leg where Khaleel goes reverse cups but drops12.5
HH Pandya to Munro, 4 leg byes, a bouncer on middle and leg, goes for the pull, gets an edge that goes just over the short third man fielder [Pant], another boundary for Munro. Signalled leg-byes, might have just hit the elbow17.1
HH Pandya to de Grandhomme, 1 run, slower one outside off and smashed in the air towards extra cover, Rohit dives to his right and spills