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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.

A wonderfully-crafted new-ball spell from Vernon Philander, which brought him five wickets in six overs, sparked one of the most humiliating days in New Zealand Test history

The Report by David Hopps02-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNew Zealand’s innings lasted 19.2 overs – the shortest ever completed innings for them in Test cricket•AFP

A wonderfully-crafted new-ball spell from Vernon Philander, which brought him five wickets in six overs, set the tone for a wholly embarrassing day for New Zealand as they careered to the third-lowest Test score in their history, and the lowest Test total since 1974, in a contest which wasted no time in giving the impression of a mismatch.The New Zealand innings, undermined initially by Philander’s excellence, but increasingly defeatist as it progressed, lasted only 19.2 overs as they were bowled out in the first session. Lunch was still 19 minutes away when Daniel Flynn made a hash of a pull at Dale Steyn to be the last man out, leaving New Zealand no nearer to finding a semblance of stability following the controversial sacking of Ross Taylor from the captaincy.It was a gorgeous day at Newlands, and a capacity crowd soaked up the sunshine and relished the sight of South African domination.South Africa lost their captain, Graeme Smith, in two overs leading up to lunch, but the mastery established by Philander was equally apparent with the bat. Alviro Petersen helped himself to a measured, unbeaten Test hundred to underline his growing maturity. Hashim Amla purred along much as he pleased against optimistically attacking fields, extending his repertoire on occasions as if to stave off boredom and making 66 from 74 balls, before he wandered blithely across his stumps against James Franklin and suffered for his presumption.Statistical landmarks, though, fell elsewhere. Dale Steyn reached 300 Test wickets in his 61st Test before lunch and became the fourth South African to do so, following Shaun Pollock, Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini. Then came another redoubtable figure, Jacques Kallis, who joined Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid as makers of 13,000 Test runs. He briefly gorged himself on the New Zealand attack in the unconcerned manner of a king used to more exacting feats before departing with many potential courses left uneaten.This has been one of the sorriest interludes in New Zealand cricket, with allegations of dishonesty and former players burning blazers, but when the real business – Test cricket – returned, matters became even worse as New Zealand were humbled by a mighty South Africa pace attack.Philander’s method was simple and clinical as he maintained impeccable accuracy and found just enough assistance to be persistently threatening. Martin Guptill, Dean Brownlie and BJ Watling edged to wicketkeeper or slips, New Zealand’s brusque new captain, Brendon McCullum, was bowled off an inside edge trying to cover the outswing and Kane Williamson fell lbw after his recourse to DRS proved unsuccessful.There was nothing manifestly disturbing about Philander, no trepidation caused by express pace or even lavish movement, but conditions were lively enough and he lulled a somewhat naïve New Zealand batting line-up into error, killing with kindness, a technician takinbg advantage of indeterminate footwork. It took South Africa a long time to recognise his subtle talents and he is making up for lost time.He returned new-ball figures of 6-3-7-5, quite a feat for a bowler who had been doubtful for this Test after tweaking a hamstring a fortnight ago and who was described by Smith, his captain, on the eve of the Test as “provisionally fit”. New Zealand will be provisionally judged to be out of their depth and the two-Test series will be provisionally held to be over.All this delayed, if not entirely overshadowed, Steyn’s move to 300 Test wickets. He went unrewarded in his opening spell while Philander wreaked havoc, but switched to the Wynberg End for his second spell and with his third ball bowled Doug Bracewell with a delivery that swung away to hit off stump.The last thing New Zealand needed was a difficult decision at the toss, but that was what McCullum faced in his first Test in charge since the removal of Taylor. The pitch was green, if not especially so, and certainly not as green as the New Zealand batsmen. It would have been tempting for New Zealand captains of the old school to feel their way into the Test by having a bowl. Instead, McCullum took the assertive route, as is his style, and his team was found entirely wanting.In cricketing terms, McCullum’s decision was justifiable. There were enough cracks in a pitch dried out by the strong winds of recent days to dissuade McCullum from batting last and, if he looked upwards, he found a stunning Cape Town morning, with Table Mountain shimmering under cloudless blue skies. All they had to do was survive a session. Instead, Philander’s lissom skills soon took their toll.He had a wicket with the last ball of his first over, an outswinger edged by Guptill. There were two more wickets in his third over; a good-length ball caused McCullum to play on and Brownlie fell third ball for nought. It was a limp shot from Brownlie who was batting in Taylor’s spot at No. 4 (a spot where Taylor made 142 and 74 in his last two Test innings, against Sri Lanka in Colombo), one that was hardly designed to fill New Zealand with a sense of feelgood.Philander was unlikely to be given a long spell considering the creeping doubts about his fitness, but he made the most of his limited timespan. Williamson, after having the temerity to drive him down the ground, fell lbw to the last ball of his fourth over and BJ Watling fell to probably the best ball of the lot when the first delivery of his fifth over again found the edge. Morne Morkel preyed upon the tail.Kallis and Steyn’s historic moments will mean that much of the attention will rest upon them. But this is only Philander’s third Test at Newlands and he already has 19 wickets at 9.73. He loves Test cricket and he loves nowhere more than Newlands.

The Bombay High Court has given Nimbus Communications four weeks to deposit Rs 305 crores (approx. US$61 million) with the court as security for the amount the BCCI claims it is owed by the company

Tariq Engineer23-Jan-2012The Bombay High Court has given Nimbus Communications four weeks to deposit Rs 305 crores (approx. US$61 million) with the court as security for the amount the BCCI claims it is owed by the company. The order, issued by Justice SJ Vazifdar on January 19, 2012, came after the board had moved the court asking for Nimbus to provide a security for the outstandings.The BCCI argued that the amount is due to them for the telecast of India’s recent home one-day series against England and the West Indies series, and asked that the amount be taken from the advertisement revenue earned through Nimbus’ sports channels – Neo Sports and Neo Cricket.The lawyers for Nimbus and Neo Sports, however, claimed that the terminated contract was between BCCI and Nimbus and did not involve Neo Sports. Therefore Neo was not liable to pay the board anything. Neo, they argued, was an independently-run business and though it was a subsidiary of Nimbus, there were no legitimate grounds to use its revenues to pay off the debts of its parent company.However, the court disagreed with Nimbus’ argument and ruled that “the respondents [Nimbus and Neo] should deposit all monies which they have already received from the advertisers as consideration for broadcast of advertisements on the television channel/s owned and operated by the respondents in relation to the 2011 cricket series.” In addition, the court directed Nimbus to petition the advertisers who still owed them money for the same series to deposit that money with the court as well, with the stipulation that the total amount placed with the court was not to exceed Rs 305 crores.Nimbus and the BCCI are locked in a battle over the television rights for cricket in India. The board terminated the contract between the parties last month, claiming Nimbus had defaulted but were stymied by the courts when it came to encashing bank guarantees worth Rs 1600 crores (approx. $320 million). ESPNcricinfo understands that the dispute over the contract is now under arbitration.

Despite the threat of two players skipping the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament in Hong Kong over non-payment of a bonus promised by USACA, the entire USA squad departed as scheduled

Peter Della Penna16-Jan-2011Despite the threat of two players skipping the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament in Hong Kong over non-payment of a bonus promised by USACA, the USA squad departed as scheduled on Saturday morning from JFK Airport in New York. The only player missing was Rashard Marshall, who was excused due to a death in his wife’s family according to USACA vice president of operations Manaf Mohamed. Marshall is reportedly in Trinidad and will leave on Monday to join the squad for the tournament which starts on January 22.Two anonymous players had told ESPNcricinfo last week that they were considering staying home unless they received an overdue bonus for winning Division Four in Italy last August. Everyone came to the airport, even though it is understood that the bonus still hasn’t been paid.USA coach Clayton Lambert is hoping the team will now be able to focus on the task at hand, finishing in the top two to advance to Division Two in the UAE this April.”For us, it’s all about playing well,” Lambert said. “Once we play as a team, there’s no infighting; everybody kind of rallies around each other. Most of our guys have a bit of first class or international experience so that helps. All we need to really do is go and execute because our talent-level can match any team that is in this particular Division Three. So what we need to do is go and execute and play better than they do.”Several of the teams in the tournament have had solid preparation for Division Three. Oman and Hong Kong both went to Sri Lanka to play a series of warm-up matches against local sides while a number of Papua New Guinea’s players participated in the Australian Country Championships. Denmark also planned a five-day camp in Sri Lanka so it appears that USA and Italy are the only teams entering the tournament without any significant preparation prior to arriving in Hong Kong. Lambert acknowledged that that but said he hoped the team’s early arrival in Hong Kong could make up for it.”Of course it’s a concern. The last time we played any decent cricket was a month ago. I’m hoping that all of the guys are serious enough to keep up their training. I just have to see where we are. The good thing is that we have one week prior to the tournament. We should be able to adjust by then.”USA has one warm-up game scheduled against Hong Kong on Monday, less than 24 hours after they land, followed by four days of practices ahead of the first official match against Hong Kong on Saturday. Lambert hopes the squad will make good use of the next five days in order to start the tournament right.”The most important thing is to see how well the guys acclimatise, how well their bodies adjust. The game that we’re going to play, it’s the very first full day after we get to Hong Kong. I would have liked it to be a couple of days later so we could sort of get ourselves acclimatised. I’m just looking to see how well they adjust to the new conditions. We want to have a feel of how the wickets are going to play.”The USACA board meeting scheduled to take place in New York this weekend in conjunction with the team’s departure was cancelled due to “inclement weather.” New York received about six inches of snow on Tuesday, but has had no weather problems since. A decision was due to be taken at the meeting regarding the announcement of the date for this year’s USACA general elections. It is unknown when the board meeting will be rescheduled.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has said the ground conditions at the Shere Bangla National Stadium are “almost unplayable and unfit to play” with regard to the evening dew

Sriram Veera at the Shere Bangla National Stadium04-Jan-2010Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has said the ground conditions at the Shere Bangla National Stadium are “almost unplayable and unfit to play” with regard to the evening dew. In fact, he proposed that the subsequent games in the tri-nation tournament start earlier to avoid such a situation.”It was almost impossible to grip the ball as the dew started at 6:00 pm and we had four spinners in our team,” Shakib said. “If the conditions remain like this, even 300 won’t be difficult to chase. I even discussed the matter with [Kumar] Sangakkara, who agreed. We might speak to the officials and try to change the timing of the games to a 12:00 pm start.”His opposite number, Sangakkara, admitted that the dew was a big issue. “I had spoken to the groundsman earlier and therefore decided to chase,” he said. “Tomorrow this could happen to us. I can understand Shakib’s views but I don’t know what you can do about it [changing the time].”Of course, if the start time changes, it would make for better cricket. But I guess you take the good with the bad. You do feel sorry for the fielding side as dew kicked in the evening.”India captain MS Dhoni had expressed his concerns yesterday. “It would be good if we can start the match at 11:00 am, so that it gets over by 8:30 pm or 9:00 pm, at least an hour earlier than what it is now,” Dhoni said. “That is the time it really gets wet, but we have to play at whatever timings are given to us. We don’t decide on these matters.”The dew certainly played its role today, killing the excitement during the chase as the spinners found it difficult to grip the ball. But the game was lost while batting. It was the first game of the tournament and, ideally, it should have been exciting.However the dull, drab and low-quality contest witnessed half the crowd, which was never strong to begin with, heading for the exits mid-way during the chase. Perhaps it was the cold that was the catalyst behind the exodus, but the quality of play certainly wasn’t rivetting enough for them to brave the elements and come in numbers or stay till the finish.Bangladesh suffered from the old problems that have derailed their progress at the international level. Their top order struggled, rather surprisingly, against bounce on such an easy-paced wicket. The first four wickets all fell to short-pitched deliveries.Interestingly, around the time of the toss, the top order were practicing pull shots. They stood in line and kept pulling the balls which were thrown at them on to a net flung to their left. One was curious whether they were expecting short deliveries on this track or were they simply practicing big swings to the on side?And when it came, it didn’t seem like a plan. “On these wickets, you can’t go with a short-ball plan,” Sangakkara said. “But we found out that they were facing some problems with bounce and Suranga Lakmal later exploited it well.”Chanaka Welegedera bowled one short in the fourth over and Imrul Kayes was slow on the pull. The ball brushed the shoulders en route to Sangakkara. Another short ball, in the seventh over from Nuwan Kulasekara, saw Kayes mistime another pull but it cleared midwicket. The third bouncer though, in the 13th over, undid him as he got a fatal top-edge trying to pull.That seemed to kickstart a collapse. Lakmal got one to kick up to Raqibul Hasan’s shoulder height, who stabbed it straight to slips, while Shakib upper cut another lifter straight to thirdman. Mohammad Ashraful and Mahmudullah did the repair job, but on this wicket, with dew waiting to play havoc later in the day, 260 was never going to be enough.

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

Rizwan, who scored 90 not out, was the lone spark for Pakistan in another disappointing game for their batters

Ashish Pant19-Jan-2024Unbeaten half-centuries from Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell backing up frugal two-wicket hauls each from Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson gave New Zealand a comfortable seven-wicket victory in the fourth T20I against Pakistan and a 4-0 lead in the five-match series.Sent into bat, Mohammad Rizwan was the lone spark for Pakistan in another disappointing game for their batters, in Christchurch. He scored an unbeaten 90 off 63 balls, while the rest of the batters managed only 61 off 55 and Pakistan reached 158 for 5 in their 20 overs.In reply, Shaheen Shah Afridi struck three times in his first two overs to have New Zealand under pressure for the first time in the series. But Mitchell and Phillips took their time in settling in before opening up their shoulders big time to help New Zealand coast to victory in 18.1 overs. Phillips remained unbeaten on a 52-ball 70 while Mitchell scored 72 not out off 44 with the duo adding an unbeaten 139 off 93 balls for the third wicket.

Rizwan, Babar light up powerplay

Pakistan were batting first for the first time in this series. But Henry put an early spanner in their works when he had Saim Ayub edging to first slip, where Mitchell took a straightforward catch on the second attempt.Rizwan, however, wasn’t going to get bogged down. Adam Milne, playing his 50th T20I, was taken for two successive fours, while Tim Southee also was given a similar treatment. Rizwan then dispatched Ferguson miles over deep midwicket, with Babar Azam also joining in on the fun as Pakistan raced to 51 for 1 in six overs.

Rizwan goes big, but middle order disappoints

Rizwan continued his merry ways, finding the gaps at regular intervals. But as has been the case with Pakistan’s batting this series, they failed to stitch partnerships. Babar fell to a 149.5kph Milne bumper that he could only mistime to Phillips at deep midwicket. Fakhar Zaman came in and sucked the momentum out of the innings, labouring to 9 off 15 before Ferguson put him out of his misery. Sahibzada Farhan, who replaced Azam Khan, lasted two balls as Pakistan slipped to 86 for 4 after 13 overs.Mohammad Rizwan stayed unbeaten on 90 but it wasn’t enough•AFP/Getty Images

However, Rizwan continued to play the lone ranger. He took 38 balls to reach fifty but with wickets falling at the other end, he focused on rotating the strike more than taking risks. That Pakistan got past 150 was down to Mohammad Nawaz hammering Milne for three successive sixes in the 19th over that went for 21.However, on a two-paced surface, 158 seemed a touch under par.

Afridi rocks New Zealand early

The skip in the step was back and so was the famous celebration. Finn Allen struck Afridi for two fours on the bounce, but on the fourth ball of the first over, he closed the face of the bat too soon on a full-length ball on leg stump to be caught at point. Two balls later, Tim Seifert’s feeble chip landed straight into the hands of Babar at mid-off. Afridi was not done yet. He then got a short-of-length ball going at Will Young, who struck a powerful pull but Nawaz at short midwicket flung to his right and plucked out a good catch. New Zealand suddenly found themselves in unfamiliar territory at 20 for 3 after 2.4 overs.

Phillips, Mitchell ace the chase

It was like a perfect template on how to set up a chase when the team has lost a few wickets early. Phillps was his usual busy self, collecting boundaries and sprinting like a gazelle between wickets. Mitchell was patient, initially, even when the required run rate breached the nine-run mark.New Zealand managed only 38 runs in the powerplay and reached 70 after ten. But importantly, they did not lose a wicket. Not that they did not give chances. A big moment in the game came in the tenth over when Mitchell mis-hit a sweep off Nawaz to deep backward square leg where Mohammad Wasim misjudged the catch with the ball falling almost at his feet. In the 13th over then, it was Farhan who dropped a dolly at long-on.Mitchell made sure he cashed in. With the required rated climbing, he got into overdrive finding gaps regularly. From scoring 14 off his first 16, he raced to his fifty off 34 balls with a six off Afridi. Phillips also got his half-century in 41 balls with both batters switching to carnage mode. The Pakistan bowlers looked clueless and the target was eventually achieved with 11 balls to spare.

Rashid vs Conway could be a key contest, as it was when these two sides met last year in Abu Dhabi

Deivarayan Muthu25-Oct-20221:44

Boult – ‘Win against Australia one of my proudest moments’

Big picture

Finn Allen’s no-holds-barred assault, Devon Conway’s more measured 92 not out, James Neesham’s late blows, Mitchell Santner’s powerplay smarts, and timely strikes from the seamers formed the ingredients of a dominant opening victory for New Zealand on Saturday. It was so dominant that New Zealand’s net run-rate is +4.450, and the World Cup is already on the line for Australia.Before the tournament, not many gave New Zealand a chance to put it past Australia. Before Saturday, the last time New Zealand beat Australia in the country was in a Test match in 2011, when Trent Boult made his international debut in Hobart. And the last time New Zealand beat Australia at the SCG was when Brendon McCullum made his ODI debut at the venue in 2002.Related

• Watch the ball hard, hit the ball hard: the Finn Allen mantra

• Early-season conditions turn MCG into pace paradise

In his first World Cup game, Allen unleashed McCullum-esque down-the-track swings, proving the fire to Conway’s ice. #MCGsobig, but Allen’s T20 mantra is simple: watch the ball hard, hit the ball hard. So watch out, Afghanistan.Conway, who is arguably the best player of spin in the New Zealand line-up, will have a major role to play against Rashid Khan and co. again, having done so in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. New Zealand will be buoyed further by the potential return of allrounder Daryl Mitchell, who trained with the squad in the last couple of days as he works his way back from a finger fracture.Afghanistan have also made good progress in T20 cricket – they now have Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq to back up their spin trio of Rashid, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi. All three spinners will dip into their Big Bash League (BBL) experiences, which captain Nabi alluded to during the pre-match press conference.Afghanistan’s batting and catching, however, doesn’t appear as healthy. Against England in Perth, they subsided to 112 all out from 82 for 3 and then dropped Alex Hales twice during their defence. They can’t afford such slip-ups against a razor-sharp New Zealand side as one more defeat could push them closer to elimination.

Form guide

Afghanistan LLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WLWWWMujeeb Ur Rahman is four wickets away from 50 strikes in T20Is•Getty Images

In the spotlight

Hitting sixes at the MCG is bloody difficult unless you are Virat Kohli. Afghanistan’s six-or-nothing batting template, which is fairly comparable to West Indies’, may not quite suit the conditions in Australia. This is where Ibrahim Zadran comes in as a key player on the batting front. Zadran isn’t a big hitter like Rahmanullah Gurbaz or Hazratullah Zazai, but has both the technique and temperament to construct or reconstruct an innings. The 20-year-old’s recent form is also encouraging: he has thirty-plus scores in each of his last five T20I innings.Last weekend, Mark Wood exposed Afghanistan’s vulnerability against high pace and bounce. New Zealand will now unleash a fit-again Lockie Ferguson on them. There is also a case for them to pair up Ferguson with Adam Milne at the MCG. When Afghanistan faced New Zealand in the last World Cup, Ferguson, who was injured at the time, was only doing light training with Chris Donaldson. This is now his chance to stamp his authority on the T20 World Cup.

Team news

Afghanistan might consider replacing Fareed Ahmad with Naveen.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Ibrahim Zadran, 4 Usman Ghani, 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Azmatullah Omarzai, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq/Fareed Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiOn the eve of the game, Trent Boult said Mitchell had the “determination” and “hunger to want to be out there”. Mark Chapman will likely make way for Mitchell, while offspin-bowling allrounder Michael Bracewell might have to wait his turn a little longer.”Daryl has trained in the last two days and come through both fielding and batting really, really well,” head coach Gary Stead said on the eve of the match. “We will just wait and see how he scrubs up tomorrow morning just to make a final call but at this stage it’s looking like he will be available for selection. So, we will have a full squad of 15 players to select from.”New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 James Neesham, 6 Daryl Mitchell, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Tim Southee/Adam Milne, 11 Lockie Ferguson

Pitch and conditions

Nabi, who has played for Melbourne Renegades in the BBL, said he has never seen an MCG pitch so green. “Yes, at that time in Big Bash, it was drier,” Nabi said on Tuesday. “The ball swings early on for one or two overs, but after that it will be a little bit slower, [some] help for spinners, and the ball won’t swing that much.”But here the pitch is new and also a little bit green. as well, and also the weather is cold.” If the India-Pakistan game was anything to go by, there could be some early swing, which would pique the interest of Farooqi and Boult. Both Afghanistan and New Zealand will have the benefit of watching what unfolds in the game prior to theirs, with Ireland facing England first up in the afternoon.There is an 80% chance of rain on Wednesday, according to the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology.

Stats and trivia

• Conway became the fastest New Zealander – and third-fastest batter overall – to 1000 T20I runs on Saturday, getting there in his 26th innings.
• Neesham has struck at 204.16 in T20Is this year at the death. Only Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka (210.61) has a better strike rate than Neesham among batters who have faced at least 90 balls at the death (overs 17-20). Hardik Pandya, Rovman Powell and Dinesh Karthik round out the top five in this list.
• Gurbaz has struggled against left-arm fingerspin in T20Is, managing just 77 runs off 91 balls at a strike rate of just under 85 while being dismissed five times. Expect New Zealand match Santner up with Gurbaz in the powerplay.
• Mujeeb is four wickets away from 50 strikes in T20Is. He will become the third Afghanistan bowler to the landmark after Rashid and Nabi.

Quotes

“Yeah, Southee and Boult, they are both good bowlers and also bowling-wise they use the conditions very well. They bowl swing and also they can bowl slow ones at the same time. Yeah, we all see the videos and everything, and also we discuss all these things.”
“I’ve only played a handful of games really at the ‘G, but yeah, an amazing stadium. Obviously to get out there and be on the World Cup stage is going to be pretty special as well.

Barbadian fast bowler has UK passport and impressed on trial with 2nd XI

George Dobell15-Jun-2021Warwickshire look set to pull off something of a coup in signing Che Simmons, a young fast bowler who has been dubbed the “new Jofra Archer”.Simmons, a 17-year-old seamer, was born and raised in Barbados. But he also holds a UK passport through his father and, having been recommended to Warwickshire’s director of sport, Paul Farbrace, by fellow Barbadian Ottis Gibson, was invited to play a few games for Warwickshire’s 2nd XI as a trialist.Having made an excellent impression, Simmons is expected to be offered a deal which might well include some type of scholarship in order that he can complete his education in the UK. He currently attends Combermere School, which has a rich history of producing top players. As well has current West Indies Test captain, Kraigg Brathwaite, Wes Hall, Clyde Walcott, Frank Worrall and Chris Jordan also attended the school. So did the singer, Rihanna.A fast bowler with a beautiful smooth run-up and action, Simmons has represented Barbados Under-15s and came to prominence by claiming all 10 wickets in an innings while playing for the Franklyn Stephenson Academy. He finished with the remarkable figures of 10 for 16 from 5.3 overs. Only two of the runs he conceded came off the bat.While good news for Warwickshire and, potentially, England, it might be seen as another setback for cricket in the Caribbean. While Archer and Jordan are the most high-profile cricketers to have opted for England ahead of Barbados in recent years, Warwickshire have another young Barbadian in Jacob Bethell on their staff. Some at Warwickshire believe Bethell, a left-arm spinner and batter, is the best young player the club has had since the emergence of Ian Bell.

South Africa eight down at the close and trailing by 54 runs as England battle with the ball

The Report by Matt Roller04-Jan-2020The narrative surrounding England’s first two World Test Championship series has been dominated by the Smiths: Steven ground them into the dirt with his runs in the Ashes, and Graeme’s appointment as director of cricket appears to have sparked new life into South Africa.And as Dean Elgar piled on the runs with Rassie van der Dussen – who had begun to seem almost invincible, such was his ability to survive despite offering regular chances – Joe Root could have been forgiven thinking that, as far as his side was concerned, this joke wasn’t funny anymore.But the thorn was soon out of his side, as South Africa went nowhere fast. Perhaps weighed down by the pressure of prolonged dry spells from England’s change bowlers, Elgar, Quinton de Kock and van der Dussen all gave their wickets away in the day’s final hour to squander their side’s advantage, before James Anderson struck twice with the new ball to leave South Africa eight down at the close.Instead, still trailing by 54 runs and facing the prospect of batting last on a wicket that has proved more helpful to seamers than many had predicted, South Africa face a tough ask to get what they want this time.England’s attempts during the morning to frustrate South Africa with a significant last-wicket partnership lasted only 17 balls, as Anderson steered a back-of-a-length ball to van der Dussen at slip to give Kagiso Rabada his third wicket, leaving Ollie Pope on a battling, unbeaten 61.While they were profligate with the new ball at Centurion, Stuart Broad and Anderson started impressively at Newlands. Pieter Malan’s maiden Test innings was a stern challenge of his technique, and it ended quickly: after Elgar had edged the final ball of Anderson’s fourth over just short of Root at slip, Malan was drawn into fending a length ball to the same man in the same position, this time offering a simple chance.Broad struck again in his next over, dismissing Zubayr Hamza for the third time this series thanks to a superb diving catch by Ben Stokes at second slip, and when Faf du Plessis jabbed a length ball from Anderson into the cordon it left South Africa in trouble at 40 for 3.Dom Bess, the Somerset offspinner, nearly had a wicket with his first ball in an overseas Test, as he drew Elgar into a lofted drive that only narrowly evaded the grasp of the diving Pope at short extra cover, and Anderson looked to have trapped van der Dussen lbw early on in his innings, but he was saved on review thanks to a thick inside edge.But as Elgar and van der Dussen began to frustrate England, the tourists proved to be their own worst enemies. Van der Dussen gloved a brutal delivery behind only to be saved by the revelation that Broad had overstepped. In fact, Broad and Stokes overstepped 12 times between them in the afternoon session despite the scorecard recording a very different story.Van der Dussen had yet another life on 43, with Stokes dropping a tough chance at second slip to his right, and their pair soon had the highest partnership of the series and a hundred stand as Elgar nudged, pulled and tickled his way towards a third Newlands century.But as the runs began to dry up, Elgar suffered a brain-fade. On 88, he decided to aim a fullish ball outside the off stump from Bess into the stands, and instead only succeeded in mowing it straight in the air; Root, running back from mid-off, took the catch, and England had an important breakthrough.Much as the wicket came as a surprise given Elgar had grown in confidence and control through his innings, England had worked steadily and with real focus to remove him, like a tick from a cat’s ear. The 10.4 overs after the tea interval had cost only 16 runs, and the visiting attack had been parsimonious throughout, with the seamers operating from the Wynberg End while Bess tied things down from the other; as the brakes were put on, South Africa struggled to rein their attacking instincts in.De Kock was keen to go from the outset, but after a couple of boundaries skied an offcutter from Sam Curran up and into the safe hands of Anderson at mid-off, and when van der Dussen gave Stokes another chance at second slip while trying to run the same bowler down to third man, England had mirrored South Africa in taking two wickets just before the new ball was due.Anderson then struck with the new ball, getting Dwaine Pretorius to edge twice to Stokes at second slip. First, he put down a catch for the second time in the day, low down in front of him, but three balls later gobbled up a much harder chance to leave the hosts seven down and claim his fourth catch of the innings. And when the ball spooned up to Dom Sibley in the slips off Keshav Maharaj’s pad via the inside edge, England’s ascendancy was confirmed.