Category Uncategorized

Glamorgan have signed South African international batsman David Miller as an overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jul-2017Glamorgan have signed South African international batsman David Miller as an overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast campaign.Miller arrives on Saturday and will be available for six T20 Blast matches, starting with Essex Eagles on July 23, with his last match set to be against Surrey only 12 days later in a packed schedule.Miller is available because he has not being included in the South Africa A 50-over squad that will compete in a triangular series against India A and Afghanistan A which starts on July 26. It is expected he will be part of the four-day squad that play India A in two four-day matches, starting on August 12.He has played 52 T20 internationals and 99 one-day Internationals for South Africa with previous experience in the NatWest T20 Blast for both Durham Jets and Yorkshire Vikings in previous campaigns. The white-ball specialist has enjoyed successful spells for St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League and in the IPL for the Kings XI Punjab.He adds to a strong South African contingent in Glamorgan’s middle order which also include Kolpak-registered Colin Ingram and overseas player Jacques Rudolph.Miller’s last outing in Cardiff was at the end of June for South Africa in the third NatWest International T20 when England were victorious.”We are delighted to sign David Miller for a six-game stint,” said Hugh Morris, Glamorgan’s chief executive and director of cricket. “David is a fine batsman, with a wealth of experience in T20 cricket. He is a match-winner and a finisher, proven to be one of the most destructive batsmen in the game at both domestic and international level.”Hopefully his signing will add depth to our batting and boost our prospects of replicating last season’s form when we secured a home quarter-final in the knockout stages.After four matches Glamorgan currently sit in a qualifying position from the South Group having won two games against this weekend’s opponents in Cardiff: Sussex Sharks and Essex Eagles.

There was time for Tony Palladino to pass another noteable milestone and Michael Hogan to strike two quick blows for Glamorgan before rain cut short the second day

ECB Reporters Network25-Apr-2016
ScorecardTony Palladino collected his 10th Derbyshire five-for (file photo)•PA Photos

There was time for Tony Palladino to pass another noteable milestone and Michael Hogan to strike two quick blows for Glamorgan before rain cut short the second day of the game at Derby.Derbyshire seamer Palladino took his tenth five-wicket haul for the county and the 12th of his career before Timm van der Gugten and Andrew Salter revived Glamorgan by adding 63 in 15 overs. Hogan then removed Chesney Hughes and Hamish Rutherford but Ben Slater and Wayne Madsen prevented further setbacks until the rain arrived and wiped out the final session.Batting was more demanding than on day one and Glamorgan’s lower order crumbled in the face of some fine bowling by Palladino, who struck in consecutive overs.Luke Fletcher made the first breakthrough, defeating Craig Meschede’s drive without addition to the overnight score, before Palladino got one to lift sharply at Graham Wagg, who was well caught by Hughes at first slip. When Hogan’s attempt to clear the ropes ended in the hands of Rutherford back-peddling from mid-off, Glamorgan had lost three wickets in four overs for six runs but Derbyshire were frustrated by a tenth-wicket stand that secured a fourth batting point.The bitterly cold conditions made bowling difficult for legspinner Matt Critchley, who was twice dispatched for six by van der Gugten, the second landing on the roof of the pavilion. The Netherlands seamer also hit four fours before he edged Wes Durston low to slip.Derbyshire’s reply was briefly halted by a sharp shower but Slater and Hughes profited from some loose bowling until Hogan broke through from the Racecourse End.Hughes had his off stump knocked back as he aimed an expansive drive with little foot movement and Rutherford also contributed to his own downfall six overs later. The New Zealand international lifted a short ball from Hogan over the slips but only picked out Salter at third man, where he took a well-judged catch just inside the ropes.Madsen did well to survive his first ball, which reared unpleasantly, but Glamorgan could not maintain the pressure as the third-wicket pair added another 40 runs before the rain clouds rolled in.

ESPNcricinfo previews the fifth Investec Ashes Test at The Oval

The Preview by Alan Gardner20-Aug-2013

Match facts

August 21-25, The Oval
Start time 1100 (1000 GMT)Chris Tremlett has a “good chance” of coming back into the side for a first Test appearance since January 2012•Getty Images

Big Picture

Not since 1981 have England arrived at The Oval for the last Test of an Ashes summer with the series already won. The possibility that lies tantalisingly before them is even rarer. Never before have Australia been beaten 4-0 by England and only once have they lost by such a wide margin (the 5-1 home defeat in 1978-79, when Packer was a dirty word). After a demoralising six weeks, when Australia have regularly misplaced their key moments, they will have to find extra reserves if they not to be swept away by an English tide.Metaphor aside, Australia have again delved into their squad to supplement an ever-changing cast, with James Faulkner called on to make his Test debut. Only Mathew Wade of the original 16-man party has not been utilised and, with the additions of Ashton Agar and Steven Smith, Australia will have used 17 different players over the course of the series – not to mention a batting order that has changed with every Test. England, by contrast, have been their usual, methodical selves and only an injury to Tim Bresnan will force them to alter the team for the first time since Steven Finn was dropped for the second Test at Lord’s. It is not only the scorelines that have changed in Ashes cricket.It may not be the cauldron of expectation experienced in 2005 and 2009, then, but The Oval has a recent record of producing memorable finales. Despite England’s supremacy, this series has at times brought to mind the joke from about a conversation between two elderly women at a resort in the Catskill mountains: “One of them says, ‘Boy, the food in this place is terrible.’ The other one says, ‘Yeah, I know, and such small portions.'” There has been a shortfall in quality on both sides – only Ian Bell, Graeme Swann and Ryan Harris can claim to have had outstanding series – but the Investec Ashes continues to serve up irresistible moments.

Form guide

England: WDWWW
Australia: LDLLL

Players to watch

Jonny Bairstow has been attempting to nail down a spot in England’s Test side for over a year now but, despite frequent encouraging episodes, the hammer keeps descending at a crooked angle. His 67 at Lord’s was crucial in helping to right England’s first innings and 203 runs at 29.00 in the series puts him above both Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott but doubts about his technique and temperament persist. England have not had a century from their No. 6 batsman since Eoin Morgan in 2010 but it feels like Bairstow needs a three-figure score to be sure of his place this winter.When you have backers like Shane Warne in your corner, big things are expected and James Faulkner has provided plenty of evidence of his talent since his debut for Tasmania as an 18-year-old. Now 23, Faulkner averages 30.31 with the bat and 22.87 with the ball in first-class cricket and his feisty, competitive spirit has been to the fore in a handful of limited-overs appearances for his country. That aside, Australia may hope the fact Faulkner hails from Launceston, hometown of Ricky Ponting, is enough to make England edgy.

Team news

Alastair Cook said that Chris Tremlett has a “good chance” of coming back into the side for a first Test appearance since January 2012. Bresnan’s back injury means a space has opened up in the attack and Tremlett will be up against Chris Woakes – more of a like-for-like replacement for the all-round talents of Bresnan – and Finn. Giving Simon Kerrigan a debut alongside Graeme Swann remains an outside possibility, though England have not played two spinners at home since Cardiff 2009.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Joe Root, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Chris Tremlett 11 James AndersonAustralia have announced their XI in advance, with Faulkner set to make his debut and Mitchell Starc returning. Usman Khawaja and Jackson Bird drop out and, with allrounder Faulkner coming in at No. 7, Australia will rejig their batting order again. After two innings at No. 6 (and one at No. 4), Shane Watson moves back up the order to first drop, a position that has caused Australia a deal of grief in recent times, while Brad Haddin is now in the top six, above a lengthy, if doughty, tail.Australia 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 James Faulkner, 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Nathan Lyon

Pitch and conditions

The Oval has been on the slow side and more liable to turn in recent years but, although the pitch for the fifth Test is dry, there is an expectation that it will be quicker and bouncier than usual. The weather is forecast to be warm, although there is the possibility of showers interrupting a couple of day’s play.

Stats and trivia

• England have only lost six times to Australia at The Oval, against 16 wins, making it their most successful home ground.
• The last time Australia went two consecutive series without winning a Test was in 1986.
• After 98 and 96 Test matches respectively, the batting records of Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook are separated by 33 runs and 0.21 in average. Pietersen is marginally ahead of his captain but Cook has two more centuries (25 to 23).
• James Faulkner will become the 435th player to represent Australia in Tests.

Quotes

“I think it would be very special to win the Ashes 4-0. That is what our motivation is as a side and we are hopefully going to pick the right side – the side that we think can win this Test match.”
“He is an extra option to help us take 20 wickets but it is the overall package that James Faulkner brings. His toughness and performances of late in whatever format and the fact that he is not just a bowler. He can make some very handy runs for us.”

A round-up of the 5th, 9th and 13th place play-off matches that took place in the Under-19 World Cup on August 21

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2012England‘s bowlers led by Reece Topley, restricted Bangladesh to 217 for 7, before their batsmen overcame a middle-order stutter to complete a four-wicket win in the 5th place play-off semi-final at Townsville.Bangladesh’s batting effort was anchored by opener Litton Das, who made a century. Das and captain Anamul Haque (56) put on 113 for the second wicket and at 122 for 1, Bangladesh looked set for a big score. However Topley ran through the middle order as Bangladesh lost five wickets for 25 runs and slumped from 187 for 2 to 212 for 7. England’s chase followed a similar pattern to the Bangladesh innings: at 90 for 1, with Sam Wood (46) and Ben Foakes (47) looking set at the crease, they looked to have the chase well under control. However a quick flurry of wickets meant 90 for 1 soon became 158 for 6 and England’s chase looked in trouble. However, Adam Ball and Aneesh Kapil stayed steady and their unbroken 60-run stand for the seventh wicket carried England home with 10 balls remaining.Pradeep Airee narrowly missed out on becoming Nepal‘s first centurion of the tournament, but he did enough to set up victory over Namibia in their 13th place play-off semi-final at the Peter Burge Oval in Brisbane. Airee finished unbeaten on 98 from 76 deliveries as Nepal put together a total of 219 for 7 having chosen to bat, and the chase did not begin well for Namibia.They were 22 for 2 in the ninth over and although half-centuries to the captain Stephan Baard (56) and Zhivago Groenewald (54) helped steady the ship, once they departed it was all but over for Namibia. Bhuvan Karki, the Nepal left-arm spinner, picked up 5 for 21, the equal second-best figures of the tournament, and Namibia were dismissed for 180, handing Nepal a 39-run victory.It was a proud day for Papua New Guinea at the WEP Harris Oval in Brisbane, where they closed out a 12-run victory over Zimbabwe in the other 13th place play-off semi-final. It was their first win of the tournament and was a major turnaround after Zimbabwe beat them by 104 runs ten days ago. The win was set up by half-centuries to Charles Amini (63) and Lega Siaka (50), as PNG were dismissed for 235 from the last ball of their 50th over.The Zimbabwean chased appeared to be well and truly on track as Kieran Geyle (42) and the captain Luke Masasire (68) put on a 108-run opening stand, but then things began to crumble for Zimbabwe. Kabua Vagi Morea collected three wickets in quick succession and Zimbabwe’s middle order struggled. Still, they remained favourites with 37 needed from six overs with four wickets in hand, but a pair of run-outs and another wicket hurt them, and the tenth wicket fell from the first ball of the 50th over, with 13 runs still required for victory.Javed Ahmadi recorded the highest individual score of this edition of the World Cup, with his 134 helping Afghanistan to a massive win over Scotland in the 9th place play-off semi-final at Allan Border Field. The captain Ahmadi smashed 17 fours and four sixes in his 111-knock before he was dismissed in the 38th over. Some power hitting by Najibullah Zadran (83 off 51) and Afsar Khan took the score to 336, the second-highest total so far. The total was well out of reach for Scotland, who managed only 210, to lose by 126 runs. Only two batsmen passed 30, with the highest score being Mathew Cross’ 37.

The company behind Hot Spot, BBG Sports, have said the application of Vaseline to the edge of a bat has no discernible effect on the technology

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2011The company behind Hot Spot, BBG Sports, has said the application of Vaseline to the edge of a bat has no discernible effect on the technology. A batsman would have to apply a whole centimetre of Vaseline to the edge of a bat for it to have any effect, the company told ESPNcricinfo.A controversy over the system erupted when Michael Vaughan, the former England captain and now commentator, sent out a tweet that suggested India batsman VVS Laxman may have applied Vaseline to the edge of his bat, which helped him escape a caught-behind appeal on the second day of the Trent Bridge Test. England were convinced Laxman had nicked a James Anderson delivery, and though Snicko showed there was a noise as ball passed bat, Hot Spot did not show any deflection. Stuart Broad admitted to checking Laxman’s bat and said he found nothing. Broad also said the England players were not convinced Hot Spot picked up faint edgesBBG Sports decided to undertake tests to see whether the cameras used for Hot Spot could be tricked by the use of artificial substances on the edge of the bat. They have now released a statement saying: “We have done testing over the past two days in our office and can conclude that putting Vaseline on the side of a cricket bat has no discernible effect on our Hot Spot system. Maybe if you were able to apply 10 millimetres [one centimetre] of Vaseline on the side of the bat it would make a difference but we believe that this would be near impossible to achieve.”Warren Brennan, the owner of Hot Spot, had previously said the device’s accuracy was around 90-95% and could be impacted by factors like bright sunshine and the speed of the bat in the shot. He had also suggested at the time that there was a chance a substance like Vaseline could restrict the friction of the ball hitting the bat and therefore reduce the effectiveness of Hot Spot, but after conducting tests BBG have found that it would take too much Vaseline to have that effect.The company will also conduct tests to see if stickers on the edge of a bat can possibly dull the heat created by a nick and thereby reduce its presence on the Hot Spot cameras. The technology providers however said their observations during the Trent Bridge Test were that Hot Spot did register contact with the bats that had stickers on them.Hot Spot has been made a mandatory piece of technology for the DRS system following the ICC’s meetings in Hong Kong last month, where it was also decided to make Hawk-Eye optional. The infra-red cameras have been especially effective at deciding bat-pad catches and whether a batsman has been hit pad first in an lbw appeal, although in the England-India series the DRS is not being used for any leg-before decisions.There have been a number of occasions when Hot Spot has proved inconclusive in caught-behind decisions. During the last Ashes, Kevin Pietersen survived in Melbourne, which incensed Ricky Ponting, while in Sydney Ian Bell survived an appeal which Snicko – which isn’t used with the DRS – later suggested was out.

ECB chairman Giles Clarke has said an ICC World XI will tour Pakistan “in due course” since it is still not possible for national teams to visit the country

Cricinfo staff17-Aug-2010ECB chairman Giles Clarke has called for Pakistan’s return as a host of international matches and said an ICC World XI would tour the country “in due course” since it is still not possible for national teams to visit. Pakistan has not hosted international cricket since the March 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team.”World cricket must keep giving Pakistan cricket the chance to fund itself and move forward, to do something for the spectator in Pakistan,” Clarke wrote in the September issue of magazine. The security challenges are enormous but we cannot allow the terrorists to win. They must lose by an innings – repeatedly.”So world cricket must go back and play in Pakistan. I do not think it will be possible for individual national teams to tour yet. But with determination and courage an ICC World XI in due course will go and play against Pakistan in her great cities and there will be a marvellous atmosphere.”He said the cricketing world could not afford to forsake a country with such fervent fans and a strong history in the game. “Cricket cannot abandon a nation with such a magnificent history in the game, such wonderful players and such enthusiastic and knowledgeable supporters. It will be an historic moment when international cricket resumes in Pakistan and the first ICC team walks out.”Clarke, who is also chairman of the ICC’s Pakistan Task Team, revealed that the inability to host international cricket has resulted in the PCB’s income falling from £27 million to £10 million, “a brutal impact that few enterprises could survive; terrorism does not care about its human consequences” he said.The ECB plans to host more neutral matches featuring Pakistan to help the PCB with its finances. “The ECB intends to assist in staging more Pakistan games here [England] in 2011 and 2012,” Clarke said. “The atmosphere, the passionate support and, of course, the tremendous cricket played by the Pakistan team made it a compelling experience. The PCB’s economic needs make it imperative.”Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman welcomed the announcement and expressed his gratitude for Clarke’s efforts. “It is indeed heartening to note that the cricket fraternity is working on revival of cricket in Pakistan. I am very grateful to Mr. Giles Clarke who is a dear friend of Pakistan, for pursuing our case and working tirelessly in bringing international cricket back to Pakistan,” he said.Ijaz Butt’s views were echoed by Pakistan captain Salman Butt, who said it would be a major boost for followers of cricket in his country. “It would be wonderful to have any kind of international cricket going on in Pakistan and if all the players can come and do this favour for Pakistan cricket it would be wonderful.”People of Pakistan are cricket lovers and they are their heroes not only from Pakistan but from around the world and they love watching them. hey are great admirers of people playing around th world so if that happens it would be great for Pakistan cricket,” he said.England captain Andrew Strauss said the initiative would benefit Pakistan’s young players who would needed exposure at the highest level. “The key for them is to get as much cricket as possible. They’ve been starved over the last couple of years. For some of their younger players, the more experience they get the better they’ll be. The international cricketing community has to help out teams like Pakistan who have difficulties at home,” he said.Strauss was open to the possibility of touring Pakistan with the World XI side, provided it were declared safe. England’s 2008 tour of India was jeopardised by the Mumbai terrorist attacks, forcing the squad to head back home midway through the ODI series. Strauss was part of the Test side that returned to India to play a rescheduled series. “In the wake of Mumbai bombings, I’ve always felt it was wrong not to go somewhere if security people said it was safe. They make that judgment with as much information as they can. If they said it was safe to go I’d certainly consider it.”Strauss said that while the cricketing world had a responsibility towards Pakistan due to their situation, it should not extend to the field of play. “With the natural disasters there, some of the difficulties they’ve had in terms of terrorism over the last couple of years it’s very difficult for their players to keep their minds on the job and play at their best. We can have sympathy for them in that sense, but it doesn’t come into it on the pitch. It’s like getting into a boxing ring: you can’t have sympathy for the guy you’re competing against,” he said.

Van der Dussen scored his seventh T20I fifty to flatten Pakistan

Firdose Moonda13-Dec-2024Reeza Hendricks scored his first T20I century, in his tenth year of being an international cricketer, as South Africa won their first bilateral T20I series win since August 2022. They registered the third-highest successful chase at SuperSport Park to break a T20I trophy drought that has extended for eight series, since they beat Ireland more than two years ago. It is also Rob Walter’s first T20I series win since taking over the white-ball coaching job in March 2023.After being asked to field first, South Africa conceded the fifth-highest first-innings total at SuperSport Park and chased it down with three balls to spare. Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen, batting at No.4, shared a third-wicket partnership of 157 off 83 balls to form the spine of the chase. Van der Dussen scored his seventh T20I fifty and hit the winning runs with stand-in captain Heinrich Klaasen at the other end.Pakistan were guilty of an over-reliance on the slower ball, which they sent down liberally, but that may not be where they lost the game. Although they crossed 200, they could have had many more. They were 103 for 1 after 11 overs and 136 for 4 after 16.In that five-over period, South Africa took 3 for 33, thanks to debutant Dayyaan Galiem and left-arm spinner George Linde. Despite those strikes, Pakistan’s innings was built on two big partnerships: Babar Azam and Saim Ayub put on 87 off 45 balls for the second wicket before Ayub and Irfan Khan posted 73 of 32 balls for the fifth wicket to propel their score over 200.It was not enough thanks to Hendricks and van der Dussen, two older hands, who took South Africa home.Dayyaan’s dream (and nightmare) debut Galiem was planning to be at this match, but not playing in it. He had hospitality suite tickets and was due to be sitting with his domestic team-mates enjoying the start of the December holidays with some drinks but on his way home from the gym this week, he got a call he never expected. Anrich Nortje had broken his left big toe and Galiem was called up to the national squad. He was given a debut on his home ground and then handed the new ball.His first over cost just three runs. Exactly why he didn’t bowl another in the powerplay is for Klaasen to answer but in that period he dropped Ayub on 3, which proved costly. He was brought back on in the seventh over, and erred once in length with a short, wide ball but taken off again. In his third spell, Galiem got his first international wicket when Usman Khan top-edged him to Kwena Maphaka at deep third but his moment came in his final over. It was only the second he bowled in succession and Tayyab Tahir popped a leading edge back up to him and Galiem took a sharp catch. It would not have made up for his earlier miss but it gave him good figures of 2 for 21 in four overs, with 12 dot balls, in his first international outing. But that wasn’t the end of Galiem. He was at long-on when Ayub hit Donovan Ferreira just about straight to him. Galiem got himself into an awkward position and the ball burst out of his hands.Sensational Saim but he would have wanted two more Pakistan separated RizBar as they continue to experiment with their opening combination and Ayub has made the case to continue in the role. He scored three runs off the first eight balls he faced before swatting a Ferreira delivery to debutant Galiem at point, who could not hold on to the chance. The next ball Ayub faced, he muscled over deep midwicket for six at the start of a spectacular takedown of Maphaka. The next two balls brought back-to-back boundaries before three dot balls ended the most expensive over of the Powerplay. The slog sweep proved a favourite shot of Ayub’s as he perfectly complemented Babar.Ayub’s career-best, and also his first half-century in the format came off 33 balls in the 11th over, so he had the time and opportunity to double up. After Babar was dismissed, Ayub brought out more classical strokes like the square drive. He continued to take on Maphaka, and hit him for three sixes in his final over to stand on the edge of 90, with three overs left. In a cruel twist, Ayub only faced six balls in the last three overs, and none in the last over, and was left unbeaten on 98.Jahandad’s double strikeBrought into the side in place of wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem, Jahandad Khan almost immediately showed what he can do. His second delivery moved away from the left-handed Ryan Rickelton, who could not help but play at it with minimal foot movement and edged to Rizwan to end the opening partnership on 6. In his next over, Jahandad played with his lengths and speeds, delivered a slower ball and then and ended with a short ball which Matthew Breetzke attempted to pull but could only sky to mid-on. Shaheen Shah Afridi took a simple catch to leave South Africa 28 for 2 after four overs. A hundred for Hendricks A day after being dropped from the ODI side to play Pakistan next week and with questions swirling over his continued presence in national squads, Hendricks silenced his critics by showing he still has what it takes at this level. He operated at a run-a-ball off the first 14 balls he faced and then tucked into a short Haris Rauf delivery to top-edge him over fine leg for six before putting a slower ball into the stands over deep square for six more. A third six saw South Africa finish the powerplay on 52 for 2, seven runs ahead and a wicket more than Pakistan’s 45 for 1 at the same stage.He went on to smash two more sixes, including one off Abbas Afridi which brought up his fifty off 29 deliveries, by the halfway stage. South Africa were 94 for 2; at the same stage Pakistan were 90 for 1. Hendricks dealt in boundaries and leapt into the nineties with three more sixes and two fours before bringing up triple figures when he hit Rauf over midwicket. His hundred came off 54 balls, and he finished with 117 off 63 balls, including seven fours and 10 sixes and left South African on the brink of victory. When Hendricks was dismissed, they needed 21 runs off 14 balls, and got there off 11.

Captain lashes out at star opener after World Cup squad omission

Mohammad Isam27-Sep-2023Shakib Al Hasan, has launched a scathing attack on Tamim Iqbal ahead of the World Cup, calling him “childish” and criticising Tamim for putting himself ahead of the team’s needs.Tamim has been in and out of the Bangladesh side, battling a persistent back injury, which on Tuesday was cited as the reason for his exclusion from the World Cup squad. Except, earlier today, Tamim took to Facebook to insist he would have been fit enough to take part in the tournament and that the reason he won’t be travelling to India is because he had grown weary of the BCB creating roadblocks for him. One of which, he said, was a top board official asking him to bat down the order.”I am sure someone who is authorized had said this (to Tamim),” Shakib, the Bangladesh captain, told the Dhaka-based TV channel T-Sports in an interview that was aired on Wednesday night. “I am sure whoever has said it, he thought of the team. A lot of things go into building a combination for a match. So if someone has said this to him, was it wrong? Or we can’t make such a proposal? I am just going to tell someone that you can do whatever you want. Is the team first or the individual?”Related

• Tamim Iqbal to 'wait till January' before deciding on his international future

• Hathurusinghe deflects Shakib vs Tamim talk, wants focus to be on making final four

• Shakib Al Hasan outlines his retirement plan

• Tamim hits out at BCB; claims he would have been fit in time for World Cup

In a sustained and unsparing critique, Shakib said Tamim was being selfish in not thinking of the team.”Someone like Rohit Sharma built his career from No. 7 to opener, scored 10,000-plus runs. If he sometimes bats at No 3 or 4, would it be a big problem? It is totally childish. It is my bat, I will play. No one else can play. A player should bat at any position for the team. Team first. It doesn’t make any difference if you have made 100 or 200, and the team loses. What can you do with personal achievement? You want to make a name for yourself?”You are not thinking about the team at all. People don’t understand these things. Why was the proposal given to him? It was for the team. What is wrong in that? You are a team man when you agree to such a proposal. Unless you are thinking along those lines, you are not a team man. You are playing for individual records, success, fame, and name. Not for the team.”Tamim’s troubles began in July during a home series against Afghanistan, where he said he was playing through a back injury, the same one that he is currently managing. It led to his missing the Asia Cup and the final match of his comeback series as well, against New Zealand, earlier this week.Shakib said he didn’t want to carry a player with a fitness question mark over him into the World Cup and even went to the extent of saying anyone playing without being 100% fit is cheating the team.Tamim Iqbal did not like being asked to bat down the order•AFP/Getty Images

“I didn’t discuss the subject with the particular player, medical team or selector. It is definitely the board’s decision. People might doubt my capability or capacity but someone like MS Dhoni, who has won everything and has the knowledge and sense, once said that the unfit player who is playing is cheating his team and country. I think we should accept it, and not just Tamim but every player (that you have to be fully fit when playing for the team or country).”Other teams have similar concerns, like New Zealand have named their captain Kane Williamson for the World Cup despite him not being 100% after an ACL injury. But there has already been clarity around the extent of his participation and the lack of certainty when it comes to Tamim appears to be a sticking point.”Kane Williamson won’t play the first two matches, but then he will start playing,” Shakib said. “If I knew something like this, I wouldn’t have any problems. But if I know that there’s uncertainty about him playing the seventh or the third or the first game, or that I will only know in the morning of the game, it will be difficult for me to select the team. I don’t think we need such a player.”There has been speculation that Tamim was only fit enough to play five matches at the World Cup and though the opener has refuted them as lies, not everyone is convinced.”I certainly heard that he will play selectively,” Shakib said. “A journalist can’t really tell you that he will come to the office an hour before he wants to come to office. If you ask me personally, if I was the company CEO, I won’t keep that employee. Although I never had any discussion about this matter.”Shakib also took a dim view of Tamim choosing to resign as ODI captain just two months out from the World Cup. “I have often heard in the dressing room that he is leaving the captaincy. Even a player once told him that ‘, leave it early so that the new captain gets a bit of time’. Exactly that’s what happened. The one who came in, didn’t get the time. Each and everyone knew including the selectors and board officials. Papon (BCB president Nazmul Hassan) certainly knew about it.”I don’t know why he didn’t leave it (earlier). He can tell you. It is like, your commander takes you to war but (Shakib mimicking a solider) after he has got you ready, the commander isn’t telling you to fire or retreat. Where will you go? We were in this situation in the last two matches against Afghanistan (in July).”The captain wouldn’t have changed ahead of the Asia Cup and the World Cup, unless he himself announced that he was resigning or retiring. It would have happened 18 months ago, when everyone knew what was about to happen.”

Explosive batting and exciting bowling will be on stage in Ahmedabad

Deivarayan Muthu26-May-20222:45

Should teams look to bat first in a pressure game?

Big picture

Last weekend, Royal Challengers Bangalore were on the brink of elimination, needing Mumbai Indians to knock Delhi Capitals out. Mumbai did them that favour, and now the stars are aligning for Royal Challengers.Harshal Patel, Royal Challengers’ designated death bowler, has recovered sufficiently from a hand injury. Rajat Patidar’s high-risk 112 not out against Lucknow Super Giants fetched them high reward and put them in the second qualifier. Dinesh Karthik, too, rode his luck on Wednesday, and now Royal Challengers are one step away from featuring in the final this weekend.

IPL Live in the USA

Watch live coverage of Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore on ESPN+ in English or in Hindi

Standing between RCB and the chance to meet Gujarat Titans in the final are Rajasthan Royals. Jos Buttler’s brief slowdown and the lack of enough batting firepower beyond Shimron Hetmyer crippled them in the first qualifier against Titans in Kolkata. Prasidh Krishna and R Ashwin also erred in their lines and lengths at different points on Tuesday as the risk of playing six batters and five bowlers in T20 cricket was exposed.Both Royals and Royal Challengers will also have to deal with the challenge of adapting quickly to the conditions at the Motera. The venue has been Royals’ home ground in the past: in all, they have played 12 matches here and have won seven.

In the news

Royals’ allrounder Daryl Mitchell has exited the IPL bubble to link up with the New Zealand side in Chelmsford.

Likely XIs

Rajasthan Royals: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Devdutt Padikkal, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Trent Boult, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Obed McCoy, 11 Prasidh KrishnaRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Mahipal Lomror, 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Strategy punt

Match up Wanindu Hasaranga with Sanju Samson once again. The RCB legspinner has dismissed Samson five times in six T20 innings while conceding only 18 runs off 23 balls. Mohammed Siraj also had a favourable head-to-head record against Samson: two dismissals for 21 runs off 20 balls.

Stats that matter

• Since 2021, teams batting first have won six games, and teams batting second have won 11 games in T20 cricket at the Motera.
• Karthik has been dismissed thrice in ten innings by Yuzvendra Chahal and averages just 12.66 against him in T20s.
• After taking ten wickets in his first eight matches this season at an economy rate of 7.8, Krishna has managed only five strikes since, in seven games, with his economy rate shooting up to nine.
• Royals and Royal Challengers have had the best spin attacks this IPL, in terms of wickets taken. Royals’ spinners have grabbed 38 wickets to RCB’s 35.
• Friday’s game will be Hasaranga’s 100th in T20 cricket.

Three-match Test series against Australia begins on February 18, four days after the Pakistan tour ends

Firdose Moonda14-Jan-2021South Africa could be forced to field a second-string T20I side on their upcoming tour of Pakistan as the bulk of the squad will have to return home to prepare for three Tests against Australia.Although the fixtures and venues for the Australia series are yet to be confirmed, provisional dates have the first Test scheduled to start on February 18, four days after the tour to Pakistan ends. The short turnaround could mean that some red-ball players, including temporary Test captain Quinton de Kock, could return home on February 8, after the second Test, in order to prepare for Australia.”It won’t be our strongest team because the emphasis is on Test cricket against Australia, rightly so. It might be a watered-down T20 team,” Mark Boucher, South Africa’s coach, said. “And that’s not a bad thing. At the start of the season, I alluded to the fact that we are going to have to use a lot of players. This is an opportunity for guys to put their hands up. We haven’t played a lot of cricket, there haven’t been a lot of A tours and even though it’s not ideal to throw guys into the deep end and make them play international cricket when they are maybe not ready, there are not many other choices at the moment. Some will be pushed into the deep end and we will see how they respond.”South Africa are yet to name their T20I squad, whose first match in Lahore is on February 11, but with the T20 World Cup in mind, they may want to field several players from the Test squad such as de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi and George Linde. However, as teams such as England and Australia have experienced in the past, they may have to settle for having two very different squads as they navigate a packed schedule in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.The same will apply to the team management, with Boucher preparing to return home with the Test players and assistant coach Enoch Nkwe due to remain in Pakistan with the T20I squad. “The initial talk was that Enoch might stay over in Pakistan and finish off the series and I will come back. We are trying to split the management as well as we can to show the importance of both series,” Boucher said. “We are preparing for most of our management to come back and one or two of them staying over.”A final decision will be made once South Africa’s schedule against Australia is confirmed. By then, the Test squad will be ensconced in a security and bio-secure bubble in Pakistan, which could see them confined to just one floor of a hotel, although options for some recreational activities are being looked into. “Our security officers are looking at a club that is next door to the hotel where there is a pool, a gym and a field the guys can get out to and run around a bit,” Boucher said. “But we are used to spending time in hotels almost in lockdown scenarios when you tour the subcontinent. We have got a games room to keep the guys interested. And Netflix has become a bit of a winner as well with guys lying around in the room and watching a few things.”Workload management: Boucher could return home early with assistant coach Enoch Nkwe staying in Pakistan with the T20I side•AFP

The trip is South Africa’s first to Pakistan since 2007. In the 14 years since, only du Plessis from the current squad has played in Pakistan, when he captained the World XI and in the most recent edition of the PSL, and likened it to being in “a movie,” because of the security arrangements. South Africa expect a similar situation in the upcoming tour and are comfortable that there is no risk to their safety following a comprehensive review by their security team.”It’s very important that we get playing in Pakistan. But in saying that is a major concern. I don’t like to micromanage. Guys have to gone and done a recce of the situation and they’ve come back and said it’s safe,” Boucher said. “We trust that the right decisions will get made if something does happen. They’ve assured us they will look after us as well. We are getting state security, which is good for us.”As for the actual cricket, Boucher will have as good an insight on what to expect as anyone, having been part of the last South African squad to play in Pakistan. He remembers it being a place of “tough cricket and different to other subcontinent countries. When you go to India, the ball turns a lot. In Pakistan, we haven’t been in games where the ball turns a lot. It’s conducive to fast bowling,” he said. “It’s very flat and guys will go with pace a lot. Reverse swing was very big in those days. The rules and regulations are a lot tighter nowadays for getting the ball to reverse, so I don’t know if we will see too much of it.”With Covid-19 protocols disallowing players from using saliva to shine the ball, both teams will seek other ways of finding reverse swing, although Boucher cautioned it is not an art the younger crop of South African bowlers are well-versed in. “During Covid times you need to be careful with how you look at the ball. There are always legal ways of scuffing up one side to try and get reverse swing but a lot of our bowlers have never had to deal with reverse swing,” he said. “In the franchise system, if you go to places where you feel reverse swing is going to be important, we scuff one end and guys can’t control it because they don’t usually bowl it. It will be a good lesson for our guys as well. KG (Rabada) has bowled really well with the reverse-swinging ball so he will be immense. And we’ve got a bowling coach (Charl Langeveldt) who was the master of it. I feel very comfortable that he will make some good calls with regards to getting it right.”On the other hand, South Africa’s batsmen are gearing up for a challenge many of them will not have encountered before. “They are historically flat wickets. Having spoken to [former Pakistan coach] Mickey Arthur after the Sri Lankan series, he alluded to the facts that the wickets are very good for batting,” Boucher said. “But it’s something completely different – the areas you score in are different, the bowler bowl straighter lines, the ball starts to reverse a bit. A lot of our batters would never have seen that, especially being a young group. There is a lot of adapting to conditions but we are well aware of the technical adjustments we need to make as batters in order to succeed there.”