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Big picture – KL Rahul set to make DC debut

Travishek fear no one. Except, maybe, Mitchell Starc. Travis Head does not like facing Starc, and after taking strike and being bowled by the big left-arm quick for a two-ball duck in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024, he let Abhishek Sharma take first strike in the final, and you know what happened next.Starc now takes the new ball for a different team, and he’ll be up against Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) gun opening pair again on Sunday afternoon. If Starc can have the same sort of impact, it would be a major relief for a Delhi Capitals (DC) bowling unit that also includes Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Mukesh Kumar. Last season, these three were on the receiving end of an onslaught from Head and Abhishek that blasted SRH to a record IPL powerplay score of 125 for 0. That was in Delhi. This time, the battle shifts to Visakhapatnam, where DC staged a stunning comeback win against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their most recent game. SRH, meanwhile, are coming off a defeat to the same opponents.Related

• LSG mute SRH with death bowling before the death overs

• Awe-inspiring Ashutosh brings DC back from the brink

• The two Starora overs that defined the IPL final

DC’s opening victory was built on resilience. With the ball, they clawed back to restrict LSG to 209 despite letting them get to an ominous 161 for 2 in 13 overs. With the bat, they resurrected themselves from 66 for 5 to scrape past their target with three balls to spare. Even when they crumbled in both powerplays and both post-powerplay phases, they refused to tap out.That resilience will be key as they seek a second win, armed with fresh insights on containing SRH. LSG’s strategy of treating the full 20 overs like the death proved effective, and DC have the personnel to replicate it. Mohit Sharma and Mukesh have the skillsets, and Axar and Kuldeep bring another year of wisdom.But DC are not without problems of their own. Their top order misfired against LSG, and they can’t keep relying on their lower order to keep bailing them out. New father KL Rahul is set to make his franchise debut, and DC will have to figure out the best way to fit him into their line-up. And they’ll be wary of an SRH unit that will be desperate to prove that Thursday’s loss was a mere aberration.Away game for SRH, home game for Nitish Kumar Reddy•Associated Press

Team news and likely XIIs

With Rahul set to play, he is expected to slot in at No. 4, likely replacing Sameer Rizvi. Mukesh’s availability remains uncertain after he sustained an ankle sprain against LSG, while T Natarajan, who is recovering from a shoulder issue, is unlikely to feature against his former team. If Mukesh is ruled out, Darshan Nalkande could step in. Another possibility is retaining Rizvi, dropping Fraser-McGurk, and bringing in fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera.Delhi Capitals: 1 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Abishek Porel (wk), 4 KL Rahul, 5 Axar Patel (capt), 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Ashutosh Sharma, 8 Vipraj Nigam, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohit Sharma, 12 Mukesh Kumar/Darshan Nalkande.There are no injury concerns in the SRH camp and they could field an unchanged team.Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Travis Head, 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Aniket Verma, 7 Abhinav Manohar, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Simarjeet Singh, 12 Adam Zampa.

Big question

Where is Rahul best used? No. 4 seems to be the likely slot, and why not: that’s his best position (min. five innings) in terms of both average (49.08) and strike rate (139.90).It’s as opener that Rahul made his mark in the format, however, and a position from where he once smashed a 14-ball fifty, at the time the quickest in the IPL. With Fraser-McGurk out of form, is there a case for Rahul to partner Faf du Plessis at the top?In the spotlight – Kuldeep Yadav and Nitish Kumar ReddyAgainst SRH in Delhi last season, Kuldeep Yadav endured a brutal start, getting hit for four sixes in his first seven balls by Abhishek. But he responsed by dismissing Abhishek, Head, Aiden Markram and Nitish Kumar Reddy, three of whom will feature on Saturday. He conceded 55 in four overs, but his breakthroughs prevented SRH from soaring beyond their final total of 266. Head, in particular, has shown signs of struggling against left-arm wristspin, being dismissed twice in nine balls against that style of bowling in the IPL, which makes Kuldeep a option to bring on early if the South Australian starts ominously against the new ball. As LSG proved against SRH, wickets are the only way to contain their explosive line-up.Though SRH play this as an “away” game in Visakhapatnam, Nitish Kumar Reddy will be right at home in the city of his birth. SRH have earmarked him as a long-term player and he has started the season with scores of 32 and 30. Sandwiched between them at No. 4, Reddy is the perfect foil for Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen, and he’s a major threat against spin, as his IPL strike rate of 170.19 since the start of 2024 suggests.Last year in Delhi, Kuldeep Yadav was instrumental in DC ‘restricting’ SRH to 266 after they flew to 125 for 0 in the powerplay•Associated Press

Pitch and conditions

It’s an afternoon game on a batting-friendly surface, so a 200-plus first-innings score should be the expectation. In the IPL, the team batting first has won 50% of all matches in Visakhapatnam. The last three first-innings totals in the IPL here have been 191, 272 and 209.

Key stats

• Head vs Starc in all recognized cricket: seven innings, eight runs, 29 balls, five dismissals, 0 boundaries. Of the five dismissals, four have been bowled and one caught behind.
• Faf du Plessis has a favourable match-up against Mohammed Shami in the IPL, scoring 106 runs in 61 balls for only two dismissals. However Shami has been brilliant against KL Rahul, allowing only 28 runs to be scored in 31 balls while dismissing him twice.
• In the IPL, Axar Patel has an economy rate of just 6.51 against right-hand batters, but has gone at 9.07 against left-hand batters.

Next three fixtures

DC are on the road next to play against Chennai Super Kings (Apr 5) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Apr 10) before returning to Delhi for a home match against Mumbai Indians on April 13.SRH fly to Kolkata for a match against Kolkata Knight Riders (Apr 3) before playing Gujarat Titans (Apr 6) and Punjab Kings (Apr 12) at home.

Quotes

“KL Rahul is back in our team and that will help us a lot with our balance. But you can’t judge any team from one game. All our players are really good, they are experienced, and hopefully we’ll do well in this match.”
“The press has made 300 a target [for us], but we have [almost] achieved it, [with totals of] 286, 287. You never know if it will happen. Two batters have to score big and get it there. Nothing is impossible in cricket.”

Scott Boland again enjoyed himself at the SCG but Ollie Davies rescued New South Wales on a day where Sam Konstas’ batting approach came under the spotlight.In fifth before the round started, NSW are in more desperate need of victory in a push for the final but were in danger of being well short of a competitive total when Boland reduced them to 124 for 6, having earlier won a brief duel with Konstas who fell for a frenetic 10 off 7 balls when he attempted to sweep Boland in just the third over.Related

• Konstas flays century but Hearne's ton the matchwinner

• 2.1 overs, 30 for 1: Konstas involved in wild Shield start

With Nic Maddinson taking 20 off the second over of the match from Fergus O’Neill, the scoreboard read a bizarre 30 for 1 after 13 deliveries. Early in the afternoon, Boland took two wickets in three balls as NSW threatened to fall away but a seventh-wicket stand of 102 between Davies and Chris Green carried them to what appeared a competitive 238 on a surface expected to get tougher for batting.The home side were then able to take four Victoria wickets before the close with Green’s late removal of an aggressive Harry Dixon, who was caught a slip, tilting the day their way.Yet the major talking point of the day came in first 10 minutes. Konstas reverse scooped his second ball from Boland for four and thumped another boundary straight of mid-off. Then, having watched Maddinson target the short boundary with consecutive sixes, Konstas attempted to sweep Boland and was bowled.It provided plenty of fuel to the debate about how Konstas should style his batting, but while his brazen approach against Jasprit Bumrah had some tactical nous to it this felt purely reckless.”I knew Maddo was going to go after Fergus O’Neill, just because he’s so good at controlling his length and nicking people off,” Davies told ESPNcricinfo. “Maddo said, I just want to put him under the pump and get him off his game a little bit.”So that was Maddo’s plan, and I’m not sure what Sammy was doing. I didn’t speak to him about his plan before [he went out], but if he thinks that’s the best way he’s going to score runs, then I’ll back him in 100%. He has shown it before, at Test level and Shield level, that he can score hundreds and big runs. So I’m still backing him in. I hope there’s a big score around the corner, hopefully second innings from here.”Sam Konstas was bowled sweeping against Scott Boland•Getty Images

Normality returned to proceedings following Konstas’ departure and at 70 for 1 NSW had a solid platform. However, Maddinson, who did not take another boundary off O’Neill after his early onslaught, pulled to deep square leg and the in-form Kurtis Patterson edged a flat-footed poke at Boland shortly before lunch.On resumption, Matthew Gilkes was lbw offering no shot at O’Neill before Boland’s double intervention at the ground where he claimed 10 in the match against India on his previous appearance. Josh Philippe looked less than impressed at being given caught down the leg side but there was no doubt about Will Sutherland’s edge to first slip.Davies, another batter not shy of bringing out his shots, played positively but sensibly to resurrect the innings alongside the stubborn Green. He struck 13 boundaries and also collected a six over fine leg, which was a little more top edge than middle, to take him to fifty from 62 balls.He was given a life on 61 when Tom Rogers missed a chance at first slip and was in sight of a first century for the season before edging a drive off Sutherland as NSW lost their last four wickets for 12.Both Edwards and Jackson Bird struck early with the new ball – Edwards producing an excellent delivery that clipped Campbell Kellaway’s off stump – and when Peter Handscomb fell to Hanno Jacobs, Victoria were wobbling on 25 for 3.Dixon, who made his first-class debut in previous round, counterattacked including taking 16 off Jacobs’ fourth over but he couldn’t quite make it to stumps leaving a huge amount resting on Marcus Harris who was unbeaten with 33.

From the moment his clutch batting memorably lifted Perth Scorchers to the BBL title almost exactly two years ago, Cooper Connolly quickly became a fan favourite and there was plenty of intrigue over the potential of this promising left-arm spinning allrounder.But even his legion of admirers out west could not have foreshadowed his rise to Test cricket would be so swift. After just four first-class matches, the 21-year-old Connolly became Australia’s 471st men’s cricketer after he replaced offspinner Todd Murphy in Australia’s XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. He became Australia’s fourth debutant in as many Tests.With his emotional parents standing nearby, Connolly, 21, was presented with his baggy green cap by former Test batter and fellow Western Australian Simon Katich.Related

• 'I earned my opportunity' – Connolly reflects on whirlwind Test debut ahead of Shield return

• Cummins and Hazlewood ruled out of Champions Trophy

• Travis Head expects Sam Konstas to open in WTC final

• Sri Lanka hope for Nissanka boost as Australia target rare series win in Asia

• Sri Lanka's 'strength is spin', but it's a game Australia can play too

His selection for this Test had been murmured in recent days with expectations that the surface used for this match would be notably dry and especially favourable to spin.Connolly’s selection has raised some eyebrows given he is wicketless from 96 deliveries in his first-class career so far. But all three of his Shield matches have been at the pace-friendly WACA ground, while he bowled only six overs against India A in Mackay in early November which was his last first-class match.Albeit a different format, but Connolly did take six wickets in the recent BBL season – where he was named player of the tournament after scoring the most runs in the league stage – highlighted by a strong performance against Sydney Thunder in favourable spinning conditions at the Showgrounds.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

If the surface for the second Test does spin sharply, Connolly could prove dangerous and provides another left-arm spinning option alongside Matthew Kuhnemann, who had so much success in the series opener.”From what I’ve seen in the nets he bowls some really good balls,” stand-in captain Steven Smith said on Wednesday. “He was pretty consistent when he was bowling in Dubai and in the nets here.”That’s kind of all you’ve got to do in these conditions, just try and bowl as many good balls in a good area and let the conditions take over.”Connolly’s inclusion also underlines bolder selections from Australia’s hierarchy who have shown a willingness to experiment ever since picking 19-year-old Sam Konstas for the Boxing Day Test against India.Cooper Connolly receives his debut cap from Simon Katich•Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

With Australia’s spot in the World Test Championship final secured, Connolly edged veteran Glenn Maxwell for a spot on the Sri Lanka tour having made his T20I and ODI debuts in the backend of last year. Undoubtedly, selectors have an eye towards the future – Australia’s next tour of India is just two years away – but they will insist his selection in the second Test is a decision based on specific conditions.At this stage of his fledgling career, Connolly is certainly a much stronger batter and adds significant depth to Australia’s order at No. 8. He has already scored three half-centuries from his six first-class innings, starting with 90 off 115 balls on debut at No. 7 in last year’s Shield final between WA and Tasmania.It was an elegant knock on a tricky WACA surface that instantly drew comparisons to former WA great Shaun Marsh. But given his all-round skills and X-factor ability, with an uncanny knack of hitting the most mesmerising shots, Connolly has been likened to Maxwell and Travis Head.”It’s pretty cool to be honest. You dream of it as a kid watching them smack it around,” he told ESPNcricinfo last December about the comparisons to Maxwell and Head. “I feel proud of myself… it’s a dream to put on a baggy green.”

Spencer Johnson’s toe injury – which he has called “bizarre” – has left several sports physicians and surgeons baffled.He snapped a tendon in the middle toe of his right foot during South Australia’s Sheffield Shield game against Western Australia last month. Johnson, 29, bowled 45 overs in the match, just the sixth first-class appearance of his career, on the back of playing four white-ball games against Pakistan in the span of eight days.It had kept him on the sidelines for a month and he missed defending BBL champions Brisbane Heat’s opening two games of the season. He, however, showed no visible signs of discomfort in an outstanding return on Boxing Day, where he claimed career-best BBL figures of 4 for 20 in Heat’s 33-run loss to Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium.”To be honest, we still don’t really know how it’s happened or why it’s happened,” Johnson told reporters after the match. “I think four surgeons have looked at it, four sports doctors have looked at it, and they are all mindblown.”I think we just manage it and look after it and hopefully it will be all good.”The pain is not constant but strapping is required, which is unusual for a toe and involves a rather complicated process. “It’s pretty hectic,” Johnson said of the strapping. “It really only hurts when I curl over or claw over. We’ve sort of stopped it from curling over [with the strapping] and that seems to work.”We’ve come up with a decent method to strap it and hopefully that will be all right for the rest of the season. It’s such a bizarre injury, I could wake up tomorrow and it could be all right. We’re looking after it, we’ll manage it.”Given the situation, Johnson’s comeback against Scorchers was made even more impressive. He relished bowling on Optus Stadium’s hard and fast surface, unleashing a hostile spell with the new ball where he dismissed opener Finn Allen for a duck.In what has become a trademark, Johnson consistently hurried the batters on a back of a length. He claimed the wickets of Cooper Connolly, Ashton Turner and Ashton Agar with short deliveries in the backend of Scorchers’ innings. Johnson, importantly in white-ball cricket, is also adept at being a defensive bowler with his accurate full-pitched deliveries hard to score off.The 5 for 26 against Pakistan in Sydney last month was Spencer Johnson’s best day out in Australia’s colours•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

“It was nice being back in the Brisbane Heat shirt,” Johnson said. “It [toe] felt good out there.”Having starred in the BBL over the past couple of years, including a match-winning 4 for 26 in last season’s final against Sydney Sixers, Johnson is on the fringes of Australia’s white-ball teams – he has played ten white-ball internationals since debuting in South Africa in August 2023. Johnson produced his best international performance when he claimed 5 for 26 against Pakistan in the second T20I at the SCG – the best figures by an Australian quick in the format.”Five wickets for Australia… sounds a bit weird,” grinned Johnson. “Doing it at the level above helps [build confidence].”After a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign this year, an ageing Australia might go through a transition ahead of the format’s next showpiece event in early 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. If his troublesome toe doesn’t flare up, and he can stay fit, Johnson should be an appealing option.”I think for me, just staying on the park and keeping my body healthy is the main thing,” he said. “Hopefully the performances will keep coming.”

Doug Bracewell, the New Zealand seamer, has been suspended for one month by the country’s Sports Tribunal for “the presence and use” of cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine.Bracewell “was provisionally suspended without opposition” on April 11 this year following an”adverse analytical finding” from an in-competition test on January 13 at the Super Smash match between Wellington Firebirds and Central Stags in Wellington, the tribunal said in a statement.The statement added that Bracewell had “admitted using cocaine but maintained that his use occurred out-of-competition, being prior to midnight on the day before the match, and that it was unrelated to sport performance”. The Sport Integrity Commission did not accept that and “contended that the use must have occurred in-competition”.Following that, expert evidence on the matter was filed by both the Commission and Bracewell, and a hearing before the tribunal was scheduled for December 11 and 12. But last week, on November 11, “counsel filed a joint memorandum in which the Commission indicated that, having considered all the evidence filed in this proceeding, on balance, it accepted Mr Bracewell’s position”. As a result, it was “agreed that the appropriate sanction was a period of ineligibility of three months, which would be reduced to one month, as Mr Bracewell had satisfactorily completed a Substance of Abuse treatment programme approved by the Commission”.The tribunal subsequently imposed an “ineligibility period of one month”, which was backdated to commence on April 11, which was the date of the provisional suspension order.Bracewell, 34, has played 28 Tests (74 wickets), 21 ODIs (26 wickets) and 20 T20Is (20 wickets) after making his international debut in October 2011. He last played for New Zealand in a Test match against Sri Lanka in Wellington in March 2023.A Central Districts player right through his domestic career, Bracewell recently opted out of a contract with the club to become a freelancer. He is next expected to be in action at the Abu Dhabi T10 league, where he is a part of New York Strikers, and then at the SA20 early next year as part of Joburg Super Kings.

It was a day when Radha Yadav could do everything: fly like a superwoman to grab two stunning catches, take 4 for 69 with the ball, be India’s top-scorer with 48 from No. 9, and help add 70 with Saima Thakor for the ninth wicket. That was not only India’s highest stand in pursuit of 260 against New Zealand on Sunday, but also their highest ODI partnership for the ninth wicket.But unfortunately for India, all those performances could not help them avoid defeat. New Zealand, led by an all-round show from their captain Sophie Devine, sealed a comfortable 76-run win to take the series into the decider. Not only that, New Zealand also grabbed crucial points in the Women’s Championship to remain afloat for direct qualification for next year’s ODI World Cup.Devine hit 79 and saw off a quiet period with the bat for her side, eventually pushing New Zealand’s first-innings total to 259. With the ball, she bagged her opposite number Harmanpreet Kaur, and also Jemimah Rodrigues. India’s chase was never on track either side of that brief stand, falling well short despite some resilience late in the contest.Five overs into the chase, India were 26 for 3, with Smriti Mandhana falling without scoring. She chipped Lea Tahuhu to point in the first over, before Jess Kerr trapped Shafali Verma in front for an entertaining 11 in the fourth. Next over, Tahuhu had Yastika Bhatia edging behind to wicketkeeper Isabella Gaze, who finished the day with four catches.Harmanpreet and Rodrigues added 38 for the fourth wicket, and that remained India’s highest stand until Radha and Thakor’s ninth-wicket stand of 70. Harmanpreet’s 24 was the most that any top-seven batter from India managed on the night, and at 77 for 5 in the 18th over, the wheels had come off.But the fact that they a challenging target to chase was down to the half-centuries from Devine and Suzie Bates. Bates put on a stand of 87 with Georgia Plimmer for the first wicket to set the tone for New Zealand, whose innings could be split into four different quarters. The first one belonged to Bates and Plimmer, who combined to thump 13 fours and a six in the first 15 overs.Radha Yadav scored runs, took wickets and pulled off stunners on the field•BCCI

But in the tenth over, Plimmer was dropped by Deepti Sharma when on 16, the first of three dropped catches from the allrounder. Plimmer and Bates relied mostly on timing and placement instead of power. Harmanpreet, back into the side after missing the first ODI due to a niggle, introduced spin in the sixth over, but it hardly affected New Zealand’s momentum.The breakthrough finally came when Radha took the first of her two great catches in the 16th over. Placed at midwicket, she moved swiftly to her right before diving full stretch to have Plimmer caught for 41 off Deepti. That started a run of 12 overs which saw New Zealand score only 34 for the loss of three wickets.Bates got to fifty to start the 19th over, but next ball, Deepti put her down at midwicket, attempting a catch with her right hand instead of going at it with both hands. Two overs later, though, one of Bates’ drives down the ground deflected off debutant Priya Mishra’s hands, and caught Lauren Down short at the non-striker’s end.In the 27th, Radha had Bates caught and bowled for 58, but Devine stood firm at the other end. That started a period of play where New Zealand steadied themselves. In the next 17 overs, they scored 84, and lost only one wicket. Devine cut, flicked and pulled for boundaries, but in the 32nd over, Radha stunned New Zealand with her fielding again. Now placed at extra cover, she sprinted and dived full stretch to have Brooke Halliday caught for 8.But Devine and Green ensured India didn’t run away with the game, even though Deepti dropped Green on 6 in the 34th over. The two batters kept ticking along, with Devine overturning an lbw decision against her when on 36. She got to her fifty off 65 balls in the 41st over, and set it up for a solid finish. The last six overs saw New Zealand pummel 55 runs, with Green driving, ramping and flicking Thakor for successive boundaries in the 45th over.Radha had Green holing out to long-off for 42 next over, but boundaries from Kerr and a six from Devine took New Zealand to 259. That proved more than enough.

Victoria captain Will Sutherland says Glenn Maxwell will be available to play some Sheffield Shield cricket in the early part of the summer as the spin-bowling allrounder makes a push to be part of Australia’s Test tour to Sri Lanka in January and February next year.Maxwell, who turns 36 in October, is currently in England with Australia’s ODI team and has not played a Shield match for Victoria since February 2023 and has played only two first-class matches in the last five years due to his white-ball commitments and his freak leg injury.Australia’s ODI players are set to return from England early next week with the opening Shield round to begin on October 8. Victoria host Tasmania at the Junction Oval in Melbourne before a large group of Australia Test and white-ball stars look set to be available for the second Shield round starting on October 20 when Victoria host New South Wales at the MCG.Related

• Khawaja, Labuschagne, Head and Marsh named for first round of the Shield, Smith rested

• Sheffield Shield preview: Western Australia chase history, Test stars to play early rounds

The third and fourth Shield rounds overlap with Australia’s home ODI and T20I series against Pakistan that runs from November 4-18. There are also two Australia A first-class games against India A in the first two weeks of November. There are two more Shield rounds starting on November 24 and December 6 respectively while the Border-Gavaskar series is underway, just before the BBL starts.Maxwell will not be part of Australia’s plans for the five-Test home series against India barring a very unique set of unforseen circumstances eventuating. But he is a chance to go to Sri Lanka for the two-Test series that could be crucial in Australia’s quest to make another World Test Championship final. Maxwell was part of the Sri Lanka tour in 2022 and nearly played the first Test in Galle, with his ability as a spin-bowling allrounder seen as an asset in spinning conditions, especially if the Tests are set to be low-scoring and fast moving. All of his seven Test matches have been played on the subcontinent with his last coming in Bangladesh in 2017.Australia’s selectors have made it clear previously that they see very little link between Shield cricket and Test cricket in Sri Lanka from a form line perspective but Victoria is keen to have Maxwell play some red-ball cricket for them in the early part of the summer and it will be an opportunity for him to get into the red-ball rhythm given he has played so little in recent years, despite conditions in Victoria in October being a world away from the subcontinent.”I think he’ll be available for a couple and I believe he’s keen to play as well,” Sutherland said on Wednesday. “Obviously, things can change with him playing at the moment, but to have a player like Glenn potentially come into our side is a bit of a luxury, so hopefully that can work out nicely.”Maxwell’s last first-class game was for Warwickshire in the county championship last year where he made 81 off 67 and bowled 24 overs across two innings.Scott Boland injured his heel on his Durham debut•Getty Images

Victoria are unlikely to have Australia fast bowler Scott Boland available for the first Shield game of the summer against Tasmania as he slowly builds up off a knee issue, having also been ruled out of his county stint with Durham earlier this year due to plantar fasciitis in his foot. But he is set to be unleashed in the game against NSW at the MCG where Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Steven Smith are all a chance to play for the Blues.”I believe it’s the second [game],” Sutherland said of Boland’s return. “You have to double check with him, but I faced him in the nets a few days ago, and he’s still nipping the ball back into me, blowing my quad off every second ball. He’s still got his tools, and he’s just building up nicely. I’m sure he’ll be ready to go for the Shield season.”Sutherland revealed he will likely be on bowling restrictions during the start of the Shield season coming off a stress fracture in his back. He bowled six overs and made 36 not out in Victoria’s opening One-Day Cup win over Tasmania on Monday in Melbourne and will bowl again in Friday’s One-Day Cup game against Queensland. But he confirmed he is still working up his loads for Shield cricket and might be restricted in the number of overs he can bowl.”I’ll be able to play the first game, probably, I just won’t be able to bowl as many overs as I would like,” Sutherland said. “I’ll be on restrictions. What that looks like will depend on how Friday goes. But, yeah, there’ll be limits for sure.”I think the main issue is bowling back-to-back days, so I’ll be able to bowl a fair bit on one day, but then unfortunately, the next day we’ll be in a bit of strife. So it does create some issues at times. But we’ll just have to work through that and maybe miss the odd game here and there.”Sutherland has been doing some work on his action over the winter with Victoria bowling coach Adam Griffith in order to avoid further back trouble.”I’m just trying to get more stable at the crease,” Sutherland said. “I would like to pick up a couple yards as well. So I’ve definitely been doing plenty. They sort of go hand in hand. The more efficient you get, it’s probably safer at the crease, and you can maybe pick up a few yards as well. Definitely doing some work there.”One man who won’t be part of Victoria’s Shield team at the start of the season is Will Pucovski. The one-Test opener has not been training with the group and is set to finish his playing career after a medical panel advised he not continue due to the repeated concussions that he has suffered. It is understood it will be a while before his medical retirement is formally confirmed due to ongoing negotiations over his contract and injury compensation.Sutherland said he has been in contact with Pucovski via text message and said his teammates have been checking in.”He’s probably closer to other guys than me but we’ve sent the odd message to each other, just trying to stick with him,” Sutherland said. “We’re a tight group at Victoria. We want to have that family sort of feel so I’m sure a lot of boys have tried to keep in touch with him.”I’m not sure of the situation he’s obviously going through at the moment. I’m probably not the right person to ask. But hopefully things can work out for him, and we’re definitely looking after him and trying to keep in touch.”

Big picture: A rich SA flavour to the CPL final

After having had to wait 11 years for a maiden CPL trophy, Guyana Amazon Warriors are now just one step away from winning back-to-back titles. Imran Tahir was targeted when he was appointed Amazon Warriors’ captain last season at 44 – Tahir said “everyone was sending jokes” about it – and having been retained as captain this year, he will be looking to lead Amazon Warriors to glory once again, in front of their home fans, in Providence.At 45, Tahir became the first overseas bowler to 100 wickets in the CPL and continues to rock the league with his variations and celebrations. He had joined Amazon Warriors in 2018 and has remained with the side for seven seasons, which is quite rare in the cutthroat world of franchise T20 cricket. Midway through this season, Tahir suffered an injury, but he recovered to forge a potent partnership with Gudakesh Motie, the local left-arm fingerspinner, and Moeen Ali, the English offspinner. The trio has been hard to get away, especially on the spin-friendly surfaces in Providence.Amazon Warriors have also loaded their side with spin-hitters like Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope and Moeen. After not playing a single game in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Hetmyer has reminded the world of his T20 pedigree, hitting 391 runs in 12 innings at an average of 43.44 and strike rate of 187.98 in this CPL heading into the final.Since the start of CPL 2023, Amazon Warriors have lost just four games at home, with two of those losses coming at the hands of St Lucia Kings, including the Qualifier 1 earlier this week. Despite losing tosses and losing key personnel – like Heinrich Klaasen even before the start of the tournament – Kings have remained a formidable force under Faf du Plessis, who, like Tahir, is a familiar face at the CPL.At 40, du Plessis is still going strong. This is his most prolific CPL in terms of runs – 384 runs in 11 innings at an average of 38.40 and strike rate of 148.83 – and if it culminates in a title, it could potentially raise his stocks ahead of the IPL retention deadline and player auction. Du Plessis’ stint in CPL 2023 was cut short by a tennis-elbow injury, but he has worked his way around that this season, dovetailing well with Johnson Charles, who has reinvented himself as a 360-degree batter.Related

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• Johnson Charles switches his T20 fortunes

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While this is the St Lucia franchise’s third CPL final, this will be du Plessis’ first – he had suffered an injury before the title clash in 2021, when they lost to St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. However, he is used to the pressure that a final brings, having been part of Chennai Super Kings for a number of years in the IPL.Kings’ coach Daren Sammy also has some unfinished business: in his last match as CPL captain, he lost to Trinbago Knight Riders in the 2020 final. Can he and du Plessis upstage Amazon Warriors at their home ground and lead Kings to their first CPL title?

Form guide

Guyana Amazon Warriors WLWWW (last five T20s, most recent first)
St Lucia Kings WLWWWImran Tahir and Moeen Ali have produced vital breakthroughs for Guyana Amazon Warriors•CPL T20 via Getty Images

In the spotlight: Moeen Ali and Alzarri Joseph

Just over three months after in England’s T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to India in Providence, Moeen Ali is now on the verge of winning a title, in his first CPL stint, at the venue. He has bagged 14 wickets in nine innings at an average of 11.35 and an economy rate of less than five. With the bat, he has floated up and down the order and in the qualifier 2, he scored an unbeaten 44 to put Amazon Warriors in the final.In another spin-dominated CPL, Alzarri Joseph is the most successful fast bowler with 15 wickets in 11 innings. His ability to hit hard lengths and generate extra bounce have served him well, and on potentially slow surfaces in Guyana, he could take the conditions out of the equation and provide a point of difference to Kings’ attack. Du Plessis, too, trusts Alzarri to bowl the tough overs, having also worked with him at the SA20 (Joburg Super Kings) and IPL (Royal Challengers Bengaluru).

Team news: Who will open the batting for GAW?

Since the start of CPL 2023, Amazon Warriors have used 14 openers with only Rahmanullah Guraz and Saim Ayub, who has missed this season for national duty, getting more than five innings each at the top. It remains to be seen if Moeen will open alongside Gurbaz again in the final on Sunday. Amazon Warriors will also have to make a choice between the fingerspin of Kevin Sinclair and the pace of Shamar Joseph.Guyana Amazon Warriors (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Romario Shepherd, 6 Keemo Paul, 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Raymon Reiffer, 9 Kevin Sinclair/Shamar Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Imran Tahir (capt)Will Kings stick with Johann Jeremiah, who had made his CPL debut in Qualifier 1, or will they go back to Shadrack Descarte?St Lucia Kings (probable): 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Roston Chase, 4 Ackeem Auguste, 5 Tim Seifert (wk), 6 David Wiese, 7 Johann Jeremiah/Shadrack Descarte, 8 Matthew Forde, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Khary Pierre, 11 Noor Ahmad

Pitch and conditions: Spin to win?

Though the Providence pitch used for the last two games against Kings saw the ball come on to the bat better, the venue has traditionally rolled out slow tracks. Rain had interrupted Amazon Warriors’ chase in the first qualifier and though rain has been forecast for Sunday morning as well, the forecast is more promising for the evening. Dew could be a factor later in the night.Shimron Hetmyer has been in terrific six-hitting form in CPL 2024•CPL T20/Getty Images

Stats and trivia

• The team batting first has won seven of the ten games Providence has hosted so far this season.
• Hetmyer and Charles have hit 31 sixes each in CPL 2024. Only Nicholas Pooran (35) has smashed more sixes than them this season.
• Noor Ahmad has dominated right-hand batters in this tournament, taking 16 wickets against them in ten innings. While he has managed just three wickets against left-hand batters, he has tied them down, conceding at just 5.34 an over.

Quotes

“We gelled well together last year, and we knew we had to work hard to win the competition. Coming back and defending the title is a bigger challenge.”
“I feel like we’ve adapted well wherever we’ve played, bar two games at home where he were a little bit slow on reacting to those conditions.”

Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant, batters who bring daredevilry to the crease, brought a small but festive Saturday crowd to life after tea on the third day in Bengaluru.The trigger for this thrilling counter was an instinctive response to India A’s Akash Deep and Khaleel Ahmed striking early. Although India B had a 90-run first-innings lead, they were in choppy waters at 22 for 3. A contest was brewing until Pant and Sarfaraz decided to take the counterattacking route.Sarfaraz kickstarted the party by employing a method typical of him, and far different to his brother, Musheer Khan, who had just been strangled down leg for a duck to go with his epic 181 in the first innings. Musheer’s dismissal was down to Dhruv Jurel’s glove work as he dived to his left to grab a one-handed stunner.Related

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Sarfaraz got his first life on zero when he drilled a half-volley that burst through substitute Tilak Varma’s hands at extra cover. It would be the start of a mini contest between Khaleel, Avesh Khan and Sarfaraz, all India Under-19 batch-mates from 2016.The fast-bowling duo were riling him up with words and friendly jibes even as Pant, also from the same batch, chuckled, perhaps knowing fully well this was probably a contest worth viewing from the other end. The friendly banter certainly seemed to get Sarfaraz’s competitive juices flowing.He would very quickly switch his focus back by hitting Akash for five fours in a row. Out came a booming drive, a rasping cut, a delicate steer, a neat tickle down leg and a wristy whip as he peppered every region of the ground from cover to point to deep third to fine leg and deep square.By this time, it felt silly to assume Pant would buckle down and enjoy the Sarfaraz show. He didn’t and, in the process, lived dangerously to begin with. A reverse scoop off Akash, reminiscent of the audacious reverse to James Anderson, flew between Jurel and KL Rahul at first slip, neither having any time to react.Then a wild heave across the line, as if he was unleashed by a free hit in a T20, went a mile high. Jurel hared all the way back towards fine leg, while yelling and gesturing to Kuldeep Yadav to get out of the way, only for the ball to just elude him. Jurel had miscalculated; the ball would have been straight down Kuldeep’s lap at fine leg.Sarfaraz Khan’s innings was studded with a number of audacious strokes•PTI

Then Pant decided to take on Khaleel’s short ball. This induced more hair-tearing frustration for the bowlers. Pant was so early into the hook shot that the ball ballooned off the gloves over the slip cordon. It left Khaleel incensed so much that you wondered what reprieving Sarfaraz off his own bowling, on 28, would elicit. There was, of course, disbelief and more frustration. Khaleel animatedly exchanged a friendly stare, followed by words and a smile.This, however, wasn’t the last of this thrill-a-minute ride. In the same over, Sarfaraz looked to whack the leather of a ball not full enough to be a half-volley or short enough to be good length. It flew off the bat, over point, for a flat six. There wasn’t much else left to say now for Khaleel.Sarfaraz was eyeing a half-century, perhaps more. In trying to keep at it, he slashed one to Jurel. Avesh, who had bantered with him earlier, leapt past Sarfaraz in celebration and gave him a send-off. Sarfaraz made 46 off 36; he had put on 72 off 55 with Pant; India B’s lead had swelled to 184. The partnership was over, but the party wasn’t.Pant went bonkers, tonking Kuldeep for a sequence of 4, 0, 6, 0, 1 to bring up a 34-ball half-century. The purity of the big hits, the conviction in taking the attack to the bowlers and simply playing without any inhibitions, like he always does, lit up a leaden afternoon. A top edge to a tame sweep off Tanush Kotian got him for 61, but he walked off knowing he had done his job.Rishabh Pant’s half-century took only 34 balls•PTI

The stunning post-tea double-act from Pant and Sarfaraz made one forget all the discussion around India’s imminent Test selection for the Bangladesh series.In any case, six Test regulars: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj aren’t playing the Duleep Trophy. Two others, Rahul and Pant, are expected to make the cut. As is Sarfaraz, most probably as a reserve batter.Until this thrilling ride, the exhibition of outstanding seam and swing bowling from all of India’s prospects who will be looked at later in the year, for India A and the Test tour to Australia, made for compelling viewing.This included those who have already played Test cricket, such as Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini and Akash, and those who haven’t – Yash Dayal and Khaleel – but are in the conversation because of their ability and the left-arm variety that India have missed.Saini and Mukesh picked up three wickets each to help India B take a lead. Khaleel and Akash struck early, and then, Pant and Sarfaraz happened.

Scotland fast bowler Charlie Cassell has broken the record for the best figures on ODI debut by taking 7 for 21 in 5.4 overs against Oman in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 match in Dundee.The record was held by South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, who had taken 6 for 16 on his ODI debut against Bangladesh in July 2015.Cassell was added to the Scotland squad for the matches against Oman on July 15, as a replacement for fast bowler Chris Sole who was unavailable for personal reasons.