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New Zealand batsman to play three games before Australia’s Cameron Bancroft arrives

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2021New Zealand batsman Will Young will join Durham for the early part of the 2021 Championship season.Young, the 28-year-old right-hander, will arrive in the UK ahead of Durham’s second game of the season, at Essex starting on April 15, and will be available for three games before Australian Cameron Bancroft returns to the county he represented for the 2019 season in May, after his Sheffield Shield commitments with Western Australia end.Young, who made his Test debut at home against West Indies in December and scored 43 in his second Test, has scored 5,138 career first-class runs at an average of 42.81, including 10 centuries and 29 fifties with a highest score of 162. A former New Zealand Under-19s captain, having led the side at the 2012 World Cup, Young also played his first two ODIs during the on-going series with Bangladesh.Related

• County ins and outs 2020-21

• Cameron Bancroft returns to Durham for 2021 county season

“I’m happy to say I’ve signed with them and I’ll be heading over at the conclusion of this season to join Durham up in the cold and play three first-class games for them, which will be an awesome opportunity to get over to England and be exposed to those conditions and face the new Dukes ball, ” Young said.”It will be a fun opportunity to meet a new bunch of guys and experience county cricket, which is something I’ve always wanted to do.”Marcus North, Durham’s director of cricket, said: “We’re delighted to have secured the signing of Will Young for the early part of the season. In the absence of Cameron Bancroft, Will will add further strength to our batting line up, along with a wealth of experience.”He is in a great place with his cricket having just broken into the Test and One Day sides with New Zealand. We look forward to welcoming Will to Durham in a few weeks’ time.”

The India coach also hailed Washington Sundar for his “unbelievable composure and temperament”

Saurabh Somani07-Mar-2021India completed two landmark series wins on the trot when they won by an innings and 25 runs in the fourth Test against England in Ahmedabad, having come from behind to first beat Australia away and then England at home. The wins, by 2-1 and 3-1 margins respectively, came with India having to battle a slew of injuries and absences of first-choice players – particularly in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia – while also facing a steeper equation to make the World Test Championship final due to the revised rules caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.The injuries and the pandemic-enforced larger squads meant several players got opportunities they otherwise might not have, and head coach Ravi Shastri was full of praise for how the younger players – particularly Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel – had come through. Shastri spoke at length on each one in a media interaction on Sunday, a day after India had won the fourth Test to seal victory against England.Related

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• India are the best Test team irrespective of WTC standings

• Shastri, empathy and glory: How India rose out of lockdown

• The audacious, and gloriously disrespectful Rishabh Pant

• Sundar: A batsman blossoming in bubble of self-assurance

Rishabh Pant
Pant had arrived in Australia with “a lot of baggage” that he had to shed, physically. He was spoken to “in no uncertain terms” about what he needed to do, and Shastri said the wicketkeeper-batsman worked harder than anyone else in the squad, with the results visible.”At 21, 22, 23, I had similar success. I had hundreds overseas so I can relate to what these guys have done,” Shastri said. “When you are young and don’t carry baggage, you’re not afraid. It’s only when the baggage comes, when you become known quantity and the pressures from the outside come in that you have to perform all the time, that’s when life starts. As it started with Rishabh Pant on this trip.”He came with a lot of baggage. It showed in his size. And he had to lose that baggage, which he did. He worked his backside off to lose it. And I tell you, he has trained harder than anyone in the last two months. And the results are not just for him to see, it’s for the world to see.”Pant has enjoyed a hugely productive Test season, topping India’s run charts with 544 runs in seven games while also showing great athleticism with the gloves. More than the runs, it was the game-changing nature of his innings that caught the imagination. He made 97 in Sydney as India held on for a draw, 89* to lead a historic fourth-innings chase in Brisbane and a brilliant counter-attacking 101 in the series-clinching Test in Ahmedabad.”When you have a naturally brilliant match-winner of his ability playing to potential, there’s no greater sight in cricket,” Shastri said. “I think in the last two months what he’s done to win matches for India, there’ll be players who won’t do it in a lifetime and would have never done it in a lifetime. At the age of 21 to pull of magic like he has done, after working as hard as he has… to then show in his wicketkeeping. Like yesterday, I think his keeping was outstanding on that wicket.”When you add the runs, the match-winning efforts, the keeping improving and the hard work he’s put in – like I mentioned yesterday, he was told in no uncertain terms that this game demands respect. You’ve got to respect the game much more than what you do – and which he did. He addressed it. He’s reaping the rewards now. Outstanding. Simply outstanding.”Washington Sundar and Axar Patel came into the Test side as injury replacements, but stepped up when given the chance•BCCI

Washington Sundar
When asked if Sundar – brought in as a bowler but who showed great batting chops – reminded him of himself, Shastri said the 21-year-old offspinning allrounder was much more talented, and that he should be batting in the top four for Tamil Nadu, his state side. Before his debut in Brisbane, Sundar hadn’t played a first-class game for Tamil Nadu for three years.”Washington Sundar, unbelievable composure and temperament,” Shastri said. “I mean, for someone who – yes at Under-19 he was an opening batsman – to see that kind of body language, unfazed by the best bowlers in the world in the toughest situations as in Brisbane, [the first Test against England in] Chennai, here [in Ahmedabad] was unreal.”I think he has far more natural ability than I had. Definitely, he should be batting in the top four for his state. No question about that. If I have to have a word with any of the Tamil Nadu selectors or the captain, with DK [Dinesh Karthik] or something of that sort – I think he should be batting in the top four. He’s good enough. He belongs there. He has the ability and he can get a lot of runs. And at the same time if he can focus on his bowling, India could have a very good No. 6 in the future, even overseas. Someone who can get you a 50, 60, 70 and then can bowl for you about 20 overs and pick up 2-3 wickets. That was my role overseas and I think he can do that role easily, and even better.”Axar Patel
Patel played only three Tests against England, but made an impact in each one, ending up with 27 wickets at a scarcely believable average of 10.59. An allrounder at the domestic level, Patel’s runs tally overtook his wickets tally only in the first innings of the fourth Test, when he made 43 in a century partnership with Sundar that put the match beyond England.Shastri said Patel, 27, wasn’t a “youngster” per se, and would have got his opportunities much sooner if it wasn’t for injuries. Patel’s Test debut came in the series against England, but he has already played 38 ODIs and 3 T20Is, having first represented India in 2014.”Axar Patel, seasoned campaigner, I wouldn’t call him a youngster,” Shastri said. “He’s been around the Indian team for years, he’s been very unlucky with injuries. A lot of other players have got opportunities because of his injuries, including the likes of [Ravindra] Jadeja, including the likes of Krunal Pandya – because he’s been injured.”This is the time when he was injury free, and he made the most of it. But try and think, India playing in India without Jadeja – he’s one of the best allrounders in the world, arguably the best allrounder in the world. He didn’t play, someone else grabbed an opportunity. Now when he comes in and the three play together, there’ll be some fun. In India, especially.”

South Africa have called up two uncapped players for the two-Test series, seam bowlers Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka

Firdose Moonda18-Dec-2024South Africa have gambled on the fitness of Keshav Maharaj and Wiaan Mulder, and included both in the Test squad to play Pakistan over the festive season.Maharaj suffered an 11th-hour groin strain in the warm-ups for the first ODI in Paarl on Tuesday and had to be removed from the team sheet just before the toss. He underwent a scan later on Wednesday which revealed a left adductor strain that took him out of the ODI series. He will return home to Durban “for rehabilitation and will be reassessed ahead of the first Test.Left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Senuran Muthusamy is the only other spinner in the squad, which means if Maharaj is unavailable, South Africa may have to cast the net wide for reinforcements.Test coach Shukri Conrad said a decision on any additions to the squad would only be made after the results of the scan are known. “Based on the outcome of that, we’ll do the necessary,” he said. “We’ll see how severe it is, whether it’s only potentially the first Test (he misses) or both Test matches. Once I get the results of the scan, I’ll be in a better position to either replace [or] chat to the other coaches and make up my mind on the back of that.”Given that the first Test takes place at the seamer-friendly SuperSport Park in Centurion, if Maharaj is unavailable for that game, it may not affect South Africa too much. The last time they played there, against India last year, South Africa went in all pace and won.Where they will miss him, is in the brains trust, which suggests he will remain part of the squad. “Kesh is obviously one of the senior players in the side. He is a great sounding board. He’s got a huge amount of experience and he’s such a calming influence in the change room as well,” Conrad said. “And he’s an excellent spinner. Him, KG [Kagiso Rabada] and thankfully we’ve got Marco [Jansen] back – they’re really the triumvirate that will ensure that we get the bulk of the 20 wickets we need to win a Test match.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rabada and Jansen are both currently fit, and part of the ODI squad playing against Pakistan, but South Africa have a quartet of other injured quicks, who could not be considered. Lungi Ngidi (hip), Gerald Coetzee (groin), Nandre Burger (lower back stress fracture) and Lizaad Williams (knee) are all out until next year, which means much hinges on Mulder’s fitness.He broke his right middle finger while batting against Sri Lanka in Durban last month and is in the final phase of his recovery. If he is passed fit for the Boxing Day match, top-order batter Matthew Breetzke will be released from the squad.Mulder will have another scan on Thursday morning to check on his progress, which has been described as being in the final phase of recovery in a Cricket South Africa press release. “He has started hitting balls and doing some work with Kruger [van Wyk, fielding coach] up in Pretoria,” Conrad said. “I’m not going to get ahead of ourselves in terms of where he’s at right now. We’ll see what the scan throws out and then we’ll obviously take it very conservatively. We’re not going to do anything daft and rush him into action if he’s not quite ready yet. But that decision will only be taken pretty much when we get together next week.”As bowling cover, there are two uncapped players in the mix: seam bowlers Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka. Bosch, the son of former international Tertius, has earned his first call-up to an international side. He recently featured for a South African Invitation XI against the England Lions and took 1 for 21 in five overs and has a first-class batting average over 40. “Corbin Bosch adds so much to our attack. On the Highveld, we need a little bit of pace in and Corbin provides that. It [SuperSport Park] is his home ground if he gets to play. And he’s in top form. He’s doing well domestically,” Conrad said. “He had a really good outing against the English Lions last week that I managed to catch a glimpse of. He’s matured nicely from when I last saw him when he was with the [national] academy with me a couple of years ago and he’s turned into a really good cricketer.”Kwena Maphaka is part of the ODI squad currently playing against Pakistan•ICC/Getty Images

Maphaka was called up to the squad that played Sri Lanka as cover when Coetzee was injured but did not play. He is part of the ODI squad currently playing against Pakistan but has yet to debut in the format. Seven other Test players are also in the 50-over playing group: captain Temba Bavuma, Tony de Zorzi, Jansen, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Rabada and Maharaj. Rabada and Jansen both played the opening game but are unlikely to feature in all three matches as South Africa manage their bowling resources.South Africa will have a three-day turnaround between the end of the ODIs and the start of the Tests, which leaves no time for a warm-up match and only two practice sessions which Conrad is happy with. “Teams prepare differently nowadays. Gone are the days of warm-up matches. Guys that are not involved in the ODI squad, will be playing in Titans versus the Warriors (domestic first-class) game. Whatever our preparation looks like, it’s going to be good enough. And we’re really looking forward to playing at Centurion. It’s a ground that we play particularly well at and the guys know the conditions rather well.”In the last ten years, South Africa have only lost one Test at SuperSport Park, to India in 2021. They need one more win to guarantee a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and two Tests to try and achieve that. They face Pakistan at SuperSport Park on Boxing Day and then at Newlands for the annual New Year’s Test.

South Africa squad for Tests against Pakistan

Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk)

He was reported by umpires in the BBL, where he played five games for Sydney Thunder

Umar Farooq18-Jan-2022Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain is set to undergo a test on his bowling action on Tuesday, after it was reported by umpires in the Big Bash League. Hasnain has just finished a productive five-game stint with Sydney Thunder but will now undergo the test at the ICC-accredited biomechanics laboratory in Lahore.The 21-year-old, who once bowled a 155kph delivery in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), made a strong impact in his debut season at the BBL. He came in as a replacement for English quick Saqib Mahmood, and took 3 for 20 in Thunder’s 28-run win over Adelaide Strikers, his debut.In a statement, Cricket Australia confirmed it was during that first appearance that he was reported by the umpires. He played another four matches in the competition.In his last game against Sydney Sixers, Moises Henriques was heard on the stump mic saying “nice throw mate” to Hasnain, after he bowled him a bouncer. Hasnain didn’t pick up a wicket in that game though he was economical (4-0-22-0), as Sixers won the match by 60 runs. In the five games he played, Hasnain conceded runs at just 6.00 per over while taking seven wickets at average of 15.71.Hasnain was due to undergo a test on his action on January 19 in Australia, but because he was due to return to Pakistan at the end of his stint and because there is an ICC-accredited testing facility in Lahore, it was decided he would get tested there.The test comes at a crucial time for Hasnain, given that the PSL’s seventh season is due to begin in less than ten days in Karachi and Hasnain is an important part of the Quetta Gladiators squad. If the test finds his action to be legal, he will continue playing as usual. But if he is found to have an illegal action, he will be suspended from bowling in international cricket and domestic events around the world until he corrects his action.Under clause 11.5 of the ICC’s regulations and protocols surrounding illegal actions, the PCB – as Hasnain’s national cricket federation – can permit him to bowl in their domestic events. Hasnain could be allowed to bowl in the PSL, though in the past they have not permitted bowlers with suspect actions to bowl in the league.In any case, he is allowed to bowl until the results of his testing come out, which could take up to 14 days. That means, in theory, he could be fine to bowl in the opening games of the PSL.As the initial report was made during a BBL match, CA will review and verify the report provided by the PCB’s testing facility.

Sunrisers’ hopes of semi-final berth are all but over after eight-wicket loss

ECB Reporters Network13-Jun-2024The Blaze 140 for 2 (K Bryce 57*, S Bryce 54*) beat Sunrisers 137 for 7 (Scrivens 42) by eight wicketsKathryn Bryce continued her prolific Charlotte Edwards Cup form with an unbeaten 57 from 37 balls as The Blaze racked up an eighth straight success, coasting past Sunrisers at Lord’s.Bryce, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, registered her fourth half-century in six games, sharing a third-wicket partnership of exactly 100 with her younger sister Sarah, who struck 54 not out from 35.The Scotland international pair maintained their side’s 100 per cent record in the group stage, steering them to a comfortable victory with 29 deliveries still unused.Earlier, home captain Grace Scrivens top-scored with 42 from 38 as Sunrisers posted 137 for seven, but the result all but mathematically ends their slim hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals.Scrivens was soon up and running after Sunrisers had been put in, cracking two boundaries from Grace Ballinger’s opening over – one wrong-footing the fielder thanks to a deflection off the bat of non-striker Mady Villiers.Having swept Sarah Glenn for four, Villiers was lbw attempting to give the spinner’s next ball the same treatment, but Lissy MacLeod maintained her side’s momentum, hitting over the infield to good effect in a brisk 16 from 11.Once MacLeod was bowled, beaten for flight by Gordon (two for 32), Sunrisers became bogged down during the middle overs – even more so after losing Scrivens to Marie Kelly’s direct hit from mid-off.Jo Gardner (22 from 26) and Jodi Grewcock (22 from 18) did their best to rebuild with a partnership of 35 from 31 before Heather Graham (two for 22) reasserted the visitors’ dominance with two wickets in three deliveries.Despite gleaning eight from Graham’s final over, Sunrisers’ total looked short of par – although their hopes gained a significant boost when Grewcock turned the first ball of The Blaze’s reply to send Tammy Beaumont on her way for a duck.The visitors would have been under more pressure if Gardner, running in from mid-on, had held on to Kelly’s miscued drive off Kate Coppack, but the opener capitalised on that let-off to clear the ropes twice in the next over.Kelly’s good fortune soon ran out when she speared Eva Gray to cover, but Sarah Bryce joined forces with her sibling in a measured partnership that ensured The Blaze were always ahead of the asking rate.The elder Bryce dispatched Nicola Hancock’s first two deliveries to the fence and brought up her half-century from 33 deliveries with another boundary, reverse-sweeping Villiers neatly beyond point.Sarah seized the initiative as The Blaze eased towards their target, hammering Gray for two sixes in as many balls and going on to post her first 50 of the tournament before applying the finishing touch with a square-cut boundary off Amu Surenkumar.

The league is also planning to expand from the current six teams to 10 in the coming seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2024Major League Cricket (MLC), the season-old T20 tournament in the USA, has become the second Associate-run franchise competition to acquire List A status from the ICC, following on from the UAE’s ILT20 earlier this year.The status means that MLC will now be recognised as an official T20 league, with tournament playing records now counted as official format statistics. “We are really excited for the news as it’s a recognition of the standard and high quality of players taking part in the tournament,” tournament director Justin Geale told ESPNcricinfo. “By awarding MLC List A status for the upcoming season, it assists to acknowledge the strength and growing stature of the tournament and ultimately will help to enhance the credibility of the sport in the USA on a global scale.”The most important part for me though is it ensures the performances of some of the world’s best players alongside their peers are adequately reflected in their career statistics.”Really thankful to the ICC for taking the time to look at it as cricket in the USA doesn’t always fit into a template. We are an Associate nation and proud of that, one with a unique opportunity in front of us. It’s our hope that on the back of the upcoming World Cup and a successful season we can continue to build a platform for the sport to grow and ultimately succeed in the USA.”The 2024 edition of MLC will start on July 5, a week after the T20 World Cup ends on June 29 in Bridgetown. The T20 World Cup begins, however, in Dallas, USA on June 1, in what is an important season in the game’s continuing efforts to crack the US market.The , which reported on the awarding of List A status on Monday, also revealed MLC’s plans to expand from the current six teams to 10 over the next few years, jumping from 19 games in 2023 to 34 by 2025. Twenty-five games have already been scheduled for this season.”It was always intended to be a 10-team league,” MLC’s chief executive, Vijay Srinivasan, told the . “Studies show that we are a big enough country, with a big enough demographic to support 10 teams, so that’s our plan. We had 19 games in our first season, will have 25 in our second. I think we want to get to 34 next year, and just gradually keep expanding.”Srinivasan said they wanted the league, which clashes with the Hundred in 2024, to start in early June in 2025.”Ultimately for us, our ideal calendar is to start much earlier, in the late spring or early summer,” Srinivasan said. “With the Indian Premier League ending in late May, I think our sweet spot would be to start in early June, which is when we have the school holidays in the US, and go into July. That’s how we would like to establish our window.”An early June start avoids a clash with the Hundred’s July-August window, but it could mean an overlap with the T20 Blast. This scheduling clash became a major talking point in the last English summer when Jason Roy opted out of his ECB contract to play in the MLC and went on to represent LA Knight Riders, who have the same owners as that of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who won their third IPL title on Sunday.Last year, MLC ended two days before the start of the Hundred, though this time there will be an overlap of six days between the two leagues, with the MLC ending on July 28 and the Hundred starting on July 23. As a result, as many as half of the overseas players in the Hundred could arrive in the UK late after the MLC ends. Twelve out of the 24 overseas players under contract in the men’s Hundred have already been announced as signings or retentions in MLC and more could follow before the tournament starts.Four of the six teams in the MLC are owned by IPL team owners – Mumbai Indians, KKR, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals.The first season ran from July 13 to 31 with 15 group-stage games followed by four playoff matches, and ended with MI New York lifting the trophy under the captaincy of Nicholas Pooran. The second season will be played across the same two grounds which hosted the first season – the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and the Church Street Park Stadium in Morrisville.

South Australia seamer has had two brief stints at club

Matt Roller17-Dec-2020Gloucestershire have announced the signing of Daniel Worrall, the South Australia seamer, as an all-formats overseas player for the 2021 season.Worrall, 29, has had two brief stints at the club in the past, playing six games at the start of the 2018 campaign and two Royal London Cup fixtures in 2019 before a season-ending back injury.The club have struggled to a find an overseas player who is available for the full season since Michael Klinger’s retirement from first-class cricket ahead of the 2017 County Championship, instead largely relying on homegrown players and occasional short-term signings in red-ball cricket.They had signed Jerome Taylor, the former West Indies seamer, as a Kolpak player before the Covid-19 pandemic and he was due to move to an overseas deal after Brexit, but ESPNcricinfo understands that contract is not likely to be fulfilled. They had also signed Qais Ahmad and AJ Tye for last summer’s T20 Blast before their deals were cancelled due to international travel restrictions.ALSO READ: County ins and outs 2020-21Having initially made his name as a red-ball bowler, Worrall has developed as a limited-overs option in recent seasons, taking the new ball for Melbourne Stars in last season’s Big Bash League as they reached the final.”I am grateful for the opportunity to come back to Gloucestershire as I feel I have plenty of unfinished business with the club,” Worrall said. “I am confident that I’ll be able to come to the UK and make a difference in the new season.”I have played a couple of seasons with Gloucestershire and love being in Bristol. The squad has had a couple of changes and the injection of some young talent into the group is exciting for the future of the club.”Richard Dawson, the club’s head coach, said: “First and foremost, Dan is a quality opening bowler who has shown previously at Gloucestershire how highly skilled he is, especially in English conditions.”He’s a great person to have in the changing room and to have a new-ball bowler for the whole season is a positive boost not just for the bowling attack but for the whole squad.”

India coach says he had “honest words” with the team after the defeat in Melbourne

Alagappan Muthu02-Jan-20251:43

Manjrekar: Transitions always a ‘delicate time’ for teams but unavoidable

India coach Gautam Gambhir was strong in saying he has “everything under control” in the dressing room but admitted he had “honest” conversations with the team after losing the MCG Test to go 2-1 down in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In the days between that Melbourne defeat and the New Year’s Test in Sydney, there was a report citing Gambhir had lost patience with the way India had played in Australia.”I don’t think I need to answer to any reports,” Gambhir said on the eve of the fifth Test. “There are some honest words. That’s all I can say. Honesty is extremely important if you want to go on and achieve some great things.”Gambhir was “extremely, extremely confident” though that India could get the win that they need in Sydney to draw the series and retain the trophy. “If someone had said 40-45 days ago that we would be in this situation, that we can come to Sydney and draw this series, it’s a good position to be in. And I don’t think so that anything is out of control.”When you come to a Test like this, it’s not that batting didn’t do well or bowling didn’t do well. If batting and bowling hadn’t done well, we wouldn’t have won a Test match or we wouldn’t have been 2-1 down. We could have been in a worse situation. So, as I said, I don’t think so that anything is worrisome.”We know we’ve got the skill set. We’ve got the individuals. We’ve got everything in that dressing room that can win a Test match here. Not only here, probably go on to do some unbelievable things in the future as well.”Related

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India have a few senior players out of form: Rohit Sharma – Gambhir wouldn’t confirm if he will play on Friday – Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have all had a lean run in Australia.”First of all, all the individuals, all the individuals know which area they have to work in,” Gambhir said. “And it’s not like I’m talking about individuals here. Because ultimately, you win as a team and lose as a team. And when you’re playing for your country, everyone tries to contribute their maximum. So, that’s important.”And it’s not like the debate between a player and a coach should be known to everybody. It should just be between them. You [the outsiders] just see the results. And, fortunately or unfortunately, this sport is known only for the results. But the conversations between the individuals and the dressing room, they should stay there.”In Melbourne, when India were trying to draw the Test match, several of their batters, from Rohit to Kohli to Yashasvi Jaiswal to Pant, played attacking shots to get out. Gambhir, ahead of his first series in charge as India’s Test coach in September last year, had highlighted he wanted to be a part of a team that could adapt to various situations, whether it is scoring 400 in a day or batting time to secure a draw. On Thursday, he was asked whether a batter playing their natural game could be at odds with the match situation.”It’s the team-first ideology that matters,” Gambhir said. “It’s a team sport and you’ve got to play what the team needs you to do. That’s as simple as it can get. People can play the natural game. But still, in a team sport, individuals only contribute. It’s the team [that is important]. If you need to play in a certain way, I think you’ve got to do it.”I don’t want to talk about individuals. I think everyone knows where they are. And as I just mentioned, in a team sport, it’s only the team. You have to expect players to do what the team needs you to do. Whether they go to bad sessions, whether they go to be attacking, because that is all that matters in a team sport for me.”Gambhir reiterated that Indian cricket – despite its ups (a T20 World Cup win last year) and downs (a home series whitewash against New Zealand) – will always be strong.”I think Indian cricket will always be in safe hands till the time you’ve got honest people sitting in that room,” he said. “And honesty is the most important thing for any transition. And it is not about phasing out senior players or getting the youngsters in.”Ultimately, the only thing that can keep you in that dressing room is the performance. And it starts from all of us. Not only from the players, from the coaches as well.”

Four teams can finish on 12 or more points – what are their respective chances looking like?

S Rajesh04-Nov-2023Australia
Two points following the win against England means Australia are well placed to seal the third semi-final spot and finish among the top three. They can confirm both if they beat Afghanistan in Mumbai on Tuesday – that will ensure Afghanistan can only finish on a maximum of 10 points, which will also be the ceiling for both New Zealand and Pakistan.Even if they lose to Afghanistan, they can still finish among the top three if they beat Bangladesh in their last game. For Afghanistan to go past them, they will not only have to win both their matches, but also go past Australia’s net run rate. Currently, the gap there is huge – Australia are sitting pretty on 0.924 compared to Afghanistan’s -0.330.Related

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If Australia lose to both Afghanistan and Bangladesh, then it could come down to net run rates. Three teams – Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan – could be fighting for one spot if Afghanistan beat South Africa and if New Zealand and Pakistan win their last matches. If Afghanistan lose, then four teams on 10 points could be fighting for two spots. Even there, Australia’s healthy NRR should make them favourites to qualify.If New Zealand and Pakistan lose their last games, then Australia will qualify with 10 points even if they lose their last two.New Zealand
Four defeats in their last four matches have left New Zealand with much to do to ensure a semi-final spot. Even if they win their last game, they could miss out if Australia beat Bangladesh and Afghanistan win their last two – if all those results happen, four teams will finish with 12 or more points.New Zealand’s best case will be for them to beat Sri Lanka, for Afghanistan to lose their last two, and for England to beat Pakistan. Then 10 points will take them through without NRR coming into play.If both New Zealand and Pakistan win their last games, and if Afghanistan win a match too, it could come down to net run rates among the three teams. Currently New Zealand have a stronger NRR, and even if they beat Sri Lanka by just one run scoring 300, Pakistan will have to beat England by 130 (with the same total) to go past them.Given that rain is forecast through the week in Bengaluru, there is also the possibility of New Zealand’s last game being washed out; if that happens, they will finish with only nine points, and they will have to hope for Pakistan and Afghanistan to lose their remaining matches and stay on eight.Afghanistan are one of the teams that can finish on 12 points•AFP/Getty Images

Afghanistan
If Afghanistan win their last two matches they will qualify for sure, since they are one of only four teams who can finish on 12 or more points. The problem for them is that their two opponents are Australia and South Africa, among the best teams in the tournament so far. The other problem for them is their NRR of -0.330, which is easily the poorest among the teams they could be jostling with for a place in the semi-finals.Their best chance of qualifying is if both Pakistan and New Zealand lose their last league matches and stay on eight points. Then, even one victory will be enough for them to qualify, without bringing run rates into play.Pakistan
After seemingly being out of the semi-final race, Pakistan have bounced back with wins against Bangladesh and New Zealand, and now have a shot at a top-four finish. For that to happen, though, they still need to depend on other results, even if they beat England in their last game. For example, even with 10 points, Pakistan could finish outside the top four if New Zealand beat Sri Lanka and finish with a better NRR, and if Australia win one of their last two. Afghanistan could play spoilsport too if they win their last two.Pakistan’s best case-scenario is for them to beat England, for Sri Lanka to beat New Zealand, and for Afghanistan to lose their last two matches. Then, they will qualify without NRR coming into play.As mentioned above, if New Zealand beat Sri Lanka even by a small margin, Pakistan will need to win their last game handily to overtake them on NRR. The advantage for Pakistan is that they will play the penultimate game of the league stage, so they will know exactly what they need to do to qualify.Sri Lanka
Netherlands
Both Sri Lanka and Netherlands are in a similar position – their net run rates are poor, and they can get a maximum of eight points. With three teams already on more than eight, their only chance is for the other teams – New Zealand, Pakistan and Afghanistan – to lose all their remaining matches and stay on eight. Then, either or both of these teams can also finish on eight by winning their last two matches, and NRR will decide which team goes through.Given their terrible NRRs though, that is only a mathematical possibility.

Romario Shepherd played the lead role for West Indies with the ball and, despite Suryakumar Yadav’s 61, India failed to find rhythm in the decider

Shashank Kishore13-Aug-2023
India’s multi-format tour of the Caribbean and the USA ended with a T20I series defeat to West Indies, with their lack of lower-order batting muscle and a lacklustre bowling show playing a part in Sunday’s result in Florida. But let that not take any credit away from Nicholas Pooran and Brandon King, the architects of a superbly constructed chase.The pair put on 107 off 72 balls for the second wicket and didn’t allow India a foot in the door. What seemed like it might be a challenging chase at the outset turned into a stroll, West Indies eventually getting home with 12 balls to spare to record their second straight T20I series win and their first against India since 2017.

King, Pooran blaze away

West Indies lost Kyle Mayers in the second over to Arshdeep Singh, but it only spurred them to go even harder in drizzly conditions that forced the teams to have one eye on the DLS sheet.Cramped for room and hit on the ribs by a short delivery second ball, Pooran offered the perfect reply when he muscled Arshdeep over deep midwicket to open his account off the fourth ball he faced. Pooran then had a slice of luck when he was almost pouched by a diving Mukesh Kumar at mid-off in the third over of the innings, and he took full advantage of that by pummelling Hardik Pandya for back-to-back sixes soon after.Pooran continued to enjoy a charmed life when a small spike on Snickometer – the thinnest of edges off the glove attempting a slog sweep – helped overturn an lbw decision off Kuldeep Yadav in the fifth over. But around all this, there was a display of sensational hitting – clean and uninhibited – to throw India’s bowlers completely off the rails.

Did India err tactically?

India’s decision to play six bowlers (Hardik included), which brings with it the inherent risk of their batting tapering off quickly down the order, was specifically designed it seemed to counter situations such as this. However, today, against Pooran in particular, you wondered if they were erring tactically.Mukesh Kumar’s strength as a bowler is to swing it with the new ball. Today he bowled just one over in the first 10 (the tenth). Axar Patel was handed just one over (the 15th, with West Indies needing 42 from 36) and Yuzvendra Chahal, perhaps at his lowest point in terms of confidence, was brought on in the powerplay – that over went for 14 with King welcoming him with a massive hit against the turn for six.The only bowler to rein in the batters somewhat was Kuldeep, who varied his pace and lengths nicely. In the previous two games, Pooran was out trying to take him on. Today, Pooran was intent on learning from that and milked singles off Kuldeep, whose first three overs went for just 16.After going neck-and-neck for much of the innings, King pipped Pooran to the half-century when he stepped out and clobbered Chahal over long-off in the 13th over to get there off 38 balls. No sooner than the shot was hit, the players went off following a lightning warning.Upon resumption, with West Indies needing 47 off 42, Hardik threw the ball to Tilak Varma for some offspin, and he struck second ball when Pooran gloved an attempted reverse-sweep to slip. But Shai Hope came in and played a sparkling hand, allaying any fears of a slowdown, by sealing victory with a six down the ground.

Suryakumar, Tilak help India recover after early blows

At the toss Hardik said India wanted to challenge themselves by batting first, but three overs in, it seemed already that they had quite a task on their hands.Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, the architects of the carnage from 24 hours earlier, fell cheaply to Akeal Hosein’s left-arm spin. Jaiswal was done in by the skid off the pitch while Gill was out lbw to a sweep he could’ve reviewed, with replays confirming the ball would’ve missed leg stump.Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak offset that early pressure with a superb counterattack. Tilak was especially dismissive of Alzarri Joseph as he took him for 4, 6, 4, 4 in the sixth over. The six, in particular, was audacious – he swept Joseph off length to the deep-square-leg fence.At the other end, Suryakumar was having fun of his own, lofting Hosein, flat-batting a sweep down the ground for four and standing tall and driving elegantly.

A slowdown…

India’s third-wicket pair had added 49 off five overs to kick the innings into fourth gear before Roston Chase’s brilliance accounted for Tilak. What seemed an innocuous push for a single turned lethal when Chase, in his follow-through, ran to his right and put in a full-length dive to grab the ball, and belted out a belated appeal. It seemed it would be a mandatory check for a bump ball (Chase’s team-mates had not even appealed), but again it proved to be much more than that: wild fist bumping ensued in the West Indies camp when replays confirmed Tilak had lobbed the ball straight off the bat and his cameo was nipped in the bud.Then Sanju Samson fell for his third low score of the series – a nine-ball 13 – to Romario Shepherd. At 87 for 4 in the 11th over, Hardik seemingly decided he wasn’t going to run the risk of exposing the lower order too early and looked to bat himself in. India went from overs 10.2 to 14 without a single boundary, before Suryakumar launched Shepherd and then Joseph for six – the latter an inside-out six over cover to raise his half-century off 38 balls. At 121 for 4 in 15.5 overs, India seemed to have set themselves up for a final assault when the rain came down again.

… Followed by a collapse

Hardik fell soon after resumption when he picked out long-on a delivery after he had smacked Shepherd over the long-off boundary. Suryakumar followed in the next over when West Indies overturned a not-out lbw decision via the DRS. The lower order just unravelled from there; a fortuitous boundary from the last man Mukesh (edged past the keeper) dragged India to 165 when, at one point, they had looked good for 190. The way the chase shaped up, perhaps even that may have not been enough.