Australia wicketkeeper tests positive 24 hours out from the England clash but has mild symptoms and is expected to play as Australia do not have a back-up

Alex Malcolm27-Oct-2022Australia are negotiating a second Covid-positive case in three days with wicketkeeper Matthew Wade testing positive just 24 hours out from their vital clash with England at the MCG on Friday.Wade did not train at Australia’s optional indoor session at the Junction Oval on Thursday afternoon after testing positive. It follows hot on the heels of Adam Zampa missing Australia’s clash with Sri Lanka after testing positive.But under tournament rules, Wade is allowed to play and is likely to line up for Australia despite the positive test. His symptoms are minor. Wade will however need to travel to the ground separately to the rest of the squad and will not be able to use the team changeroom prior to or during the game.Zampa was also set to play in Perth but a decision was made by the medical staff to take a conservative route to rest him with the able backup of Ashton Agar ready and available. Zampa is set to return against England after testing negative on Thursday. He trained at the Junction Oval, doing some bowling with assistant coach Daniel Vettori.Australia’s selectors do not have the option to replace Wade though, as he is the only specialist wicketkeeper in Australia’s 15-man squad, after backup keeper Josh Inglis was withdrawn prior to the tournament due to a severe cut to his hand. Inglis was replaced by allrounder Cameron Green.Australia cannot fly in a backup keeper such as Alex Carey, Josh Philippe, Ben McDermott or Jimmy Peirson to play as Wade would need to be permanently replaced in the squad for the remainder of the tournament.This was the exact scenario Australia had hoped to avoid when replacing Inglis with Green, having gambled that there was a very slim chance that Wade would go down.Glenn Maxwell took the liberty of donning some fresh wicketkeeping gloves at the indoor session to do some catching with Australia assistant coach and former grade keeper Andre Borovec. But it was done as a lighthearted show for the TV news cameras at the session and brought about laughter from the chairman of selectors George Bailey. Captain Aaron Finch also suggested to Maxwell that he himself would keep before Maxwell would, especially given Maxwell’s bowling requirements.Finch and coach Andrew McDonald stated pre-tournament that David Warner would likely do it in case of an emergency given he has kept in a Test match for Australia as an in-game replacement for Brad Haddin. Finch has also done it in the BBL for Melbourne Renegades.But it is unlikely Australia will need a contingency for Wade, given he is set to play. Even if he doesn’t, the chances of the game against England going ahead at all are getting slimmer by the hour in Melbourne as more rain bucketed down on Thursday, with more expected on Friday.

England have won their last seven T20Is against Sri Lanka, but they will be wary of the threat of Theekshana and Hasaranga on a worn pitch

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Nov-20223:28

Uthappa: England will want to know the target and chase

Big picture

With Afghanistan going down narrowly to Australia, Sri Lanka have no hope of making the semi-finals. New Zealand are already on seven points following their win against Ireland. Australia have now matched that tally.What Sri Lanka can do, however, is ruin England’s chances of progressing to the knockouts. This is must-win for England, thanks partly to washouts, but also to their having lost to Ireland earlier in the tournament.Related

• England win tactical tussle to prevent repeat of semi-final defeat

• Nawaz puts Sri Lanka's success down to 'losing less wickets during the powerplay'

• England hope to make better SCG World Cup memories, but Sri Lanka won't make it easy for them

The good news for them is that bad weather is not forecast for Sydney on Saturday (another washout would rule them out). The better news is that their net run rate is well clear of Australia’s, so all they need to do is win, by any margin. The even better news is that Sri Lanka have not beaten England since 2014. None of the likely Sri Lanka players have any memory of defeating England in a T20I. England have won their last seven encounters, spread over four countries.That England have firepower right through their batting order is well-known, but in this tournament, they’ve also showcased some excellent bowling variety. Despite having played only three matches because of the rain, Sam Curran has nine wickets, with an economy rate of 6.28. Mark Wood, the fastest bowler of this World Cup so far, has six wickets. Ben Stokes has four with an economy rate of 5.04.Although the bad losses to Australia and New Zealand put major dents in Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign, a victory against England to finish will have them heading home upbeat. This is still a young team, and though they perhaps didn’t quite live up to their dark-horse billing, they will have salvaged something out of a rough tournament, in which they lost their best quicks very early, and have been pinballed around Australia more than most other teams.A loss leaves a different flavour; they’d have defeated only teams they were expected to beat (Netherlands, UAE, Ireland, Afghanistan). And that’s all after they lost to Namibia.

Form guide

England WLWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Sri Lanka WLLWWLahiru Kumara’s pace could be a double-edged sword against England’s top order•Getty Images

In the spotlight

In the three matches he’s played at this tournament, Adil Rashid has been wicketless. He hasn’t bowled badly exactly – getting through his four overs nicely, and even going at only a run a ball against Ireland. He’s just not made a breakthrough, when perhaps you’d have expected him to be much more of a threat through the middle overs. He’s playing against one of his favourite opponents now, however. In seven matches against Sri Lanka, Rashid has nine wickets, and an economy rate of 5.91. Sri Lanka’s batters have become better at playing legspin recently, but on a worn Sydney pitch, Rashid may still back himself.Lahiru Kumara has five wickets from five matches in this tournament, and has seemed an improved bowler from the one who played last year’s T20 World Cup. But England’s batters, who enjoy the ball coming on, may prove a serious test, particularly in the death overs. It seems likely that outside the powerplay, England will have plans to put pressure on Kumara.

Pitch and conditions

There is only an outside chance of rain. The surface will be worn – two matches having been played on it already. This should suit the spinners, of whom Sri Lanka have a superior contingent. England’s quicks know how to take the pace off the ball too, though.Will Chamika Karunaratne find a spot in the XI?•Associated Press

Team news

Sri Lanka may go with the same XI that beat Afghanistan, though there may be some thought to bringing back allrounder Chamika Karunaratne.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Kusal Mendis (wk), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Dhananjaya de Silva, 4 Charith Asalanka, 5 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Pramod Madushan, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Lahiru KumaraEngland are likely to retain the side that beat New Zealand.England (possible): 1 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Harry Brook, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Adil Rashid

Stats and trivia

• Of the bowlers who didn’t play the first round, only Anrich Nortje has more wickets (10) than Curran’s nine. Nortje’s average and economy rates are worse, though.
• But then no one has more wickets than Wanindu Hasaranga, who’s got 13 from the seven games he’s played. He was the last World Cup’s top wicket-taker too. More breakthroughs in Sri Lanka’s final match will put some distance between him and the rest of the field.
• When Sri Lanka last beat England, at the Oval in 2014, TM Dilshan was still opening the innings, and James Tredwell was England’s lead spinner.

A chase of 134 became severely dicey at 72 for 6 but the captain stood up big time

Tristan Lavalette26-Dec-2022Captain Ashton Turner held his nerve to steer Perth Scorchers past league-leaders Adelaide Strikers in a low-scoring thriller at Optus Stadium.Chasing a modest 134, Scorchers were in disarray at 72 for 6 before Turner and Jhye Richardson combined for a 43-run partnership.It came down to the decisive 19th over with Turner smashing 16 runs off three deliveries from quick Henry Thornton to effectively ice the match.Turner superbly rescues Scorchers
Scorchers’ new-look batting order has had a mixed bag this season. They smashed their highest ever total with 229 for 7 against Melbourne Stars last time but were brought back to earth against Strikers.Their batting largely revolves around Faf du Plessis and Josh Inglis, both of whom smashed rapid half-centuries against Stars, but fell amid a disastrous first 10 overs here.Scorchers’ chances appeared slim but Turner never lost his composure and received strong support from Richardson. Turner wisely kept the power surge up his sleeve and finally claimed it in the 19th over with Scorchers needing 19 runs for victory.Richardson fell first ball in the over before Turner flipped the match on its head with a trio of big blows to whip the home crowd into a frenzy. It was a return to form for Turner whose batting across formats has nosedived in recent years.Turner, who has played nine ODIs and 18 T20Is for Australia, is highly regarded for his tactical nous and is seen as arguably the best captain in the BBL.More performances like this could see him return to the national fold, especially with Australia looking for more leadership options in limited-overs cricket.Strikers gamble with spin until decisive over
Wes Agar was a shock omission having memorably claimed 4 for 6 in Strikers’ extraordinary rout of Sydney Thunder, while he also claimed a three-wicket haul last start against Brisbane Heat.Adelaide Strikers’ spinners put in a massive shift trying to defend 133•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

But Strikers’ brains trust had a plan. They believed Scorchers’ batters weren’t as proficient with the pace off so selected offspinner Ben Manenti for his Strikers debut after crossing over from Sydney Sixers.It looked like a masterstroke with Manenti snaring the key wicket of Inglis. It was one of four picked up by Strikers’ three spinners.A tense game went down to the wire and the captain Peter Siddle had a major decision to make ahead of the 19th over. He was deliberating between in-form quick Thornton, who had been expensive, and spinners Manenti and Matt Short, who had both performed well earlier in the innings.Siddle went with Thornton in a move that ultimately backfired.Spinner Hatzoglou justifies selection
Scorchers’ strong pace attack has been the backbone of their success since the BBL’s inception, particularly on bouncy home surfaces. But for this game, they decided to back legspinner Peter Hatzoglou over seamer Matt Kelly, who was expensive in their season opener against Sixers at Optus Stadium.Hatzoglou, a key part of Scorchers’ title-winning team last season, didn’t put a foot wrong in their games on the road against Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars. Against Strikers, he repaid the faith with a miserly performance to concede just 22 runs from his four overs.He bowled well after the powerplay in conjunction with frontline spinner Ashton Agar, which is a blueprint for their attack on the slower pitches on the east coast.Hatzoglou might just have to be an automatic selection at home too as Scorchers’ spinners superbly backed up a trademark clinical effort from their quicks.Lynn again fails to capitalise on start
There has obviously been a lot of attention on Chris Lynn, whose long career with Heat netted him the most runs in BBL history. With his new team, Lynn has shown glimpses of his muscular batting but hasn’t been able to play a signature innings yet.Lynn had a golden opportunity after coming to the crease when Henry Hunt fell in the opening over. Against trademark accuracy from Scorchers’ quicks, Lynn was tied down as Strikers endured their lowest ever four-over powerplay with just 18 runs.A determined Lynn shed the big shots as he played within himself. Working into his innings, Lynn looked ready to put the foot down with a thumping drive to the boundary off Agar but once again it proved a tease.Scampering for a quick single, Lynn was brilliantly run out by a direct underarm throw from Jason Behrendorff at cover. His 33-ball 35 top-scored for Strikers, but he would have hoped for so much more.

West Indies left-arm spinner took career-best figures on a spinner’s pitch to dismiss Zimbabwe for 115

Himanshu Agrawal12-Feb-2023Just like a more high-profile surface several thousands of kilometres away, the pitch at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo offered plenty of turn as early as the first session on day one, and West Indies’ left-armer Gudakesh Motie used the assistance to run through Zimbabwe with figures of 7 for 37. By stumps, the visitors had already taken a first-innings lead.Zimbabwe were shot out for just 115 in the 41st over, having lost eight wickets for 41 runs. Innocent Kaia top-scored with 38 and Donald Tiripano’s unbeaten 23 helped drag the hosts past 100.The day had begun with West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel extracting considerable bounce at high speed from the slow surface, but that quickly made way for Motie’s left-arm spin troubling the batters out of the rough.Motie had conceded 16 runs in his first four overs, but eventually accounted for the last seven Zimbabwe wickets. His first victim was Milton Shumba inside-edging to short leg, after the left-hander skipped down to defend a ball turning into him. Two overs later, the slow turn away from the right-hander Tafadzwa Tsiga had him ballooning a catch to point. And in the 27th over, Craig Ervine was trapped in front when he missed an attempted sweep.When Wellington Masakadza inside-edged Motie to leg slip in the 29th over, Zimbabwe were 81 for 7, and he completed his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket by dismissing Brandon Mavuta. Perhaps trying to take the attack to the bowler, Mavuta tried to loft a flighted delivery that dipped around off stump. He got an outside edge that bounced off wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva’s pads towards slip, where Jermaine Blackwood caught it on the second attempt.Motie bowled all his 14.5 overs unchanged; his spell interrupted by only the lunch break.In their reply, West Indies lost captain Kraigg Brathwaite in the eighth over – also to the left-arm spin of Wellington Masakadza – but Raymon Reifer and Tagenarine Chanderpaul added 73 for the second wicket. Despite losing Chanderpaul for 36 – top-edging legspinner Mavuta to short fine leg – West Indies were well placed at 117 for 2 when a mix-up with Blackwood cost Reifer his wicket shortly after bringing up his half-century.The visitors also lost Blackwood to Mavuta before stumps, and finished the day on 133 for 4, leading by 18 runs.

The opener has arrived home from India after injury but will return for the ODIs

AAP23-Feb-20232:35

Chopra: Head is potentially Australia’s long-term Test opener

David Warner is not feeling the pressure and has vowed to play international cricket until 2024 even if the selectors end his prolific Test career.He arrived back in Sydney on Thursday after his tour of India was cut short due to a fractured elbow. Warner also suffered a concussion during the second Test defeat in Delhi and was subbed out of the match before play on day two.Related

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But the 36-year-old believes he is the right man to open the batting on this year’s Ashes tour despite scoring just one Test century during the last three years.”I’ve always said I’m playing to 2024; if the selectors feel that I’m not worthy of my spot, then so be it, and I can push on to the white-ball stuff,” Warner told reporters at Sydney Airport. “I’ve got the next 12 months, a lot of cricket’s ahead for the team and if I can keep scoring runs and putting my best foot forward for the team and I can help my spot, it’d be great for the team.”It’s easy pickings [for critics] when you’re 36 going on 37. I’ve seen it before with the ex-players as well. So for me if I’m taking pressure off the rest of the other guys, and no one’s worrying about the rest of the team, I’m happy to do that.”David Warner has left the India tour early•Associated Press

When asked if Warner was still in Australia’s plans for the five-Test tour of England in June, Australia selector Tony Dodemaide declined to commit to the aggressive left-hander.”We’re worried about what we can get out of these remaining two Tests [in India], obviously that’s a clear focus for us at the moment,” Dodemaide said on Wednesday.”We’ll address the Ashes planning [at a later time], but we are committed to picking the best fit and available players for Test series, particularly something as big as the Ashes.”That’s not a question that we’ve addressed so far. We are very keen, as everyone I’m sure at home would be, for us to get something out of this remaining series.”Warner has been joined by fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and bowling allrounder Ashton Agar in exiting the troubled tour, with Australia trailing 0-2 and their hopes of regaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy already over.

Ticket sales started in November after a ballot process, and over 55,000 have already been sold

Matt Roller08-Mar-20232:25

Where do you see women’s cricket in five years?

One hundred days before the start of the 2023 Women’s Ashes, England Women are set to attract record crowds this summer.Ticket sales started in November after a ballot process, and ESPNcricinfo understands that over 55,000 tickets have already been sold for England’s home fixtures. The Ashes, a multi-format series, start with the Test match at Trent Bridge on June 22, followed by white-ball fixtures from July 1-18, while Sri Lanka will tour for six white-ball matches in September.The sales figures mean that England are already guaranteed a record-breaking total attendance this summer, having attracted around 50,000 fans to series against South Africa and India in 2022.England will play at some of the country’s biggest stadia in 2023. Ticket sales for the Ashes T20Is at Edgbaston, The Oval and Lord’s are internally considered a major priority by the ECB, who have made a point of marketing the women’s series alongside the men’s.Warwickshire announced last week that they have already sold over 14,000 tickets for the Edgbaston T20I, which looks set to become the best-attended England Women’s home game outside of world events. The current record, set at Lord’s for last year’s India ODI, stands at 15,187.”It’s really exciting that we’ve sold so many tickets,” Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is playing for Mumbai Indians in the inaugural Women’s Premier League, said. “You see it out here in the WPL and back home in the Hundred: a big crowd makes such a difference.”The prospect of playing in front of a full Lord’s or Edgbaston in an Ashes game is pretty cool. It’s what you grow up watching, so I’m really looking forward to that.”Early-bird ticket prices are available until March 9.

The other Knight Riders struggled on a slow pitch and an excellent innings went in vain

Sreshth Shah16-Apr-20232:54

Moody: ‘Mumbai Indians will have to outbat oppositions to win consistently’

On a special day for the Mumbai Indians franchise, their home fans were treated to a commanding victory over Kolkata Knight Riders, with contributions from Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Piyush Chawla and Hrithik Shokeen.The all-round effort from the Mumbai team overshadowed Venkatesh Iyer’s 51-ball 104 that had single-handedly lifted the Knight Riders to 185. Iyer broke Knight Riders’ jinx of no IPL centuries since Brendon McCullum’s 158* from 15 years ago, but the other batters were not fluent.That meant Knight Riders finished below par and Kishan’s powerplay dominance (58 off 25) made it even worse for them. Suryakumar, the stand-in captain, then showed glimpses of his best (43 off 25) with solid contributions from Tilak Varma and Tim David to polish off the win.There was also a debut for Arjun Tendulkar, the son of Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. He bowled two new-ball overs that showed promise for the future.

Venkatesh ends KKR’s century curse

Sometimes intent matters more than timing. Or so it seemed in Venkatesh’s case. Walking in after N Jagadeesan fell for a duck early, he hit Tendulkar and Cameron Green for sixes to race away to 19 in 8 balls.He often charged out of hise crase, using his reach to convert length balls into fuller deliveries, and even if he wasn’t timing it, he was clearing the boundaries. He also survived some inside-edges that whizzed past the stumps for four, including the ball that got him to fifty in 23 deliveries.Sometimes Venkatesh looked a million dollars. Like when he pulled both Riley Meredith and debutant Duan Jansen – Marco’s twin – for sixes in the 11th and 12th overs. At other times, Venkatesh rode his luck with his footwork getting him in awkward positions.Another six off Meredith in the 14th over took Venkatesh to 94, but he wouldn’t reach his century till his 17th, with Mumbai’s bowlers squeezing him and Shardul Thakur with three tight overs. When he got there, he presented a wide grin and acknowledged the crowd.He couldn’t stay till the end though. In the 18th over, an attempted reverse scoop off Meredith resulted in an easy catch on 104 for short third.

Chawla leads Mumbai’s bowling effort

Suryakumar chose to bowl at the toss. Tendulkar took the new ball and got it to swing early. He bowled six dots and finished 0-17 in two overs. Green kept tight lines and Shokeen’s offbreaks to two left-handers kept one end quiet.Trying to increase his strike-rate, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was caught at short third off Chawla. Then things got heated when Nitish Rana was dismissed by his state team-mate Shokeen. Shoekeen went on to remove Shardul Thakur, slog sweeping to the deep and Rinku Singh couldn’t repeat his recent heroics either, making only 18.It was Venkatesh’s hitting – a total outlier in the Knight Riders innings – that had kept them on course for a 200+ score, but Shokeen, Chawla and Jansen bowled three tidy overs between 15 and 17 to take some momentum out from the batting innings. Russell faced only 11 balls after walking in at No. 7 and hit 21 unbeaten runs to set Mumbai 186 to win.

Ishan’s burst and Rohit’s ‘Impact’

Rohit, who didn’t start the game due to a ‘stomach bug’, walked in as opener after Mumbai activated their Impact Player. He was very nearly caught-and-bowled by Umesh Yadav off his first ball. For most of the powerplay, he was spectator to Kishan’s thrashing of Knight Riders’ bowlers before falling for 20.Kishan punished Shardul for 4, 4, 6 through the off side in the second over. He then showed his leg-side play with a four and six off Umesh in the third. When Narine came in to bowl the chase’s fourth over, he was hit for 22 with Kishan going 6, dot, 6, 4 through slogs. He got his fifty in 21 balls.Kishan then smashed Varun Chakravarthy for six to move to 58, but when he tried to repeat it, he was bowled.But the openers had done their job. According to ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster, Mumbai were 30% favourites to win the game at the start of the chase. By the time Kishan and Rohit were gone, Mumbai were 87 for 2 in 7.3 overs – now 70% favourites.

Tilak, SKY bring it home

The blazing start gave both batters the liberty to start cautiously but the big hits came out soon enough, with Suryakumar punishing wide deliveries with cuts for four and Tilak slog sweeping Narine at the start of his second spell for six over square leg.Otherwise, they were cautious against spin through the middle overs with Rana being forced to use his best bowlers early. When Lockie Ferguson took the ball, Suryakumar brought out some vintage shots, picking up a full ball for six over fine leg and repeating it next ball over midwicket. Tilak and Suryakumar then picked off Russell for 17 in one over.Their partnership of 60 in 6.2 overs deflated Knight Riders, and after they were dismissed, David made a dash for the finish. His 24 in 13 balls sealed the deal with 14 balls to spare and gave Mumbai a net-run rate boost.

****

Nitish, Shokeen fined after altercation

Nitish Rana and Hrithik Shokeen, who are team-mates for Delhi at state level, were both fined for breaching the IPL’s Code of Conduct after exchanging words following the former’s dismissal. Nitish charged down the pitch to Shokeen, lofting him to long-on, and Shokeen appeared to give him a send-off after substitute fielder Ramandeep Singh took the catch.Nitish responded angrily and was escorted away from Shokeen by Suryakumar and Chawla. Nitish was fined 25% of his match fee under Article 2.21 of the Code of Conduct, which covers “all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute”.Shokeen was fined 10% of his match fee under Article 2.5, which covers the use of “language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal”.Suryakumar was also fined INR 12 lakh (USD 14,000 approx.) for Mumbai’s slow over-rate.

Babar (107) and Salman (58) excelled with the bat before Usama Mir’s ODI best stopped NZ well short

Danyal Rasool05-May-2023After a somewhat off-colour performance where Pakistan allowed New Zealand to get close to them, this was back to business for the hosts. A century from Babar Azam – his 18th in ODIs – helped Pakistan post an intimidating 334 for 6 after being put in to bat.It was then up to the bowlers, who were at their ruthless best, to shut New Zealand out. The game as a contest was over well before the final wicket fell and New Zealand folded for 232, putting Pakistan up 4-0 in the five-match series and at the top of the ICC rankings for ODI teams in the process.From the moment the chase began, it was apparent that keeping up with the asking rate would be a problem for New Zealand. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf were metronomically accurate and fearsomely fast in the powerplay, and Will Young and Tom Blundell are not natural aggressors. The two fell within two overs of each other after a sedate start.Both were, to their credit, dismissed seeking boundaries their side desperately needed. Mohammad Wasim struck off his first ball, with Young spooning it high into the night sky for a straightforward catch, before Blundell failed to get elevation on a drive off Rauf, the ball heading straight to Iftikhar Ahmed in the covers.The period of stagnation through the third-wicket stand that followed, between Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham, was probably what ultimately did New Zealand’s chances. A total of 83 painstaking runs were scored at a rate under five, but the asking rate had climbed to around 8.50 by then. Usama Mir – who did his World Cup chances no harm with an excellent display deputising for Shadab Khan – drew Mitchell into a stroke that caused his downfall.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The stand between Latham and Mark Chapman, which followed, was New Zealand’s brightest passage, as Chapman dispensed with all conservatism. The two put on 55 in 43 balls with Chapman taking the lead, smashing Iftikhar and Agha Salman out of the attack with 34 in three overs.But the fast bowlers returned, and Afridi cleaned up Latham yet again for a well-made, if less than explosive, 76-ball 60. Chapman continued to flay the bowling, but a quicker one from Mir saw his stumps knocked back for a 33-ball 46. Thereafter, New Zealand’s resistance melted away. Mir helped himself to a couple more wickets to register career-best figures of 4 for 43, and Pakistan secured a 102-run win.Earlier, another Babar hundred helped Pakistan to a total that always looked well beyond New Zealand. Across an innings where he also became the quickest player to 5000 ODI runs, the batters – especially Babar and Salman – were in control for the most part on a flat pitch. However, New Zealand, spearheaded by Matt Henry, punctured Pakistan regularly enough to ensure the total wouldn’t completely get out of hand. Some late Mohammad Haris and Afridi fireworks ensured that the platform Pakistan’s middle order had set would lead to a big enough total.Pakistan rung the changes in after sealing the series already, and Shan Masood – who replaced Imam-ul-Haq – guided Pakistan through the powerplay with characteristic ease after Henry removed Fakhar Zaman early with a similar delivery to the one that got him the previous game, the back-of-a-length ball miscued high into the air.The innings continued to cruise on autopilot through a 50-run, ten-over stand between Masood and Babar, before sharp work behind the stumps from Blundell saw Masood fall to Ish Sodhi. With Pakistan’s reliance on the top order well-known, the fall of Mohammad Rizwan after a Henry direct-hit caught him short would’ve given Pakistan the wobbles. But in that moment of slight adversity, Salman rose magnificently.Usama Mir registered career-best figures of 4 for 43•AFP/Getty Images

Exquisite with the sweep and reverse sweep, as well as commanding in his use of footwork, Salman cranked through the gears to put New Zealand on the back foot again. With a straight six off Cole McConchie, he brought up a 40-ball half-century as well as the hundred partnership between him and Babar.Babar had blended into the background but he still eased past 50, as he usually does in ODIs. By the time Henry pouched a stunning return catch to dismiss Salman, Babar was just 12 away from his century, and content to let Iftikhar lead.Iftikhar assembled an entertaining cameo – 28 off 22 – before Babar tickled one through the off side to bring up his century in 113 balls. When Babar holed out to deep midwicket to give Ben Lister his first wicket on ODI debut, Pakistan had got stuck somewhat, with two overs to go and still not past 300.Wasim and Shaheen remedied, plundering 38 off the final two overs, also making compelling cases to bat higher up. The four sixes and two fours between them meant they had done enough to break New Zealand’s spirits. In reality, Pakistan’s bowling demonstrated the Afridi-Wasim cameos merely added flourish to what was a near-guaranteed victory anyway.

The 33-year-old was part of the Sri Lankan side that won the T20 World Cup in 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2023Sri Lanka batter Lahiru Thirimanne has announced his retirement from international cricket after a 13-year career.”As a player I have given my best, I have tried my best, I have respected the game and I have done my duty honestly and ethically to my motherland,” Thirimanne posted on Facebook on Saturday.”It was a difficult decision to make, but I cannot mention here the many unexpected reasons that influenced me to take this decision willingly or unwillingly. I take this opportunity to thank the SLC members, my coaches, teammates, physios, trainers and analysts for their support and encouragement.”Thirimanne, 33, played 44 Tests, 127 ODIs and 26 T20Is after making his international debut in 2010. He was part of three T20 World Cup campaigns, including Sri Lanka’s win in 2014, and played two ODI World Cups. He also led Sri Lanka in five ODIs.”Absolute honor to have the opportunity to represent the country,” he posted on Instagram. “Thanks a lot for the 13 years of amazing memories and well wishes thru out my journey (sic). See you on the other side.”His last international match was the Test against India in Bengaluru in March 2022. The last of his three Test centuries came against Bangladesh in 2021 when his 140 helped Sri Lanka win the match in Pallekele. He was especially impressive in ODIs in 2015 when he scored 861 runs in 25 games with one century and six half-centuries.Thirimanne played first-class cricket in the most recent season in Sri Lanka, but has lived in Australia for much of the past two years. He has not been consistently available for Test selection, and has since been replaced at the top of the order by the likes of Nishan Madushka and Pathum Nissanka.

They haven’t won a Test against India in the last 21 years but the Queen’s Park Oval pitch could help them change that

Hemant Brar19-Jul-2023

Big picture

It’s a historic occasion. The second Test between West Indies and India, in Port-of-Spain, will be the 100th Test between the two teams. Of the 99 played so far, West Indies have won 30 and India 23, while 46 have been draws.In the last 21 years, however, West Indies have not managed a single win against India. Their previous victory came in 2002, when Yashasvi Jaiswal, the Player of the Match in the first Test of the current series, was not even five months old.Since then, the two sides have met 24 times, with India winning on 15 occasions and drawing on the other nine. Given how the first Test went – India winning by an innings and 141 runs – West Indies will have to put in a serious effort to end that streak.Related

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Having said that, this could be one of their better chances to do so. The pitch at the Queen’s Park Oval has been, traditionally, conducive to fast bowling, and West Indies have a far more experienced seam-bowling attack in this series.Neither West Indies nor India play another Test for the next five months at least. So both teams will be looking to make the most of this opportunity, apart from pocketing some World Test Championship points. West Indies will be looking to achieve some stability with the bat, and India will hope that Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan spend a considerable time in the middle.

Form guide

West Indies LLLWD (last five Tests, most recent first)
India WLDLW

In the spotlight

The world first took notice of Alick Athanaze when he topped the runs chart at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup. Last month, against UAE, he smashed the joint-fastest fifty by a batter on ODI debut. Then on his Test debut last week, against R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and a turning track, he showed he had the temperament for the long format as well. With wickets tumbling at the other end, he top-scored for West Indies in each innings with knocks of 47 and 28. Ian Bishop said he could be “a leading light in the years to come”, and West Indies will hope he proves Bishop right.In Dominica, Athanaze was impressive on a pitch that offered turn and bounce to spinners•Associated Press

At the same U-19 World Cup where Athanaze was the leading run-scorer, Shubman Gill was second on the list, and was named the Player of the Tournament. While it took Athanaze five years to make his international debut, Gill is already seen as the heir apparent to Virat Kohli. In the first Test, by asking to be moved down to No. 3, he took another step in that direction – experts believe the middle order is his natural home. But a failure in India’s only innings in Dominica meant he now averages 31.96 after 17 Tests. The good thing is he has all the time in the world and the backing of the team management.

Team news

With Raymon Reifer out of the squad, left-hand batter Kirk McKenzie could be in line for a debut. West Indies may also be tempted to bring in Shannon Gabriel for either Jomel Warrican or Rahkeem Cornwall. Meanwhile, uncapped offspin-bowling allrounder Kevin Sinclair will be on standby as a like-for-like replacement for Cornwall in case the latter is yet to fully recover from his chest infection.West Indies (probable): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 3 Alick Athanaze, 4 Jermaine Blackwood, 5 Kirk McKenzie, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 8 Rahkeem Cornwall/Kevin Sinclair, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shannon Gabriel/Jomel WarricanTwo days out from the Test, India captain Rohit Sharma said he was not looking to make “any drastic changes”. He also backed Ishan Kishan, saying he was “very impressed” with the wicketkeeper’s glovework. So it will not be a surprise if India field an unchanged XI.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Ishan Kishan (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Pitch and conditions

While the Queen’s Park Oval has not hosted a Test since 2018, fast bowlers have always enjoyed the conditions here, registering a much better average (27.39) and strike rate (61.0) as compared to spinners (36.57 and 88.7). Rain is forecast on all five days of the Test, though.

Stats and trivia

• Kohli (8555) needs 32 runs to go past Virender Sehwag’s Test tally of 8586. Among Indians, only Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar and VVS Laxman have more Test runs.
• Ashwin is 14 short of 500 Test wickets.
• In Dominica, Athanaze became only the second West Indies batter to top-score in each innings of his Test debut. The first was Lawrence Rowe, who scored 214 and 100 not out against New Zealand at Sabina Park in 1972.
• India have won three of their 13 Tests at Queen’s Park Oval. Another win here will make it their joint-most-successful overseas Test venue alongside the MCG.
• England and Australia are the other two teams West Indies and India have met India 100 times in Tests.