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After the schedule tweak, Pakistan will be playing 19 T20Is between now and the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2023Pakistan’s home series of two Test matches and three T20Is against West Indies has been pushed back from January-February 2024 to January 2025, and has been replaced by an away series of five T20Is against New Zealand.With the tweak in the Future Tours Programme, Pakistan will be playing 19 T20Is between now and the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, to be held in the West Indies and the USA in June 2024, ten of them against New Zealand alone – five away and five at home – and the rest against Netherlands (three), Ireland (two) and England (four).A separate series in New Zealand, of three ODIs and five T20Is, has been pushed back from January 2025 to April 2025. It also means that Pakistan have an entire home season later this year without a single Test in it. They tour Australia for a three-Test series at the end of the year – their first Tests after the current series against Sri Lanka – and then will not play any Tests until August 2024, when they host Bangladesh for two Tests.

Pakistan’s T20I tour of New Zealand

Jan 12 – 1st T20I, Auckland
Jan 14 – 2nd T20I, Hamilton
Jan 17 – 3rd T20I, Dunedin
Jan 19 – 4th T20I, Christchurch
Jan 21 – 5th T20I, Christchurch

This was on the cards, as reported last month by ESPNcricinfo, since the PSL is slotted for February and March. As things stand, Pakistan will play three Test matches in Australia between December 2023 and January 2024, and the clutter in early 2024 has been reduced somewhat with the five-match T20I series in New Zealand to be held in January. After completing the Tests in Australia, Pakistan will fly directly to Auckland to play the T20Is. In April, after the PSL, the teams will play a reciprocal five-T20I series in Pakistan.The PSL now runs for 34 days. And because of the holy month of Ramadan, the available window is only from February 12 to March 10.Related

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The PCB has also requested the Emirates Cricket Board to pull back their ILT20 by ten days to avoid overlapping with the PSL. It is likely that the PCB will not object to its players signing contracts with ILT20 teams, which it had done in 2023, the inaugural edition of the tournament.The discussions between the PCB and the Emirates Cricket Board were conducted during Najam Sethi’s tenure as PCB chairman, but is expected to stand despite the change of guard at the PCB.

Pakistan men’s revised FTP for 2023-2025

The 2023-24 season
July: Pakistan in Sri Lanka (two Tests)
August: Pakistan in Afghanistan (three ODIs)
September: ODI Asia Cup in Pakistan and Sri Lanka
October-November: ODI World Cup in India
December-January: Pakistan in Australia (three Tests)
January: Pakistan in New Zealand (five T20Is)
April: New Zealand in Pakistan (five T20Is)
May: Pakistan in the Netherlands (three T20Is), in Ireland (two T20Is), and in England (four T20Is)
June: T20 World Cup in the USA and the West IndiesThe 2024-25 season
August: Bangladesh in Pakistan (two Tests)
October: England in Pakistan (three Tests)
November: Pakistan in Australia (three ODIs and three T20Is)
November-December: Pakistan in Zimbabwe (three ODIs and three T20Is)
December-January: Pakistan in South Africa (two Tests, three ODIs, three T20Is)
January: West Indies in Pakistan (two Tests)
February: New Zealand and South Africa in Pakistan (ODI tri-series)
February-March: Champions Trophy in Pakistan
April: Pakistan in New Zealand (three ODIs and five T20Is)
May: Bangladesh in Pakistan (three ODIs and three T20Is)

India’s attack has built huge pressure on Australia’s batsmen by stemming their scoring rate

Andrew McGlashan01-Jan-2021Marnus Labuschagne started 2020 with a double-century against New Zealand at the SCG. What Australia would give for even half that when they take on India in Sydney next week with the Test series locked at 1-1.In many ways, Labuschagne is lower down Australia’s list of concerns when it comes to their batting line-up: he has faced the most deliveries and scored the most runs in the two Tests so far. That does, though, come from a pretty low base with the home side having limped to totals of 191, 195 and 200 in their three completed innings.Dismantling India for 36 meant it did not prove costly in Adelaide, but at the MCG their under-par first-innings total was significantly overhauled by India and then they could only muster a lead of 69.However, Labuschagne’s series is also part of the problem. Three times he has got himself well set at the crease but has been unable to pass fifty. Compare that to last season against New Zealand and Pakistan, where he only failed to reach fifty once in eight innings, and converted four of those to hundreds, of which the smallest was 143.Related

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For that, the credit has to go to India’s attack, which has pulled off some superbly worked-out plans to Labuschagne, as well as all the other Australia batsmen. The three substantial innings Labuschagne has played have ended lbw to Umesh Yadav, caught at leg slip against Mohammed Siraj and caught at slip off R Ashwin.Each has been the reward of excellent thinking with the dismissals against Yadav and Siraj highlighting the straightness with which India have bowled to Labuschagne, with a well-set leg-side field that has strangled his scoring rate.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Of the six Test series Labuschagne has played more than a single match in, this current one is comfortably his slowest in terms of his strike rate – 41.61. As a new year dawns, for the first time since returning to the Test team in the 2019 Ashes, he has a problem to solve.”They’ve certainly come in with a plan with those straight fields and making sure they really aren’t leaving the stumps,” Labuschagne said. “Having a really heavy leg-side field obviously slows your scoring rate down because those shots you do get on your legs go for one not four, and they are always keeping those catchers in the game.”You have to be really disciplined as they showed when I did glance once around the corner and got caught with that leg slip. For us, it’s probably a two-phase answer: we need to be very disciplined and we also need to come up with ways to put them under pressure.”None of Australia’s batsmen has been able to break free – this is currently their slowest-scoring home Test series since 1986-87. While India have also had to work hard for their runs, the crucial difference in the last Test was that they had a match-defining century from captain Ajinkya Rahane.”It doesn’t have to be pretty, we got to keep grinding and finding a way,” Labuschagne said. “If we do get in we’ve got to make sure we get those big scores.”Should have played forward – Marnus Labuschagne shadow-practises after being dismissed•Getty Images

In terms of output, it has been the lean returns of Steven Smith that have caught the eye over the first two Tests as his three completed innings have brought 1, 0 and 8, twice dismissed by Ashwin and then bowled behind his legs by Jasprit Bumrah in the second innings at the MCG. Only once in his Test career has he been dismissed for four consecutive single-figure scores – against England during the 2015 Ashes – and he has averaged 26.40 since the 2019 Ashes.Unsurprisingly, with the record that Smith has under his belt and the success Labuschagne has enjoyed before this summer, the Australia camp is confident that an upturn is around the corner.”I wouldn’t be too quick to be judging these Steve Smith not looking good the middle,” assistant coach Andrew McDonald said. “He hasn’t got going in this series. Marnus, probably the question for me at the moment is tactically the way that India have prepared, and have been able to probably control those two players particularly with that leg-side theory.”That’s something those two players have got to come up with a better method. I don’t think it’s anything to do with technique. Technically, they’re ready to go. It’s about how that are going to score their rounds and how they’re going to combat these tactics from Indian bowlers and captains.”

Pakistan closed eight wickets down and 244 runs ahead as England’s seamers battled back on the third evening

The Report by Valkerie Baynes07-Aug-2020Yasir Shah collected four wickets as Pakistan secured a healthy first-innings lead but England’s five-pronged seam attack chipped away to keep them in contention during the opening match of what could turn out to be a classic three-Test series.Late on an intriguing third day, it felt as though there were multiple scenarios yet to be played out, but it would take much more than England had shown so far to completely flip the script. By the close, the hosts had put themselves in a position to do just that, provided they can take early wickets on the fourth day and then produce an improved batting performance in their second innings.England had resumed in peril at 92 for 4 and required either Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler or both to produce big innings with the deficit 184 runs following Shan Masood’s outstanding 156, built over the first two days.Instead, Pakistan seamers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Abbas kept the pressure on the batsmen with a miserly first hour in which England managed 19 runs. Abbas was particularly exacting, conceding just one run from his initial seven overs.Pope, who had resumed on 46, passed fifty during that time but he and Buttler, who began the day on 15, just couldn’t get into a flow.It was teenage firebrand Naseem Shah who caused the batsmen real bother, however, eliciting loose shots from both before he had Pope out to an excellent ball that lifted late off a full length, found the splice and went straight to Shadab Khan at gully for 62.Three balls later, Naseem cracked Chris Woakes on the side of his helmet with bouncer. Concussion tests passed, Woakes joined Buttler in guiding England to lunch otherwise unscathed, despite the introduction of Yasir, who bowled two overs before the break. In all, England had added 62 runs for the session and trailed by 167.Yasir, who had Joe Root caught behind on the second evening, struck with his second ball after lunch, bowling Buttler between bat and pad as he played forward to a ball he expected to turn more than it did and which crashed into the top of off stump. Buttler, having come in under pressure to score runs, added just 23 for the day before he found himself out to a very good delivery.Yasir then removed Dom Bess with turn and bounce and an excellent slips catch by Asad Shafiq, who leapt high to his right to pull down the ball which looped off the shoulder of the bat and, crucially, held on as he hit the ground, horizontal and at full stretch.Woakes had dug in for 19 runs off 48 balls but he also fell to Yasir, whose quicker ball clattered into middle stump. For a third day in a row, England were struggling after lunch but being eight wickets down brought Stuart Broad to the crease and there was a sense of anticipation following his crucial half-century in the third Test against West Indies not a fortnight ago.Three consecutive boundaries followed off Afridi but by the time Khan had Jofra Archer caught behind off the glove for 16, Broad had quietened down. He had another go with 6-4-2 in succession off Yasir to move to 29 but that’s where he stayed, unbeaten, when James Anderson fell lbw to Khan attempting a reverse sweep and England were all out for 219, trailing by 107.When Broad removed Masood for an 11-ball duck, Pakistan were 8 for 1 and they could have been two down at tea but for Ben Stokes putting down Abid Ali off the bowling of Anderson.It took the introduction of Bess to make further inroads after the interval. Bess struck with his sixth ball to remove Abid, hoicking in ungainly fashion to deep square leg, and so began an enthralling period where the plot deviated one way then another.Like Bess, Woakes came in with immediate effect, removing the dangerous Babar Azam – who scored 69 in the first innings – for just 5, caught by Stokes holding on this time at second slip. Woakes then trapped Azhar Ali lbw for 18 to put Pakistan at 63 for 4 with the lead 171 and keep England in the fight.Asad Shafiq and Mohammad Rizwan pushed Pakistan’s advantage beyond the 200-mark with a partnership that looked set to frustrate the hosts but which ended on 38 with a superb run out by Dom Sibley, descending on the ball from point and firing it in off-balance to take out the stumps with Shafiq nowhere near making his ground.Stokes, who did not bowl in the first innings due a quad injury suffered in the West Indies series, came into the attack late in the day and his ability to make things happen could not be denied. Stokes had Rizwan out lbw and Afridi gloving a bouncer to gully, with Broad accounting for Khan via the DRS in between after his appeal for lbw was initially turned down by on-field umpire Richard Illingworth but was shown to be hitting leg stump.That left Yasir set to be the protagonist again, seeking quick runs to push the lead up on the fourth morning as the storyline came full circle.

Ball-by-ball commentary of Ashton Agar’s hat-trick and five-wicket haul in Johannesburg

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-20207.4 – Agar to du Plessis, OUT, goes inside out, slugged over the off side… straight to the boundary rider! Du Plessis won’t be making any more of a statement today! Agar with a loopy, wide delivery and he couldn’t get the timing, plinked off the toe and it almost didn’t carry to Richardson on the rope
F du Plessis c Richardson b Agar 24 (34m 22b 3×4 0x6) SR: 109.09Andile Phehlukwayo out, with SA looking to save some face7.5 – Agar to Phehlukwayo, OUT, given lbw first ball! May have been a touch leg side and Phehlukwayo reviews, but the replays quickly show that the ball pitched in line and was straightening bang on leg stump! This innings is quickly going belly up for South Africa!
AL Phehlukwayo lbw b Agar 0 (3m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00Agar is on a hat-trick, Dale Steyn the man to face up7.6 – Agar to Steyn, OUT, GOTTIM!! Edged to slip! Tossed one up and Steyn, in no mood for backing down, had a big old yahoo, squirting a thick edge to Finch, who held it well! Agar goes bombing off, what a moment for him, and South Africa are on their knees in the Bullring!
DW Steyn c Finch b Agar 0 (1m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00Becomes just the second Australian on this list11.6 – Agar to van Biljon, OUT, pegs back leg stump! That’s a bingo for Agar, who has career-best figures! Dirty ole slog across the line from van Biljon, the ball gripping just enough as it skidded on underneath the bat. South Africa eight down and hurting
PJ van Biljon b Agar 16 (26m 15b 2×4 0x6) SR: 106.66Still another 20-odd needed for SA to avoid their lowest T20I score… Lungi Ngidi is out at No.1013.1 – Agar to Ngidi, OUT, that’s five! Plopped into the hands of long-on! Agar can barely believe it, he’s king of the ‘ring tonight. Misbegotten shot from Ngidi, straight to the man set back
L Ngidi c Warner b Agar 1 (5m 5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 20.00…and he’s on a hat-trick again! Tabraiz Shamsi to face13.2 – Agar to Shamsi, no run, so close to hitting off stump! Spinning through as Shamsi tried to cut and missed, nearly Agar’s second ‘trick of the game!

High-octane duel anticipated as two-time champions go head-to-head in Super Eight

Andrew Miller18-Jun-20243:29

Bishop: Confidence the key for West Indies at the business end

Match details

West Indies vs England
June 19, St Lucia, 8.30pm local time

Big picture:

After the angst they endured in the group stage, England have floated down to St Lucia on a wave of exhalation. Whatever happens in their T20 World Cup defence from hereon in, their avoidance of a humiliating first-round exit might yet prove to be as much of a fillip as four rousing wins from four. Their campaign can begin in earnest now, which is just as well, because they are about to bump into a team with no such concerns to weigh them down.England and West Indies are each competing for an unprecedented third T20 World Cup title, and the events at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Beausejour – a venue named in honour of the man who delivered the hosts those first two titles – could go some way towards confirming the readiness, or otherwise, of these two very real contenders for the crown.West Indies are fit, focused and firing on all cylinders. They come into this contest on an eight-match unbeaten run, and if there were a few early-tournament nerves on show in an anxious pair of Group C victories over Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, then their unmitigated thrashings of Uganda and a highly-rated Afghanistan have assuaged them in uncompromising fashion.Quite apart from the power of their recent victories, the range of West Indies’ match-winners has propelled them firmly into the title mix. From Andre Russell’s 71 from 29 balls against Australia in Perth, to Brandon King’s 79 from 45 against South Africa in Jamaica, via Roston Chase and Johnson Charles, and all the way through to Sherfane Rutherford’s innings-salvaging 68 not out against New Zealand and Nicholas Pooran’s ballistic 98 from 53 balls against Afghanistan, they’ve time and again showcased a batting line-up with complete faith in each other’s attributes, and an ability to stand up when called upon.Only the captain, Rovman Powell, has been short of recent runs, even though a 24-ball fifty in a warm-up match against Australia is sufficient proof that his eye is still firmly in. With Sammy ensconced as head coach, and instilling the same spirit of collective responsibility that powered their twin titles in 2012 and 2016, England know there’ll be no room for lapses if their mini-resurgence is to be translated into vital Super Eight points.There were certainly a few of those on show in their timid display against Australia in Barbados, most particularly in a middle-order that found it impossible to cut loose once the powerplay fielding restrictions had been lifted. At times in their trudge to a deeply one-sided 36-run loss, it was like watching their formless performances at the 50-over World Cup in India, a campaign that Jos Buttler had tried to pretend never happened in some notably terse media engagements at the start of this trip.The disjointed nature of England’s build-up is a partial excuse – after two wash-outs on home soil against Pakistan and three matches against Scotland, Oman and Namibia that saw them bat for a total of 13.2 overs, time in the middle has been a rarity, especially with Buttler and Phil Salt in a solid vein of form at the top. But these big-match players should have visualised enough scenarios in their time to make light of such straitened circumstances. They were spared a soggy exit by that break in the clouds in Antigua. Now’s the time to prove that they are worthy of the reprieve.

Form guide

West Indies: WWWWW
England: WWLWW

In the spotlight – Phil Salt and Gudakesh Motie

Go hard or go home. That has been Phil Salt‘s mantra throughout his T20 career, and right now, his unrelenting approach at the top of England’s order has never been more valuable. After flitting around the periphery for several seasons, Salt’s international breakthrough came against this same West Indies team back in December, when his back-to-back centuries in Grenada and Trinidad carried the attack back to the world’s most aggressive batting line-up, and reminded England of the fearlessness that they had so clearly mislaid in their 50-over World Cup defence. Given the truncated nature of their 20-over campaign to date, it’s hard to judge exactly how the middle-order is tracking, which means that impetus at the top could be all the more important as they seek their first major scalp of the campaign.In a power-packed line-up, there’s something unassuming about Gudakesh Motie‘s left-arm offerings, but as England discovered in December – and as seven wickets at 11.85 amply attest now – his relentless flight and guile has the ability to apply a handbrake to all manner of free-flowing teams, particularly ones quite as stacked with right-handers as England’s. In his first T20I encounter with Jos Buttler’s men, in Grenada six months ago, he returned the remarkable figures of 1 for 9 in four overs, then capped that impact with 3 for 24 in the series decider in Trinidad. Straightening the ball at the stumps from round the wicket might not seem the most complex of modus operandi, but if there’s an iota of assistance in a used surface in St Lucia, he’s likely to exploit it.

Team news

Not a lot of concerns for West Indies after a dominant display against Afghanistan, although they do have a handful of selection conundrums. Roston Chase and Shai Hope are competing for the same middle-order berth, while Romario Shepherd missed the last match for paternity leave, but is due back with the squad in good time for the match. He could slot back in ahead of Obed McCoy.West Indies (possible): 1 Brandon King, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Shai Hope/Roston Chase, 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Akeal Hosein, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Obed McCoy/Romario Shepherd.England mixed it up a touch after the showers in Antigua had reduced their Namibia match to 11 overs, with Sam Curran and Chris Jordan both included to offer a wider range of death-bowling options. Both could keep their places, with Jordan’s death bowling and extra batting giving him an edge over Mark Wood. Will Jacks also seems likely to come back into the XI, potentially down the order at No. 6, with Liam Livingstone missing training due to a sickness bug – but having recovered from the side niggle he suffered against Namibia.England (possible): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Will Jacks, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Mark Wood/Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions

This will be another outing for the belter of a surface on which West Indies racked up 218 for 5 against Afghanistan on Monday, so a high-scoring contest is in prospect. The dimensions are a touch lop-sided, 63 metres on one square boundary, compared to 72 metres on the other, but the prevailing wind tends to blow to the longer side, so the big hitters can expect some bang for their buck.

Stats and trivia

• England and West Indies duked it out in an entertaining T20I series in December, with West Indies winning 3-2 thanks to a four-wicket win in the decider in Trinidad.
• Moeen Ali and Obey McCoy each need one wicket to reach 50 in T20Is, while Akeal Hosein needs two more for the same milestone.
• England have played three previous T20Is in St Lucia, and have never yet lost a game. Two of those came during their triumph World T20 campaign in 2010, including a crushing semi-final victory over Sri Lanka. Most recently they beat West Indies by four wickets in March 2019.
• West Indies themselves have played in ten of the 21 T20Is at the venue, winning six of those, including five of their last six.

Quotes

“It’s good that we’re starting here and actually we play one game on it, before the start of the Super Eight. We’re a little bit accustomed to the bounce and accustomed the wicket. Hopefully that would suit us a little bit more than the Englishmen.”
“I think maybe the West Indies would be hopefully trying to get their own back for our fans that were so incredible… they’ll try and rally them and create this cauldron of an atmosphere tomorrow night. It’s going to be incredible.”

Trent boult found some form to lead the dismantling of Sri Lanka in Bengaluru

Madushka Balasuriya09-Nov-20231:30

Harmison: Excellent display of fast bowling from Boult, Southee

New Zealand all but booked their place in the World Cup semi-final against India with a dominant five-wicket win – with 160 balls to spare – against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. The result took them to ten points, and a net run rate (NRR) of 0.743, leaving Pakistan needing to beat England by 287 runs, while Afghanistan need an even more fantastical 438-run win over South Africa, if they are to surpass New Zealand’s NRR.If Pakistan were to chase, they would have no chance of qualifying.As for Sri Lanka, the margin of defeat against New Zealand left them languishing in ninth place, thus out of qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy. They now need one of England or Bangladesh to suffer defeats – while Netherlands also need to lose to India – to the extent that their respective NRRs drop below Sri Lanka’s.New Zealand’s win was the product of an all-round performance with bat and ball. While the threat of rain in Bengaluru ultimately proved to be a red herring, winning the toss and putting Sri Lanka in seemed to be the most prudent way to ensure both an NRR-boosting victory as well as hedge against any rain interruptions and DLS interventions.And so it proved. Despite the loss of some late wickets, Sri Lanka’s total of 171 was comfortably dealt with, as Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell all pitched in with forties.On a pitch that proved even better to bat on under lights, Ravindra and Conway put on 86 to break open the chase, before Mitchell’s 43 off just 31 balls rammed home the result. All three fell before the finish, but the win was never in doubt.Kusal Perera counterattacked for Sri Lanka amid plenty of early blows•AFP/Getty Images

That it was so easy in the end was down to a solid bowling effort and a haphazard outing with the bat for Sri Lanka. New Zealand shared the wickets around, with Lockie Ferguson, Mitchell Santner and Ravindra picking up two apiece, though Trent Boult’s 3 for 37 was what had set his side up at the top of Sri Lanka’s innings – and earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.Such was New Zealand’s dominance that they won so comfortably despite dropping three catches. The first was of Kusal Perera without scoring, as Tom Latham grassed a straightforward caught behind. Latham got his shot at redemption a ball later though, with Pathum Nissanka nicking through for an even more simple chance.Kusal Mendis fell a few overs later, splicing a leading edge to deep third while looking to hit over midwicket, with Sadeera Samarawickrama following soon after edging through to Mitchell at first slip. Both those wickets were grabbed by the excellent Boult, taking him past 50 wickets in World Cups – he ended the game with that tally on 52.But even as wickets fell at one end, Perera functioned as a one-man army, finding boundaries all around the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and punishing New Zealand for that early drop. Two picked-up sixes over long-on off Tim Southee were the highlights of some belligerent ball striking, as he brought up his 50 off just 22 deliveries – the joint second-fastest by a Sri Lankan in ODI World Cups.Trent Boult went past 50 World Cup wickets•ICC/Getty Images

An over later, though, Charith Asalanka was adjudged lbw off Boult after a well-taken review, before Perera fell a few deliveries later, getting under a delivery from Ferguson that was not full enough to drive and slicing it to cover.Sri Lanka were in free fall at 70 for 5 in the tenth over, before Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva put up mild resistance. Dhananjaya was reprieved too, courtesy Latham’s second drop of the game, a tough chance off Santner during that stand of 34. Santner’s guile, control and subtle variations in pace, however, were eventually too good for the pair.Mathews was the first to go in what might have been his last World Cup innings – perhaps even ODI innings – lunging forward at one that was floated up and then dipped. He failed to get to the pitch, and the bounce and turn did the rest, grazing the outside edge to Mitchell at slip. It was a similar story for Dhananjaya, after another flighted delivery with some added bounce found its way into Mitchell’s hands.Maheesh Theekshana batted for 91 deliveries•ICC/Getty Images

Chamika Karunaratne, making just his second appearance at this World Cup, did not fare any better, edging behind Ferguson. A swift end to the innings seemed imminent but Maheesh Theekshana, in partnerships with Dushmantha Chameera and Dilshan Madushanka, showed the resistance that was lacking throughout the rest of the innings.In facing 91 deliveries, Theekshana played more balls than all of Sri Lanka’s frontline batters combined. Even Madushanka’s 48 balls were more than what any other batter faced apart from Theekshana.Theekshana remained unbeaten on 38 – the second-highest scorer of the innings – as the ninth and tenth wicket stands, despite only contributing 58 runs, spanned 139 deliveries. Sri Lanka lost their eighth wicket in the 24th over, but it wasn’t until the 47th that New Zealand dismissed them, with Ravindra finding Madushanka’s edge for Latham to complete a sharp take.It took a while for New Zealand to get there, after winning their first four matches and then losing their next four, but this victory has all but ensured a fifth consecutive ODI World Cup semi-final.

Seamer backs himself to adapt well despite batters trying to anticipate his variations

Hemant Brar16-Jun-20220:36

Harshal -‘Playing consistently on pitches like Delhi can hamper your confidence’

India seamer Harshal Patel is not worried that batters have started anticipating his variations. In the first T20I, Rassie van der Dussen had smashed Harshal for three sixes and a four in an over to turn the game around. After the match, van der Dussen had said that post the first two sixes, he knew Harshal would turn to his slower balls.”People have been trying to anticipate for the past two years,” Harshal said on the eve of the fourth T20I against South Africa. “To be very honest, with every bowler, the longer they play, the more the opposition will realise what their strengths are, what the patterns are, and try to adapt to it. But as a bowler, my job is to stay one step ahead of batters.”At the end of the day, you can have 15 different plans, but on a particular day, in a pressure situation, if you don’t go out and execute with confidence, everything doesn’t really fall in place. So my focus has always been on how to read the game better in that particular moment and how to execute the best possible delivery at that point in time.”Related

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Harshal is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker in the series, with six scalps in three games. In the third T20I, the Visakhapatnam pitch was on the slower side, which suited Harshal’s style of bowling, and he duly picked up 4 for 25 in 3.1 overs.”Although there was not a lot of variable bounce or lateral movement from the pitch, it was definitely slow,” he said. “So that allowed us to bowl hard length and slower balls into the pitch. It was difficult to clear the boundary from those lengths.”I would certainly prefer playing on slower pitches because it allows you a bit of fighting chance. If you consistently keep playing on pitches like Delhi, it can hamper your confidence a little bit. We also have world-class spinners in the team, who can bowl well on any pitch, but it does bring them a little more into the game when we have slightly slower pitches and slightly bigger ground dimensions.”From head coach Rahul Dravid to stand-in captain Rishabh Pant, everyone has spoken about how the team has been building towards the T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia in October-November. Harshal said while that is true, they are also focused on winning this series.”To be honest, you cannot play your cricket thinking too much about the future or past. Like everyone has said before as well, the World Cup is at the back of our minds and we are trying to work towards that goal. But at the same time, we are 2-1 behind in the series, so the focus is on how to win the next two games. After that, we are going to Ireland, so things will move towards that direction but at this point, our focus is on how to win this series.”

Second ODI shifted to Thursday before series concludes on Sunday in Jamaica

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2022West Indies and Ireland have agreed to reschedule the remaining two fixtures of their three-match ODI series, after a Covid-19 outbreak contributed to the second match being postponed. As a result, the one-off T20I scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled.The second ODI will now be played at Sabina Park on Thursday, with the series concluding on Sunday. West Indies won the opening game by 24 runs, with all three fixtures forming part of the ICC’s World Cup Super League.With three further members of Ireland’s touring party in Jamaica testing positive on Monday, Cricket West Indies and Cricket Ireland had agreed to push back Tuesday’s second ODI. Ireland were already without Simi Singh and Ben White, before Andy Balbirnie, the captain, Lorcan Tucker and David Ripley, the interim head coach, returned positive results.Related

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Ireland’s playing resources were further depleted by concerns over the concussion Andy McBrine suffered in the first ODI, and a foot injury sustained by Mark Adair.The teams were due to play a T20I fixture following the ODI series but that has been scrapped “to allow for this revised schedule and to avoid impact on the West Indies team’s travel plans and subsequent fixtures”, said a joint statement from the two boards. West Indies are due to play England in a five-match T20I series in Barbados, starting on January 22.Ireland’s tour of the USA and the Caribbean has been severely disrupted by Covid-19 infections. The ODI series against USA was cancelled after a number of positive tests among support staff and family members, before Paul Stirling and Shane Getkate were forced to isolate in Florida while the rest of the team travelled on to Jamaica.Both players have now rejoined the squad after testing negative, with Stirling named as stand-in captain in Balbirne’s absence.

Seam-bowling allrounder Johann Layne has replaced him in the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2025West Indies seamer Matthew Forde has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Pakistan that starts in Tarouba from Friday. Forde suffered a shoulder dislocation earlier on Wednesday while attempting a catch during a training session.Johann Layne, the West Indies academy seam-bowling allrounder, has replaced Forde in the squad. Layne is among the seamers that impressed Ian Bishop, who called him “rangy, tall and intelligent”.Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph, Romario Shepherd and Jediah Blades are the quicks in their ODI squad with Gudakesh Motie as their frontline wristspinner. Alzarri Joseph has been rested. West Indies would also miss Forde’s talent with the bat lower down the order; he holds the ODI record for fastest fifty (16 balls), achieved in May against Ireland.Related

• Alzarri Joseph rested, Shepherd back in WI squad for Pakistan ODIs

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West Indies lost the T20I series against Pakistan 2-1 in Lauderhill, but are looking to claim a fourth-straight ODI series with the tour moving to Trinidad & Tobago. It is only their fifth ODI series since the start of 2023, but come into the contest having beaten England twice (2-1, on both occasions) and Bangladesh once (3-0).The 50-over game has been a difficult format for West Indies in recent history, missing out on the last two ICC tournaments for ODIs. Their qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup is also far from guaranteed as they are ranked tenth in the rankings. West Indies realistically need to finish within the top nine – one place higher than they are – to secure automatic passage at the cut-off date. A series win against Pakistan, ranked six places above them, would help them significantly.

Also raised concerns over how it could reduce the quality of players on display in the back end of the Sheffield Shield

Daniel Brettig14-Oct-2020Australia men’s head coach coach Justin Langer has spoken frankly about his dislike of the concept of two different national teams playing at the same time, as will most likely be the case when the T20 side tours New Zealand at the same time as a Test squad is due to be touring South Africa in February and March next year.Quarantining at home in Perth after already spending two weeks quarantined in the Adelaide Oval’s new hotel following his return from the white-ball tour of the UK, Langer said that he did not like the concept of the national team being diluted by taking the field in different parts of the world at the same time.He also raised concerns over how such a move, with squads of around 18 players required for each assignment, would drastically reduce the quality of the players on display in the back end of the ongoing Sheffield Shield competition, which just saw its first two games conclude in Adelaide on Tuesday. Langer said that Cricket Australia’s chairman Earl Eddings and interim chief executive Nick Hockley were well aware of his views, which he leavened with an acknowledgement of the unique challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.”Not just from a coach’s point of view but also from someone who’s passionate about Australian cricket’s point of view, my personal opinion, and the chairman knows this, the CEO knows this really clearly, is I didn’t like it at all,” Langer told SEN Radio. “I don’t ever want to have two Australian teams in one place, that’s my personal opinion. In this year with what’s happening with Covid, I understand there’s complexities to it.”We’re one country, aren’t we? We’re not two countries, and the one sport. The other thing is if you have two Australian cricket teams, that means if we take 18 players to New Zealand and 18 players to South Africa, that’s 36 players out of the back end of the Sheffield Shield competition, and that’s before any injuries that inevitably happen. So you take all your best players out of the back half of the Shield competition, which we’ve always said is the best domestic competition in the world.”So they’re the sort of things that worry me with this, but this is a really strange season. We’ve seen it in AFL, we’ve seen it in NRL, but I certainly would never like to see it being a permanent fixture.”The strength of the Shield had been on display in Adelaide in a pair of willing contests decided in the final hour on day four, in conditions that allowed for the greater use of spin bowlers on a pair of surfaces that deteriorated and turned. Langer was enthused by that, the all-round feats of Michael Neser and Ashton Agar, each scoring a century and taking a five-wicket haul in the same match, and also the top-order runs scored by South Australia’s Jake Weatherald.”We’ve been talking more privately than publicly at the moment about our need in all forms to find some allrounders. In England when we beat England recently [in the ODI series] we changed the structure of our one-day side,” Langer said. “Our one-day side hasn’t been great over probably the last four or five years, since we won the World Cup [in 2015], and what we did was we talked about playing more allrounders so that we had more bowling options.”We had Mitch Marsh, Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell in there, and it worked really well and looked good and felt good on match day. One of the areas we’ve talked about needing to get better at. There’s three areas, and it was nice to see it come off in domestic cricket. One is keep developing some allrounders. Michael Neser, a hundred and a five-for, he’s a fine cricketer, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets an opportunity with the Australian cricket team soon. He’s been in lots of tours but, geez, he keeps knocking hard. It was great to see Ashton Agar [get] a five-for and a hundred, so that’s one area.”We talked about opening or top-three batters. It was great to see Jake Weatherald for example scoring a hundred up the top, putting his name up. [Cameron] Bancroft and [Sam] Whiteman put on [106] opening the batting, which was good, and the other most-important area is our spin-bowling stocks. Geez, it was great to watch legspin bowling, great to watch. Mitch Swepson bowling 40-odd overs in the second innings, [Lloyd] Pope got five-for in the first innings bowling legspin, Marnus Labuschagne bowled legspin yesterday; legspin bowling is exciting for us in Australian cricket.”