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South Africa have replaced their traditional Boxing Day Test with a Twenty20 international for the 2012-13 home season

Firdose Moonda05-Jun-2012South Africa have replaced their traditional Boxing Day Test with a Twenty20 international for the 2012-13 home season, during which they will host New Zealand and Pakistan. The home summer will begin the week before Christmas, after South Africa’s return from a Test series in Australia. New Zealand will play three Twenty20s, two Tests and three ODIs through January, after which Pakistan will tour for a full series in February and March.

South Africa’s home summer schedule

New Zealand in South Africa 2012-13:
Dec 21-26 – three Twenty20s
Jan 2-15 – two Tests
Jan 19-25 – three ODIs
Pakistan in South Africa 2012-13:
Feb 1-26 – three Tests
March 1-3 – two Twenty20s
March 10-24 – five ODIs

Instead of a Test match starting on December 26, South Africa will play a Twenty20 against New Zealand in Port Elizabeth before reverting to tradition for the New Year’s Test in Cape Town on January 2. “We considered three important factors when we made the decision and in the end we decided it would make more sense to do it this way in terms of this tour,” Jacques Faul, CSA acting chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “We looked at the best interests of the national team, the fairness to the incoming team and the commercial aspect. I wouldn’t say the decision was only a financial one. We still feel strongly about Test cricket but we decided that to do it this way would be best.”South Africa have hosted a Boxing Day Test every year since readmission in 1992, except on the five occasions they have been on tour in Australia. An agreement was subsequently reached with Australia to ensure South Africa does not play there over the Christmas period to ensure the national side is at home in peak season. Three times, the Boxing Day Test has been played in Port Elizabeth, when it was first held in 1992 and again in 1995 and 2007, and every other time Durban’s Kingsmead Stadium has played host to the fixture.Despite it being a match that is considered integral to the cricket season, South Africa’s Boxing Day Test has had its problems. Crowds have declined steadily over the years, resulting in less advertising and an overall financial burden rather than gain. Durban, which is a popular holiday destination in South Africa, sees people choose to spend the day at the beach rather than the cricket and the fixture was moved to Port Elizabeth in 2007 in the hope of an improved attendance. St George’s Park did not produce the desired crowds and resulted in a South African defeat to West Indies and the match was moved back to Durban in 2009. South Africa have also not won a Boxing Day Test at home since then.At the end of last season, sources close to CSA mentioned that it would make better economic sense to host T20s over the holiday period. The theory has some substance as people had packed venues around the country for the domestic 20-over competition when it was it was held in January (still part of school holidays) when the national team were in Australia in early 2006 and 2009. However, the current fixtures, which see T20s played against New Zealand on December 21, 23 and 26 leaves out prime dates from the 27th to the 31st of December, during which New Zealand will play a tour match in Paarl.ESPNcricinfo understands that South Africa’s poor record in the Boxing Day match, when the team usually has their families accompanying them, also influenced the decision to do away with the match. Although the scrapping of the Boxing Day Test marks a massive break with convention, Faul stressed that this was not the end of the road for the traditional match. “We could definitely see a Boxing Day Test next season or in the future,” he said.As a result of the revised schedule, Durban has been left without a Test match for the entire season and will have to make do with two T20s – against New Zealand and Pakistan – and an ODI. Cape Town, which usually gets large crowds, will again host two Test matches, while Port Elizabeth gets its first Test since 2007. Johannesburg and Centurion have been given the remaining two Tests.New Zealand’s three T20s will be held in Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth and the three ODIs in Paarl, Kimberley and Potchefstroom. Pakistan’s tour consists of three Tests and five ODIs at venues including Bloemfontein and Benoni. The addition of smaller venues to international schedule is in keeping with CSA’s rotation policy and as a result of the attendance last season, when Sri Lanka’s ODI series was played mainly at the lesser known grounds.”East London and Paarl, who had been off the international roster for some time, attracted more than 25,000 spectators for the two ODIs that they hosted,” Faul said. “These two provinces are very strong growth areas for the game, [and help] fulfil our mandate of making cricket a truly national sport.”South Africa toured New Zealand in February and March 2012, winning the three-Test series 1-0 and sweeping the ODIs 3-0. New Zealand registered their only win of the tour in the Twenty20s, but South Africa claimed that series as well, 2-1.The previous bilateral series between Pakistan and South Africa was in 2010-11, in the UAE; the Tests were drawn 0-0, and South Africa won in both limited-overs formats.

Richard Pybus has resigned from his current position as the head coach of Cape Cobras with immediate effect.

Firdose Moonda24-Mar-2012Richard Pybus has resigned from his current position as the head coach of Cape Cobras with immediate effect. Pybus was in charge of the Cape Town-based franchise for two seasons during which they won three titles.”There are a range of issues to do with the chief executive and the franchise that have undermined me as head coach and made my continued position untenable,” Pybus said. “I won’t be making any further media comment at this stage.”Although Cobras won this season’s Franchise 1-Day Cup, they failed to defend their first-class and Twenty20 titles. They also failed to qualify for the Champions League T20 after finishing fifth in the MiWay T20 Challenge.The Cobras chief executive Andre Odendaal and the board will discuss Pybus’ resignation at a meeting on Monday evening, after which they will issue a response.Pybus has had two stints as coach of Pakistan. He has previously coached the Titans franchise, based in Centurion, where he also enjoyed success. He also had a brief stint at Middlesex but made his name at Border, in the Eastern Cape, where he played an instrumental role in developing Mark Boucher.Edited by Devashish Fuloria

Mohammad Yousuf is preparing to retire from all forms of international cricket, a direct result it is believed, of the treatment and punishment the PCB handed out to him in the aftermath of Pakistan’s recent Australian tour

Osman Samiuddin27-Mar-2010Mohammad Yousuf is preparing to retire from all forms of international cricket, a direct result it is believed, of the treatment and punishment the PCB handed out to him in the aftermath of Pakistan’s recent Australian tour of which he was captain.Yousuf was handed an indefinite ban as per the recommendations of an inquiry committee set up by the board to investigate why Pakistan lost every single one of the nine international matches in Australia over the turn of the year. Seven of those losses – three in Tests and four in ODIs – came under the leadership of Yousuf.In their findings, the board blamed Yousuf for spreading infighting and indiscipline within the side and banned him for an indefinite period – along with Younis Khan – from all forms of the international game. He was subsequently not included in the central contracts list for this year.Yousuf had taken over the captaincy last year when Younis stepped down following an ODI series loss to New Zealand in Abu Dhabi, at a time he says no one was willing to take the responsibility. Though he hasn’t yet specified the reasons behind his decision, it is believed that the PCB’s punishment and a lack of support from the board have made his mind up for him. Those close to him say that constant run-ins with the board have diminished his appetite to stay on.”I have decided to quit cricket,” Yousuf told the Urdu-language daily . “This is not an emotional decision. I consulted my family, friends and elders before taking it.”In the past Yousuf has twice bid farewell to Pakistan cricket, after being upset over his treatment from Pakistan’s selectors and management. In 2007, after being overlooked for Pakistan’s World Twenty20 squad, he signed up with the ICL in protest. Though he was convinced to come back into the fold by the PCB – and paid handsomely to do so – he ultimately joined the league again in 2008. Both times he was barred from playing for Pakistan.Underlining his decision each time was a strained relationship with the then captain Shoaib Malik. Yousuf publicly accused Malik of destroying his career and though he returned to the national team as Malik was deposed as captain, the pair have been involved in a public slanging match again after the Australian tour. Yousuf is scheduled to hold a press conference on Monday in Karachi to make the decision official and is expected to outline the reasons for his retirement.If it is the final goodbye – and his current mood, say friends, indicates that he is serious – then Pakistan will lose the services of their most accomplished batsman of the decade alongside Inzamam-ul-Haq. He has over seven thousand Test runs from 88 Tests at 53.07, the highest average for any Pakistani batsman. He has 39 international hundreds, including 24 in Tests alone. Pakistan are due to play six Tests in England this summer, a prospect they must now consider – if Younis also misses out – without either of their most formidable middle-order batsmen.

Rana collided with Vastrakar while fielding, but came on to bowl six more overs to finish her quota and was taken to hospital after complaining of headache

Srinidhi Ramanujam30-Dec-2023India allrounder Sneh Rana was taken for scans after “complaining of headache” post her collision with Pooja Vastrakar in the field during the second ODI against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium, the BCCI said. Former India captain Anjum Chopra, a commentator at the match, said Rana also complained of nausea.Rana will take no further part in the match. Harleen Deol has been named as her concussion replacement.”She [Rana] had a little bit of headache post the first innings,” India’s head coach Amol Muzumdar said after the match*. “We felt it was appropriate for her to do the scan. The reports have been fine and she is back in the dressing room. She is still having a little bit of a headache, but that’s normal. She is available for the third match.”Related

• Sutherland, Litchfield seal series for Australia in tight finish

• Ball-by-ball: The seven catches that India dropped

The incident happened in the 25th over of the first innings. Trying to stop a cut by left-hand batter Beth Mooney, Rana moved to her left from short third and Vastrakar to her right from backward point. In the process, Rana’s head banged into Vastrakar and both players fell onto the ground. Rana was taken off the field immediately, with the physio applying ice on her head, but returned after a couple of overs.Rana, who had bowled four overs at the time of the collision, went on to complete her quota of ten overs. She dismissed Ashleigh Gardner in the 37th over and finished with figures of 1 for 59.Rana was the Player of the Match for her seven wickets in the one-off Test played between the two teams last week. In the first ODI that India lost, she dismissed Australia opener Phoebe Litchfield.Deol, who bowls spin but is primarily a batter, was considered a like-for-like replacement for Rana, who is an offspinner primarily and a lower-order batter. Deol’s last ODI outing was against Bangladesh in Mirpur in July, when she scored 77 in a tied game and was named Player of the Match.

Meanwhile, centurion Rahul attributes batting depth at LSG to him playing “freely” and “taking more chances” this season

Sreshth Shah25-Apr-2022Many theories have linked Mumbai Indians’ disastrous start to the season to their mega auction strategy, specifically the one surrounding Jofra Archer. Consensus has been that “the Archer spend” may set Mumbai up for domination for 2023 and beyond, but for IPL 2022, the bowling has ended up becoming over-reliant on Jasprit Bumrah for penetration.However, on Sunday, the Mumbai bowlers held up their end of the bargain. Despite a KL Rahul century from one end, they conceded only 56 runs off the other 58 balls that the Lucknow Super Giants batters faced, and 169 was a gettable total. And yet, Mumbai were out of the game even before the final over of the chase was bowled.Related

• Rahul 103*, Krunal three-for send Mumbai hurtling to eighth defeat

• IPL mid-season report

• 'Not the end of the world' – Rohit isn't giving up just yet

In a tournament where viewers have been regularly spoilt by the IPL’s habit of producing nail-biting finishes, Mumbai ended up in a situation where they needed 39 in six balls with five wickets in hand. They would eventually fall short by 36 runs following a painful 20th over where former Mumbai allrounder Krunal Pandya celebrated success with two wickets and a run-out, only delaying the inevitable.With Ishan Kishan struggling for fluency (he made eight in 20 balls), Kieron Pollard unable to attack balls that are not full (he scored 19 in 20), and Rohit Sharma himself getting out to a loose shot, the captain said after Mumbai’s eighth straight loss that the responsibility on the latest defeat lay on the batting group.”When you have a target like that, it is very crucial to string those partnerships,” Rohit told . “We didn’t do that, and then a few irresponsible shots including from myself. We couldn’t get the momentum when we needed.”You can say so (general lack of confidence among batters). We haven’t batted well enough in this tournament. The whole thing goes on the batting unit. Whoever plays in the middle needs to take that responsibility and make sure one of the batters bats long. We’ve failed to do that in the tournament. None of our batters have batted long innings, which other teams’ batters have done that. We need to make sure that no matter what the situation is, one man needs to bat longer.”Rohit’s point is backed by only six half-centurions in eight games for Mumbai this season. Kishan, who has scored two of those fifties, has a strike rate of under 100 in the other six innings. Jaydev Unadkat has a better batting average (19.66) than Rohit himself, and the experienced Pollard has batted every game but has a top score of only 25. Suryakumar Yadav, who was out for three on Sunday, and young Tilak Varma have been carrying the burden of Mumbai’s batting so far.While Mumbai’s latest defeat now keeps their playoff contention alive only in theory (they need to win their last six games and hope most of the other games get washed out), Super Giants moved back into the top four with their fifth win in eight games. For Rahul, the game was a battle against his own batting demons, with him being only one good ball away from being dismissed for a hat-trick of ducks at the Wankhede Stadium this season.1:45

Bichel: KL played the dimensions of the ground really well

Instead, he got off the mark with a single to third man, cruised along at a run-a-ball 27 after an early wicket, raced away to a 37-ball fifty and got to a hundred by his 61st delivery. With wickets falling at regular intervals, and batters at the other end struggling to find boundaries early on, Rahul took the onus to move from anchor to aggressor at the back end, hitting his second IPL century against the same opponent in the same season – the first man to do so since Virat Kohli (vs Gujarat Lions) in 2016.”[After two ducks] First thought while batting was to get bat on ball, feel good, get a single, get off the mark,” Rahul said after the game. “Despite being mentally strong, it always plays on your mind when you’re playing at a venue that’s not been too kind recently.”When asked by the host broadcaster if Rahul – second on the orange cap race with 368 runs from eight matches – is doing anything differently in Super Giants colours as a batter, he said that a long batting line-up in his new franchise has helped his game.”How I simplify my game is to try and assess the pitch and conditions and try and see how to bat. But we bat deep in this team – Jason Holder comes in late. When you have power and depth in your team, you can play freely and you can take a few more chances. That’s what is happening with me in this team.”As for the contribution of the bowlers to reduce Mumbai to 67 for 4 inside 12 overs in the chase, Rahul said that teams that have bowled well at the powerplay and the death have not only been champions before but are finding success this season too. While aiming for that formula, Rahul said the luxury of allrounders has helped, more so on Sunday since Super Giants were playing without the injured Avesh Khan.”I am very big on having a lot of allrounders in the team since that gives depth with bat and ball,” he said. “And we were lucky to get some of the finest allrounders. I have options in the middle and [it] makes life easier as a captain as well as a batter. Teams that defend well, bowl well in the powerplay and finish well in the death are teams that are sitting at the top and teams that have won tournaments.”Sunday was meant to be a special day for Mumbai Indians. It was after 1086 days that the IPL’s most decorated team was returning to its colosseum – the Wankhede – and the game provided a perfect opportunity to not only get back to winning ways, but also offer a birthday present to team mentor Sachin Tendulkar. Instead, it provided the latest chapter in a season to forget.

The Capitals, meanwhile, will be without their death-overs duo of Nortje and Rabada

Alagappan Muthu09-Apr-20217:30

How do Delhi Capitals fill the void of Rabada and Nortje?

Big picture

All that time watching and idolising MS Dhoni, now Rishabh Pant will have to find a way to knock him down and beat his team.After a rocky start, India’s next-gen wicketkeeper has done so well no one is talking about the legend from whom he took over. Outlandish Test-match-winning knocks in Australia and against England at home have established Pant as a serious player in Indian cricket and the Delhi Capitals’ decision to make him captain is a clear sign they want to ride the wave he’s on all the way to the final once again. And maybe go one better.Dhoni may have lost his Chepauk fortress and he may be leading a side that doesn’t really look all that different from the one that spent most of IPL 2020 at the bottom of the table, but his dedication to the Chennai Super Kings franchise and determination to get them back on top should not be underestimated.

In the news

The fast-bowling combination of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Norje was one of the Capitals’ biggest strengths last season. But with both arriving in India only on April 6, they will be stuck in quarantine while the rest of their team-mates will be out on the park in Mumbai.Lungi Ngidi is in the same situation for the Chennai Super Kings. All three South Africa players arrived late since they were playing Pakistan at home.The Capitals may also need to find cover for Axar Patel, who tested positive for Covid-19 last week. Unless he can return two negative tests by April 10, he will not be able to play this game.2:47

Gambhir: CSK won’t be able to make the playoffs

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Moeen Ali, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Suresh Raina 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 K Gowtham, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Deepak ChaharDelhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Ishant Sharma

Strategy punt

So long as he is part of a cricket team, he will be its finisher. Such is Dhoni’s aura. But last year – due to a lack of match practice, much the same as this year – his big-hitting ability was severely impaired. So it was Ravindra Jadeja who took over and got those crucial boundaries away in the death overs. And he performed the role so well he was keeping up with the likes of Kieron Pollard and AB de Villiers. The time might have come for a passing of the baton.The absence of Rabada and Nortje severely limits Capitals’ ability to pose a threat as a death-bowling unit. All three of the fast bowlers who might potentially make their XI on Saturday – Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma – are new-ball specialists. So perhaps they go all out up front and some of R Ashwin’s overs might be saved for the end. He’s experienced. He loves a challenge. And he would revel at the chance to go up against his old mate Dhoni and one up him.

Stats that matter

• 105*, 227, 185*, 165. Those are Prithvi Shaw’s centuries from the Vijay Hazare 50-over games last month, when he led Mumbai to the title. His form is going to be crucial for the Capitals across this IPL season.
• Barely any of the Super Kings’ batsmen have been active in the lead-up to this tournament. Moeen Ali, who was part of the series against India recently, didn’t play the T20Is. Faf du Plessis last hit a ball during the PSL. Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu’s last matches were in January. Dhoni is retired. And Jadeja’s been injured. All that rust is bound to show.

Time away from game offers England seamer – and brother Sam – chance to “refresh mentally”

Alan Gardner14-Apr-2020Tom Curran has admitted that an enforced break from cricket over the last few weeks has come as a “shock to the system”, but said he was trying to use the time off to refresh mentally, hopeful that the game will be able to resume later this summer in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that has brought life to a standstill in much of the world.Curran had been expecting to be at the IPL with Rajasthan Royals right now – his new team’s opening fixture, originally scheduled for April 2, would have brought him into competition with younger brother Sam – but those plans have long been shelved. After a productive winter, in which he played in 10 out of 11 England white-ball internationals, as well as appearing in the Mzansi Super League and burnishing his allrounder credentials with Big Bash winners Sydney Sixers, he has found it odd to have time on his hands.”It is strange to be honest,” he said. “I think we play so much now, you’re just used to rolling on from one thing to the next. Sport is a big part of our lives but in the grand scheme of things it is not the end of the world for us compared to some of the other things going on around the world.ALSO READ: Giles positive as West Indies pin hopes on July“For the last four or five years, it has been cricket non-stop, all the year round. I think for everyone to be stuck indoors and not playing is a shock to the system, everyone is missing it. I’ve had to mute [England media manager Danny Reuben] on Instagram because he keeps posting how much he is missing it. It is a shock to all of us, players, people involved in the sport, fans and lovers of the sport. It is a shock to the system but what we’re going through is nothing in the grand scheme of things.”With Tom having recently moved out of the place he shared with his brothers, a Zoom call arranged by the ECB offered a chance to catch-up – Sam asking, with perhaps a touch of irony, to hear more about Tom’s new dog, which has been making recent appearances on Instagram. Becoming a pet owner, as well as playing games online and trying to practice his bowling action while out running – “pretty village stuff,” Tom said – has helped fill time away from the usual routine of training and playing.”I’m using it as a time to get refreshed mentally,” he said. “It is a terrible time of course, but we seldom get a break like this in what would be the middle of our summer. We’re trying to stay positive so that when we do come back we’re in a good position to kick on mentally and physically for the years to come.”Sam has put some of his energy into launching a fundraiser for the NHS, while both of the Surrey Currans – the third brother, Ben, plays for Northamptonshire – have been involved in a scheme to call the club’s older members and offer support and conversation over the phone.Tom Curran bowls in training•Getty Images

“It was a lovely little initiative that someone at Surrey organised and got the players and staff involved,” Tom said. “The capped players called about ten members each, the majority of them more elderly who have been associated with the club for a while. There was a small Surrey trivia quiz, where we asked them three questions about the club and if they got all three correct there was a little prize sent out.”It was just a lovely little thing. It was really refreshing to chat and see how life was going for them and just try to put a smile on some people’s faces who are involved in our community at Surrey in these troubling times.”Sam added: “It was quite a cool thing to do because we don’t usually speak to the members much and we focused on the older generation because the club felt they were the most vulnerable and it was really special. A lot of the older members had a lot of opinions on the games we were missing and what formats we should focus on and things like that. It was quite entertaining.”No prizes for guessing which of the formats might have been referred to less favourably (Surrey were one of the frontline rebels against the ECB launching a new competition) but whether the Hundred is played at all this year remains a point of debate. Tom and Sam were both drafted by the Oval Invincibles last year, yet the potential for games to forced behind closed doors or difficulties bringing in overseas signings could see the whole tournament delayed.”It just depends on when we start playing cricket,” Tom said. “It’s just such a hard one to forecast because let’s say we start playing mid-June and things in Australia carry on a lot longer and finish in October, which means the overseas players wouldn’t be able to come. I don’t know the right answer and until we start picking and choosing it’s so hard to predict.”

Rajasthan Royals will be rooting for Mumbai Indians on Thursday night. Here’s why

S Rajesh02-May-2019Ahead of the Mumbai Indians-Sunrisers Hyderabad game, here is a look at how the result of that match will impact the two teams and others as well.Mumbai Indians are on 14 points with two to play, and their net run rate (NRR) of 0.347 is the best among the top-three teams. A win on Thursday will take them to second spot, level on points with Delhi Capitals but with a superior NRR. Obviously, their chances of finishing in the top two will then depend on how things pan out in the last round of matches for all teams.If Mumbai Indians lose on Thursday, they will have to win their last match, against Knight Riders, and then depend on other results going their way to finish in the top two. For a start, Capitals will have to lose their last game against Rajasthan Royals so that they stay on 16. Then, Sunrisers will have to lose to Royal Challengers Bangalore so that they don’t finish on 16 as well, since Sunrisers have a much better NRR than Mumbai Indians.If Mumbai Indians lose both games, then their qualification chances could be in jeopardy all together if Kolkata Knight Riders win both their matches. Currently, Knight Riders’ NRR is 0.1, but if they win both their matches and Mumbai Indians lose theirs, then Knight Riders’ could move ahead on NRR.A win for Sunrisers will pretty much seal their qualification spot. That’s because they will move up to 14 points, and even if they lose their last game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, their superior NRR should see them through to the top four. They will also have a chance to finish second, if they beat Royal Challengers and if Capitals lose their last game against Royals.If Sunrisers lose, they will still have a chance to seal a qualification spot with a win against Royal Challengers. Even if Knight Riders win their last two matches by handy margins (say, 50 runs each), Sunrisers’ will still have a superior NRR if they lose to Mumbai Indians by 40 runs and beat Royal Challengers by 5 runs.For the other teams in the hunt for a playoff spot, a Mumbai Indians win will mean that they will still have a chance to qualify without NRR coming into play, as Sunrisers will stay on 12 if they lose their last game as well. Both Knight Riders and Kings XI will still have a chance to grab the last playoff berth if they win their last two. Royals will be in the hunt too, if Sunrisers lose their last two, and Knight Riders and Kings XI win no more than one of their last two matches.If Sunrisers beat Mumbai Indians, Royals will be knocked out of the tournament.

Nottinghamshire had control for large parts of the day, but a 133-run eighth-wicket stand between Liam Dawson and Kyle Abbott turned the tables

ECB Reporters Network19-Aug-20181:40

Edwards leaves Notts with a headache

ScorecardFidel Edwards produced a blistering evening six-over spell of 3 for 9 to complete an action-packed first day of Hampshire’s Specsavers County Championship fixture with Nottinghamshire.Nottinghamshire were forced to negotiate 15 evening overs having bowled Hampshire out for 277.And Edwards, who now boasts 20 wickets against Nottinghamshire in five innings, blasted through fellow West Indian Kraigg Brathwaite, Jake Libby and nightwatchman Matt Milnes in an incredible fast bowling showcase.Gareth Berg also managed to claim a scalp as the visitors struggled to 39 for 4, a deficit of 238.James Vince’s 74 along with Liam Dawson and Kyle Abbott’s half centuries in a 133 eighth-wicket stand had earlier produced responses after Hampshire suffered three mini batting collapses.Steven Mullaney found three wickets in five balls, before Luke Fletcher lead a spell of three wickets for the visitors without a run and then Matt Henry rounded off the innings with another flurry.Mullaney elected to bowl without a toss but only managed to use the fast-bowling friendly conditions of heavy overcast clouds and floodlights to wrangle a single morning wicket.Having seen play delayed by 45 minutes, Mark Footitt, on his first Championship appearance for Nottinghamshire since last August, found the outside of Weatherley’s bat, with stand-in keeper Riki Wessels completing the catch.It was two overs after lunch, though, when Nottinghamshire sparked Hampshire’s first mini collapse with Mullaney’s nagging top of off-stump length proving awkward to face.Jimmy Adams, Sam Northeast and Tom Alsop will all compare notes of how Mullaney sneaked past their outside edges with just a hint of seam movement to clip the top of their bails. It meant Hampshire fell from 58 for 1 to 62 for 4 inside five Mullaney deliveries, over two overs.Vince had watched the carnage unfold from the non-striker’s end, unmoved with a steely stare after each team-mate moped back to the pavilion. The Hampshire captain sensibly, yet with plenty of aggression, dragged his side away from immediate danger by unfurling a series of off-side glorious shots.Vince’s recovery act saw him score 11 fours in a counter-attacking 74, his fifty coming from 68 balls. He had added 75 with Rilee Rossouw for the fifth wicket before a second crumple which saw Hampshire lose three wickets without scoring a run.Rossouw was the first of the trio of scalps as he drove loosely to Matthew Carter at first slip off Luke Fletcher. Vince’s rearguard ended when his attempted cut flicked up to Mullaney at first slip, who caught on the second juggle. Fletcher pinned Berg on the pads to complete the treble of wickets on 137.But like the first flurry, a large partnership followed, this time between Dawson and Abbott. Dawson had only managed 101 runs in his first seven Championship innings of the summer, with a top score of 34 not out, but maturely batted his team out another sticky situation.An innings built on hard running, with just five fours and a six, Dawson reached fifty in 69 deliveries. He fell for 72 when he charged down the wicket, swung his bat wildly, and was bowled by Carter.Abbott had been the more watchful in the partnership but collected his own half-century in 95 balls. But Dawson’s dismissal sparked another burst of wickets, with Steyn caught at first slip and Edwards run out by fellow West Indian Brathwaite – with Hampshire bowled out for 277.Edwards got his revenge on Brathwaite in just the eighth over when Adams pulled off an impressive catch at second slip. Nash, who had two massive lbw appeals from Edwards turned down, was caught behind off Berg, before Edwards castled Libby and Milnes.

After sleepwalking through to a series win, Pakistan raised the tempo courtesy Fakhar Zaman’s double century. What does Sunday have in store?

Umar Farooq21-Jul-2018

Big Picture

After sleepwalking to a series win, Pakistan blew life into a dull series courtesy Fakhar Zaman’s record-breaking double-century. This sparked tremendous interest momentarily on Friday afternoon in Pakistan. There’s little to suggest the joyride won’t continue on Sunday, but only a performance of Fakhar’s kind again can elicit the same level of interest.Zimbabwe have shown no fight whatsoever. If 67 all out wasn’t the nadir, they were blown away in the fourth ODI by 244 runs – Pakistan’s second-biggest ODI win in terms of runs. The batsmen have shown little resolve, and the bowlers have lacked consistency or potency. About the fielding? Less said, the better. Whatever can go wrong, has.As such international fixtures are few and far between for Zimbabwe. Finances don’t allow them the luxury of staging multiple home series. That said, this year has been a bumper one, but even so, the hope with which they began the World Cup Qualifiers has long dissipated. The walloping in the T20I tri-series against Australia and Pakistan has spilled over, and there’s a pall of gloom around the state of cricket, as it has been for a better part of the last decade and a half. On Sunday, they can’t erase the pain of the home summer, but at least try and put up a fight and give the 500-odd faithful that turn up every match day whether or not there’s something to cheer about.

Form guide

Zimbabwe LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WWWWL

In the spotlight

Usman Khan went onto to play the entire tri-nation series and all four straight ODIs without aggravating any injury. This has been a longest streak for him in international cricket since he made his debut in 2013. He had been battling against injury, but every time he bounced back, some part of his body broke down again. He is back to full fitness now, and looks stronger than ever. He is the joint leading wicket taker with 9 at a strike rate of 16 in four games so far. He has made the most of his opportunities while Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali are being rested, and will have an eye on nailing down a World Cup spot as soon as possible.Usman Khan celebrates a wicket•AFP

Tarisai Musakanda was tipped to be captain for the tri-series and this bilateral contest against Pakistan. While in the end the job went to the vastly more experienced Hamilton Masakadza, Musakanda has shown glimpses of what he could offer Zimbabwe in the long term. Frustratingly for Zimbabwe, most of his contributions have been in the form of cameos; he has reached double figures in all but one of the last eight innings, but only once crossed 40. You could chalk it down to inexperience, but Zimbabwe desperately need a standout performance to have a chance of pushing Pakistan in this final game, and have something positive to take away from a nightmare series.

Team news

Zimbabwe don’t have too many options on the bench that are likely to make a difference, or they’d have tried them out by now. They have lost with each combination they tried, evry game more convincingly than the last. They may make one or two changes, but a change in the result would be one of the upsets of the year.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Hamilton Masakadza (capt) 2 Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 3 Tarisai Musakanda 4 Ryan Murray (wk) 5 Peter Moor 6 Elton Chigumbura 7 Donald Tiripano 8 Liam Roche 9 Wellington Masakadza 10 Blessing Muzarbani 11 Tendai ChisoroPakistan played two combinations across four games, and have played nearly every batting reserve on the bench other than Mohammad Hafeez and Haris Sohail – who had to return home after his daughter’s illness. Mohammad Nawaz is the only bowler unused throughout the ODIs. There is a chance Hafeez and Nawaz could be given a chance, but Pakistan are doing so well anything they do looks like it might come offPakistan (possible): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Shoaib Malik/Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Asif Ali, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Junaid Khan/Mohammad Amir, 11 Usman Khan

Pitch and conditions

The weather remains cool in Bulawayo, but the pitch has dried out since the first game, and another runfest could be on the cards, particularly if Pakistan bat first.

Stats and trivia

• Fakhar Zaman is 20 runs away from becoming fastest to reach 1000 runs in ODIs. If he does so tomorrow, he will have reached there in 18 innings. The fastest at present are five players who got there in 21 innings: Viv Richards, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Quinton de Kock and Babar Azam.

Quotes

“It’s not like the guys (Pakistan) are bowling anything amazing, it’s about us not applying ourselves,” Donald Tiripano thinks the reasons for his side’s underwhelming batting come from within”It does hurt me quite a lot and it’s very disappointing to see. I see a lot of guys putting in their best efforts but when you lose half of your team, especially with the resources that Zimbabwe have, it’s hard to be competitive against a very good Pakistan side at the moment,” Pakistan coach Grant Flower takes no pleasure from his country’s struggles