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Preview of the second Test between South Africa and Pakistan at Newlands

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran13-Feb-2013

Match facts

February 14-18, 2013
Start time 1030 local (0830 GMT)Mohammad Irfan is likely to make his Test debut•AFP

Big picture

Were Pakistan really Test-ready ahead of the Wanderers Test? Going by their first-innings capitulation for 49 – their lowest Test score – certainly not.When you’re up against the No.1 side in the world, you want to give your players enough time to acclimatise and adjust to the seamer-friendly conditions. A solitary warm-up game in East London wasn’t enough. With the first Test starting nearly three weeks after the India tour ended, there were suggestions that Pakistan could have arrived in South Africa earlier, and probably squeezed in another warm-up. Mohammad Hafeez had stated recently that Pakistan needed more Tests in their calendar to get some momentum going. For a team that last played a Test in July, their preparation ahead of the Wanderers was inadequate. They were caught short against the moving ball and the captain Misbah-ul-Haq said Dale Steyn was too much for his batsmen to handle.Their opposition in the warm-up between Tests – the Emerging Cape Cobras – may not have been the strongest, but it was an opportunity to rectify those technical glitches, and Younis Khan was the only batsman to score a fifty. The pitch at Newlands is expected to give Pakistan some relief, as it is expected to favour the batsmen more than the Wanderers strip did. What Pakistan need to show is resilience, and since Misbah took over, they’ve shown plenty of that.South Africa have no such concerns and will look to wrap up the series at their strongest home venue. Graeme Smith, who led South Africa to the top of the rankings, will be playing his 100th Test as captain of his country. Their decision not to rotate their bowlers, unlike Australia, indicated they’re hungry to close out the series as soon as possible. The early finish at the Wanderers gave them an extra day’s rest.

Form guide

South Africa WWWWD
Pakistan LDDLW

In the spotlight

Sarfraz Ahmed was preferred ahead of Adnan Akmal as the wicketkeeper for the Tests, for reasons not properly explained. Though his keeping was tidy at the Wanderers, he had a poor game with the bat, scoring 2 and 6. As the lone specialist keeper in the squad, coupled with the absence of the Akmal brothers, his place in the line-up doesn’t look in danger, but Pakistan will need better contributions from him as a lower-order batsman. It would be unfair to write Sarfraz off too quickly, since he had played just one Test prior to the Wanderers since his international debut in 2007. The forthcoming Tests present an opportunity to establish himself in the squad as the first-choice keeper.Robin Peterson was a forgotten man during Pakistan’s collapse for 49, because he wasn’t required. Though he got 10 overs in the second innings, he returned wicketless. He admitted that it can be lonely as a spinner in these conditions: “It’s no fun sometimes being the spinner in South Africa and you go through periods of play where you don’t even bowl.” He is unlikely to be made redundant in Newlands, though, with the pitch expected to give more assistance to the spinners compared to the one at the Wanderers.

Team news

There was bad news for Pakistan on the eve of the Test, with the left-arm seamer Junaid Khan in doubt as he is yet to recover from a thigh injury. Mohammad Irfan, the 7ft left-armer who toured India recently, was anyway in line for a Test debut after his seven-wicket haul in the warm-up. Pakistan’s coach Dav Whatmore hinted at playing an additional spinner, Abdur Rehman, which means Rahat Ali, who went wicketless in the first Test, may have to make way.Pakistan: (probable) 1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Nasir Jamshed, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Saeed Ajmal, 10 and 11 Junaid Khan/ Mohammad Irfan/Rahat AliSouth Africa will play an unchanged line-up.South Africa: (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Dean Elgar, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Robin Peterson, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel

Pitch and conditions

The pitch was watered on Tuesday night and a fair amount of grass was shaved off. There are small hints of green and it looks the usual, good Newlands strip. It was expected to be a ‘grafting’ surface, something the batsmen should enjoy. There is a possibility of rain tomorrow so a delayed start is likely.

Stats and trivia

• Since their readmission to Test cricket, South Africa have a 17-3 win-loss record in Cape Town, with all three defeats coming against Australia. Since their last defeat to Australia in 2006, they’ve won seven out of ten Tests, and drawn the other three. Overall, South Africa have won 20 Tests here, six more than their next-best venue (The Wanderers – 14 wins)
• Jacques Kallis has scored 2158 runs in 21 Tests at Newlands, at an average of 77.07, with nine centuries in 33 innings. In his last six Tests here he has scored five hundreds, including his highest of 224 against Sri Lanka in 2012.
• Pakistan have lost to South Africa every time they’ve played in Cape Town: South Africa have won both Tests and all four ODIs.
• Dale Steyn is one wicket away from becoming the highest wicket-taker in Tests in Cape Town. Steyn is currently tied on 53 with Makhaya Ntini. While Ntini took his wickets in 13 Tests at an average of 29.09, Steyn has taken 53 in ten Tests at 20.98.

Quotes

“The more accolades there are, the more expectation there is on me. I woke up before the Wanderers Test at 4am dreaming I had got a pair.”
“I am really confident that these guys can fight back. Whenever we’ve had tough times, we have been able to come out of it.”
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Pakistan’s interim coach, Mohsin Khan, has said that his side is “desperate” to build on their unassailable series lead against England, and whitewash the world’s No. 1 Test side

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2012Pakistan’s interim coach, Mohsin Khan, has said that his side is “desperate” to build on their unassailable series lead against England, and whitewash the world’s No. 1 Test side.”I do not need to look at the rankings table to tell me that England is a very professional team, a very balanced team with no weaknesses at all in any facet of their cricket,” Mohsin told . “They will once again be tough opposition for us and we will not be taking the opposition lightly, we will have to work very hard and approach the third Test match just in the same way as we have approached the previous two Test matches.”We are desperate to see a three-nil margin, but no Test victory comes easy and nobody has a given right to win any Test match. I have a lot of respect for Andy Flower, Andrew Strauss and all of the England players and I am sure England will come back hard at us. I’m sure it will be another tough match with hard cricket played by both sides.”The final Test will be played in Dubai, where Pakistan won the first match comfortably, by 10 wickets. They then produced a dramatic 72-run triumph in Abu Dhabi, where their spinners’ tigerish defence of a paltry target of 145 meant England were shot out for 72. Mohsin likened the Abu Dhabi victory to Pakistan’s historic triumph in the 1992 World Cup.”As for gauging what this victory means, well I received an email from a friend of mine in Karachi after the victory which stated that he had been following Pakistan cricket for more than 30 years and the series-clinching victory in Abu Dhabi over England was the second occasion where he had felt so proud to be a Pakistani cricket fan, the first being the 1992 World Cup final victory in Australia, when Imran Khan was captain.”I took this comment from my friend as a great compliment as no doubt we have achieved a lot in Pakistan cricket over the years, but to come from the low points we reached in 2010 to the performance in Abu Dhabi was just magnificent. The biggest satisfaction and the most pleasing aspect was to see the unity and happiness in this team.”One of the striking features of Pakistan’s victory run was the composure they showed while defending a modest total, and Mohsin credited the senior players in the team for maintaining focus. “It was an exciting situation and quite tense also given that we only had 144 runs to play with,” Mohsin said. “Yes some of the boys were very excited, but it was crucial for the likes of Misbah-ul-Haq, Saeed Ajmal, Younis Khan and Mohammad Hafeez to keep the rest of the boys focussed and calm. Younis plays such a vital role in the team and really helps the captain on and off the field, his input is always very important and his opinions are always valued by everyone within the squad. Hafeez is another who keeps things in perspective and has a valuable role within the squad.”It was very important that the more experienced players kept the younger players concentrating on the job at hand and for them to not get too excited. We are blessed that we have a wonderful captain, someone with an ideal personality to lead, yet it is also very important for the generals around him to support him and assist him and that is exactly what occurred in Abu Dhabi. As the opposition wickets fell and the victory seemed a possibility then it was only natural for the excitement amongst my boys to increase and I think they did a good job with their conduct.”Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman was Pakistan’s hero in the second Test, where he emerged from Saeed Ajmal’s shadow to produce a decisive spell of 6 for 25 in the second innings. Mohsin said Rehman’s success was a vindication of the improvements in Pakistan’s cricketing framework.”There is a lot of healthy competition now in Pakistan cricket for places in the starting XI in every format. Abdur Rehman is a perfect example of this way of thinking, he knows that he has worked extremely hard to get to the level he is at now and that he has no intention of letting his form dip and his fitness levels to drop. He is such a hard-working cricketer, he has a great work ethic and is always ready to do extra training and additional bowling. There are times when he just wants to practise his bowling continually for hours and to work on his fitness.”Two of the ‘elder statesmen’ in the squad, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, know that age is catching up with them but you simply cannot criticise their levels of fitness, they work so hard in training and they are an asset to the team and shining examples for others to follow.”

Pakistan’s World Cup preparations only got better as their youngest batsman scored a maiden ODI century to set up a series win – their first in a bilateral rubber since November 2008

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya03-Feb-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ahmed Shehzad sizzled in his maiden ODI century•Getty Images

Pakistan’s World Cup preparations only got better as their youngest batsman scored a maiden ODI century to set up a series win – their first in a bilateral rubber since November 2008 – over New Zealand, whose fortunes continued to slide at home after a miserable time in the subcontinent.Ahmed Shehzad batted with utmost confidence during his calculated assault, overcoming a cautious start in overcast conditions by launching a counter-attack that snatched the initiative New Zealand had worked hard to gain at the beginning of the game. He was backed up by a determined performance from Pakistan’s bowlers, who stepped up in areas where New Zealand had erred, and completed the job quite comfortably in the end.A miserly first spell by Kyle Mills appeared to have justified Ross Taylor’s decision to bowl, as it cramped the usually fluent openers through nagging lines outside off stump and crafty variations in pace. He conceded just two runs in his first four overs, and grabbed the wicket of Mohammad Hafeez.Shehzad, though, was intent on pulling things back. He had warmed up with a crisp straight drive off Hamish Bennett but opened his shoulders to release the pressure created by the early wicket. Mills’ tight lines were countered with a mow past mid-off and an agricultural slog over midwicket, catching the bowler off guard and marking a turn in the tide. Shehzad had won the psychological battle when Mills strayed onto the pads the next over, to be glanced to the fine-leg boundary.A feature of Shehzad’s knock was his domination of Bennett, which offset any pressure New Zealand were able to inflict with the fall of a wicket. Bennett overpitched too often, or dropped too short, and was picked off consistently for boundaries. He squandered some hard work by conceding fours off the last balls of his first two overs and was struck for consecutive boundaries by an initially rusty Kamran Akmal before Shehzad singled him out for treatment. He was launched for a straight six and welcomed in his second spell with a violent pull over the midwicket boundary followed by a clean strike over long-on.While Shehzad took timely risks and had the power and ability to back them up, he was ruthless against the opportunities doled out by the bowlers when Pakistan had been forced to shift gears in the middle overs. The run-out of Kamran resulted in four boundary-less overs before Nathan McCullum, otherwise quite tidy, gifted a short and wide delivery that Shehzad slashed through point. Scott Styris met a similar fate while James Franklin was a victim of Shehzad’s subtleties as he was twice scooped over fine leg.The constant throughout Shehzad’s innings, only his seventh in this format, was his assuredness and determination to keep the hosts worried at one end. When he fell, miscuing Styris to deep square leg, with plenty of ammunition left in the batting, New Zealand were staring at an intimidating target. The bowlers, however, hit back to restrict Pakistan in the death overs. Only once had a team lost chasing at Seddon Park since 2002 but with New Zealand’s recent ODI record in a shambles, Pakistan needn’t have worried about past results at the venue.The start to the chase could not have been worse for the hosts as Jesse Ryder backed up too far and was run out without facing a ball. Unlike New Zealand’s bowlers who had provided ample scoring opportunities to ease the pressure on Pakistan after each dismissal, Pakistan’s fast bowlers hardly ever overpitched, bowled consistently in the channel outside off and dried up the runs.Martin Guptill faced the pressure with a combination of bravado and opportunism. He dealt harshly with deliveries bowled wide or pitched up on middle – there weren’t too many of them – and improvised to clear the infield. Guptill ensured a steady flow of singles, ran well between the wickets as the field spread out and continued to be ruthless when freebies came his way. But having survived a close lbw shout early in his innings, Guptill failed to take full toll, as a short delivery from Shoaib came on a touch too quickly and he holed out to deep square leg.The onus was on Ross Taylor, who took his time to settle in and overcome the nervy start that has plagued him this series. He appeared to be getting back to his groove when just a firm push off Afridi raced to the extra-cover boundary and, in the company of Guptill, to whom he had ceded floor, kept his team in the hunt. It was in the attempt to rebuild after Guptill’s fall that New Zealand lost it. Afridi and Hafeez got through their overs quickly, produced a spate of dot balls and deprived the hosts of a boundary for 11 straight overs. The resultant frustration from New Zealand yielded wickets for Pakistan, as Brendon McCullum got a leading edge to long-on while Styris was run out by a direct hit from Younis Khan.Taylor fought on, managing a six off his favoured slog-sweep and began the batting Powerplay in the 41st over with a lofted drive against Wahab Riaz. Despite the field restrictions and with five wickets in hand, an asking rate of almost nine an over was going to be difficult to measure up to. In the next over he stepped across to sweep Afridi, only to miss and be trapped in front. And when James Franklin was cleaned up by a Riaz yorker, the depth in the New Zealand batting proved insufficient to secure the remaining runs or salvage some pride after 13 defeats in their last 14 completed games.

A round-up of the action from the seventh day of matches in the 2009-10 Vijay Hazare Trophy

Cricinfo staff18-Feb-2010

East Zone

Orissa maintained their perfect record in the tournament, beating Bengal by six wickets at the Barabati Stadium. Bengal would have fancied their chances after getting to 283 batting first, but Paresh Patel’s sparkling unbeaten century during the reply ensured victory with 10 balls to spare. While opener Sudip Chatterjee laid a solid platform during the Bengal innings with 53, Manoj Tiwary top scored with a quick 86. A 102-opening stand between Patel and Natraj Behera (55) ensured Orissa were on top from the start of the reply. Two half-century partnerships from there on had the hosts in the driver’s seat as Patel finished on 123 off 129 balls, hitting 10 fours and three sixes en route.Bengal’s hopes in the tournament hinged on the result at the Ravenshaw College Ground but even as Tripura beat whipping boys Assam by seven wickets, the net run-rate of +0.185 was not enough for them. A disciplined bowling effort from Tripura first up restricted the opposition to 172. Nishit Shetty then starred with a 92-ball 81 during the chase, and had able support from Bappa Das (47) during their third-wicket partnership of 115. Shetty remained unbeaten as Tripura sealed the win in the 38th over.

North Zone

Haryana stormed to the top of the points table with a 208-run demolition of Jammu & Kashmir at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak. Twin centuries from opener Rahul Dewan and wicketkeeper Nitin Saini were the high points of Haryana’s innings after they chose to bat. While Dewan smashed 10 fours and two sixes during his 140-ball 131, Saini’s 109 comprised nine fours and a six. J&K were never in the hunt chasing down the imposing 313, and lost wickets cheaply. Three double-digit scores summed up their plight and they were put out of their misery in the 36th over, making them the worst-placed bottom team across all zones with -3 from five losses.Punjab were made to sweat by Himachal Pradesh in a high-scoring thriller at the Shah Satnam Ji Stadium in Sirsa. With both teams in with a chance to qualify for the next stage, Punjab made a rousing start by piling up 344 for 8. The opening partnership between captain Karan Goel (72) and Ravi Inder Singh (92) set the tone and MS Gony’s late cameo added to the run-feast. Hemant Dogra’s 50 meant HP made a bright start to the reply, and captain Paras Dogra took up the reins with a breezy 109, including three fours and eight sixes. No. 8 Rishi Dhawan’s contribution of 31 came off 18 balls, but with his departure, HP needed 11 off seven balls. However, the task proved too tough for the last-wicket pair Sarandeep Singh and Jitender Mehta, with the former being run out off the last ball.With an aim to qualify for the next stage, Delhi put in strong display to beat Services by 113 runs at the Tata Energy Research Institute Oval in Gurgaon. Mithun Manhas’ classy 148 made all the difference after Delhi chose to bat. He struck 10 fours and a six during his 154-ball innings and was partnered well during a 133-run third-wicket stand by Rajat Bhatia (56). Right-arm fast bowler Shadab Nazar’s five-for made little difference as Delhi managed 311 for 6.What Services lacked during the reply was a sizeable contribution from one of the batsmen. A string of forties was not enough as right-arm seamer Parvesh Chikara helped himself to four wickets. Services succumbed in the 48th over to hand Delhi five crucial points.

The USAC-ACE contract termination has created uncertainty around USA’s preparations for next year’s T20 World Cup as well as the future of the MLC

Nagraj Gollapudi05-Sep-2025USA Cricket’s decision to terminate its contract with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), its primary commercial partner, which is also the parent company of Major League Cricket (MLC) – has left USA’s players “extremely affected” while dealing with uncertainty about their future. According to USA allrounder Corey Anderson, who is the operational director of the US Cricketers’ Association (USCA), the players fear that cricket in the country could be derailed if ACE pulls out.Anderson, the former New Zealand allrounder who moved to the USA and became eligible to play for them in 2023, suggested that ACE had been integral to the development of cricket in the USA for the past several years having invested in both Minor League Cricket and the MLC, which is now three seasons old.Related

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“I guess the termination of this contract between USAC and ACE just leaves players in a limbo and in a scenario where they are now so uncertain of their futures,” Anderson told ESPNcricinfo on a call from his home in Dallas. “And this is something that they’re extremely affected by in the way that they earn a living. How long does this last for? What does future seasons of Major League or Minor League or anything like that – what does that start to look like from that regard?”Apart from the significant sums of money it spends to conduct cricket in the country, ACE is also the backbone of cricketing operations in the USA. ACE owns the ground that houses the High Performance Centre at Grand Prairie in Dallas, Texas, holds exclusive license to the ground in Morrisville, has agreements with Broward County in Florida, and owns two drop-in pitches at the Oakland Coliseum, which made its debut during the 2025 MLC.As part of a long-term deal inked in 2019, ACE is contracted to funnel a minimum of USD 1.2 million annually to the USAC to cover the contracts of the national team including support staff. A failure to pay out that money consistently, the USAC has claimed, was one of the breaches that led to the termination of the contract. ACE strongly disputes this, claiming it has actually paid more than the agreed amount.Another thing that bothers Anderson, in case the standoff continues, is its potential impact on several important events leading up to the 2026 T20 World Cup, which is set to be played in February-March in India and Sri Lanka with USA among the 20 participating teams. In consultation with USAC, ACE had planned a high-performance camp for 35 top men’s players with trial matches – three 50-over games and three T20s – in Morrisville against West Indies A.Anderson, the former New Zealand allrounder who now plays for USA, is the operational director of the US Cricketers’ Association•Major League Cricket

The objective of this camp was to identify the best players for the T20 World Cup as well as prepare the team for World Cricket League 2 in October, which is USA’s qualification pathway for the 2027 ODI World Cup. ACE is also meant to be hosting the USA Women’s team at the HPC in Grand Prairie along with five-match T20 series against West Indies in October-November.”Is that all still taking place or not? These camps have to take place for the players to get ready for those things,” Anderson said. “All of those things are very much in a big question mark at the moment, which again just creates more uncertainty around the players. And effectively anything that goes on regarding those contracts ends up ultimately just affecting the players.”It’s just throwing a question mark on what players don’t know and their uncertainty around even that, which is again so unfortunate, because we’re in a space now with USA [where cricket] is growing and it’s growing very fast, and there’s a lot of money getting put into it and a lot of investment. But again [as things now stand], for what? Because players are now disrupted, unsure of what they need to do, unsure of where they’re going, and what their future looks like.”Has USAC written to the players since the public termination of the ACE contract? Not yet, according to Anderson. He pointed out that while the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) recognizes USACA, USAC doesn’t. “We haven’t heard anything from USAC,” he said. “Again, I do want to establish that we aren’t recognized by USA Cricket, so in terms of being bound by anything, they do not have to say anything to us. But again, it would be very neglectful of them not to inform the players’ association considering we do have majority of the members [players] of Major League Cricket and in fact we have the majority of the USA national team as our members. And so when we speak up and get into bargaining discussions and things like that, we are doing it for them. It’s a players’ union run by the players.”Anderson said he had personally not reached out to any USA players, although there had been several discussions between players during the ongoing Minor League, where he plays for Dallas Kings Eleven. “I have not been in touch with any of the players because at the moment we don’t have any information to provide those players. If they’ve been provided information, that hasn’t been given back to us or given to any other players. This is where things can get pretty messy, because it starts becoming a little bit of the whispers start going around, and the rumour mill starts up, and [nobody knows] what’s actually true and what’s correct. And everyone’s a little bit unsure of what that actually looks like. So again, it’ll be nice to hear from the governing body [USAC] itself and understand what it looks like.”We’re currently in the middle of Minor League at the moment, so there are a lot of players asking what’s happening. Text messages, phone calls, what does this look like for Major League and our World Cup preparation? Minor League is currently running, but what does the future of that look like? Is this going to continue? So again, messages that unfortunately don’t have any answers.”According to USAC chairman Venu Piske, ‘it’s too early to make any assumptions’ about the future of the MLC•Sportzpics for MLC

USAC open to ‘renegotiate’ and ‘sanction’ 2026 MLC

Venu Piske, the USAC chairman, said he understood the concerns raised by Anderson, and added that players would always be the priority. “I certainly can understand the sensitivity and also the players may have some concerns,” Piske said. “It’s understandable, but players are our No. 1 priority without any doubt. We have made sure we take care of players in all situations even when we are getting our funding as per the contract from ACE, or not getting the funding.”Piske said while there remained outstanding issues to sort out with ACE, USAC would not overlook players’ welfare including the financial aspect. Piske said USAC had given out 15 national contracts, which he said were the highest number offered in the board’s history. Piske said he could understand players being concerned about the future of MLC, and whether it would happen next season, but remained optimistic, saying USAC were open to “renegotiate” with ACE and even “sanction” the next season.”I know there may be some concerns around what’s going to happen with MLC, that’s understandable, but it’s too early to make any assumptions. As per our communication to ACE at the time of termination, we are committed to renegotiate on different terms because the current terms they [ACE] have not met; we always had a friction environment for the last six years, but considering their [ACE’s] commitment and investment to MLC, we are open to even sanction MLC while this is going on or we are open to some agreeable terms to resolve this.”MLC CEO Johnny Grave said ACE was not in breach of any terms in the original agreement and said it was focused on continuing to support USA Cricket. “We are fully compliant with our agreement with USAC and we continue to work to build all aspects of cricket in America.”According to Anderson, the best solution ought to involve ACE, without whose support he felt USA Cricket cannot provide a “premium product”. A “resolution sooner rather than later”, Anderson said, would benefit not just the game in the USA, but also reassure players that they have a secure future. “It needs to be anything that’s going to benefit the players in terms of just answers that will give us some suggestion that the future of the game here in the States is going to continue to be invested in and continue to grow, and players understand that they have a way of earning a living and being able to play quality cricket here again,” he said. “With the runway of what the USA team specifically has in terms of a World Cup and then an Olympics in 2028, those are massive markers for USA cricket to be able to hit. And I don’t see a world in which they can provide a premium product or quality of product without funding from ACE.”

Head coach says it would be ‘slightly mad’ if duo are left on sidelines during Championship season

Vithushan Ehantharajah27-Feb-2024England head coach Brendon McCullum says it would be “slightly mad” if Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir are unable to build on a breakthrough tour of India in county cricket, and has suggested clubs should produce pitches to assist in the development of spinners across the country.Hartley and Bashir have been two plus points in a series in which England competed well but still lost after India took an unassailable 3-1 lead on Monday, with victory in the fourth Test at Ranchi. Having arrived with minimal first-class experience, the left-arm spinner and off-spinner respectively have acquitted themselves brilliantly throughout, against opposition batters proficient at playing the turning ball.Hartley has played all four Tests and is currently the leading wicket-taker in the series (20), having taken just 19 in the entirety of Lancashire’s Division One campaign last summer. Bashir, who only made his first-class debut in 2023 and arrived with 10 dismissals at an average of 67 for Somerset, has more than doubled his red-ball tally with 12 Test wickets. Both picked up five-wicket hauls on this trip.Related

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Their selections were made to meet England’s specific requirements for success in India: tall spinners driving the ball into the pitch, aping the likes of R Ashwin and Axar Patel, who have had so much success in home conditions. After impressing with the Lions under men’s performance director Mo Bobat – who left the ECB last week to take up a post at Royal Challengers Bangalore – Hartley and Bashir were essentially fast-tracked into the England set-up, where they have since thrived.The concern, however, is the pair may be stunted by a lack of playing time when they return to their counties, which England want to avoid given they are building towards a tour of Pakistan in October.Lancashire, for instance, have signed Nathan Lyon for the season, the Australian veteran spinner who claimed his 500th Test wicket at Perth in December. Speaking after bowling England to victory in the first Test with 7 for 62, Hartley reflected it would be “fantastic” if they were able to play together but acknowledged Lyon would be the main man in the XI.Bashir, meanwhile, has England team-mate Jack Leach to contend with at Somerset. Leach, who is having surgery on Thursday to ease the swelling in the damaged left knee that ruled him out of the India series after just one Test, will need Championship games to work himself back to full fitness for the home series against West Indies and Sri Lanka. Though Taunton pitches occasionally favour a multi-spinner approach, Bashir was the only one in the XI for his three appearances at home last summer. Leach presented Bashir with his maiden cap for the second Test in Visakhapatnam.Bashir’s eight wickets in Ranchi gave England hope of squaring the series•AFP via Getty Images

“It will be a slight frustration of ours if they weren’t given opportunities at county level,” McCullum said. “There’s a very real possibility that might be the case, but without wanting to dictate to counties because they have their own agendas as well, when you see performances like we have out of those two bowlers throughout the series, I think you’d be slightly mad if you didn’t give them more opportunities in county cricket.”It would be nice to think they’d get plenty of opportunities so that they can improve at a quicker rate. Whether those opportunities are with counties or with England, I think we’ve just got to keep trying to get cricket into them. Whatever opportunity we can, we’ll try and give it to them because there’s two guys there more than good enough for international cricket. They’re also tough characters.”What you can’t tell from the outside of a man’s body is the size of their heart – and we’ve seen both of them have big hearts and they’re up for international cricket. It doesn’t get any harder than it is right now, and they’ve both stood up and performed, so we’ve just to keep giving both of them chances.”It was a sentiment echoed by the captain Ben Stokes in the immediate aftermath of England’s five-wicket defeat in the fourth Test, but acknowledged it was “very tough” to force counties to adhere to specific needs. McCullum suggested a workaround of sorts could be if teams produced surfaces that encourage turn more, a move that he believes would enhance the craft and provide more entertainment.Hartley’s seven-wicket haul in Hyderabad secured a famous England win•BCCI

“As much as England’s about playing on good wickets and having the ball move off the seam, it should also be about playing on spinning wickets too,” he said. “If we lived in a world where we could have both Bash and Leachy able to operate in spinning conditions at Somerset, and Hartley and Lyon could bowl together at Lancashire, I think that would be a great viewing point for spectators.”Hartley and Bashir are the latest examples of an England set-up not beholden to domestic form and numbers. Zak Crawley, for instance, was selected initially in 2019, despite scoring just three first-class centuries in 36 matches for Kent, before McCullum and Stokes backed him during a tough start under their tenure. Having top-scored in the Ashes, he is now leading England’s run charts in India with 328 at an average of 41.Despite looking beyond the numbers, McCullum insisted England’s selection policies are not dismissive of county form. Indeed the scale and variety within English cricket has allowed them to be more precise with their picks.”We certainly don’t pick in spite of county cricket, if that’s what you mean. We look at what we need skill-wise and we try and adjust it to what we think we’re going to require, and be brave enough to make decisions around it. We’re not going to get every decision right.”From our point of view there’s a big team out looking around county cricket, and the guys who we think play in the way we want to play as a cricket team, and who fit the environment as well. And there’s a lot of eyes on those guys throughout. So it’s not certainly in spite of it. County cricket is a good system, it’s got a lot of cricketers opportunities, it’s got a volume of cricket as well and different conditions.”Some guys who have got great county numbers might not find themselves necessarily in the England team. And some guys who don’t will find themselves in, but that’s not a reflection of that [county cricket]. It’s just about the skill set we want.”

Trevor Griffin invited to re-apply for job after seventh-placed finish in 2022

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2022The MCC have advertised for a new London Spirit coach in the women’s Hundred after missing out on the knockout stages in the tournament’s first two seasons.Trevor Griffin, the Western Storm and Sydney Thunder coach, took charge of Spirit in the last two seasons but has been invited to re-apply for his job as part of an open recruitment process. Hundred coaches are appointed on one-year contracts which can be extended by mutual agreement.Spirit missed out on the play-offs on net run-rate in 2021 but struggled in 2022, losing four of their six games and finishing second-bottom in the group stages.Related

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“London Spirit has recently opened the process to recruit a head coach for its women’s team in the 2023 edition of the Hundred,” an MCC spokesperson said.”This open recruitment process is designed to find the best possible head coach for London Spirit women for 2023, with all candidates who meet the criteria, including the head coach from 2022, invited to apply.”London Spirit, in conjunction with the England and Wales Cricket Board, will announce the outcome of the recruitment process at a later date.”Dates for the Hundred’s 2023 season have not been officially announced but the tournament is expected to run from the first week of August until the weekend of August 26. Applications for Spirit’s vacancy close on November 21.

Birmingham Phoenix head coach could still be involved in future editions

George Dobell18-Jun-2021Andrew McDonald is set to be the latest big-name withdrawal from the Hundred, amid concerns over fixture clashes and bio-bubble fatigue.McDonald had been appointed as head coach of Birmingham Phoenix, but ESPNcricinfo understands that he will not be coming to England this summer with his responsibilities as Australia’s assistant coach taking priority. Daniel Vettori is believed to be a strong favourite to secure an interim role in charge of the side.Related

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McDonald is instead expected to go on Australia’s tour to the Caribbean, which departs in late June and is due to be followed by a trip to Bangladesh in early August. He will remain in contact with Phoenix in a consultancy capacity and is expected to resume his duties in 2022.McDonald’s decision follows a string of other high-profile withdrawals which have included Marcus Stoinis, David Warner and Kagiso Rabada. With fixture congestion (both international and franchise league), quarantine arrangements and bubble fatigue contributing to create something approaching a perfect storm, the ECB is braced for more withdrawals in the coming days. The schedule suggests the involvement of players from the Caribbean and Pakistan may prove especially challenging. New Zealand’s players, already in the UK, may well prove the beneficiaries. Lockie Ferguson is expected to replace Rabada for Manchester Originals.This news is a significant blow to Birmingham Phoenix, though. McDonald had been heavily involved in the planning stages for the tournament, including taking decisions on which players to sign.

Two dramatic last-ball finishes have set up the T20Is perfectly and given both teams valuable pointers

The Preview by Alan Gardner15-Feb-2020

Big picture

Two games, three runs between the teams, and one more clash to come. The T20Is have served up a buffet of belligerent boundary-hitting, as well as some nerveless death bowling and two of the closest finishes possible this side of a Super Over. Given England’s recent form in white-ball deciders, you wouldn’t rule out one of those being required in Centurion, either…Having seen the tourists stutter at the last in the opening encounter, South Africa seemed set to show them how to do it in style at Kingsmead, as Rassie van der Dussen revived a flagging chase and then Dwaine Pretorius tipped the odds in Tom Curran’s final over by smiting six and four from the second and third balls. A requirement of 15 off six suddenly shrank to five off three and then three off two – only for Curran to ice South Africa’s hopes of claiming the series with a toe-crushing yorker to Pretorius, followed by his trademark back-of-than-hand slower ball with the pressure on.Just as Lungi Ngidi had done a couple of nights before, Curran’s chutzpah had produced a grandstand finish – and England captain Eoin Morgan described the experience as “completely invaluable”, with future high-stakes encounters likely at the T20 World Cup later this year.South Africa’s disappointment was compounded by the fact van der Dussen was kept off strike for the final 10 balls of the innings, as the chase fluctuated back and forth. Quinton de Kock’s 17-ball fifty had signalled they were in the mood to pull off what would have been their second-highest successful T20I chase, before wickets from Mark Wood, Ben Stokes and Chris Jordan had put England on top.Punches were met by counter combos throughout the game. England shook off their East London failure with a fast start – despite Jos Buttler again falling cheaply in the Powerplay – but were beginning to get bogged down by the time Moeen Ali arrived at the crease in the 16th over. Moeen proceeded to hit seven of the most insouciant boundaries from his next 10 balls to pep up England’s chances.There was also some joy for Ben Stokes, despite a laboured start, as he made his highest T20I score of 47 not out, nearly nine years after his debut. The format is often played in fits and starts, leading to such anomalies, but with a World Cup on the horizon, this is the perfect time to build up a run of form. Both teams will be looking to grasp their opportunity again on Sunday.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)South Africa LWWLW
England WLTWL

In the spotlight

David Miller is now one of the senior men in South Africa’s line-up and the most-experienced member of a reshaped middle order – but despite showing destructive form in the final ODI against England, he has struggled to hit his straps in T20 recently. Twice he has been part of mid-innings slowdowns, after South Africa were given good starts by de Kock and Temba Bavuma; in Durban, the stage seemed to have been set, as Miller came in at No. 3 in the eighth over, only to hole out for 21 off 16 with the asking rate beginning to rise. It seems he is still trying to shake off the effects of a poor Big Bash, having only made one score above 25 in his last 14 T20 innings.Much of the talk around England’s XI has centred on the ideal batting line-up – not so much as who is in it, but where they come in. Jos Buttler is a guaranteed World Cup starter, but should his extraordinary skills be deployed against the new ball, with the field up, or at the death, when a cool temperament is prerequisite? Two innings at opener against South Africa have so far yielded 17 runs from 14 balls – and England’s meltdown in East London left plenty highlighting the loss of Buttler’s finishing skills. Perhaps the real issue is that, after a tough Test tour, he looks to be down on confidence. But one freewheeling innings might be all it takes for things to click back into place.

Team news

Dale Steyn was rested in Durban, a precautionary move considering his injury history, but seems likely to return at seam-friendly SuperSport Park. Bjorn Fortuin, who only bowled two overs and was then the unlucky man tasked with trying to hit three to win off his first ball in international cricket, could miss out.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (capt, wk), 2 Temba Bavuma, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Jon-Jon Smuts, 5 David Miller, 6 Andile Phehlukwayo, 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Beuran Hendricks, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Tabraiz Shamsi, 11 Lungi NgidiMorgan has reiterated that England view Buttler as part of their strongest top three, so that may mean more time running drinks for Dawid Malan. Sam Curran and Saqib Mahmood are the fast-bowling options in the squad, though Tom Curran, Jordan and Wood all made good cases for keeping their spots. Protecting Wood from wear and tear could come into England’s thinking.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Joe Denly, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Tom Curran, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood/Saqib Mahmood

Pitch and conditions

Among South Africa’s regular T20 venues in recent years, SuperSport Park is second only to the Wanderers for high-scoring, with the ball liable to disappear at altitude. A warm afternoon in prospect should set things up nicely for the series decider.

Stats and trivia

• England have only played one previous T20I in Centurion, a game in which they were captained by Alastair Cook and lost by 84 runs.
• The opening stand in that match of 170 between Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman was at the time the highest in T20Is. It was ended by Joe Denly, taking a wicket with his first ball in international cricket.
• Three of the last four encounters between these two have come down to single-figure margins, with South Africa winning two and England one.

Quotes

“I wish it was a dead rubber on Sunday. But both teams have played really well. They won one or two small battles in key moments that helped them get over the line. It’s great to see both teams are playing good cricket and keeping it competitive out there.”
“Probably with two balls to go, it was South Africa’s game to lose, they were in an unbelievably commanding position… I thought Tom Curran did an unbelievable job.”

The batsman, banned for nine months after the ball-tampering scandal, has revealed he pondered life without cricket as he served his suspension

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2018Cameron Bancroft has written about learning to accept that he will be known as a cheat following his role in the ball-tampering scandal and has opened up about his nine-month ban which finishes at the end of December.Bancroft, who was caught on camera putting sandpaper down his trousers at Newlands, could return to professional cricket the day after his suspension ends if he lines up for Perth Scorchers against Hobart Hurricanes on December 30. He has already been around the squad at the start of the BBL and also caught up with members of the Australia team when they were in Perth for the recent Test against India.In a long first-person letter published in the on Saturday, Bancroft relives the emotional strain the events of Cape Town had on him and the challenge of learning to enjoy cricket again which has taken him through practicing yoga – which he pondered as a new career path – and working with a charity that supports children with cancer as part of his community service.”Many people will judge you as a cheat, but that is OK,” Bancroft writes. “Always love and respect everyone. You will love those people because you forgive them. Just like you’re going to forgive yourself…You know you cannot say sorry enough, but actually it is time you allow your cricket to be about what you have learnt and use this opportunity to make a great impact.”ALSO READ: Steven Smith opens up on Newlands ‘leadership failure’
Bancroft reveals that it was being omitted from Western Australia’s pre-season trip to Brisbane when his situation really hit home, having been asked by new coach Adam Voges to justify why he should be included, and he pondered the possibility of not playing cricket but his return to grade level with Willetton District Cricket Club rekindled his passion for the sport.”On your way to present your case to your coach you realise this is the moment when you begin to become OK with the thought of never having cricket as part of your life again.Cameron Bancroft lobs the ball to a teammate in a club-cricket match•Getty Images

“Until you are able to acknowledge that you are Cameron Bancroft, the person who plays cricket as a profession, and not Cameron Bancroft the cricketer, you will not be able to move forward. This will become a defining moment for you.”New friends will be made, great people with similar interests. Maybe cricket isn’t for you, you’ll ask yourself… will you return? Yoga will be such a fulfilling experience. It’s hard to feel this reality could exist.”You meet people fighting battles greater than you can understand, but through your own hardship and journey you can inspire others in the form of yoga. This will be tough to understand now, but have faith and embrace uncertainty.”The first game will give you the answer about what the game of cricket means to you. It is simply just fun. You wear a blue cap, it won’t be a Baggy Green, but the enjoyment is the same. You love the game. That’s the heart of all passion. Cricket is still well and truly a part of who you are.”Bancroft will be the first of the banned trio to resume their professional careers in Australia. The year-long sanctions handed down to Steven Smith and David Warner finish at the end of the March with a chance they could make an international comeback very soon after that against Pakistan. Unlike Bancroft, Smith and Warner have been active around the world during their bans with various T20 deals as well as playing grade cricket.On Friday, Smith spoke in Australia for the first time since returning from South Africa as he revealed how he ignore the plans to ball-tamper that were being openly discussed in the Newlands dressing room.