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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.

Earlier, Pant, batting with a fractured right foot, scored a half-century and helped India cross 350

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-20250:52

Manjrekar: India batted in different bowling conditions from England

Tea England backed up their captain Ben Stokes taking a five-for with an unbroken opening partnership of 77. Those runs came at over five an over, taking a big bite out of India’s 358 all out on the second day in Manchester.It was a disappointing bowling performance from the visitors, particularly in helpful conditions and to follow a display of great bravery from Rishabh Pant who came out to bat on a fractured foot and scored a half-century.England weren’t particularly keen to score so quickly. Zak Crawley needed 13 balls to get off the mark and those runs came with a reminder of the danger the pitch still posed as a Jasprit Bumrah delivery rose up sharply to rap him on the bottom hand. Crawley displayed excellent judgment outside his off stump and ironically only started to look vulnerable once he had runs against his name, the confidence of seeing off the new ball coaxing him to play away from his body and could have been bowled off the inside edge.Ben Duckett didn’t need to be so careful, at any point in his innings. India fed him on his pads and he tucked in with glee. All his seven boundaries came on the leg side and he stands on the cusp of completing a half-century at almost a run a ball. Duckett welcomed Anshul Kamboj with three fours in his first over of Test cricket, the debutant chosen to open the bowling ahead of Mohammed Siraj.India must pick themselves back up again because they showed great heart in getting to an above-par total. Pant put his body on the line – literally because Stokes targeted that broken front foot of his – and had enough in him to hit a 90th six in Test cricket, putting him level with Virender Sehwag for the national record. He also went past Alec Stewart for most runs by a wicketkeeper in a Test series in England. The mere fact that he was able to walk – let alone bat – moved the fans at Old Trafford who gave him a rousing ovation.Stokes found similar approval from the crowd when his tireless and relentless display was rewarded with a first five-for in eight years. He was a threat when he bowled full because he was getting both ways movement – Shardul Thakur found that out when he was caught at gully for 41 – and he was a threat when he went short – which did Washington Sundar in. Stokes has 16 wickets in the series now, a career-best for him going past the 15 he took in the 2013-14 Ashes when he made his debut.

Wicketkeeper-batter also explains how he reacted to the news of his maiden call-up

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2024It’s been just a week since Dhruv Jurel received his maiden India call-up for the first two Tests against England, but he’s already identified what he wants to learn from his experience: how to develop mental strength to deal with pressure and criticism that comes with playing at the highest level.”The most important learning that I’d want to take away from this series is how to develop the mental fortitude that is needed to survive at the highest level,” Jurel told Rajasthan Royals’ official website. “A lot of players get call-ups, but only a few are able to sustain themselves.””Once you’re in the public eye on a much bigger stage, you are constantly judged on your performances. So I really want to know how these players deal with bad days, how they face criticism and pressure,” Jurel said. “I am going to try and absorb it all.”Related

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Jurel played two unofficial Tests in South Africa for India A, registering a duck in the first game before scoring a dogged 69 in the second. He was playing a tour match against England Lions when he got the news of his maiden call-up.”I was shocked. I was with the India A team, we were playing against the England Lions in a two-day match,” Jurel said.”The news broke late in the night and when I found out, I immediately called my father to tell him and his first question was, ‘Which Indian team? Aren’t you already playing for one of them?’. I said, ‘The same one in which Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play’. He couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it too.”Jurel scored a 38-ball 50 in that tour game, in which KS Bharat, another wicketkeeping option in India’s squads for the first two England Tests, also scored a half-century.Jurel has 15 first-class games in his bag and has racked up a century and five fifties at an average of 46.47 with the bat.He burst onto the scene in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, and then had a breakthrough campaign as a finisher in IPL 2023, but Jurel says adapting to the longer format was not a quick transition.”As part of India U19, I gained massive exposure playing in foreign conditions and different types of pitches. Then with the Royals, I had a good first IPL season. And that was all white-ball cricket,” he said. “But then came the longer format, and that’s a different ball game altogether. It took me a while to adapt myself to the demands of red-ball cricket.”But with so much practice, training and early experience, I am confident that I can play all three formats equally well.”Now, Jurel will again share the dressing room with Yashasvi Jaiswal, with whom he was team-mates in the Under-19 World Cup as well as for Rajasthan Royals.”Yashasvi and I go a long way back,” Jurel said. “We played together in our U19 days and it has always been a lot of fun. I am looking forward to sharing this experience with him too.”He was one of the first ones to text me and congratulate, saying ‘Well-deserved , very happy for you’.”Jaiswal, though, wasn’t the only Rajasthan Royals team-mate who texted Jurel. He also got a message from a wicketkeeper-batter who has experienced India-England Tests himself.”I also got a text from Jos [Buttler] , he said ‘Good to see you in the Indian team, long way to go’,” Jurel said.

It remains unclear, however, whether the latter will contest after a bruising defeat two years ago

Tristan Lavalette20-Oct-2022The stage could be set for ICC chair Greg Barclay and his deputy Imran Khwaja to once again contest the leadership of the sport’s global governing body, but it remains unclear if the latter will make a run after a bruising defeat two years ago.ESPNcricinfo has learned that Khwaja, a veteran board director and long-time Associate chair, will be nominated for the chair election to be held during the ICC’s meetings next month in Melbourne. The ICC chair election will be held during the ICC’s meetings next month in Melbourne scheduled immediately after the semi-finals of the ongoing men’s T20 World Cup. It could not be confirmed whether any other candidates will enter the fray as the deadline for filing nominations closed on Thursday (1700 Dubai time).It is, however, unknown if Khwaja will accept the nomination after falling short against Barclay in the last election in late 2020. Then, acting ICC chair Khwaja had his support diminished during two rounds of voting as Barclay prevailed 11-5 after receiving influential support from the Board of Control for Cricket in India. In the first round Barclay had secured 10 votes while Khwaja had half-a-dozen members on ICC Board voting in his favour. However, as per the election process at the time, a clear winner needed a two-thirds majority, which Barclay secured after Cricket South Africa voted for him in the second round.If Imran Khwaja contests the election, he will strive to be the first ICC chair from outside the Full Member nations•ICC via Getty

This time though the ICC has modified its constitution and stated that a simple majority will be enough during the chairman elections. As per the election procedure, the candidate has to be proposed by a member on the ICC Board and once the person decides to contest, a second board director needs to be support the nomination.The influence of the BCCI remains vital once again for both candidates. ESPNcricinfo has learned that while the BCCI has decided not to field its own candidate in the ICC chair elections, it is keeping its options open.In July, Barclay publicly expressed his desire to continue for a second term. “I am available for re-election if members want,” Barclay told mediapersons immediately after the ICC’s annual general meeting in Birmingham.Having retained popularity through the Associates while sitting on numerous ICC committees and helming the working group tasked with looking into the issue of women’s cricket in Afghanistan, Khwaja remains a prominent figure. It is understood the Singaporean’s backers believe he can still triumph without the all-powerful BCCI endorsement, having apparently strong support in Asia and Africa. But he would need nine votes to prevail. If he does put his hand up, Khwaja would be striving to be the first ICC chair from outside the Full Member nations.

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.

Left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt took four wickets to hurt Tripura at home, while in Cuttack, Odisha’s batsmen frustrated Tamil Nadu for more than 100 overs

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2017Half centuries from Manisankar Murasingh and Gurinder Singh proved inadequate as Tripura conceded an 87-run first-innings advantage to Andhra on day three of the Ranji Trophy fixture in Agartala. The visitors then played out the remaining 17 overs to finish on 51 for 1 in their second innings.Tripura’s day began as badly as it ended as they lurched from their overnight score of 68 for 1 to 111 for 5. And even with the No. 7 and No. 8 batsmen Murasingh and Gurinder clobbering identical scores of 81, they fell well short of parity. Left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt returned figures of 4 for 93 from his 28 overs while medium-pacers David Vijaykumar and Bandaru Ayyappa took a combined four wickets for 106 runs.Andhra’s first-innings centurion DB Prasanth made 29 before he fell to Dutta in the fifth over before stumps. Srikar Bharat (21) and Hanuma Vihari (1) were the batsmen left unbeaten.A 128-run opening stand between Sandeep Pattnaik and Natraj Behera headlined Odisha‘s fightback in Cuttack as the went to stumps on 286 for 4 in response to Tamil Nadu‘s 530 for 8 declared.While Pattnaik peppered 11 fours in his 127-ball 66, Behera hit 13 fours and a six, falling nine short of his ninth first-class hundred. He was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Rahil Shah. Washington Sundar’s double-strike in the 62nd over accounted for Govinda Poddar and Subhranshu Senapati before Shantanu Mishra and Biplab Samantray stitched together an unbeaten 78-run stand for the fifth wicket. Odisha have now lasted more than 100 overs, but still trail Tamil Nadu by 244 runs.