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Pakistan are hopeful he will be available for the home series against South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jan-2021Pakistan’s regular Test captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the second Test in Christchurch starting Sunday. Mohammad Rizwan will lead Pakistan again, like he did in the first Test. Azam had a “full-fledged” training session in Christchurch on Friday but he felt slight pain in his thumb which he had fractured earlier on the tour. The team management decided against taking any risk and ruled him out of the second Test.”We have seen improvement in Babar Azam’s injury but he is yet to fully recover,” team doctor Sohail Saleem said. “He is our captain and the most important batsman in the line-up, so we do not want to take any risk.

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“The medical team is constantly reviewing his injury and we are hopeful he will be available for the home series against South Africa.”Azam hasn’t played any game on the tour so far, having sustained a blow to his thumb while taking throwdowns at a training session in Queenstown last month, before the T20I series began. He hit the nets for a full session only on Friday. With the thumb injury not healed fully though, he couldn’t bat pain free. Last week, Imam-ul-Haq had been sent back home with a similar injury.With Azam injured, Pakistan lost the T20I series 2-1, picking up a consolation victory in the third match in Napier thanks to Rizwan’s 89, and lost the first Test of the two-match series in a nail-biting finish.The absence of the regular captain meant Pakistan experimented with their line-up, bringing in the 21-year-old Abdullah Shafique for the first two T20Is. Shafique, however, was dismissed without scoring in both games.The 24-year-old Imran Butt was called up to the Test squad, but he didn’t make the XI for the first Test. Butt was the leading run-getter in the 2019-20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, with 934 runs at an average of over 62.

Siraj takes five but Australia still have enough time to push for series victory

Karthik Krishnaswamy17-Jan-2021
Rain wiped out nearly all of the last session of day four soon after Australia had set India 328 to win the Gabba Test. India’s openers had only faced 11 balls, and still had a possible 23.1 overs left to negotiate before stumps, when rain sent the players hurrying into their dressing rooms for the second and final time on the day.On a pitch where inconsistent bounce has grown into a frequent menace, Australia should still have enough time left, in theory, to bowl India out and wrap up a 2-1 series win, but the weather forecast for day five isn’t encouraging.India will have been the happier side at stumps – not so much from the standpoint of the match situation as much as the fact that the bowling attack they cobbled together for this Test match, with each of their senior options unavailable, managed to challenge Australia again and keep them from running away with the game.For one, they bowled Australia out. This hadn’t seemed likely when David Warner and Marcus Harris had extended their opening partnership to 89 and left Australia effectively 122 for no loss some 40 minutes into the day’s play. But India regrouped, with Shardul Thakur breaking the partnership on his way to an impressive four-wicket haul and Mohammed Siraj capping off a stellar debut series with a maiden Test-match five-for.Thakur had been wayward through the first innings but showed much better control in the second, changing the mood of the game by replacing an erratic T Natarajan and testing the left-handers with his angle from over the wicket, landing the ball within the line of the stumps and forcing them to play, and drawing a series of plays-and-misses with movement off the deck.A short ball brought the breakthrough, with Harris leaving his gloves in the way of the ball while trying to duck underneath it. Washington Sundar, Thakur’s partner in crime with the bat on day three, then had Warner lbw with one that went with the arm to leave Australia 91 for 2 with two new batsmen at the crease.Those two batsmen, Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith, threatened to take the game away once more with a counterattacking stand full of daring forays down the pitch to Sundar’s offspin. But having raced to 25 off 21, Labuschagne had no answer to Siraj when he got one to straighten in the channel after angling into him, and Rohit Sharma pouched a thick edge at second slip.Three balls later, Matthew Wade was caught down the leg side off Siraj, his duck capping a miserable series that has put his place in doubt.Either side of tea, Smith – batting with adventurous use of feet and hands – and Cameron Green – blocking stolidly with a rather mechanical-looking forward stride – added 73 in 23.2 overs, stretching the lead past the 200 mark.On 42, Smith gave India a chance when he stepped out and miscued a lofted hit off Sundar, but Siraj misjudged the catch at long-on and dropped it while off-balance. But soon after he’d moved past fifty, Siraj made up for the miss by getting a ball to leap at Smith from just short of a length. He made an impressive effort to survive the delivery, but couldn’t pull his bottom hand off the handle before the ball had struck his glove, and lobbed to gully.By the time Thakur sent Green back with an away-seamer in the corridor – it gave Sharma his fifth catch of the match – Australia’s lead had passed 250. Inconsistent bounce was becoming more frequent, with the long, vertical cracks on the pitch now having widened significantly. Natarajan had got one ball to creep through at ankle height and narrowly miss Green’s off stump. Thakur got one to spit up at Tim Paine and hit his glove. Australia may have felt they already had enough for an early declaration, especially given the danger of the erratic bounce injuring one of their bowlers.But they batted on, perhaps wary of having their bowlers – each of whom has played all four Tests, and all of whom have got through grueling workloads in India’s second innings in Sydney and their first innings here – get back on the field too soon. The runs came quickly, either side of a rain interruption that almost entirely coincided with the tea break, even as Siraj and Thakur chipped steadily away at the wickets. The bowlers survived this period largely unscathed, even though Pat Cummins suffered a smack on his right elbow from Siraj and a glancing blow to the back of his helmet from a Thakur bouncer that kept unexpectedly low.Eventually, Cummins made an unbeaten 28 – his highest score in 22 Test innings, a lean run stretching all the way to India’s previous tour of the country in 2018-19 – as the last four wickets added 67 to Australia’s total.

A 115-run stand made light work of a stiff target as Qalandars remain unbeaten

Danyal Rasool22-Feb-2021This might only have been a T20 game, but it felt like an epic by the time Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez chased Quetta Gladiators out of the contest. Ages ago, or so it seemed, Chris Gayle struck his highest PSL score, 68 off 40 balls – aided by several dropped catches along the way – to help Quetta post 178, the highest first innings score this tournament. It looked a match-winning total then, but a stunning onslaught from Hafeez and Zaman helped Lahore Qalandars make short work of the target, and they got there with more than an over to spare.Hafeez was particularly destructive, grabbing a game that had looked like drifting by the scruff, forcing an asking rate that had soared above 11 back below a run-a-ball within the space of three overs. It was like stick cricket by the end; the sixes and fours Hafeez was striking appeared to come as easily as buttons being pushed on a keyboard, with Quetta skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed’s apoplectic rage visible to the world’s cameras. The unbeaten 115-run second wicket partnership came off just 58 balls, with Hafeez responsible for scoring 73 off them in the 33 deliveries he faced.After being put in to bat, Quetta rejigged the batting line-up even if they didn’t make any changes. Banton and Saim Ayub fell early once more, with Lahore Qalandars permitting them just 38 runs in the Powerplay, but Gayle and Sarfaraz would accumulate a 101-run partnership that put Quetta back on track. Sarfaraz appeared to be timing the ball more sweetly than has been in evidence for quite some time, and while Gayle wasn’t at his fluent best, it didn’t stop him from bludgeoning five fours and as many sixes on his way to top-scoring for his side. Mohammad Nawaz put in a cameo at the end and Quetta had all the momentum then, but Hafeez and Fakhar had other ideas.Star of the day
There was some spice in the contest after a terse recent exchange between Hafeez and Sarfaraz on social media. When Hafeez was called upon to bowl with the Quetta captain at the crease, there was added jeopardy in the game. While Sarfaraz got him away for a couple of boundaries off his second over, the 40-year-old would more than get him back with the bat.Hafeez would later tell Gayle he didn’t have the muscles to bat like him, but what Hafeez does possess in his repertoire most could only lust after. With barely a shot looked like it was played in anger, he caressed – that word is used advisedly – his way to his fastest PSL half-century, off just 24 balls, capitalising on some wayward bowling and a fairly straightforward drop on the boundary by the young Saim Ayub. With the asking rate coming down so quickly it might have needed a parachute, he sped up even further, finishing with another 23 off just nine deliveries, the winning sot a disdainful drive over extra cover off the young Mohammad Hasnain.It goes on to illustrate why Hafeez keeps backing himself to be a part of Pakistan’s World T20 plans, and if he’s in this sort of touch, he’ll be pivotal to his franchise’s hopes of finally landing a PSL title.Miss of the day
In a game that was perhaps defined as much by errors as individual brilliance, there were several who vied for this role. Agha Salman was the early frontrunner, dropping Gayle twice at cow corner in what looked like decisive moments, while Tom Banton and Saim Ayub fell early once more and each put Fakhar and Hafeez down once. But Usman Shinwari’s third over, which leaked 19 at a time Lahore needed in excess of 11 an over to seal the win, marked the moment the game finally turned as Quetta capitulated in spectacular fashion.Sarfaraz, perhaps fuelled by the personal ambition to get one over Hafeez, would go on to rebuke Shinwari publicly after that over, and as the fours and sixes rained down, his mood would only grow fouler. The negativity around the fielding side appeared to have doomed them well before the winning runs were struck, and it already seems like Quetta might have an uphill task if they are to turn this campaign around.Honourable mention
Zaman was Man of the Match, by the way, and with 82 off 52, it’s an innings that deserves more than to be overshadowed by Hafeez’s brilliance. He would relieve the pressure superbly as Sohail Akhtar at the other end struggled to get going, ensuring the required rate wouldn’t get out of hand early on. And when Hafeez joined him, he wasn’t second fiddle by any means, continuing to showcase why, even as his international form remains patchy, he remains one of the most sought-after players in the PSL.

Multiple Super Overs to come with a time cap, while short runs will be referred to the third umpire

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Mar-2021In a bid to clampdown on slow over rates, the IPL has made it mandatory for bowling teams to deliver their 20 overs within the stipulated 90 minutes (including strategic time-outs) for the 2021 edition. Other significant tweaks to the playing conditions for IPL 2021 include: no soft signal for close catches and obstruction of field, putting in a cap on the time till which multiple Super Overs can be bowled, and the third umpire adjudicating on short runs.Here is an in-depth look at how and why the playing conditions were updated:Slow over rates: finish 20 overs in 90 minutes (including time-outs)
This has been the most common code of conduct breach committed by teams throughout the IPL’s history. Sanctions – including hefty monetary fines and even suspension of the bowling team’s captain for repeated offences – have been found to be ineffective, with matches often going well past midnight in India. Even now, there is no change or increase in sanctions but a shortening of the time 20 overs need to be completed in.In 2019, former South Africa captain AB de Villiers, who plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, said one game finished so late it was almost “breakfast time”.Related

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Such delays have led to the host broadcaster taking up the issue with IPL authorities, and that was one of the main reasons for evening matches from IPL 2020 starting half an hour earlier than previous seasons, at 7.30pm IST. That start time will stay in place for evening games in IPL 2021. As an additional measure, the IPL has decided that this season, the 20th over of the innings will be included in the 90 minutes given to an innings, the regular time in which all overs need to be delivered as well as two strategic time-outs totalling five minutes overall. Until the last season, the over-rate clock stopped at the start of the 20th over. That meant teams could not be penalised even if they went well over the limit by taking more time through the final over – as long as it had started on time. However, moving forward, teams will need to wrap up 20 overs within 85 minutes, excluding the strategic time-outs. In an email to franchises about the updated playing conditions, the IPL said the move was meant to “control the match timings”.”The minimum over rate to be achieved in IPL Matches shall be 14.11 overs per hour (ignoring the time taken by time-outs),” the IPL said in the updated playing conditions, which were uploaded on the tournament website on Tuesday. “In uninterrupted matches, this means that the 20th over should finish within 90 minutes (being 85 minutes of playing time plus 5 minutes of time-out) of the start of the innings. For delayed or interrupted matches where an innings is scheduled to be less than 20 overs, the maximum time of 90 minutes shall be reduced by 4 minutes 15 seconds for every over by which the innings is reduced.”IPL raises finger against the soft signal
The soft signal that on-field umpires use has come under recent scrutiny, with Suryakumar Yadav’s sparkling maiden innings for India talked about as much for his brilliant strokeplay as for the manner of dismissal. Yadav was given out caught by Dawid Malan at backward square leg, even as TV replays remained inconclusive about whether Malan’s fingers were under the ball or not. On-field umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan’s soft signal was ‘out’, and TV umpire Virender Sharma upheld that decision because, as protocols require, there was not enough conclusive evidence to overturn it.Former England captain Mike Atherton called the soft signal a “nonsense”, especially for outfield catches and Virat Kohli said after the game he couldn’t understand why a “not sure” signal was not available to on-field umpires. At the last round of the ICC’s chief executives meeting last week, BCCI secretary Jay Shah asked the ICC Cricket Committee to re-open the discussion on the soft signal.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the interim, the IPL has decided to do away with the soft signal for both catches as well as for obstructing the field dismissals. Now, the umpire at the bowler’s end will consult with the square leg umpire in such situations, before deciding to go to the TV umpire. “The third umpire shall determine whether the batsman has been caught, whether the delivery was a Bump Ball, or if the batsman willfully obstructed the field. In case of a fair catch, the third umpire will use all the technological support available to him/her.”Cap on multiple Super Overs
October 18, 2020 will always be remembered as a unique date in the IPL. It was a double-header Sunday and both matches were decided via the Super Over. First, the Kolkata Knight Riders beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and then Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and the Mumbai Indians ratcheted up the drama with not just one, but two Super Overs before the Kings XI squeezed home.It was the first time in history – IPL or otherwise – that a game had gone into a second Super Over, and it finished well past midnight.But, while it was exciting and rare as a spectacle, the IPL has now decided to cap the time available after regulation time to one hour to determine the winner of a game. In case a winner cannot be determined within that hour, then both teams will get one point each.”If the teams’ scores are equal after both innings have been completed then a Super Over shall be played,” the IPL said. “If the Super Over is a tie, then unless exceptional circumstances arise subsequent Super Overs shall be played from the actual finish time of the tied match for an hour’s time until there is a winner. The Match Referee will inform the teams as to when the last super over will start. Should it not be possible to play or complete the Super Overs needed to determine a winner, the match shall be tied.”Short run goes to the third umpire
Kings XI had a rollercoaster campaign in IPL 2020, including losing out in the very first Super Over finish of the tournament to the Delhi Capitals. However, in the penultimate over of regulation time, Mayank Agarwal dug out a yorker from Kagiso Rabada towards a vacant mid-on, and then turned back for the second run. His partner Chris Jordan was running to the danger end, and square-leg umpire Nitin Menon ruled that Jordan had not dragged his bat across the line at the wicketkeeper’s end and ruled one run short. TV replays subsequently seemed to suggest from one angle that Jordan had indeed got his bat over the line, and that it might have thus been a legal run. Had that run not been ruled short, the match wouldn’t have ended in a tie, and the Kings XI would have won in regulation time instead of losing in the Super Over.Captain KL Rahul said after his team was knocked out that the short run had come back to “bite them very hard”, since they would have qualified for the playoffs had they had two more points.To avoid such incidents, the IPL has now said that on-field umpires should refer a short run to the the TV umpire, who will be the final authority. “If the short-run is called an automatic check by the third umpire takes place to confirm or overturn.”

Ross Taylor might be back for the hosts, but Mustafizur Rahman’s hamstring remains a question mark for the visitors

Mohammad Isam25-Mar-2021

Big Picture

At the crack of dawn on Bangladesh’s 50th Independence Day, there is hope that the cricket team in New Zealand will deliver a performance that matches the grand occasion. Many fans back home will be hoping that when they wake up on Friday, Bangladesh will be going toe-to-toe with New Zealand in Wellington.After New Zealand’s middle order led them to a series win in the second ODI in Christchurch, this game has got the status of a dead rubber. But in the age of the ODI Super League, every match counts and Bangladesh will be hoping to get the ten points out of New Zealand at any cost. The home side, however, will be boosted by the return of Ross Taylor, who passed a fitness test after missing the first two matches.Taylor will be a welcome addition to the middle order. In Christchurch, New Zealand were reduced to 53 for 3 before Tom Latham and Devon Conway revived their flagging chase. The third-wicket pair added 113 runs, before Latham took it upon himself to complete the chase with his fifth ODI hundred – his third unbeaten effort in successful chases.Latham later also acknowledged Jimmy Neesham and Daryl Mitchell for their help during the chase, as he added 76 for the fifth wicket with Neesham and the final 33 runs with newcomer Mitchell. Latham was lucky too, having been dropped on 58, minutes after Neesham was also dropped on three.Bangladesh would go on to rue these missed chances, which overshadowed a much-improved batting performance earlier in the game. Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Mithun made half-centuries at different points in the innings to help the side reach 271. Iqbal was patient in his 78 off 108 balls, as he saw off New Zealand’s initial burst of pace with a struggling Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim. But after Iqbal was run out through Neesham’s nifty footwork, Mithun blazed six fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 73.The Bangladesh bowlers, however, couldn’t translate their first big score into victory. They were perhaps a bit too impatient towards the latter part of the New Zealand chase, particularly after Rahim dropped Neesham’s regulation edge. For a long time in the match however, offspinners Mahedi Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz kept asking questions, which forced Latham and Conway to be more conservative.Bangladesh have to put up another big score on a tricky pitch against a superb bowling attack, but Iqbal and the rest of the batsmen have shown that they have the ability to do the job in New Zealand.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches)New Zealand WWLWW
Bangladesh LLWWWMohammad Mithun’s rapid half-century in the second ODI was a contrast to his usually conservative approach•Getty Images

In the spotlight

Martin Guptill has looked threatening in the first two ODIs but has only scored 58 runs so far. At the Basin Reserve, he will be expected to fulfill expectations from this series and reprise his century against Pakistan in the last ODI played at this venue three years ago.Mohammad Mithun broke free of a pattern of low-scores with a scintillating 73 off 57 balls in Christchurch. Mithun played some audacious shots too, which was a contrast from his usually conservative approach in the middle order. Perhaps he can make this new avatar his own.

Team news

Ross Taylor’s availability means Will Young is unlikely to play. New Zealand also have Tim Southee in their squad if they wish to rest Trent Boult.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Henry Nicholls, 3 Devon Conway, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 6 James Neesham, 7 Daryl Mitchell, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Trent Boult/Tim SoutheeBangladesh are unlikely to break the combination that pushed the hosts in the second ODI, although Mustafizur Rahman’s hamstring remains a question mark until the toss on Friday.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Liton Das, 3 Soumya Sarkar, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk) 5 Mohammad Mithun, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Mohammad Saifuddin, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

The Basin Reserve dished out a green-top in the Test between New Zealand and West Indies last December. It is unlikely to be so extreme on Friday, with sides batting first averaging 280-plus in the last ten years.

Stats and trivia

• The Basin Reserve has hosted only three ODIs in the last ten years, and this is its first in more than three years.
• Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mahedi Hasan made their first-class debuts for Khulna Division in the same match in 2015. Mahedi is three years older than the 23-year old Miraz, who is, however, the senior cricketer with 83 international matches compared to Mahedi’s six.

Quotes

“We had a bit of luck to go our way in the last game, and I am sure Bangladesh will want to finish the ODI series on a high note.”

With Royals slipping from 87 for 2 to 95 for 7, they were beaten long before the match ended

Alagappan Muthu19-Apr-2021A batting order that stretches all the way down to No. 11 continues to mask the Chennai Super Kings’ flaws – two very glaring ones at least. But the rest of their team is functioning pretty well. Too well as it turned out for Rajasthan Royals, who collapsed in the middle overs in a chase of 189, and were beaten long before the match ended.The opener rising to the challenge

When Faf du Plessis walks out to bat, he knows he needs to score runs for two people, and he kinda seems okay with it.Jaydev Unadkat probably wasn’t. He was left utterly confused as he leaked two fours behind the wicket and two sixes in front of it.du Plessis’ innovation – he appears one of the few Super Kings batters willing to try unorthodox shots – helped them to 46 for 2 in the powerplay. And so long as he can do that, his under-fire partner has some room to breathe.Ruturaj Gaikwad doesn’t have a power game and in all three of his innings so far he has looked very out of place.The fading captain

There were so many times in the past that the arrival of MS Dhoni, with the score at 125 and six overs left in the game, would herald total destruction.Here he faced 17 of the last 37 balls of the innings and made 18 uncomfortable runs. A run a ball for half the deliveries at the death is just not ideal at all.The Royals deserve credit for that. They forced him to play spin, which he hates at the start of his innings, and their two left-arm quicks, Chetan Sakariya in particular, were brilliant with their changes of pace.So it’s not just that Dhoni’s powers are fading. His opponents know just what to do to make them fade.The end-overs rally

The Super Kings bat deep. And they just wouldn’t stop swinging. Sam Curran (13 off six) launched his second delivery for a jaw-dropping six over point. It is hard to reconcile his power and his frame. But he has it. And he uses it superbly.Dwayne Bravo (20* off eight) was on it too, starting off with a vintage loft over extra cover and signing off with a six straight down the ground. The amount of effort he was putting into clearing the boundary was apparent when one time when he tried the bat just flew out of his hand and went halfway to fine leg.Thanks to them, the Super Kings made 45 runs off the last three overs to finish with 188.The new Mr Super King

Last season he was their best hitter. And as a result of that the management is now giving him the chance to face more deliveries. Ravindra Jadeja walked out to bat in the 14th over tonight. And while he couldn’t reprise his big-hitting heroics from 2020, he has found his bowling groove again.An impossibly beautiful delivery that bowled Jos Buttler was ample proof of that.It pitched on middle and leg, at a spot and pace that didn’t allow the batter to push forward or back, and turned waspishly to strike the middle and off. Buttler was practically keeling over, his balance and his wicket both ripped out of his hands.That kickstarted a Royals collapse. Five wickets – two to Jadeja, three to Moeen Ali – for just eight runs. And here are the names that were part of that procession. Shivam Dube, David Miller, Chris Morris and Riyan Parag. All potential match-winners. All undone in the tamest way. The first two lbw playing across the line. The next two caught slogging to the deep.With Royals slipping from 87 for 2 to 95 for 7, their chase was, y’know… sad face emoji.

Visitors build sweet lead after Cook, Porter and Siddle run through home side

David Hopps28-May-2021Anticipation of happiness can be half the fun. For Durham’s put-upon members it may have been rather more than half. They had waited for 611 days to see their side in action again and before lunch on the 612th they had been rolled for 99. “If I wanted a 99 I’d have bought an ice cream,” said one old lad to his mate, although as he appeared to be double masked it would have been a bit of a palaver to eat it.There had not been much cause for optimism when Durham resumed at 58 for 6 in response to Essex’s 182, and they were duly polished off in another 14 overs. Essex’s strength might owe much to the oft-celebrated offspin of Simon Harmer, but in Jamie Porter, Sam Cook and Peter Siddle they have a seam attack that can outbowl most opponents in helpful conditions and they have done that here.Day 613 is unlikely to be much brighter for Durham, although at least the start of a predicted heatwave will allow spectators to soak up their punishment in comfort. Essex closed the second day 346 ahead with two second-innings wickets remaining and, although the excessive seam movement and low bounce of the opening day appears to have largely abated, Durham would need to pull off a record chase to win the game.That advantage owes much to Adam Wheater and Ryan ten Doeschate, who batted with considerable vim after Essex had lost half their side for 53 and had briefly invited Durham’s hopes that they could claw back a first-innings deficit of 83.Neither batsman had much to invite optimism as far as their season’s stats were concerned. Wheater’s only half-century in eight goes came in the first game of the season; ten Doeschate could point to two in nine. But both were busy from the outset, cutting and pulling vigorously, as they turned the game in a sixth-wicket stand of 125 in 32 overs. Brydon Carse dropped short and wide most often, leaked 15 in his first over and disappeared at five an over.Related

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The recovery felt very much from the traditional Essex songbook with a match grasped by virtue of an enterprising counter-attack, just the sort of approach that typified them when they first came to prominence 40 years ago. If Dan Lawrence spends the summer with England they look a quality batsman short of retaining their title and will need several more forays of this type before the summer is out.They also have a pressing need for this win. It would take them 19 points clear of Durham, but one or both of Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire, who are contesting a close match at Edgbaston, would also remain in range. And Essex, critically, will have only two matches left after this round whilst all their closest challengers have three.The lbw count was up to 12 by the time Essex began their second innings and Durham’s innings had ended with Chris Rushworth playing a perfect defensive shot against a Porter delivery which crept under his bat and scudded into his shin.By lunch, that tally of lbws was up to 14, Nick Browne and Tom Westley both undone, and Rushworth had bowled Alastair Cook with one that left him. A lunch score of 15 for 3 in 10 overs demanded a more enterprising approach, but Michael Pepper and Paul Walter flared only briefly before falling in successive overs and it was left to ten Doeschate and Wheater to pick up their cue.Ten Doeschate became lbw no 15 when he failed to turn Carse to leg, but Wheater was closing in on his 13th first-class century when he ran himself out for 81, driving Scott Borthwick to mid-on and left inches short by an excellent pick up and throw from Matty Potts.

Team management to take final call based on severity of injury

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jun-2021About a month before they begin the England Test series, India have been dealt with a jolt with opening batter Shubman Gill in doubt for the first Test, which starts at Trent Bridge from August 4. ESPNcricinfo has learned Gill has injured his lower leg.Related

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Further details of Gill’s injury, including which leg, remain unknown as the Indian squad is currently on a three-week break before they reassemble in Durham from July 15. It could not also be confirmed where and when Gill suffered the injury.Gill continues to be in England at the moment before the Indian team management takes a final call based on the seriousness of the injury.In case Gill fails to recover, India have suitable cover in the Karnataka pair of Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul along with uncapped Bengal batter Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is one of the reserves.Gill made his debut during the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia in 2020-21, and has played eight Tests so far, scoring 414 runs at an average of 31.84. He played in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, scoring 28 and 8.Agarwal has been the first-choice reserve opener since India opted to go with Rohit Sharma and Gill at the top, and he was part of the playing XI in three of the four Tests against Australia, although he played the final match in Brisbane batting in the middle order. Rahul has not been part of the Test playing XI for almost two years, with his last appearance coming against West Indies in 2019. Easwaran has been part of the team’s reserves but is as yet uncapped.

Visitors rolled aside for 144 despite battling fifty from Tom Taylor

ECB Reporters Network06-Aug-2021Warwickshire 278 for 6 (Burgess 73, Rhodes 65, Lamb 65, Mousley 54) beat Northamptonshire 144 (Taylor 57*, Brookes 3-15) by 134 runsMichael Burgess, posting a one-day career-best of 73 for the second time in 15 days, and Will Rhodes, with 65, set up comfortable victory for Warwickshire over Northamptonshire by 134 runs in the Royal London Cup at Edgbaston.With rain reducing play to 46 overs a side, the home team, put in, were 11 for 2 after 19 balls but the pair’s stand of 133 paved the way for a late onslaught. Matt Lamb, belting 65, and the innovative Dan Mousley, with 54 from 44 balls, smashed all but two of the 104 ultimately hammered from the final eleven overs.Both men fell swinging in the last seven balls but a target of 279 at 6.07 an over always looked demanding. By the reply’s eighth over, it seemed formidable. As Ricardo Vasconcelos, the skipper and key batsman, edged behind, cutting at Jordan Bulpitt, Northants became 35 for 3.Bulpitt’s outswing to fellow left-handers also did for Saif Zaib and, with Manraj Johal also claiming two in his opening burst, the inexperienced new-ball partners, with only seven previous appearances between them, impressively covered for injuries to four senior seamers.Rout beckoned when Rhodes, the captain, brought himself on to strike with his thirteenth ball, Rob Keogh dangling his bat to give Burgess a third successive catch at the wicket. With five gone and seven an over now needed, the match was essentially decided an hour into the visitors’ response.To their credit, they refused to submit. But sadly, Charlie Thurston, pulling at Ethan Brookes, top-edged into his chin and had to retire on 21. Tom Taylor famously helped win a T20 game from the dead here last September but, though he reached an entertaining and unbeaten 57 from 65 balls, the four remaining wickets went at the other end in five overs, Thurston unable to resume.Earlier, in a deceptive start, Ed Pollock lost off stump to Jack White’s inswing from the second ball of the match without a run on the board and his inform opening partner Rob Yates was soon gone for 5. But Rhodes and Burgess followed 35 minutes of quiet reconnaissance by taking control on a pitch offering slow turn.This Keogh exploited when his off-spin found Rhodes’s leading edge for the bowler himself to hold a fine, diving catch to his right, and he had Burgess tamely lobbing to mid-wicket. Nobody could shackle Lamb and Mousley, however.

No holds likely to be barred once again as unfettered teams seek the series at Old Trafford

Andrew Miller19-Jul-2021

Big picture

Happy Freedom Day one and all! Yes, the time has come for the UK to throw off its shackles, fling caution to the wind, dive headlong into the moshpit of civil society and rejoice in the restoration of liberty to its people. (Give or take a chorus of pings from the NHS Test-and-Trace app, of course…)For England’s cricketers, however, Freedom Day came one day early. Honestly, has there ever been a more on-brand performance than the one rustled up by their batters at Headingley on Sunday? Bowled out for 200 in 19.5 overs, including a riotous denouement of seven wickets in as many overs – the promiscuity of their short-lived strokeplay making the humble mayfly seem a model of celibacy.It was rollickingly good fun, and as gloriously effective as their hell-for-leather chase at Trent Bridge had been gloriously futile. Pakistan responded by climbing into the threshing machine with admirable purpose, but they were all thrashed out by the 13th over, thanks largely to England’s own trio of players with Pakistan heritage – Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, whose Player-of-the-Match-winning haul of 36 runs at 225.00 and two wickets in three overs was CSK-esque in its effectiveness.And so to the decider, a day-night affair at Old Trafford, where England can be expected once again to spread the opportunities across their squad, as they take the field for the final time before that preliminary squad needs to be submitted to the ICC ahead of the T20 World Cup this winter.And even if they cannot get over the line in this contest, to claim their ninth series win in their last 11 T20I campaigns, the gains made by the white-ball squad, both in this leg and in the makeshift ODI campaign before it, have been immeasurable. Most of all, the sense of collective buy-in is absolute – that every player in the frame for selection recognises and embraces the free-spirited ethos that Eoin Morgan has espoused in the past six years. Full-throttle cricket might not win them every game, but it’ll lose them far fewer than the safety-first reticence of yore.As for Pakistan, their response to those indignities in the ODIs has been admirable. At Headingley, they were unable to replicate the landslide of runs that carried them to a hugely cathartic victory at Trent Bridge, but in Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, they have an opening pairing that can carry any fight, while Shaheen Shah Afridi’s pace and incision from his left-arm line provides an air of menace every time he gets thrown the ball. They are one of only two teams not to have lost a series to England’s T20I team in the last three years – their 1-1 draw in 2020 was followed by India’s 3-2 win in March – and there’s every reason to believe they’ve got a few haymakers left in them in this campaign.

Form guide

England WLWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Pakistan LWWLW

In the spotlight

Is it fair to point out that Dawid Malan needs an urgent uptick in his form? Every time he gets written about in a white-ball context, it feels as though there’s an air of persecution in the analysis. But suffice to say, Malan’s methods are different to those of his England peers – not least Moeen, who is as likely to carve his first delivery straight to deep cover as he is to ping it clean over the ropes for six. That’s not Malan’s way. He builds his head of steam with relative early caution, then lets the ends justify the means as he stares back down the track with another half-century at a 150-plus strike-rate. Or at least, that’s how it’s meant to be. Instead in this series, he’s made consecutive scores of 1 (6) and 1 (5) … two runs in 11 all told, and 2 in 17 in his past four innings, after back-to-back ducks in the ODIs. Prior to that, of course, he made a match-sealing 68 not out to guide Ben’s Babes home in that extraordinary opening victory at Cardiff, so the runs are still in there somewhere. And so too, no doubt, is the bloody-mindedness. Malan has finished each of his last three T20I series with a half-century – against Sri Lanka, India, and South Africa, where he cracked a remarkable 99 not out from 47 balls. And such are the reasons another swift rebuttal cannot be discounted.Related

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• England spinners get to grips with parched Headingley pitch

It’s been a quietly significant series for the under-fire Shadab Khan. Pakistan’s vice-captain came into the series with a burdensome recent record after a fallow tour of New Zealand, and with his allround credentials under some scrutiny. He’s answered those charges emphatically in the first two games, with three vital wickets in the Trent Bridge victory, swiftly followed by a bold bout of biffing in a lost cause at Headingley. In between whiles, he has been a livewire in the outfield, with a series of outstanding catches and intercepts to lift his team’s morale when the heavy artillery has been raining down. He has a chance to finish a morale-boosting campaign on a high.

Team news

Moeen and Liam Livingstone appear to be locked into England’s middle-order for the moment, with Eoin Morgan indicating that both men would get a full run of games to make their cases – emphatically so, as things have turned out. Morgan himself dipped out of game two to share the opportunities around and to give Buttler a turn at the wheel, so if he is to return, then Jason Roy or Jonny Bairstow might be the obvious absentees, given their integral statuses in that first-choice XI. Tom Banton, his development arrested for various reasons in this white-ball campaign, might struggle to get a look-in now. England already have a selection headache looming when Stokes returns to overload their batting options. There seems little point in inflicting a migraine on themselves. Though it’s not impossible that Lewis Gregory gets another outing to provide a modicum of balance in the short term.England (probable): 1 Jason Roy/Jonny Bairstow, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Eoin Morgan (capt), 7 Lewis Gregory/Tom Curran, 8 David Willey, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid/Matt Parkinson, 11 Saqib MahmoodAfter their struggles in the ODIs, Pakistan have found a formula that can keep them competitive in T20Is. Wholesale changes seem improbable.Pakistan: (probable): 1 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 2 Babar Azam (capt), 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Sohaib Maqsood, 5 Mohammad Hafeez, 6 Azam Khan, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Haris Rauf, 10 Mohammad Hasnain, 11 Shaheen Shah Afridi

Pitch and conditions

Another sweltering day in prospect as summer’s late arrival continues to kick in, so it’s conceivable that the pitch may break up a touch as the match progresses. Scores in this season’s Vitality Blast haven’t been astronomical – only one game has seen scores higher than the 172 that Lancashire and Notts both made in their tie in June, so the range-hitting may be dialled down a notch compared to the first two games.

Stats and trivia

• England have won four of their seven completed T20Is at Old Trafford, dating back to a nine-wicket win over New Zealand in 2008.
• However, two of their three losses at the venue both came against Pakistan, by nine wickets in 2016 and by five runs in their most recent encounter last summer, when the series was squared 1-1.
• Mohammad Rizwan needs 57 runs to reach 1000 in T20Is. Should he achieve it in his next innings, his 31st, he will be the second-fastest Pakistani to the landmark, behind Babar Azam (26). England’s Dawid Malan holds the record with 24 innings.

Quotes

“He claims he’s hit two bigger – that was his chat last night. He has hit me for a couple of similar ones in training but it’s the biggest I’ve seen in a game. Some of the lads didn’t actually believe it had gone out the ground.”