Category Uncategorized

The only new addition is Gauteng’s 21-year old offspinner Raisibe Ntozakhe. Marcia Letsoalo, who last played over a year ago at the World Cup Qualifiers, is the only exclusion from the 2017-18 list

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2018In what could be seen as a sign of continuity looking ahead to the next cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship and the Women’s World T20 to be played in West Indies later this year, Cricket South Africa have offered contracts to 13 of the 14 players from the 2017-18 season.The only new addition is Gauteng’s 21-year old offspinner Raisibe Ntozakhe. Marcia Letsoalo, the 33-year-old fast bowler who last played over a year ago at the World Cup Qualifiers, is the only exclusion from the list. The new contracts will come into effect on May 1 and run up to April 30, 2019.South Africa, who hosted India for a limited-overs series in February, have a busy 14 months coming up. They next host Bangladesh in May before touring England and West Indies for the second and third round of championship matches. The World T20 and a home series against Sri Lanka will follow that.”The esteem in which our women’s team is held following their successful campaign when they reached the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup last year is reflected in their invitation to have a major tour of England including a T20 triangular series against England and New Zealand,” said Corrie van Zyl, CSA’s general manager. “It is important that we build on our recent successes as we prepare for this year’s Women’s World T20.CSA contracts list for 2018-19: Dane van Niekerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail, Trisha Chetty, Chloe Tryon, Lizelle Lee, Laura Wolvaardt, Masabata Klaas, Andrie Steyn, Mosaline Daniels, Raisibe Ntozakhe

England captain Eoin Morgan says his bowlers were badly let down by their batsmen after a collapse of 8 for 8 sealed a 75-run defeat to India in the third T20I at Bangalore

Deivarayan Muthu in Bangalore01-Feb-20171:30

‘We fell away terribly towards the end’ – Morgan

England lost 10 for 83 in the last innings in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. They lost 5 for 70 in the first innings in the third Test in Mohali. They lost 7 for 54 in their second innings in the fourth Test in Mumbai. The visitors then suffered a more cataclysmic fall in their second innings in the fifth Test in Chennai, losing 10 for 104 after piling on 477 in their first dig.The limited-overs players then roused the side from its gloom after Christmas, pushing India in 50-over cricket and proceeded to go 1-0 up in the subsequent T20 series. England were then at the receiving end of two incorrect umpiring decisions and lost the second T20. In the series decider in Bangalore, they unravelled dramatically against legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal and left to head home empty-handed.England experienced a fair share of collapses on this gruelling tour, but losing 8 for 8 on Wednesday night was as chaotic as it could get. Their breezy start to the chase – they were 119 for 2 in the 14th over in pursuit of 203 – starkly contrasted with what was to follow. The two set batsmen – Joe Root and captain Eoin Morgan – were dismissed by Chahal in successive balls and England eventually suffered the second-worst eight-wicket collapse in international cricket to be rolled over for 127 with 21 balls to spare in their innings.England captain Eoin Morgan cut a sorry figure at the post-match press conference, but did not mince any words about his team’s batting performance.”It does hurt. Very disappointing,” Morgan said. “Maybe 60% of the game we were competitive and right in amongst it but fell away terribly in the end. Committed a cardinal sin of losing two in-players in one over and allowed India to build a little bit of pressure and we weren’t up to it at all.”So what really went wrong in the middle?”I can’t put a finger on it. We haven’t produced a batting performance as bad as that in two or two-and-a-half years,” Morgan said. “We pride ourselves on our batting, it has been a strong suit for a long time but this series our bowlers have outperformed our batsmen I think.”Morgan, who had played for Royal Challengers Bangalore for a season in the IPL in 2010, believed that England were on track to exploit the flat surface and the short boundaries at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium at the halfway mark of the chase. Root bedded himself in, and Morgan himself hinted at hitting full tilt with three sixes from Suresh Raina’s part-time offbreaks in three balls during the 12th over.”I thought we were going quite well,” Morgan said. “A majority of the runs at this ground are always scored in the last 10 overs. Bangalore have done it extremely well for a long period of time and India did well today. So, I think we needed 110 [sic 117] off the last 10 maybe with eight wickets in the shed.”Morgan said that England could have chased the target down had he or Root kicked on with contributions from the lower-middle order.”If a better performance from either me or Joe – a 70 or 80 from me or him and if the two of us seeing off – and a couple of guys batting around us could have made a huge difference,” Morgan said.England’s sharp nosedive began with Morgan galloping down the track, fetching a slog-sweep from outside off and skying a wrong’un to deep midwicket. He backed his intent but blamed the execution for the dismissal.”It wasn’t necessarily a big shot,” Morgan said. “It wasn’t executed that well, I didn’t mean to hit it in the air. The ball – it was a googly – held up a little bit. I wanted to hit down the ground, but hit it squarer.”Morgan also conceded that losing a close ODI series “hurt” more than losing the T20 series, but was confident of recovering from the setbacks.”We had performances in the one-day series that were potentially worthy of winning,” he said. “In this series probably the last game [in Nagpur] hurt us more. The game got away from us, we should have won. Today we underperformed and we weren’t good enough.”I don’t think [there will be a lingering feeling]. If there was a consistent run of performances like that it would hurt to fail again. But like I said, our batting has been outstanding for a long time and tonight it wasn’t anywhere near as it should be.”

Joel Paris has been fast-tracked into the Australian ODI squad while Scott Boland and Kane Richardson are also included as pace bowling coverage in the 13-man group to face India in five matches

Daniel Brettig and Brydon Coverdale03-Jan-2016Joel Paris has been fast-tracked into the Australian ODI squad while Scott Boland and Kane Richardson are also included as pace bowling coverage in the 13-man group to face India in five matches.A left-arm fast bowler and former standout Australia Under-19s prospect, Paris has performed strongly for Western Australia this season, having overcome a series of injuries that stalled his progress. He is highly rated by the assistant coach Craig McDermott, and the selector Trevor Hohns said Paris’ ability to swing the ball made him attractive to the panel in all formats.

Ins and Outs in the squad

In: Joel Paris, Scott Boland, Kane Richardson, Shaun Marsh,James Faulkner, Josh Hazlewood
Out: Joe Burns, Ashton Agar, John Hastings, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins,Peter Handscomb, James Pattinson, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Shane Watson

“He is coming along nicely,” Hohns said at the SCG. “We find him exciting, particularly being a left-armer. Possible not quite as quick as Starc and Johnson but he swings the ball and he is tall and gets good bounce. We would like to encourage him as much as we can. We need to balance our attack for Test match cricket. He may need some more long form cricket but he is high on our agenda.”Paris, now 23, was a key member of Western Australia’s Matador Cup-winning squad last summer, with 13 wickets at 12.92, and he was again productive this season with 10 one-day wickets at 22.40. The inclusion of Paris comes with Mitchell Starc still recovering from an ankle injury, and Pat Cummins (back), Nathan Coulter-Nile (shoulder) and James Pattinson (omitted) also missing from the squad that played in England last year.Hohns also said Boland’s call up was deserved after strong domestic displays in Sheffield Shield and 50-over matches, in which Victoria preferred him to the more experienced Peter Siddle. Boland has been part of Australia’s squad for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests against West Indies but was not included in the final XI for either game.”I was lucky to be present when he bowled WA out [in Perth],” Hohns said. “He was very impressive. His pace was good and his bounce was good. It was very high. He has come on and we know and knew that his short form cricket was very good for the past couple of years. He gets the opportunity and it is up to him to make the most of it.”There was no room in the squad for Shane Watson or Nathan Lyon, the World Cup-winning allrounder jettisoned in favour of Mitchell Marsh, and Glenn Maxwell considered sufficient as the only spin bowler. These selections allow Watson and Lyon to play out the remainder of the Big Bash League, and they are both thought still to be in the selectors’ plans for the World Twenty20 in India.”With the all-rounders that we have in our squad right now, with Mitchell Marsh and James Faulkner and you can put Glenn Maxwell in that category, we think we’re adequately covered for all-rounders,” Hohns said of Watson. “Watto by no means is out of the picture either. It’s a matter of him showing us what he can do.”It was a bit of an issue, there’s no doubt about that. We obviously would like to see him in better form. He’s very well-performed, so he’ll certainly come into consideration for that [the World T20].”Hohns indicated that Josh Hazlewood is in line for a rest following the first two matches of the series in Brisbane and Perth, and also stated that the selectors were presently acceding to the captain Steven Smith’s desire to play as many matches as possible despite ongoing knee soreness that requires periodic rest.”There’s no doubt we want to give Josh a rest, he’s very important to us, as we all know,” Hohns said. “We will certainly manage him, as per what the medicos’ advice is. But with the first couple of games in Brisbane and Perth we thought it was essential to have him in the squad initially, because he normally bowls very well at both of those cities.”Steven has made it very clear that he doesn’t want a break. He’s Australian captain and he wants to play just about all the time if he can, unless we’re advised by the medical staff that he absolutely needs a rest. But he has made it very clear that he wants to play.”Ashton Agar, Joe Burns and Marcus Stoinis were all left out of the squad that played in England, with Aaron Finch returning after missing that series with a fractured foot and Shaun Marsh also included for the first time since he played against England in Hobart last January. The first ODI against India is on January 12.Australia ODI squad David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steven Smith (capt), Shaun Marsh, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade (wk), James Faulkner, Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Joel Paris.

Somerset were left facing a major headache after another batting collapse left them staring a third defeat of the season after just the first day at Horsham.

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2013
ScorecardSomerset had no answer for Steve Magoffin•Getty Images

Somerset were left nursing a major headache after another batting collapse saw them staring at a third defeat of the season after just the first day at Horsham. Having dominated champions Warwickshire at Taunton at the end of April, they now resemble relegation candidates rather than title challengers.Director of cricket Dave Nosworthy admitted Somerset have an issue after his side were routed for just 76 by Steve Magoffin’s career-best 8 for 20. They lasted only 23.4 overs as Magoffin ran through them, including a blast of five wickets in 13 balls.”There are no excuses we didn’t get it right,” Nosworthy told “We won the toss and chose to bat but it didn’t work for us.”I think the lads are all very disappointed, you train as hard as you do and try your best but at the end of the day you have got to be responsible for your own innings and get out there and perform, which nobody has managed to do for us today.”Nor have many managed to perform at all this season. A poor show with the bat in the opening match at Durham seemed to be an aberration for Somerset as they found form at The Oval and then racked up over 400 against a much-vaunted Warwickshire attack. But a slip at Headingley, where a draw was declared with Somerset 61 for 6 in their second innings, became a harsh reality after a thumping defeat at home to Middlesex.Their batting order is ageing, inexperienced or out of form. They have been reliant on 37-year-old Marcus Trescothick and overseas player Alviro Petersen. Here, Petersen failed and Trescothick’s 20 was one of only three double-figure scores.Somerset can also not turn to their bowling attack for much comfort. The first three into the attack here, Peter Trego, Steve Kirby and Alfonso Thomas, have a combined age of 102. Together with Jamie Overton and Jack Leach – two youngsters whose development is essential for the club – they shipped 298 runs at over four an over to close day one 222 behind.They had envisaged progress at a similar rate themselves with the bat but had no answer for Magoffin who bowled 11 overs unchanged to produce the best performance by a Sussex bowler since Mushtaq Ahmed took 9 for 48 when the county clinched the Championship title against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 2006.He started by bowling Arul Suppiah through the gate – Suppiah’s sixth single figure score in eight innings this season – then a touch of inswing proved too much for Petersen. But the real damage was done after James Hildreth was caught low down at slip in the 12th over.From 42 for 3, Somerset subsided to 43 for 7, with Magoffin taking three wickets in four balls in the 14th over. Trescothick was caught behind playing away from his body before Trego and Thomas fell in successive deliveries.Somerset’s last three wickets put on 33 to avoid total ignominy but there was no stopping Magoffin. After Jack Leach was caught behind, Magoffin bowled top scorer Jos Buttler for 22 to pick up his eighth wicket and record the best bowling performance at Horsham since Northamptonshire’s Vince Broderick took 9 for 35 in 1948.Chris Jordan took the other two wickets and Sussex openers Chris Nash and Luke Wells were soon putting conditions into perspective with a stand of 83.Thomas dragged Somerset back into contention when Nash, captaining Sussex on his home ground in the absence of Ed Joyce, played on before Joe Gatting edged his second ball to second slip.A typically fiery burst from Kirby was rewarded with the wicket of Wells while Mike Yardy, who hit three successive balls from Kirby to the boundary, squandered a good start when he was bowled by Peter Trego at the start of a new spell.But Sussex regained control in a fifth wicket stand of 85 between Rory Hamilton-Brown and Matt Machan before the latter was run out by Leach’s direct hit from midwicket.Somerset fought back after tea by taking five wickets, including Hamilton-Brown – whose 77 included 11 fours and two sixes and was his highest score since returning to the county before he became one of four victims for Thomas.Despite the clatter of wickets, ECB pitch inspector David Capel said he was perfectly happy with the surface.

Samit Patel top-scored for Nottinghamshire but controversy attached itself to Stuart Broad’s first-ball dismissal on his return from injury

Jon Culley at Old Trafford02-May-2012
ScorecardStuart Broad was unhappy about the manner of his dismissal by Simon Kerrigan•Getty Images

The first County Championship match at Old Trafford since the square was rotated 90 degrees was hardly less eventful than the last one at its former angle, upon which Nottinghamshire clinched the 2010 title 17 months ago.The talking points all involved a different England player, and none of the storylines they generated was in any way contrived, which is not always the case. James Anderson suffered an injury scare, Stuart Broad landed himself in (another) potential disciplinary pickle and Samit Patel, who desperately needs some runs, managed to get some, shoring up an otherwise — all too familiar — dismal batting performance from Nottinghamshire.In the event, what was feared to be a broken right thumb for Anderson turned out not to be and, provided the X-rays did not lie, England’s principal fast bowler should be fine for the opening Test against West Indies, which begins on May 17. He had not played competitively since the second Test in Sri Lanka a month ago but bowled beautifully, sending down 17 exemplary overs that lacked only wickets.He left the field first at the end of his 10-over morning spell, having moments earlier winced in pain as he fielded a drive from James Taylor off his own bowling. After his trip to hospital, he bowled a further seven overs between lunch and tea before another bang, more or less on the same spot, precluded any further activity.”I felt I bowled really well and felt good so it’s good news there is no real damage,” he said afterwards. “It’s pretty sore but I’ll just have to man up and get on with it. If I carry on bowling like that the wickets will come.”Broad, whose enforced absence goes back six weeks to the calf strain that ended his Sri Lanka tour early, was also wicketless, but it was his one-ball innings with the bat that brought him unwelcome attention. Given out caught at short leg by Steven Croft as he attempted to sweep Simon Kerrigan, the left-arm spinner, he made it absolutely clear he disagreed with the verdict.Broad is not without form, of course, in matters of dissent. He has twice been fined half his match fee for transgressions in Test matches and has gone close to being punished on other occasions.This time he was convinced the ball had hit the ground before Croft scooped it up. Lancashire celebrated en masse but Broad waited for umpire Stephen Gale to consult Rob Bailey, his colleague at square leg, before reluctantly walking off, appearing to aim words at both Croft and Gale as he did.Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, believed Broad would escape censure on this occasion. He said: “Stuart has been to the umpires to explain his behaviour. He told them he felt it was not unacceptable and they have not come back to us to say that it was, so hopefully the matter is closed.”We have looked at the replay and you can’t tell [if it was caught cleanly]. You would like to go back to the days when Stuart might ask if it was a catch, Croft would tell him it was and he would walk off. But sadly I think those days have passed.”Gale encountered more dissent only minutes later when Graeme Swann, another England player making his first domestic appearance of the season, lingered in his crease after being given out leg-before to Kerrigan.At least Patel made his news by doing what he set out to do. His was the batting performance of the day amid another Nottinghamshire innings characterised by batsmen underperforming, the only difference from their previous sub-par returns this season being that Chris Read won the toss and chose to bat.With Glenn Chapple bowling as impressively as Anderson — and getting wickets — Nottinghamshire slumped to 16 for 3 and 50 for 4 as the veteran worked his magic. Even Read, normally their doughtiest fighter, succumbed to a poor shot. In this context, Patel’s four hours-plus at the crease was a valuable vigil. He applied himself with the conviction he has to show to stand a chance of pipping Ravi Bopara – or Jonny Bairstow – to a place in the first Test team, although he was suckered a little at the end, hitting Luke Procter for one six but fatally going for another as Chapple dropped back the field.The immaculate Chapple took 4 for 44, the hugely promising Kerrigan 4 for 45, although it is not all good news for Lancashire on the bowling front. Their allrounder Tom Smith who is playing his first match of the season after hamstring problems, pulled up after three overs with another injury of the same nature and will not bowl again in this match.Lancashire are in a potentially strong position, nonetheless. Their openers put on 48 before Paul Horton was leg before to Andre Adams to the last ball of the day.

Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan captain, could be on his way out as Afghanistan coach as a result of differences that have arisen between him and certain board members and players

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2011Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan captain, could be on his way out as Afghanistan coach as a result of differences that have arisen between him and certain board members and players following the team’s recent tour of Pakistan. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Latif suspects some of the players deliberately underperformed in an attempt to have him removed as coach, and may not be willing to extend his contract when it expires on July 31.Afghanistan were whitewashed 3-0 by Pakistan A and Latif expressed disappointment with the attitude and effort put in by some of the players, who he believes did not give 100% because they would like to see their former coach, Kabir Khan, back in the post. He had previously said the team’s poor results were down to a lack of regular international cricket.However, team manager Shafiq Aswat told ESPNcricinfo that while Latif was indeed unhappy with the performance of the team, he hadn’t noticed any signs of disagreements or general unhappiness. “Atmosphere is very pleasant in the dressing room. The players respect Latif as the coach.”Aswat said Latif and the Afghanistan board are still negotiating the terms of a new contract but hopes “both sides agree and we will bring him back”. Otherwise, he said, they would have to get a new coach.This is not the first time Afghanistan board officials have been rumoured to be meddling in team affairs. The team’s biggest win under Latif came in last year’s Asian Games, when they upset Pakistan in the T20 competition.

Sreesanth, the India fast bowler, will not captain Kerala in the 2010-11 domestic season but has been included in a list of 24 probables for the same

Cricinfo staff29-May-2010Sreesanth, the India fast bowler, will not captain Kerala in the 2010-11 domestic season but has been included in a list of 24 probables for the same. Allrounder Raiphi Gomez replaces Sreesanth at the helm with batsman Robert Fernandez as his deputy. The reason for a change in leadership was the uncertainty over Sreesanth’s availability.”We need a captain who can lead the side for a few years at least to help develop our young team,” TC Mathew, the Kerala State Cricket Association secretary told Cricinfo. “The last time Sreesanth was appointed he had to leave after the first Ranji Trophy match because he had to join the Indian team last year. So we felt the need to appoint Gomez, who has been leading right from age-group cricket.”A significant exclusion from the list is medium-pacer and India’s first Test cricketer from Kerala, Tinu Yohannan. He played three Ranji Trophy Plate League games last season and went wicketless.Sreesanth was only marginally better, grabbing one wicket in three games while conceding 146 runs at over four-an-over.Kerala drew their first two games Ranji Trophy last season before losing the next two to Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana by substantial margins.Kerala probables list: Raiphi Gomez (capt), Robert Fernandez (vice-captain), Sreesanth, Rohan Prem, Abhishek Hegde, Karimuttathu Rakesh, VA Jagadeesh, Sony Cheruvathur, Sachin Baby, Arun Paulose, Sebastian Antony, Padmanabhan Prasanth, Sambasiva Sarma, CP Riswan, Arjun NK, Jineesh, Ramesh Kumar, Surjith, Kanakkatharaparambu Sreejith, Sunil Thomas, Chandra Tejas (wk), Prasanth Pramaeswaran, Manu Krishnan, Nizar Niyas.

Thushara’s 4 for 18 made life difficult for Bangladesh, but Mahmudullah’s experience saw them through

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Jun-20241:38

Tamim: Happy for Bangladesh, they have silenced the critics

Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match late in the contest. He first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get, and the game looked set to turn on its head.However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed his side across the line off the last ball of the 19th over to give his side victory in their opening encounter of T20 World Cup 2024.The late Sri Lanka surge aside, this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling in the first innings. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad’s three-for through the middle overs also pegged Sri Lanka back.Mustafizur was especially instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, Sri Lanka’s inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.

The tight finish

It should never have got so close. With five overs to go, Bangladesh had only 25 runs left to get, five wickets in hand, and their two most experienced batters – Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah – were at the crease.But then Shakib uppercut a Matheesha Pathirana short ball, and Maheesh Theekshana took an outstanding diving catch at deep third, surging in from the rope to intercept the ball inches from the ground.And then Sri Lanka’s other slinger, Thushara, took two wickets in two balls in the next over – the 18th of the innings, first bowling Rishad who had tried to hit him inside out over cover, and then nailing Taskin with a toe-crusher that would have hit leg stump.Thushara had three more balls left in the over, with Bangladesh still needing 12. Sri Lanka’s best chance of stealing victory was for him to get another wicket before his spell ended. But Tanzim Hasan Sakib survived, and Mahmudullah was on strike next over.Next over, bowled by Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka had used up all their frontliners hunting for wickets), Mahmudullah bludgeoned a thigh-high full toss into the deep square leg stands to ease Bangladesh’s nerves.But there was more drama to come. With two runs needed – but desperate to keep strike off the last ball of the 19th over – Mahmudullah ventured a risky single to mid-off, and would have been out had Wanindu Hasaranga connected with his shy at the stumps. But the Sri Lanka captain didn’t, and the overthrows helped Bangladesh limp over the line.1:32

Tamim: Hridoy’s 20-ball 40 changed the game

Bangladesh boss bowling death overs

The definitive period of play, though, were the last seven overs of Sri Lanka’s innings. They had arrived at the start of the 14th over in okay shape – 100 runs on the board and seven wickets in hand.But then they nosedived. Rishad first dismissed Charith Asalanka, having him caught slog sweeping at deep square leg, after his teammates had kept Asalanka quiet through much of the middle overs. Next ball, he had Hasaranga caught at slip with a ball that dipped and gripped.This double strike pushed Sri Lanka into a tailspin, losing their next six wickets for 25 runs. Only one boundary would be hit in the last six overs, as batters repeatedly tried cross-batted shots against bowlers varying their pace and got themselves out, almost in frustration. Rishad got his three wickets in this period, and Taskin, Mustafizur, and Tanzim Hasan got one each.

Nissanka’s bright start

That Sri Lanka even got to 125, rather than crashing out in double figures as they did against South Africa, was down to their best batter – opener Pathum Nissanka. He struck seven fours and a six, favouring the leg side, and maintained a strike rate of 168 across his 28-ball innings.The turning point for Sri Lanka’s innings, after which they struck only two intentional boundaries (seriously), was when Mustafizur dismissed Nissanka with a cutter towards the end of the ninth over. Until that point, Sri Lanka’s run rate was above 7.50. Afterwards, it was less than five.

Hridoy’s sixes

Given how close the match was in the end, Towhid Hridoy’s four sixes – all of them against Hasaranga – also had an impact. Three of them came back to back to back, at the start of the 12th over. The first two came off slog sweeps, and the third off a beautiful inside-out shot over cover.Hasaranga would trap him lbw next ball, but Hridoy had already landed the important blows. It was these sixes that gave Bangladesh the room to stutter towards the end and still win with two wickets in hand and one over to spare.

Australia left the ground on Tuesday still in the dark over which of the two surfaces would be used for the match

Andrew McGlashan08-Mar-20235:23

Will Ahmedabad give the best batting pitch of the series?

Steven Smith could not remember another occasion where he had been unsure which pitch he would be playing on for a Test match two days out from it starting.That was the situation which emerged on Tuesday in Ahmedabad with Australia leaving the ground still in the dark over which of the two surfaces would be used for the final Test. However, after the visitors had departed the picture became clearer. India’s hierarchy focused their attention on the drier, black-soil pitch, instead of the red-soil one which also appeared significantly greener – although the groundsman had told Smith both would have been significantly trimmed of grass.”[There] might have been a couple of [pitches] prepared maybe a bit longer out than two days but I can’t remember two days,” Smith said.Related

• India seem to have forgotten how they won in Australia

• All to play for in Ahmedabad as fascinating series reaches climax

• Dravid: Need to be realistic about batting in these challenging conditions

• Record crowd and spinning pitch add to Australia's excitement

• Cummins will miss final Test too, Smith to lead in Ahmedabad

Even by the time Australia had finished training on Tuesday, around four hours after arriving at the ground, the likely Test pitch had already started to change character.”I didn’t go out and have a look in the afternoon but Alex Carey did,” Smith said. “It looked completely different, a lot drier in the afternoon. It’s very hot here, 37 degrees, which gives it a chance to dry out and I think that the cover was on for a bit today. So they’re potentially worried that it’s drying out too much. It certainly changed in a few hours. Having a look today we’ll be able to potentially see what it’s going to do.”With three three-day Tests so far – and the latter barely reaching that far – this series is well on track to finish with the fewest balls bowled in a four-match series. However, Smith said the groundsman had indicated that this game would go longer than the othersIt all points to Australia again fielding three frontline spinners particularly now Cameron Green is available to balance the side. He was only needed for two overs in Indore, while Mitchell Starc was called on for 12.Smith took the opportunity for a little swipe at some of the punditry that suggested Australia should have stuck to their fast-bowling strengths with three quicks and just one spinner. That was the model which brought the 2004 series victory but on very different surfaces.Scott Boland partnered with Pat Cummins in Nagpur before Cummins was the lone quick in Delhi. Then Starc and Green both returned in Indore. Victory in the third Test has left the team with a sense of vindication that their planning has been correct.”It’s been weird with a bit of the commentary back home, people talking about us playing three quicks and one spinner,” Smith said. “It’s kind of mind-boggling to me when we look at these surfaces and we see what we’ve had, 11 innings in six days or something like that, and spinners have taken the bulk of the wickets and you see how difficult it is to play the spin.”It’s kind of odd to hear that kind of commentary, but we’ve had faith in what we’re trying to do and it’s good that we are able to show that we can play with three spinners and win. We weren’t too far away in Delhi either, outside of that hour of madness. Nice to know our plans and everything we are trying to do can work.”

Smith looks for more lower-order runs

One area where Smith would like to see improvement is the productivity of the lower order, where India have overwhelmed what Australia have been able to produce. Even in the victory they lost 6 for 11 on the second day.Axar Patel is the second-highest run-getter in the series with 185 runs in four innings at an average of 92.50•BCCI

From No. 8 onwards, India have scored 307 runs at 25.58 in the series compared to Australia’s 84 and 4.94. In comparison, although Rohit Sharma has scored the lone century, the top seven are all-but identical: Australia have made 776 runs at 22.92 and India 709 runs at 22.15.Australia are not expecting the level of contribution that Axar Patel is able to provide – he would not be out of place in the top six – but want to find a way to eke out partnerships.”The tail is something we’ve spoken about, probably as batters [they] haven’t contributed as much as we would have liked,” Smith said. “That’s been a big difference when you see someone like Axar who has been incredibly difficult to get out. And in terms of our top six versus their top six, there’s not a huge difference in averages for the series.”There is a considerable amount at stake in this final match. A 3-1 scoreline would suggest that there is still a gap when playing India in their conditions, albeit not as wide as some had considered, whereas a 2-2 share would be a remarkable outcome for Australia, especially considering where they were after the second Test in Delhi.”I think it would be a huge achievement for this group, or any touring team, that comes here to India and wins two Test matches,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do it earlier in the series and give ourselves a chance to win but to draw the series here would be a huge plus and positive.”

Ireland captain opens up on dealing with the uncertainty of playing or not, and isolation in hotel rooms

Vishal Dikshit07-Jan-2022The Ireland squad that has moved from Florida to Jamaica is not only dealing with the challenges of a depleted squad – they have left Paul Stirling and Shane Getkate behind – but also with the mental challenges of dealing with Covid-19, which cancelled their recent ODI series against USA after a spree of positive cases.Captain Andy Balbirnie said the team’s morale is now “pretty good” compared to how it was in Florida, but opened up on the stressful time the squad went through as positive cases spread in the camp.The touring Ireland side now prepares for three ODIs and a lone T20I in Jamaica, starting on Saturday. A string of Ireland players had tested positive before the T20Is against USA last month and once the ODIs were called off, Stirling and Getkate tested positive as well. They are expected to join the squad in Jamaica on Sunday.Related

• Shamarh Brooks sparkles on ODI debut as West Indies go 1-0 up

• Balbirnie: 'We're a Test member but at the moment it only really feels like a name'

• USA-Ireland ODI series cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak

• Paul Stirling, Shane Getkate test positive for Covid-19

“The morale is pretty good, it’s better than Florida,” Balbirnie told reporters during a virtual press conference a day before the first ODI. “It was very difficult, some of us had to leave our family members in Florida and come here for this series. I was one of them.”But as soon as we got into training and international series mode, your focus comes back. You can’t dwell too much on what’s happened. If you do that you’re going to some pretty dark places. We’re lucky we get these opportunities to bounce back on a regular basis.”Playing with Covid is more challenging off the pitch than on the pitch because you’re worrying about tests, then told to stay in the room till the tests come back and you’re told it’s going to be delayed and you’re literally sitting on the edge of your seat in your room wondering if you have it. At the same time we’ve got a job to do once we cross the white line, no matter what’s going on.”Even though a lot of players around the world are now vaccinated and squads live in bio-bubbles to play international cricket, Balbirnie said the stress of going through tests again and again was draining and affects players’ mental health.”It’s hugely challenging. It has a massive effect on your mental health. Like getting a PCR test and sitting in your room for 24 hours, not knowing if you’re going to miss the whole series and to spend 14 days in a room with no balcony, it’s not healthy. I don’t really think you can continue [like that], there need to be ways to look after the players’ welfare or they’ll decide not to go on tour and that’ll be completely understandable. You have to look after them first and foremost as an individual before a cricketer.”With Stirling and Getkate unavailable for the opening ODI, Balbirnie said it would give one of the youngsters a chance to shine, especially in Stirling’s absence. He also confirmed Ireland would stick to the same top three that played in the warm-up against Jamaica on Wednesday in a five-wicket loss.”It’s very strange [to be without Stirling],” Balbirnie said. “I think I played a series against Scotland back in 2014 which was the last time I lined up in an ODI without him. It’s massively disappointing to lose him for the first game but at the same time it means someone has to step up now. We need to produce match-winners. Hopefully one of the young guys can have the experience of winning a game for Ireland, that’s why you play the game.”