All posts by n8rngtd.top

The decision to replace Joseph, who suffered a stress fracture in the back late last year, was made after two fitness assessments

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2018Sherman Lewis, the right-arm fast bowler from Windward Islands, has been called up to West Indies’ Test squad for their tour of India in October. Lewis replaces Alzarri Joseph, who has been ruled out as he continues to recover from a stress fracture of the back suffered late last year.Lewis made his first-class debut for Windward Islands in March last year, and made a mark with 30 scalps at 21.66 in the Regional Four Day Tournament. Lewis also toured England with the West Indies A team for matches against India A and England Lions earlier this year. In the first unofficial Test against India at the Kent County Cricket Ground, he took four-wicket hauls in each innings as both teams traded the advantage before West Indies held off India for a draw.The decision to keep Joseph out was made after two fitness assessments, after which the Cricket West Indies medical panel made its recommendation. Joseph’s progress will be monitored at the High Performance Centre at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. He did return to limited-overs cricket in the preceding home series against Bangladesh, and was picked in the squad for the second Test of that series but did not play. He did get in four CPL games, though, after that.West Indies face India in two Tests, the first of which begins on October 4 in Rajkot. They will then play five ODIs, before the tour concludes with three T20 internationals. Members of the squad have already begun preparation for the tour with training sessions at the ICC Academy in Dubai.

UAE retained their third spot in Group A, behind Ireland and West Indies, while Netherlands are fifth after two successive defeats

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2018
ScorecardPeter Della Penna

Rohan Mustafa returned figures of 5 for 26 to help United Arab Emirates bowl Netherlands out for 176, a score that was comfortably chased down on the back of Chirag Suri’s patient 78, off 126 balls. The result pushed UAE to third in Group A, behind Ireland and West Indies. Netherlands have two losses in two matches.Netherlands made a strong start after choosing to bat in Harare. Wesley Barresi and Max O’Dowd added a 52-run opening stand in 64 balls, before the team lost its way, losing four wickets for 30 runs. Ryan ten Doeschate’s steady hand (34 off 60 balls) and cameos from Scott Edwards (27) and Pieter Seelaar (20) carried Netherlands to 176. Offspinner Mustafa dominated proceedings for UAE with an economical five-for and instigating a run-out.Mustafa couldn’t replicate his heroics with the bat, falling for 11 in the fourth over of the chase. UAE were put back on track with a 57-run second-wicket stand between Suri and wicketkeeper Ghulam Shabber (27). Three wickets in quick succession, though, gave Netherlands a chance. But Suri and Muhammad Usman snuffed out any hope they had with an unbeaten 93-run partnership.

An unbeaten 157 from opener Luis Reece – and an opening stand of 219 – was part of another dominant day against Middlesex

ECB Reporters Network22-Apr-2018
ScorecardDerbyshire are poised to end their long wait for a home Championship victory after they outplayed Middlesex for the third day running in the Division Two match at Derby.Luis Reece scored an unbeaten 157 and Ben Slater fell one short of a century before Derbyshire declared on 333 for 3, setting Middlesex a highly improbable target of 442 in a minimum of 129 overs.Their chances were even slimmer after Sam Robson, Rob White and Hilton Cartwright were dismissed leaving Middlesex on 86 for 3 at the close and Derbyshire scenting a first home win since they beat Leicestershire at Derby in September 2014.Derbyshire started the day in a strong position with a lead of 226 and they increased that by 53 in 17 overs before rain resulted in an early lunch.Middlesex were without injured pace bowlers Toby Roland-Jones and James Harris and although they did well to restrict Derbyshire’s run rate, it was always a question of when the home side pulled out.Reece and Slater passed Derbyshire’s previous highest opening stand against Middlesex of 181 and then eclipsed the best ever partnership against the county of 209 set in 1932.Both looked certain to reach three figures but after Reece completed his third Championship hundred for Derbyshire from 268 balls, Slater became becalmed on 99 and cut a long hop from Ollie Rayner to cover.Reece drove Rayner for six as he and Wayne Madsen added 101 before Paul Stirling had Madsen caught at short fine leg and Alex Hughes stumped before the declaration came leaving Middlesex to equal the highest winning fourth innings total against Derbyshire.But their first target was to get through 29 overs against an attack that bowled them out for 157 in the first innings and although conditions were good for batting, Middlesex’s chances suffered a big setback when Hardus Viljoen removed Robson.The Middlesex captain played across a full length ball and was lbw for 5 and there was another breakthrough when Duanne Olivier replaced Viljoen at the City End. White shuffled across and was only half forward when he was struck in front and Olivier was celebrating again when he switched ends.Hilton Cartwright pulled a short ball to the midwicket boundary but the next left him and took the outside edge to take Derbyshire a step closer to that elusive victory.

Ngidi took 5 for 42 as Australia were bowled out for 193, with Inglis making 87 after South Africa were set up by half-centuries from Breetzke and Stubbs

Firdose Moonda22-Aug-2025

Lungi Ngidi added to his excellent record against Australia with 5 for 42•Getty Images

South Africa completed a fifth successive bilateral ODI series win over Australia, dating back to 2016, and this one, with a game to spare. Their 84-run victory in the second match followed a similar pattern to their triumph on Tuesday which was set up by a strong batting effort that was well defended under lights.Half-centuries from Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs, who also shared in an 89-run fourth wicket stand, took South Africa to a competitive total on 277, with Breetzke becoming the first player in men’s ODI history to pass 50 in his first four ODI matches. Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi then led the way in defence. Ngidi was player of the match with 5 for 42, his second five-for in ODIs and second against Australia.Australia have now lost their last three bilateral ODI series and will be concerned about a lack of contributions from their line-up. As was the case in match one, there was only one individual score of note, this time Josh Inglis’ 87.Related

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• Prenelan Subrayen reported for suspect action

South Africa’s performance, while trophy-winning, was far from flawless. After a good start, they faded away with the bat and lost 5 for 44 in the last 10 overs and dropped three catches, to add to a growing tour tally. Stubbs, who scored his first fifty 16 international innings across all formats, put down two and has grassed six across the five matches in Australia so far.Still, South Africa will be pleased with their performance in the field which came with regular captain Temba Bavuma being rested for workload management and senior seamer Kagiso Rabada out of the series with an ankle injury. In Rabada’s absence, Burger and particularly Ngidi stepped up.Burger bowled with good pace to start proceedings and had early success. In the third over the chase, Travis Head tried to loft him over mid-on and was caught by a backpedalling Aiden Markram. Seven balls later, Ngidi offered Marnus Labuschagne some width, Labuschagne drove hard and edged to Ryan Rickelton. Australia were 7 for 2 in the fourth over, and things could have got a lot worse.Lungi Ngidi had Marnus Labuschagne caught behind•Getty Images

Cameron Green edged Ngidi’s next ball to Stubbs at second slip but he could not keep his hands on the ball. Three overs after that, Mitchell Marsh, on 13, drove Burger to Stubbs in the covers and he dropped another. Luckily for Stubbs only the first would prove somewhat costly. Marsh added five more runs before he pulled Wiaan Mulder to Corbin Bosch at mid-on and left Australia 39 for 3 after the first 10 overs.Markram brought himself on in the 18th over and Inglis took a liking to him. He reverse-swept the second ball over backward point, and then played one of the shots of the match when he danced down the track to lift Markram over cover for six. Markram took himself off and brought Mulder back and the move should have paid off when Inglis, on 42, chipped Mulder to cover where Tony de Zorzi spilled the chance.There was some relief for South Africa when Green was caught by Senuran Muthusamy in his follow-through to end Australia’s best partnership on 67 but Inglis continued to pose a threat. He top-edged Mulder short of deep third and then pulled and cut him for back-to-back fours and his fifty came off 46 balls. What Inglis lacked was someone to stay with him.Alex Carey flayed Burger to backward point where Dewald Brevis took a good catch. Inglis responded by taking 19 runs off Keshav Maharaj’s next two overs to enter the 18s. But it was all Ngidi from there.He deceived Aaron Hardie into popping a slower ball back to him and then took a low return catch. He also accounted for Inglis, who made room for himself on the drive but bottom-edged to Rickelton, and then had Xavier Bartlett caught at mid-on. Ngidi’s fifth came in the 38th over when Adam Zampa skied him to mid-on and Australia were bowled out with more than 12 overs remaining in their innings.Matthew Breetzke pulls behind square•AFP/Getty Images

That made South Africa’s batting effort, which Breetzke initially thought was 20 runs short, appear far above-par against a well-resourced Australian attack. Australia made use of seven bowlers, including three spinners. Between them, Zampa, Head and Labuschagne bowled 17 overs for 94 runs and took five wickets. Nathan Ellis was the standout seamer, with 2 for 46, and Xavier Bartlett did a good job upfront in the absence of Ben Dwarshuis, who was rested.Playing in his third ODI, Bartlett opened the bowling and enjoyed early success. Markram chipped him to midwicket for a fourth-ball duck before Rickelton was caught behind in his third over.Breetzke announced himself when he took on Hardie, with a four down the ground and two sixes flicked over fine leg in a signature show of his strength on the leg side. At the other end, de Zorzi also showed off his stroke-play with clean straight hits and a couple of cracking square drives.Breetzke and de Zorzi demonstrated some excellent, proactive run-scoring but also rode their luck. Breetzke charged Bartlett and top-edged a bouncer over Inglis while de Zorzi pulled a half-volley just short of midwicket. Their partnership had grown to 67 when de Zorzi gifted Zampa a simple return catch off a leading edge.Breetzke and Stubbs went five overs without scoring a boundary, during which time Breetzke brought up a 46-ball fifty, and it allowed Stubbs to settle. His confidence grew when flicked a Zampa googly over midwicket for six as South Africa targeted spin. Breetzke swept and pulled Zampa for successive fours and Stubbs reverse-swept Head.Xavier Bartlett made early inroads on his return to the side•Getty Images

Marsh brought Ellis back at the halfway stage and it worked. Breetzke, who had pulled well throughout the innings, could not control one off Ellis that found Carey at deep square leg. Breetzke remains ODI cricket’s best performing batting newcomer scoring more runs than any other player in history across four matches from debut.Stubbs brought up his fifty with a single off Labuschagne and found a good finishing partner in Mulder, albeit he could have been out for 3. Mulder pulled Labuschagne to Marsh at midwicket but the captain put it down. In the next over, Labuschagne dropped Mulder on 5.Stubbs and Mulder put on 48 together and took South Africa to 233 for 5 with 10 overs to go but neither finished the job. Mulder was the first to go when he slog swept Labuschagne to Green at long-on. Muthusamy sent a full toss to Hardie at deep midwicket. Stubbs skied Zampa to midwicket and Burger holed out to long-off where Green completed his fourth catch of the innings, equalling the most outfield catches for Australia in ODIs.But that won’t be the statistic that grabs the headlines. For the first time since 2009, Australia had lost four consecutive ODIs at home, having been bowled out in four consecutive home ODIs for just the second time in history and for the first time without passing 200 in any of them. They have also lost seven of their last eight ODIs in total.

Senior batsmen see Gloucestershire to 146 for 3 as Sussex fail to make significant headway on wet day

ECB Reporters Network13-Jun-2019Gloucestershire pair Chris Dent and Gareth Roderick both made half-centuries between the showers but their Specsavers County Championship match against Sussex is heading towards a draw.Only 49 overs in two sessions were possible on the third day at Arundel Castle, with Gloucestershire reaching 146 for 3 in reply to Sussex’s 351 for 8. With just a day left a stalemate looks certain, which would at least keep Sussex in the top three promotion places in Division Two.Umpires Ian Blackwell and Neil Bainton took the players off again at 5pm because of light drizzle and play was abandoned at 5.40pm. So far, 123 overs have been lost to rain during the match.Dent made 851 runs and was Gloucestershire’s leading run scorer in the Championship last season but his 59 on a slow pitch was only his second half-century of the season.After the early loss of Miles Hammond, Dent shared stands of 60 with James Bracey and Roderick, who was unbeaten on 51 when the rain returned an hour after play had resumed at 4pm following a three-hour delay.Dent will have been disappointed with his dismissal. On a slow pitch he had survived one escape when he was dropped at third slip by Luke Wells off Ollie Robinson. He had moved onto 59 when he chased a ball from Chris Jordan down the leg side and Sussex wicketkeeper Ben Brown dived to his right to pull off a good catch. Dent faced 141 balls and hit eight fours.Roderick did the bulk of the scoring in the hour after the resumption and his 88-ball half-century included six boundaries.Earlier, Sussex had declared on their overnight score of 351 for 8 after rain had wiped out two sessions on the second day. Robinson was a handful with the new ball and was rewarded in his second over when he moved one away from Hammond who edged to third slip where Danny Briggs took a good catch.Robinson’s progress was being monitored by England scout Geoff Arnold, with a view to a possible call-up for England Lions’ match against Australia A next month.He would have been celebrating again in his second spell had Wells held on when Dent was on 46. Instead, David Wiese took the second wicket when Bracey, who had played well for his 21, chased a wide delivery and slapped it into Briggs’s hands at point.

Lara McBride retains her place in the squad for three games against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2025Offspinner Freya Sargent is back in Ireland’s squad for the upcoming three-match women’s T20I series against Pakistan at home.Sargent, 19, had missed Ireland’s most recent white-ball series against Zimbabwe. Lara McBride, who made her ODI and T20I debuts against Zimbabwe last month, retained her place in the squad.Allrounder Sophie MacMahon, who was part of the squad for the Zimbabwe series, missed the cut for the Pakistan T20Is.Related

• Eyman Fatima gets maiden T20I call-up for Pakistan's tour of Ireland

Gaby Lewis will continue to captain Ireland after leading them to a 5-0 sweep of Zimbabwe in the white-ball series. Lewis is set to become the second Ireland woman, after Laura Delany, to play 100 T20Is in the third game in Dublin on August 10. Dublin will also host the first two matches on August 6 and August 8.”After a strong 5-0 series win against Zimbabwe Women across formats under new head coach Lloyd Tennant, it’s great to be able to move so quickly into what will understandably be a much tougher assignment against Pakistan Women in Clontarf for this T20I series,” Ciara O’Brien, the national women’s selector, said in a statement. “With the upcoming matches, our preparation continues for the ICC Women’s T20I World Cup Europe Qualifier in the Netherlands in a few weeks, so we’re looking to see this latest momentum continued by the squad at Clontarf.”Ireland have played Pakistan in 20 women’s T20Is, winning four and losing 15, with one match abandoned. Ireland had won the previous T20I series between the two teams in 2022.

Ireland T20I squad

Gaby Lewis (capt), Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Laura Delany, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Louise Little, Jane Maguire, Lara McBride, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Freya Sargent, Rebecca Stokell

India ponder their bowling combination, while New Zealand look to end their three-match losing streak as the teams face off in the first semi-final

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy08-Jul-20194:16

Agarkar: India still need a sixth bowling option

Big picture

Brathwaite c Boult b Neesham 101. It’s been 16 days since that happened, and it’ll be 17 days when Tuesday’s semi-final begins. For New Zealand, it will be 17 winless days.And yet, here they are, two wins away from getting their hands on the World Cup. The carping about all the things that have brought New Zealand to this point – the tournament format, the privileging of the net run rate as tie-breaker above head-to-head or any other measure, the washing-out of key matches – is immaterial now.They’re semi-finalists. Just the same as India, Australia and England. Equals, even if they aren’t widely seen as that.When Sanjay Manjrekar asked them who their preferred semi-final opponents would be, after India’s win over Sri Lanka on Saturday, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were far too smart to give him a proper answer. Manjrekar made his own preference clear – “I would want India to play New Zealand more than England” – and while India’s vice-captain and captain may have agreed with him privately, they know there’s no such thing as an easy semi-final.They know all the pressure will be on India, all the expectations theirs to live up to. They topped the league table for a reason, and are favourites for precisely that reason. They have the top two batsmen in ODI cricket, and the No. 1 bowler, and their players have too much experience of big games to treat them as anything but what they actually are: cricket matches like any other, which they are perfectly equipped to win – no matter who they’re facing and in what conditions.New Zealand have lived most of their cricketing history as underdogs, and they will relish being where they are. “People aren’t expecting us to win, and from my point of view I think that’s a good place to be in,” their coach Gary Stead said on Sunday. “If that’s the case we can go out there and hopefully play with some real freedom.”That kind of freedom can make any good team dangerous, and New Zealand, for all their recent travails, are more than just a good team. They have a top-drawer pace attack, a group of quality top-order batsmen, and allrounders who give them enviable depth. Form hasn’t been a friend to some of their big-name players, but who’s to say Tuesday won’t be their day?Pakistan’s 1992 revival tour is over, but New Zealand might be thinking of their own version of it. Of being the team that scraped through in fourth place, with dollops of luck on their side, before hitching themselves to an irresistible wave of… what’s Kiwi for ?

Form guide

India WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand LLLWWVirat Kohli sets off for a run•IDI via Getty Images

In the spotlight

He missed the match against England with a hamstring strain, but he’s returned to fitness, and New Zealand will be delighted to have Lockie Ferguson back in their attack. Ferguson is their highest wicket-taker in this World Cup, with 17 at 18.58, and his key contributions have come in the middle overs (11-40), where he’s taken 12 of his wickets, at 17.20, while only conceding 4.4 per over. No one’s taken more wickets in the middle overs in this tournament, and no one who’s bowled at least 20 overs in this phase has a better average or economy rate. Ferguson’s presence ensures New Zealand’s attack has bite right through the innings, and India will be mindful of his threat.India have plenty of decisions to make over their bowling combination, one of which is whether to pick a sixth bowler. Whether or not they do so, Hardik Pandya will have an important role to play. Virat Kohli has talked up his ability to “think like a batsman” while he’s bowling, and teams have found it difficult to put away his cutters and slower bouncers, but if the Old Trafford pitch – a fresh strip is to be used for the semi-final – is flat, New Zealand could look to go after him and see how he handles it.

Team news

Two quicks or three? Two wristspinners, one, or none? The batting line-up seems more settled than the bowling attack, but India might be tempted to bring back Kedar Jadhav and give themselves six bowling options.India: 1 KL Rahul, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Dinesh Karthik/Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 and 10 two out of Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit BumrahNew Zealand seem to have an easier selection to make, with one expected change in the pace attack with Ferguson returning in place of Tim Southee.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Henry Nicholls, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 James Neesham, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

Old Trafford has been a resolutely bat-first venue in recent times, with the team doing so winning each of the five most recent ODIs at the venue. The average first-innings score in those matches has been 323 for 6, so a flat pitch can be expected. Pace (62 wickets at 28.9, economy of 5.7) has been more of a threat than spin (12 wickets at 89.4, economy of 6.1) in those five games.Overhead conditions could be influential, with cloudy skies expected over Manchester and intermittent showers forecast for Tuesday.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Strategy punt

• Jadhav has nine wickets against New Zealand – the most he has taken against any team in ODIs – at an average of 29.00. His economy against them is less than five, and he has dismissed Kane Williamson and Tom Latham twice each. That record might tempt India to bring Jadhav back in place of Dinesh Karthik and give themselves the sixth bowling option they lacked in their last two matches.
• If Pandya comes in to bat during the middle overs, New Zealand could look to match him up with Mitchell Santner. The left-arm spinner uses his pace variations cleverly if he’s being attacked, and he has held his own when up against Pandya, dismissing him three times in four meetings while conceding 25 off 30 balls.

Stats that matter

• India and New Zealand have met seven times in World Cups, with New Zealand winning four times (1975, 1979, 1992 and 1999) and India three times (twice in 1987 and once in 2003). The 2003 meeting, in the Super Six stage, was the only one outside the group stages.
• India have appeared in six World Cup semi-finals before this, and won three of them. New Zealand have been in seven semi-finals, and won only one of them, in 2015.
• Rohit (647) is 26 short of Sachin Tendulkar’s record tally of runs at a single World Cup – 673 in the 2003 edition.
• Williamson hasn’t had a great time against India’s wristspinners in ODIs. He’s scored 53 off 69 balls while being dismissed twice by Yuzvendra Chahal, and fallen twice to Kuldeep Yadav while scoring 18 off 25 balls. Overall, he’s averaged 33.9 against legspin in ODIs since the start of 2016, and 17.8 against left-arm wristspin. He’s averaged above 50 against all other kinds of bowling.
• The semi-final will be MS Dhoni’s 350th ODI match.
• Ross Taylor is one short of 50 fifties in ODIs.

Quotes

“Yes, we played with five bowling options because it gives us more depth in batting and mentioning the toss factor as well, if you are chasing a big total, then you need a bit more depth in batting. So yes, we played with five. We are up to reviewing that. Otherwise… I was just told I got Kane [Williamson] out (in the Under-19 World Cup semi-finals in 2008) so I can bowl any time… Yes, having said that, it’s open for a discussion because we need to be very balanced with what we take into the field.”
“Every side in this top four has beaten each other on a number of occasions. No side has gone through the comp[eition] unbeaten, so there are a lot of parts to it that make this top four really exciting.”

Middle-order batsman will have the opportunity to make his case for a spot in South Africa’s Test XI in their Sri Lanka tour

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jun-2018Theunis de Bruyn, the middle order batsman who has five Test caps, will play two matches for Surrey ahead of South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka in July. De Bruyn will join Surrey for matches against Somerset and Yorkshire as he looks to push for a place in the Test XI, where a spot has become vacant following AB de Villiers’ international retirement.”I am delighted to be joining Surrey, a club with rich history, for the next two Championship matches. It has always been one of my ambitions to play county cricket,” de Bruyn said.De Villiers, who returned from a self-imposed long-format sabbatical to play Test cricket for South Africa last summer, occupied the No.4 spot, and de Bruyn is one of at least two candidates vying for that place. Temba Bavuma is the other batsman pushing for the spot and last week said he would be “putting up my hand for that position”.Bavuma is the front-runner to be promoted, especially after returning from a broken hand to score an unbeaten 95 and 35 in South Africa’s last Test, against Australia in Johannesburg, but there may still be room for de Bruyn in the line-up. If South Africa opt for seven batsmen in their team, a strategy they have employed except when playing in bowler-friendly pitches at home, de Bruyn could be included at No.6.South Africa play two Tests in Sri Lanka in July before shifting focus to white-ball cricket, where de Bruyn is in the mix in the South Africa A squad. They have five home Tests this summer, three against Pakistan and two against Sri Lanka.

Australia were restricted to 105 for 8 before Botha’s whirlwind knock helped South Africa chase down the target with 11 balls to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2025A four-wicket haul from Ashleigh van Wyk backed up by a whirlwind 24-ball 37 from opener Jemma Botha helped South Africa outclass Australia in the first semi-final by five wickets and confirm a place in the Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup final for the first time.Electing to bat in sunny Kuala Lumpur, Australia were on the back foot immediately, with Ines McKeon trapped lbw first ball to fast bowler Nthabiseng Nini. Grace Lyons, promoted up the order, was then run out backing up too far at the bowler’s end, with captain Lucy Hamilton’s punch ricocheting off Nini’s fingers onto the non-striker’s stumps.Hamilton and Caoimhe Bray were circumspect, with the South Africa bowlers sticking to a wicket-to-wicket line. Australia got their first boundary only midway into the fifth over, though Hamilton quickly added a couple more off Nini.Then Kayla Reyneke, the South Africa captain, struck in her first over, pinning her opposite number in front of the stumps, missing a sweep. Australia went 7.3 overs without a boundary, with South Africa putting on a spin strangle. Eleanor Larosa and Bray added 27 runs for the fourth wicket in 47 balls.Jemma Botha scored 37 off 24 balls•ICC via Getty Images

A stunning return catch from Seshnie Naidu saw the back of Larosa before van Wyk took control, ripping through the Australia lower middle order with four wickets in three overs. Australia needed Ella Briscoe’s unbeaten 17-ball 27 to take them to 105 for 8 on a good batting strip.The chase wasn’t expected to be straightforward for South Africa, against an Australia attack that hadn’t conceded more than 100 even once in the tournament. Botha, though, wasted no time.Batting well down the track to negate any movement, Botha got going with back-to-back fours against Larosa in the first over. Simone Lorens also started with a four but was soon castled by a Chloe Ainsworth in-ducker. But there was no stopping Botha. She smashed five fours and two sixes as South Africa raced to 50 for 2 after six overs.With the foundation set, Reyneke took over and guided her side sedately towards their target. She stitched a 21-run stand with Botha and then a 38-run partnership Karabo Meso as South Africa coasted through the middle overs. Reyneke fell with South Africa three short of the target before Naidu took them home with 11 balls to spare.

Rain in Rawalpindi may impact the Test as well with the visitors leading 1-0

Danyal Rasool29-Aug-2024

Big picture: Pakistan in peril

Pakistan cricket, right now, isn’t exactly going through a golden era, but few expected the bloody nose Bangladesh gave them last week.For much of that Test match, Pakistan’s chief frustration appeared to be they would end up with a draw, a draw would inhibit their efforts, which captain Shan Masood bullishly talked up in the build-up, at having a real crack at reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Five days later, Pakistan would lose, and to add insult to injury, have half-a-dozen points docked for slow over rates, placing them ever so close to the bottom of the table. A home series defeat to Bangladesh would bring its own ignominy, which has little to do with whether they’re in the race to prove themselves the best Test side in the world. Bangladesh had, until last week, won just six away Tests in a quarter century of being Full Members, two against an enfeebled West Indies in 2009, and another two against Zimbabwe.Related

• Bangladesh's chance to build on Rawalpindi miracle

• The champion cricketer is back – whither Shakib the Bangladesh hero?

• Are Shan Masood's days numbered?

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• Shaheen Afridi left out of second Test against Bangladesh

Masood suddenly finds himself in a battle for the captaincy so soon after assuming it, having lost each of the four Tests he’s been in charge. While flashes of quality against Australia over the winter meant the overall result could potentially be overlooked in favour of a long-term plan, such forgiveness will not come if Pakistan drop a home series against Bangladesh. With a busy time ahead that includes the sterner challenges of England and South Africa, ensuring they avoid handing this Test trophy over next week remains the bare minimum for this red-ball side to retain credibility with its supporters.Bangladesh played the Rawalpindi Test at their own pace and won•Associated Press

That task is complicated by the weather in Rawalpindi once more. Rain forced the cancellation of practice sessions on the eve of the game, with more forecast for the first day. It has led Pakistan to hesitate before officially confirming a spinner for the Test, naming a 12-man squad with Abrar Ahmed and Mir Hamza both in contention. Masood pointed out Pakistan were the more proactive side last week, and with Bangladesh only needing a draw, his side will have to find a way to repeat that while also ensuring they get a better result.And what, really, can you say about the position Bangladesh have created for themselves? Najmul Hossain Shanto’s side outplayed as well as outthought the hosts, doing the basics right. Like making sure they had spinners in case they came in handy on the final day, which they did. Or not leaving runs out by declaring early owing to ultimately unrealised concerns it might rain, which it did not. They let Pakistan’s wobbles do the rest, and the ten-wicket win was as clinical as it was merited.There are more important things going on back home, but the uncomplicated joy of last week was as welcome as it was unexpected. This, remember, is not a vintage Bangladesh side, and did not come in saddled with high expectations. They came in last week, saw an opponent making unforced errors and didn’t interrupt them. They didn’t get sucked into playing fashionably aggressive cricket, or bullied into doing anything they didn’t want to do. They had no qualms about batting at under three runs an over for large parts of the first innings, and when Pakistan turned to declaration bowling, they simply didn’t decare.It secured Bangladesh arguably their greatest Test win, but they will know they need to hold off on wild celebrations for now. With one Test on the horizon and no clear signs Pakistan will be able to produce the pitch they want, all Bangladesh may need to do is pick up where they left off in the first Test. Pakistan must make all the moves, and as Bangladesh demonstrated, they are not going to be displaced too easily.Babar Azam’s recent form has been a big concern for Pakistan•Associated Press

Form guide

Pakistan: LLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh: WLLLW

In the spotlight: Babar Azam and Mushfiqur Rahim

Babar Azam’s slump aligning perfectly with the team’s nosediving Test form has been aggravating. Pakistan are used to dry patches and players out of form, but it isn’t quite obvious why this generation’s best batter is now struggling to achieve the big scores that came so easily to him. There isn’t a particular type of bowling or kind of shot that’s ailing him nor does he have other responsibilities now that he has been relieved of the armband. Babar fell to two basic unforced errors in the first Test, a squeeze down leg side and a drive without footwork doing for him. Home runs on flat surfaces against Bangladesh seemed like a no-brainer, and he now has one more Test to try and fix that.Mushfiqur Rahim played the role of the senior pro to a tee in the first Test. He used his strong defensive technique to good effect over the course of three partnerships that allowed the batters at the other end to operate with more freedom. Shadman Islam only opened up his repertoire in a 52-run stand with Mushfiqur, while Litton Das finally showed some form, after Mushfiqur allowed him to bat his way. Mehidy Hasan Miraz continued to shine with his batting mentor, playing out 178 balls in his innings. Mushfiqur continuing this role is bad news for Pakistan.

Team news: Taskin in, Nahid out?

Shaheen Afridi has been omitted from the squad for the second Test, with Abrar and Hamza part of the 12-member squad Pakistan have announced.Pakistan: 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Shan Masood (capt), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Salman Ali Agha, 8 Abrar Ahmed/Mir Hamza, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Mohammad Ali, 11 Khurram ShahzadMushfiqur Rahim tunes up for the second Test against Pakistan•PCB

Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed is back fit, and should replace Nahid Rana. Having secured one of their greatest Test wins, Bangladesh are unlikely to make further changes.Bangladesh: Shadman Islam, 2 Zakir Hasan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Litton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Taskin Ahmed

Pitch and conditions: Rain on the radar

Pakistan have made no secret of their desire for a pace-friendly wicket, though achieving it proved difficult in the first Test. There will be more than a tinge of grass on this new pitch, but monsoon rain lashed the city in the days since the end of the first Test. More rain is forecast during the game.

Stats and trivia: Babar’s slump

• Mushfiqur, who was named Player of the Match in the first Test, is the only Bangladesh player to have taken part in all seven of his nation’s away Test wins
• Since the start of 2023, Babar averages 21.15 in 13 Test innings with a highest score of 41

Quotes

“We’re loathe to make a decision [on who to play] purely on over rates. Our over rates were poor in the first Test and unacceptable. We need to be better and get through our overs quicker. Our opposition like to call for gloves and drinks at very regular intervals so we need to be mindful of that but we can’t control that. What we can control is our energy levels and making sure we’re getting through our overs as quickly as possible.”