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The T20Is will serve as preparation for the Asia Cup, while ODIs are part of the ICC Women’s Championship

Madushka Balasuriya16-May-2024Fresh off qualification for the Women’s T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka will host West Indies for three ODIs and three T20Is from June 15-28.For Sri Lanka, the tour will primarily serve as preparation for the T20 Asia Cup, also to be hosted in Sri Lanka, starting July 20. It will be their second bilateral T20I series this year, following their successful tour of South Africa across March and April. They are also set to tour Ireland in August.As for West Indies, they just concluded a month-long tour of Pakistan where they won both ODI and T20I series. As things stand, this will be their last competitive games before the World Cup in October.

West Indies tour of Sri Lanka

T20I series (all matches in Galle): June 15, 18 and 21
ODI series (all matches in Hambantota): June 24, 26 and 28

The last time these two sides squared off in a bilateral series was back in 2017, where West Indies swept Sri Lanka across both T20Is and ODIs. West Indies have dominated Sri Lanka in T20Is with a head-to-head record of 18-4. In ODIs, the contest has been much closer with West Indies winning 18 and Sri Lanka 14.This tour though has the potential to be a much more closely fought affair, with Sri Lanka entering on the back of historic series wins over the England, New Zealand and South Africa over the past year.The ODI series will be played from June 15-21 in Galle and is part of the ICC Women’s Championship, which serves as a pathway to the 2025 ODI World Cup. West Indies are currently seventh on the Women’s Championship points table and Sri Lanka eighth. Top four teams, apart from hosts India, will get a direct qualification.The T20Is will be held in Hambantota from June 24-28.

Sam Curran stood in as Punjab Kings captain in Dhawan’s absence against Rajasthan Royals

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2024Shikhar Dhawan has a shoulder injury, Punjab Kings coach Sanjay Bangar has confirmed, and could be out of action for a week, possibly, or even more. If it’s a week, Dhawan, the designated captain of the team, could miss two IPL 2024 matches, against Mumbai Indians (April 18) and against Gujarat Titans (April 21), both at home in Mullanpur.Speaking a press conference after Kings’ last-over defeat in a low-scoring game against Rajasthan Royals in Mullanpur, Bangar first said Dhawan could be out for “at least a couple of days”, and that it could be “at least seven-ten days”.”He’s having a shoulder injury, so he is likely to be out for at least a couple of days, I would say,” Bangar said. “Having an experienced opener, somebody like Shikhar, who has experience of playing on such wickets, becomes extremely crucial [for the team].”We have to wait and see how he responds to the treatment. At the moment, it seems that he could be out of action for at least seven-ten days.”In Dhawan’s absence, Sam Curran walked out for the toss for Kings, which led to some amount of confusion, since Jitesh Sharma had attended the captains’ conference in Chennai prior to the start of the season.”No, no, he [Jitesh] wasn’t the designated vice-captain,” Bangar clarified when asked the question. “The impression could have been because he attended the captains’ seminar, or meeting, at the start of the IPL. But the thought was always that… because Sam has led the team in the previous year as well; he was late to arrive from UK and he wanted to have a few [training] sessions, that’s the reason we couldn’t send him to Chennai. Hence Jitesh was sent, because the directive was that a player has to attend.”It wasn’t the case that Jitesh was the stand-in captain. We were very clear in our mind that if at all there had to be an opening, Sam Curran will be taking over and do the job as the captain.”Dhawan hasn’t had a spectacular time of it with the bat in IPL 2024, but is Kings’ highest run-getter at this stage with 152 runs from five innings, scoring at an average of 30.40 and a strike rate of 125.61. In fact, Kings’ struggles with the bat at the top of the innings have contributed in a major way to their lack of wins – they have four losses from six games so far and are down at eighth place on the table.Jonny Bairstow, Dhawan’s opening partner, has had a rough time too, scoring just 96 runs in six innings, while Prabhsimran Singh (119 runs in six innings) and Jitesh (106 runs in six innings) have struggled for consistency and impact also.On Saturday, with Dhawan out, Kings tried Atharva Taide at the top. He scored 15 runs in 12 balls as Kings put up 38 for 1 in the powerplay on their way to a total of 147 for 8.”Certainly is a cause for concern that the top order is not making enough runs for us,” Bangar said. “They are trying hard – I am not saying that they are not applying themselves – but it’s just not coming. Low-scoring games, especially at Mullanpur, the way the wicket is… that also has a factor. Because if you see, some of the scores have been pretty low.”All the three games that we have played here, in the first six overs, with the new ball, the wicket tends to just jag a little bit, and uneven bounce as well. So maybe that is also a contributing factor because, not only us, the visiting teams and their top order are facing issues.”

Josh Hazlewood says Australia’s bowlers are competing for the chance to take down England’s captain Joe Root as they attempt to seal the Ashes in Perth

Daniel Brettig in Perth12-Dec-20171:26

Johnson said bowl fast and short – Hazlewood

Australia’s bowlers are competing for the chance to take down England’s captain Joe Root, and have been heartened by Mitchell Johnson’s views on the touring side’s frail mental state ahead of the Perth Test that may seal the fate of the Ashes.Josh Hazlewood, who bowled the pivotal spell of the Adelaide Test to dismiss Root and Chris Woakes on a tense final day, said that he, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have been pushing each other on to give England’s leader no respite in this series. Cummins and Hazlewood have alternated taking Root’s wicket in the four innings of the series so far, following Dale Steyn’s oft-quoted line about “cutting off the head of the snake” and ensuring that Root is unable to make his customary fast starts.”All the bowlers want that wicket and there’s obviously a couple of key ones which we’ve talked about,” Hazlewood said in Perth. “Joe is the key, he can hold the innings together and score runs pretty freely when he gets some poor bowling his way, so everyone has to be ready when he comes in and stop that quick 20 or 30 runs early.”It’s obviously a little bit more important, the time of that start of that fifth day when things could have gone either way, so you’re a bit more focused, [there’s] not as much room for error against those better players. Got to be on your game from ball one and he’s obviously going to punish anything that’s not your best ball. Still the key to him is bowling your best ball more often than not and hopefully keep the runs to a minimum and keep taking his wicket.”I think I’m just getting better as time goes on. Probably just my length I think, my length especially on the last day, so obviously be continuing to work on that and I think it’s on the rise so hopefully keep getting better.”Johnson’s presence at training on Monday afternoon was welcomed by the team, and Hazlewood said it had been useful to get the perspective of someone outside the comfortable “bubble” in which the Australians are operating – in sharp contrast to the difficulties being faced almost daily by England. Johnson’s advice on the bowling front was to the point, also: “Bowl fast and keep bowling short. Pretty simple method from Johnno.””You’re in the bubble the whole time. As soon as we got to Brisbane it was all cricket, all business,” Hazlewood said. “You do feel in that bubble, it takes some people from the outside to see things you’re not necessarily looking for. Johnno was good to talk to yesterday not just bowling but the mental side of it. He mentioned he saw a few things similar to 2013-14, those guys are always good to talk to about past experiences.”Josh Hazlewood had Joe Root caught behind for 67•Getty Images

Having had the benefit of several days off cricket after Adelaide, Hazlewood said the Australian pacemen were fresh and capable of getting through all five Tests, helped largely by the irrepressible Nathan Lyon. He also said the need for an allrounder, set to be taken up by the recalled Mitchell Marsh, was balanced against the desire for runs from the middle order.”I’ve only bowled under 40 overs in both games so I feel pretty fresh at this time of the year and the other quicks are pretty similar,” Hazlewood said. “They have probably bowled more than me but the way Nathan has bowled has given us the opportunity to sit out one or two spells here or there and him just go from one end.”He’s been bowling beautifully and taking wickets as well as keeping runs to a minimum, still feels pretty fresh at the moment. I think [I can get through five Tests], it’s still a long way off obviously and just got to take it game by game as a fast bowler or spell by spell at some stages, but feel as good as I have.”You always want an allrounder but at the same time you want those runs at No. 6, it would be ideal to have a Jacques Kallis or someone like that but they are pretty special players. I think at this stage the bowlers are pretty fresh and we’ve got another break after this so it’s obviously up to the selectors and what they feel.”The national selectors’ plans for the WACA Ground Test may well hinge on the state of the pitch, for any hint of help for the bowlers could allow Pete Handscomb to earn a reprieve as one of six batsmen. However, if the surface is anything like those prepared recently – it is the same strip used for last year’s Test won by South Africa – then Marsh is set to play. Given recent history, including a high-scoring bore draw with New Zealand in Johnson’s last Test in 2015, Hazlewood was not optimistic.”I usually just look at it when I get out there,” Hazlewood said. “Been pretty flat to be honest, especially the New Zealand game, there were a couple of big scores there. Hopefully it has some pace to it, but over the last few years it hasn’t been too good.”

Though AB de Villiers has only contributed four runs in two matches and is nursing a slight hamstring injury, coach Russell Domingo and batsman David Miller have backed the captain to score against India on Sunday

Firdose Moonda08-Jun-20170:35

‘No concerns about De Villiers’ – Domingo

The South African camp is confident their captain AB de Villiers will deliver in what could be a must-win match against India on Sunday. Though de Villiers contributed only four runs in two group matches, and is nursing a slight hamstring injury, South Africa coach Russell Domingo and de Villiers’ team-mates expect him to come through when it counts.”I have no concerns about AB de Villiers,” Domingo said. “I’m expecting him to put in a big performance on Sunday. He’s that type of player that when the team needs him, he’ll turn it up on Sunday. I’m sure about that.”De Villiers will be treated for his niggle – a tight right hamstring – over the next two days and will have a fitness test on Saturday to determine his availability for Sunday’s match.In the absence of runs from de Villiers, South Africa have had to rely on Hashim Amla against Sri Lanka and David Miller against Pakistan to provide backbone for their innings. Miller was happy to share the load. “It is tough [when AB doesn’t perform],” Miller said. He is the best player in the world so it’s nice when he does perform, and that’s 95% of the time.”I haven’t seen him go out for a nought too many times in his career. He is human at the end of the day and there are enough good batters in the team to contribute as well. I don’t think it’s a huge problem at all. We’ve done well over the last two-and-a-half years and all the batters that we have can do the job. AB, unfortunately, didn’t come off but he is definitely due on Sunday.”All the talk about Sunday’s match and the expectations of de Villiers performing may only put pressure on a man who is already under some strain. De Villiers’ form was questioned before the tournament, after an IPL which even Domingo described as “quiet,” although de Villiers felt he was “hitting the ball better than ever”.That may be true but, after his first golden duck in 212 ODI innings, he is also hitting the ball straight to fielders. The pressure on de Villiers is mounting and for Morne Morkel that means the rest of the South African seniors have to step up.”It’s a big tournament for him (AB), and for all of us. We are hungry to take this trophy back home. He is only human. Us as players or team-mates, we need to stand up as well and take responsibility,” Morkel said. “It’s not all on AB’s shoulders. “With de Villiers opting out of Test cricket for the rest of this year, a second child on the way, and the way he has spoken about wanting to manage his time, speculation over his international career is growing. But Morkel said de Villiers still had the desire to keep going. “AB has got all the energy and is still hungry to play,” he said.Morkel intends to be at de Villiers’ side in that. After a comeback to the ODI side following a year on the sidelines, the fast bowler provided South Africa’s attack with much-needed stability. Although he continues to compete with an allrounder for his place in the XI, Morkel was hopeful of playing against India on Sunday, expecting “something special” from a South African side.”It’s going to take a big team effort to knock over India,” he said. “They are a confident team at the moment but we have to back ourselves to win.”

England quick savours the emotions of his successful return after fearing he was a ‘burden’

Melinda Farrell06-Jun-2024Jofra Archer had tears in his eyes as he surveyed the scene at Kensington Oval, about to represent England but, for the first time, in his motherland. When his name was announced at the start of the second over, his first in the match against Scotland, the cheering could hardly have been louder or warmer than if he had been wearing maroon.The loudest applause came from a large group of children in yellow uniforms, students of Archer’s , Christ Church Foundation. They had been given the day off lessons, along with students from Chris Jordan’s former school, to join friends and family and fans alike in welcoming the not-so-old boys home.”Yeah, it was a little bit emotional,” Archer said, speaking at Windward Cricket Club, just a stone’s throw from his Barbados home. “I had a little bit of water in my eye, a bit of a cry but I was just settling.”The prime minister invited us up to the box when [the match] got cancelled, but she said she pretty much cancelled school, and CJ’s old school, so the kids could come and watch us. It was really, really emotional. As I said earlier, I had a little bit of water in my eye and it wasn’t the rain. It was really, really nice. I saw a clip of one of the reporters as well – she went to primary school with me – and she was going around to people in the ground, by the statue, and that was touching. I felt really supported. I felt unbelievable.”Archer had avoided talking to the media ahead the game, preferring to concentrate on getting his return to Barbados under his belt.”Once you get the first ball out of the way, any nerves are gone,” he said. “You tend to forget everything else and just focus. I feel that’s the best way. There’s so much surrounding the cricket before you bowl a ball. So much goes into playing a game.”Certainly, a lot has gone into getting Archer ready for this tournament, so great is his value to the England side. Since he flew home from last year’s IPL and underwent surgery on his right elbow, his return has been carefully managed with England’s T20 World Cup defence in mind, the caution sharpened by his history of back and elbow injuries.Jofra Archer in action during the Scotland match•Getty Images

“It was just a little bit of luck because, you know, if we’d gone a little bit… it could have gone wrong,” he said. “Maybe I could peak too early and could have missed this. Or I didn’t get up to speed fast enough and I miss it again. So I just feel very lucky that everything had checked along with this block. Hopefully I can peak for all of it.”Archer raised eyebrows during England’s tour of the Caribbean last year when he was spotted playing a local league match for his old school during the Barbados leg of the series, apparently without the knowledge of the ECB. However, he said he had been careful to monitor his own levels to ensure a gradual return to action.”I’ve been playing cricket since November. I’ve been fit since November,” he said. “I’ve just been trying not to do too much or too little. Just trying to be okay for this period, for this summer. Just really glad that everything seems to be going all right. Not just this tour but to finish the summer and continue playing a part. Obviously it’s been a while. I don’t know how much rehab I have in me.”He signed a two-year contract with the ECB in October – he was offered three years but turned it down – and was anxious to return to the fold and repay the faith shown by England Men’s Managing Director, Rob Key.”I found it a little bit worrying, not really frustrating, because I was able to spend most of my rehab here,” he said. “I only live 150 metres from this ground right now, so being able to do your rehab, just get away from the noise back in the UK, was really good. I made a joke with Keysy as well earlier. I said ‘I’m really glad I’m back playing because I reckon I would have lost my contract in October’. And he laughed and said, ‘no you’re all right’.”Sometimes you feel like a burden not playing, and sometimes I’ve seen a few comments as well, people saying he’s on the longest paid holiday I’ve ever seen. You try to not let it get to you, but you can ignore 100 of them but sometimes that 101 is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. I’ve changed a lot of my social media stuff just so you don’t see a lot, but there’s a little that always filters through. But you’ve just got to keep going.”Jofra Archer speaks to the media ahead of England’s match with Australia•Getty Images

In March, Archer played his first competitive cricket since his elbow injury in Barbados. He felt he was fully fit from the first of five club matches. But it wasn’t until he bowled against Pakistan at the Oval in the fifth T20I that he knew his body was up to the rigours of international cricket.”It’s alright to train and it’s alright to play in games here, but to get that last 10% intensity and [feel] actually, the body is okay. You know when you are able to step it up and the body takes it, then that’s really, really refreshing.”Archer will not play Test cricket this summer. But his (hopefully) eventual return to Test cricket is being managed just as carefully as his rehab leading up to this tournament.”I’ve got a PDF file of every single game I’m supposed to play in from now till next summer anyway,” he said. “Yeah, they’ve really planned out almost everything. Probably the only thing they haven’t planned out is the showers I take. It’s been really, really good. Even when I wasn’t playing, they made me feel really involved as well. They sent me targets that I’d keep trying to tick off and it’s really nice that they’re actually falling into place, honestly.”Related

• The wait is Over: Six balls and a lifetime later, Jofra Archer returns with a bang

• Jonny Bairstow plays down Ashes flashpoint as England and Australia clash again

• England face Australia in the battle of champions

• Jofra Archer blindsides ECB with surprise return for Barbados school team

• Jofra Archer: 'I don't know if I've got another stop-start year in me'

England have one more match at Kensington Oval before moving to Antigua for the rest of their group matches, the highly anticipated clash with Australia that, after the washout against Scotland, may be crucial to their T20 World Cup hopes. The majority of fans will again be cheering, not just for England, but for one of their own. But there are a few extra guests Archer would like to sneak into Kensington Oval; his beloved dogs. Whether he can get them past security is another matter.”I can definitely try. I can put one of those service jackets on him and probably get caned, something like that.”The animal lover has added a couple of parrots to his menagerie, named Jessie and James. Not after the American outlaw, but for two characters in the Pokemon video game. They play for Team Rocket.England would dearly love to see Archer fire a few rockets of his own when they face Australia on Saturday.

Double-century stand with Luke Procter defies Lancashire attack at Old Trafford

Paul Edwards25-Jul-2023Sporting fashion is so contagious that every time a county has departed from cricket’s orthodoxy this season or sought to force the pace in a match, local commentators have sought to label it some variety of England’s current tactics. Lancashire have not been immune from this piffle – Chazball is a current favourite, even though Glen Chapple, their head coach, is about as funky as a saint’s sock-drawer. Nevertheless, even on a day when Northamptonshire enjoyed one of their best days of the Championship season, it should be noted that Jack Morley and Tom Hartley were bowling in tandem at 2.10pm this afternoon.It is rare enough for Lancashire to select two spinners for a first-class game but no one can remember the last time two twisters were operating together half an hour after lunch on the first day, certainly not at Old Trafford. That it should have been so was partly testament to the quality of a Test match wicket that was going to help the twirlers if anyone but today showed little deterioration on its fifth day of use and no ill-effects from 48 hours under cover. Principally, however, it showed how Lancashire’s marquee seamers, Tom Bailey and Will Williams, had been tamed by a slim opener from Bedford, Emilio Gay, whose classically correct strokeplay was to make our day memorable.By the time he was dismissed six overs before the close when attempting a tired drive at a ball from the excellent George Balderson, Gay had made 144, his fourth first-class century and one run short of his career-best. His languid drives between point and mid-on, mixed with secure defence, had also offered some confirmation of a talent that was blighted by a knee injury at the start of the season and then cursed by the worms of uncertainty that can slither into any cricketer’s head when he wonders if and when the next big innings is coming.So the impressive thing about Gay’s hundred today was that his batting reflected none of this self-doubt. Yes, he was to offer one chance, to Keaton Jennings at slip off Jack Morley when he’d made 60, but he took boundaries off both the new-ball bowlers and Balderson early in his innings and came into lunch unbeaten on 35 having played with the sort of care that threw the dismissals of his colleagues into shaming relief. Indeed, Gay had watched as Ricardo Vasconcelos and Justin Broad had both fallen to Balderson when they failed to execute well-chosen attacking strokes. Steven Croft at backward point and Morley at midwicket had gobbled up smart catches and Northamptonshire were 29 for 2. Ten overs later Sam Whiteman was stumped by Phil Salt off Morley when he came down the wicket to a ball that turned inside his drive. That left the visitors on 59 for 3 and we thought a familiar story was about to be told to travelling supporters tired of hearing the bloody tale.Instead, though, Gay was joined by his skipper, Luke Procter, who once plied his trade in these parts and has often reminded his old muckers of a talent they probably underestimated.True, Procter’s crouching stance at the wicket still recalls that of the ancient Private Godfrey in “The Test”, a cricket-themed episode of , and of course, Northamptonshire’s 35-year-old captain is becoming something of a veteran himself. Yet when his moons align, he remains a mightily effective cricketer, coming down the wicket to the spinners and transforming himself from an arthritic pensioner into a model of orthodoxyPerhaps more significantly here, however, he gave Gay precisely the sort of encouragement the 23-year-old needed as he progressed beyond fifty towards the century he would eventually dedicate to his recently deceased and much beloved Uncle Gladstone. The pair had put on 207 by the time Procter was pinned on the back foot for 75 by Will Williams, whose aggression and economy have been one of the features of a Lancashire season that has not been whelmed in triumph.All the same, elements of Gay and Procter’s achievement are unlikely to have prompted street parties in Wellingborough or Brackley. For example, this was only Northamptonshire’s third century partnership of the season and the pair’s achievement in batting through from lunch till tea gave the county their first wicketless session since May 2022. Jennings’ bowlers, meanwhile, can reflect that they allowed Northamptonshire to collect only their second and third batting bonus points of their year. But at least one more venerable and certainly more respectable landmark was reached. Gay and Procter’s 207-run stand is their county’s highest for the fourth wicket against Lancashire, beating the unbroken 158 put on by Mushtaq Mohammed and Jim Watts at Liverpool in 1972.But if this was an indifferent day for Lancashire’s cricketers, even less could be said for the county club or “Lancashire cricket” as some officials crassly like to compress it. All gates near the Metro station on Brian Statham Way were closed this morning, parking was limited and non-members were expected to sit square of the wicket, although this resulted in a group of splendidly stubborn souls invading A Stand and letting the devil take the consequences. Not for the first time, Lancashire’s arrangements for a first-class match at Emirates Old Trafford had been made with the Operations Team thinking what they could get away with rather than what supporters might reasonably require. An Ashes Test is a prized honour west of the Pennines but if the consequence of holding one is not giving a toss about the faithful folk who turn up through fat years and lean ones, loyal Lancastrians are entitled to be a tad thankful Australia will not play here again until 2031.

Injury-ravaged WA hope to overcome the loss of Cameron Bancroft while a settled Tasmania side are buoyed by their recent results at the WACA

Tristan Lavalette20-Mar-20241:21

Inglis: Finding it easier now to move between formats

As Western Australia captain Sam Whiteman stepped up for the media conference on Wednesday ahead of the Sheffield Shield final, he undoubtedly knew the barrage of questions headed his way.A bombshell broke late on Tuesday that WA opener Cameron Bancroft was ruled out of the final against Tasmania after a bike accident left him concussed. It continued a season of adversity for WA, who are striving for their first hat-trick of titles since the late 1980s.Not even the iconic WA team of the 1990s, filled with a slew of players who ended up being Test greats, managed the feat. Only Victoria from 2015-17 have won three in a row during the past 20 years.Related

• Bancroft hospitalised after accident as WA mull a replacement for the final

• Beau Webster, Tasmania's talisman: 'I'm absolutely ready for the next level'

• Bancroft out of Sheffield Shield final due to concussion after bike accident

• 'It's a difficult job' – Gannon prepares for Shield final after a career on the fringe

• Wade to retire from first-class cricket after Sheffield Shield final

It’s obviously something rare and very difficult to achieve as WA can attest to in an injury-hit season. Frontline quicks Jhye Richardson, Lance Morris and Matt Kelly have only played five Shield matches between them and none of them will be available for the final.Having rejuvenated his red-ball career with a century in last season’s final, Ashton Turner has not been available since knee surgery in December.Cameron Green played only two matches, while Mitchell Marsh did not feature in domestic cricket at all this season given his heavy international workload across the formats.WA have often looked worn down and below their best – echoes of Perth Scorchers’ disappointing BBL season – but they found a way to overcome the obstacles and finished the season in peak form with a mishmash of players, unexpectedly clinching a home final with a victory over Victoria at the Junction Oval last week.Jordan Silk and Sam Whiteman pose with the Sheffield Shield trophy at King’s Park in Perth•Getty Images

“It’s been a challenge to get to this year’s final. Last year was pretty much in a straight line, but this year it’s been do or die the last three weeks,” Whiteman said on Wednesday.There’s a gag going around social media that a WA second XI might be the next-best team in the Shield. Of course, that can never be proven, but WA’s depth of talent and their fringe players stepping in seamlessly have them on the cusp of another title.”We’ve used 22 players this year, and I think every one of those players has done their role for the team,” Whiteman said. “You need to get a whole squad to win a Shield. I think that’s the strength of this group.”While WA broke a 23-year title drought in 2022, a triumph here would be the “most satisfying” for Whiteman, who is on the brink of becoming a three-time Shield-winning captain. WA would also become the first team to win a hat-trick of titles in the Shield and Marsh Cup concurrently.”If we get the job done this week, it’s something we can look back on and be really proud of, ” he said. “Leaves a really strong legacy for this group.”Before the media conference started at King’s Park, a popular place for tourists to take photos of Perth’s picturesque surroundings, the burly Shield trophy was already in position for the cameras. Those walking by barely gave it a second glance apart from a person purportedly the relative of a former Test player, who wandered by to take a photo of the trophy.Amid a cool morning breeze, a nod to the changing of seasons in Perth, it was a reminder that the final will be played in relative anonymity in the AFL-mad city.But in Tasmania interest in the match should be high as the Tigers look to end an 11-year drought. George Bailey and Ricky Ponting were their talismen the last time they lifted the trophy, but their star with the bat was Jordan Silk, who as a 20-year-old frustrated Queensland with 108 off 358 balls as Tasmania secured the draw needed at home to clinch their third title.James Faulkner, George Bailey and Ricky Ponting were playing the last time Tasmania won the Sheffield Shield•Getty Images

“I just reflected on it myself. It was really special,” said Silk, who is the only member of that XI playing in this final. “I was really only in the team for a couple of weeks and found myself winning.”So it certainly means a lot more if we win this week because of the journey that I’ve been on and also for a lot of our guys who have been around for quite a while.”With few international players in their squad, Tasmania have enjoyed continuity and were in the box seat of a home final until a final-round slip-up against South Australia at Bellerive Oval.It seemed a costly defeat, with Tasmania faced with the daunting task of the long journey to Perth and confronting WA, who have only lost three matches at the WACA since the start of 2021-22.But one of those defeats was to Tasmania, who also drew a high-scoring match earlier this season on an uncharacteristically flat WACA surface. The pitch in the final is expected to be bowler-friendly although perhaps not as spicy as seen at the WACA since that Tasmania match in October.”We’re really confident in our ability at the moment. I think we’ve strung together a really solid first-class season. The guys should take belief out of that,” Silk said. “We’ve beaten teams on the road this year, and we’ve got a good record in Perth, so we take a lot of confidence from that.”Tasmania will also have the added motivation of Matthew Wade’s red-ball retirement, while they might be able to ride the wave of a sports frenzy bubbling away in the island state. The JackJumpers, their basketball team, are in the NBL grand final while Tasmania’s first AFL team was launched earlier in the week.”It’s been a really good week for Tassie sports,” Silk said. “Hopefully we can add a little bit to that this week. That will be really special.”

The laws of the game don’t permit the use of saliva on the ball as per an update last year

Mohammad Isam30-Nov-2023Glenn Phillips was shown on TV applying saliva on the ball during the third day’s play of the Sylhet Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand. The incident took place after the first ball of the 34th over, when Phillips appeared to apply saliva on the ball before delivering it. On-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Paul Reiffel, however, didn’t intervene or take any sort of action at the time.When contacted by ESPNcricinfo, an ICC spokesperson said that it was up to match officials to “deal with on-field incidents, and we don’t give statements”.At the post-match press conference, Bangladesh team manager Nafees Iqbal confirmed that he had seen the footage, and had “informed the fourth umpire”.Law 41.3 of the game, updated and put into effect on October 1, 2022, says: “When cricket resumed following the onset of Covid-19, playing conditions were written in most forms of the game stating that applying saliva to the ball was no longer permitted. MCC’s research found that this had little or no impact on the amount of swing the bowlers were getting. Players were using sweat to polish the ball, and this was equally effective.”The new Laws will not permit the use of saliva on the ball, which also removes any grey areas of fielders eating sugary sweets to alter their saliva to apply to the ball. Using saliva will be treated the same way as any other unfair methods of changing the condition of the ball.”The previous instance of a player applying saliva on the ball, by Alishan Sharafu during a Nepal vs UAE ODI in November 2022, resulted in Nepal being awarded five penalty runs.

“It might play a little bit better initially than it did last week,” feels Ben Stokes

Alagappan Muthu01-Feb-20241:27

Manjrekar: Lack of runs from Gill and Iyer a cause for worry

India will be trying to level the five-match Test series against England on what looks like a traditional subcontinent pitch in Visakhapatnam.The last time these two teams played a series in the subcontinent, an unexpected result gave rise to surfaces that were heavily loaded in favour of spin. The pink-ball match of that series ended in two days. It is the shortest Test match ever played in India.This time, though, the focus on the pitches has been noticeably less. Hyderabad looked like it was selectively watered, with the spinners’ good-length area looking rougher than the rest of the rest of the pitch, but it still produced over 1000 runs at a healthy rate.Related

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And Visakhapatnam will probably be even better for batting. Ben Stokes at the press conference on the eve of the game said, “It might be a good wicket for maybe a day or two. But out here in India and other parts of the subcontinent, you tend to see it start to spin more and more as the Test goes deeper and deeper. Even though it does look like there’s a little bit more moisture in there, with the heat – and today is very hot again – any footholes and stuff like that might come into play the further the Test goes.”It might play a little bit better initially than it did last week [in Hyderabad], but we don’t like to go in with too many preconceived ideas. We like to have some kind of idea because obviously that’s how we pick the team, then we just play what’s in front of us.”India have been hurt in the past on rank turners at home, notably in Indore when Australia bowled them out for 109 in 33.2 overs on day one. Matthew Kuhnemann picked up five wickets in nine overs then, belying the fact that he had only played 14 first-class games until that point in his whole career.1:32

Miller: Bashir debut another ‘no fear’ pick from England

England’s Tom Hartley did something similar at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium when he took a seven-for to follow up a first-innings display where he leaked a run a ball because there was considerably less help for him. And, as a result of that, India were much more confident in dealing with him.This may be a sign that India are trusting the quality of their spin bowling to draw more out of a pitch that may not be as responsive as some of those in the past; that their experience will help them get one over on an opposition that will be fronting up with a debutant in Shoaib Bashir, who has ten first-class wickets to his name, to go with Hartley and Rehan Ahmed, who are on their first tour of India. Jack Leach, England’s most experienced spinner, is out with a knee injury.That India’s batting has been taking some flak, and is now deprived of some of its solidity with Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja unavailable, may also have had a part to play. The coach Rahul Dravid has been clear that the young batters he is in charge of have had to face some tough conditions and that they need time to figure things out.

Josh Hazlewood will return for the home side while Pakistan need victory to take the series to a decider

Tristan Lavalette07-Nov-2024

Big picture: Pakistan out to keep series alive, last hit-out for several of Australia’s Test stars

After falling short of an incredible heist in game one at the MCG, Pakistan will need to regroup and conjure a rare victory at the picturesque Adelaide Oval on Friday to keep the series alive.Pakistan’s quicks gamely attempted to defend a modest score of 203, with fiery bowling from Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah on a fast and bouncy surface almost leading to a dream start for new ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan.Related

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The short-pitched tactics worked well and rattled Australia’s batters, but Pakistan will likely need to change their approach on a ground with much shorter dimensions square of the wicket compared to the MCG. They will be wise to focus on bowling a disciplined line and length against an explosive Australia batting-order determined to stick with an ultra-aggressive method.To keep the series alive heading into Sunday’s decider in Perth, Pakistan will also need to defy a poor record against Australia having only won twice in the last 14 ODIs between the two sides.Australia weren’t overly convincing in game one, but can wrap up the series in what will be the final hit-out for skipper Pat Cummins, Steven Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Marnus Labuschagne before the first Test against India.Starc has been in sizzling early season form, while Cummins was clutch with ball and bat at the MCG. Smith’s crisp 44 allayed fears over his form but Labuschagne is in the midst of a lean patch and scored just 16 in the first ODI before being hustled by the extra bounce of Rauf.

Form guide

AustraliaWWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
PakistanLLWWL

In the spotlight: Matt Short and Babar Azam

While the Test ‘bat off’ continues during the second Australia A match at the MCG, Australia also have David Warner’s shoes to fill in ODI cricket. With regular opener Travis Head on paternity leave, Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk are trying to make compelling cases ahead of the Champions Trophy but both fell cheaply in the opening game. Short has been viewed as having the inside running after performing well against England in the UK recently but made just one run in the series-opener after top-edging Shaheen Shah Afridi to third man. He should relish returning to the Adelaide Oval, where he has made a heap of runs in the BBL over the years for Strikers. Short has a golden opportunity in front of him in conditions he knows very well.Babar Azam looked in good touch before being beaten by Adam Zampa in Melbourne•AFP

Pakistan’s batters were exposed in challenging MCG conditions after being sent in. The exception was Babar Azam, who was a class above his team-mates with an elegant 37 off 44. He got through Australia’s quicks until he stumbled trying to accelerate the run rate against legspinner Adam Zampa. Babar’s recent struggles have been well documented and led to his controversial axing during the England Test series. But he seemed well at home back in ODI cricket, his favored format where he averages 56.52 – the fourth highest all-time – and is one century away from equalling Saeed Anwar’s Pakistan record of 20. He’ll have fond memories of playing at the Adelaide Oval having scored an even century against Australia in January 2017 – the last time the teams clashed in an ODI at the ground.

Team news: Hazlewood returns; Naseem expected to be fit

Hazlewood is likely to replace Sean Abbott in the XI and play his sole international match before the first Test. After a month’s break following the UK tour, Hazlewood made his return for New South Wales against Queensland in a Sheffield Shield fixture at Cricket Central that finished earlier in the week. He went wicketless from 24 overs in Queensland’s only innings of the drawn match.Australia (possible): 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodNaseem was forced to leave the field in the first ODI due to cramps but is expected to be available. Pakistan may need to consider playing a frontline spinner in Adelaide.Pakistan (possible): 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Kamran Ghulam, 6 Salman Ali Agha, 7 Irfan Khan, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad Hasnain

Pitch and conditions

Despite its reputation as a batting paradise, Adelaide Oval has been tough to bat on as underlined in a low-scoring Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and Victoria that finished earlier in the week although that was designed to assist the home side’s spinners. The surface is usually considerably flatter for white-ball cricket with the short square dimensions leading to rapid scoring. There has been rain in the lead-up to the match and a shower is forecast on Friday morning. But play should be unaffected with sunny conditions expected throughout the afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• Mitchell Starc is six wickets away from becoming the fourth Australian to take 250 ODI wickets. He has the best strike-rate by an Australian in ODI cricket (minimum 50 wickets).
• Glenn Maxwell needs 66 runs to reach 4000 in ODIs.
• Shaheen Shah Afridi (25.99) and Haris Rauf (26.23) sit seventh and eighth respectively for bowling strike-rates in ODI history (minimum 1000 balls).
• Pakistan have beaten Australia just once from eight ODIs at the Adelaide Oval. Their only win was by 12 runs in December 1996.
  

  Quotes

  “The game is changing and we want to take the game on in the first 10 overs. Instead of scrapping to 240-250, which aren’t winnable scores out here, getting towards the high 300 mark is more of a winning total we think.”