With Mark Wood in line for a recall in Paarl, there may only be space for one Curran in the England side

Matt Roller28-Nov-2020Tom Curran’s bowling figures – 1 for 55 in four overs – in Friday night’s game against South Africa were the sixth-most expensive in England’s T20I history. But at least none of the five men above him in that list had to walk off alongside their grinning brother after he had taken three cheap wickets.”Tom’s very competitive and is a relaxed guy, so he’ll move on pretty quickly,” Sam said after England’s five-wicket win. “T20 is a very strange game. You can bowl well and still get hit for a lot of runs, and you can bowl badly and get loads of wickets.”But in truth, Sam bowled well, and Tom bowled poorly. While Sam managed to disguise his variations, change his lengths and nail a hard length, Tom was taken to pieces in his second over by Faf du Plessis and ended up leaking 24 runs as he strayed into the slot.The upshot is that if England decide to inject Mark Wood’s pace in Sunday’s game at Paarl, it is likely to be Tom rather than Sam that makes way. If that seems unsurprising, it is evidence of the effect that the IPL has had on Sam’s reputation as a T20 player: Friday night was only his sixth T20I appearance and his first in over a year.It is quite a reversal. While Sam’s first exposure to professional cricket was in Surrey’s T20 Blast side, he has generally been considered to be the slightly better red-ball cricketer, while Tom was ahead of him in the white-ball pecking order. Now, Tom has not played a first-class game since April 2019, and is arguably a less attractive proposition in limited-overs cricket, too.Sam Curran bumps fists with Tom after England’s intra-squad warm-up – in which the younger brother dismissed the older•Getty Images

That is not to say that he has undergone any major decline. Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball captain, evidently has faith in him, deciding to give him two powerplay overs and continuing to back him at the death even after du Plessis’ onslaught.It is worth noting, too, that he spent much of the IPL sitting on the Rajasthan Royals bench, so was not match-fresh in the way most of his team-mates were. He will return to the Big Bash League with Sydney Sixers after this tour, for whom he has played some of his best cricket, and is likely to remain very much in the England reckoning.In contrast, Sam – in recognition of his lengthy stints in the biosecure bubbles this summer – will return home after the T20I leg of this tour is complete. That speaks volumes of the strides he has made and his importance to the England set-up across formats. He received glowing reviews during his time at the IPL with the Chennai Super Kings – captain MS Dhoni labelled him “a complete cricketer” – and said that he had taken his game to “a different standard” at the tournament.ALSO READ: A victory for England, and a victory for the IPLWhile his bowling caught the eye in Friday’s series opener, Sam’s three-ball innings with the bat was just as entertaining. After being hit on the grille by a Lungi Ngidi bouncer, the first ball he faced, he lined up Kagiso Rabada to smite his second for six over long-on – evidence, perhaps, of his mischievous streak.That Sam has caught up with Tom so quickly should not come as a surprise: tennis fans, for example, will note the relative successes of the Williams and Murray siblings (in both families, the younger sibling is the superstar). There is a sociological explanation for ‘the sibling effect’, in which younger siblings enjoy more success than their older siblings, rooted in their early exposure to regular sport, the need to keep up, and psychological rivalry. As Tim Wigmore and Mark Williams write in their book : “If you have a younger sibling, they are probably better at sport than you are.”That seems to fit in the example of the Currans: Sam’s emergence as a T20 allrounder puts his brother’s England place in jeopardy. When Jofra Archer has been unavailable through injury or rest, Morgan has backed Tom Curran and Chris Jordan as their death-overs specialists, but Archer’s presence in this series means both seamers need to prove their versatility.With Wood – or Reece Topley, the tall left-armer who last played a T20I in the 2016 T20 World Cup – in contention as England look for extra pace with the new ball, there may well be room for only one Curran in this side. Sam’s advantage with the bat and his new-found ability to bowl in all three phases of an innings means that Tom finds himself looking over his shoulder.

He also praises debutants Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2020Keeping Steven Smith quiet has been one of the key factors in India’s strong showing against Australia in their ongoing series, which is tied 1-1 after both teams registered eight-wicket wins in Adelaide and Melbourne. So tight have India been to him that he hasn’t crossed double digits yet, with scores of 1, 1*, 0 and 8 so far.Smith has been particularly troubled by R Ashwin, with the offspinner well ahead in his head-to-head battle with Australia’s best batsman. Ashwin has bowled 23 balls to him so far, of which Smith has taken only four runs – all singles – while being out twice.R Ashwin takes off on a celebratory run after dismissing Steven Smith•Getty Images

Analysing the contest, Sachin Tendulkar praised Ashwin’s control, variety and planning for Smith.Related

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“In the first Test, Smith got out to an arm ball or you can call it a straighter one which Ashwin releases differently,” Tendulkar told . “An offspinner bowls a straighter one which skids off the surface when the fingers are not on top of the ball.”In the second Test, it was not a slider but [Ashwin’s] fingers were on top of the ball, which produced bounce and turn. Steve Smith played a normal flick to a regulation off-break that any batsman does by instinct, and the fielder was brilliantly placed there. It was a well-planned ball and wicket by Ashwin. Both are class players, so someone is going to have a better day and so far, Ashwin has come out the winner in the first two Tests.”Tendulkar was also full of praise for Ajinkya Rahane’s leadership after India’s series-equaling win in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, but called for comparisons between his captaincy and that of regular captain Virat Kohli to cease. With India 64 for 3 at one stage in the first innings, Rahane’s 112 helped India to a decisive 131-run lead before a 27 not out in the second innings calmed the nerves in the run chase, where India had lost two early wickets.”I thought Ajinkya batted brilliantly,” Tendulkar said. “He was calm, relaxed and composed. He had aggressive intent, but aggression was rightly balanced by calmness and surety. So he did not miss opportunities when a boundary ball was there. And when one had to be patient, he was patient. The intent was very good.””I felt this was a brilliant performance by our team, the manner in which our team was able to play and the way Ajinkya led the team,” Tendulkar said. “Also, if you look at senior cricketers and their contribution, it has been good. People shouldn’t get into comparisons with Virat. Ajinkya has [a] different personality. His intent was aggressive. I would like to remind everyone that they are both Indians and they both play for India, so no individuals come above India. Team and country is above everything else.”India went into the second Test with two debutants in Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj, and both came away with good contributions. Gill made 45 and 35 not out, while Siraj’s match figures of 5 for 77 were the second-best ever for a visiting paceman on debut in Australia in the last 50 years.”Shubman looked confident and comfortable,” Tendulkar said. “He played some good shots off the short-pitched stuff that the Australians bowled.”Let’s also not forget how Siraj has bowled. It did not appear to me that he was playing his first Test match. The way he bowled his first over and then built it up gradually, but never did it look that he was playing his first match. The plans were well thought out. He executed it well. Both debutants were comfortable in execution of their plans.”

Debutant Hasan Mahmud took 3 for 28, as West Indies’ total of 122 would never be sufficient

Sreshth Shah20-Jan-2021Shakib Al Hasan, who was serving a one-year ban for not reporting a corrupt approach from 2019, had a fruitful return to international cricket as his 4 for 8 helped Bangladesh beat an inexperienced West Indies by six wickets in the first ODI in Mirpur. The win gave Bangladesh a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and also earned them their first points in the World Cup Super League.On paper, it would appear to be a one-sided win for Bangladesh, but West Indies – who were fielding six debutants – had some positives to take from the game despite being bowled out for 122. Debutant Kyle Mayers, who struck 40, showed promise on a spin-friendly surface while left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein – also playing his first ODI – spun a web around the Bangladesh top order with his variations to finish with 3 for 26. However, a target of 123 was simply too low for West Indies to keep sustaining the pressure, as Bangladesh won with 16 overs to spare.Conditions were overcast all day in Mirpur, and captain Tamim Iqbal asked West Indies to bat first. It was a decision that gave them early success as Mustafizur Rahman bagged 2 for 20, using his inswinger to trap opener Sunil Ambris lbw in the second over. After a brief rain delay, Rahman struck again to dismiss Joshua da Silva for 9 when the batsman edged a drive to Liton Das at gully, who took an acrobatic catch.Related

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Iqbal, donning the captain’s hat in a full-time capacity for the first time, then introduced Shakib, who struck almost instantly. Andre McCarthy looked to absorb the pressure for West Indies but after his 34-ball stay of 12, swept down the wrong line and had his off stump knocked back. That was Shakib’s 150th wicket at home, and he would swiftly add two more when he had Jason Mohammed (17) stumped and Nkrumah Bonner trapped lbw for a four-ball duck.At that stage, West Indies were 56 for 5, but a 59-run stand between Mayers and Rovman Powell took them past three-figures. After seeing off the first spell from Shakib and offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz, they pounced on pacers Rubel Hossain and Rahman when the duo returned for their second spells. The short balls were pulled or cut while the overpitched ones were drilled through cover, but just as it was looking dangerous, the half-century partnership was broken.Bangladesh’s own debutant, 21-year-old pacer Hasan Mahmud, grabbed 3 for 28 and got the breakthrough. After bowling a quick first spell with no reward, he got a length ball in his second to zip off the surface and beat Powell for pace. That got Powell’s edge and found Mushfiqur Rahim’s gloves. The next ball, Mahmud came around the wicket and hit the back leg of left-hander Raymon Reifer to get his second wicket, this time lbw. He was lucky, however, with ball-tracker showing that the delivery would have gone over the stumps. Reifer, though, could not ask for the TV umpire to look at it since West Indies had already burned both reviews.That left Mayers with the lower order to follow, but he was dismissed by Miraz from around the wicket, as the latter got the ball to turn away. Mayers’ attempted drive took the outside edge only to find Das lurking at first slip. At that point, West Indies were 121 for 8, and Das was in the action again when Hosein edged Mahmud to the slip cordon.Thereafter, Shakib took his fourth wicket and West Indies’ last, when he got an arm ball to go through Alzarri Joseph’s defense, bowling West Indies out for 122 in the 33rd over. Shakib’s figures of 4 for 8 were the best by a Bangladesh bowler against West Indies, while the visitors’ total was their second-lowest against their hosts.Liton Das and Tamim Iqbal began Bangladesh’s chase in a hurry, but fell soon after•AFP via Getty Images

The way Iqbal and Das began the chase, the match seemed destined for a quick finish. Chemar Holder erred in his line and was punished early, conceding 26 runs in his first three overs. It allowed Bangladesh to score at over five an over for the first seven, but when Joseph began operating in partnership with Hosein later on, run-scoring became difficult.Joseph bowled typical Test-match lines on a surface that showed some sideways movement and induced plenty of false shots from the openers, while Hosein got the ball to turn both ways to keep the batsmen guessing. Between overs seven and 12, Bangladesh scored only four runs, and the way Joseph and Hosein plugged the run-flow earned West Indies a breakthrough soon after.Das was the first to go, out for an uncharacteristic 38-ball 14. He tried to defend a ball from Hosein that landed on middle stump at a good length, but the delivery turned away from his bat and crashed into off stump. Bangladesh’s No. 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto then looked off-colour against Hosein, unable to guess which way the ball would turn. It led to his downfall as he played at a length ball with hard hands and the ball popped in the air for midwicket to swallow.Shakib then joined Iqbal, and together they batted conservatively as West Indies captain Mohammed introduced his own offbreaks since the surface was offering something to the spinners. Mohammed dismissed Iqbal in his fourth over when he drew the batsman forward with a full ball that turned away, only for him to be stumped for 44. Rahim and Shakib then dealt in ones and twos as Bangladesh crossed 100 in the 27th over. Hosein, however, had one last over to impress, which he did by forcing a false shot from Shakib on 19, who missed a cut off a ball aimed at the stumps.Mahmudullah and Rahim then saw off the chase with an unbeaten stand of 20, with the former hitting a boundary off a free hit in the 34th over to take Bangladesh across the line. However, it seemed that had West Indies scored another fifty runs, the chase would have been mighty tricky.”Obviously playing after 16-17 months is not easy. But [I’m] happy the way I performed,” Player of the Match Shakib said at the innings break. “The thing is we haven’t played for ten months, so everybody is anxious and keen to play matches. Since it was the first match, everyone was nervous yet excited to get on the field.”As a bowler, wanted to keep it simple and let the ball and the wicket do the work. There are quite a few young fast bowlers coming through the systems. I was playing the domestic T20 tournament where a lot of quicks were bowling with their heart out. I knew what Hasan [Mahmud] is capable of since we played in the same team. He expressed himself.””No complaints, we bowled extremely well,” Iqbal said after the match. “You couldn’t play aggressively even if you wanted to. The conditions made the wicket difficult. You have to be patient, and we weren’t chasing a big total, so whoever batted, batted sensibly.”

Visitors must find a way to draw series on most challenging of pitches, keeper says

Valkerie Baynes28-Feb-2021Expecting more of the testing conditions they faced in their hefty defeat inside two days in Ahmedabad, Ben Foakes says England will be better equipped to level the series against India in the final match, starting at the same ground on Thursday.Foakes was among a handful of players in the touring squad who trained at the Narendra Modi Stadium in on Sunday, the day the third Test was due to finish had England not been defeated by 10 wickets three days earlier. After the training session, Foakes said the Motera surface would be less of a mystery second time round and it was up to his team to work out how to fare better in conditions he described as the toughest he’d played in.Related

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“I was at training today and from the look of it I think it’ll be pretty similar,” Foakes said via Zoom. “I don’t think we’re concerned. We know what we’re going to get and I guess they’re pushing their conditions to the extremities. We know it’s going to spin considerably from ball one so it’s about trying to find a way to play well in those conditions and understand they’re going to be challenging.”The state of the pitch was the subject of much conjecture and the skiddiness of the pink ball was deemed to be a factor in a match described by Virat Kohli, the India captain, as “bizarre” after England were routed by ten wickets. The visitors collapsed to scores of 112 and 81 in their two innings, while India scarcely fared any better in their first innings, with Joe Root claiming 5 for 8 with his part-time offbreaks as batsmen found survival tough.But Foakes admitted – as his captain, Root, did immediately after the match – that England were “thoroughly outplayed”. And, while the final match will feature a return to the red ball and daytime play, Foakes said the solution for England was relatively simple as they set out to level the series 2-2.”Firstly not getting too down our ourselves after the last couple of innings,” he said. “Trying to keep a positive, clear mindset because when you’re struggling your judgement can get clouded and things can go badly. It’s about trying to keep a clear mind, stick to the gameplans and be slightly more positive at times if the situation dictates, but trying to come up with a gameplan that potentially works on that surface now we’ve had experience of what it was like in the last game.”We’re still in a position to draw in India… we are in with a chance of a pretty awesome achievement if we win this last one. It’s going to be difficult knowing the kind of surface we’re going to play on but we have just got to be better than we were in the last game.”Ben Foakes says England know the challenge ahead now•BCCI

From batting and wicketkeeping perspectives, Foakes has been in the thick of England’s battle since he arrived to replace the resting Jos Buttler starting with the second Test at Chennai.There, he acquitted himself particularly well as spin also played a big part in the match, albeit on a more traditional sub-continental pitch. His unbeaten 42 was England’s highest score in their first innings and he completed three stumpings, took two catches and was involved in a run out before they succumbed to a 317-run defeat. In the third Test, meanwhile, 20 of the 30 dismissals were either lbw or bowled.”From playing on the last two pitches I’ve never seen turn like that,” he said. “They almost feel like day-five pitches from ball one and it’s understanding we are going to get out at times and it’s making peace with a certain way of getting out if it means we can score runs.”The last two games have been the hardest pitches I’ve kept on. They’ve been challenging and the last game, I think it was to do with the pink ball, the amount it was skidding on or spun, I’d probably never experienced a wicket like that before. So it was a good challenge to keep on and I guess it was one I enjoyed.”Any time it’s done as much as it has been you’re always in the game. It’s just about trying to do as solid a job as possible and trying to impact the game by stealing a wicket or a stumping – that’s my goal.”But Foakes was also resigned to making way for Buttler once more when his rest period is over.”The way I’ve mentally approached the games is it’s three more opportunities to play for England and I’ll try and do as well as I can,” Foakes said. “I’m purely looking at how I can do well in the next game rather than the bigger picture.”

Multan Sultans coach backs the decision to change captains just days out from the start of the 2021 PSL season

Umar Farooq17-Feb-20213:12

Flower: ‘Rizwan has the qualities to make him a very successful leader’

The decision to elevate wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan as captain of Multan Sultans was an acknowledgement of his inherent leadership qualities rather than his recent red-hot form, according to head coach Andy Flower. Flower said his franchise hoped to play a part in Rizwan’s development for the good of Pakistan cricket.Multan’s decision to replace Shan Masood, who led them to the playoffs last year, days before the sixth season was surprising – Masood was integral in trialling a system of signals between coaching staff and the captain on-field, a kind of real-time strategising as play went on. That was a system England later used in their T20Is against South Africa – Nathan Leamon, England’s white-ball analyst was also with Multan. But at least partly it would appear the change is a result of a shake-up within the franchise. ESPNcricinfo understands that Alamgir Tareen, a prominent businessman, has now taken complete ownership of the franchise, in a move that has seen Ali Tareen, his nephew and hitherto the face of the franchise, moved out.Multan insisted, however, that the decision was a cricketing one.”Rizwan has shown that he’s got leadership qualities when he captained Pakistan while Babar (Azam) was injured,” Flower said. “He’s also got a really good record in domestic cricket, recently won the T20 tournament for his state (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) so he’s got the qualities to make a very successful leader. I don’t know him well, but obviously been doing a bit of research on him and he had some of the leadership qualities that we’re looking for for a new way forward. In saying that, I would say that I really enjoyed working with Shan Masood last year. I thought he captained very well, played very well, and was very much a part of us doing well last season.Mohammad Rizwan made his maiden Test and T20I hundred this month•AP Photo

“However, nothing stays permanent in life and this is a change that we’ve made. Shan is still a very important part of the Multan group. In whatever way, as a batsman or an internal leader, he’ll still play a very big part in this upcoming tournament. But for the moment, Rizwan is our captain and we’re very much looking forward to him leading the side and us getting to the play-offs again. It’s not a short-term decision. Rizwan has shown leadership qualities over a longer period of time and It’s not just his form with the bat.”The move is further confirmation of Rizwan’s swiftly rising status within Pakistan cricket, having for so long been back-up to Sarfraz Ahmed. He has now firmly established his place across formats with PCB naming him vice-captain in Test cricket. He announced himself in England last year to win a Player-of-the-Series award and his stocks rose further in New Zealand where even though the team lost both Tests under his leadership, he continued scoring runs in crisis situations.Though he’s scored first-class runs for a while now in much the same vein, the surprise has been his T20 form. In the National T20 Cup before the New Zealand series, he scored four fifties, including an unbeaten 99 against Central Punjab, which helped him finish as the highest run-scorer. His tournament tally of 389 runs at 38.90 – and a strike rate of 127.96 – led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the 2020 title.”We would like to be a part of his development for his own good, and also for the good of Pakistan cricket,” Flower said. “All of the franchises, I think, need to keep in mind the development of Pakistan cricket and its long-term good and Rizwan is case in point. In our particular example, Shan is a really good young man and a strong young man. He’s had various speed bumps and hurdles to overcome in his young career and this will be another one for him. It’s not easy for him and we can empathise with him, but we all grow stronger from some of these hurdles that we have to overcome. And in this case, I am absolutely certain that that is the way Shan will react.”Although he is yet to play T20Is for Pakistan, Masood rose to prominence with good run in domestic cricket last year scoring 569 at 27.09 at a strike rate of 125.60. However, he isn’t an explosive opening batsman and with Rizwan likely to play in the top order Masood’s chances of keeping his place seem bleak with James Vince, Chris Lynn, Sohaib Maqsood, and Rilee Rossouw also around.”We’ve got a good number of options for the top order, but there are also people in that line-up that have batted at Nos. 3 and 4 quite regularly,” Flower said. “So we’re not concerned about the order. I think it’s a strength for us. That we have players that are adaptable and that we can adapt either to the conditions that are at play or the opposition and some of their tactics. So we think that the number of options that we have at the top of the order and in the middle order is a strength. If you’re asking about what particular order we’re going to use, I’m not going to tell you right now, we’ve got a couple of practice matches now, but obviously sharing that sort of information for our opposition, we wouldn’t do that.”

South Australia were denied a place in the final when they lost in the last over against ACT

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2021For the first time in the competition’s 25-year history, New South Wales will not appear in the final of the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL).Their last league match against Queensland in Sydney was abandoned without a ball bowled removing any chance they had of finishing in the top two.Queensland then clung onto second place in the table, to play Victoria in the final on March 27, when ACT pulled off a last-over chase against South Australia to deny them the victory which would have booked their spot in the decider.New South Wales had appeared in every final (or finals series) since the tournament began in 1996-97, winning 20 of the 24 titles with one of their final losses coming last season against Western Australia meaning this is the first time they have gone back-to-back seasons without claiming the title.They made a poor start to the competition with losses in their first two games against Victoria then had a tie against Tasmania before three wins in a row kept them in the hunt. However, a heavy defeat against Queensland in Sydney two days ago ultimately proved costly.”The group’s proud of a lot of things we’ve achieved this year, it’s been such a tough year with Covid,” stand-in captain Sammy-Jo Johnson said. “We’ve done so many training sessions, the group’s had people come and go, there’s so many good things we’ve taken from this year.”To look towards next year it’s such a big positive that we’ll see some similar faces around the squad and hopefully push to get back in the final.”There have been a record number of centuries scored in this season’s tournament with Victoria’s Elyse Villani leading the way with three. Notably, 12 of the 16 centuries have come from players not currently in the Australia set-up.”Some new players have put their hands up with centuries and that’s something we speak about, about dominating the game you play and hundreds in one-day cricket are game-changing,” Australia captain Meg Lanning said last week. “It’s been great to see a number of new players doing that.”I think it’s just the overall professionalism of the game, people are training more, we’ve got access to better coaches and better facilities. Just being able to put all our effort into trying to get better as cricketers, I think that’s the reason there’s been really good performances being put out on the board.”Victoria have lost six players to Australia duty along with the injured Annabel Sutherland while Queensland will be without Beth Mooney and Jess Jonassen.

No. 3 “disappointed” not to get to three figures as Bangladesh fight back in Pallekele

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Apr-2021Losing the middle order cheaply, before bad light and rain took 24 overs out of the day, set Sri Lanka back in the match. This was according to No. 3 batter Oshada Fernando, who hit 81 in the first innings and was involved in a 104-run second-wicket stand with Lahiru Thirimanne.On a Pallekele surface that began to exhibit signs of life on day two. The hosts began the day on 291 for 1, but lost five wickets for 69 runs through the first two sessions, before rallying to 469 for 6 thanks to a Niroshan Dickwella half-century. Bad light and later rain allowed only 9.5 overs to be bowled after tea.Related

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“What we had planned for was to give them 15-20 overs to bat at the end of today,” Oshada said. “But because of the weather, and because we lost a few wickets in a cluster, we got stuck a little bit in the middle. From what I saw from the surface 550 would be a good score.”Bangladesh had put pressure on Sri Lanka early on day two, when they allowed just 18 runs to be scored in the first hour, before taking three wickets for 25 runs in 16 overs before lunch. It was only Dickwella’s run-a-ball 64 not out that helped Sri Lanka’s scoring rate recover either side of the tea break.”They bowled well in the morning, so we weren’t able to score quickly then,” Oshada said. “They bowled line and length very well. Because there was a bit of cloud cover, they probably had some help from the surface as well.”The pitch was also was a bit slower today than it was yesterday. The ball tended to stick in the wicket a bit. I think by tomorrow or day after tomorrow, there will be some turn on this surface. There weren’t many footmarks yet, but maybe if it pitches there there could be some turn.”Oshada has one Test century, which he made in Karachi at the end of 2019, but narrowly missed another hundred for the second time in three games. In the first Test against West Indies in February, he was dismissed for 91 in the second innings. Coach Mickey Arthur has spoken of grooming Oshada for a long stint at the first-drop position.”I’m very disappointed about not getting to a hundred. I was out for 90-odd in the West Indies as well, and when you’re a batsman you feel you need to get those runs. It doesn’t matter where I get to bat – No. 3 or 4, or wherever, what you have to do is score runs as a batsman.”

The cricketer will now isolate in a hotel room in Karachi for a minimum of ten days

Umar Farooq25-May-2021Anwar Ali, the Quetta Gladiators fast bowler, has tested positive for Covid-19, and will now miss the flight bound for Abu Dhabi to take part in the remainder of the PSL tomorrow – two chartered flights are leaving from Pakistan, one from Karachi and the other from Lahore.Ali had tested negative before checking into the hotel in Karachi, but his second test, conducted at the hotel on Monday, returned a positive result on Tuesday. He has been shifted to the separate floor within the hotel where he will isolate for a minimum of ten days. He will be released from the hotel after returning two negative tests.Related

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The contingents of all six franchise are scheduled to fly out to Abu Dhabi tomorrow, and all individuals are required to quarantine in their hotel rooms for seven days after that before being allowed to enter the bio-secure environment – if they return negative tests. The PCB has created three separate bubbles in Abu Dhabi: one for players, support staff, match officials, hotel staff and PCB officials; the second, in a different hotel, for the TV production crew and key event management personnel; and the third is an accommodation dedicated to the groundstaff.Players and support staff from Sri Lanka have reached Pakistan and will fly out to Abu Dhabi along with the Pakistanis – all flights will reach on May 26 – because the UAE has in place travel restrictions for several countries, including Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Chartered flights, however, are permitted.The PCB has also earned exemptions for Indian and South African nationals, who are involved with the PSL in different capacities – mainly broadcast and production. Those taking chartered flights from those two countries have to quarantine for ten days in a separate hotel.Anwar’s loss will hurt the Gladiators, who have already lost the services of fast bowler Naseem Shah. Shah was released by the team yesterday following a breach of Covid-19 regulations as he arrived at the hotel in Lahore armed with a negative Covid-19 report dated May 18, but from a non-compliant PCR test.

The captain was “a little bit surprised” by the number of withdrawals from West Indies and Bangladesh trips

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jun-2021Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch believes it will be difficult for those players who have withdrawn from the tours of West Indies and Bangladesh justifying a return to the IPL when the competition resumes in September.He confirmed that it had been part of long-term planning to rest David Warner and Pat Cummins from the trips, but they have been joined in staying home by Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson and Jhye Richardson. Allrounder Daniel Sams, who caught Covid-19 in India shortly before the IPL started, had previously taken himself out of contention for selection while Steven Smith was ruled out with an elbow injury.Finch said he understood the mental toll that the IPL had taken on players – with the Australians enduring a complicated journey home due to border closures – but followed what national selector Trevor Hohns said last week about national duty taking priority later in the year.Related

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“This is only my personal opinion, I think they would find it hard to justify going back and playing that second half of the IPL purely based on the workload coming up with a T20 World Cup then a huge home summer,” Finch told SEN WA when speaking to Adam Gilchrist. “It’s a tough situation everyone has been put in but personally I’d find it hard to do that knowing how challenging it is mentally and on your family.”Although Finch knew he would be without Warner and Cummins in the coming months he admitted the overall number of pullouts had “surprised” him. Their absences have meant recalls for Dan Christian, Ben McDermott and Ashton Turner plus a maiden international call-up for pace bowler Wes Agar. It also means that Finch won’t have had a first-choice T20 team together for a year when the World Cup comes around.”Pat Cummins and David Warner, that was a long-term plan for them that they weren’t going to go on this tour from the outset,” he said. “Having a big summer last year followed by IPL with a T20 World Cup and a view to the Ashes, guys who are playing three formats of the game it can be so brutal on them travelling and playing in bubbles.Aaron Finch will again be well short of having his first-choice T20 side together•AFP

“I was a little bit surprised [with the others]. I’ve chatted to them all. A little bit surprised but also understandable. I know from my own point of view having gone to the UK then all the way through the home summer, I know towards the end of that year I was absolutely cooked mentally. Almost when the season finished it’s a great relief so I can understand, but wish they were there.”Australia are due to depart for West Indies on June 28 for a tour that will include five T20Is and three ODIs. They are then scheduled to head straight to Bangladesh for five further T20Is between August 2 and 10 although those matches are still awaiting final approval around the biosecure plans.Finch will return home and complete his quarantine shortly before his wife Amy is due to give birth to their first child on September 8. He expects to be able to be at home for three or four weeks before beginning final preparations for the T20 World Cup which is due to start in mid-October and may also be shifted to the UAE.Once he is back and through another two weeks of quarantine, Finch’s home season will begin with domestic cricket in the BBL for Melbourne Renegades. Australia’s limited-overs cricket during the summer features visits by New Zealand and Sri Lanka from late January after the Ashes.

England vice-captain seeks to stay on a roll against an India side expected to fight back in second ODI

Valkerie Baynes29-Jun-2021After rediscovering some fine form with the bat, Nat Sciver is targeting more in Taunton, where she expects India to show some fight as England hunt an unassailable lead in the ODI leg of their multi-format series.England lead the series by four points to two after drawing the Test and then winning the first of three ODIs resoundingly in Bristol on Sunday, when Sciver and Tammy Beaumont combined for an unbroken third-wicket stand worth 119.Sciver had spoken in the lead-up to the Test, also in Bristol, of her hunger for more runs after scores of 7, 10 and 9* in the opening rounds of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and 2 for England against England A in a warm-up for the India series.After contributing a valuable 42 in the Test, Sciver kicked on with 74 not out as England’s batting depth was scarcely tested in an eight-wicket victory secured with 15.1 overs to spare.Related

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Turning her attention to Taunton, where England can go 2-0 up in the three-match 50-over series on Wednesday, Sciver was hopeful that her latest knock is a sign of more to come.”I’m really happy that I managed to put a partnership together with Tammy because in the games leading up to the series I’d been a bit frustrated in not being able to get a score,” Sciver said. “We’d spoken about having a partnership over 100 and just making sure that we were clinical so I was very happy to be out there at the end with her and I felt like I was in a good spot to push on.”Beaumont has been in scintillating touch, her unbeaten 87 marking the fourth time in as many ODIs that she has passed fifty and coming after another half-century in the Test. Most encouraging for Sciver, the England vice-captain, was that her return to form required no changes to technique or mindset.”I haven’t done anything different, just being patient,” Sciver added. “I was quite easily frustrated in the domestic games we had before the series, wanting to get a score just to feel good, but I was patient and just played my natural game, hit straight and made use of the bad ball.”It felt good to be out there in the middle with Tammy in the other game so hopefully it can be more of the same.”But where patience proved to be a virtue for Sciver, it was India’s undoing, their overall run rate of 4.02 ultimately taking them to a below-par 201 for 8 from their 50 overs, which included 181 dot balls. India posted 27 for 2 in the first powerplay and they took until the 32nd over to reach the 100 mark, captain Mithali Raj’s 72 holding the innings together but coming off 108 deliveries.Sciver expects to see a different approach from India in the day-night match in Taunton.Sciver’s partnership with Tammy Beaumont in Bristol was match-winning•PA Photos/Getty Images

“If we were in that position, we’d want to certainly punch back a bit harder and make sure that we don’t do the same things again,” she said. “So we’re expecting India to come out with a bit of fight tomorrow.”But hopefully with our skill that we’ve got with the ball and ruthlessness with the bat we can put on a good performance again.”England, whose victory in the first ODI was set up by a strong all-round bowling display led by Sophie Ecclestone’s 3 for 40, could be well-served targeting India’s dangerous openers again.Having removed destructive hitter Shafali Verma, making her ODI debut after twin half-centuries in her maiden Test the week before, and fellow Smriti Mandhana cheaply thanks to seamers Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole – who claimed two wickets each – the hosts were in a strong position to keep a lid on India’s scoring and put pressure on the middle order.”Their line-up is obviously very powerful at the top,” Sciver said. “The importance of the first 10 from our bowlers was massive and Anya and Katherine showed their class and really put the pressure on, made it hard for them to score, and then they had to go for a big shot.”