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Dawid Malan adds fifty to help hosts reach 286 for 4 in response to Sussex’s first-innings 216

ECB Reporters Network20-Jul-2023Adam Lyth’s excellent 115 – his second LV= Insurance County Championship century of the season – underpinned a dominant Yorkshire batting display as they seized control after two days against Sussex at Headingley.Lyth led the county’s 286 for 4 in response to Sussex’s inadequate first-innings 216 after the visitors elected to bat on a pitch they believed would get worse but has got much better.Lyth’s 31st career first-class century included 18 fours in 175 balls and was ably supported as opening partner Fin Bean made 45, South African overseas batter Ryan Rickelton 46 and England white-ball star Dawid Malan 51.Play started with Sussex advancing their first innings from 120 for 6 overnight after they struggled in bowler-friendly conditions during a shortened first day.All-rounder Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Australian overseas seamer Nathan McAndrew gave their total respectability by completing a 94-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Impressive Hudson-Prentice top-scored with 73 and McAndrew added 47.It was a sign of things to come that they batted comfortably late on day one and early on day two in advancing from 76 for 6.Matthew Fisher finished with 4 for 69 for Yorkshire, all four of his wickets coming on the opening day.Left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty claimed two of the four morning wickets including Hudson-Prentice brilliantly caught by substitute fielder Matthew Revis running back towards the long-on fence. He was on for Lyth at the time.Yorkshire clearly haven’t had things easy in Championship cricket for the last season-and-a-half.And while Lyth, dropped on 38 at second slip by James Coles, played the lead role, it is his 21-year-old opening partner Bean’s form this season which is even more pleasing as they build for the future.Even though he missed out on the big eye-catching score in this innings, Bean still went beyond 600 Championship runs for the season – a milestone Lyth later reached as well.Bean put his name in lights last summer with a remarkable 441 in a second-team Championship match at Nottinghamshire when not on contract at Headingley.It earned him an almost immediate rookie deal with the county, and only last week that was turned into a maiden two-year full professional deal following three Championship centuries in 2023.Stalwart Lyth has not had a solid opening partnership since fellow Championship-winner Alex Lees left for Durham in late 2018. Now, this Lyth and Bean alliance looks to be set in stone for a good while to come.Lyth, as ever, drove handsomely as Yorkshire confidently made inroads into Sussex’s total.At one stage, he and Bean hit five fours in seven balls off the seam of Hudson-Prentice and Henry Crocombe in the 15th and 16th overs, moving the score to 75 without loss. In fact, 76 out of Yorkshire’s first 89 runs came in boundaries.Lyth drove with more of a flourish and Bean was more compact and mechanical. The latter is not too dissimilar to the way Sir Alastair Cook bats.Lyth reached his fifty off 77 balls shortly after Bean had departed, caught at slip trying to play forcefully off the back foot against McAndrew – 94 for one in the 22nd over.But Lyth found another partner in Rickelton, who is playing his second of four Championship matches as a short-term replacement for captain Shan Masood, away on Test duty with Pakistan.Rickelton was quick on his feet in lofting Coles’ left-arm spin for six over long-off before he edged the seam of Ari Karvelas to second slip as he jammed down on a full ball.Lyth later reached his century off 157 balls but was the first of two wickets in as many overs from off-spinner Jack Carson, who helped Sussex end the day well. Lyth chipped to midwicket and George Hill edged to slip without scoring, leaving Yorkshire at 258 for four in the 63rd over.While Sussex limited the damage late on, Malan reached his fifty off 82 balls.

BCB’s chief physician says he had subsequently tested negative ahead of tournament opener, so Covid-19 cannot be behind him missing the game

Mohammad Isam21-Jan-2022Fortune Barishal wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan, who did not play their opening game in BPL 2022 on Friday, was one of three people to test positive from the franchise in the lead-up to the opener.However, BCB chief physician Dr Debashis Chowdhury has said Nurul must have been kept out from the game for reasons other than Covid-19, as he had recovered and returned two negative tests, including on the morning of the match.Related

• Smooth BPL despite Covid will mean big gains for Bangladesh

According to the franchise, the other two members of the Barishal team to test positive in the lead-up to the tournament were batter Munim Shahriar and batting coach Nazmul Abedeen Fahim.Nurul will be tested again tomorrow. “We tested Nurul Hasan thrice,” Chowdhury said. “He was positive in the first test, and then returned negative results in the next two tests. There’s no problem from our side, so he must be missing the match due to some other reason.”Barishal are the first team to make public details of the positive Covid-19 cases in their squad.There are, however, reports in sections of local media of six positive cases in the Khulna Tigers side, including that of Soumya Sarkar, and 12 positive cases overall among the BCB’s employees over the last four or five days.The BPL is being held in the middle of a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh, exacerbated by the Omicron variant. Confirmed cases crossed 10,000 on Thursday for the first time since August 2021, with positive cases growing to 29 times the number it was on January 1, 2022. The positivity rate in the country had reached 26%.

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

• Naseem Shah invited to rejoin PSL bubble despite Covid-19 protocol violation

• Coconut water, ice collars, lighter kits: How the PSL plans to beat the Abu Dhabi heat

• Rashid Khan to fly to England for T20 Blast after PSL

• Multan Sultans sign Shimron Hetmyer in mini replacement draft

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.

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

• 'If our batters average 40, we have enough to bowl sides out' – Arthur

• Competence is the new excellence for Sri Lanka's openers

• Dickwella, Fernando fifties propel SL despite Ahmed's triple-strike

“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.”

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.”

Stokes made an OBE and Buttler an MBE for services to cricket in New Year’s Honours list

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2020England’s World Cup celebrations have continued with Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler collecting honours at Buckingham Palace.The pair were named alongside their World Cup-winning captain, Eoin Morgan, coach, Trevor Bayliss, and Joe Root on the New Year’s Honours list and received their awards from the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William.Stokes, who also won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in December, was made an OBE for services to cricket and Buttler was made an MBE following a remarkable year for the England team, who beat New Zealand to win the men’s World Cup for the first time in the most thrilling of finals at Lord’s.Stokes struck an unbeaten 84 in the final – including two sixes in the last over – to tie the game, and then batted in the Super Over to help England to a memorable triumph. Stokes also hit a stirring 135 not out to hand England victory in the third Ashes Test at Headingley. Meanwhile, it was Buttler who featured in the decisive moment of the World Cup when he gathered Jason Roy’s throw and completed the run-out of Martin Guptill, which meant England won the title on boundaries scored.Jos Buttler poses with his medal after being appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) following an investiture service at Buckingham Palace•AFP via Getty Images

The pair were joined at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday by Colin Graves, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, who was recognised with a CBE for services to the sport.”Without a shadow of a doubt, it’s two great players and to share the day with them is brilliant,” Graves told the Press Association. “You just have to look at the Sports Personality of the Year awards, Stokesy won the main award, the team won the team award, the team won the moments of the year award.”Morgan is due to be appointed a CBE and Root is to be made an MBE, while Bayliss will be made an OBE.

West Indies will be without the injured Andre Russell in their must-win game against the new No.1 ODI side

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu26-Jun-20194:11

Kartik: India’s middle order not a cause of concern

Big Picture

Thirty six years after India sprung a surprise on West Indies in final, the two sides meet again with plenty on the line at Old Trafford. Carlos Brathwaite fell inches short on Saturday, but it’s not quite the end of the road for West Indies, who have just won one of their six matches and are placed just above South Africa and Afghanistan, who are both out of contention for the semi-finals.England’s back-to-back defeats come as soothing news to West Indies, who can still sneak into the knockouts, provided they win their last three league matches and the stars align for them. Should Jason Holder’s men lose tomorrow, though, their dream will be over and India will take a big step closer to the semi-finals.West Indies will have to do without Andre Russell whose utterly wonky knees have given up. There’s also an injury cloud over Evin Lewis, who had hurt his hamstring in the field against New Zealand and later did not open the batting. Instead, he batted at No. 8 and bagged a three-ball duck.Chris Gayle and Shai Hope have blown hot and cold, compounding West Indies’ top-order troubles. They are the only side in the tournament without a fifty opening stand and they have the worst average for the opening partnership (11.2). Sunil Ambris, who has been drafted in as Russell’s replacement, could help remedy this and bring some attacking enterprise at the top while Brathwaite seamlessly fits in as a like-for-like replacement for Russell.Sheldon Cottrell: taking wickets and having fun•Getty Images

West Indies’ new-ball bowlers ditched the bang-it-in plan and hit much fuller lengths on Saturday, and Sheldon Cottrell was immediately rewarded with a double-wicket first over. His left-arm angle coupled with an awkward round-arm action could pose a threat to India’s batting line-up that still has some cracks in the middle order. Vijay Shankar is still feeling his way into the middle order, and he had his first – and only crack – at No. 4 on Saturday. Kedar Jadhav made a scrappy fifty, but he could not find a gear high enough to hurt Afghanistan.That brings us to MS Dhoni. As is his wont, he simply blocked the spinners and set up for the late burst. However, it never came and Dhoni fell in the most un-Dhoni fashion: jumping out to slog Rashid Khan against the break in his last over and getting stumped.Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s injury has also messed with India’s balance. Mohammed Shami bowled a fiery first spell and later closed out the game against Afghanistan with a hat-trick, but his inclusion has lengthened India’s tail. Against West Indies whose batting drips with power and depth, India could consider recalling Ravindra Jadeja in place of one of the wristspinners.ALSO READ: Aakash Chopra on what India need to do against West Indies’ key players

Form guide

India: WWWWL (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies: LLLLW

In the spotlight

Manchester is a special place for Vijay Shankar. He’s a die-hard fan of Manchester United and he enjoyed a tour of the football’s Old Trafford before pinning Imam-ul-Haq lbw with his first World Cup delivery at cricket’s Old Trafford, against Pakistan. The batting allrounder had a bright start against Afghanistan, but he threw it away, chancing a sweep just after fine leg had been whisked in. Can he make the No. 4 spot his own upon his return to Manchester?ALSO READ – Gollapudi: What Vijay Shankar brings at No. 4Shimron Hetmyer started the tournament quietly and then eased himself into back-to-back fifties against Bangladesh and New Zealand. That Hetmyer is a fine player of spin makes him one of the key figures in the middle order against Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav or Jadeja. Remember his rousing hundred in Guwahati last year, India?4:42

Ganga wants Bravo, Allen in WI’s XI

Team news

India are set to give Vijay another shot at the middle order. But, the big question is will they throw Jadeja into the mix at the expense of a wristspinner? Bhuvneshwar has resumed bowling at the nets, but India are unlikely to risk playing him on Thursday.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (captain), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Kedar Jadhav, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal/Ravindra Jadeja, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit BumrahWest Indies are likely include Ambris if Lewis is unfit, and Kemar Roach might keep his place ahead of the erratic Shannon Gabriel.West Indies (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis/Sunil Ambris, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Carlos Brathwaite, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Ashley Nurse, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Oshane ThomasChris Gayle has a hit in the nets•AFP

Pitch and conditions

The Old Trafford track is likely to be flat as usual, and there’s no rain forecast for Thursday.

Strategy punt

• Keep your inswinger ready against Gayle in the Powerplay. The opener has struggled against incoming deliveries in the first ten overs, managing only 19 off 30 such balls while being dismissed twice.
• Gayle sized up Mitchell Santner’s left-arm spin on Saturday, and West Indies have more left-handers in Lewis, Nicholas Pooran and Hetmyer, but India could still take a punt on Jadeja for his athleticism in the field and the batting cover he provides. Even if Jadeja, the bowler, is taken to the cleaners, India have an extra bowling option in Vijay.

Stats and trivia

• Jasprit Bumrah has bowled 15 yorkers in four matches this World Cup. Only Mitchell Starc has bowled more yorkers (16) although he has had the benefit of playing three more games.
• Gayle is 59 runs away from surpassing Brian Lara as West Indies’ top run-getter in ODI cricket
• Tomorrow’s ODI will be Hardik Pandya’s 50th. He needs two wickets to reach 50 ODI wickets
• In ODIs since 2017, at Old Trafford, spinners have managed only 15 wickets in 10 innings as opposed to 56 taken by the seamers.

At a ground where England made 481 not too long ago, Pakistan’s task will be cut out against West Indies

The Preview by Danyal Rasool30-May-2019

Big Picture

With the World Cup wheels having been well-oiled by a mouth-watering opening match between South Africa and England at the Oval, two rather more distant contenders for the trophy kick off their official campaigns at Trent Bridge. West Indies and Pakistan are few people’s picks for an appearance at Lord’s come the 14th of July, but two teams that have the Cricket World Cup in their blood for very different reasons will look to add sweat and tears to that concoction and brew something special over the coming six weeks.For West Indies, the World Cup is their reference point to glory, so sweetly timed was this competition’s induction to cricket for that magical side which dominated the sport for the best part of 20 years it took them three editions and eight years before they finally let a trophy leave their grasp. It was 40 years ago when they last lay claim to one of these, and after all that time spent wandering in the desert, they may feel destiny has the Promised Land in reach once more.How easy is it to forget, then, that but for a bit of Harare afternoon rain falling just the right side of DLS calculations one March day, this grand side would have been by a Caribbean beach, watching Scotland take the field against Pakistan tomorrow? Much water, if you will excuse the pun, has passed under the bridge since, and West Indies look a completely different side to that one, if only because off-field matters seem more under control than they have for many years.ALSO READ: ESPNcricinfo’s fantasy cricket tips for Pakistan v West IndiesThe squad seems to have unity and togetherness, something they haven’t been famed for, and a much-settled, respected captain in Jason Holder. The side’s balance was evident in their crushing defeat of New Zealand in Tuesday’s warm-up, a destructive batting display laying down a marker of sorts.Pakistan have a strange relationship with the World Cup, particularly since 1992, where an odds-defying win crafted the team’s reputation and gave them their brand of unpredictability. They come into the tournament having lost 10 ODIs on the bounce, in addition to a warm-up loss against Afghanistan – and a record against the top five that reads three wins in 23 since their famous Champions Trophy win in 2017.The fast bowling, Pakistan’s stock trade, has seen one after another lose form and effectiveness, with Mohammad Amir, once the prince of this generation, the heir apparent to Wasim Akram, only barely squeezing into the final 15. Hasan Ali is the obvious leader of the attack, though a bowling average of nearly 60 since the Asia Cup last year is worrying, and Shaheen Afridi is the only one to keep both average and economy rate respectable over this period.The batting looks to have caught up somewhat to modern standards, with Pakistan becoming the first team to reach three consecutive ODI totals of 340 earlier this month against England (though they lost all three matches). In any case, they must be wary of a West Indies side that pummelled New Zealand’s bowling attack for 421, and the batting is a department Pakistan are not about to outgun West Indies in any time soon.The odds may not be in Pakistan’s favour, but that was the case in 2017, too, when, having barely qualified for the Champions Trophy, they caught fire and singed England and India in the semis and final, laughing the face of logic. The squad that defied those odds carried 11 of the players that return to England with that trophy tucked under their arms, and will wonder why they should be rated any inferior to the teams they left in their wake just two years ago.Getty Images

Form guide

West Indies LLWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LLLLL

In the spotlight

Shimron Hetmyer is the second-youngest in the West Indies squad, but is assured of his place in Guyana’s cricketing history at 22. An Under-19 World Cup winning captain, Hetmyer showcased his array of hitting ability which he married with consistency when England came calling earlier this year in a series West Indires squared 2-2. It isn’t just the average and the numbers – four hundreds and two half-centuries in just 24 innings – but the technique and obvious promise the left-hander possesses. The biggest stage of them all is another fine opportunity to showcase his abilities.Fakhar Zaman’s average since the Asia Cup in September 2018 has dropped down to 32; it had been 76 until then. His strike rate has taken a hit too – 91 against a career strike rate of 98, and so has Pakistan’s ODI form in this period. With Fakhar assigned a role of a dasher, one that most others in the side aren’t equipped with, his ability to execute it is likely to be directly proportional to Pakistan’s fortunes at the World Cup.

Team news

Pakistan have a fully fit squad to choose from, with the team announcing 12 names from which the final eleven will be chosen. That list sees, Shoaib Malik and Shaheen Afridi miss out, with Pakistan now needing to choose between three of Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Waism, Haris Sohail and Asif Ali.Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman 3 Babar Azam, 4 Haris Sohail 5 Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt, wk), 6 Mohammad Hafeez/Imad Wasim 7 Asif Ali, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Hasan Ali 11 Wahab RiazWest Indies line-up is harder to predict, with Shannon Gabriel the only bowler to play no part in the warm-up against New Zealand. With his knee heavily braced as West Indies trained the day before the game, he could be the man to miss out again.West Indies (possible): 1 Chris Gayle 2 Evin Lewis 3 Shai Hope (wk) 4 Shimron Hetmyer 5 Darren Bravo 6 Jason Holder (capt) 7 Andre Russell 8 Ashley Nurse 9 Kemar Roach 10 Sheldon Cottrell 11 Oshane Thomas

Pitch and conditions

Overcast skies are expected for much of the game at Nottingham, but rain should not play spoilsport. It also gives each side the chance to bowl first and pit their swing bowlers against the opposition to see if overhead conditions can be utilised to their advantage.

Stats and trivia

• Jason Holder is one of only two captains to have also captained his side at the previous World Cup; Eoin Morgan of England is the other one.
• This is the fourth time in six World Cups that Pakistan begin their campaign against West Indies. The previous three openers saw them win once, while West Indies triumphed twice.

India captain Virat Kohli, though, feels that he is “best suited” for the No. 5 spot in ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-20194:08

Dhoni best suited for No. 5 spot – Kohli

MS Dhoni’s batting spot has become a raging debate in the lead-up to the World Cup. After scoring three successive fifties, including a series-clinching 87 off 114 balls from No. 4, he has said that he’s ready to float in the middle order. While India’s vice-captain Rohit Sharma believes Dhoni at No. 4 is “most ideal”, captain Virat Kohli says he is “best suited” to bat at No.5.Dhoni is no longer the explosive force he once was, but he has absorbed pressure on the slow pitches in Australia and has secured two successive chases after taking it to the last over in his own inimitable style.In the series opener in Sydney, he walked in at No.5 after India were reduced to 3 for 4 within four overs. He weathered many attacks in a chase of 289 before falling in the 33rd over. He batted at No. 5 in the must-win second ODI for India and struck an unbeaten 54-ball 55 to force the series into a decider. In the third match on a tough pitch, Dhoni was dropped twice on 0 and then on 74, but he pressed on to win it for India.”Well, it’s good (enjoying batting at No.4?),” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation after claiming the Man-of-the-Series award. “If I am batting at 6 and somebody is batting at 4, we’ve to look if we can interchange the position and see if the team [balance] remains the same. It’s not about where you want to be, it’s about how many you can fill in that position. I’m happy to bat at any number. If I have to go back and bat at 5 or 6, I’m happy to do that. Because the important thing is where the team needs me. After playing 14 years, I can’t say I can’t bat at 6 and I need to bat at 4 or 5, so I will bat at where the team needs me.”When asked if the management was keen on keeping Dhoni at No.4 Kohli said: “I personally feel No.5 is the best-suited spot for him because that allows him to do a bit of both – get some game-time and finish games off and attack as and when required. The management discussed No. 5 was the ideal position for him and if you saw him in Adelaide as well he was pretty comfortable batting there. He was more himself in that game and he built onto this knock.”ALSO READ: Chopra: What is Dhoni’s role in the India ODI side?On Friday, Dhoni managed only 12 off 22 balls against legspinner Adam Zampa and 5 off 17 balls from Jhye Richardson, but he made up for that by attacking Peter Siddle, Billy Stanlake and Marcus Stoinis to shift the pressure back on Australia. Kedar Jadhav eased the pressure on Dhoni with timely boundaries and hard-run twos in an unbeaten 121-run stand.”It was a slow wicket, so it was a bit difficult to hit whenever you want to,” Dhoni said. “I think it was important to take it till the end because some of their main bowlers were on the verge of finishing their quota of overs. So, you have to target the bowlers you can on wickets like these. No point going after the ones who’re bowling well. That was the game plan and it was really well supported by Kedar. He’s somebody who plays some unorthodox shots and great shots in the middle, so it takes that pressure off me when you’re looking to go right till the last over.”Kohli conceded that he was nervous when the asking rate ballooned in the chase, but agreed with Dhoni, saying that the key was to take the game deep.”As MS said, it wasn’t that easy a wicket to bat on. So, he had to take the game deep,” Kohli said during the presentation. “They’re professional enough to finish it off. We were a bit nervous there, but two set batsmen in the middle knew exactly what they wanted to do. So, they got the job done. In the end, that’s what matters.”

Supported by Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav, Gill shepherded the first successful chase of the tournament this year

Sidharth Monga25-Oct-2018Shubman Gill looks to the heavens after bringing up his century•PTI

Shubman Gill has dazzled in the IPL, but for those of the more conventional disposition, he made a big statement with his first List A hundred in a chase. From 85 for 3, India C mounted the first successful chase of this Deodhar Trophy, sealing their berth in the final against the undefeated India B. All three matches have been played at Feroz Shah Kotla, but this pitch played better than the previous two where the chasing teams managed only 218 and 201. Gill, though, shepherded this chase of 294 with the first hundred of the tournament.Gill was supported by wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. What will impress the three national selectors in attendance is that there was a lot of sensible batting to go with impressive stroke-play. Going by the trend in this tournament, and with Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina both gone, India C seemed out of the contest chasing the biggest total of the tournament.Pretty early on in the chase, Gill settled down to bat through, and Kishan assumed the role of the enforcer. Kishan has shown in the past he can innovate and hit against slower bowlers. He hit international bowlers Mohammed Siraj and R Ashwin for two boundaries in an over. His strike rate was under 100 only against Ashwin and Nitish Rana. In between, Gill tonked Ashwin and Shams Mulani for a six each.International teams might also want to look at the tapes of this chase as a tutorial on how to face Kedar Jadhav, who was making his comeback from his latest hamstring injury. They played the full balls straight – Kishan even drove one back past him for four – and waited for the short ball. Suryakumar was the most severe on Jadhav, hitting a short, low-bouncing ball for an inside-out six over extra cover.By this time, Gill and Suryakumar had sailed through the slightly nervous period after Kishan’s dismissal for a 60-ball 69. Now Gill, too, began to show off, hitting a slower bouncer from Dhawal Kulkarni over wide mid-off. Suryakumar responded with two sixes in empty stands, which slowed down the progress of the match. Suryakumar’s power hitting again was from a chasing template: the top order brings you to the 35th over with the asking rate in control, and then the big hitter kills the contest.Gill brought up his hundred with just 12 runs required, and then finished the game off with a boundary off the last ball of the 47th over.