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At the end of their tour of Sri Lanka, the emergence of Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj to complement Imran Tahir is perhaps the biggest positive for South Africa

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the Premadasa14-Aug-2018It has been a weird tour for South Africa. In the Tests, they were more abject than anyone could have imagined, crash-landing in Galle where they slumped to 73 all out – their worst total since readmission – before being soundly thrashed in Colombo as well. Now in the final match of the tour, they have collected another worst-ever total, dismissed for 98 in the one-off T20I at Khettarama. In between though, there were rollicking ODI wins, and a real sense of depth to their one-day squad, as they surged clinically to three straight wins, before taking their foot off the pedal for the dead rubbers.Out of eight matches in Sri Lanka, South Africa won only three games, and yet, even though that reads like a poor result, it could actually have been worse, said T20I captain JP Duminy. At least on this trip to South Asia there were reasons to smile. That hasn’t always been the case at the end of tours to this part of the world.”I don’t think we’re walking away from Sri Lanka with negativity,” Duminy said. “I think there’s a lot of positives. I’ve certainly experienced many tours of the subcontinent when you walk away with your head in your hands not knowing where your next run or next wicket is going to come from. Yes there’s disappointment about the Test series, but from a one-day perspective, we’ve taken huge strides in my opinion. I’m excited by the brand of cricket we’re trying to adopt. I believe we can only get better.”Perhaps the biggest of South Africa’s “positives” is the state of their spin stocks. They left the tried-and-true Imran Tahir out of the limited-overs squads, in order to test out the other talent, and they could hardly have hoped for better returns from the younger slow bowlers. Left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi was excellent in the three ODIs he played, taking six wickets at an average of 23.00, with an economy rate of less than five. He was also good in the T20I, where his two late wickets came close to turning the game in South Africa’s favour. Keshav Maharaj, meanwhile, had been outstanding in the Test series, finishing as the equal-highest wicket-taker with 16 dismissals at an average of 24.37. Add Tahir back into the mix, and South Africa’s spin stocks have perhaps never been so healthy.”Tabraiz is an exciting prospect for South African cricket and he’s a wicket-taker,” Duminy said. “If you look at Imran Tahir who’s been a match-winner for us for many years, to have another one coming through now, it’s fantastic. Even Keshav Maharaj has been a match-winner for South Africa. That’s exciting to see for our spin department. Spin coach Claude Henderson has played a big role in that, working with the spinners. It’s exciting to see them put their hands up in these conditions.”Given this is South Africa – a team that for much of its history has been modest in the spin-bowling department – it is strange to consider that they could bowl two frontline wristspinners in tandem in one-day cricket. Sri Lanka’s batsmen were not adept at picking Shamsi through the course of the one-dayers, and have often floundered against Tahir. India have taken to fielding a legspinner – Yuzvendra Chahal – and a left-arm wristspinner – Kuldeep Yadav – regularly in their ODI XI, even in places like England. South Africa now also have the option.”The opportunity to pick both of them is exciting,” Duminy said. “If you have conditions similar to Sri Lanka, or even English conditions – that’s where the World Cup is going to be – that’s a good option to have, if you know that the opposition doesn’t necessarily play spin well. It’s definitely a great feather in our cap.”They were woeful in the Tests, but in one-dayers at least, South Africa can leave Sri Lanka confident that they are closer to firming up a good World Cup squad.

The “T20 Cricket League” will be played in November and December; no clarity yet over who will bear costs

Liam Brickhill25-Sep-2018Cricket South Africa’s relaunched T20 tournament will be broadcast exclusively on the terrestrial, state-owned broadcaster SABC, and has been named the “T20 Cricket League”. CSA and the SABC have announced a joint partnership for the new league, giving the SABC exclusive official broadcast rights for the Sub-Saharan region.”This is a landmark moment for cricket in South Africa,” CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe said. “For the first time South Africa’s premier public broadcaster will have exclusive rights to a major cricket event.”The announcement adds an interesting new chapter to a saga that has rumbled on for more than 18 months, particularly as the SABC has not broadcast domestic cricket for many years. When the first edition of the now defunct T20 Global League was initially pitched as the brainchild of former CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat last year, an initial stumbling block – and part of the reason for Lorgat’s eventual downfall – were concerns over a TV deal. In September 2017, shortly before his departure, Lorgat suggested that SuperSport may be the only viable broadcast partner.The inaugural season of the T20 league was then delayed as CSA was unable to secure a broadcast deal or title sponsor for the event despite protracted negotiations with SuperSport over several months. In July this year, CSA CEO Thabang Moroe announced that CSA had agreed an equity deal with SuperSport, giving the broadcaster a 49% stake in the T20 league, but the following month SuperSport pulled out of the deal, even while suggesting they might still be interested in broadcasting the event.When the T20 Global League was conceptualised, SuperSport believed it already had the rights to all cricket played in South Africa. However, their existing deal excluded what CSA defined as “new business”, and the board sought a broadcaster abroad, aiming for big names in India and the UAE. They have now found one much closer to home and more modest, but CSA’s new deal with the SABC could also have a negative impact on their relationship with SuperSport. Their current deal is up for renegotiation next year, while CSA’s agreement with the SABC is covered by an MoU that will run for the next three years.The group chief executive officer of the SABC, Madoda Maxakwe, called the deal “mutually beneficial” to both CSA and SABC. While it will certainly take the event to a wide audience, it will not bring with it the sort of financial clout CSA would have been looking for in their dealings with SuperSport and the beleaguered private owners of the initial GLT20 – several of whom are in various stages of legal proceedings against CSA – as the SABC is widely known to be in severe financial strife.Last month, the cash-strapped broadcaster was reportedly unable to broadcast matches played by the national soccer teams as it could not negotiate terms with the South African Football Association, which it is said to owe R50 million. It is as yet unclear what, if any, financial input SABC may have into the T20 Cricket League, meaning CSA could be left covering the costs itself, further depleting its own cash reserves. The joint statement released by CSA and the SABC said that this new deal will “assist the SABC to regain its credibility”, but did not divulge financial details.”The SABC treasures the good relationship that we have with CSA, which enables the two parties to enter into this groundbreaking partnership,” Maxakwe said. “It is a perfect deal, as it fits into the SABC’s business strategy of increasing audiences and revenue, delivering compelling and entertaining content and diversifying revenue streams. The deal is, therefore, one that is mutually beneficial both to the SABC and CSA.”The T20 Cricket League will be played in November and December and will be broadcast live on SABC 3, with radio commentary being provided by Radio 2000 and Umhlobo Wenene FM.Further details of the T20 Cricket League, including hosting venues and fixtures, are expected to be announced at a media briefing with Moroe at CSA’s headquarters in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

The 32-year old opener picked up the injury while preparing for a first-class game this week and is expected to be out of action for four to six weeks

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2018Martin Guptill had to be withdrawn from New Zealand’s ODI and T20I squads to face Pakistan later this month owing to a left calf strain. The 32-year old opener picked up the injury while preparing for a first-class game with Auckland this week and is expected to be out of action for four to six weeks.New Zealand face Pakistan across three T20Is, three ODIs and three Tests starting from October 31. Guptill was named in both white-ball squads and has long been one of the team’s senior players, providing fast starts at the top of the order. He made a 49-ball hundred against Australia in a T20I at Eden Park in February.”Unfortunately for Martin it will take him some time to get over this injury,” selector Gavin Larsen said. “And, with a long summer ahead, we need to make sure we minimise the risk of him repeating it.”The tour of the UAE will be Gary Stead’s first as head coach of the New Zealand team. They are already missing a first-choice pick in Mitchell Santner, who is still recuperating from a long-term knee injury. Central Stags left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel was brought into the Test side as his replacement, while Ish Sodhi will shoulder the burden during the ODI and T20I leg of the tour.New Zealand’s A team are set to arrive in the UAE in early October to play a few matches and, based on performance, two members from that squad were meant to be drafted into the senior team. Now, with Guptill unavailable, another spot has opened up.”Gary Stead and I will work through the possible replacement options,” Larsen said. “We now have three spots to fill in the T20 and one-day squads.”

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) has acknowledged that it could have done more to mark Remembrance Sunday on its social media channels

George Dobell12-Nov-2018The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) has acknowledged that it could have done more to mark Remembrance Sunday on its social media channels, after receiving a complaint from a member.The players’ union admitted to ESPNcricinfo that not recognising the centenary of Armistice Day on its Twitter feed was “an oversight” but insisted that “in no way should it be interpreted as disrespectful to our members who were involved in the armed forces”.They also pointed out that staff were busy helping PCA members – the organisation helps many former players who have fallen on hard times – and that they would always want to recognise such an event in a meaningful way and not just in a tweet.It comes after David Smith, the former Leicestershire and Northamptonshire chief executive who also played for Warwickshire, said he was “ashamed” of what he believes was the PCA’s failure to mark Remembrance Day.In an email sent to PCA chairman, Matthew Wheeler, and seen by ESPNcricinfo, Smith registered his “grave disappointment” in the absence of any output on the organisation’s social media channels. By contrast, the Twitter accounts of both the Rugby Players’ Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association put out posts to mark the day.”I find myself yet again compelled to write to you, this time to express my grave disappointment at the fact the PCA did not recognise Remembrance Day on our website or social media platforms,” Smith said. “There are ceremonies worldwide to mark the centenary of the Armistice.”Almost 150 county cricketers have given their lives in armed conflict since 1881. More than 100 died in WWI including three England players. Frankly not recognising our cricketers who gave their lives is an absolute disgrace. I’m really ashamed of our organisation.”For goodness sake get a grip. You’re supposed to be directing us. You have taken us to an all-time low. By way of comparison the Rugby Players’ Association tweeted ‘Lest we Forget’ at 11am.”Smith qualifies for PCA membership as a former Warwickshire player. He also represented England Under-19s, Under-25s and England A, before serving on the ECB cricket committee. He has been an extremely vocal critic of the PCA in recent months and has resisted suggestions that he might be suited to serving on its board.The England team did recognise the day. They held a two-minute silence at the team hotel in Kandy with Joe Root, the England captain, addressing the players, coaches and traveling media to remind them that none of them would enjoy the life they lead today without the sacrifice of previous generations.

Rishabh Pant is out of India’s ODI squads for the Australia and New Zealand tours, meanwhile, making way for Dinesh Karthik

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-20181:41

‘Important for Dhoni to play more international matches’ – Dasgupta

MS Dhoni is back in India’s T20I squad. He hadn’t found a place in India’s two most recent T20I squads, against West Indies at home and in Australia, but he has returned as one of three wicketkeeper-batsmen for the three-match T20I series in New Zealand in early February.In more spinning of the wicketkeeping carousel, Dinesh Karthik is back in the ODI squads for Australia and New Zealand, replacing Rishabh Pant. Pant played three of the five ODIs against West Indies, as a specialist batsman, and scored 17 and 24.Pant is currently playing the Test series in Australia. According to the BCCI’s selection release, he will return home after the Tests to play for India A in a five-match one-day series against England Lions.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Among the middle-order batsmen, Manish Pandey has missed out on both squads. Pandey was on the bench for all five ODIs against West Indies, and didn’t get a chance in the T20I series in Australia. In the T20Is against West Indies, he batted twice, scoring 19 and 4*.Kedar Jadhav, who has been an ODI regular but wasn’t part of the recent T20Is, is back in favour in the shortest format. Hardik Pandya, the seam-bowling allrounder, is back as expected after recovering from the back injury that he sustained during the Asia Cup in September.With Jadhav and Hardik returning to the T20I squad, batsman Shreyas Iyer and the spin-bowling allrounder Washington Sundar have missed out.Jasprit Bumrah has a chat with MS Dhoni•Associated Press

Fast bowler Umesh Yadav finds himself out of both the ODI and T20I squads. The selectors have gone with Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and Mohammed Shami as the four frontline quicks in the ODI squad, and Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar and Khaleel as a trio for the T20Is.Shami was part of the initial squad for the ODIs against West Indies, but was left out for the last three ODIs when Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah returned after being rested.

Delhi join Mumbai in exit queue, while Vidarbha lead knockouts race – all the qualifying scenarios explained

Saurabh Somani02-Jan-2019Abhimanyu Easwaran

Bengal eliminate Delhi
Bengal knocked Delhi out of the running for quarterfinal spot with a stirring fourth-innings chase led by Abhimanyu Easwaran’s 183 not out. Set 322 to win, Easwaran hit the winning boundary that took Bengal to 323 for 3, giving them six points and keeping their tournament alive.Delhi looked like they had the upper hand when they made 301 in their second innings. Bengal had conceded a narrow first-innings lead, so they had to go for victory, and they did that in style, taking only 70.2 overs in the chase. This was 23-year-old Easwaran’s second 180-plus score this season, having hit a career-best 186 against Hyderabad earlier in the season.Thrilling draw stymies JharkhandJharkhand had been set 153 to win against Tripura in one session. They came out swinging, but time ran out with the team 144 for 7 in 21.5 overs, at which point the teams shook hands. The result was a tough one for Jharkhand, for whom qualification has become a very tough race. They had entered this match on 30 points, and a win would have taken them to 36, just two shy of Uttar Pradesh’s 38. That would have left both teams very much in the fray heading into the final round, behind Rajasthan who have zoomed to 44 points and sealed one of the two qualification spots. But now, Jharkhand have 33 points, and to qualify, will need to win their last match against Jammu & Kashmir outright. At the same time, they’ll have to hope that Uttar Pradesh lose their last match, against Assam, to remain on 38. Or, if Jharkhand can manage a bonus-point win, they’ll have more than Uttar Pradesh even if the latter don’t lose, but end up conceding the first-innings lead in a draw.ESPNcricinfo understands that Jharkhand were left disappointed with Tripura’s tactics in this match, with the visiting side slowing the game to a dawdle and thus denying Jharkhand a shot at victory. Tripura had resisted well in their second innings to stretch their score to 308, batting out the first two sessions. Tea was taken with the last Tripura wicket falling, which left Jharkhand an extended final session to chase down the target. However, despite the umpires extending play, Tripura bowled only 21.5 overs in close to two and a half hours, a time-span in which at least 35 overs would have been bowled in the normal course of events.ESPNcricinfo Ltd/ Vishal Dikshit

Tight race in A&BThose who are out of running for a quarterfinal spot are: Hyderabad, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, Andhra, Maharashtra, Railways and Chhattisgarh. That still leaves a whopping 10 teams who have a chance, with only one round remaining.Of the ten, Gujarat’s race is run. They have 26 points and have played their full quota of games. Presently third on the table, they need results to go their way to keep them in the top five, and can only watch from the outside.Ranji Trophy 2018-19 Points TableDefending champions Vidarbha are best placed, at the top of the table with 28 points. But if they lose against Saurashtra in their last round, they could actually not end up in the top five – the table is so tight. Here is how that could happen: Karnataka beat Baroda, Saurashtra beat Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh beat Andhra, Himachal Pradesh beat Kerala, and Bengal beat Punjab by a bonus point. All of the winning teams in this scenario would have more than Vidarbha’s 28 points.Still, Vidarbha are masters of their fate at least, and even a draw while conceding the first-innings lead should be enough for them to secure a top-five spot. Among the other teams in the fray, all of Karnataka (27), Gujarat (26), Saurashtra (26), Madhya Pradesh (24), Himachal Pradesh (22), Bengal (22), Kerala (20), Baroda (20) and Punjab (20) could make it, if things fall in place for them.Plate Group raceUttarakhand didn’t have a match in this round, but they had built up such a lead that they are still on top of the table with 37 points. If they win their last game, against bottom-placed Mizoram at home in Dehradun, they will be through regardless. The only other teams who have a theoretical chance of going through – provided Uttarakhand don’t win – are Bihar and Puducherry.Bihar have 34 points, and will play against Manipur, while Puducherry have 32 points and will face Nagaland. For Bihar to go through, they will realistically need to win, ideally with a bonus point, and hope Uttarakhand only manage a first-innings lead at most. For Puducherry to go through, they need three things to happen – for them to win outright, for Uttarakhand to lose outright, and for Bihar to get at most a first-innings lead.Round 8 – Brief ScoresGroup A & B
Bengal 6 points Delhi 0 pointsAndhra 3 points, Hyderabad 1 pointMadhya Pradesh 6 points, Himachal Pradesh 0 pointsGujarat 7 points, Maharashtra 0 pointsPunjab 7 points, Kerala 0 pointsKarnataka 6 points, Chhattisgarh 0 pointsVidarbha 7 points, Mumbai 0 pointsBaroda 6 points, Railways 0 pointsGroup C
J&K 6 points, Assam 0 pointsJharkhand 3 points, Tripura 1 pointServices 3 points, Odisha 1 pointRajasthan 7 points, Goa 0 pointsUttar Pradesh 6 points, Haryana 0 pointsPlate Group
Nagaland 7 points, Arunachal Pradesh 0 pointsPuducherry 7 points, Manipur 0 pointsBihar 7 points, Mizoram 0 pointsMeghalaya 3 points, Sikkim 1 point

The India coach also says his target is to try and build a team that can win consistently in overseas conditions

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-20194:01

Agarkar: Dhoni believes if he’s there at the end, he can win the match

MS Dhoni cannot be replaced, feels India head coach Ravi Shastri.”You can’t,” Shastri told Michael Vaughan in an interview published in the , when asked about the plans once Dhoni, now 37, retires. “Such players only come once in 30 or 40 years. That is what I tell Indians – enjoy it while it lasts. When he goes, you will see a void that will be very hard to fill. I know there is Rishabh Pant, but to be an ambassador for the sport for so long is amazing.”Dhoni is the oldest player in the India squad and, for the past year or so, his position in the team has been hotly debated with the explosive finishes that made him one of the most feared limited-overs batsmen drying up.

Shastri picks his World Cup favourites

Although he did not nominate one team as a standout favourite, Shastri indicated that three to four teams, including India and England, had a good chance.
“There will be three or four teams that can do it and it is how you start. If we gain momentum early then India are very dangerous because we have got a lot of crowd support and things backing us,” he said.
According to Shastri, England have an upper-hand not because they are the hosts, but because Eoin Morgan’s team has the depth in batting and is stacked with several allrounders.
“Absolutely,” Shastri agreed with Vaughan, who checked if England are covered in all facets of the ODI game. “This is the best England team I have seen. They have been focussed in picking players who are good in that format of the game and will take their chances from ball one to dictate terms to the opposition.
“You also have balance. We saw England last year in England and they had depth in batting and a lot of players who are multifaceted. They have five or six guys who can be called upon at any time to bowl and that is what you want.”

The Indian team management, however, has continued to back Dhoni, and in the third ODI against Australia on Friday, the batsman repaid the faith with a second successive match-winning half-century to help clinch the series 2-1.Dhoni is likely to travel to the World Cup in England and Wales later this year as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper, and according to Shastri, his contribution from behind the wicket has been vital to the team’s success. “That is because he has the best angle. He sees things. He is great with the guys, they all worship him. This entire team has been built by him because he was captain for ten years. To have that kind of respect in the dressing room and experience is massive,” Shastri said.ALSO READ: Chopra: What is Dhoni’s role in the India ODI side?Even when he isn’t in the team, Dhoni remains ever-present, Shastri said, giving the example of Pant, who was in constant touch with the senior man during the preceding Test series in Australia.”His [Pant] hero is MS. Every day he is on the phone to MS. I think during the Test series, he must have spoken more to MS than anyone else. It is great when you have that mutual respect. Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, the respect they have for each other is unbelievable, so it makes my job in the dressing room so much easier.”MS Dhoni plays a pull•Getty Images

Asked to describe his role as head coach, Shastri said he preferred tinkering with mindsets rather than techniques. “I am more into fine-tuning, mindsets, and how you play the game. Very rarely will I go and tinker with a player unless I think it is needed,” he said. “Yes, I will bang him on the head if I think he is a p**** or afraid of something. That is when I am at my nastiest. Then I’m not a coach, I am something else.”You have to be fearless if you want to play for this team. Fearless means trusting your instincts and clarity of thought. Once you have made up your mind, don’t be scared of what if. You would rather get out testing your instincts than being in two minds.”ALSO READ: Happy to bat anywhere in the middle order – DhoniShastri had earlier served as team director between 2014 and 2016. He returned as head coach in 2017 and has been a part of some heady wins, none bigger than the recent Test series win in Australia – the first Asian team to achieve the feat in 71 years.Shastri reiterated that for him, the triumph was bigger than India winning the World Cup in 1983, when he was one of the squad members. “Winning the World Cup in 1983 was big and also 1985, when we beat Pakistan in the final of the Benson & Hedges World Championship here in Melbourne. But this was the biggest I have been involved in because, for me, Test cricket is the purest format of the game. For 71 years, Asian teams have come here with great spinners and batsmen, and not won. So to do it after 71 years is something special.”As far as he is concerned, Shastri is clear about his target: build a successful unit of match-winners that will help India win overseas consistently.”It is about making a team culture. When I took this job, I knew India had brilliant individual players. But how often when we have toured overseas have we looked like a team? You are not here to fill in your own numbers. You have to think how are we going to win this Test,” Shastri said.”Who are the guys we are going to back who will play in that fashion for their country? Who is going to be like Australians, who play hard for their country? Be prepared for the battle out there in the middle. My coaching is on those lines.”

Allrounder understood to have rolled his ankle while practising boundary catching on the eve of the game

George Dobell25-Feb-2019Ben Stokes was forced out of the third ODI in Grenada with an ankle injury, although Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, expects to have him available for the next match on Wednesday.Stokes, who heads England’s batting averages in the series and has also bowled more overs than anyone in the England side, is understood to have rolled his ankle while practising boundary catching on the eve of the game.Although he attended warm-up with the rest of the squad on Monday morning, he quickly returned to the dressing room after attempting to run. However, after the game was washed out, Bayliss said the “conservative approach” to rest Stokes was merely precautionary.”He should be fine in two days’ time,” Bayliss said. “It’s one of those things, he could have batted and fielded today. He said he could feel his ankle a little bit warming up to bowl. We took a conservative approach today and decided not to chance making it worse. I’d be surprised if he’s not right for Wednesday.”He is important to the squad, as we’ve shown in the past we’ve gone into one-day tournaments with only five bowlers. We did in Australia 12 months ago and were able to win. It’s not perfect for us but with the players we’ve got in the team and the squad we’re more than capable of winning without him.”He was probably not as confident as I’ve seen him before when we asked him was he right to play. So straight away it was an easy decision and a learning process for him about how he can look after his body a little better.”Stokes’ place in the XI named by England at the delayed toss was taken by Alex Hales, who was set to play his first game of the series. However, persistent rainfall through the day eventually led to an abandonment.Stokes was also an injury concern ahead of the third Test after sustaining a bruised right heel. The new injury will do nothing to ease concerns over his workload with the bat, the ball and in the field. England have already announced the decision to rest him from the three T20I games that conclude this tour after the ODIs. The five-match ODI series is level at 1-1.In more bad news for England, they have been penalised for a slow over-rate in the last ODI in Barbados, with the ICC expected to announce punishments in due course.

This match could come down to leadership in tough situations, and that puts the home team at an advantage

The Preview by Varun Shetty11-Apr-20195:54

Tait: KKR still have middle-order issues to address

Big picture

Kolkata Knight Riders had shocked many teams in the first half of their fixtures before Chennai Super Kings dealt them one of their own on Tuesday. With a batting strategy built around attacking through all phases, it was likely they would collapse the way they did, sooner or later. Dinesh Karthik alluded to this in the post-match presentation and said his team would be moving on and treating it as a one-off. The good news for them is they have, at least logistically, a friendly week ahead on the fixtures list: three consecutive home games, with five days between the second and third. They have familiar conditions in which they have to execute familiar strategies, and the knowledge that in the last three seasons, 16 points have been enough to qualify for the playoffs. At the moment, that means they’ll need four wins in their remaining eight matches.Considering that benchmark, Delhi Capitals will need five wins in their eight matches, which is a win rate higher than the 50% they’ve achieved so far. This season, Capitals have had to deal with the paradox of looking the better side for large parts of a match without necessarily coming out with the win. They let Knight Riders come back from the brink several times before beating them in the Super Over, lost 7 for 8 against Kings XI Punjab, and lost three wickets inside six balls when they were close to annihilating Royal Challengers. If Knight Riders’ all-out attack is a double-edged sword, Capitals’ dependence on youth is a similar Achilles heel. This match could come down to leadership in tough situations, and that puts the home team at an advantage.

Form guide

Knight Riders: Lost to Super Kings by seven wickets, beat Royals by eight wickets, beat Royal Challengers by five wickets
Capitals: Beat Royal Challengers by four wickets, lost to Sunrisers by five wickets, lost to Kings XI by 14 runs

In the news

• Harshal Patel has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an arm fracture. Manoj Tiwary and Manpreet Gony were seen trialling with Capitals.
• Manjot Kalra, who was out injured, had a fitness test on Thursday.

Previous meeting

Knight Riders were 61 for 5, and put up 185. Prithvi Shaw’s 99 had taken Capitals within 12 runs of the target with nine balls to spare, but they lost wickets off the last two balls, which meant they had to one-up Knight Riders once more in the match. Kagiso Rabada’s world-class Super Over ensured they did.

Likely XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Chris Lynn, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Shubman Gill, 6 Dinesh Karthik (capt & wk), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Harry Gurney, 11 Prasidh KrishnaDelhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Colin Ingram, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10, Ishant Sharma/Amit Mishra, 11 Sandeep Lamichhane/Trent Boult

Strategy punt

• Delhi Capitals have a yorker efficiency of 50% at the death, which is the highest in the league this year. Rabada and Chris Morris are the duo to have achieved that. The addition of Trent Boult in place of Ishant Sharma could give them another dimension to their pace attack at the start, which could be vital in stopping Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn
• Prithvi Shaw has been dismissed thrice by length and back-of-length deliveries in the Powerplay this season. Prasidh Krishna’s bowling style can help Knight Riders exploit this vulnerability
• Colin Ingram came with a reputation and a recent history of top T20 performances, but he has the second-lowest average (20.7) this season of batsmen who’ve scored a minimum of 100 runs. Most of those runs, however, have come against spin and his presence is crucial against a likely three-pronged spin attack

Stats that matter

• Dinesh Karthik has made 91 runs at a strike rate of 118.18 in five innings this season – it’s his worst start to an IPL season since 2015
• These teams have hit a combined 45 sixes – which will be the highest coming into a fixture this season
• Lynn needs one run to complete 1,000 for Knight Riders, and Knight Riders need one win to complete 100 in IPL history. Only five T20 teams have done that before

England have called up Phil Salt as batting cover, while Ben Foakes, Ben Duckett and Mohammad Hasnain are in line for T20I debuts

The Preview by Alan Gardner04-May-2019

Big Picture

Right, here we go, then. England and Pakistan, all set to face off in five ODIs on their final run in to the World Cu… Oh, what’s that? This is a T20 international? Okay, but that doesn’t really fit the narrative. We’ll have to see what we can do.Yes, the vagaries of the international schedule have thrown up this context-free clash in a different format mere weeks before the start of a global 50-over tournament on these shores. No matter, there has been plenty of transference of T20 skills to modern ODI cricket, and this will be a chance for the players of both sides to let their hair down before things get serious, if nothing more.Pakistan arrive in the UK ranked No. 1 in the world in T20Is, though their extraordinary run of 11 series wins in a row was checked in South Africa a couple of months ago. That winning sequence began in England three years ago, in another one-off match, when they battered the hosts by nine wickets – and they have had a pretty smooth start to their tour this time around, comfortably beating county opposition in both limited-overs formats.Leading the way for the visitors will be Babar Azam, also No. 1 in the ICC rankings for T20I batsmen, who demonstrated his abilities by smashing 101 from 63 balls at Leicestershire on Wednesday. A formidably good T20 unit, packed with stars of the PSL, Pakistan look like favourites for the match in Cardiff on Sunday, against what is very much a mix-and-match England.Eoin Morgan’s team will be pretty much the same as the one that edged past Ireland in Malahide on Friday, with a host of regulars due back for the ODI series beginning next week. Defeat to Ireland, after picking their way through the Alex Hales-related debris, would have been another blow to their status as World Cup favourites but switching to T20 should loosen everyone up.Three members of the pace attack who are competing for World Cup berths claimed T20I four-fors in the Caribbean earlier this year – Chris Jordan, David Willey and Tom Curran during a 3-0 thrashing – with every chance to impress the selectors worth seizing. And who isn’t keen to see Jofra Archer set loose in his premier format?Babar Azam made a century in the T20 at Grace Road•Getty Images

Form guide

England WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WLLWW

In the spotlight

In the wake of Hales’ removal from the World Cup squad, James Vince would appear to be the nearest direct replacement as reserve top-order batsman. However, after 27 appearances across the formats since his England debut in 2015, Vince has yet to play the innings that proves he belongs. In the Dublin ODI he played a couple of memorable shots only to be dismissed for 18 – a familiar tale, although on this occasion it did take a brilliant catch to see him off. With Jason Roy working his way back to fitness and Jonny Bairstow ready to return for the Pakistan ODIs, Vince may only have a few more chances to convince Ed Smith.Mohammad Hasnain is so raw he wouldn’t be out of place on a plate of sashimi. The latest Pakistani teenager to appear as if from nowhere for an international debut, Hasnain’s pace is his key attribute – and the reason he was catapulted into the World Cup squad having only played three ODIs. He initially caught the eye in T20 after an impressive maiden PSL campaign for Quetta Gladiators in which he pushed 150-plus kph on the speed gun but has only played 14 games of senior cricket (and taken 19 wickets) in his entire career. A good run against England would increase his chances of having a significant impact at the World Cup.

Team news

Dawid Malan suffered a groin injury while batting at Malahide and won’t take part – England have called up Sussex’s uncapped opener Phil Salt as cover. Ben Duckett looks likelier to play, however, and make his T20I debut alongside Archer and Ben Foakes. Jordan, a first pick in this format, will probably replace one of Curran or Liam Plunkett.England: (possible) 1 James Vince, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Joe Denly, 6 Ben Foakes (wk), 7 David Willey, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Tom CurranImam-ul-Haq and Hasnain featured in the XI against Leicestershire and could both be given T20I debuts. Asif Ali will be looking to push his case for World Cup selection but Shoaib Malik is not available, having returned to Pakistan for personal reasons. Mohammad Amir (also currently outside the World Cup 15) and Junaid Khan offer further left-arm options in the pace attack.Pakistan: (possible) 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Imam-ul-Haq/Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Asif Ali, 6 Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt/wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Mohammad Hasnain

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at Cardiff is generally pretty good for scoring in white-ball games – not to mention the first domestic first-class match of the season there, which yielded 1390 runs and just 19 wickets. England have occasionally been tempted to change their two-spinners formula here thanks to the short, straight boundaries. The forecast is for minimal chance of rain but temperatures barely out of single figures.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan won the last T20I between these teams but overall England have a 9-4 record (with one tie).
• Before defeat to South Africa in February, Pakistan had won nine consecutive T20 internationals – at the time the second-longest streak of victories behind Afghanistan’s 11.
• After winning Man of the Match on Test debut last year and again after his first ODI appearance on Friday, Foakes has a shot at becoming the first player to complete the treble.

Quotes

“It went all right. Probably not the pitch I would have hoped for, but a good debut nevertheless.”
Jofra Archer is probably hoping for a bit more pace in the Cardiff deck<!–
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Sarfraz Ahmed –!>