All posts by csb10.top

Kagiso Rabada is reminded of his own youth when he looks out at the South Africa dressing room right now as they prepare to take on Australia over the course of three T20Is and three ODIs starting Sunday.The two teams last played against each other in the World Test Championship final, where South Africa’s more experienced players stood tall. Now with the T20 World Cup in 2026 and a home ODI World Cup in 2027, their focus has shifted into blooding younger talent so that come those big games they have a reference point for what to do when the pressure is on.”You were talking earlier about when I came here for the first time, that kind of reminds me of the space that they’re in,” Rabada, who is now past 10 years in international cricket, said on Thursday. “I’m sure they just want to do their best. They’ve got no fear. When you’re young, you’ve got no fear at all. And yeah, I mean, I’m excited to see how they’re going to go in their careers.”Related

• Rabada ruled out of Australia ODI series with ankle inflammation

• Maphaka: I always want to come out on top of the fight

• Conrad confident Maphaka can be 'main dog' in SA pace attack

• Markram, Bavuma return for SA's white-ball tour of Australia

• Maharaj and Mlaba win the big ones at CSA annual awards

South Africa’s white-ball squad in Darwin includes players like Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who was the top-scorer in the SA20 earlier this year, Dewald Brevis, who was marked for higher honours since he burst on the scene at the Under-19 World Cup in 2022 and Kwena Maphaka, whose left-arm seam earned him an IPL contract at 17 and a national cap at 18.While calling his team’s younger batch “explosive and fearless,” captain Aiden Markram said: “You know how it is to be 19-20 again and there’s not many worries in the world at that age and it reflects in when they train and how you see them operate. So, very exciting…each country has their own youngsters coming through and we got a handful of them this tour and it’s an exciting and great opportunity for us to see what they’re about and allow them to entertain people.”Rabada has not played any cricket since his starring role in the WTC final in June, when he picked up nine wickets in the match. He recovered from those exertions with a holiday in Greece and is back feeling “fully fit” and excited to pass on his knowledge to the newcomers. He called Maphaka an “extremely exciting talent”.South Africa have high hopes for 19-year-old fast bowler Kwena Maphaka•AFP/Getty Images

“Because of the fact that he’s a bowler as well, you know, kind of makes it more, from my point of view, that I’m obliged to almost take him under extra care,” Rabada said. “But I think he’s going to learn, you know, from his own experiences as well and from his own journey. And we’re just there to be a sounding board, you know, not necessarily get involved into their careers too much, but be sounding boards.”Still only 19, Maphaka has been fast-tracked into the South African set-up. He has already played two Tests, two ODIs and eight T20Is, picking up 18 wickets in the process. The squad as a whole is getting used to new leadership with Shukri Conrad handed the reins in white-ball cricket as well. Rabada was intrigued by some of the coach’s “left-field” strategies as they work towards the global tournaments that are around the corner.”You’re looking at growing this team within the next year and a half. That’s the bigger goal looking into 2027 [ODI World Cup], but certainly a short-term goal leading into the 2026 [T20] World Cup, looking at guys like David [Miller, currently playing in the Hundred in England], who are going to be back, Marco [Jansen, injured], who are going to be back. That gives a bit more of solidification in terms of the team and in mainly experience.”But yeah, these games [against Australia] would be just to get a feel for one another as team-mates, how we’re going to go about it. And really, it’s just a work in process, there’s no fear of winning or losing. Although we play to win 100%, it is the main thing, but it’s a process and it’s a process of evaluation.”

India and Pakistan are pitted against each other in Group A at the 2025 men’s Asia Cup, set to be held in the UAE from September 9 to September 28. Their group-stage meeting will be on September 14 in Dubai*, with two more potential games between them should both reach the final. Dubai, where the final will also be played, will host 11 games while Abu Dhabi will host eight fixtures.Last week, the dates for the 17th edition of the tournament were announced by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Keeping in mind the T20 World Cup, the tournament will be played in the T20I format and, for the very first time, will feature eight teams, a bump of two from the previous edition.

Key group-stage matches

Ban v SL, Sept 13, Abu Dhabi
Ind v Pak, Sept 14, Dubai
Ban v Afg, Sept 16, Abu Dhabi
SL vs Afg, Sept 18, Abu Dhabi

Apart from India and Pakistan, Group A includes Oman and hosts UAE. Group B has Afghanistan and Hong Kong, who kickstart the tournament in Abu Dhabi on September 9, alongside Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.The top two teams from each group will move on to another four-team group for the second stage, with the top two teams of that group proceeding to the final on September 28.The venue and dates for the tournament were finalised at the ACC’s annual general meeting in Dhaka last Thursday, where the Asia Cup was one of the key points on the members’ agenda. The fate of the tournament had briefly been thrown into uncertainty following the India-Pakistan military skirmish in May. After the AGM in Dhaka, Naqvi had addressed a press conference about the imminent notification of the Asia Cup dates, though he had stopped short of confirming specific details at the time.The India-Pakistan fixture is, by far, the most financially lucrative fixture in the Asia Cup. The format of the tournament and the placement in the same group make at least two India-Pakistan matches likely, the second on September 21 – also in Dubai – if it happens. It also leaves open the possibility of a third meeting in the final in Dubai on September 28. There has, however, never been an India-Pakistan final in the Asia Cup.India are the official hosts of the tournament, but, after an agreement between the BCCI and the PCB earlier this year, tournaments held in India or Pakistan will see a neutral venue provided for the other side for a three-year period. The agreement came about ahead of the Champions Trophy held in Pakistan earlier this year. India played all their games, including the one against hosts Pakistan, in Dubai. The final, which India qualified for and won, was also held in Dubai.India are the defending champions, having beaten Sri Lanka in the final of the previous edition in 2023. Sri Lanka won the previous T20I edition, beating Pakistan in the final in 2022.*1700 GMT, Aug 2: The news story was updated after the ACC released the detailed schedule

The ICC recently approved several changes to its playing conditions for men’s international cricket including the updated Boundary Law and operating with just one ball in ODIs from the 35th over. While some of these new rules have already come into play in the new cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) (2025-27), those pertaining to white-ball cricket will be effective from July 2.Having accessed the playing conditions the ICC shared with the member countries recently, ESPNcricinfo looks at the noteworthy changes across the three formats.

Stop clock in Test cricket

A year after introducing a stop clock in white-ball formats, the ICC has decided to introduce it in Test cricket as well because slow over rates have been a long-standing problem in the format. According to the rule, the fielding side must be ready to start an over within a minute of the previous one ending. They will receive two warnings from the umpires if they fail to do so. After those warnings, the umpires will impose a five-run penalty on the bowling team. Warnings will be reset to zero after each block of 80 overs. Also, the clock will be counted upwards from 0 to 60. The rule has already been in play since the beginning of the 2025-27 WTC cycle.Related

• Nearest ball, not nearest over – ICC tweaks powerplay rules for shortened men's T20Is

• ICC changes two-ball rule in men's ODIs and concussion sub protocols in all internationals

• MCC changes law to make boundary catches with 'bunny hops' illegal

• ICC makes between-overs stop clock a permanent feature in ODIs, T20Is

No mandatory ball change for deliberate use of saliva

While the ban on the use of saliva on the ball continues, the ICC has said it is no longer mandatory for the umpires to change the ball after a player is found using saliva. This change comes to avoid a scenario where teams trying to force a ball change deliberately apply saliva on it. So going forward, the umpires will only change the ball if its condition has been drastically changed, like if it appears too wet or there is more shine. This has been left entirely to the discretion of the umpires. Also, if the ball starts doing things after the umpires have said the application of saliva has not changed its condition, it cannot be replaced. The batting team, though, will be awarded five runs.

DRS protocol for secondary review after an out decision

Imagine this – a batter has been given out caught behind and he asks for a review. UltraEdge shows the ball has actually brushed the pads without any contact with the bat. With the catch ruled out, the TV umpire now checks for the second mode of dismissal, and, asks to verify via ball-tracking whether the batter is lbw. So far, the protocol during such a review was, once it was determined the batter was not out caught, the default decision for the second mode of dismissal – lbw – would be not out. That means if ball-tracking led to an “umpire’s call” verdict, the batter would remain not out. But in the updated rule, when the ball-tracking graphic for lbw is displayed, the “original decision” label on it will read “out”. And if the review yields an umpire’s call verdict, then the batter would be ruled out.

Combined reviews – decision will be chronological

The ICC has also decided to modify the process of adjudication during a combined review involving both umpire and player referrals by conducting them in a chronological order, or their order of occurrence. Till now, during a combined review the process involved the TV umpire taking up the umpire review before moving on to the player’s review. “If the conclusion from the first incident is that a batter is dismissed, then the ball would be deemed to have become dead at that point, rendering investigation of the second incident unnecessary,” rule 3.9 in the revised ICC playing conditions says. So if there is an appeal for an lbw as well as a run out, the TV umpire would now first take up the leg-before review as that occurred first. In case the batter is out, then the ball would be declared dead.There will continue to be a five-run penalty if saliva is applied on the ball•Getty Images

Fairness of catch to be reviewed for no-ball

Say there is a case where both on-field officials are not certain if a catch has been taken cleanly, but even as they are deliberating, the TV umpire informs them it was a no-ball. In the previous version of the playing conditions, once the no-ball was signaled, the TV umpire would not need to adjudicate on the fairness of the catch. But in the updated playing conditions, the third umpire will now review the catch and if it is a fair catch then the batting team will only get an extra run for the no-ball. However, if the catch is not clean, the batting team would get the runs the batters have taken.

Deliberate short run

So far, in case one of the batters had been caught taking a deliberate short run, the batting team would suffer a five-run penalty. But in the updated rules if one of the batters is found to have not made their ground deliberately in order to steal an extra run, then the umpires will ask the fielding team to decide which batter they want on strike. Also, the five-run penalty will continue to be part of the sanction.”A deliberate short run is an attempt for batters to appear to run more than one run, while at least one batter deliberately does not make good their ground at one end,” Rule 18.5.1 of the playing conditions says. “Batters may choose to abort a run, provided the umpire believes that there was no intention by the batter concerned to deceive the umpires or to score the run in which they didn’t make their ground.”

Full-time playing replacement in domestic first-class cricket

To offset the loss of a player who has suffered serious external injury, the ICC has asked boards to trial in their domestic first-class cricket fielding a full-time replacement player who can come in and perform the role of a team participant. The replacement player will have to be like for like, as is the case for a concussion sub. The injury will need to be evident and visible to the match officials before they allow a full-time replacement. This would not apply for players suffering hamstring pulls or niggles.This rule will be on a trial basis and is entirely up to the member countries to implement in their domestic first-class circuit.

Eight games into his maiden season, 22-year old Jaymeet Patel has already made massive contributions as a batting allrounder. Like his quarter-final century against Saurashtra or his twin half-centuries in a must-win against Himachal to qualify for the knockouts.On Friday, he’ll have a chance to put impactful performances like those to shade, if he can build on his unbeaten 74 to help Gujarat pocket the 28 runs they need for the decisive first-innings lead against Kerala. The first innings hasn’t yet been decided in the game, but the scorecard hardly reveals how fascinating this slow burn of a contest has been – purely for the contrasting approach of both sides.Kerala went slow and steady for two full days and posted 457; Gujarat responded with slightly more urgency, led by the experienced Priyank Panchal who made 148 to lay the foundation of their heist. But when things started to happen early on day four, batters went into their shell as the pressure mounted, before Jaymeet absorbed all of it to grind his way to what could be a career-defining half-century yet.Related

• Jalaj Saxena: 'My emotions, heart, everything is with first-class cricket'

• Panchal leads strong Gujarat reply with unbeaten century

Gujarat’s hopes of a lead had all but vanished at 357 for 7. Jaymeet and Siddharth Desai, the left-arm spin allrounder, have since put on 72 in 36.4 overs, batting through the final session, to keep Gujarat’s hopes of making their first final since 2016-17 alive.When stumps were drawn, Kerala’s spinners two frontline spinners – Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarwate – had bowled a combined 97 out of the 154 overs. Jalaj, who bowled unchanged right through the morning session, bowled 61 of those himself, to have figures of 4 for 137 – a spell that could yet prove to be the turning point if Kerala go on to nip out the three remaining wickets early to take the first-innings honours.Resuming on 222 for 1, Kerala struck early when Manan Hingrajia was lbw to Saxena’s straighter one from around the stumps. The ball of the day, however, was the one Saxena bowled to dismiss the set Panchal, the ball ripping in from the rough to dip and beat Panchal’s inside edge to crash into the stumps. Then he had Urvil Patel stumped after beating him in flight and skid. At this point, Kerala were gung ho, as Gujarat slipped to 292 for 4.Hemang Patel, the bowling allrounder who came in as a concussion sub for Ravi Bishnoi, earned a promotion up the order and walloped a quick-fire 28. The decision to replace Bishnoi was made after he experienced delayed concussion this morning, for a fielding effort on Day 3 where the ball bounced onto his forehead as he tried to stop the ball at point.Hemang’s impetus for quick runs briefly put Kerala on the back foot, but an attempt too play one shot too many had him miscue a hoick that was brilliantly taken at square third man by substitute Shoun Roger. When Chintan Gaja was lbw, a decision that was upheld through DRS, Gujarat were right on the edge. Until they were brought back to life by Jaymeet, who stands in the way of Kerala and a maiden Ranji final.

Babar Azam will be the biggest name casualty as Pakistan make significant changes to their squad for the second Test, two days after a chastening innings loss to England in Multan. ESPNcricinfo has learned Babar’s dropping was recommended by the newly formed selection committee, which met in Lahore within hours of the loss in the first Test on Friday. They met for a second time on Saturday in Multan, in a session which included chairman Mohsin Naqvi, as well as the five mentors appointed by the PCB on three-year deals.In the immediate aftermath of the defeat, Pakistan captain Shan Masood publicly backed Babar, calling him “Pakistan’s best batter” and repeating his call to give players more time. That sentiment, for continuity, has been backed by Test coach Jason Gillespie too. Privately, though, it is understood the selection panel collectively felt Babar would benefit from time away from the national side as runs remain elusive; he has not scored a Test half-century since December 2022.The newly configured selection panel comprises Aaqib Javed, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, former ICC umpire Aleem Dar, analyst Hassan Cheema and the captain and head coach of the format for which the squad is being selected. However, it is understood neither Masood nor Gillespie were part of the selection committee meeting on Friday. Selectors traveled to Multan on Saturday to meet with the captain and coach, as well as the PCB curator Tony Hemming. At the meeting on Saturday, it is believed some of the mentors were in favour of keeping Babar in the squad, but majority opinion was in favour of the dropping.Related

• There's a certain sadness about Babar Azam's mortality

• Pakistan drop Shaheen, Naseem alongside Babar for next two Tests

• England further expose Pakistan's mental and tactical fragility

• What's happened to Babar Azam's Test batting?

• Masood scathing in criticism of bowlers but not batters after Multan humiliation

It is not yet clear whether Babar – who has struggled for form for the best part of two years – will make himself available to play the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which is scheduled to begin on October 20. Babar has not played a game in that first-class cricket competition since 2019.The scrutiny around Babar’s form has been magnified with each subsequent failure with the bat. He appeared especially out of sorts against England, on a flat wicket, scoring 35 runs across two innings. beaten on the inside edge in the first innings and the outside in the second. It extended his run without a half-century in Test cricket to 18 innings; just four specialist batters in Pakistan’s history have gone more successive innings without a score in excess of 50. Since the start of 2023, Babar averages under 21 in nine Tests.The loss of form has dovetailed with a turbulent time in terms of his leadership status. Following Pakistan’s elimination at the ODI World Cup in 2023, he reluctantly resigned as captain from all formats. Just four months later, the T20I and ODI captaincy were returned to him, with Shaheen Afridi sacked after just one series.The second stint was ill-fated. Pakistan won one of three T20I series – against Ireland 2-1 – and were eliminated from the T20 World Cup in 2024 in the first round after defeats to the USA and India. Just six months after he was reappointed, he quit captaincy once more, citing a desire to focus on his batting.Babar’s omission will not be the only change. Abrar Ahmed, for one, remains in hospital and is extremely unlikely to recover. Selectors are understood to be considering a couple of other spinning options, with Noman Ali and Sajid Khan in contention. There is also a chance that Afridi does not play the second Test as his struggle to return to his pre-knee injury form continues. Afridi has played in two of Pakistan’s last four Tests, and missed one in each of the previous two series.But it is Babar’s omission that will send shockwaves through Pakistan cricket and its followers. He remains, despite his recent struggles, the biggest name in Pakistan cricket by some distance, having built up an enormous, doting individual fanbase quite separate from the Pakistan team as a whole. Though his ability as captain split opinion and was hotly debated throughout his tenure, there has never – up until very recently – been a debate about his value to the team; even without the armband, he remained an automatic selection and the first name on the team sheet.While consistency came to Babar more easily in the white-ball formats, he was comfortably among the world’s best Test batters during his prime. Between November 2019 and the end of 2022, he averaged just shy of 62 in 25 Test matches, including eight hundreds and 15 half-centuries. His consistency led to speculation it was only a matter of time before the ‘Fab Four’ quartet became a quintet, with Babar pushing his all-format case.The second Test against England begins on October 15 in Multan. England won the first Test by an innings and 47 runs to consign Pakistan to a sixth Test defeat on the trot, one that puts them at the bottom of the World Test Championship table.

Matt Renshaw’s first half-century of a new summer was the only shining light on an otherwise gloomy day in Melbourne as Queensland and Tasmania shared the One-Day Cup points on offer after rain and bad light meant only 16 overs were possible.Renshaw made 51 off 36 balls with four fours and three sixes as Queensland posted 128 for 5 from the only play possible on a day where rain delayed the start by four-and-a-half hours and bad light ended it early.Persistent rain fell at the Junction Oval on Wednesday ensuring no play was possible until 2.30pm. The rain meant the match was shortened to a 20-over affair, albeit with 50-over powerplay rules in place. Tasmania unsurprisingly sent Queensland in having been skittled by Victoria on the same surface two days earlier.They made early breakthroughs with Gabe Bell removing Ben McDermott while Beau Webster picked up Max Bryant. Renshaw and new Queensland recruit Lachlan Hearne then shared a 79-run stand in just 8.4 overs. They struck seven fours and four sixes between them before Webster broke the stand.Matt Kuhnemann got his first wicket for his new state against his old side, bowling former team-mate Jack Wildermuth for 8. Hearne holed out to deep midwicket off Bell in the 15th over before the umpires checked the light after 16 overs and called a halt to proceedings. Play never resumed and the points were shared.Queensland will remain in Melbourne and face Victoria on Friday with Australia Test opener Usman Khawaja set to play after missing the clash with Tasmania.

Private investment into the Hundred may not be finalised by next year if the right bids and suitors are not found, according to Vikram Banerjee, director of business operations at the England & Wales Cricket Board, and the man tasked with selling off stakes in the Hundred franchises.The ECB announced at the start of September that they had officially opened the process to secure private investment into the eight Hundred teams. Though the initial plan was to have sales ratified ahead of the 2025 edition of the tournament, the process could roll on to find appropriate valuations and owners.Each of the eight hosting counties are set to be given a 51 percent stake, which they can hold or sell, with the remaining 49 percent in each side available to be sold by the ECB. Any money raised from that 49 percent will then be distributed between first-class counties, Marylebone Cricket Club and the recreational game. Financial advisers Deloitte and Raine Group have been recruited to ensure fair market value, with legal co-counsel provided by Latham & Watkins and Onside Law LLP.Though the ECB are collaborating with host venues to assess the suitability of prospective partners, they are doing so with vigilance. A report in City AM on Tuesday stated the governing body have warned Hampshire they will be stripped of their stake in Southern Brave if their prospective new buyers GMR Group – owners of IPL side Delhi Capitals – do not pay a fair market price for the Hundred franchise.The Telegraph reported in August that GMR Group had agreed a £120 million deal to buy Hampshire, which could see them pocket the 51 percent gifted to the county as part of that deal. If that were the case, investors could view purchasing counties outright as a cheaper gateway into the competition, although that would first require a process of demutualisation by the member-owned clubs concerned, with Hampshire and Durham the only exceptions at present.Yorkshire, who host Northern Superchargers at Headingley and are subject to a bid from Sun Group, who own Sunrisers Hyderabad, are currently seeking to undergo a process of demutualisation, with a super-majority of 75 percent in favour required from at least 50 percent of the club’s 6,000 members.The ECB are understood to have had promising conversations with investors throughout the summer. A number from India and from further afield, including the US, were entertained at Hundred matches this season. As well as capital, the ECB want buyers to bring their expertise to the table, particularly around global engagement, sporting operations and in-ground experience.While the plan remains to announce investments into the Hundred in early 2025, Banerjee explained that the onus on finding the right price and partner for the teams lends itself to a longer, more drawn-out process.Lord’s-based London Spirit is expected to be the most lucrative team in the Hundred•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

“The most important thing is we get the right partners,” Banerjee told the Business of Sport podcast. “If that takes a bit of time, that takes a bit of time. I think it’s fine.”We have been running for four years and so, if in this first round, we [find that] either the values aren’t there for one or all of the teams, or the right partner isn’t there for one or all of the teams, it’s fine. We’ll just carry on running it, we’ll do another year. My priority is to get the eight partners and make them amazing and help us grow.”Banerjee did not rule out a partial sale, whereby only some of the teams are under new ownership, though he believes the scale of interest at this stage suggests that will not come to pass.”I don’t think so, at this point of where we are in the process,” he said. “You know, the amount of people, the amount of interest, the breadth of interest – there’s some really exciting names in there, some of which haven’t been leaked to the press, funnily enough.”London Spirit is expected to be the most sought-after component of the Hundred, given the prestige of its host venue Lord’s, but Banerjee insisted the ECB would not be rushed into a decision for any of its teams.Related

• Richard Gould: ECB 'unapologetic' about attracting top talent to Men's Hundred

• Richard Gould: Hundred equity sale can future-proof county cricket for '20-25 years'

• ECB hierarchy 'confident in our product' as Hundred bids deadline looms

• The wolves of ball street: a Hundred saga

• ECB plans huge wage hikes, increase in overseas player limit in the Hundred

“But if we don’t get the right partners for [eg] London Spirit, we’ll hold it and we’ll work with the MCC for another year and try again in a year’s time. I think that’s possible.”Having said that, in terms of a timeline on what we’re looking for, we are hoping these are done over the next six months, so that whatever this new world looks like for the competition, those deals have transacted by the 2025 season.”Having all investors on board by next summer is integral to ensuring next summer’s competition is as seamless as possible, not least ahead of the opening of ticket sales and the player draft, which are expected in February and March, respectively. Though a partial sale of teams is far from ideal, the competition’s current media rights – which make up around 80 percent of the revenue for the competition – are fixed until 2028, and the presence of a salary cap should in principle ensure a level playing field for the coming seasons.Banerjee also revealed any expansion of the number of teams in the Hundred is only likely to take place in 2029. Durham and Somerset were two host venues mooted for an introduction as early as next year to give the competition a greater presence in the North-East and South-West. However, the need to see how the Hundred evolves after investment has shifted the goalposts.”We’ve talked about 2029 being the earliest to give us time to bed in and see how this thing grows and there’s a whole set of criteria to make sure a) that the player pool is there so it’s still best versus best on men’s and women’s, and b) the competition has grown.”So an investor today doesn’t lose out, but actually benefits from that, as well as the whole game. And then see that, if a venue wants to come in to be a new team, it’s ready.”

Big picture: Sri Lanka return to scene of 1998 triumph

To The Oval, traditional venue for the final Test of the English summer – although not, by any means, the final international commitment for England’s men, who go straight into eight white-ball fixtures against Australia off the back of Sri Lanka’s visit (the first T20I takes place 24 hours after the scheduled fifth day of the Test).For now, the focus remains on Test cricket – even if Brendon McCullum’s mind may start to wander following news he will soon take charge of England’s white-ball fortunes as well – and the aim of completing a first summer sweep since 2004. Twenty years ago, Michael Vaughan’s team dispatched New Zealand and West Indies for a 7-0 scoreline, providing momentum that fueled them into the following year’s Ashes campaign; McCullum and Ben Stokes, currently watching on from the sidelines as he recuperates from a torn hamstring, will hope something similar can play out ahead of marque series against India (at home) and Australia (away) in 2025.England’s reboot, having lost 4-1 in India at the start of the year, has gone smoothly thus far, despite the limited challenge provided by West Indies and Sri Lanka. Gus Atkinson has emerged as the star of a post-Broaderson attack, with 33 wickets in five appearances – to go with a maiden hundred at Lord’s last week – while Jamie Smith has nailed down the wicketkeeper’s spot. With the Sri Lanka series secured, McCullum has decided to throw in another promising tyro, with 6ft 7in Leicestershire left-armer Josh Hull emerging from left-field for an unexpected debut.Related

• Hull call sign of times as England make their point of difference

• De Silva: First-innings runs are what's crucial to victory

• Switch Hit: Baz Supremacy and Root maths

• 6ft 7in Hull handed England Test debut

• Hull, England's left-armer from left-field, prepares for shock Test debut

All this may well be with the 2025-26 Ashes in mind – and who wouldn’t want a giant southpaw who can hit 90mph to bowl down under? – but Hull has already had success against Sri Lanka, taking five wickets for England Lions during the series warm-up, and England have once again reasoned that raw first-class statistics (16 wickets at 62.75) only tell part of the story.The final Test of the home season is also a final chance for Ollie Pope to improve his average as Test captain – that is assuming Stokes is fit to take the reins again in Pakistan next month. Pope has so far managed 30 runs in four innings, with his dismissals ranging from eyebrow-raising to hair-raising. Leading England to three wins from three would certainly tick a box, but runs under the belt might have more long-term significance.For Sri Lanka, a first multi-match Test tour at the height of the English summer has not lived up to expectations – although the same might be said of the English summer, with the weather again likely to be underwhelming in London this week. There were flashes of resistance at Lord’s, Asitha Fernando and Kamindu Mendis once again showing their promise while the senior trio of Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva held up England with fourth-innings fifties.They would certainly have hoped for more than to be fighting for pride at this stage, but two first-innings collapses have left them with too much to do – while Dhananjaya’s decision to bowl at Lord’s threw an inexperienced bowling attack under the bus. A return to south London for their first Test since famously winning at The Oval in 1998 should help raise spirits. If further motivation is needed, Sri Lanka have played four previous three-Test series in England and never been whitewashed.Ollie Pope will continue to deputise for Ben Stokes•Getty Images

Form guide

England WWWWW (last five Tests, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLWWW

In the spotlight: Josh Hull and Asitha Fernando

He might be blotting out the spotlight, so tall is Josh Hull. The 20-year-old only emerged on the county scene last summer, notably bowling the final over as Leicestershire sealed the Metro Bank One-Day Cup with a two-run win over Hampshire, and his rise this term has been meteoric. A couple of outings in the Hundred showed he had put on pace, nudging the speed gun up to 89mph, while success in the Lions game counted for more with England than a County Championship record of two wickets at 182.50. He is set to become only the second left-arm seamer to play Tests for England since Ryan Sidebottom in 2010.Despite Atkinson’s stellar performances and England’s dominance generally, the leading wicket-taker in the series is Sri Lankan. Asitha Fernando has 14 scalps at 20.14, already second only to Muthiah Muralidaran for Sri Lanka in England, and his lion-hearted efforts have kept the home batters honest. Asitha got himself on the honours board with a five-for at Lord’s – matching Rumesh Ratnayake’s effort from 1991 – but would no doubt love to help his team end the tour on a winning note. With Sri Lanka banking on pace at The Oval, his skills with conventional and reverse-swing will be vital if can post a score.

Team news: Hull to debut, SL go all pace

England announced on Wednesday that Hull would debut, coming into the XI for Matthew Potts. The Oval Test will likely be Dan Lawrence’s final opportunity to impress as stand-in opener ahead of the return of Zak Crawley.England: 1 Dan Lawrence, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope (capt), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jamie Smith (wk), 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Olly Stone, 10 Shoaib Bashir, 11 Josh HullSri Lanka warm up – literally and figuratively – at The Oval•PA Photos/Getty Images

Sri Lanka have opted for a rare four-man pace attack, given what they expect from the pitch (see below), meaning Prabath Jayasuriya makes way. They have also rejigged the top order (again), with Kusal Mendis back in the side at No. 3, Pathum Nissanka opening and Nishan Madushka sitting out. Angelo Mathews has only bowled a handful of times in Tests since 2017 but was going through his paces in the nets at The Oval, with a view to making up Jayasuriya’s overs alongside Dhananjaya and Kamindu.Sri Lanka: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), 7 Kamindu Mendis, 8 Milan Rathnayake, 9 Lahiru Kumara, 10 Vishwa Fernando, 11 Asitha Fernando

Pitch and conditions: Autumn weather sets in

The Oval has not been the place to bowl spin this season, with only 26 wickets falling to slow bowlers in six County Championship matches – compared to 173 taken by pace, where Surrey’s seam-and-swing merchant Dan Worrall leads the way. With wet weather in the build-up and a forecast for showers throughout – Monday looks particularly bleak – the conditions will be a long way from those in which Murali’s Sri Lanka dominated England 26 years ago.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have a 100% win rate in Tests at The Oval, having beaten England emphatically on their only previous visit – Sanath Jayasuriya’s 213 helping the visitors comfortably overhaul a total of 445 before Muralidaran took 9 for 65 to set up a 10-wicket win.
• Joe Root overtook Alastair Cook’s Test centuries record for England at Lord’s, and is now only 95 runs behind overall. He needs 24 runs to pass Kumar Sangakkara in sixth on the all-time list, with Cook next in his sights.
• Root also took his 200th catch in the field and can close in on the top two, Mahela Jayawardene (205) and Rahul Dravid (210).
• Atkinson will break the record for most wickets by an England seamer in a home summer – currently jointly held by SF Barnes, Alec Bedser and James Anderson – if he takes seven in the match.
• Karunaratne overtook Jayasuriya at Lord’s to become Sri Lanka’s fourth-highest Test run-scorer; he needs 10 more runs to reach 7000 in the format.
  

  Quotes

  “Six foot heaps, bowls left-arm, ranges in pace from 80 to 90 miles an hour. Swings it, not too dissimilar to the likes of Jimmy Anderson. He’s 20 years of age, good farming stock. It’s not a huge gamble, is it?”
  Brendon McCullum on England’s latest surprise selection“We need to score big runs and that’s the biggest fault that we had in the first two Tests. Most of our batters who had got starts didn’t convert. Joe Root is a good example, he converted the starts into hundreds. Others batted around him. One of us need to do that and if that happens we need to get 320 mark in the first innings.”
  Dhananjaya de Silva on how his side can improve

Brisbane Heat have taken a key step towards defending their BBL title by re-signing former New Zealand batter Colin Munro for a further two seasons.Munro, who announced his international retirement earlier this year after missing New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad, has played 428 T20 matches in multiple competitions and scored 10,961 runs at a career strike-rate of 141.25, with five centuries and 67 half-centuries.Related

• All the BBL and WBBL squads for 2025-26 season

• All the BBL and WBBL squads for 2024-25 season

• Sydney Thunder confident of Warner BBL return

• Billings picks Sydney Thunder ahead of rival T20 leagues

The 37-year-old lines up for his third season with Heat and is the BBL’s fourth player to be signed under new rules which allow each club to sign one international on a multi-year deal ahead of the overseas player draft.Munro, who was a member of the Perth Scorchers’ 2021-22 BBL title win, has played the past two seasons with the Heat and scored 502 runs with blistering knocks of 98 and 99 not out.In both seasons he left early to join Desert Vipers in the UAE-based ILT20 competition but his new Heat deal will ensure Munro is available for all BBL matches, including finals.England international and former Heat star Sam Billings has joined Sydney Thunder next season while Heat cult hero and last season’s finals hero Josh Brown will link with Melbourne Renegades.Munro will lead a strong Heat line-up, alongside Australia’s Usman Khawaja and Matt Renshaw, and wants to be part of a championship side.”It was pretty poignant being away and watching the boys go one better to win the title, after going through the disappointment of the previous season when we got beaten at the death in the final,'” Munro said.”It’s a strong squad again and I’m looking forward to being part of what we can build together. There are always opportunities to get better and as a group, we should be excited about the new goals we will pursue this summer.”Heat have a new coach for next season with Johan Botha having replaced Wade Seccombe.

A sensational rescue effort from Sherfane Rutherford set up a third win on the trot for West Indies in the T20 World Cup 2024 while putting New Zealand on the verge of elimination at the Brian Lara stadium in Tarouba. With the win, the co-hosts have also secured a spot in the Super Eight.New Zealand’s fast bowlers dictated proceedings in the powerplay to have West Indies four down in the first innings. Rutherford found little support as West Indies slid to 112 for 9 after 18 overs, but he plundered 37 runs off the last two overs to take the co-hosts to 149.Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hosein then stepped up with the ball, as New Zealand slumped to their second defeat in as many games.

Rutherford stands tall at the death

Rutherford found himself in unfamiliar territory thanks to West Indies’ top-order collapse, coming in to bat in the sixth over. Only for the second time in his T20I career, he faced a ball in the powerplay. But he vied his time in his partnerships with Hosein, Andre Russell and Romario Shepherd. For long, his only two boundary shots were two sixes off drag-downs from Mitchell Santner and James Neesham before he finally let loose in the last two overs.New Zealand took a gambit in using up their best frontline bowlers early and ended up giving Daryl Mitchell the penultimate over and Santner the last.The plan nearly paid off, with West Indies having just one wicket in hand after the 18th over. But Rutherford resisted as he first tore into Mitchell, hitting him for back-to-back sixes down the V’ before depositing the ball over the fine-leg fence for a third six in the over.He then hit Santner for two fours and a majestic six slog-swept from wide of off over wide long-on, on the way to a 33-ball half-century. The 37 runs off the last two overs helped take West Indies to 149, a score that seemed unattainable for almost all of their innings.Related

• New Zealand's decade of excellence unravels in a hurry

• 'He timed it beautifully and got his match-up' – Williamson and Powell laud Rutherford

• Trinidad rallies round West Indies as T20 cricket comes to its spiritual home

Allen attacks in the powerplay

Finn Allen helped New Zealand gain early momentum in the chase, despite losing Devon Conway in the third over. Allen got going by pulling Shepherd behind square for a boundary in the second over before hoisting Hosein over cow corner. Hosein then had Conway caught at fine leg as he top-edged while trying to sweep, done in by the extra bounce. Allen then flicked Russell behind square and cut Hosein for two more fours.Joseph, introduced in the sixth over, drew a leading edge off him only for Rutherford to drop him running back from point. But one ball later, Allen miscued a pull to Russell at deep square leg.

Motie ties New Zealand down

Motie struck in his first over, getting Williamson to nick behind trying to cut, as West Indies grabbed two wickets in two overs. In his next over, he had Rachin Ravindra – who came in to bat at No. 3 – hole out to deep midwicket. In his third over, Motie knocked Mitchell over with a peach that pitched on middle and spun past the outside edge to crash into the stumps.Between Motie and Hosein, West Indies’ left-arm spinners had combined figures of 4 for 46 from their eight overs, while offspinner Roston Chase bowled a four-run over.

Joseph stops Phillips’ charge

The spin choke saw New Zealand’s asking rate swell When Neesham fell to Joseph, New Zealand needed 65 off 29 deliveries. Phillips then tried to force the issue, hitting Russell for a four and a six before pulling Joseph for back-to-back boundaries in the 18th over. However, Joseph had the last laugh as Phillips tried to pull again and skied a catch to long-on running in.Joseph then had Southee caught off his own bowling to finish with a four-wicket haul, effectively sealing the win for West Indies.

Boult triggers WI’s top-order collapse

At the start of the game, it was Trent Boult who made heads turn early. After asking West Indies to bat, New Zealand got a first-over breakthrough courtesy Boult’s wicket of Johnson Charles, who chopped one onto his stumps.Nicholas Pooran walked out to loud applause, and it took him three balls to get West Indies’ first boundary with a leading edge past short third. The boundary also took Pooran past Chris Gayle to become the leading run-scorer for West Indies in men’s T20Is.Then followed a game of cat-and-mouse between Pooran and Tim Southee, who was among three changes New Zealand made from the side that lost to Afghanistan last week.In a sequence of four balls, Pooran hit two fours, was dropped by Mitchell between the two boundary shots and then fell to the seamer. Pooran tried to take Southee on for a third boundary in the over as the bowler dug in a short ball but skied it to wicketkeeper Conway running behind a swirling ball.Pooran was the first of four wickets that West Indies lost in the space of ten runs. Chase fell for a duck, miscuing Lockie Ferguson, and Southee had Rovman Powell edging behind. From 20 for 1, they were soon 30 for 5, when Brandon King departed in the seventh over.

The Boult v Russell battle

Then came a 28-run stand for the sixth wicket between Akeal Hosein and Rutherford that briefly stabilised their innings. A sharp catch by Neesham at midwicket off Santner’s bowling ended Hosein’s stay, and Russell came at No. 8.Russell was immediately on the front foot, hitting Ferguson for two fours and a six. Williamson brought Boult back in the next over, the 13th of the innings, and the move paid off as Russell first missed an attempted hoick across the line and then top-edged a catch to short third.Ferguson and Boult then dismissed Shepherd and Joseph with deliveries that stayed low, nd with two overs to go, New Zealand were the happier side. But they were not prepared for Rutherford to single-handedly change the game’s course and handed West Indies the momentum at the break, helped also by the energy of a packed Brian Lara Stadium.