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India will have to make a tough decision on Rahul in a must-win game for them

Andrew Miller17-Mar-20217:00

How do India find an answer to Wood and Archer’s pace?

Big Picture

The colours red and black are more commonly associated with roulette wheels than soil types, but as is the case with that most deceptive of casino games, the surface on which this T20I series has been played has mattered little in the final analysis. What has really made the difference is the spin at the start, because the banker always wins in the end. Win the toss, bowl first, scoop the spoils irrespective of the action.So it has proven in three consecutive fixtures between England and India at Ahmedabad. Emphatic margins on each occasion – by eight wickets, seven wickets and eight wickets again – with the zippier, dewy conditions for the team batting under lights offering more pace onto the bat, and consequently to the rope, and little wriggle-room for the team that has been asked to post a target.But why let that not-so-hidden truth detract from the fun that’s to be had along the way? After all, you’d struggle to claim that the action to date has been anything other than compelling – with England’s surging pace onslaughts in the first and third games giving way to Ishan Kishan’s precociously composed destruction in match two.And, as Virat Kohli set out to prove in arguably the innings of the series on Tuesday, there’s always the chance of winning big when your numbers come up. Kohli’s outstanding innings of 77 not out from 46 balls gave his team a puncher’s chance – and it required Jos Buttler to step up with a career-best innings of 83 not out to snuff out the prospect of a win against the head.Irrespective of the results, if there is one clear pointer to have emerged from the first three games, it is that England – with just over six months to go until the T20 World Cup – have a far better idea of their best XI than India. When Mark Wood is fit (and the management of his pace-stressed ankles is a full-time job for the support staff), the raucous hostility that he and Jofra Archer can produce in the powerplay is a perfect dovetail for their pedal-to-the-metal batting approach. Full throttle in both disciplines makes for a very compelling sight, and a very compelling affirmation of their No.1 T20I ranking.Related

• Morgan moved to verge of tears before 100th T20I

• Kohli, Rathour back Rahul as India T20I opener

• Kohli jumps back into top five in T20I rankings

But India aren’t so far away from a similarly devastating line-up – their faith in youth has already reaped huge dividends in the Test arena, and with a groundswell of IPL starlets itching to step up into the international spotlight, they are well placed to peak exactly when they’d want to, at the start of that home World Cup campaign in October.And yet, as their selection in the third match revealed, there’s still some unresolved tension between the platform-building team of death-over accelerators that they used to be, and the more fearless, full-frontal outfit that Kohli said, at the start of the series, that he was looking for them to become. The decision to veer away from Kishan at the top of the order for match three, so soon after his extraordinarily carefree debut, looked like an error as soon as it was announced at the toss. Sure enough, it gave England licence to get back on the front foot in that powerplay, with Adil Rashid claiming the first over in a ploy that looks likely to stick, before Morgan was able to burgle some quiet mid-innings overs from an off-colour Ben Stokes while India were still trying to pick up the pieces of their top order.The plus side of that decision, of course, is that at least India now know the error of their ways – and may now be all the better placed to commit more fully to their new forward-looking approach. The absence of the newly married Jasprit Bumrah needs also to be factored into their performances to date. His potential impact at the top and tail of any given innings is immeasurable, and affirms the sense that they are a team on the rise.England, by contrast, are slightly boxed in by the obvious strength of their first XI. The decision to overlook Moeen Ali for match three, on a red-soil surface that ought to have assisted his offspin, was a surprise at the time, but also an indication that England really want to claim the series win before mixing up their methods and discovering how close to his best he truly is. But as they discovered with Tom Curran’s callow showing in match two, if England’s back-up players can’t hit the ground running when their rare opportunities come, the knock-on effect for their whole machine can be significant.Similar issues (if they can be described as such) persist with England’s batting – the wall of noise that Nos.1 to 7 can produce is such that there’s a reluctance to experiment with a proven line-up, and find out whether Sam Billings’ skills as a finisher could add anything to the mix, or even the re-rising star Liam Livingstone (and his handy line in spin bowling). It may be that both will have to keep on watching and waiting a while yet.1:53

Gambhir: Buttler one of the best T20 batters in the world

Form guide

India LWLLW

England WLWWW

In the spotlight

Not that he’s ever really out of the spotlight, but the form of Virat Kohli in the last two games has reinforced his pre-eminence in India’s line-up, after his back-to-back ducks in the fourth Test and first T20I. Against a high-class bowling attack, he’s provided an anchor with a difference for India – a calm second fiddle to Kishan in game two, before marching through the death overs to crush England’s remaining hopes, before serving up a granite-willed performance on Tuesday that, in its brilliant final flourishes against Wood in particular, showed the way for sides batting first in these conditions. With Kohli in this mood, the dashers in India’s line-up – Kishan and Rishabh Pant in particular – have even fuller licence to have a proper go.For all of the awe that England’s pace battery has served up in recent days, there’s still no doubting which of England’s bowlers is Eoin Morgan’s absolute favourite weapon. Adil Rashid has the unwavering faith of his captain, and has justified that backing time and time again in recent months – most recently in an unfamiliar new role at the top of the powerplay in the first and third games. Tellingly, however, he was kept back from the new ball when India opened with Kishan in match two, and then kept out of the young gun’s firing line until it was arguably too late to make a decisive impact on India’s chase. A lot of faith is placed in match-ups in modern T20 cricket, but there’s still room for gut feel too. If England lose the toss and find themselves defending in the dew once again, might Morgan be tempted to give him an earlier spin?Adil Rashid has revelled in his new role as the powerplay spinner•Getty Images

Team news

A tough decision awaits on the fate of KL Rahul, who simply looked burned out by the end of his four-ball stay on Tuesday. The smart money would be on a new Mumbai Indians’ left-hand/right-hand combination at the top, with Rohit Sharma joining forces with his young gun, Kishan, whose style was somewhat cramped by his shunt to No.3 in the last game. Suryakumar Yadav, who didn’t get a chance to bat on debut in the second game, is the obvious choice to slot back in in the middle order.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ishan Kishan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalStick or twist for England? If everyone is fit, then an unchanged XI makes sense in the short term – a series win in India is not to be sniffed at, after all. But Moeen needs to be road-tested at some stage, surely, and then there’s the thorny issue of Dawid Malan at No. 3. It’s not out of the question that he could become the fastest player to reach 1000 runs before the series is done (see below). But his tempo in this series has been the slowest of his career – 66 runs at 110.00 in three innings, almost 40 points lower than his strike-rate at the end of the South Africa series (149.47). If he’s not the right fit for these conditions at the World Cup, then England could do with finding out sharpish who is. As for the other contenders, Reece Topley among them, their trial runs may have to wait a while yet.England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Jonny Bairstow, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood.

Pitch and conditions

It makes no difference if you’re black or red, as Michael Jackson didn’t quite sing. In theory, a red-soiled pitch ought to offer more bounce and turn for the spinners than its black-soil alternative. However, as in the first three games, the onset of dew as the lights kick in means that batting second is likely to be a major advantage either way.

Stats and trivia

• With 921 runs in 22 T20I innings to date, Dawid Malan needs another 79 runs to become the fastest batsman to reach 1000 in the format. Babar Azam is the current record-holder, having reached the mark in his 26th innings.
• Jason Roy is also on the verge of 1000 T20I runs. He needs another six, having reached 994 in 41 innings. His team-mate, Jonny Bairstow, passed the same landmark in his 43rd innings on Tuesday.
• Defeat for India in either of the next two games would mean only their second T20I series loss on home soil since the World T20 in 2016. Australia beat them 2-0 in 2019, their only loss in ten rubbers.

Quotes

“I was going through a lean patch about two games ago. These things turn around very quickly. For us, he’s been a champion player. If you look at his stats in the last two-three years, they are probably better than anyone in world cricket in T20s. He’ll continue to be one of our main batters along with Rohit at the top of the order.”

Virat Kohli gives his backing to KL Rahul after his run of 1, 0 and 0 in the first three games.“I was just trying to bang into the wicket on a good length as fast as I can, trying to make something happen.”

Mark Wood has an uncomplicated explanation for his uncomplicated method, after starring with three high-octane wickets on Tuesday

The former wicketkeeper, who feels Paine’s future as Test captain is in his own hands, lauded him for helping reshape the team after the ball-tampering scandal

Andrew McGlashan in Perth11-Dec-2019Alex Carey is “nipping at the heels” of Tim Paine but the future of Australia’s Test captain remains in his own hands, according to Adam Gilchrist.It is not beyond the realms that the New Zealand series, which starts in Perth on Thursday, marks Paine’s last home internationals. After the Sydney Test in early January, Australia’s next assignment is a two-match series in Bangladesh in June before the next home summer.Steven Smith’s leadership ban will be completed at the end of March which means he will be eligible for a return to captaincy, and Gilchrist picked out him and Pat Cummins as potential options to replace Paine. The upturn in Australia’s Test form this year has cemented Paine’s position and it appears unlikely he will be pushed out, but having turned 35 a few days ago there may also come a time when he feels it is time to move on.From a batting point of view, Carey has made 143 and 73 in his last two Sheffield Shield outings and is the natural successor to Paine. It is a position Gilchrist has first-hand experience of, having been the man who replaced Ian Healy in 1999.”I reckon while ever he is in the team he should be captain,” Gilchrist, who is a commentator, said. “And then let’s see after these three Tests – that is the summer for him. See how he feels at the end of this summer. I feel it was more of a light-hearted comment when he said it might be his last summer. But like all players that are getting to that age bracket, it’s almost a summer-by-summer analysis.”It’s almost like deja vu – not for him, but for me – when you’ve got a guy like Alex Carey nipping at his heels. He’s starting to show some really promising signs of consistency now in his Sheffield Shield cricket. With his overall game and where the attention gets drawn to is his run-scoring. His wicketkeeping seems to be extremely consistent. As is Paine’s. But Carey is now starting to really accumulate important runs in first-class cricket, so that is going to really put pressure on him.”If he is playing next summer, Paine should be captain of the Australian cricket team. But we will have to see at the end of the summer if he is still in there – whether it’s his own personal judgement or the selectors’. As long as he warrants a spot in the team, he can keep leading the team. I’m amazed at the way he has helped rebuild and reshape the team after the disaster of South Africa.”Tim Paine with Steven Smith at training•AFP

Though Paine’s Test average remains a modest 30.97 (he has barely been needed so far this summer with the prolific returns of Australia’s top order), Gilchrist believes he has a significant innings him should Australia need it.”Tim’s chipped in with some really important innings,” Gilchrist said. “He hasn’t got the breakthrough runs but he plays a decent role with the bat. I’d be surprised if in this series there’s not a time when we’re under pressure whether it’s a 40, 50 or a 70 that he plays his role. He’s so experienced he can fulfill that. The only time the attention is drawn to him is if someone else is breathing down his neck that they may be able to add value.”From Paine’s point of view, he said he had not given his future any more thought since the start of the international season. “In terms of competition, when you are playing for Australia as the wicketkeeper, there’s constant competition,” he said. “We are renowned for having excellent wicketkeeper-batsmen and that’s no different at the moment. As I touched on, it’s a great environment in our set-up and I’m enjoying every minute of it and will continue to do so as long as I can.”

Mohammed Shami was left out of the 15-man squad

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2018India’s frontline pace bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have been added to the ODI squad for the remaining three matches against West Indies, after being rested for the first two games. Mohammed Shami was left out of the squad, which had no other changes.Allrounder Kedar Jadhav had missed the first two matches with a hamstring injury he picked up during the Asia Cup; he was expected to be back for the remaining ODIs, according to chief selector MSK Prasad, but wasn’t named in the squad of 15. Jadhav scored an unbeaten 41 off 25 for India A against India C in the Deodhar Trophy on Thursday and bowled a few overs too.Shami played the first two ODIs but was the most expensive India bowler in Guwahati, where he took two top-order wickets in his figures of 2 for 81. He bettered his performance in Visakhapatnam by finishing with 1 for 59 from 10 overs, but could not retain his place for the remainder of the series even though Umesh Yadav has so far conceded 142 runs in the two matches, compared to Shami’s 140, with only one wicket to his name.The remaining three matches will be played in Pune, Mumbai (Brabourne Stadium) and Thiruvananthapuram on October 27, 29 and November 1.Squad: Virat Kohli (cap), Rohit Sharma (vice-capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey

Several marquee T20 players who have signed BPL contracts are also part of the T20 Global League draft

Mohammad Isam26-Aug-2017In the lead up to the players’ draft for the inaugural T20 Global League, Cricket South Africa is in a tricky situation involving a few overseas players who have committed to play in the Bangladesh Premier League. With both tournaments set to run simultaneously in November-December, the CSA has stated that players who sign contracts will not be allowed to participate in any other tournament, and that the contracts will be binding.Chris Gayle (Rangpur), Fakhar Zaman (Comilla), Cameron Delport and Shahid Afridi (Dhaka), Darren Sammy (Rajshahi), Carlos Brathwaite, Junaid Khan and Dawid Malan (Khulna) are among several overseas players who are also in the T20 Global League draft. Some of these players have already signed contracts with their BPL franchises. ESPNcricinfo understands Afridi signed his contract with Dhaka in March this year while Delport signed his in July.In what could concern the BCB, a few players like Gayle have made their position clear: he is committed to the T20 Global League, where he is one of the icon players and will only play for Rangpur if the scheduling allows him, although the chances of that happening remain remote. Sammy, Gayle’s West Indies team-mate, has “agreed to play for the Rajshahi Kings”, according to the franchise.In a letter this week, Corrie van Zyl, the CSA general manager, has reminded players that they were entering into a “valid and binding” contract. “Kindly note that the agreement to enter the draft is a valid and binding contract entered into between you and Cricket South Africa, in terms of which you have agreed as follows,” van Zyl wrote on August 21. “[Players should not], directly or indirectly, enter into another agreement and/or arrangement subsequent to entering this agreement which would adversely affect his ability to perform his obligations under this Agreement or the Cricketer’s Playing Contract… [Players must] be available, subject to the provisions of any NOC, to participate in the full league edition period and will report to the team, unless otherwise agreed to in writing, on the commencement date of the league edition period.”Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the BCB CEO, said that the BPL franchises have every right to feel concerned. “We were aware that such an issue may come up since both tournaments are scheduled around the same time,” he said. “We will get in touch with Cricket South Africa soon. We have asked the BPL franchises for the list of cricketers. If the players say that they don’t know how their names went up in that [T20 Global draft] list, I think that’s a valid ground for the BPL franchises who have already signed them. But we will first contact CSA and then, depending on the response, think about the next course of action.”Kazi Inam Ahmed, the managing director of Khulna Titans, confirmed Malan and Junaid Khan’s signing was completed in March. Dhaka Dynamites CEO Obeid Nizam said that their players – Afridi and Delport – signed contracts a while back, and ideally there should not be any confusion. “We are concerned but we also have the legal agreement. They have told us that they have no problem to play for Dhaka in the BPL. I don’t know why this has suddenly come up since we signed them five-six months ago.”Haroon Lorgat, CSA’s chief executive, in a statement reiterated the commitment made by the players through having their names in the T20 Global League’s draft. “We have received signed confirmations from all the players who have availed themselves to participate in the draft and in the tournament later this year. These are binding commitments and therefore we do not wish to speculate on potential conflicts.”It is understood that the BCB is also concerned by the poor regulations in practice currently, with home boards openly directing players to play particular leagues or refusing them NOC for other tournaments. The board is also worried by the layers of agents that franchises have to deal with when signing a player these days.

Sanjay Bangar, India’s interim head coach, has said MS Dhoni went out of his way to share his knowledge and experience with his young team-mates during their tour of Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-20162:37

‘Thought 140 was a good score on this wicket’ – Bangar

On Wednesday, MS Dhoni captained India for the 324th time in international cricket, and joined Ricky Ponting on top of the global list. That is a of experience, and Sanjay Bangar, India’s interim head coach, has said Dhoni went out of the way to share it with his young and inexperienced squad over the course of this Zimbabwe tour.”I definitely felt that he opened up quite a bit,” Bangar said, after India won the third T20I by three runs to wrap up the series 2-1. “He had a lot of interactions with the players. He made that effort to go out and mingle with them, he probably invited them for dinners and they [spent time] over Playstations together.”He went out of the way to make them comfortable, shared his experience with the younger guys, probably emphasised on the value of how to handle pressure, under match situations what are the things that are required to be done. So I think those were enormous learnings.”What he also did fantastically was he passed on the tradition of Indian cricket, because these younger lot are the future of Indian cricket, and the way he shared his experience was very, very similar to how the earlier generation used to pass on the knowledge and the experience and just make a younger player comfortable in the dressing room, so he made all that effort and it was great to see.”India batted first for the first time on the tour, and were tested by Zimbabwe’s bowlers on a slow, low Harare surface. They eventually posted 138, thanks in large part to Kedar Jadhav’s maiden T20I half-century. Bangar was pleased with how Jadhav – who only got to bat twice in six matches on this tour – has grabbed his opportunities, mentioning his ODI century on India’s previous visit in 2015 as another example.”The last time he played for India, probably it was again a year ago, he got a hundred in the series,” Bangar said. “He didn’t get too many opportunities in this series, this was only the second time that he could go out and bat, and he played an amazing innings, because he was having some issues.”As he went in, he wasn’t feeling too good, but he hung in and fought through, and the kind of innings he produced on a difficult wicket, I felt that showed the quality of the player, so he’s doing all that he can in the opportunities that he’s getting.At 31, Jadhav is the second-oldest player in India’s squad behind Dhoni, but Bangar felt that shouldn’t prevent him from having a sizeable international career.”Age doesn’t really matter because, nowadays, most of the guys are keeping themselves very fit, they have fantastic work discipline,” he said. “It’s just a matter of some individual getting a couple of opportunities simultaneously, and consecutively, so that he feels comfortable in match situations. These are quality players and they’re bound to come good.”Bangar made special mention of Axar Patel for his consistency with the ball and also his finishing skills down the order. Axar was India’s most economical bowler in the ODI series, conceding only 2.32 runs an over in three matches, and his left-arm spin was just as frugal in the T20Is, as his economy rate of 4.91 suggested. He only got to bat twice on the tour, both times in the T20I series, and scored 38 runs off just 20 balls. He played a key role in India’s narrow win in the third T20I, scoring an unbeaten 20 off 11 balls and conceding only 18 in his four overs while dismissing Hamilton Masakadza.”I think not only today, but throughout the series, he kept the pressure on,” Bangar said. “Probably, he was our most economical bowler. I don’t really know the exact stat, but he was very, very consistent. He maintained that pressure throughout, and not only his bowling, but generally, the way he fielded, a couple of catches that he took, and the way he finishes the innings. He got an opportunity in two T20s, the first and the third game, and he is proving to be a very good developing player at No. 7 or No. 8, who is capable of hitting the big shots. That’s really encouraging for Indian cricket.”

Umar Akmal scored an unbeaten half-century as Leicestershire put a brake on Birmingham’s NatWest T20 Blast hot streak with a comfortable seven-wicket win at Edgbaston

ECB/PA19-Jun-2015
ScorecardUmar Akmal cracked 52 not out of 38 balls and sealed victory with a four•Getty Images

Umar Akmal scored an unbeaten half-century as Leicestershire put a brake on Birmingham’s NatWest T20 Blast hot streak with a comfortable seven-wicket win at Edgbaston.Birmingham were hunting their fifth successive win in the North Group and posted a solid total of 160 for 5 thanks mainly to Tim Ambrose’s third T20 half-century, a well-judged unbeaten 66 from 54 balls with seven fours and a six. But Leicestershire bounced back from the previous night’s defeat at Derby to reach 164 for three with nine balls to spare.

Insights

Leicestershire’s batting won this match as much as anything. While often perceived to be a small county lacking star quality, Mark Cosgrove is one of those rare and valuable players who despite not being quite good enough for international cricket can dominate domestic circuits; Niall O’Brien (and Kevin, who was on international duty) are also regularly available for domestic cricket despite being international quality players. Umar Akmal is in scintillating T20 form and will be missed. Of course, they cannot continue to rely on three or four batsmen and their local players have to perform as well but Leicestershire needed this win following a match lost to rain and defeat to Derbyshire on Thursday.

Mark Cosgrove laid the platform with a blistering 44 from 23 balls and then Niall O’Brien and Umar Akmal saw them home with an unbroken stand of 93 in 70 balls.After Birmingham chose to bat, Leicestershire struck two big blows early. Varun Chopra lifted Olly Freckingham to cover and Ian Bell’s blistering form in this season’s tournament (128 from 89 balls in two innings) was ended by a brilliant catch by Tom Wells. Bell was looking dangerous again on 19 from 13 balls and hit Clint McKay’s first two balls for four but then drove the next to mid-off where Wells flung himself to his right to make the catch.That was Leicestershire’s last success for a while as William Porterfield and Ambrose built the innings’ only partnership of substance. They added 80 from 58 balls before the former fell to another fine catch by Wells, this time at long-off.Laurie Evans scratched around for 13 and could drop out next week when Brendon McCullum makes his debut. But Ambrose kept working the ball around skilfully, though young left-arm spinner Jamie Sykes distinguished himself with four tight overs for just 23.Leicestershire got off to a flier, reaching 50 in the fourth as Cosgrove fed voraciously on some overpitched bowling. The Australian raced to 44 from with seven fours, one six before falling lbw to Jeetan Patel’s fifth delivery.That was 71 for 3 and Birmingham sensed an opportunity to start a collapse but O’Brien and Akmal played it perfectly. Under no pressure to go for big shots they milked the bowling as the Foxes won at a canter, Akmal notching a half-century on his farewell appearance as stand-in overseas player for Kiwi star Grant Elliott who will return next week.

Jonny Bairstow has returned home early from England’s tour of India for family reasons

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2012Jonny Bairstow has returned home early from England’s tour of India for family reasons, joining a growing exodus of England players who have departed early.Bairstow was left out England’s first Twenty20 International in Pune, where Jos Buttler was preferred as wicket-keeper. He discovered during the match that he was needed at home and left immediately. He was due to arrive in the UK on Friday morning.England will need to recover from their five wicket defeat in Pune, where they failed to build on Alex Hales’s impressive 26-ball 50.It completed an unrewarding pre-Christmas spell in India for Bairstow, who batted only once in the Test series, making 9 in the second Test in Mumbai before losing his place because of perceived limitations on turning pitches.Buttler’s inclusion was one of England’s few bright spots as he made an international-best 33 in England’s five-wicket defeat.A brief statement from the ECB read: “Jonny Bairstow has gone home today from India tour for family reasons.”

Shahid Afridi has said he is “strong, fit and in good shape” to come back from the “wild period” he spent out of the Pakistan limited-overs sides due to his conditional retirement

Umar Farooq03-Nov-2011Shahid Afridi has said he is “strong, fit and in good shape” to come back from the “wild period” he spent out of the Pakistan limited-overs sides due to his conditional retirement.Afridi had made himself available for selection after Zaka Ashraf succeeded Ijaz Butt as PCB chairman and was named on Wednesday in the ODI and Twenty20 squads for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the UAE. His selection came hours after he met with Ashraf in Lahore.”I found Zaka a very cooperative person,” Afridi said. “Though he is not a cricketer, I feel he can understand cricketers’ problems and is good at managing things. I feel he will do the best for the interests of cricket in the country.”Afridi last played for Pakistan in the West Indies in May, when he had a public falling-out with the coach Waqar Younis. He was replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq as captain in the limited-overs formats, after which he announced his retirement, saying that he would not play for Pakistan under that administration. Waqar subsequently resigned as coach after the tour of Zimbabwe and Butt ended his term as PCB chairman in October, clearing the way for Afridi’s comeback. Afridi said he still had “a lot to offer”.”It’s obviously very tough to be out in such a manner. It indeed was a very difficult time and I am happy that I am back,” Afridi said. “I am strong, fit and in good shape to cover the wild period I had lost during the time of retirement.”I was well supported by the seniors in the team and also by Misbah, which is really good. Now I am ready to contribute in the team as a senior player.”Afridi had wasted no time in pushing his case, requesting a meeting with Zaka on the day the new PCB chairman took office. The selectors, too, wasted little time in picking the allrounder.”I met with Afridi before his selection and we had a positive meeting,” interim chief selector Mohammad Ilyas said. “He is like a son to me and I believe his selection isn’t unfair.”Though he hasn’t played international cricket for five months, Afridi has not been short of match practice. He played for Hampshire in the Friends Life t20 in England. “I am not rusty at all as I kept myself busy playing cricket,” he said. “I am focusing on maintaining my all-round abilities. I had a successful county stint, which gave me ample confidence of doing well in both departments.”

Jacques Kallis, the South Africa allrounder, has criticised the Abu Dhabi pitch after Pakistan, led by a determined half-century by captain Misbah-ul-Haq, drew the second Test and the series

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2010Jacques Kallis, the South Africa allrounder, has criticised the Abu Dhabi pitch, after Pakistan, led by a determined half-century by captain Misbah-ul-Haq, drew the second Test and the series. South Africa set Pakistan a target of 354 but managed only three wickets in the chase, though they did pick them up in quick succession after lunch to put pressure on their opponents.”The groundsman needs to ensure the game of Test cricket stays healthy and produces a good contest between bat and ball,” Kallis said. “It didn’t really live up [to expectations] and you can probably play another Test match straight away and not get a result. The pitch was really flat.”Our spinners bowled well but there was absolutely no turn on that pitch and no pace either. Any team would have struggled to take 10 wickets, today, out there.”Though not winning the series was disappointing for Kallis, who scored two centuries in the two Tests, he said his side had prepared well for the Test series against India starting December 16 in Centurion. “The pleasing thing was the way we went about our business,” he said. “We put Pakistan under pressure for most of the series apart from one or two sessions where we were perhaps not as good as we can be.”I think the guys will take a lot out of the series and have got some good runs under their belt. The bowlers did not take as many wickets as they would have liked but the wickets played a role in that. As a unit, we’ve gained a lot of confidence.”Pakistan, currently ranked No.6 in the Test rankings, were helped considerably by the experienced duo of Younis Khan and Misbah, both making a return to the Test format after a long break. The youngsters stepped up too, with Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq making important contributions. Kallis admitted Pakistan had resisted well. “I think we had them under pressure in the whole series and the Pakistan cricketers, especially the youngsters, came in and performed really well. Their cricket is looking positive.”They put in big performances and showed that they have the determination
needed to survive in big games, though the tracks were flat.”

Andrew Hilditch raised more than a few eyebrows when he boldly declared Australia’s spin bowling stocks were “in a pretty good spot at the moment”

Alex Brown15-Dec-2009Andrew Hilditch raised more than a few eyebrows on the eve of the Brisbane Test when he boldly declared Australia’s spin bowling stocks were “in a pretty good spot at the moment”. That assessment seemed misguidedly optimistic at the time, and even more so now that a 20-year-old wrist-spinner with just 11 first-class wickets to his name has been called into the Australian squad as cover for Nathan Hauritz in the Perth Test.Steven Smith is regarded by many as an Australian player of the future, but opinion is divided over precisely what role he should fill. To date, Smith’s wrist spin has produced six wickets at 55.00 for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield this season – his career average expands further to 75.18 – and his action was recently described as “loose” by former Test legspinner Kerry O’Keeffe. “The Blues prodigy is a batsman first and a slow bowler second,” O’Keeffe added.Smith has enjoyed somewhat more success with the bat, raising his maiden first-class century against Queensland over the past week. But it is his bowling for which Hilditch’s panel have called him into the Test squad, and on that account there must be considerable concern. He returned figures of 0 for 156 from 25 overs against the Bulls in a match the Blues conceded by nine wickets.”The bowling’s going pretty well,” Smith said at Sydney airport. “It was quite hard gripping the ball up there [in Brisbane]. It was really sticky conditions, a little bit different to what I’ve been used to. I had a good bowl this morning and the ball seems to be coming out pretty well. So if I get an opportunity, I’m sure I’ll take it with both hands.”He has never met Ricky Ponting and was watching a movie when he learned of his selection. “I couldn’t believe it,” Smith said. “I’m still shocked. I was shaking for about an hour and a half after I heard.”Smith will be in contention to make his Test debut should Hauritz fail to recover from a finger injury sustained at training on Tuesday. He would join a list of spinners that includes Stuart MacGill, Brad Hogg, Beau Casson, Cameron White, Jason Krejza, Bryce McGain and, most recently, Hauritz to have turned out for the Test side since Shane Warne’s retirement in 2007, opening Hilditch’s panel to further accusations of inconsistency.”While he has excited all in recent times for New South Wales with the bat,” Hilditch said, “we consider his skills as a leg spinner will give good balance to the attack. We are confident he will seize the opportunity if it presents itself in Perth.”Warne recently described Smith as “one to watch” and “a real bolter”, but urged selectors not to rush him into the Test side. Still, with the uncapped pace duo of Clint McKay and Brett Geeves Australia’s only other options – and memories still fresh in Ricky Ponting’s mind of India’s 72-run victory the last time he fielded an all-pace attack at the WACA – Warne’s advice may go unheeded.”In a perfect world … he would learn how to bowl in different conditions,” Warne said. “[He would bowl in] different situations, trying to bowl a side out to win a game, bowl when they are miles behind, bowl defensively so they don’t lose, on first-day wickets when it’s not turning, on fourth-day wickets when the expectation of you is that you come out and take five-for. [Selectors should] be patient with him and just let him bowl.”In an ideal world I’d love him to play 10 Shield games, learn how to bowl in all the different situations, and not get carried away by all the one-dayers and Twenty20s. But you can’t say to a young player, ‘We’re going to rest you from Twenty20 or one-dayers, we want you to learn your craft at Shield cricket.’ It’s nearly impossible to do that these days.”News of Smith’s elevation to the Test squad will come as a major blow to Jason Krejza, who was widely considered to be Australia’s next-in-line spinner after Hauritz. Krejza has not played a Test since Perth last year, and despite managing just a solitary wicket in that six-wicket loss to South Africa, he has been among the better-performed first class spinners this season with 13 wickets at 47.23 for Tasmania.