All posts by csb10.top

1:45

A brilliant advert for Test cricket – Root

It’s lovely. It’s the favourite format for me. It’s the best format in cricket. We absolutely love playing Test cricket. People watching it as well should love it equally. They understand the game and there’s nothing better than testing yourself over five days against top quality opposition and I’m sure every player playing Test cricket will vouch for that as well.
Anyone who says it’s dead can just come and watch it on repeat.
I have dreamt of this growing up. Playing Test cricket, in front of these big crowds, with all these players I’ve seen growing up. Stokesy, Jimmy, Broady, I’m just trying to learn a bit every day.

ScorecardGary Wilson made his highest score in the County Championship for 14 months as Derbyshire fought back against Northamptonshire on the opening day of the Division Two match at Chesterfield.Wilson made 66 after Harvey Hosein with 58 started a recovery that lifted Derbyshire to 250 after Ben Sanderson had blown away the top order to finish with 5 for 53 from 20 overs.Tony Palladino then took two wickets as Northants slipped to 74 for 3 on a day to remember for Derbyshire’s cricket and commercial operations manager Dan Wheeldon who marked his debut at the age of 29 with an unbeaten 33.Derbyshire’s decision to bat first looked questionable when Sanderson reduced them to 21 for 3 in the first five overs of a cloudy morning.Sanderson struck with only the second ball by trapping Ben Slater on the crease before some late away movement removed Wayne Madsen’s off stump in his next over.Billy Godleman was caught behind pushing at one that kept low and when Alex Hughes played on to Nathan Buck, Northants would have fancied their chances of denying Derbyshire a single batting point.But Chesterfield-born Hosein was composed from the start and with Matt Critchley, added 58 before Northants broke through in the first over after lunch when Critchley was lbw playing across the line to Nathan Buck.Hosein reached 50 with his sixth four but then chipped Sanderson to wide mid on where Alex Wakely plunged to his right to take an outstanding catch.Another fine catch, by wicketkeeper Ricardo Vasconcelos, accounted for Hardus Viljoen to give Sanderson his fifth wicket and plunge Derbyshire back into trouble but Wilson and Wheeldon restored respectability with a ninth wicket stand of 52.Wilson drove Seekkuge into the pavilion while Wheeldon made the most of a reprieve on five when Richard Levi spilled a low chance at second slip to play with impressive judgement in his first innings.When Wilson was bowled by Buck, Wheeldon opened up and drove Sanderson for two fours before launching Prasanna into the crowd over long off as Derbyshire achieved the bonus of a second point.Wheeldon’s impact with the ball was more low key as his opening three over spell cost 15 and Luke Proctor and Ben Duckett cruised along at five an over until Palladino struck twice in three balls.Duckett was caught behind trying to cut a ball that was too close to him and after Vasconcelos was beaten by a good length ball, Proctor inexplicably left a straight ball from Viljoen as Northants closed 186 behind.

ScorecardMatt Renshaw’s third Specsavers County Championship century in eight innings for Somerset was the feature of a closely-fought opening day of the match with leaders Nottinghamshire at Taunton.The Aussie left-hander hit 106 off 171 balls, with 12 fours and 2 sixes, before becoming a third victim for off-spinner Matthew Carter as the hosts ran up 307 for 7 after winning the toss. Skipper Tom Abell contributed 57 and Steve Davies 59 not out.Off-spinner Matthew Carter was the most successful Notts bowler with four for 81. But Luke Fletcher bowled better than his figures of one for 39 suggested.Renshaw has scored 411 Championship runs for Somerset at an average of 58.7, making his early departure due to an Australia A tour call-up in August all the more galling for the county.The 22-year-old marked his last home appearance with an important knock. He and Eddie Byrom faced some testing opening overs, particularly from Fletcher, whose initial eight-over spell saw him concede only 11 runs.A half-century stand for the first wicket took 21.3 overs and in the 24th, with the total on 62, Byrom was lbw for 14 pushing forward to Steven Mullaney.By lunch Somerset had progressed to 80 for one, with Renshaw having brought up a 77-ball fifty. Notts struck again with the total on 117 when George Bartlett, on 29, edged Carter to slip where Ross Taylor took a low catch.James Hildreth’s fine start to the season was interrupted when, having made only a single, he edged a back-foot defensive shot off Carter to give Taylor another catch.Renshaw went to three figures off 165 balls with a nick through the slips off Mullaney, not the first bit of fortune he had enjoyed. It followed scores of 101 not out against Worcestershire and 112 against Yorkshire in the opening two Championship games.He won’t have been happy with the manner of his dismissal, bowled trying to launch Carter back over his head with the total on 176.Carter likes playing at Taunton. He marked his Notts debut at the ground with match figures of 10 for 195 in 2015.Abell and Davies saw Somerset to tea at 211 for four and the skipper brought up a 117-ball half-century in the final session before falling to the second new ball, caught at first slip by Riki Wessels off Fletcher.At 258 for five, the home side could not feel comfortable. It became 288 for six when Lewis Gregory aimed a slog sweep at Carter, with his side needing a solid finish to the day, and was bowled off a glove for 16.Notts capitalised on that mistake, 23-year-old seamer Matt Milnes, on his Championship debut, bowling Roelof van der Merwe for a duck.Davies went to a composed 107-ball fifty, with 5 fours, and Dom Bess, promoted above Craig Overton in the order following his impressive batting displays for England, was with him at the close.

5:01

Manjrekar: Afghanistan batting’s defensive technique needs most attention

Afghanistan brought out their best in the final session once again, but the game had swung so far out of their reach that the second day of their first Test proved to be the last one.Purely on numbers it was a colossal defeat, by an innings and 262 runs, and the flattening reality of being bowled out twice in a day – only India and Zimbabwe had suffered that before – will take a while to get over. At different points in the day, Afghanistan were done in by different bowlers. Ravindra Jadeja got the last piece of the pie, finishing the second innings with 4 for 17.Their first innings of 109 lasted a session, between lunch and tea, and their second innings of 103 did not last much longer. India needed only 66.3 overs to take 20 wickets and complete their first ever two-day Test win.The flailing effort was best signified by how Afghanistan lost their three most experienced batsmen in the first innings: in complete surrender.Mohammad Shahzad’s innings was a race to the finish the moment it began. His first boundary came off the outside edge, his second off the inside edge, and the odd ball that hit the middle was often one he was trying to leave. After all that and several attempts to tap and run, he chose to take on Hardik Pandya at point and was promptly run-out at the non-striker’s end in the fourth over. Asghar Stanikzai came in at No. 6 and lasted 14 deliveries before stabbing ambitiously at a loopy R Ashwin offbreak without getting his foot forward. He almost fell over as the ball knocked the top of middle stump.Mohammed Nabi, the top-scorer in the first innings, looked okay for his 24 at No. 7 before miscuing a slog and being the ninth man out. The only solid batting effort by a visiting player came from left-hander Hashmatullah Shahidi, who battled 88 balls for an unbeaten 36 in the second innings.Hashmatullah Shahidi showed great heart during his resistance lower down the order•BCCI

Scattered all around these efforts were batsmen rooted to the crease in anxiety against a vastly experienced bowling attack. Unlike their opposition’s debutant seamers, India’s fast bowlers sustained both a predominantly full length and near-140kph speeds in getting all three of their first-innings wickets either bowled or lbw. They stuck to the plan in the second innings as well. Umesh Yadav brought the flair, moving the new ball considerably in both innings, and Ishant Sharma looked content playing workhorse.It was Ashwin, however, who accelerated Afghanistan’s downfall and eventual folding-up before tea. At that point, given the extended final session ahead, perhaps only the probability of a follow-on was higher than that of Afghanistan being bowled out a second time.Earlier in the day, Pandya snuck in a breezy and mature innings. India didn’t have as subdued a session as they did at the end of day one, striking at more than four an over despite the four wickets they lost in stretching the overnight score of 347 to 474. Pandya was patient against Yamin Ahmadzai, who impressed with his lengths once again. He wasn’t rewarded with the new ball, however, with Rashid Khan bowling predominantly from the other end. Pandya saw through this phase before opening up.His go-to defence mechanism against pace bowling – walking across into the off side – which didn’t quite work out in South Africa was a lot more effective against the late-120 kph pace of Wafadar. And while Pandya did eventually cramp himself against the 18-year-old, it wasn’t before he had swatted the bowler into the leg side several times from various lengths, in control every time but one – and even on that occasion, deep square leg gifted him four overthrows. When the line wasn’t straight, Pandya also managed to pick up boundaries through the off side. He got out looking to accelerate but what the Indian dressing room would have particularly liked was the uncomplicated, organised manner in which he managed an innings with a 75-plus strike rate during his 94-ball 71.

An unbeaten 104-run partnership between debutant Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Talat – playing his second game – helped a nervous Pakistan overcome a stutter to chase down 281 in the penultimate over and take a 1-0 lead in the ODI series with a five-wicket win.West Indies had put up 280 through three half-centuries in the first innings, but Pakistan’s spinners contained them to keep them to a below-par score with Shaheen Shah Afridi (4 for 51) and Naseem Shah (3-55) mopping the hosts up at the death.Pakistan’s pursuit was far from convincing, struggling to pace the innings too. Babar Azam (47) and Mohammad Rizwan (53) each fell after promising, if placid, starts, and West Indies found themselves burrowing into the lower order when Rizwan fell with 101 still to get. But Nawaz overcame early struggles and briefly rode his luck with a couple of dropped chances to turn the game around with 63 not out, eventually finishing it at a canter alongside the more solid Talat, who made an unbeaten 41 in 37 balls.Much of Pakistan’s ODI success over the past year depended on Saim Ayub getting them off to a flyer, so it felt significant West Indies neutralised that threat early, Jayden Seales extracting rubber-ball bounce that took his edge and flew on command into the keeper’s gloves. While Babar took his time to settle, Abdullah Shafique looked classically pretty through an even-paced knock, but found himself undone by slightly lower bounce that excited Shamar Joseph enough to force his captain’s hand into a successful review.Initially, it appeared the worst of Babar and Rizwan was on display in that third-wicket partnership. At one point early on, they would play sixteen successive dot balls as the asking rate crept above six. They began, as they so often do, to catch up, finding regular boundaries and running a few twos, and the asking rate gradually eased back down into the fives. Whether that redeemed their slow start or made them even more culpable is by now an intractable question to answer.But West Indies trusted their pace bowlers longer than Pakistan had, only delivering one over of spin until the 20th over. But that wasn’t a commentary on Gudakesh Motie’s skills, who began to trouble the pair, ultimately sending Babar packing when he ventured out for a slog and was deceived by the turn three runs short of his half-century.Salman Ali Agha was more proactive, but threw away a decent start when he scooped a ball that gripped right back into a grateful Roston Chase’s hands. The value of Rizwan’s wicket was growing with each passing wicket, and he’d eased himself past a half-century by once more, Joseph found a way to rap him in front of the pads, this time securing the on-field decision that put West Indies on top.Nawaz and Talat, one ODI in 2019 the sum total of their 50-over international experience, seemed unlikely saviours at that point. Hasan scored just three off his first 12 balls, and looked vulnerable against spin. Shai Hope dropped him early as a nick off an attempted slog couldn’t nestle into his gloves, and with the asking rate rising, he was the one Pakistan required out there until the very end.The tide began to turn in the 39th over by which time the dew was making the ball hard to grip. Talat smacked Chase for two boundaries, before a rare errant over from Joseph saw five wides and 17 runs scored which brought the asking rate to just above seven. It was the break Pakistan needed to pace the innings on their terms, with each player finding the boundary anytime the equation became uncomfortable.With four overs to go and Nawaz on 49, Motie put down an unforgivably easy chance at short third, and as Seales went down on his knees in disbelief, the fate of the game was sealed. Talat plundered 15 off the following over, and five balls later, Nawaz had sealed the win.Evin Lewis and Keacy Carty’s 77-run stand got West Indies flowing despite losing an early wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Earlier, West Indies were put in to bat partially because of the uncertainty of conditions both overhead and underfoot, and once they’d brushed off the customary first-over wicket Afridi tends to take so often, Evin Lewis and Keacy Carty began to set a platform in the powerplay. Shaheen and Naseem struggled to find bite with the new ball, and by the eighth over, Rizwan had turned to the spin of Ayub. On a surface that has seen just the one ODI played, no one really knew how successful that would be, but the next two and a half-hours answered that question.With the surface gripping, each of Pakistan’s three spinners – Ayub, Agha, and Sufiyan Muqim – were thrust in immediately. The following 27 overs saw just one over of seam bowled as West Indies found themselves bleeding the occasional wicket while the run-rate Lewis and Carty had helped keep around six dipped below five. It was telling that the one over of seam – from Faheem Ashraf, saw Lewis pillage a six and a four bringing up his half-century in the process.But Lewis – on 60 – felt Ayub was the spinner to target, and having dispatched him for a boundary, opted to heave the final ball of his third over into the air. Shaheen spun himself around a couple of times before improbably holding onto it. A tortured innings from Sherfane Rutherford then concluded when he spooned Agha to cover-point.Chase (53) and Hope (55) put together a stand for the fifth wicket, but with no break from the stifling spinners, the run-rate began to fall. The 64 they added came off 89 deliveries, and with just one ball after the 34th over, Shaheen and Naseem began to find reverse swing. It took them a couple of overs to find their accuracy, during which Chase brought up his half-century. But he holed out to Naseem almost immediately afterwards, and just as the ball began to reverse, West Indies’ tail was exposed.The yorkers began to land, and West Indies had no answer. Naseem and Shaheen found pinpoint accuracy, and any runs West Indies scored had luck attached to them. At one point, the matting for the stump-mic helped lift the ball over Rizwan for four byes, and the following over a 140kmph yorker from Naseem hit leg stump, but without dislodging the bails.Even so, the last three were cleaned up by Pakistan’s two frontline quicks hitting the base of the stumps, and bowling West Indies out with an over to spare. Later, Pakistan would achieve their own target with seven balls to go.

Scott Boland believes he’s better prepared for what England’s batters will throw at him this summer if he gets the chance to play in the Ashes after he was attacked relentlessly in his two Tests during the 2023 series in the UK.Boland has the lowest Test bowling average of anyone with more than 50 wickets in the last century after a hat-trick in Jamaica reduced his figure to 16.53, leaving him sixth on the all-time list.While he took 18 wickets at 9.55 in his debut Ashes series against a pre-Bazball England team in 2021-22, he took just two wickets at 115.50 in the 2023 Ashes where he played just the two Tests at Edgbaston and Headingley.Related

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Speaking at an event in Melbourne on Wednesday that marked 100 days to go before the first Ashes Test in Perth, Boland said he is unsure how many Tests he will play this summer given he still remains behind Australia’s big three – Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood – in the pecking order when all are fit. But he believes he’s ready to handle whatever approach England take to him if he gets the chance.”I’ve obviously thought about it a lot since it happened in 2023,” Boland said. “But I still think there were times in England where I bowled pretty well and just didn’t get a wicket. I’m a better bowler than I was back then. I’m going to be in our conditions that I know really, really well. I’m hoping to put in some good performances.”Boland expects the conditions to be vastly different to England if the pitches in Australia play as they have done over the last four summers, which he believes will help Australia’s bowlers against the Bazball brand.”They’re going to play aggressively,” Boland said. “If the wickets stay similar to what they’ve been over the last few years, I think we’re going to be in the game all the time.”There were little parts of the England tour last time, when the ball sort of moved around and favoured the bowlers, but generally over there, the wickets have been a bit flatter. And then when you come to Australia, certainly the last three or four years, they’ve been bowler friendly.”Boland, like many Australians, watched parts of the recent England-India Test series with great interest. But the difference in conditions is highlighted by the fact that England and India combined for a record 21 centuries in the five-match series.In 15 Tests in Australia since the last Ashes series down under, batters have made a combined total of 19, with the same India side scoring just three across the five Tests last summer and only one in the last four. Australia’s batters, who have been under the microscope for their recent output have scored 15 of those. England scored just one in the 2021-22 Ashes, which was made by Jonny Bairstow in Sydney, but only four batters in Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Ben Stokes are likely to return.Record crowds are expected for the Ashes•Getty Images

Despite the likelihood of seam bowler-friendly pitches this summer, Boland is not anticipating that he will play in a four-pronged pace attack at any stage despite being picked ahead of Nathan Lyon in extreme conditions with a pink Dukes ball at Sabina Park in Jamaica last month.”I hope so, but probably not in Australia,” Boland said. “Nathan’s one of the best spin bowlers in the world, so I think he can bowl in any conditions. He’s probably been the glue to our bowling line-up over the last few years. And then I probably see Greeny [Cameron Green] coming back and bowling a lot more, he obviously hasn’t bowled for 12 months, so that probably hurts the chances of four quicks as well.”Boland has not bowled since the Jamaica Test and instead has been working diligently in the gym to avoid carrying any of the knee soreness he battled last summer into the Ashes. Boland said a discussion with Australia coach Andrew McDonald had led to a shift in his gym regime which he believes is paying dividends.Boland is unsure how many of the first four Sheffield Shield games he will play ahead of the first Test despite not being a guaranteed started in Perth with discussions ongoing between Cricket Australia’s high performance team and Cricket Victoria about his playing schedule.”It’s changed a couple of times, but I’m sure over the next few weeks we’ll nut it all out,” Boland said. “There’s so much time between game one and game four, I’m hoping to play two or three.”Despite an incredible record, Scott Boland is never certain when he will play next•AFP/Getty Images

The second round of the Shield sees a potential match-up between Boland and incumbent Test opener Sam Konstas as Victoria host New South Wales at Junction Oval on October 15, with Konstas fighting an uphill battle to retain his Test spot for the Ashes. Boland knocked over Konstas three times out of four meetings in Shield cricket last summer.CA has been careful in managing the loads of Boland and other back-up bowlers throughout the summer to keep them fresh in case they are required. But there is a danger of them not playing enough. In 2023-24, Boland was Australia’s back-up quick for seven straight Tests but did not play a single game while last year he played three of the five Tests against India when Hazlewood got injured, just as he did in the 2021-22 Ashes.The lengthy gaps between the first, second and third Tests, and bowler-friendly pitches may create a possibility where Australia’s big three can play all three without significant workload issues. But there are only four-day breaks between Adelaide and Melbourne then Melbourne into Sydney which is when Boland will likely be required. Getting him enough cricket to that point will be a challenge if he is carried as the spare bowler in the squad and required to stay with the team in the case of concussion.There are CA XI and Australia A matches against England Lions in Perth and Brisbane that run alongside the Test matches where there may be opportunities for him to get match overs in while remaining in the same city as the Test squad. But Victoria’s last Shield match before the BBL break is at the MCG from December 4-7 while the Brisbane Test is being played. There is no Shield cricket after that as the BBL begins on December 14.”There’s such good breaks in between the first two Tests that gives whoever plays, gives gives them opportunity to really reset, freshen up,” Boland said. “But I think going from last year, we had a three-day break in between, we bowled the last session here in Melbourne to the bowling in the first session in Sydney, it’s hard work, and probably does take you a session or two to sort of get everything moving again.”

The start of the third T20I between West Indies and India in St Kitts on Tuesday has been pushed back by 90 minutes. Instead of 10.30am local time [8pm IST], the match will now begin at 12pm local time [9.30pm IST], with the toss to take place at 11.30am.Related

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The match timings have been revised to give the players extra time to recover after the second T20I on Monday began three hours behind schedule following a delay in the arrival of the players’ luggage and kits from Trinidad, the venue of the first T20I on July 29.Due to the logistical hurdles resulting in the delayed arrival of the teams’ kits, three India players ended up wearing team-mates’ shirts: Suryakumar Yadav and Avesh Khan were seen wearing Arshdeep Singh’s No. 2 shirt.After Tuesday’s game, the teams are due to fly to Lauderhill in Florida, where the last two matches of the series are scheduled to take place on August 6 and 7.”Following the delayed start on Monday, the teams have agreed to start the third Goldmedal T20 Cup match at a later time to ensure that the players receive adequate rest and recover time for the back-to-back matches in St Kitts and in consideration of the back-to-back matches to come in Florida,” a CWI release said. “Stadium gates will open at 10:30am. Tickets are still available from the stadium box office for the matches in St Kitts with mounds/grounds tickets at US$15/EC$40 and seats from US$30/EC$80, or can be purchased directly through Windies Tickets, presented by Mastercard at “tickets.windiestickets.com” to save direct to your mobile device.”After two T20Is, the series is level 1-1, with West Indies pulling off a five-wicket win at Warner Park on Monday to come back from a 68-run defeat in the series-opener. Opener Brandon King’s 68 set the platform for West Indies in a chase of 139 after left-arm quick Obed McCoy picked up 6 for 17 – the best figures by a West Indies bowler in T20Is – to help bowl India out with two balls still remaining.

Stuart Broad said he hoped that a packed Oval ground had enjoyed a “celebration of the Queen’s life” on an emotional and extraordinary opening day of the delayed third Test against South Africa, but defended England’s batting on a pitch that he claimed had proven “too bowler-friendly” after two extra days under the covers.England reached the close on 151 for 7 in their first innings, with a lead of 36, having earlier shot out South Africa for 118 inside two sessions. The advantage could still be handy in a wicket-laden contest, but it might not be as decisive as it could have been with a bit of circumspection, with Joe Root and Ben Stokes particularly culpable for giving their wickets away with a surfeit of aggression.Broad, however, was unapologetic about carrying on with the methods that have taken England to five wins out of six this summer, all of them while batting second and reacting to a score already on the board from their opponents.Stuart Broad removed Khaya Zondo as South Africa struggled at The Oval•Getty Images

“We’re very comfortable chasing a score, to be honest,” Broad told Sky Sports. “Our mindset is we need to play in a way that gives us the chance to take 20 wickets, and if bowling first we get 20 wickets, we’ll win the game.”If we bowl again tomorrow and put South Africa under pressure, we could be could be batting on a day-three Oval pitch, which you’d argue could be the best time to bat,” he added. “Our mindset was we want a result either way in this game. We need to play in a style that is going to create a result and, after day one, we’re looking at either a win or a loss, and in our mind, that’s a win.”They certainly could not have done much more to accelerate a contest that had already been delayed by two days, through a combination of rain on Thursday, and Friday’s day of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.After little more than an hour’s play, South Africa were reeling on 36 for 6, with Ollie Robinson four wickets into the third five-for of his career, and by the time they had been bowled out for 118, Broad had picked up 4 for 41, to move alongside his childhood hero Glenn McGrath, on 563 career Test wickets.”Earlier this morning it was too bowler-friendly, but you know I’d never really say that!” he said. “But it seamed a lot when I first came on as a first-change bowler. I was surprised, it was nipping three or four balls an over. We were happy to bowl South Africa out for a cheap score, but we also knew that we had some work to do.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“It’s not our mentality to prod and poke around, we knew that runs were going to be at a premium, so we had that mindset that we had to go out and put the South African bowlers under pressure. Because there’s a good ball in that pitch, and if it continues to nip like it did today, we’ll see a few more wickets.”Broad was coy about the achievement of matching McGrath, a player he sought to emulate as a kid, and the only other seamer besides James Anderson to have taken as many wickets.”He’s a hero of mine,” he said. “I feel like I don’t really deserve to be in that sort of category, to be honest, and obviously he’s played a lot less games [124 Tests to 159]. He was great, one of the greatest bowlers of all time in my opinion, but it feels very special to hopefully get one more and join my mate Jimmy as a one-two in that list of seamers.”Long after the clatter of wickets have been forgotten, however, the day will be remembered for the spine-tingling ceremony before the start of play, as the players lined up for a minute’s silence in memory of the Queen, followed by two unforgettable renditions of the national anthems, including the first airing of “God Save The King” at a sporting event since 1952.After the uncertainty surrounding the future of the game, which had been up in the air until an announcement from the ECB on Friday afternoon, Broad said he had been honoured to take part in such a moving occasion.Related

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“It was incredible to be a part of,” he said. “Walking down the stairs you could hear a pin drop. The respect shown by everyone in the stadium was incredible and to be able to sing the national anthem, with a full house, was brilliant. It felt like a celebration of the Queen’s life today and it felt good to be out there representing the badge like we did today.”Asked if he had wanted or expected to play on after the death of the Queen, at the age of 96, Broad said: “You have to give it some thought, though ultimately it was never in the players’ hands.”I must admit, when I saw the Premier League were postponing their fixtures for the weekend. I thought, oh, that might play a role in in our game. But I was really pleased when I heard the news that we were continuing, and then you get your mind on making sure you put in the performance to entertain the public.”We knew it was only going to be a three-day game. So we had to play some entertaining stuff. And I think everyone will leave pretty happy tonight.”

Big Picture

Post the 2021 T20 World Cup, India have played a total of 29 T20Is heading into this series. Australia, meanwhile, have played just nine. Irrespective of their prep, Australia might turn up in their usual confident manner at the T20 World Cup – but this time they’ll have to defend the title in their backyard. And they have quite a bit to figure out compared to their better-prepped opponents.In the age of packed cricket calendars and schedules, it does seem quite surprising that these two teams haven’t played each other in a T20I since December 2020. India won that away series 2-1, while Australia won the last T20I series they played in India, in February 2019. Also, how can we forget match in Mohali, when Virat Kohli left Australia speechless? Irrespective of the format, the meetings between these two countries have always been high-octane and largely competitive, and this series should be no different, provided Australia can overcome a few selection questions.Related

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Their captain Aaron Finch’s recent form seems to be among the biggest of concerns. Steven Smith’s middling strike rate has also raised questions around his place in the XI. And, Australia are without the injured trio of Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis for this series, while David Warner has been rested. The team playing this series looks quite different from Australia’s first-choice World Cup side. But it does give Australia the space to experiment with the back-ups but they will also want to build a winning momentum. They have five more matches after this series – a two-match series against West Indies and three T20Is against England at home – before the T20 World Cup.It’ll be interesting to see how Tim David, who will be in Australia colours for the first time, fits into the international set-up. Australia are also likely to experiment with Josh Inglis, making him open alongside Finch. Finch said there will be a lot of “mixing and matching” ahead of the World Cup.India, meanwhile, have had some time to figure out what has worked for them and, more importantly, what hasn’t. They’re back home after some travelling, having won bilateral T20I series in Ireland, England and the Caribbean. But it was their most recent prep – at the Asia Cup – that left them with key takeaways.After the Asia Cup Super 4s exit, captain Rohit Sharma said India were “90-95% settled” ahead of the T20 World Cup. Their aggressive approach has largely worked out well. Kohli finally hit form, so his place in the XI is – at least for now – no longer a debate. They are entering the series with the strongest available squad and will be looking to mainly focus on making roles clearer.4:48

Hodge: Australia shouldn’t look back from this point when it comes to Tim David

The return of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel means Hardik Pandya no longer has to be the third seamer in the side. India will also want to see how they can use the likes of allrounders Axar Patel and Deepak Hooda better. Rohit was clear KL Rahul has his backing as the opener. As for Pant, India will be hoping he comes good in the series. India still have a home series against South Africa to go before the T20 World Cup to further firm up their plans.

Form guide

India WLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia LWWWL

In the spotlight

All eyes will be on Tim David, who will be looking to showcase his power-hitting skills, this time in Australia colours. The Singapore-born batter has impressed in various T20 competitions, most recently in the IPL as well, and he’ll be looking to replicate his success on the international stage. His big-hitting skills aside, his ability to take on spinners and quicks alike makes him a must-have in a T20 side. He averages 32.48 with a strike rate of 164.12 in T20s. He is likely to take up the middle-order spot in Stoinis’ absence in this series. But Australia will not be able to accommodate him if both Stoinis and Marsh are fit when the World Cup begins. It’s Smith’s position that appears a bit vulnerable as of now – but he too has the reputation of being the anchor in the XI – so it remains to be seen how Australia fit David into their XI at the World Cup.Rishabh Pant is yet to find his mojo in T20Is•Associated Press

Rishabh Pant has not quite been able to live up to the expectations in the T20 format. In T20Is since 2020, he has averaged just 27.63 and has struck at 129.95 in 32 innings. At the Asia Cup, Pant had to be brought into the XI in place of Dinesh Karthik following an injury to Ravindra Jadeja as India wanted a left-hand batter in the middle. But he could only make scores of 17 and 14 against Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively in the Super 4s. While having Pant and Karthik in the squad offers them flexibility, it looks like India can currently accommodate only one of the two in the XI. Pant will have to make use of his time in the middle in the upcoming T20Is to get back into form before the T20 World Cup.

Team news

Umesh Yadav, who was originally meant to undergo rehab for a quad injury in Bengaluru, has been called into the squad after Mohammed Shami tested positive for Covid-19. But with the return of Bumrah and Harshal, India are unlikely to play Umesh in the XI.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rishabh Pant/ Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/ Deepak Chahar, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit BumrahWith Marsh absent, Smith will bat at No. 3 against India. David looks set to make his Australia debut in the middle order. Australia are also likely to play Inglis – who has so far played at No. 3 and in the middle order in T20Is – as an opener and push Matthew Wade down the order. Cameron Green, who has been impressive with the ball and the bat, has been brought back into the T20I squad – having played a solitary match in April this year – and is also likely to find a place in the XI.Australia (probable): 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 Josh Inglis, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Matthew Wade (wk), 6 Tim David, 7 Cameron Green, 8 Adam Zampa, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Sean Abbott/ Daniel Sams

Pitch and conditions

It is expected to be partly cloudy and humid in Mohali tomorrow, with a 25% chance of precipitation in the evening. In T20s since 2018, the chasing team has won seven out of 11 matches at the ground. On the eve of the match, Finch said the wicket had “a bit of grass on it”.

Stats and trivia

• Kohli’s 718 runs against Australia are the most by any player against an opposition in men’s T20Is
• Australia have won each of their last three T20Is in India
• Jasprit Bumrah has dismissed Glenn Maxwell seven times in 15 meetings in T20s

Quotes

“… Only we know what role is expected of each person. Everyone is trying to give their best, and not every time will a player succeed. And that is the kind of environment we have created, that players are not afraid to play, or players are not afraid to make mistakes.”
“The last thing you want to do is have an injury derail your whole campaign because you’re pigeon-holed into playing one style of cricket or one structure of team.”

Spinner Molly Strano returned to the top of the all-time WBBL wicket-taking list as her Hobart Hurricanes stayed in semi-final contention with an eight-wicket win over the Melbourne Renegades.Renegades were dismissed for 80, the lowest complete innings score of this season’s competition. Hurricanes cruised to their small target at Blundstone Arena with 56 balls to spare, taking 10.4 overs.The win lifted fifth-placed Hurricanes to within two points of Perth Scorchers in fourth and they having a game in hand. Hurricanes have the best net run rate of any of the eight teams.Spinner Strano spearheaded the Hurricanes bowling efforts as they dismissed the Renegades in 17.2 overs. Her haul lifted her WBBL career tally to 131, one ahead of Brisbane Heat spinner Jess Jonassen.”It does not drive me, it actually sits better with me when JJ is at the top of the table because she is more skilful than I am,” Strano told .Strano hinted she may have been a trifle fortunate to get one wicket as Josie Dooley was given out lbw after appearing to hit the ball with the bottom edge of her bat.”You can probably call it a half-hearted appeal, just a very polite inquiry,” Strano said.The heavy loss dropped Renegades back to last spot on net run rate below Sydney Thunder, who they beat on Sunday.Only Courtney Webb and Hayley Matthews provided any resistance against Hurricanes’ battery of spinners and medium pacers. Captain Sophie Molineux was the only other double-digit scorer for Renegades but her dismissal from a catch off a miscued shot triggered a collapse.Their last seven wickets fell for 34 and they had a disastrous powerplay, losing 3 for 3.When Hurricanes batted, Molineux dismissed their two South African stars, with Coyte taking a fine one-handed catch at backward square leg to remove Lizelle Lee and Mignon du Preez falling lbw.Elyse Villani, who had scored just 56 runs from her six previous WBBL innings, returned to form in making a season-high unbeaten 41 off 34 balls.