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Tamil Nadu waited all day long but could only dislodge Vineet Saxena as Aakash Chopra propelled Rajasthan to a strong position at the end of the opening day

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera03-Jan-2011
Scorecard
Aakash Chopra knew where his off stump was and let the opposition know it, wearing them down with his technique•William West/AFP

Around one hour into the game, after he chose to bowl, the Tamil Nadu captain Dinesh Karthik exhorted his bowlers to show (patience in Tamil). They waited all day long but could only dislodge Vineet Saxena, as Aakash Chopra propelled Rajasthan to a strong position at the end of the opening day. Tamil Nadu threw everything they had at Chopra but he was immovable.It was a day of hard grind. It was a day where the batsmen had to work really hard, especially in the first two sessions, to overcome the conditions. It was damp, it was overcast and Rajasthan were asked to bat. Chopra and Saxena, however, stuck adhesively to the crease to slowly turn the tide against the visitors. The ball seamed around in the first half of the day but the duo showed exemplary patience to keep the bowlers at bay.Chopra, who missed out on a big score in the quarter-final, oozed solidity and sported a big smile as he walked off the park at sun set. It wasn’t his shot making but the way he left the ball outside off that elevated this knock. He knew where his off stump was and let the opposition know it, wearing them down with his technique. He punctuated his leaves with elegant cover drives whenever the bowlers pitched it fuller trying to make him play. He got going with a gorgeous cover drive on a bent knee against L Balaji and repeated the shot off C Ganapathy. Almost immediately, the seamers started to bowl short of a length and Chopra settled down with ease. He covered for the movement and repeatedly nudged and steered them behind the wicket.Post-lunch, the seamers, R Suthesh and S Sam, bowled a stifling line and length but Chopra relied on his technique to break free. The feet movement was precise, the head was over the ball and he played late. Soon, Karthik had to bring in his spinner Suresh Kumar and Chopra used his feet effectively to pile on the runs. Time and again, he skipped down the track for his drives and cut when the length was shortened. The manner in which Chopra brought up his fifty captured his serene approach: He went down the track and realised that he had gone too far down to a full delivery from Suresh but adjusted superbly by crouching on a bent knee and steered it to past gully to the third man boundary. And it was apt that he brought up his hundred with his favourite cover drive.Chopra didn’t have to do all the hard work alone today as he found some great support from Saxena, who hit a big hundred against Mumbai in the quarter-final. Though he wasn’t as assured as Chopra, Saxena buckled down to wear down the attack. He took 17 balls to get off the mark and was in some bother early on to the deliveries in the off-stump corridor. Balaji beat the bat a few times with his variations but Saxena soon settled down. He too left many a ball and unfurled off drives whenever the bowlers over pitched. He took more risks against the spinners: he smashed Suresh over midwicket boundary and lifted him to long-on to bring up his fifty.Saxena’s best shot, though, came against the left-arm seamer Suthesh when he unfurled a delightful, straight-driven boundary. Suresh, who saw Ganapathy fail to hold on to a swirling mis-hit when Saxena was on 47, got his man eventually when he turned one big to beat the attempted cover drive.Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Rajasthan’s captain, added to Tamil Nadu’s woes by hitting a confident 28 with four boundaries. And just when all looked lost for the visitors, he inside-edged an off drive onto his boot and retired hurt. The injury, though, didn’t look too serious and Kanitkar should return to bat tomorrow. Chopra saw through the day with the nightwatchman Vivek Yadav and left Tamil Nadu facing a night of discontent.

Graham Thorpe, the former England and Surrey batsman, has been appointed batting coach for the England Lions tour of the United Arab Emirates in February.

Cricinfo staff14-Jan-2010Graham Thorpe, the former England and Surrey batsman, has been appointed batting coach for the England Lions tour of the United Arab Emirates in February. Thorpe, who has been Surrey’s batting coach since 2008, will join an England Lions coaching team which includes David Parsons, ECB Performance Director, and Kevin Shine, ECB Lead Fast Bowling Coach.”I’m really looking forward to the tour and working with the Lions squad,” said Thorpe. “It’s a great opportunity for me and I’m grateful to Surrey for giving me the freedom to take it on. Over the course of my time with the team I hope that I can offer them some good advice and be someone they learn a lot from.””I am delighted to welcome Graham Thorpe as part of the England Lions coaching team and I have no doubt that the squad of aspiring England players will benefit from his experiences both as a hugely successful international cricketer and now a coach,” added David Parsons, the ECB Performance Director. “We will face some tough opposition during our tour of the UAE and the coaching team will be working hard to ensure that we are well prepared.”The three-week Lions tour includes three Twenty20 games against Pakistan A, followed by Twenty20 matches against UAE and England. These will be followed by three 50-over fixtures against Pakistan A at the DSC Stadium, Dubai.

All the six SA20 2025-26 squads, and the players who went unsold

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2025

MI Cape Town

Retained: Trent Boult, Rashid Khan, Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Corbin Bosch
Wild Card: Kagiso Rabada
Pre-signing: Nicholas PooranAt the auction: Rassie van der Dussen (R5.2 million), Reeza Hendricks (R500,000), Dwaine Pretorius (R650,000), Tristan Luus (R650,000), Jason Smith (R500,000), Tom Moores (R200,000), Dane Piedt (R200,000), Tian van Vuuren (R1 million), Dan Lategan (R400,000), Tabraiz Shamsi (R500,000), Karim Janat (R1 million), Jacques Snyman (R200,000)Related

• Keshav Maharaj to lead Pretoria Capitals at SA20

• Brevis, Markram earn record sums at SA20 2025-26 auction

• Cape Town to host SA20 final

• Capitals name Ganguly head coach, Pollock assistant coach

Sunrisers Eastern Cape

Retained: Tristan Stubbs
Wild Card: Marco Jansen
Pre-signing: Jonny Bairstow, AM Ghazanfar, Adam MilneAt the auction: Quinton de Kock (R2.4 million), Matthew Breetzke (R6.1 million), Anrich Nortje (R5 million), Senuran Muthusamy (R1.5 million), Patrick Kruger (R450,000), Lutho Sipamla (R600,000), Mitchell van Buuren (R200,000), Jordan Hermann (R1.5 million), Beyers Swanepoel (R200,000), James Coles (R1 million), Chris Wood (R500,000), Lewis Gregory (R1 million), CJ King (R200,000), JP King (R200,000)

Joburg Super Kings

Retained: Faf du Plessis
Wild Card: Donovan Ferreira
Pre-signing: James Vince, Akeal Hosein, Richard GleesonAt the auction: Wiaan Mulder (R9 million), Nandre Burger (R6.3 million), Prenalen Subrayen (R1 million), Dian Forrester (R200,000), Steve Stolk (R200,000), Janco Smit (R200,000), Neil Timmers (R200,000), Shubham Ranjane (R200,000), Brandon King (R200,000), Rilee Rossouw (R500,000), Rivaldo Moonsamy (R400,000), Imran Tahir (R600,000), Reece Topley (R600,000)

Pretoria Capitals

Wild Card: Andre Russell
Pre-signing: Will Jacks, Sherfane RutherfordAt the auction: Keshav Maharaj (R1.7 million), Lungi Ngidi (R2.3 million), Dewald Brevis (R16.5 million), Lizaad Williams (R2.4 million), Craig Overton (R1 million), Saqib Mahmood (R1.5 million), Codi Yusuf (R225,000), Connor Esterhuizen (R3.2 million), Bryce Parsons (R1.9 million), Gideon Peters (R400,000), Junaid Dawood (R200,000), Will Smeed (R200,000), Meeka-eel Prince (R200,000), Bayanda Majola (R200,000), Wihan Lubbe (R200,000), Sibonelo Makhanya (R200,000)

Paarl Royals

Retained: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, David Miller, Bjorn Fortuin
Wild Card: Rubin Hermann
Pre-signing: Sikandar Raza, Mujeeb Ur RahmanAt the auction: Ottneil Baartman (R5.1 million), Gudakesh Motie (R375,000), Delano Potgieter (R2.6 million), Kyle Verreynne (R2.3 million), Keagan Lion-Cachet (R950,000), Asa Tribe (R200,000), Hardus Viljoen (R200,000), Jacon Johannes Basson (R200,000), Dan Lawrence (R500,000), Eshan Malinga (R1 million), Nqobani Mokoena (R200,000), Vishen Halambage (R200,000), Nqaba Peter (R500,000)

Durban’s Super Giants

Retained Noor Ahmad
Wild Card Heinrich Klaasen
Pre-signing Sunil Narine, Jos ButtlerAt the auction: Kwena Maphaka (R2.3 million), Aiden Markram (R14 million), Devon Conway (R325,000), Gerald Coetzee (R7.4 million), David Bedingham (R325,000), Marques Ackermann (R200,000), Eathan Bosch (R1.75 million), Andile Simelane (R200,000), Tony de Zorzi (R200,000), Dayyaan Galiem (R200,00), Taijul Islam (R500,000), Evan Jones (R200,000), Gysbert Wege (R200,000), David Wiese (R1.3 million), Daryn Dupavillon (R200,000)

Unsold players

Jordan Cox, Mustafizur Rahman, Tom Abell, Kusal Perera, Andile Phehlukwayo, Leus du Plooy, George Garton, Jayden Seales, Junior Dala, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Simon Harmer, Kyle Simmonds, Waqar Salamkheil, Brandon McMullen, Keacy Carty, Temba Bavuma, Tawanda Muyeye, Keith Dudgeon, Okhule Cele, Matthew Boast, Migael Pretorius, Nqobani Mokoena, James Anderson, Sonny Baker, Daniel Smith, Andries Gous, Grant Roelofson, Jewel Andrew, Schalk Engelbrecht, Thomas Kaber, Nathan Sowter, Caleb Saleka, Moeen Ali, Jordan Clark, Jason Roy, Jordan Thompson, Jacques Snyman, Beuran Hendricks, Ruan Haasbroek, Wayne Parnell, James Robb-Quinlan, Aphiwe Mnyandi, Jorich van Schalkwyk, George van Heerden, Jon-Jon Smuts, Nangialai Kharoti, Jean du Plessis, Duane Jansen, Binura Fernando.

Rishabh Pant is set to play in front of his home crowd for the first time since his return to action

Abhimanyu Bose19-Apr-20241:49

Kuldeep vs Klaasen – A match-up to savour?

Match details

Delhi Capitals (P7 W3 L4 6th) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (P6 W4 L2 4th)
New Delhi, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)

Big picture – Delhi Capitals’ homecoming

After setting up base in Visakhapatnam for the first half of the season, Delhi Capitals are back in the national capital for their first game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium this season. Capitals played two games in Vizag this year, winning one and losing the other.For Capitals captain Rishabh Pant, it will be his first appearance in front of the Delhi home crowd after his return to competitive cricket since his horror car crash in December 2022. Pant, after a slow start to the season, has found his rhythm, scoring 210 from seven games with two fifties. His strike rate of 156.72 is also his best in an IPL season since 2019. He has been excellent behind the stumps as well, and was named Player of the Match in Capitals’ last game primarily for his wicketkeeping.Related

• Ponting: 'Attacking batting and not defensive bowling will win this IPL'

But Capitals’ homecoming could easily end up not being a happy one as they go up against a rampaging Sunrisers Hyderabad side that has not once, but twice broken the record for the highest total in the history of the IPL.How Khaleel Ahmed and Ishant Sharma go in the powerplay against Sunrisers’ explosive left-handed opening duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma could be the deciding factor in how the match shapes up.

Form guide

DC WWLLW (Most recent match first)
SRH WWWLW

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Delhi Capitals
Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting was optimistic about opener David Warner returning from a finger injury. Ponting said Warner was “85-90%” fit on the day of their last match in Ahmedabad, but a final call on his availability for Saturday will be taken after he trains on the eve of the match against Sunrisers. If Warner returns, he could slot in directly for Sumit Kumar, as Capitals played their last match with just three overseas players. But one of Shai Hope or Jake Fraser-McGurk could also make way, if they don’t want to mess with their batting order too much.Probable XII: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Jake Fraser-McGurk/Shai Hope, 4 , 5 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Sumit Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Mukesh Kumar, 12 .Pat Cummins has a terrific record against left-hand batters, so watch out, David Warner and Rishabh Pant•BCCI

Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers have a fully fit squad and will likely field the same side they did in their last match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. While Travis Head has been the player subbed out when they have batted first and subbed in while chasing, they will likely start with, or bring in, Mayank Markande depending on the toss. However, if they are batting first and are facing a collapse, Rahul Tripathi is an option as well.Probable XII: 1 , 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 5 Abdul Samad, 6 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 T Natarajan, 12 .

In the spotlight – Kuldeep Yadav and Heinrich Klaasen

With Sunrisers boasting of two powerful spin-hitters in Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen, Kuldeep Yadav with his left-arm wristspin could be key for Capitals. An injury earlier in the season meant he has only played four games so far in IPL 2024, picking up six wickets, but he has been difficult to get away. He has achieved an economy rate of 6.06, and has only gone for more than a run a ball once, against Rajasthan Royals.With Kuldeep and Axar Patel in Capitals’ ranks, Heinrich Klaasen‘s ability to take down spin will be of great importance to Sunrisers. Among batters with more than 200 runs, only Dinesh Karthik has a better strike rate this season than Klaasen’s 199.21. He is also the most prolific six-hitter not only in this year’s IPL but in all T20s in 2024.

Pitch and conditions

It’s the first game in Delhi this season, and Ponting said the pitch looked good with more grass cover on the square than last year, and he expects it to play better than it did in 2023, when Capitals lost five of their seven home games.

Stats that matter

• Sunrisers have the two fastest scorers in the powerplay this season in Head and Abhishek, who have struck at 207 and 206 respectively in the first six overs in IPL 2024.
• Pat Cummins has a superb record against left-hand batters this season: five wickets at an average of 14.00, and an economy rate of just 6.56. He could come up against three Capitals’ left-handers on Saturday in David Warner, Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel.
• Capitals have won four of their last five matches against Sunrisers. The one defeat came at the Arun Jaitley Stadium last year.

Quotes

“I think our batsmen are going great. We don’t mind having a shootout tomorrow. If it’s a high-scoring game against Sunrisers, so be it. We know and expect that they’re gonna play the way that they played so far in the tournament, which has been, you know, going really hard at the top of the order with the bat and trying to post a big first-innings total. So we’re happy to try and match them in that. We think we’ve got as good a batting line-up if not a better batting line-up than theirs, so we’ll see how things work out tomorrow.”

India coach has “absolutely no doubt about who’s going to open”, and says Rahul is well-aware of the support he has from the team management

Sidharth Monga01-Nov-20228:32

Dravid: Rahul knows he has our support – both in words and action

KL Rahul has unequivocal support from captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid after three single-digit scores in the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup. In 13 matches since the start of the Asia Cup in August year, Rahul has averaged 27.33 at a strike rate of 121.03. In the same period, his two top-order colleagues, Virat Kohli and Rohit have scored at strike rates of 142.49 and 138.79, which has raised questions over Rahul’s place in the side. India themselves have no such doubts.”No, not at all,” Dravid said when asked if Rahul’s form has become a headache for the leadership. “I think he’s a fantastic player, and he’s got a proven track record. He’s done really well. I thought he’s been batting superbly. These things can happen in a T20 game sometimes. It’s not been that easy for top-order batsmen, this tournament has been pretty challenging.Related

• Memories of 2016 lend edge to India-Bangladesh clash

• Shakib downplays Bangladesh's chances: 'We're not here to win the World Cup'

• Warm-ups: Shami brilliance takes Indians to unlikely win

• Warm-ups: Rahul 74 in vain as India lose to WA XI at WACA

“I thought he was superb in the practice game against Australia with Mitchell Starc and Patrick Cummins. It was a pretty good attack, and I thought he batted superbly that day [for his 57 off 33]. So he’s actually playing really well. Just hoping it all clicks together over the next three or four games.”We know his quality, we know his ability, and he’s really well suited for these kind of conditions, these kind of pitches. He’s got a good all-around game. He’s got a very good strong back-foot game, which is obviously very much required in these conditions.”It is the conditions that have earned Rahul elbow room. In the 35 balls he has faced this tournament, Rahul has attempted to hit three boundaries, getting out on one of those. His other two dismissals came to defensive shots. That brings into sharp focus Rahul’s intent, which can sometimes be at odds with his exceptional ability with the bat. Dravid was asked if India can afford to give Rahul the time to play himself back into form in such a short format.”In these conditions, maybe we are able to afford him that time,” Dravid said. “We completely back him. We have no concerns about him. We know that when he gets going, and I’ve seen it against Australia, against a top-class attack just a couple of weeks ago, I know the impact this guy can make. In Rohit’s and my mind, there’s absolutely no doubt about who’s going to open for us.”I think [there] is a unique nature to playing this tournament in this country, that almost game-to-game you’re having to adapt your tactics, your strategies to different conditions. I think that’s the uniqueness of that. If the conditions so dictate that the ball is nipping around doing a bit, then we can afford our batsmen to maybe be a little bit more conservative, keep wickets in hand and then target.KL Rahul has had fitness and form issues to contend with over the past six months•PTI

“It’s about adapting and being smart. I don’t think there’s just one way to play T20 cricket on all conditions. Yes, there is a general template in which we understand you have to be positive; you have to take the game on. That would be 80% of most T20 games, but there is another 20%, and that can come in big tournaments like this, wherein you’ve got to have the players – and we discussed that in our dressing room – who have to be able to adapt and understand and read a situation.”If it’s not a 200-run wicket or it’s not a 180-run wicket and 160 is going to get the job done for you, then let’s figure out a way to get to 160. Last night [in Perth against South Africa], 150 might have done the job for us. I mean, 133 nearly did; 150 might have. We might be able to afford people a little bit more time [in such conditions].”We may not [here, in Adelaide]. Might be really flat when we come out here tomorrow, and it might become a 180 wicket and we might need to go harder. But I think the key word for me is adaptability and reading these conditions, these boundaries really well, and the teams that do that best will probably be the ones that will end up in the top four and certainly in the top two.”Rahul has not been left on his own to figure his way out. There have been conversations and support has been communicated to him. “Rest assured, both in words and in action, over the last year, he knows he has our support. He has known that. There has been a lot of clarity about what our side is going to be, what our squad is going to be coming into this tournament, and we haven’t wavered from that for a very long time.”Yes, because we play a lot of cricket, you might see a lot of different people playing in different situations, in different games. There have been a lot of injuries, including him. He’s had phases where he’s unfortunately been injured. But in word and in action, with all of our players – that’s the great thing about Rohit, that he’s really shown them that confidence and that belief.”There has been a school of thought that Rishabh Pant can bring in the much-needed left-hand option if he opens in place of Rahul, but the only way Pant might get in is if Dinesh Karthik is not fully fit after he had a back spasm while keeping against South Africa in Perth. Dravid said Karthik had shaped up well on the morning before the Bangladesh match, and that he would be assessed after training. A final decision will be made on the day of the match.

Authorities await ICC accreditation for the venue ahead of IPL 2021 and T20 World Cup

Shamya Dasgupta05-Jul-2021Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium has been busier than usual since the resumption of cricket after the Covid-19 hiatus around the middle of last year. It has hosted 81 ICC-approved games in the last 11 months, including franchise T10s and T20s, and there is a lot more lined up.It’s a lot of pressure on one cricket facility. As a result, Abu Dhabi Cricket (ADC) has had to expand, and has thrown open Tolerance Oval, a floodlit, broadcast-ready stadium, with five playing surfaces. The ICC accreditation isn’t there yet, but the authorities expect everything to be in place soon, in time for some of the 31 remaining matches of IPL 2021 in September-October, and then matches of the men’s T20 World Cup between October 17 and November 14.Related

• IPL 2020: No schedule yet but 'airbridge facility' in place for Abu Dhabi practice sessions

• PSL 2021 stats: Shahnawaz Dahani's dream start in an otherwise high-scoring tournament

“If you speak to the best groundsmen in the world, they wouldn’t want more than five international matches on each of their surfaces. Our main stadium is now broadcast-ready for seven strips, and the Tolerance Oval is broadcast-ready as well with five strips. So we have 12 broadcast-ready strips, that’s 60 games,” Matt Boucher, ADC chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “Tolerance Oval is another international venue in the Emirates. It’s not a 20-25,000 capacity ground. We have modelled it on the English county grounds and the Hagley Oval [in Christchurch]; we have grass banks around the perimeter, so 12,000 people at the most.”At the moment, the UAE has the three main international venues, including the Dubai and Sharjah stadia. That aside, there is the ICC Academy ground, which, however, is not a night-playing alternative. Which makes Tolerance Oval, if approved by the ICC, the fourth night- and broadcast-ready ground in the region.”I can’t speak on behalf of the ICC, but from our perspective, we wanted to increase our infrastructure. Our business was very different two years ago. We were hosting a lot of junior sport, junior football and junior rugby, in our outer ovals. We made a dedicated decision at the beginning of this year that we wanted all our cricket facilities to return to cricket and be fully focussed on cricket,” Boucher said. “So we have overhauled everything, and it should be ready by the end of August.”It’s not with an event in mind, but for Abu Dhabi to offer a higher class of playing surfaces and dedicated cricket surfaces for the domestic community here and the international community too.”As such, Abu Dhabi has played its part well. No one venue has hosted more ICC-approved games than it has since June 2020 – though Dhaka’s Shere Bangla National Stadium has been marginally busier, having also been the primary venue for Bangladesh’s domestic matches.Sheikh Zayed Stadium has hosted 81 ICC-approved matches in the last 11 months•BCCI

“It has been an incredibly busy season since August last year. It’s all moved pretty smoothly, approvals have come in quickly, the ground has been in great shape, and yeah, it’s gone pretty well for us,” Boucher said. “Hopefully some more big months coming up with the remainder of the IPL and then the men’s T20 World Cup and then the Abu Dhabi T10 again. It’s been an exciting period.”Obviously, without the pandemic, we wouldn’t be hosting many of the events we just discussed. Around 18 months ago, we were generating our own events and conceptualising products with public and private stakeholders, because we were not reliant on the international events coming in. That sort of flipped on its head because of the pandemic, and all the international events we have hosted, in the most stringent and secure atmosphere we possibly can.”It will be interesting to see next year, how the bilateral season works at the end of the men’s T20 World Cup, there are a lot of countries, even a lot of Associate countries, who need to catch up on their cricket, who are behind on their FTP.”Tolerance Oval is not new to cricket. It has hosted a variety of cricket, and cricketers, but mainly as a training facility, for the UAE national team, English counties on their pre-season travels, as well as ‘A’ matches featuring Pakistan, New Zealand, Australia, etc. It’s got a facelift now, but that doesn’t count as guarantee for anything when it comes to the ICC. It might continue to be a training facility for the teams playing in the IPL or the T20 World Cup, in terms of the immediate future, while games of the Abu Dhabi T10 league could well be played there.”We will wait for the lights to go in, probably some lights’ testing, probably some dimensions’ testing… and hopefully in six weeks’ time we will have the accreditation for that oval, and then it’s over to the decision-makers if they want to use it for any upcoming tournaments or whether we use it for practice,” Boucher said. “Either way, it’s a brilliant new facility. And just to have it for IPL practice and T20 World Cup practice alleviates some space on our other surfaces.”

CSA’s chief medical officer to travel with the team, additional precautions to be in place

Firdose Moonda06-Mar-2020South Africa’s ODI tour of India for three ODIs will go ahead after the organisation completed a risk assessment regarding the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) across the world. While South Africa reported its first confirmed case of the virus on Thursday, India’s health ministry has estimated infections are affecting around 30 people. But a team of experts have deemed the country and the team’s transit routes safe for travel. CSA’s chief medical officer Dr Shuaib Manjra will make the trip with the team.South Africa depart their home country on Sunday morning and will travel to India via Dubai. They will then spend a day in Delhi, before heading to Dharamsala, the venue of the first ODI, which will be played on March 12. Two more fixtures in Lucknow and Kolkata follow on March 15 and March 18. None of the venues have reported any cases of COVID-19. The team will also travel on chartered flights to reduce risk, which CSA has put at a low level, even in Dubai where football matches are being played behind closed doors, the UAE Cycling Tour has been cancelled and schools have been shut.”While the risk remains low, precautionary measures are necessary because of the highly infectious nature of the disease. The team has been appraised of hygiene precautions, avoidance measures, and symptom recognition in addition to being provided with travel kits,” a CSA statement read.Though South Africa’s tour will last for only a total of 11 days, some members of the team will remain in India for the IPL, which starts on March 29 and runs to May 24 and has been given the green light albeit with precautions. Other major cricket, such as the series between England and Sri Lanka will also go-ahead, with the teams agreeing to exchange fist bumps instead of handshakes to reduce the transmission of germs.The assignment in India is the last of South Africa’s 2019/20 summer, which began in the same country last September. South Africa drew the T20I series and lost the Tests 3-0. They returned home to administrative overhaul and a new coaching regime but went on to lose a Test and T20I series to England while drawing the one-day rubber and lost a T20I series to Australia. They have managed to win one trophy, the ODI series against Australia, and currently hold an unassailable 2-0 lead with the final match to be played on Saturday.

A win in the first T20I would have lifted Australia’s spirits, especially with India having started the tour as favourites

The Preview by Sidharth Monga22-Nov-20181:43

Should Coulter-Nile and Chahal play in Melbourne?

Big Picture

This is Australian cricket’s new reality at least for now. Even a win in a truncated T20I will be hailed as a significant moment in a possible renaissance. Wednesday in Brisbane was only their sixth win in 23 internationals since the sandpaper came out in Cape Town. Three of those wins have been against Zimbabwe and UAE. Imagine starting this big India tour with a defeat. India already have eyes set on their first-ever Test series win in Australia. A win at the start of the tour is expected to lift Australia’s spirit, or at least not let them be dispirited.Make no mistake, it was a good win. Everything was against Australia. They were batting first in an increasingly bowl-first game, rain robbed them of all the batting momentum they had built, and they had to contend with the disadvantage of being the side not chasing in a rain-affected match.India should be bitterly disappointed they let Australia get away with this one. They were given a sneak peek into what Hardik Pandya’s absence costs them. They are wary of going in without an allrounder, so Krunal Pandya had to play. They are also wary of playing three spinners, so one of their two match-winning wristspinners had to sit out. They didn’t get their match-ups right – Jasprit Bumrah didn’t bowl to Chris Lynn at all even though he has a great record against the big hitter. Captain Virat Kohli also sacrificed his No. 3 position to accommodate KL Rahul, which on the surface is an experiment worth trying two years before a World T20. But Kohli needs to ascertain the cost and benefit of it swiftly.Given the slip-ups in the first game, all eyes will be on Kohli’s captaincy on Friday.

Form guide

Australia WLLLL (last five completed games, most recent first)
India LWWWW

In the spotlight

Kuldeep Yadav has started his Australia tour much as he did England. His 5 for 24 in Manchester restricted England; here he took 2 for 24, and would have benefited greatly from pressure at the other end too. His slow pace, and batsmen’s inability to pick his wrong ‘un continue to be a big weapon in T20 cricket.The match-ups Virat Kohli missed out on in the series opener•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Marcus Stoinis played the perfect allrounder’s role for Australia in the opening match, scoring 33 off 19 and then backing it up with an excellent final over with only 12 to defend. He is what India don’t have: a proper bowler who can bowl his quota of overs and play the big shots when needed.

Team news

India should make the bold decision of playing three spinners. Dropping Krunal after an off-night will diminish their batting. With the MCG’s big boundaries, India should have the confidence of playing Chahal over Khaleel Ahmed. KL Rahul should continue now that he has been shown faith in.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 KL Rahul, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Khaleel Ahmed/Yuzvendra ChahalAustralia shouldn’t have any reasons to change the combination that delivered them with a rare win.Australia (possible): 1 Aaron Finch (capt.), 2 D’Arcy Short, 3 Chris Lynn, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Ben McDermott, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Andrew Tye, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Jason Behrendorff, 11 Billy Stanlake

Pitch and conditions

Friday in Melbourne is expected to be cloudy with showers on and off. Don’t rule out another shortened match.The drop-in pitch is usually slightly slow with spongy bounce.

Stats and trivia

• Kohli has played 178 of his 235 T20 innings in the top three and averages 45 in these innings. He averages 27 outside the top three. The change in the strike rate is not significant.
• Kuldeep is a great starter. Or rather, batsmen take time to get used to his bowling. In the first match of all the series he has played – across formats – he averages 11 with a wicket every 14 balls. His average goes to 29 and strike rate to 22 in the remaining matches.

Quotes

“We have got good memories in the team. We dominated T20s last year. We were in good form not so long ago. Obviously, things have not gone our way but we know we are still a good side.”
“It was a game where we had to target all the bowlers. We didn’t have much time [in the chase]. We tried to target him [Adam Zampa] but he got us out. Next game, we will have better plans against him, and implement them in the middle.”

The left-arm spinner replaces Beth Langston in only change to the squad that clinched the
Women’s World Cup in July

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2017Eighteen-year-old left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who made her ODI debut last year, has been named in the England women squad as they attempt to regain the Ashes, which begins in Australia on October 22. Ecclestone replaced medium-pacer Beth Langston as the only change to the squad that clinched the Women’s World Cup in July this year.”Sophie Ecclestone has finished school now and has had a great summer domestically,” England coach Mark Robinson said. “Her selection will provide another option to our attack.”England leave for Brisbane on October 7 for the multi-format series that starts with three ODIs. That will be followed by a day-night Test in Sydney, before the tour concludes with three T20Is.”Ashes tours don’t come around all too often, so it’s always a special opportunity,” England captain Heather Knight said. “Australia are going to be very strong opponents on their home soil, so we’ll have to be at our best, across all three formats.”England women squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Alex Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Laura Marsh, Anya Shrubsole, Nat Sciver, Sarah Taylor (wk), Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield, Danielle Wyatt

Australia’s batsmen tuned up for the Sri Lanka Test series with captain Steven Smith and Steve O’Keefe making half-centuries on the second day, despite a five-wicket haul from Shehan Jayasuriya

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando at P Sara Oval19-Jul-2016
ScorecardSteve O’Keefe followed his five-for with a measured half-century•AFP

Australia were given a long-but-light workout against spin on the second day, as all their batsmen hit at least 25, though only Steven Smith and Steve O’Keefe passed fifty. The second-day pitch at the P Sara Oval had begun to take some turn, but Australia can expect significantly drier conditions and substantially higher-quality slow bowling in the Tests. Nevertheless, a team total of 431 for 9 represented a strong outing for the visitors. The Sri Lanka selectors, watching on, would know the Australians have emerged from their first spin trial of the tour in ominous form.The Sri Lankan XI attack, which did not feature the island’s top spin prospects to begin with, operated under a kind of self-prohibition. Perhaps out of a strategic decision not to accustom the Australian batsmen to left-arm spin, captain Milinda Siriwardana did not bowl himself at all in the day. The other left-arm spinner, Chaturanga de Silva, was given only short spells at the top order; only when the tail-enders arrived at the crease was he more liberally used.Sri Lanka will hope this tactic sees Rangana Herath’s threat maximised when the Tests begin on July 26 in Pallekele. Siriwardana may also fairly expect to be named in the Sri Lanka squad, and if the selectors are of a similar view, Siriwardana will have kept his own powder dry.The day’s foremost workhorse was Shehan Jayasuriya, whose offspin may be classified his secondary skill. He delivered 29 overs, took five for 109, and sparked several close shouts while the seamers were rotated at the other end. Vimukthi Perera was the most impressive of the quick men, bringing a ball in to Joe Burns to bowl him for 72 in the morning, but Nisala Tharaka was also sharp in patches.O’Keefe’s unbeaten 62 may be the most consequential of the day’s performances for the Australians, as it raised his chances of entering the Test XI. Having taken a five-wicket haul on day one, O’Keefe was a measured foil to Mitchell Starc’s adventure, as the pair put on 59 runs from 13 overs late in the day. O’Keefe was largely content to nurdle the singles, often using his feet to spin. Starc, meanwhile, deployed a devastating slog sweep several times in his 48-ball 45. The pair did benefit from unimpressive ground fielding, however.Earlier in the day, Adam Voges and Smith had made 88 in each other’s company, largely finding runs on the leg side, as Voges in particular shelved the more aggressive shots. The pair’s frill-free accumulation took the Australians past the Sri Lankan XI’s 229, and formed the foundation of their team’s advance on day two. Smith came down the track to hit the offspin of Jayasuriya over the infield on occasion, but largely reserved his more expansive strokes for the seamers.It was spin that brought both batsmen’s stay to a close. Smith was trapped in front by de Silva, before Jayasuriya turned one in from the developing rough to beat Voges’ sweep shot and rattle his off stump. Mitchell Marsh struck a quick 25 thereafter, but was also out to Jayasuriya – caught behind down the leg side, though he did jokingly ask for a review of the umpire’s decision to suggest he did not hit the ball. Jayasuriya caught a high top-edge off Starc’s bat, and sent one through Lyon’s defences to complete his five-wicket haul.