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Delmi Tucker and Chloe Tryon made battling half-centuries to ensure the home side had to work hard

Tristan Lavalette17-Feb-2024Australia’s versatile and talented attack overcame a resolute South Africa mustering belated fight to complete a comprehensive Test victory at the WACA late on day three.Having been pushed in tight T20I and ODI series victories, Australia’s experience in red-ball cricket came to the fore as they clinched the inaugural multi-series between the teams 12-4.Australia’s attack were made to work against gritty batting on a surface that flattened out as the match wore on, but their bowling depth shone with six bowlers taking wickets in South Africa’s second innings of 215.Related

• Women's Tests: Healy 'would gladly have the opportunity to play as many as we can'

• Stats – Australia set record for highest women's Test total

• Sutherland's double century overwhelms South Africa before quicks strike

• 'Spin didn't work, seam didn't work' – Sutherland floors SA with fluent double

Captain Alyssa Healy was forced to unfurl her deep attack with eight bowlers used, including allrounder Annabel Sutherland who finished with five wickets for the match to go along with her historic double century.Debutant Delmi Tucker and Chloe Tryon helped stretch the match longer than expected with maiden Test half-centuries as South Africa salvaged some respectability after a torrid initiation into Test cricket against Australia.Tucker, Tryon and debutant Tazmin Brits faced more than 100 deliveries each as South Africa lasted 97.2 overs in a considerable improvement on their meek first innings of 31.2 overs.After being routed for 76 on day one, their lowest ever Test score, South Africa had been in danger of humiliatingly losing within two days when they crashed to 13 for 3.South Africa resumed their second innings at 67 for 3 with Brits and Tucker hoping to continue their rearguard after defying Australia late on day two with a half-century stand.In warm conditions, Brits looked tentative as Australia’s seamers targeted a dangerous length outside off-stump. Darcie Brown’s extra pace proved a handful and she was unlucky not to take a wicket when Brits edged just in front of second slip.She also had Tucker top-edging over wicketkeeper Healy, but the batters settled on a sun-baked surface offering little movement. They put away rare loose deliveries and were untroubled by short deliveries coming off the wicket relatively slowly compared to earlier in the match.Tucker had a couple of anxious moments as she neared her half-century, including miss-hitting a pull shot off Ellyse Perry that narrowly was out of reach of Alana King running back from square leg.Chloe Tryon brought up an excellent fifty•Getty Images

But Tucker regained her composure and notched her half-century on the very next delivery. Healy resisted using her three frontline spinners and she was rewarded with her faith in the seamers when Perry ended the 96-run partnership after Brits edged low to second slip where replays confirmed that Phoebe Litchfield had her fingers under the ball.But Australia were again made to wait as Tryon showcased a mix of power and finesse to continually hit through the off-side as Healy finally reverted to spin.It almost paid off immediately when Sophie Molineux, playing her first international since late 2021, had Tryon inside edging onto her pad only for Healy to drop a tough chance moments before lunch.Ashleigh Gardner and King, who received warm applause on her home ground when she entered the attack in the 42nd over of the day’s play, bowled well in tandem after lunch and found turn and bounce. They shackled Tryon with four fielders around the bat as runs crawled to a halt.The pressure built on Tucker, who was undone by extra bounce as she chipped a return catch that was well taken by Gardner. She trudged off in disappointment, but earned a strong ovation from the crowd after making 64 off 180 balls in four hours at the crease.King was denied a first wicket of the match when Mooney dropped a straightforward catch at slip to reprieve Tryon, who capitalised to notch her half-century soon after.But an Australia victory was always just a matter of time as Sutherland capped a memorable match by clean bowling Tryon with hometown hero King claiming the final wicket to punctuate Test cricket’s return to the WACA.

With four back-to-back games in Mullanpur, Kings will hope home comforts help them get out of the mid-table points jam

Vishal Dikshit08-Apr-20241:48

What’s the secret to Abhishek Sharma’s success at the top?

Match details

Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Mullanpur, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)

Big Picture – Sunrisers might exploit Kings’ death bowling

Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings look like two teams who have had very similar journeys so far this IPL – two wins from four games and sitting in the middle of the points table – but their passage to get there could have hardly been more contrasting. If Sunrisers have been the second-quickest batting team in powerplays this IPL (before the CSK vs KKR game on Monday) with a run rate of 11.66, Kings have been the second-worst bowling in the death overs (17-20) this IPL, leaking runs at 12.65.Sunrisers’ fresh batting approach this IPL has largely been because of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma’s success at the top. While Head carried forward his stellar form from 2023, Abhishek’s firepower has surprised many. Hardly a household name in T20 cricket, he has left many big-hitters behind in recent months with his boundary-hitting. Since October 2023, Abhishek has smashed 101 boundaries (47 fours and 54 sixes) in 326 balls, which adds up to one boundary every 3.23 balls, second only to Andre Russell’s 3.12 (taking into account stats for batters with at least 50 boundaries in this period).Abhishek’s methods might be high-risk but they’ve brought high-reward: he has not been dismissed very often while going for the big hits. His 101 boundaries have come across 14 innings in which he has averaged 46 while batting in the top three. He has struck two centuries in this phase, which also includes ten knocks for champions Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he was the second-highest scorer while striking at 192. He has been smashing runs at 217.56 this IPL. If in the last two IPLs he hit a six almost every 25 balls, this IPL he is doing it five times as often, hitting a six every five balls.And he has done it against pace and spin, in the powerplay and the middle overs. With batters like Head alongside him, and Heinrich Klaasen and Abdul Samad to follow, the Kings bowlers will have to up their game significantly. They will be hoping their international bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel fare much better in the death overs.Kings will play their next four games in Mullanpur, and will want to take full advantage of home comforts to climb up the points table.

Form guide

PBKS WLLW (most recent first)
SRH WLWL

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Punjab Kings
Kings were without Liam Livingstone in their last game because of injury. He was replaced by Sikandar Raza, who couldn’t make an impact with either bat or ball against Gujarat Titans. Livingstone resumed training with the team on Monday but is still being assessed.For their impact subs, Kings have consistently subbed out Arshdeep Singh for a batter like Prabhsimran Singh, or vice versa.Likely XII: 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Prabhsimran Singh, 4 Sam Curran, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Sikandar Raza, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 , 12 2:28

Punjab Kings: Indian batters > overseas batters

Sunrisers Hyderabad
T Natarajan returned in their last game after recovering from injury but Mayank Agarwal missed out because he was unwell. It is as yet unclear if Agarwal is fit for Tuesday, although he trained on Monday.For their Impact Player strategy, Sunrisers have kept it straightforward so far by swapping out one of the top-order batters – Head, Abhishek or Agarwal – for a frontline quick like Natarajan or Umran Malik, except in one game where they brought in allrounder Washington Sundar while batting first because they were 114 for 5.Likely XII: 1 , 2 Travis Head, 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Shahbaz Ahmed, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Nitish Kumar Reddy/Washington Sundar, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mayank Markande, 11 Jaydev Unadkat, 12 .

In the spotlight – Pat Cummins and Arshdeep Singh

Pat Cummins was once a powerplay enforcer with the ball for Kolkata Knight Riders who went for quite a few runs, but a change of role in a new team has seen his numbers improve. He is now bowling a lot more in the middle overs (7-16), conceding runs at just 7.75 an over, his second-best economy rate since his maiden IPL season of 2014. If he can continue that form, it will bode very well for Sunrisers.Arshdeep Singh made his name in the IPL with his swing upfront and his nerveless death bowling. However, his death-bowling exploits have faded in the last couple of seasons. If he was economical in that phase (7.58) in IPL 2022, he failed to pick more than four wickets. And when he picked seven wickets at the death in IPL 2023, he leaked 9.50 runs an over. This IPL has been even worse – just one wicket and an economy rate of 11.70 in 20 balls. Will the real Arshdeep please stand up?2:17

Moody: Jitesh Sharma also has the calmness for challenging situations

Pitch and conditions – Back to Mullanpur

This is going to be just the second IPL game at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Mullanpur. In the first, Kings started on a winning note against Delhi Capitals by chasing down 175. The spinners didn’t leak as many runs as the quicks on that night, but it’s been more than two weeks since then and conditions could easily have changed.

Stats that matter – Cummins against Kings’ top order

Canada folded for 132 in the first T20I in Prairie View

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2024A three-wicket haul from left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige, followed by fifties from the captain Monank Patel and Andries Gous, powered USA to a six-wicket victory against Canada in Prairie View.Canada, after being asked to bat, could only muster 132 from their 20 overs. Plenty of batters made starts, but couldn’t push on and string together any meaningful partnership, as USA struck at regular intervals. That Canada got to their total at the end was thanks to a late 16-ball 29 from the captain Saad Bin Zafar, who blasted four fours and a six. For USA, Kenjige was the pick of the bowlers, ending with 3 for 21, while Saurabh Netravalkar and Shadley van Schalkwyk snared two wickets apiece.USA began their chase steadily, as Steven Taylor and Monank added 47 for the opening wicket in 6.4 overs before Taylor was dismissed for 22. USA, however, did not lose any momentum, as Monank and Gous batted Canada out of the game with a 57-run stand.Monank slammed seven fours and a six during his 50, while Gous hit a 35-ball 50 with five fours and three sixes. Dillon Heyliger eventually got both batters in quick succession, but USA had little trouble getting the win, as they overhauled the target with 15 balls remaining.

Allrounder takes 3 for 32 then scores 37* to take Surrey over the line against Hampshire

ECB Reporters Network30-May-2024Tom Curran produced heroics with bat and ball to give Surrey a Vitality Blast Off victory over Hampshire Hawks – and get revenge for last weekend’s Vitality County Championship mauling.With the ball, fast bowler Curran claimed 3 for 32 to peg the Hawks back and help restrict them to 162.But his starring role came with the bat as he came in with 63 needed with 38 balls remaining to smash 37 off 20 to see Surrey to a five-wicket victory at Utilita Bowl.Championship holders Surrey had been humbled by their record-heaviest defeat on Sunday but had their own back to open the Vitality Blast. Spencer Johnson was exceptional at both ends of the innings, after Surrey had chosen to bowl.With the new ball the Australian swung back to rip past Ben McDermott -his first two overs only going for two runs. When he returned, he only went for 12 more runs and picked up a dangerous-looking Liam Dawson – who had crashed 30 off 12.James Vince and Ali Orr also departed within the first five overs as the Hawks struggled to 23 for 3. But the leading middle-order Blast run-scorer since 2021 Joe Weatherley and in-form Toby Albert put the hosts back on track with a 62-run partnership off 41 balls.Surrey will have been sick of the sight of Albert after he picked off his maiden Vitality County Championship century against them over the weekend, before nailing two sixes and a quintuplet of fours in an entertaining 46.Weatherley fell when he hoicked Tom Curran to deep midwicket – the first of 3 for 32 for the England pacer – and while Albert, James Fuller, Benny Howell and Dawson tried to kick on, they were kept on a leash with regular wickets.Hampshire’s 162 for 9 was a good recovery but felt under par, in light on Southern Vipers’ victorious 173 earlier in the Blast Off day. But at the halfway point of Surrey’s chase, they were over a run behind the rate and had lost three of their premium batters.Dan Lawrence, on T20 debut for Surrey, was strangled down legside by Michael Neser, Laurie Evans – after a promising 34 – was castled by Fuller, and captain Ollie Pope was stumped off Dawson.The 43 runs added by Evans and Roy, was quickly followed by 33 between Jason Roy and Jamie Smith, but just as that looked to take off, John Turner got Roy to chop on and Smith skied to long off.But Curran arrived and tore up the win predictors with a strike-rate over 200 from almost ball one. His two sixes almost cleared the ground’s perimeter fences to take control of the chase in partnership with Jordan Clark.With six needed from the final over, Curran and Clark got their side over the line with four balls to spare.

England’s decision to deploy him at No. 4 “a compliment” from team management, Bairstow says

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2024Jonny Bairstow has described England’s decision to deploy him at No. 4 for their T20 World Cup defence as “a compliment”, acknowledging his versatility. Bairstow missed England’s 2022 triumph in Australia after suffering a career-threatening ankle break and has only played six T20Is since, but it set to play a key role in England’s middle order.Bairstow had been earmarked to open the batting at the last T20 World Cup, before an injury sustained on the golf course ruled him out. He opened in four T20Is against New Zealand last summer, a role he also performs for his IPL franchise, Punjab Kings; but the irresistible rise of Phil Salt, who scored back-to-back hundreds as opener in the Caribbean over the winter and played a big role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL 2024 title win, means Bairstow will slot in lower down.The 34-year-old has plenty of experience at No. 4, the spot where he has batted most frequently outside of opening, and scored a career-best 90 against South Africa two summers ago.Related

• Buttler: 'Bairstow has the experience and game to play at No. 4'

• Bairstow bests Narine as Punjab Kings pull off record T20 chase

• How Bairstow – and Punjab Kings – got out of a rut with a batting show for the ages

• Rashid the spark for England before Buttler, Salt dismantle chase

• Livingstone 'enjoying playing cricket' again after struggling with knee problem

“I’ve batted all over,” Bairstow said after England’s victory over Pakistan at The Oval on Thursday. “It doesn’t really matter to me where I bat. It’s actually a compliment that Jos [Buttler] and Motty [Matthew Mott] think I’ve got the skillset to bat at four. I’ve done it a lot. Whether it’s opening the batting or batting at four, to be able to recall your skills even in Test cricket is exactly what you have to do through the middle.”Bairstow made 21 off 18 at Edgbaston, in the first of two outings during the rain-affected series with Pakistan, before helping finish off England’s chase at The Oval with an unbroken stand of 46 off 27 balls alongside Harry Brook. How the two Yorkshiremen dovetail in the middle order could be key for England in the Caribbean.”It’s important to get into the rhythm of finishing games off,” Bairstow said. “Harry and I are batting four and five at the moment and we want to see games through till the end. It’s about carrying on with the style that we want to keep playing in. We took the right options and it worked out.”Bairstow heads into the T20 World Cup after a gruelling winter programme, during which he was the only England player to feature in the 50-over World Cup, the Test tour of India and the IPL. He achieved two significant milestones, playing both his 100th ODI and 100th Test in Dharamsala, but endured mixed form as England surrendered their ODI title and then went down 4-1 in the Tests.However, after being dropped by Punjab Kings partway through the IPL, he roared back into form with a scintillating 108 not out from 48 balls, helping his side to pull off the highest successful chase in T20 history. He finished the tournament with 298 runs at a strike rate of 152.82.”I was happy with the IPL,” he said. “We were at a new ground. It was a good experience playing against world-class players all the time. You’re under pressure all the time to perform and that’s how you want to play your cricket because when the pressure overs are on, you’re able to go back to those days when you might have got 20 off 15 but you got over the line. Or you’re playing against Jasprit Bumrah or the guys that we’re going to come up against the World Cup. It’s then about going back on those experiences, which hopefully carry you over the line.”He also played down the significance of England’s failed World Cup campaign in India last year, where a side led by Buttler and featuring a number of the same players crashed out ignominiously during the round-robin group stage.”Completely different format. Different conditions. Different group. So yeah, we’re going to the T20 World Cup very hopeful of putting on a good performance”

On Rohit and Kohli: “Obviously any team would want to have both of them for as long as possible”

Abhimanyu Bose22-Jul-20240:50

Gambhir: Any team would want to have Rohit and Kohli

Gautam Gambhir, whose stint as the new India head coach will start with the tour of Sri Lanka later this month, has had his share of on-field run-ins with Virat Kohli in the past, but said their equation is “between two mature individuals” and not for public consumption. He also said that the two are “on the same page” when it comes to the shared goal of achieving success for the men’s national team.”Good for the TRP, but my relationship is not public,” Gambhir said on Monday when asked about Kohli in his first press conference since assuming his new role. “What kind of relationship do I share with Virat Kohli, I think it is between two mature individuals.”On the field, everyone has got the right to fight for their own team, for their own jersey, and want to come back in a winning dressing room. But, at the moment, I think you are representing India and representing 140 crore Indians and I am sure we are going to be on the same page and try and make India proud.Related

• 'It's not a practice ground, it's an international game' – Rohit Sharma keeps his focus on the present

• Shastri: Gambhir's most important task will be to understand his players

• 'Trust, freedom, success' – Gambhir lays out his coaching philosophy

• What is the road ahead for Jadeja, Shami, Hardik and Rahul?

• Axar: When the team needs someone to stand up, they bank on me

“I share a very good relationship off the field and we will continue to do that. But yes, to make it more public what kind of a relationship [we have] I think it is between two individuals.”Kohli and Gambhir had a scrap during an IPL match in 2013, when Gambhir was the Kolkata Knight Riders captain. Later, there was another incident when Gambhir was the Lucknow Super Giants mentor in IPL 2023. Gambhir, while celebrating LSG’s one-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru, was seen shushing the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, a gesture which Kohli reprised at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium when RCB won the return fixture. Kohli and Gambhir had to be pulled apart by people around them in the end.During IPL 2024, however, the two were friendly with each other in public. When asked about his relationship with Kohli, Gambhir had said “perception was far from reality”. And when Kohli was asked about it during the season, he said: “I hugged Naveen [ul-Haq, with whom he had an altercation in IPL 2023], and then the other day, Gauti came and hugged me… We’re not kids anymore.”Gambhir said that he and Kohli have had discussions in recent times, but didn’t want to divulge the details.”How many chats have I had with him, after my announcement or before my announcement, during the games, after the games – I think sometimes just because we want headlines – it is not important,” Gambhir said. “The most important thing right now is that we both have got to be working extremely hard to make India proud. And that is our job.”He is a thorough professional, he is a world-class athlete, he is a world-class player. I have always said that. I have huge respect for him as a player and it is going to continue. And hopefully we can work together really well.”Gambhir on Rohit and Kohli: “Both those guys have a lot of cricket left in them”•Getty Images

Gambhir backs Rohit and Kohli to play 2027 ODI World Cup

Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20Is after India’s World Cup win last month, have been picked in the ODI squad for the tour of Sri Lanka, but they are both past 35, and the next 50-over World Cup is only in 2027. How long will they be around? Gambhir has left that decision to the two players but feels they still “have a lot of cricket left in them” if they “can keep their fitness”.”I think they have shown what they can deliver on the big stage, whether it’s the T20 World Cup or the 50-over World Cup as well,” Gambhir said. “One thing I can be very clear of is that both those guys have a lot of cricket left in them. More importantly, with the Champions Trophy [in 2025] and a big tour of Australia [in November 2024], obviously they would be motivated enough. And then, hopefully, if they can keep their fitness, the 2027 [ODI] World Cup as well.”But this is a very personal decision. I can’t say how much cricket is left in them. Ultimately, it’s up to them as well, it’s up to the players. How much can they contribute to the team’s success. Because, ultimately, it’s the team that is important.”But looking at what Virat and Rohit can deliver, I think they still have a lot of cricket [left to play]. They’re still world-class players and obviously any team would want to have both of them for as long as possible.”

Ollie Pope in the spotlight as England choose not to bowl final 22 overs of third day

Matt Roller31-Aug-2024Eoin Morgan criticised England and Ollie Pope for a lack of killer instinct with “everything in their favour”, as their refusal to continue bowling spin from both ends brought the third day of their second Test against Sri Lanka to a premature close at Lord’s.Pope brought on Shoaib Bashir and Joe Root to bowl in tandem for three overs with Sri Lanka 24 for 1, after umpires Paul Reiffel and Joel Wilson determined that the light was too poor for seamers to bowl. It briefly improved enough for Matthew Potts and Olly Stone to return – with Stone dismissing Pathum Nissanka – before Bashir and Root returned for five further overs.With 22 overs left in the day, the players then left the field – with Pope seemingly keen to avoid further wear on the new ball – and did not return for the rest of the day. It was a notable contrast to his decision to stay on the field in similar bad light in the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford, where Root and Bashir bowled 12 consecutive overs of spin as Sri Lanka’s No.9 Milan Rathnayake made 72 in his debut innings.”I think it’s a questionable decision,” Morgan, who spent seven years as England’s white-ball captain, said on Sky Sports’ coverage. “The reason behind that is just the whole context of the last hour or so: it is dark. There’s a reason the seamers can’t bowl: it is dangerous for everybody concerned.”If you’re sitting in Sri Lanka’s changing room, you’re thinking, ‘Jeez the last place I want to be is out there with the bat in hand – facing anybody.’ It’s a lose-lose situation. I totally understand the concern for the condition of the ball, but you’re talking about England’s premium fingerspinner in Shoaib Bashir, who needs to bowl. The ball is turning and bouncing.”Sri Lanka had promoted Prabath Jayasuriya, who batted at No. 9 in the first innings, to No. 4 in a bid to reach the close of play unscathed. “They’re bowling at a No. 9 at one end. Everything is in England’s favour,” Morgan said. “I question the decision… you have runs to play with, you have two or three new balls, everything in your favour. And yet you’re sitting in the changing room.”Related

• More bad-light farce at The Oval as Chris Woakes is forced to bowl spin mid-over

• Alastair Cook hails 'genius' Root after England-record 34th Test hundred

• Joe Root notches record 34th Test hundred as England close in

• Root breaks records with twin tons at Lord's

• Clenched fist in a velvet glove as Joe Root comes good when it matters again

England’s decision to come off meant a near-capacity crowd at Lord’s headed home early – in the face of the team’s stated desire to entertain. “We pride ourselves on wanting people to come into the ground and feel like they’ve had a really enjoyable day of cricket, and can walk away wanting to come back for more Test cricket,” Joe Root said, after the early close.Pope, who is deputising for Ben Stokes against Sri Lanka, has already come in for heavy criticism as captain, with Michael Vaughan suggesting that he is “not the kind of personality” for the role. After he was caught in the deep for 17 on Saturday when attempting to upper-cut Asitha Fernando over point, he has now scored 30 runs in four innings across the first two Tests.Jayasuriya successfully saw out 23 balls as Sri Lanka’s ‘lightwatchman’, with Dimuth Karunaratne 23 not out overnight. Sri Lanka still require a further 430 runs across the final two days for an improbable series-squaring win, but their batting coach Ian Bell suggested they still have some hope of saving the game.”The more we can spend time in the middle and that ball gets a bit softer…” Bell said. “This wicket has been quite a new-ball wicket, if you can get through that. There’s still plenty of batting, and that’s probably been the strength so far this tour: that middle-lower order have got some good runs. Tomorrow, the first hour is important and we’ll go from there.”Bell said he was pleased with the “character” that Sri Lanka showed on the third day: “What we asked the guys last night was to come in with the attitude that we saw in Manchester… A bit unfortunate to lose a second wicket in that little period of an over or two in between the bad light, but more of the same tomorrow.”It’s more the character we want to see, that we’ve seen so far in this tour. Obviously, you want to win games, but also want to see the guys fight for everything they’ve got in these conditions, which are a bit more tricky than what they play in in Sri Lanka.”

T20s will feature at the Olympics’ next edition, which will be in Los Angeles in 2028

PTI11-Aug-2024Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting feels that cricket’s return to the Olympics in Los Angeles in four years’ time [LA28] will be beneficial to the game.”It can only be a positive thing for our game. I’ve sat on various committees over the last 15 or 20 years, and it’s always been on the top of almost every agenda – how do we get the game back into the Olympics? And finally, it’s there,” Ponting said on . “It’s only four years away. I think it also gives cricket a chance to break into the grassroots level in the US.”Cricket is returning to the Games after 128 years, with the only time it featured previously being in 1900, with two teams – Great Britain and France – participating, and the former winning gold.”The thing about the Olympic Games, it’s not [about] the host nation. It’s about the audience that it opens up,” Ponting said. “The Olympic Games being viewed by so many people all around the world, it just opens up completely different audiences to our game that’s seemingly growing on a daily basis anyway. It can only be a real positive thing for the game.”Ponting said infrastructure and qualification pathways would still need to be appropriately figured out but, with its inclusion, the game is moving in the right direction overall. “Facilities and infrastructure and those things are going to be key, and how many [participating] teams they actually decide on. I think it’s only six or seven teams that they’re talking about, so qualification is going to be at a premium – how you actually qualify to get into the Olympic Games.”So all those are things to think about, [but] I’m really excited about where the game’s headed and the growth of different markets that we’re seeing emerge.”Cricket at LA28 will be played in the T20 format, with both men’s and women’s teams set to feature.The game had been in the spotlight in the USA earlier this year too, when the country co-hosted the men’s T20 World Cup with the West Indies.

India will be at full strength with Kohli, Rahul and Pant back in the middle order

Ashish Pant18-Sep-2024

Big picture: Can Bangladesh achieve another first?

It is time for India to dust the cobwebs off their whites as a long Test season beckons. Having not played a Test match in more than six months, they will now play ten in the next three-and-a-half, starting with Bangladesh’s visit for a two-match series.It is no secret that India is one of the toughest destinations for any team, and Bangladesh have no reluctance to admit the same. They have played three Tests in India and faced heavy defeats each time. In fact, India are one of only two teams Bangladesh are yet to win a Test against in 13 attempts. In the last ten years, India have lost only four Tests at home and haven’t lost a series here in close to 12.On paper, India can feel bullish about their chances of toppling Bangladesh when the first of the two Tests begins in Chennai on September 19. But this is a Bangladesh team that prides itself in achieving firsts.Related

• Tearaway Rana, captain Shanto among Bangladesh players to watch

• Hathurusinghe: This is the most well-rounded Bangladesh team in my time

• Can Rahul's middle-order move take him to the top in Test cricket?

• Gambhir: Having Bumrah in the team 'really an honour'

In early 2022, they beat New Zealand for the first time in a Test match. Then only last month, they beat Pakistan for the first time in a Test, and beat them again to seal their first away series win in more than three years. Bangladesh have traditionally not been great travellers. They have only achieved eight overseas Test wins in 67 attempts, but it is worth noting that four of them have come since 2021.That’s not to say India don’t start as overwhelming favourites. They sit pretty at the top of the World Test Championship [WTC] points table with a percentage of 68.52, and in the form they are in should make it to their third final next year. But they are coming off a bit of a break from the format, and have players in their top order who have been out of Test action for even longer. Virat Kohli last played a red-ball game in the first week of January. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are also making Test comebacks.India’s batters have in recent times shown vulnerability against quality spinners, and in Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam, Bangladesh have three who can run through a batting line-up on their day.Bangladesh are coming into this series on an absolute high and, with India potentially rusty, will hope to catch them off guard.

Form guide

India: WWWWL
Bangladesh: WWLLLRishabh Pant will make a return to Test cricket after 629 days•PTI

In the spotlight: Rishabh Pant and Mehidy Hasan Miraz

Since his car accident in December 2022, Rishabh Pant has made a comeback in the IPL, T20Is, and ODIs. Now nearly two years later, a Test comeback beckons. It is a format Pant has excelled in; he has an average close to 44, a strike of 70-plus, with 11 fifties and five centuries. In his absence, Ishan Kishan, KS Bharat, Rahul and Dhruv Jurel have all donned the wicketkeeping gloves, but now that Pant is back, he’s set to take back his place behind the stumps. He proved his fitness in the opening Duleep Trophy encounter in Bengaluru, where he kept for 125.4 overs across the two innings. Ahead of a busy season, Pant might want to get his Test motor running nice and early.In a press conference on Tuesday, Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe reckoned Mehidy Hasan Miraz was “ready to take over whenever Shakib moves out”. Recent numbers suggest he is well on course. In the current WTC cycle, no Bangladesh player has scored more runs than Mehidy (380 in ten innings) or taken more wickets (23 in six Tests). He was a key contributor with both bat and ball in Bangladesh’s series win in Pakistan and on a Chennai track which is likely to aid spin, particularly later in the game, Mehidy has a chance to further enhance his Test credentials.Kuldeep Yadav is likely to get the nod ahead of Axar Patel if India play three spinners•Associated Press

Team news: Will India go with three spinners?

India have largely tended to play three spinners and two quicks in their home Tests, but they could be tempted to play three quicks against Bangladesh – as they did in both Tests in the 2019-20 series – on a red-soil Chepauk pitch that promises bounce and carry. Spin, though, is expected to play a major role as the pitch bakes under the Chennai sun, so three spinners seems the likelier option. In this case, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will lead the fast bowling unit, with R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav as the three spinners.Additionally, KL Rahul is in line to come back into the Test fold for the first time since a quadriceps injury cut short his series against England earlier this year. He will likely replace Sarfaraz Khan in the middle order. Meanwhile, Pant is also likely to slot back into the wicketkeeper role in place of Dhruv Jurel, who played the last three Tests against England.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 KL Rahul, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.Bangladesh are unlikely to make too many tweaks to their winning playing XI from the second Test in Pakistan last month. They may also look to play three spinners. Bangladesh fielded Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana as their three quicks in the second Test in Rawalpindi, and the pace trio picked up 14 of the 20 wickets they took, including all ten in the second innings. But in Chennai, they could think about bringing Taijul into the mix alongside Shakib and Mehidy.Shakib arrived in Chennai late on Tuesday night after playing a game for Surrey in the County Championship.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Litton Das (wk), 7 Shakib Al Hasan, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Nahid Rana/Taijul Islam.

Pitch and conditions: Expect the Chennai heat to play a part

The Chennai pitch for the opening Test will be a red-soil one and while there could be considerable bounce and carry for both the quicks and spinners, the surface is likely to break under the searing Chennai heat. This will mean the spinners should come into play as the Test goes on. There is an excessive heat warning in Chennai at the moment, with temperatures likely to be in the mid to high 30s (Celsius) range.

Stats and trivia

• India are on a streak of 17 unbeaten home Test series, which dates back to November 2012
• Jasprit Bumrah is the highest wicket-taker for India in Tests in 2024: 27 in five games at 15.07
• With 1028 runs in just nine Tests, Yashasvi Jaiswal is second on the list of top run-getters in the current WTC cycle. His average of 68.53 puts him second behind Kamindu Mendis among the top ten names on this list.
• Pant averages 77.16 against spinners in Tests in India and strikes at 100.87.
• Mushfiqur Rahim averages 55.16 in Tests in India.

Quotes

“Bangladesh has got some really quality cricketers. Shakib has got the experience. Mushfiqur has got the experience. You’ve got a very good bowling attack as well. Mehidy is there as well. So we know that there is talent in Bangladesh. But the important thing is that we need to be switched on from ball one. And that is what the expectations from all of us are in that dressing room.”
“We played very good cricket against Pakistan, [but] that is past. It gives us a lot of confidence, but we are here to play a new series and the dressing room believes we can play very good cricket. We are not thinking about the outcome, just want to follow the processes.”

“The door back to the Indian team is open if you’re willing to walk through it,” Chappell tells Shaw in a letter

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2024Prithvi Shaw, the out-of-favour India and Mumbai opener, has found support from Greg Chappell as he deals with a career that’s been affected by form, fitness and disciplinary issues. Chappell has suggested Shaw embark on a “journey of self-reflection” and move prioritise processes over results.The latest setback for 24-year-old Shaw came last month when he was left out of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad because of “poor fitness and general conduct”. He has since been prescribed a fitness regimen by the team’s trainer as he works his way back to the set standards. So far this season, in which he has had a short stint with Northamptonshire, Shaw has scored just one half-century in 11 innings.”Remember, setbacks are a part of every great athlete’s story,” Chappell, the former Australia captain and India coach, wrote to Shaw in a letter, accessed and published by the . “Even legends like Don Bradman faced the disappointment of being dropped and had to fight their way back. What made them great was not avoiding challenges, but how they responded to them.”Chappell and Shaw’s paths had crossed at the Under-19 World Cup in 2018, when Chappell was Cricket Australia’s talent manager and Shaw was India’s captain as they won the title beating Australia in the final.”I understand you’re facing a challenging time right now, being out of the Mumbai team. It’s natural to feel frustrated and perhaps a bit uncertain, but I want you to know that these moments are often the turning points for athletes, helping to shape both their careers and their character,” Chappell wrote. “I remember watching you play for India’s Under-19 team, where you showcased an extraordinary talent and a spark that made it clear you were among the most exciting young cricketers of your time. Those of us who recognize your potential are still keenly watching your journey, knowing that the best is yet to come.”One of Chappell’s suggestions for Shaw is to move from a result-oriented mindset to a process-oriented one: “That shift – from results-focused to process-focused – transformed my approach to both practice and matches. I encourage you to embark on a similar journey of self-reflection. It’s easy to blame circumstances, but ultimately, your response to these challenges will define your path.”Greg Chappell was with the Australia team when Prithvi Shaw led India to the Under-19 title in 2018•Getty Images

Late last month, Shaw was among many players released by Delhi Capitals ahead of the mega auction later this month. He endured a poor IPL 2024, where he scored just 198 runs in eight games, with just a solitary half-century. His form leading into the season wasn’t great either, as he struggled following his return from a long injury layoff.”The past doesn’t define you, Prithvi,” Chappell wrote. “It’s what you do from here that matters. You’re still in your prime, with so many years ahead to make your mark. Take this time to visualize the cricketer and person you want to become. Surround yourself with people who inspire you to improve.”Take care of your body, get the right amount of rest, and build the strength and focus you need. The door back to the Indian team is open if you’re willing to walk through it, but it takes a commitment to growth and change.”Know that I – and many others – believe in you and are here to support your journey back to the top. If there’s ever a way I can help or if you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. You have everything within you to reach your full potential.”