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The selection panel led by Ajit Agarkar will meet on Friday to pick India’s squad for the last three Tests against England

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Feb-2024Retain Shreyas Iyer or drop him? That is set to be one of the first questions for the selection panel when it meets on Friday evening to pick India’s squad for the three remaining Tests of the England series.ESPNcricinfo has learned that Iyer had informed the team management that he had experienced back spasms a day or two after the end of the second Test in Visakhapatnam, which India won to level the series 1-1. The BCCI medical staff, though, are understood to have cleared Iyer for selection.Apart from Rohit Sharma, Iyer is the only senior India batter to not register a significant score in the first two Tests – he made 35 and 13 in Hyderabad and 27 and 29 in Visakhapatnam. Considered one of India’s best batters against spin, Iyer has, however, struggled to find fluency, struggling both in his defence and in his strokeplay.Related

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Insiders believe Iyer’s struggles could be a result of him feeling stiffness in his back as he bats for long periods. A pinched nerve in his lower back flared up originally during the fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2023. Last April, he had undergone back surgery to deal with a slipped disc, which had caused him “excruciating pain” and made him doubtful about his future.Iyer then missed the IPL, where he leads Kolkata Knight Riders, but returned to play for India in the Asia Cup. However, recurring back spasms restricted his involvement to just two matches. But a successful ODI World Cup, where Iyer played impact innings in the middle order – including in the semi-final against New Zealand – suggested he had completely recovered.Dropped from India’s T20I squad in the home series against Afghanistan in January, Iyer tested his match fitness for the England Test series by playing a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai against Andhra, where he batted once and scored 48.2:58

Are captaincy duties affecting Rohit’s batting?

While he was in the squad for the first two Tests, there was no assurance that he would be in the XI – he was competing with KL Rahul for one middle-order slot. But once Virat Kohli ruled himself out for the first two Tests for personal reasons, and could be out for longer, Rahul and Iyer got into the XI for the first Test.Rahul, who was ruled out of second Test because of a quad niggle, is expected to be fit for the second part of the England series. Now the selectors have to decide whether they want to retain Iyer or place their faith in Rajat Patidar, who made his debut in the second Test and impressed with his technique and composure. Not to forget, Sarfaraz Khan was also in the squad for the second Test, but didn’t get into the XI.

Bumrah to be rested for fourth or fifth Test?

One other significant talking point for the selectors will be Jasprit Bumrah, who is the leading bowler so far in the series with 15 wickets. While Bumrah has shown no fitness concerns since resuming to play at the World Cup after undergoing back surgery last March, the selectors are understood to have acknowledged the point made by the BCCI medical staff about manging the workload of Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, both all-format players.Siraj was rested for the second Test, but is expected to return for the third in Rajkot starting February 15. Bumrah, too, is set to play the match, but is likely to get a break for one of the two final Tests – in Ranchi and Dharamsala.

The defending champions were aided by captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 46 to ace the middling chase

S Sudarshanan25-Feb-2024Shabnim Ismail put in a superb display of new-ball bowling in Bengaluru, puncturing the top-order of Gujarat Giants as Mumbai Indians notched up their second win of WPL 2024. She was ably assisted by legspinner Amelia Kerr, who picked up four wickets.The defending champions limited Giants to 126 and were aided by captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 46 to ace the middling chase. They got home with five wickets and 11 balls to spare.

Harmanpreet and WPL run-chases

Harmanpreet and run-chases have been a love story in the WPL. She began this season with a half-century in a chase against Delhi Capitals, much like she had done in the very first match of the inaugural season, also against Giants. She averages over 63 in chases in the brief history of the competition. Which is why Mumbai would have breathed easy even when Nat Sciver-Brunt’s departure had them at 49 for 3.A pristinely timed cover drive got her going against Capitals, and here, she punched Tanuja Kanwar’s left-arm spin through cover-point for four to get going. The target in sight meant she could take her time, which she did even as Sciver-Brunt attacked at the other end. She brought out her paddle sweeps and reverse-sweeps often to manoeuvre the ball around and kept Mumbai well ahead of the asking rate. In the company of Kerr, she almost brought Mumbai within sights.Harmanpreet Kaur goes down to sweep the ball•BCCI

Even after Kerr and Pooja Vastrakar fell in a space of five balls, there was no reason for Mumbai to panic. Harmanpreet ensured it stayed that way, finishing off the match with a six over deep midwicket.

Giants cut down to size

It was a dream start for Mumbai after they opted to bowl. It did not take long once again for Ismail to draw first blood. Ismail, whose international retirement last year left the cricketing world in shock, has been sparkling as a T20 freelancer, and she was no different on Sunday. She set Veda Krishnamurthy, who was on her WPL debut, up with a length ball moving away, before getting one to nip back in sharply from a fullish length. Veda was on the move on the front foot and was pinned in front for a second-ball duck. In her next over, Ismail meted out a similar treatment to Harleen Deol, getting her lbw. Giants lost two wickets as well as both their reviews in the first 16 balls.Phoebe Litchfield – also on WPL debut – brought her reverse sweep along and showcased it against Hayley Matthews. But her stay was short-lived as she edged one to short third off Sciver-Brunt. Harmanpreet constantly shuffled her bowlers around and never let the batters cut loose. D Hemalatha’s one such effort had her hole out to long-on.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Sensing an opportunity to close out the innings early, Ismail was brought on for her last over in the 11th of the innings. And she managed to dislodge the immovable Beth Mooney, who had steadily moved along to 24. At 5 for 58, Giants were well and truly in mush. And it only got worse when Kerr joined the party in the 14th over. She first had Ashleigh Gardner caught at long-on before deceiving Sneh Rana with a wrong’un to bowl her through the gate two balls later.The rescue act of Bryce and KanwarWhen Giants were struggling at 78 for 7 with just over six overs to go, Kathryn Bryce, the only Associate player in WPL 2024, was joined in the middle by Kanwar. The duo managed to find regular fours off the two legspinners, Kerr and SB Keerthana. Bryce also managed to get underneath a tossed-up Matthews ball to tonk it into the deep midwicket stands. The pair helped Giants take 33 in the last four overs, despite the double-wicket final over from Kerr.After the rescue act with the bat was done, Bryce and Kanwar now began in earnest with the ball. The Scotland allrounder struck on her second ball in the competition to have Yastika Bhatia miscue to mid-off in the third over. Brought on as the fourth bowler in the fourth, Kanwar managed to have Matthews hit against her left-arm spin straight into the waiting hands of deep midwicket. In her final over – the 17th – she squared up Vastrakar to knock her over and finished with 2 for 21 off her four overs.When she fired an accurate throw to the wicketkeeper Mooney in the eighth over to catch Sciver-Brunt short, it seemed that Kanwar could inspire Giants to do the unthinkable. However, the experienced Harmanpreet ensured that Mumbai’s head-to-head against Giants read 3-0 in their favour at the end of Sunday.

Babar, who hasn’t accepted the offer yet, has asked the PCB to be appointed captain across all three formats if he is to consider a return

Danyal Rasool29-Mar-2024Shaheen Shah Afridi’s one-series stint as Pakistan T20I captain is set to come to an end, with Babar Azam offered the white-ball captaincy once more. The PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Babar earlier this week to make the offer.Babar, for his part, has not yet accepted the offer. The decision to strip him of the armband in all three formats following Pakistan’s poor 2023 ODI World Cup campaign rankled him, and he has asked the PCB to be appointed captain across all three formats if he is to consider a return. While no ODI captain was ever officially appointed when Babar reluctantly stepped down, Shan Masood is the current Test captain, having led the side in a three-match series in Australia.Related

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The writing was on the wall for Afridi since Naqvi refused to back him at a press conference in Lahore on Sunday, saying at the time a final decision would be made after Pakistan’s training camp with the military ended. But it appears there has been a rapid loss of faith in Afridi’s leadership abilities when he led Pakistan in one series and his PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars. Pakistan lost the T20I series against New Zealand 4-1, and Qalandars won just one game out of ten and finished bottom of the PSL table.However, Afridi will feel hard done by, given Naqvi’s comments that Pakistan wanted a long-term captain they could back, rather than knee-jerk appointments after a handful of games, given that is effectively precisely what has happened to him. Part of the appeal of appointing Afridi, still only 23, as captain was he could learn on the job and continue in the role for an extended period of time, and he was considered the favourite to take on the ODI leadership as well.And while Babar’s demand to be anointed Test captain is not understood to be a deal-breaker for the former captain, it does place significant pressure on Masood’s position as red-ball skipper. He, too, has led the side for just one series, with Pakistan losing all three games in Australia. However, a more aggressive approach as captain was widely seen as a contributing factor to Pakistan running the hosts close in two of the three Tests despite injuries rendering the bowling attack weakened.Shan Masood has led Pakistan in only one Test series, in Australia in December-January•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

The flip-flopping surrounding the captaincy question strikes at the heart of the PCB’s state of proceedings over the past 18 months. They have been through multiple chief selectors, as well as selection committees with varying degrees of power, since the start of 2023. Zaka Ashraf’s decision to sack Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn, and twist Babar’s arm into resigning just before a key tour of Australia was the highest profile one, but in truth, the chaos has been bubbling for longer than that.The current selection committee’s arrangement is also fairly distinct. There are four selectors – Wahab Riaz, Asad Shafiq, Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Yousuf – with no chief selector. They will be joined by the Pakistan captain and coach – both yet to be appointed – and a data analyst. Selection decisions will be made by vote, with 4-3 majorities carrying the day.As things stand, Pakistan have been through negotiations with several candidates for the role of head coach without being able to reach a deal. Shane Watson, Mike Hesson and Adam Voges are among those who eventually turned them down, while initially promising discussions with Luke Ronchi have also meted away. The PCB is currently understood to be in talks with Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten, with no sign of a breakthrough yet.Pakistan’s next series, which Babar is expected to lead his side out for once more, comes against New Zealand in April, with the two sides playing five T20Is.

Brisbane Heat finals hero leaves to join Renegades on a two-year deal and looks set to open alongside Jake Fraser-McGurk

Alex Malcolm11-Apr-2024Melbourne Renegades have poached BBL-winning batter Josh Brown away from Brisbane Heat on a two-year deal as a replacement for the retired Aaron Finch.Brown, 30, burst onto the scene in the last two seasons as a mature-age find for Heat after dominating Brisbane grade cricket and had a huge impact for Heat helping them reach two finals and claim the title last season. It’s understood the initial two-year deal comes with the option of two more.In his first 23 matches in the BBL, Brown has made 624 runs at 27.13, striking at 149.64. He rose to national fame in the BBL finals last season smashing 140 from 71 balls, including a BBL record 12 sixes, against Adelaide Strikers in the Challenger to help Heat reach the final before backing that up with a matchwinning 53 in the final against Sydney Sixers.Related

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His form led to overseas T20 franchises chasing his services and he took up an offer to play in the Bangladesh Premier League with Chattogram Challengers. He also made his List A debut for Queensland when he returned from Bangladesh.Renegades general manager James Rosengarten said the struggling Melbourne franchise was thrilled to secure Brown as part of a new-look squad next season.”We are extremely excited to have Josh join our squad,” Rosengarten said. “We’ve identified a clear role for Josh in our batting order which will have a new look this year.”Josh possesses a good balance of aggression and composure, which we all witnessed in the recent BBL finals series. We’ve been watching Josh for a while so his strong season and BBL finals series were no surprise.”Brisbane Heat admitted they were disappointed to lose Brown having offered what they believed was a strong offer.”We provided Josh and his management with a two-year contract offer that was very lucrative and a significant uplift,” Joe Dawes, the new Queensland Cricket general manager, said. “However, we understand the lure of a four-year commitment for him as a player, even though we believed our offer was very competitive and more than fair.”Our fans will justifiably be disappointed that he won’t be with us going forward, and as a club, we are sad to lose Josh, no doubt.”Brown looks set to form a formidable opening partnership with Jake Fraser-McGurk. He was grateful to Heat for giving him the chance to play in the BBL.”I’ve enjoyed my time with the Heat, they gave me my opportunity, for which I’ll always be grateful and have cherished memories including winning a BBL Championship last season,” he said. “But I am extremely excited for a new challenge and hopefully achieve the same success with the Renegades.”It’s a young group with a lot of talent and firepower, especially in that batting group. I can’t wait to partner with the likes of Jake Fraser-McGurk and Will Sutherland and see what we can do.”

Duo notch up Hampshire’s highest second-wicket stand against Surrey

ECB Reporters Network25-May-2024Toby Albert grabbed his chance to score a maiden Vitality County Championship century and Nick Gubbins plundered his first as a father as Hampshire took complete control over Surrey.Homegrown batter Albert took advantage of Ali Orr’s back problems to grind out a ton on his sixth first-class appearance as he and Gubbins knocked up Hampshire’s highest second-wicket stand against Surrey.After the 201-run partnership had ended, Gubbins raised his bat on his second century of the campaign in his first innings since daughter Ottilie was born two weeks ago.James Vince, Ben Brown and Liam Dawson also grabbed half-centuries as Hampshire piled on 495 for 4 to boast a huge 368-run lead over the champions.Albert had ended last season opening the batting with Fletcha Middleton, but his unsteady performances saw him lose his place when Orr was signed from Sussex in the winter.A couple of multi-day fifties had kept the pressure on Orr and Middleton, but the incumbents’ centuries meant there was no place for Albert.He had begun last week pumping the Royal Air Force for an outrageous 86 off 31 balls before taking apart Sussex’s Second XI with 51 off 33 balls, as he prepared for the Vitality Blast.But back spasms for Orr meant he was given a fresh chance in the Championship side, and gave head coach Adi Birrell a massive future selection headache.Albert, the son of two Olympic equestrians, had ground out 34 in 139 balls on the first evening to make sure Hampshire didn’t follow Surrey’s 127 collapse – during which he and Middleton scored Hampshire’s first fifty opening stand of the season. He and Gubbins trotted through into a lead within half an hour on a more proactive second morning, with their fifties coming in 173 and 109 deliveries.Albert was completely chanceless in his century, which came in 280 deliveries, despite a strong Surrey attack bowling accurately, but ineffectually. He top-edged to fine-leg on 114 to end his impressive innings and a record alliance against Surrey – beating the 180 Roy Marshall and Henry Horton put on at the Oval in 1961.Gubbins had started his season in good form, with 50, 69 not out, 119 and 45 the shining lights in his six innings. But he had missed the second innings versus Durham and the victory over Nottinghamshire when on paternity leave.Ottilie got her first taste of Utilita Bowl on the first evening, as she posed with a padded-up Gubbins at the end of the day – which was posted on his Instagram Story with the caption “introducing Ottie to the bowl.”Her late-night feeds haven’t impacted Gubbins’ batting, with the left-hander as assured as ever for his 18th first-class century.Once that milestone was hit the target for Hampshire was bonus points, which Vince’s aggressive approach was perfect for. He secured a second batting point with 40 in 37 balls, before heading to fifty in 49, as Hampshire cantered.Ben Foakes remained off the field due to back spasms throughout the day, with Jamie Smith taking the gloves. And he ended Vince’s onslaught on 52 when the home skipper was strangled down the leg side by Dan Worrall, with Gubbins previously well caught at gully off the Australian-born quick.Brown and Dawson reached their half-centuries at a gallop during an unbroken 157-run partnership – with the former unbeaten on 99 overnight.

Jemimah Rodrigues and Pooja Vastrakar, both returning after injuries, are fit to play the first ODI on Sunday, Harmanpreet confirmed

Srinidhi Ramanujam15-Jun-2024India captain Harmanpreet Kaur is all in favour of the points system in multi-format series, saying that it will make things “more challenging”.India’s home series against South Africa begins with the first of three ODIs on Sunday in Bengaluru, following which a one-off Test and three T20Is will be played in Chennai. The points system is not in place for the exchanges.”It’s totally up to BCCI or ICC [to decide],” Harmanpreet said on the eve of the series opener. “But as a player, if these things are there, players are more into the game and players are more pumped up. If the points system is there, it’s more challenging and will be good to have.”Currently, the women’s Ashes series uses a points system with four points up for grabs for Tests (four for a win and two for a draw), and two for a limited-overs match. Whoever finishes with most points win the Ashes. This system was first introduced in the 2013 series in England to keep the whole series relevant.Related

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In 2021, the points system was also used for India’s tour of England, the first time it had been used outside of the Ashes. India lost the series 10-6 on points. India’s last all-format series – against Australia at home in December 2023-January 2024 – did not use the points system with each format treated as separate.It was also the last time India played an ODI as the focus has largely on the next T20 World Cup, to be played this October in Bangladesh.Sunday’s match will only be India’s seventh ODI since the start of 2023 . As far as the next year’s ODI World Cup is concerned, they have already gained automatic qualification as hosts. However, in order to shake off the rust in the format, India had two separate camps in Bengaluru and Mumbai in the lead-up to the South Africa series, playing a few practice games while at it.”We take it as an opportunity,” Harmanpreet said. “Nowadays we are playing more T20 games but ODIs are something that, as a player, you have more time to assess yourself and even the conditions. It’s good for us that we are getting more matches to express ourselves.”It’s good for us that we are getting more time in the middle and getting to play all three formats as players.”There was good news for India ahead of the first match with Harmanpreet confirming that both Jemimah Rodrigues and Pooja Vastrakar were fit for selection. Rodrigues missed the recent tour of Bangladesh with a back niggle, while the nature and status of Vastrakar’s injury were not clear when the BCCI announced the squad.

World Cup winning captain from 1975 and 1979 has been given the region’s highest honour

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2024Clive Lloyd, the back-to-back World Cup winning captain of the West Indies, has been conferred the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC). It is the region’s highest honour.Lloyd was the face of West Indies’ success in the late 1970s and the early 1980s. As a batter, he was hard-hitting, capable of scoring big runs in no time at all. As a tactician, he was astute and it was under his leadership that West Indies were crowned cricket’s first ever world champions. Lloyd spearheaded two decades of dominance. He was the first West Indian to 100 Tests. He captained them in 74 and lost only 12.Lloyd, 79, was conferred the OCC at the 47th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), held in Grenada on Sunday.Cricket West Indies president, Dr. Kishore Shallow, was at the ceremony and he said: “This honor is a fitting tribute to a man who has not only exemplified excellence on the cricket field but has also been an unwavering pillar of inspiration and leadership for the Caribbean and the world. Sir Clive’s contributions to cricket and his dedication to the development of the sport are truly unparalleled.”Sir Clive’s legacy is one that resonates deeply with every West Indian. His leadership, determination, and sportsmanship have set the standard for what it means to be a true champion. This recognition by CARICOM is a testament to his enduring impact on our region and the sport of cricket. We are honored to celebrate this moment with him.”Lloyd’s association with cricket continued even after the end of his playing career as a coach, selector and match referee. He has also worked as a civil servant for Guyana Ministry of Health and was knighted in 2019.

Decision to grant home side a replacement during Sri Lanka’s second innings tips balance

Vithushan Ehantharajah23-Aug-2024Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka’s top-scorer on day three at Emirates Old Trafford, says that more rigorous rules need to be enforced regarding replacement balls in Test matches*, after England found themselves on the right side of a ball change for the second time in as many Test summers,After the 41st over of Sri Lanka’s second innings on day three of this first Test at Emirates Old Trafford, standing umpires Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel agreed to the hosts’ request to swap out a raggedy Dukes ball. At the time, Sri Lanka were 146 for 4, nursing a slender lead of 24, but with Mathews not out on 59 and Kamindu Mendis on 33.A firmer ball with a prouder seam brought the quicks back into the game. The prized wicket of Mathews came in the 10th over with the replacement ball as the veteran was squared up by Chris Woakes and caught at gully to end the fifth-wicket stand on 78.”It looked like they were running out of plans but unfortunately the ball was changed,” Mathews told Sky Sports before the start of the fourth day’s play. “We were told they didn’t have old enough balls to replace. It changed the entire momentum of the game. You work so hard to get rid of that shine, and we did that. Once the ball was changed, it was a whole different game.”Though England would only go on to take one more wicket before the close, they did create a host of chances with the replacement ball. Mathews (on 65) and Kamindu (39) were dropped by Joe Root and Gus Atkinson at first slip and gully respectively, both off the bowling of Matthew Potts. The extra movement into the left-handers also saw two lbw decisions go in Woakes’ favour, only for reviews to find inside edges from Milan Rathnayake and Kamindu, who remained unbeaten overnight on 56.Coincidentally, Woakes was also the main beneficiary of last season’s controversial ball change during the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Kia Oval, which turned a tense final innings England’s way to secure a 2-2 series draw. Australia opener Usman Khawaja queried the switch to a newer, harder ball at the time, which did not reflect the one that had been in use for the previous 37 overs.Related

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Ricky Ponting went as far as to call the change “a huge blunder that needs to be investigated”. Dilip Jajodia, the owner of British Cricket Limited, the company which manufactures the Dukes ball, vowed to investigate the complaints himself while attempting to quash theories that a five-year-old replacement ball might have been used.”I don’t know which year the balls were,” Mathews added. “You’ve got to have a set of rules where you determine how the ball is going to be changed… I really don’t know, but it can be really disadvantageous for the batters.”Ian Bell, Sri Lanka’s batting coach on this tour, struck a more conciliatory tone at stumps on Friday. “[It is] unfortunate, but the team are in good spirits,” Bell said. “I don’t think they worried too much about that or are moaning about that. I think it’s about accepting that and trying to put as many runs on tomorrow to put England under a bit of pressure in the last innings.”The lights did come on. The clouds rolled over. And that’s the beauty of playing cricket in England – you have to adapt to conditions. But again, England put the ball in the right areas.”In England that can happen. All you ask for is that [it] is consistent for both teams. I know we tried to change it a couple of time in the first innings, but they didn’t. But the seam did look pretty awful on that last ball, and unfortunately, you have to accept in these conditions a ball change can swing around.”England centurion Jamie Smith, who had a good gauge on the new ball from his position as wicketkeeper, echoed Bell’s sentiments. He also credited Woakes for making the best use of conditions.”It’s hard to gauge because once the ball was changed, the overheads came into play and the lights came on, and it sort of coincided with both factors. If there’s one man to exploit them conditions, it’s Chris Woakes. Any extra zip, it’s him who was going to find it.”*August 24, 11.15 BST – This story was updated following Angelo Mathews’ comments on Sky Sports

He also broke the record for the highest percentage contribution by an individual batter to a team’s total

Sreshth Shah20-Aug-2024Samoa batter Darius Visser has broken the men’s T20I record for most runs in an over, against Vanuatu in the T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Region Qualifier in Apia on Tuesday. Visser finished with a score of 132 off 62 balls.In just his third T20I, Visser, 28, smashed six sixes in a 39-run over from Nalin Nipiko. It was the fourth time a batter had hit six sixes in an over in men’s T20Is and the first time that a team scored more than 36 runs in an over.The record was broken in the 15th over of Samoa’s innings. Visser hit the first three deliveries from Nipiko over the deep midwicket boundary after which there was a front foot no-ball. The free-hit was hit for six over the leg side, followed by a dot ball when Visser’s straight hit struck the stumps at the non-striker’s end.Nipiko overstepped for the second time and then bowled another no-ball, for height, that Visser pulled over fine leg for six. The last ball of the over was a low full toss outside off stump that Visser flicked over deep square leg to achieve the 39-run over.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Previously, there were five instances of a team scoring 36 runs in an over in men’s T20Is. India’s Yuvraj Singh was the first batter to hit six sixes in a T20I, off England’s Stuart Broad in the 2007 T20 World Cup. West Indies’ Kieron Pollard repeated the feat against Sri Lanka’s Akila Dananjaya in 2021, and Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee did it earlier this year.The other two instances of 36-run overs that did not contain six sixes came when West Indies – aided by Nicholas Pooran – scored 36 against Afghanistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and when India’s Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh combined to score 36 against Afghanistan, also in 2024.Visser is the first Samoa batter to score a T20I century and his 14 sixes were the fifth highest in a men’s T20I innings. His score of 132, out of Samoa’s total of 174, was also the highest percentage of runs scored by a batter in a team’s innings. The second-highest score for Samoa against Vanuatu was 16 by their captain Caleb Jasmat. Visser scored 75.86% of his team’s runs surpassing the previous record of 75.1% by Australia’s Aaron Finch.According to a report in St George & Sutherland Leader, Visser grew up playing in Sydney and was a fast bowler before nagging injuries and stress fractures made him switch to legspin and batting. He also picked up a wicket as Samoa restricted Vanuatu to 164 for 9 to win the game by ten runs.

Unlike the true bounce which lasted across four days in Chennai, the Green Park surface is expected to be flatter

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Sep-2024Red soil will become black. Bounce and carry will be fleeting. And don’t expect a rank turner.In a nutshell, that is likely to be the nature of the pitch at Green Park in Kanpur, where the second and final Test of the India-Bangladesh series starts on September 27.It is understood that unlike the true bounce that lasted across the four days in the first Test in Chennai last week, the Green Park pitch will be flatter in nature, with the bounce lower and the surface becoming increasingly slower as the Test grows old. This is because of the black-soil content in the pitch.That is in contrast to the Chepauk pitch, where both teams’ seamers and spinners fetched good bounce. That was a consequence of the pitch being made of the red soil that was imported from Mumbai two years ago. The bounce was a key factor in both teams playing three fast bowlers. While the degree of turn was not huge, allied with bounce, the Chepauk pitch had enough for spinners too, as shown by the Indian pair of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who took nine wickets between them in Bangladesh’s second innings.Related

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The slower nature of the Kanpur pitch is bound to change both teams’ selection plans. It is likely that the third seamer could be replaced by a third spinner. That means one of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel could get a chance for India.Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s selector Hannan Sarkar said on Monday in Chennai that Shakib Al Hasan is an injury doubt after his already hurting left index finger suffered a blow while batting on the fourth day. Even if Shakib plays the Test as an allrounder, Bangladesh may bring in left-arm spinner Taijul Islam in Nahid Rana’s place. The visitors also have offspinner Nayeem Hasan in the squad. He only comes into the picture if Shakib becomes unavailable, and Bangladesh still want to have three spinners in their line-up.In the last Test played in Kanpur, against New Zealand in 2021, India played three spinners in Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar. That was the first Test played at the venue since 2016, which also was against New Zealand. One common thread running through those two Tests was both lasted five days. While in 2016 India won comfortably, New Zealand batters showed admirable resistance to draw the game in 2021.While it is likely to be a toil for bowlers, batters could breathe easy and potentially score big in the absence of any tricks from the surface. In the 2021 Test, Shreyas Iyer scored a century and a fifty on debut and Tom Latham put out a rare masterclass from an overseas batter in defence against Indian spinners, scoring two half-centuries.