“We’ve seen in the other formats what a side they can be,” Southee says of the Test against Afghanistan

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-20240:43

Southee opens up on NZ cricketers refusing central contracts

The club vs country issue is beginning to hurt New Zealand, with high-profile names opting out of central contracts. As they get ready for a burst of nine Test matches in the next few months, Test captain Tim Southee acknowledged the issue, but put it down to “the changing landscape of international cricket”.He recently expressed hope that the cricket boards and the franchise leagues find a way of “working together” to resolve the issue, and ahead of New Zealand’s departure for India to play Afghanistan in a one-off Test in Greater Noida, said that his country’s board was “trying to come up with what’s best for both parties”.”There are plenty of offers out there that weren’t around years ago,” he said. “But yeah, at the moment it’s concentrate on playing for New Zealand and giving that everything at the moment.”Related

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It won’t affect the team, he said: “We’ve seen a number of guys who haven’t taken contracts, guys that are sitting on this plane with guys with contracts.”Among the players who have refused contracts in recent months are Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, and Adam Milne. Of them, Williamson is in the squad for the Afghanistan Test, which will be the first of six Tests in the subcontinent (with two in Sri Lanka and three in India to follow), after which New Zealand will host England at home in November-December.”If you look at it as a whole – six Test matches in the subcontinent – it’s exciting,” Southee said. “It’s probably something we haven’t done, in my time anyway. It’s a great challenge for the side.”First up: Afghanistan.When they played each other at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, Afghanistan won by 84 runs after bowling New Zealand out for 75 in Providence.”They are still new to the red-ball format, but we’ve seen in the other formats what a side they can be,” Southee said. “Just recently in the T20 World Cup, last year in the one-day World Cup [where Afghanistan finished sixth], they are an improving side. They’ve had great success in those two formats, and I am sure as a country they want to have success in the longer format as well.”Every time we have come up against them in a world event in the last five or six years, we know they are an improving side and a dangerous side. Especially in their part of the world. We just saw them making the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, a couple of upsets last year, and the one-day World Cup as well. So we know they are a very good side in those conditions.”Six Tests in the subcontinent could well mean the quick bowlers taking a backseat at times and the spinners taking centre stage. New Zealand have a good bunch in their tournament party: there is the left-arm spin of Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner, and the offspin of Michael Bracewell, to go with the part-time offspin of Glenn Phillips. Afghanistan’s spin threat, of course, is a real one.1:14

Southee: Afghanistan ‘an improving and dangerous side’

“That part of the world, spin is going to play a big part. They’ve got some quality spinners, mixed in with some quality quicks as well,” Southee said. “We’ve seen in other formats that’s been their strength, their bowling unit, particularly their spinners. It’s going to be an exciting challenge.”[The role of the spinners] might change from venue to venue, change from India to Sri Lanka and back to India. We have the options. We have guys that can bowl spin, offspin, left-arm spin, so we’ve got a good mix, mixed in with some quality pace as well. It’s exciting for all the spinners. We were in Bangladesh last year, so as a spin bowler, I’m sure you’re looking forward to this challenge.”As for his own game, Southee acknowledged, not for the first time, that he wasn’t “at my best towards the end of the summer”. But “the body is good,” he said as a bunch of New Zealand players left Auckland for India, adding, “The cricket I have played since [the last summer] has been pretty good, so I have enjoyed a bit of a break and enjoyed a bit of the cricket as well.”The Test against Afghanistan will be played from September 9 to 13 after which New Zealand will travel to Sri Lanka before returning to India.

The ground-staff used electric fans and even tried a grass transplant but the outfield remained unfit for play

Ekanth10-Sep-2024The second day of the only Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand in Greater Noida suffered the same miserable fate as the first due to rain, albeit not during hours of play, and the quality of the outfield.The toss was scheduled half an hour earlier at 9am, to make up for day one being abandoned, but at 8.55 am came the announcement that conditions were unfit for play and that there would be an inspection at 12pm.The message on the broadcast at 9.10am was that “a thunderous overnight downpour last evening from 6pm, for 90 minutes, at one stage left the outfield completely and utterly flooded.” The moisture underfoot remained a major concern and there was little hope the ground would be fit for play by noon.Related

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The ground staff used electric fans to try and dry a few wet patches on the outfield. They cut out blocks of dry grass the practice nets and transplanted them on a damp region in the 30-yard circle. Despite the sun baking down, the ground wasn’t ready at noon and another inspection was planned for 3pm.New Zealand’s players arrived at the ground around 12:25pm, and a practice net was installed next to the main pitch so that they could practice. The spinners Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santer began to bowl first and were soon joined by the fast bowlers, while Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell had a hit. The Afghanistan players, on the other hand, did not arrive at the venue.Play was called off on the second day at 2.55 pm, with the toss yet to take place.

Pindi groundstaff aiming to create another spinning track for third Test against England

Matt Roller21-Oct-2024Pakistan have stepped up attempts to prepare a spinning pitch for their Test series decider against England, using industrial-sized fans, outdoor heaters and windbreakers in a bid to dry out the surface at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.After losing by an innings on a lifeless pitch in the first Test in Multan, Pakistan pulled an unprecedented move and opted to recycle the same strip for a second match in a row. The strategy paid off in style after they won the toss, with spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan sharing all 20 wickets as England were bowled out for just 144 in their final innings.Rawalpindi is typically among the flattest pitches in Test cricket, with minimal assistance for spinners. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, the Bangladesh offspinner, took 10 wickets in their 2-0 series win in Rawalpindi last month, but since the venue returned to hosting Tests in 2019, spinners have averaged nearly 50 runs per wicket there.Related

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• Brendon McCullum plays down England spin concerns as Pindi decider looms

Seam bowlers have fared better, taking a wicket every 34 runs, with the average assisted by a Test against South Africa in January 2021. On a surface that offered assistance to the seamers right through the game, Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali took nine of South Africa’s ten wickets in the fourth innings, eight of them on the final day. All four innings registered scores between 200 and 300, and the PCB has previously considered that the gold standard for a Pindi Test wicket.Those days are decidedly in the past, though. Shan Masood, Pakistan’s captain, made clear after their 152-run victory in the second Test in Multan that he would like to see an uncharacteristic Rawalpindi pitch for the decider, which starts on Thursday. England are prepared for another turner, with their head coach Brendon McCullum predicting the surface would be “the antithesis of a green seamer”.On Sunday, groundstaff had set up three large heaters and an industrial-sized fan at each end of the pitch, drying it out with hot air, with a windbreak at each end to keep the heat in. Pakistan’s players and staff inspected the surface when they trained on Monday morning, at which stage only the fans remained. It continued to dry out in the afternoon heat.Notably, the Test strip is one of only three that has been cut across the square; the other two are practice strips, one on each side of the pitch. England’s seamers used a dry, abrasive square to get the ball reverse-swinging in the second Test in Multan, but a grassy square and a lush outfield may make that more challenging this week.England did not train on Monday and are open-minded ahead of their session on Tuesday. “I don’t know what to expect. I haven’t seen anything,” Jack Leach, who is the leading wicket-taker in the series, told the BBC. “We’ll go to training and have a look at it. I feel quite clear about what I’m doing and that doesn’t really change depending on the wicket. We’ll see what it is.”

NSW selector Stuart Clark said CA had asked for Zampa to be selected, but the board has said that it does not give such selection directives

Andrew McGlashan30-Nov-2024Cricket Australia (CA) has insisted that there was no directive to New South Wales (NSW) to select Adam Zampa for the previous round of Sheffield Shield matches after state selector Stuart Clark said they were forced to pick the legspinner on the board’s orders.The move to include Zampa against Tasmania at the SCG led to promising 23-year-old legspinner Tanveer Sangha being omitted so that Zampa could partner Chris Green, who himself does not hold a NSW contract after having opted to go freelance earlier this season. Zampa does not train with NSW between Australia commitments as he lives in Byron Bay.It was Zampa’s first Sheffield Shield match since February 2023 and came amid talk that he is in the frame to tour Sri Lanka early next year. He claimed 4 for 140 from 40.2 overs across two innings. It has yet to be confirmed whether Zampa will play against Western Australia in the final round of Shield games before the BBL but, after the Tasmania game, Zampa indicated he was keen to feature again.Related

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Last week, CA’s head of high performance Ben Oliver said domestic selection calls were entirely in the hands of the states.”The national selection panel are in regular contact with each state association, but ultimately, the selection for each Sheffield Shield match or domestic matches is very much the realm of the state association,” Oliver said. “The selection panel are very pleased to see all players playing domestic cricket and have as many options as possible for each of our upcoming series.”In an update provided to ESPNcricinfo on Saturday following Clark’s comments, Oliver added: “That [selection] process was consistent with the most recent round of Sheffield Shield.”It’s understood that amid discussions around Zampa, CA had asked NSW whether it was their intention to select him against Tasmania and, if they weren’t going to include him, the national selectors would have made him part of the Prime Minister’s XI squad to face India in Canberra even though that is a pink-ball day-night fixture.That, however, was not the view of Clark when he was interviewed on . “When it came to Adam Zampa, we didn’t have a discussion because there was no need to – we were told he had to play,” Clark, the former Australia quick who is also a NSW board member, said. “Quite frankly, I don’t understand what the comment of Cricket Australia is because we didn’t need to have a robust debate about his selection… it was a foregone conclusion that he was in the team. I don’t know where this comment comes from.”I’m going to ask [NSW chief executive] Lee Germon… to clear this up by writing to Cricket Australia perhaps and put my board member’s hat on and say we don’t understand this,” Clark added. “What we were told to do, and what’s coming out in the press, is exactly the opposite. They don’t make sense. Either we as selectors have got it wrong – I don’t know, did we misunderstand? – but I’m pretty clear because I’ve got messages that say Adam Zampa must be in the team and there is no point discussing his selection.”Former NSW and Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin strongly criticised the selection. “I’m an Adam Zampa fan… but I don’t think he should be playing this Shield game. He doesn’t come to training, he’s not part of the NSW system. I just think it sends a real bad message to our younger players in the squad,” he told the .”Tanveer Sangha, what sort of message does that send to him? Chris Green is playing as well. Chris Green at the start of the year gave back his contract and said ‘No, I want to go over and play a tournament wherever… I don’t want to be considered for a few games’.”On the same show, Australia captain Alyssa Healy said it was possible to see why NSW had selected Zampa but added “you are kind of taking the piss a little bit [out of] of the baggy blue”.”I might look back one day and feel like maybe I didn’t give [Test cricket] a 100% crack”•AFP/Getty Images

Zampa has previously spoken about his desire to earn a Test cap. After the game against Tasmania, he said that he was a much more confident bowler than when he played the majority of his first-class cricket before 2018.”I was eager to play a lot of first-class cricket when I was young, but I probably wasn’t good enough or as confident as I am now,” Zampa had said. “I bowled a lot more bad balls than I do know. I wasn’t confident with my own reading of the game whereas now I feel like I can read guys a lot better and have less mental fog. It’s being able to have a bit more resilience on day-one wickets when you’re trying to hold up an end.”It [Test cricket] is something I’d like to do and challenge myself at. If I got to end my career and it didn’t pan out that way then I’d be okay with it. I might look back one day and feel like maybe I didn’t give it a 100% crack. I feel like playing these games and putting my hand up for the Sri Lanka tour and being keen, for that is fine.”George Bailey, Australia’s national selector, has previously said that Shield form would not be an over-riding criterion when picking the side for Sri Lanka given the vastly different conditions. Glenn Maxwell, who was in line to play his first Shield match in nearly two years and feature for the PM’s XI before he picked up a hamstring injury against Pakistan, is also in the frame.

Azhar will continue to a member of the selection committee for the men’s national team

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2024Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has been appointed head of youth development at the PCB. The newly created role was filled, according to the PCB, after a recruitment process and Azhar will perform it in addition to his current role as a member of the selection committee for the men’s national team.While light on specific details of what the role entails, a PCB statement said Azhar would be “tasked with shaping the future of Pakistan cricket by designing and implementing comprehensive youth cricket strategies, establishing robust grassroots cricket structures and talent pathways, collaborating with regional cricket associations to strengthen age-group programmes, educating emerging cricketers under the PCB’s Pathways Programme, and organising seminars and clinics to build awareness of off-field development essentials for aspiring players”.Azhar is one of the more obvious examples of a success story through the player pathway programme in Pakistan.He made his first-class debut in 2002, and was part of Pakistan’s Under-19 World Cup squad that year. He went on to hone his game in the UK before returning to Pakistan, making his Test debut in 2010, and became a Pakistan great, scoring 7142 Test runs at an average of 42.26, and briefly captained both Pakistan’s Test and ODI sides.”I am honoured and excited to take on this important role,” Azhar told the PCB’s website. “Having risen through the age-group ranks and played extensive club and domestic cricket, I understand the critical role grassroots development plays in shaping future stars.”Significant strides have already been made in this area and I look forward to working with my colleagues to elevate our youth development programme further. Our goal is to identify promising talent and equip them with the tools to excel at the highest level.”Pakistan’s U-19 side is currently involved in a triangular series in the UAE, with Afghanistan as the third side.

Bengaluru and Lucknow are the other two venues for the five-team tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2025WPL 2025 will begin on February 14, a week later than earlier planned, with Gujarat Giants hosting defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the newly built BCA stadium in Vadodara. As ESPNcricinfo had reported earlier, Lucknow is the other new venue for the upcoming season, with Mumbai and Bengaluru to host matches as well.After the first six games in Vadodara, the tournament will move to Bengaluru for the next eight matches. Lucknow will then host four games before the last leg in Mumbai. Mumbai will also stage four games, including the Eliminator on March 13 and the final on March 15 – all at the CCI stadium.RCB will play four games at their home venue, the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which drew boisterous crowds last season. As for the UP Warriorz, they will play three games at their home base, Lucknow. Delhi Capitals are the only team who don’t have home games in the five-team tournament.Related

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Just like the previous season, all matches will be single-headers.In the new women’s FTP, a separate window has been allocated for the WPL, the most lucrative women’s franchise league.The WPL 2025 auction, which was held in December last year, turned out to be a big deal for uncapped Indian players, with Simran Shaikh, the Mumbai allrounder, fetching the highest bid of NR 1.9 crore (USD 223,000 approx).RCB had clinched their first WPL title in 2024 after beating Capitals by eight wickets in Delhi.

“Faf has lent on him quite a lot and we’re pretty sure that Rajat will be leaning on him too,” RCB’s director of cricket says

Ashish Pant13-Feb-20252:25

Why did RCB overlook Kohli as captain?

Virat Kohli might not be the new Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain, with the franchise opting for Rajat Patidar, but for Mo Bobat, RCB’s director of cricket, Kohli does not need a “captaincy title” to be a leader in the team.”Of course, Virat was an option and that goes without saying and I know that the fans would’ve probably lent towards Virat in the first instance, but we’ve seen a lot of love for Rajat too,” Bobat said in an event in Bengaluru where Patidar was unveiled as the captain for IPL 2025. “Look, my point on Virat would be that Virat doesn’t need a captaincy title to lead. I think leadership, as we’ve all seen, is one of his strongest instincts. I think it just comes naturally to him. He leads regardless.”Kohli led the RCB franchise from 2013 to 2021 before he stepped down from the role. He led the team for three matches in 2023 when regular captain Faf du Plessis was injured and played as an Impact Player.Related

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Bobat was confident that despite Kohli not being the designated captain, Patidar would lean on him like his predecessor du Plessis did.”Everybody in the country and everyone in the world knows that Virat’s a leader in every sense of the word,” Bobat said. “Andy [Flower, head coach] and I lean on him quite a lot. Faf has lent on him quite a lot and we’re pretty sure that Rajat will be leaning on him too.”Even last year with Faf as captain, we saw every bit of that. He leads as an example with the bat, the volume of runs and the strike rate that he scored at last year was so impressive and so important for us. He set the tone, he leads in the field. I can think of two or three specific instances where he’s actually created run-out chances and wickets from nothing. Everyone in the field knows that they’ve got to be up to their standards because of him. He sets the tone with his energy. Everyone has seen how much he likes a fight and a scrap and how much he wants to be the person getting us over the line.””His experience and ideas will definitely help me in my leadership role,” Patidar said of Kohli•BCCI

Bobat also said that Kohli was actively involved in discussions surrounding Patidar being named captain.”Andy and I spent some time with Virat earlier this week actually in Ahmedabad and it was really nice getting some time with him and talking things through with him [about captaincy],” Bobat said. “And what was so obvious was he had so much energy and excitement for this decision and this appointment. He’s so pleased for Rajat, like us. He knows how deserving Rajat is of this opportunity and is right behind him.”Kohli was front and centre of RCB turning their season around in IPL 2024. Having won just one out of their first eight games, RCB won six on the bounce to make a miraculous entry into the playoffs. While they went down in the eliminator, Kohli, with 741 runs in 15 innings, won the purple cap.
“I think Virat’s energy and motivation and drive is really something special to behold in a 36-year-old cricketer that’s done everything in the game,” Flower said. “I really respect him for it and it’s great role modelling for the younger players and younger overseas players to come and work with him as well. It was nice to watch it from within the same dressing room last year.”My experience with him, particularly in the first half of the last season when we were struggling and he was a huge part of turning that season around for us, in the way that he carried himself in his role modelling of how he works at the day and thinks about the day, that experience with him only made my respect for him grow. And I would say the same thing about our discussions over the captaincy of RCB coming season.”Patidar also said that having had plenty of good partnerships with Kohli over the years, he does not mind leaning on him for suggestions and that it would help him in his leadership role.”It’s a great opportunity for me to learn from one of the best,” Patidar said. “I have had a lot of partnerships with him, so I think I know him very well. So yeah, his experience and his ideas will definitely help me in my leadership role.”

Mulder explains why he declared SA’s innings when he was unbeaten on 367 at lunch on day two

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2025

Wiaan Mulder brought up the second-fastest triple-century in Test cricket•Zimbabwe Cricket

Wiaan Mulder had a shot at overhauling Brian Lara’s world-record 400* when he went to lunch at 367* on day two of the second Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. Mulder, the stand-in captain, though, declared the innings at the break, and stopped short of the record because he felt “Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be”.”Well, first things first, I thought we’ve got enough, we need to bowl. And secondly, Brian Lara is a legend, let’s be real,” Mulder told Shaun Pollock during the post-day interview with SuperSport. “He got 401 [400*] or whatever it was against England. And for someone of that stature to keep that record is pretty special. I think if I get the chance again, I’d probably do the same thing. I know I was speaking to Shuks [coach Shukri Conrad].”He kind of said to me as well, like ‘listen, let the legends keep the really big scores’. You never know what’s my fate or whatever you want to call it, what’s destined for me. But I think Brian Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be.”Related

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Mulder, though, broke a number of other records and Zimbabwe’s attack on the day. He became only the second South Africa player after Hashim Amla to score a triple-hundred went on to surpass Amla’s 311*. And he did it while humming away to himself.”I mean, there was a lot of thoughts,” Mulder said. “In the end, it’s just singing my song between balls and trying to keep myself natural and trying to keep myself present. Kept feeling my shoes, that type of thing, to make sure I’m in the moment and not too far ahead.”And, to be honest, when I went past Hash’s score, I didn’t really notice what actually happened until I looked up. I was on 312. I was like, ‘oh, wow! I was just on 300’. I don’t know how I got there, but yeah, it was truly special.”In Bangladesh, it was an Afrikaans song that I got to my hundred with and I lost it a little bit along the way. And in this song, in this game, it was by The Cranberries. So I just sing .”Mulder had made his international debut for South Africa in an ODI in 2017, when he felt that he wasn’t well-equipped to deal with the pressure and ruthlessness of top-flight cricket. He has since evolved as an allrounder, thanks to playing three seasons of county cricket at Leicestershire.”I think when I started playing with South Africa, I was nowhere near good enough, to be honest with you,” Mulder told Pollock. “It did offer me a lot of opportunities to learn from great players who have retired now, and some guys are still playing. But going to England really gave me a chance to understand what type of batter I want to be as well and figure out some technical things.”I think I came across the ball for a very large portion of my career. And in England, if your front pad’s in the way, you kind of get exposed quickly. So those were lessons. I mean, there’s many more I can name, but those were lessons that I continuously kept learning in England as well as in South Africa.”Batting at the Wanderers is pretty difficult. So, yeah, I think it’s all put me in a good place. The head coach, Justin Sammons of Zimbabwe, played a massive role in my batting. In particular, playing the short ball. So, I mean, there’s a lot of growth that’s happened over the last couple of years.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

All of those lessons helped Mulder dictate terms against Zimbabwe in the second Test and put South Africa on the path to an innings win. In response to South Africa’s 626 for 5 declared, Zimbabwe folded for 170 in their first innings and went to stumps on 51 for 1 in their second after being asked to follow-on.”Yeah, it’s pretty special,” Mulder said. “I’ve never even dreamt of getting a double-hundred, never mind a triple hundred, but super special. The most important thing is to put the team in a good position to hopefully win this Test.”South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad was full of praise for Mulder’s knock.”Wiaan’s innings was nothing short of extraordinary,” Conrad said in a CSA statement. “Being the captain, then batting at No. 3, where he had to absorb early pressure and face the new ball, which he did with immense composure and control – it was unbelievable.”The way he constructed his innings, session by session, was a masterclass in temperament and shot selection. It’s the kind of performance that anchors a team and sets the tone for the entire match. We’re incredibly proud of what he’s achieved today.”

Sahibzada Farhan’s 63 finished Pakistan’s tour with an improved batting performance

Mohammad Isam24-Jul-2025Pakistan ended their Bangladesh tour with a 74-run win in the third T20I in Dhaka. They bowled out the home side for 104 runs, after posting 178 for 7, a marked improvement from the last two games when their batting hardly stood up.Sahibzada Farhan, who took Fakhar Zaman’s place, top scored with 63 off 41, with 54 runs coming from boundaries. He provided Pakistan with a blistering start, after which Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Nawaz struck quick runs to take them to the highest total at the Shere Bangla National Stadium since 2021.Later it was newcomer Salman Mirza, the left-arm quick, who blew through Bangladesh’s top-order, as the home side slipped to 34 for 6. Bangladesh’s batting was in sharp contrast to that of Pakistan who finally got their groove upon being sent to bat first.

Farhan blitzkrieg in Mirpur

Farhan got Pakistan off to a flyer that lasted beyond the powerplay. He clattered Mahedi Hasan for a six in the third ball of the match, before sweetly flicking Shoriful Islam in the next over. Farhan laid into Taskin Ahmed in the sixth over, that went for 15, including a beautiful straight six.Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub put on 82 for the first wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Mehidy Hasan wasn’t spared either. Farhan smacked him for two sixes in the seventh over, one straight and slogged over midwicket. He finished the over by reaching his fifty, the second of Farhan’s career. Saim Ayub got into the act a little later, but soon after striking his first six, he fell to Nasum Ahmed. It broke the 82-run opening stand.

Haris can’t cash in on luck

Farhan fell for 63 in the twelfth over, having struck five sixes and six fours in his 41-ball stay. There was hope that Farhan’s start would help the rest of the Pakistan’s batters. However, Mohammad Haris couldn’t quite capitalize despite getting three lives in his short time at the crease. Litton Das missed a difficult stumping chance in the tenth over, before Nasum dropped Haris at fine-leg. He also survived a lbw decision, before Taskin removed him with a catch at deep third. Haris finished with 5 off 14 balls.

The Nawazes’ fine finish

Hasan Nawaz slammed three sixes in his 17-ball stay, one of them a slice over cover, but Mahedi’s tumbling catch from mid-off stopped him on 33. Hussain Talat then fell cheaply, before Mohammad Nawaz creamed two sixes and as many fours, in his 16-ball 27. Both his sixes came off Mohammad Saifuddin, one struck over deep square-leg, and the next one the cover boundary.

Mirza cuts through top order

Pakistan’s first wicket was slightly fortuitous, but all credit goes to Mirza. Tanzid swished at a wide delivery outside off-stump, but wicketkeeper Haris didn’t appeal. Mirza insisted he heard something, which convinced Pakistan captain Salman Agha. A healthy deviation was spotted upon review.Faheem Ashraf then struck twice in his next two overs, first removing Litton for 8, before Mehidy holed out to mid-on for 9. Mirza then bowled two superb deliveries in the fifth over to reduce Bangladesh to 25 for 5. Both times, he got the ball to cut through Jaker Ali and Mahedi and rattle their stumps.

Saifuddin doesn’t get support

Salman bowled Shamim Hossain with one that spun into the left-hander, as Shamim tried to play back. Mohammad Naim holed out to a simple catch at mid-off.Saifuddin’s 34-ball 35 took Bangladesh past their lowest total of 70 and while Nos 9 to 11 all got boundaries, they didn’t hold on for long. Talat removed Nasum for 9. Hasan Nawaz took a fine catch running in from backward square leg to remove Taskin Ahmed, before Saifuddin struck couple of sixes off Ahmed Daniyal. Shoriful was the last man to go with Abbas Afridi taking a superb catch at long-on.

Following the 5-0 T20I loss to Australia, the West Indies captain bemoaned his team’s consistency

Andrew McGlashan29-Jul-2025West Indies captain Shai Hope has bemoaned his side’s inability to put together a complete game with the bat after they were swept 5-0 by Australia in the T20I series.The visitors completed a three-wicket victory in the final match in St Kitts, after West Indies had been bowled out for 170 – the lowest total of the series. They reduced Australia to 60 for 4 inside the powerplay, and Akeal Hosein later took 3 for 17, but the loss of Alzarri Joseph to injury one ball into his third over removed a vital part of their attack.The first three matches of the series had been characterised by West Indies being unable to build on promising starts. In the opening match in Jamaica, they were 123 for 1 in the 13th over but managed just 189. In the second, 63 for 0 became 172 for 8. When the series moved to St Kitts, Hope and Brandon King put on 125 for the first wicket, but the middle order couldn’t flourish.Related

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In the last two matches, they somewhat overturned their poor starts – 67 for 4 became 205 and 9 and 32 for 3 became 170 – but on all occasions, Australia were able to get home with room to spare.”I just didn’t think we put together a proper batting display,” Hope said at the post-match presentation. “We either started well and finished poorly or the other way around. When you’re playing against quality opposition like Australia, you’ve got to put things together for a more complete game.Alzarri Joseph was injured one ball into his third over•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

“As a batting group, we didn’t really give ourselves the best chance to put a big score on the board consistently. And that’s probably where we fell short… We’ve always been one step behind the eight ball.”Hope wore a rueful smile when asked about the fact that his team didn’t get the chance to chase once in the series as Mitchell Marsh won all five tosses.”I think here in the Caribbean, we all know the stats show chasing is always the better thing to do,” he said. “Whether it’s the dew factor, wind factor, you always have that scoreboard in front of you, so you have an idea of how to go about the chase. But it’s something that I can’t control. Unfortunately, I didn’t win any [tosses]… It’s just one of those things for us.”However, despite the scoreline, Hope did see signs of encouragement from his bowling attack as the series developed: Jediah Blades, the young left-arm seamer, took three wickets in the fourth match. Alzarri Joseph’s pace made an impact in the final game too, before he was forced off the field. Hosein impressed after a belated entry with the ball on Monday.Jediah Blades struck crucial blows in the final match•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

“We understood the struggles of bowling spin here on this ground and surface,” he said. “But [Hosein] is a quality bowler and we just backed him to come and do the job, and he did exceptionally well for that four-over spell. Just unfortunate that, again, we didn’t have as many runs on the board as we would have liked.”I still must commend the guys for the effort that they showed in the back end, to give ourselves a chance to win the game. But once you don’t have that many runs on the board, then you [have] got to hope everything goes perfectly in the field. It just didn’t happen for us.”There is not much time for Hope and his team to reflect. West Indies face a quick turnaround before they play Pakistan in the first of the three T20Is in Florida on Thursday.”I think that we’re a little bit clearer in the bowling unit,” Hope said of what can be taken from this series. “We certainly executed a lot better than we did in the first few games. We’ve got to put this one behind us, and look ahead for the Pakistan series, and see where we can get that combination and that success going.”