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England will not be making any additions to the squad with one Test in Dharamsala remaining after the Ranchi encounter

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2024Rehan Ahmed’s tour of India has been cut short, with the England legspinner returning home for an urgent family matter. In a statement, the ECB also said Rehan will not be returning for the rest of the series, and neither will England seek a squad replacement.Rehan, the 19-year-old, featured in England’s first three Tests against India. He picked up 11 wickets at an average of 44, including a match-haul of 6 for 153 in Visakhapatnam. He was, however, left out of the England XI for the fourth Test beginning in Ranchi. It is understood Ben Stokes’ decision to omit Rehan was not related to him having to return home, which only emerged after the team had been announced at 1pm on Thursday. Rehan was present at England’s final training session that afternoon, helping out with various drills. He flies home on Friday, day one of the fourth Test.Earlier this month, England had to wait on Rehan’s availability for the third Test after learning of “paperwork discrepancies” with him on arrival from the UAE before the third Test. However, it was resolved, and Rehan picked up three wickets in England’s 434-run defeat in Rajkot.For the fourth Test, England are lining up with offspinner Shoaib Bashir replacing Rehan. The other spinner in the England XI is left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, their highest wicket-taker on the tour with 16.

Three matches this late aren’t likely to have much of a bearing on T20 World Cup plans, beyond the usual dotting of the i’s and crossing of the t’s

Alagappan Muthu27-Sep-20226:58

Jaffer: India would like to sort out their death bowling in this series

Big picture

You know those awesome rocket launch sequences where amid various shots of the vehicle looking all epic and the crew looking all steely there’s a disembodied voice that goes “T-minus…” Picture that… except instead of the wonders of space exploration, we’re talking about a bunch of people doing a bunch of things to get their hands on a cup that doesn’t even look like a cup… which they’ll only be able to hold onto for like a year. Two tops.It’s time for the T20 World Cup countdown, baby!India and South Africa are at T-minus three matches to the big party down under. So a lot of the focus will be on things like, is our death bowling doing alright? Oh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s not? But didn’t he – it sounds preposterous to even say it out loud but didn’t he – bowl a in the 19th over to stop Mumbai Indians from winning a game where they only needed 19 more runs? At least he’s off resting now, away from all the noise.And, what about the batting? Of course that’s doing fine. Anyone can wave a piece of wood around, can’t they? Plus there’s the AB de Villiersisation of it all. Twenty-two year old kids think they can now walk into the park and hit every ball for six. Thirty-two year old veterans, brought up in the mean streets maidans of Mumbai, no longer care about showing that straight bat. They be scoopin’, rampin’ and ballin’.That said, three matches, this late, aren’t going to offer a whole lot of clarity on what to do and what not to. The good only reinforces what they already know and the bad, well, that gets thrown in the bin because there’s no time for that. So in a way, this series could be a bit of a free hit for both India and South Africa. One last chance to go out and have utter, almost no-consequence fun. And it starts in T-minus…

Form guide

India WWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa WWWWL2:03

Shamsi: My focus is on the T20 WC but SA20 will be exciting

In the spotlight

Of all the gin joints in all the world, David Miller had to walk into one called Gujarat Titans. People had given up on him. That century he made against Royal Challengers Bangalore. That night where the words “in the arc, out of the park” were embossed into the cricketing dictionary had already become a punchline to beat him with every time he failed, especially at the IPL; he’s always gone alright for South Africa. But now, having been the single biggest influencer of a title-winning campaign, Miller is a boss wherever he goes. It’s even come to the point that the franchise that let him go – Rajasthan Royals – has chased him down and made him captain of not one but two of their other teams around the world.Failure is the likeliest outcome for a death bowler. It’s like playing Russian roulette with five bullets. And yet somehow Arshdeep Singh keeps beating the odds. So what’s his secret? How has he – at 23 years old – become one of the best at one of the worst jobs in cricket? “Lots of repetitions of length ball and yorker. After doing it so many times in practice, you start understanding where your ball will land if you run at this particular speed with this particular angle.” There is a chance that, if India make the final of the T20 World Cup, he will be fronting up to bowl their final over.

Team news

With Hardik rested and Deepak Hooda injured, India will have a job balancing their XI. Shahbaz Ahmed is the allrounder they’ve called up but he only bowls spin and that area is covered with Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal. So perhaps the team management will bring back Rishabh Pant and roll the dice with five bowlers. It limits flexibility but hey, at least the frontliners will get even more experience of those pressure situations they’ll be put under at the World Cup.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Rishabh Pant, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalThe return of Temba Bavuma could see Reeza Hendricks miss out from the XI•AFP/Getty Images

What does Temba Bavuma’s return from injury mean for Reeza Hendricks, who has hit four half-centuries in his last five innings as opener? Will he drop to No. 3, which sounds easy enough, except it’ll mean no place for Rilee Rossouw and that doesn’t make sense given his exploits in franchise cricket.South Africa (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 David Miller, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo/Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Pitch and conditions

Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram has only hosted two T20Is so far — and one of them was rain-hit and reduced to eight overs. So it’s still a bit of an unknown. The forecast suggests there is a possibility for showers on Wednesday night.

Stats and trivia

• Only two South Africans have played over 100 T20s while maintaining an average above 30 and a strike rate above 140. One of them is de Villiers. The other is Rossouw.
• One more indication of India’s new batting template: they have hit 62 sixes in the powerplay this year. That puts them on top. Then there’s daylight, eventually followed by Ireland in second place with 37 sixes.

Quotes

I remember we played here, the A side. To be honest with you, I can’t remember too much about the wicket – generally a good wicket, as it always is here in India. I think this field is a little bit bigger than the other fields, so probably a lot more running, a lot more gaps being available, but I think all basics stay the same when batting in India. You want to get through the new ball and then try and get that momentum going into the innings.

Fast bowler says simulating game fitness by playing a Test is much better compared to preparing in the nets

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2021Trent Boult wasn’t expecting to play the ongoing second Test at Edgbaston “initially” but hopes that bowling against England compared to preparing in the nets will put him in “good stead” for the World Test Championship final against India starting June 18 in Southampton.”Initially I wasn’t expecting to play this game but everything fell into line, and I gave myself that chance to get out there and I think I’ll definitely be better off for that head out,” Boult said after the second day’s play. “It’s one thing loading and getting through numbers in the nets but to simulate that kind of game fitness and having to come back three, four or five times in a day…There’s no real other way to do that. So I’m hoping it puts me in good stead [for the WTC final].”The toes are a bit sore but that’s what happens when you ram into the shoes for 30 overs. I’m excited about what lies ahead next week in Southampton but equally excited with the opportunity here over the next couple of days.”Related

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Boult was initially not going to play the second Test but relaxed quarantine rules in the UK after his arrival from New Zealand meant he came out of quarantine sooner than expected and started bowling in the nets while the first Test was on at Lord’s. His inclusion was among the six changes New Zealand made for Edgbaston, although three of them were forced by injuries.Leading the bowling attack now, Boult sent down 29 overs in England’s first innings for figures of 4 for 85 by dismissing Rory Burns, James Bracey, Stuart Broad and James Anderson. Boult said he found it hard to sit on the sidelines after his quarantine ended and was eager to “get out there”.”What worked really well was the travel went well and I managed to get out of isolation in the UK quicker than was expected,” he said. “As you can imagine, I was very excited with the prospect of playing the second Test. I felt like I gave myself the best chance with preparing with that week back at home and then getting straight into it here. Hopefully, we can get the job done and win a very important series.”I found it pretty hard to sit on the sidelines there at Lord’s last week, it’s such a historic ground. The boys were on fire out there and I was itching to be out there, to be honest.”New Zealand will now be spoilt for choice for bowling options going into the WTC final next week after Tim Southee picked 6 for 43 in the first innings at Lord’s, and Kyle Jamieson and Neil Wagner also collected three wickets apiece in the match. At Edgbaston, Matt Henry also chipped in with three wickets in the first innings with his pace and swing that accounted for Dom Sibley to break the opening stand, and then send back Joe Root four overs later.”Healthy competition,” Boult said about their pace-bowling options for the WTC final. “The boys are very excited about the prospect, but they’ve put in a lot of hard yards not just over the last couple of weeks but over a couple of years of a Test Championship cycle. Some hard calls will have to be made but the big picture is the collective goal of lifting the world title.”

Chris Silverwood proud of environment that has allowed young players to thrive

Valkerie Baynes21-Jan-2020You gotta love it when a plan comes together. While Chris Silverwood didn’t even have his A-Team on the park in Port Elizabeth, his players gave their best impression of a formidable outfit that fell off TV screens before many of them had even been born. Either way, their coach could be forgiven for reaching for a cigar and channelling his inner Hannibal Smith.While the protagonists of that 1980s hit show were driven by the desire to clear their names, England’s youngsters, in particular, have looked hell-bent on making a name for themselves in South Africa and Silverwood is proud of the squad environment that has allowed them to play that way.”We saw the template that we are trying to put into place in this game,” Silverwood said after England’s innings-and 53-run victory at Port Elizabeth which handed them a 2-1 series lead with one Test to play in Johannesburg from Friday. “Heavy first-innings run, then scoreboard pressure to try and take 20 wickets. It sounds really simple but there’s a lot of hard work gone into that.”The great thing is we are moving towards the template we want to use in these matches. We are learning, that’s the top and bottom of that. We are assessing conditions really quickly, we have a lot of skills in that bowling attack we can use at any given point. We are learning.”I knew the youngsters were there, that’s the thing. My job is to create the environment that they can thrive in – feel comfortable in, confident in and go out and express themselves.”One of the pleasing things for me is those guys have talked about that in their press interviews so it means what we’re doing behind the scenes is working. It’s still a work in progress, we haven’t cracked everything by a long way and still have lots to learn to get where we want to. But at the same time there’s some real positives coming out.”Chris Silverwood shares a joke with Mark Wood•Getty Images

The third Test featured a good balance of success between England’s newcomers and old hands. On the bowling front, Dom Bess’s first-innings five-for was followed by Joe Root’s four-wicket haul second time around (only mildly soured by that record-equalling 28 runs off an over in the closing stages). While England’s solitary innings was underpinned by centuries for Ollie Pope (his first) and Ben Stokes (who passed 4000 runs in the process). In the second Test, another emphatic victory for the tourists after their defeat at Centurion, it was Dom Sibley who stood out with his first hundred in just his fourth match at this level.In a further boost for the good vibes in England’s camp, South Africa appear unsettled, rattled even, with captain Faf du Plessis suggesting the Wanderers Test could be his last on home soil and Kagiso Rabada banned for one demerit point too many after his forceful celebration of Root’s wicket on a frustrating first day in Port Elizabeth.But it may not be all bad for the hosts, who gain strength in the form of Temba Bavuma, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keegan Petersen and Beuran Hendricks returning to their squad from the domestic ranks, where Bavuma struck a first-class career-best of 180 last week.And, as Silverwood is at pains to point out, England are not the finished article.There are question marks over the fitness of Jofra Archer following his elbow injury and fellow speedster Mark Wood’s readiness to play back-to-back Tests will be carefully monitored after Port Elizabeth marked his return to action since suffering a side strain in the World Cup final in July. That said, Chris Woakes is said to be training well and is yet to play a part in this series.ALSO READ: ‘It’s my team, the guys are listening to my message’ – Root“We’ve got a couple of sessions coming up so Jofra will bowl then and if he’s fit that’s another great headache isn’t it? I’ve got to find a way that potentially he comes back in and at the same time we’ve got Woakesy sat there as well. He’s been bowling beautifully,” Silverwood said. “So we’ve got options available to us that is again superb. Jofra today felt good so hopefully he’s going the right way.”You look at the bench we’ve got, they’re working incredibly hard and there’s so much talent there and so much experience. We need that as well. We talk about the youngsters a lot but we need the experience dotted in amongst it as well so they can learn by getting it right rather than making mistakes all the time.”The England bench also includes Jonny Bairstow, dropped after scores of 1 and 9 in the first Test, while Jos Buttler is struggling after failing to reach 30 in five innings this series. So long as the top three can continue to do a job for the tourists, albeit a “boring” one as du Plessis put it, the plights of Bairstow and Buttler are less pressing concerns.”If we keep getting 490 I’m happy with that,” Silverwood said in response to what was actually praise from du Plessis. “They’re picked to play in their way – it’s as simple as that. They don’t get told how to play.”We pick a team that will try and get us big first-innings runs and the top three have laid some fantastic foundations time and time again for us to go on and get the big scores. We’re learning to do that now. As I’ve said before we’re not the finished article by a long way but for them to go out and do it in this game and win will give them a heap of confidence. The team is picked to get us where we want to go.”

Sri Lanka’s slapdash day in the field reached its nadir just when they needed to be at their most ruthless

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2018Sam Curran said that his crucial tenth-wicket stand with James Anderson had been “quite a bit of fun”, as England overcame another mid-innings wobble to post a hugely competitive 285 on the first day of the second Test at Pallekele.Curran had been playing a supporting role to Adil Rashid on 16 from 64 balls when Anderson came out to join him with the score on 225 for 9. But he went into overdrive thereafter, crashing a total of six sixes and a four before being last man out for 64, his third half-century in just seven Test appearances.And, when Jack Leach struck before the close to demonstrate the demons that could be lurking within the surface in the coming days, the true value of that late volley of runs had been amply demonstrated.”It was crucial,” said Curran at the close. “You saw in the evening how much it spun. Getting close to 300 was massive for us.”Rash [Adil Rashid] played beautifully before tea and I tried to take over where he left off. We got a nice score on the board, and it was a great positive for Leachy to bowl a beautiful ball to get rid of the opener this evening.”Anderson’s contribution to the last-wicket stand was seven runs out of 60, but having successfully overturned a first-ball lbw decision, he was made to face just 12 balls as Sri Lanka allowed Curran to dominate the strike through some lacklustre field placings.”I was a little surprised,” said Curran. “I gave myself a chance to take a few balls up top. They weren’t bringing in the field.Jack Leach made the initial breakthrough•Getty Images

“But me and Jimmy had quite a bit of fun out there. He was probably the one telling me to calm down and trust him. It was real good fun out there. It’s a nice score on the board with the surface breaking up and cracks getting a bit bigger.”Curran also paid tribute to Jos Buttler’s earlier half-century, a sweep-heavy 63 from 67 balls that had kept England’s score moving in spite of the top-order wickets falling around him.”Jos came in and played the way we know he can do: sweeping, reverse sweeping, running down,” he said. “They looked like they started to panic a little bit almost. It got to the stage after lunch he was almost reverse-sweeping or or sweeping every ball, with the field all over the place.”There’s a ball in that wicket that generally is going to get you out. You’ve got to back your ability and take those risks when you can,” he added. “Rooty’s been massive in the dressing room saying ‘don’t worry about making mistakes’, we’re just trying to go out with a positive mindset.”Malinda Pushpakumara, Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner, admitted that, as a consequence of their positive approach, England’s total had been significantly higher than his side had bargained for.”We thought we should restrict them to 200,” he said. “But the last pair added 60 runs and that’s a big bonus for them. It will be tough for us. Our batsmen need to score all those runs. Our plan is to get 350 plus. We have to go for that plan.”Curran, however, was confident that England had the bowling attack to cement their dominance going into the second day’s play.”The spinners are going to have a huge role tomorrow,” he said. “We’ve got three great spinners all bowling very nicely. The wicket is starting to turn from the straight which is a great sign for us, with a score we are fairly happy with.”The next couple of days are going to be exciting for spin bowlers and batters are going to be on their toes.”

PCB chairman Najam Sethi had earlier said that Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi would receive a farewell in Lahore, but now looks to have been given the cold shoulder by at least two of them, with Afridi also reportedly unlikely to attend

Danyal Rasool10-Sep-2017Younis Khan was almost as famous during his playing career for his fractious run-ins with the PCB as for his batting ability, and it appears his grievances with the board haven’t ended with his retirement. In a lengthy interview with a local television channel, Younis rebuffed an offer from PCB chairman Najam Sethi to attend a farewell event to honour three recent big-name retirees: Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, and Younis himself.”I don’t think this farewell matters now,” Younis said in an interview with . “What is the use after Misbah and I retired in May this year? In other countries, former captains or stalwarts are given farewells within days of their retirement. I don’t see the use of this farewell now and I’m not after any money. Someone from the PCB called me and invited me and said I would receive a handsome amount but I have decided not to go because whatever I have seen in the PCB or have gone through when I was playing is not something I can forget.”The board has been keen on a farewell for some time, but now looks to have been given the cold shoulder by at least two of them, with Afridi also reportedly unlikely to attend. There were earlier plans of a farewell for Afridi, but that was shelved after the T20I series against West Indies in 2016 did not materialise. And while Younis and Misbah had looked the picture of contentment upon their retirement after a last-gasp series win in the West Indies, it appears – at least in Younis’ view – that had little to do with the PCB.”For me nothing is more important than pride and respect. I don’t think the board has treated many players with the dignity and respect they deserved,” he said.Over the years, Younis has expressed his unhappiness with the board over a number of matters. The latest seems to centre around his contractual status immediately after his retirement. While his contract was set to expire at the end of June, he said his salary for the last 45 days was deducted because he retired on May 14. “I informed the board about this [my contractual situation] but I never expected them to deduct the amount. It is not a sign of respect for a senior player. They also did the same with Misbah.”A number of his grievances had to do with incidents strewn across his playing career that he believed showed the lack of respect the PCB afforded its senior players. “There are so many examples,” he said. “Ask Inzamam (ul-Haq) who is chief selector now. Was he not stopped at the Gaddafi stadium main gate? Ask Misbah, was he not told during a Pakistan camp at the stadium that he can’t bring his car into the stadium?”There are so many incidents and they hurt. At one time there were no LCDs, refrigerators or phones in the rooms at the NCA where the players stayed. All the facilities were for administrative block.”Pakistan is due to host a World XI side at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for three T20Is in the upcoming week, with the farewell event was tentatively planned in between the games.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been ruled out of action for the rest of the season due to injury

George Dobell27-Aug-2016James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been ruled out of action for the rest of the season due to injury.While neither man was named in the England limited-overs squads, both had hopes of playing county cricket with a view to helping their teams, Lancashire and Nottinghamshire respectively, avoid relegation in the County Championship.A statement released by the ECB explained that “Anderson requires ongoing rehabilitation of his right shoulder and Broad, who last played in the NatWest T20 Finals Day for Nottinghamshire last week, is recovering from an ankle problem.”The news will come as a blow to both clubs. Nottinghamshire are currently bottom of the Division One table, 35 points beneath Durham, who are in seventh position (with a game in hand). Lancashire are sixth but, having won three of their first five games, have not won any of their last eight Championship matches in a run that extends back to May. The teams placed eighth and ninth will be relegated.”Both players have managed their injuries through the summer,” the ECB statement continued. “A break from cricket is needed to best prepare the Test opening bowling pair for England’s winter campaign that begins this October in Bangladesh.”The ECB also announced that Jonny Bairstow was to be released from the ODI squad to play for Yorkshire in Sunday’s Royal London semi-final against Surrey. David Willey, who has a hand injury, is not deemed to be fit enough to play.

ECB/PA29-Jul-2015
ScorecardJames Faulkner followed his figures of 2 for 27 with a vital 35•Getty Images

Lancashire secured their first Royal London Cup win at the third attempt, withstanding a fine spell from Junaid Khan, their former team-mate, to win a fascinating affair by two wickets at Blackpool.After a washout at Sussex on Sunday and Monday’s heavy defeat to Essex at Chelmsford, Lancashire kick-started their Group B campaign but it was far from easy as they crept across the line with two overs to spare despite bowling Middlesex out for 161.After winning an important toss, James Harris top-scored for Lancashire with 32 on an uneven surface. But Junaid, the Pakistan left-armer on debut for Middlesex, helped the visitors recover with two early wickets, and the chase stumbled to 93 for 6 in the 24th over.James Faulkner, however, backed up his earlier figures of 2 for 27 by making a crucial 35 in a stand of 47 with Jordan Clark, whose 29 from 63 balls was instrumental in seeing Lancashire home.Tom Bailey struck three times in an impressive six-over spell with the new ball having come into the Lancashire side for Kyle Jarvis, with the visitors slipping to 36 for 3 in the ninth.Dawid Malan was caught behind off a Bailey delivery with extra bounce; Sam Robson chopped on from one that kept low and Nick Compton was caught at midwicket after a top-edged pull.Bailey, with 3 for 31 from eight overs, was ably backed by new-ball partner Gavin Griffiths, whose only wicket was that of Ollie Rayner, who was caught behind to leave Middlesex reeling at 83 for 7 in the 28th over.In between, Faulkner had Eoin Morgan caught behind and James Franklin caught at short cover by Bailey off a leading edge, while Clark had Nick Gubbins caught at first slip.Steven Croft struck with his third ball of off-spin in the 37th over when John Simpson was lbw, leaving Middlesex at 111 for 8.But Harris and Toby Roland-Jones, who made 29, shared 50 in 61 balls for the ninth wicket to give themselves something to bowl at.Roland-Jones hit Stephen Parry’s left-arm spin for successive boundaries in the 47th over before holing out to deep midwicket. Harris then miscued a sweep to square leg next ball.Khan had Ashwell Prince caught at point in the third over of Lancashire’s innings and Karl Brown caught at second slip for a fluent 36, while Harris had Alviro Petersen caught at mid-off.Wickets continued to fall. Franklin had Croft, on his home ground, caught behind and snared Paul Horton caught at second slip.When Alex Davies edged Roland-Jones behind, Lancashire still needed 69 with Faulkner and Clark at the crease.The pair united for just short of 18 overs and Lancashire needed 22 to win when Faulkner gloved a lifter to slip as Junaid finished with 3 for 32. Clark then fell the same way to Harris, leaving Lancashire 15 short with two wickets left.But Parry settled their nerves before hitting the winning runs off Rayner’s off-spin, leaving Middlesex with only one point from two matches.