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Stumps
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsYasir took two quick wickets with the second new ball•Getty Images

Yasir Shah’s four wickets led Pakistan’s slow but clinical strangulation of West Indies, before their openers stretched a 228-run first-innings lead to 342, leaving them in a dominant position in the Abu Dhabi Test by stumps on the third day. While Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali did not go out of their way to score quickly, the ease with which they milked the bowling contrasted with West Indies’ struggles in the first two sessions of the day.Aslam departed for 50 late in the day, when third umpire Paul Reiffel made the dubious decision to overturn a not-out decision on a caught-behind appeal. Shannon Gabriel had angled the ball into Aslam’s pads and West Indies believed he got a faint edge as it went down leg to the wicketkeeper. DRS provided only slow-motion replays and the evidence to overturn looked scant, but it was enough to convince Reiffel.That ended a 93-run opening partnership that had steadily taken the match further and further from West Indies’ reach. Asad Shafiq joined Azhar to take Pakistan to 114 for 1 by the close, a position that looked nigh on impregnable with two days left in the match.It was an indictment of the ineffectiveness of West Indies’ frontline bowlers that Kraigg Brathwaite, bowling first-change, was the only one who came close to taking a wicket in the first two hours of the innings. In the tenth over, Brathwaite fired in a delivery at 95 kph to beat Azhar’s sweep and induce umpire Michael Gough to raise his finger. But Azhar reviewed immediately and replays indicated the ball had brushed the batsman’s glove. In Brathwaite’s next over, another fired-in delivery thudded into the pads, but not before Sami Aslam had got an inside edge. Umpire Gough raised his finger and West Indies’ hopes, only for Aslam to review successfully.In the 18th over, Brathwaite was denied yet again, this time by his team-mate. Azhar edged a cut to Jermaine Blackwood at first slip, but the fielder did not even manage to a get a hand on it. He moved to his right, the ball struck his left thigh and a clear chance went down. It was ultimately Gabriel who made the breakthrough, but only after Pakistan’s lead had swelled beyond 300.Sami Aslam’s fifty helped Pakistan build on their 228-run first-innings lead•Getty Images

Having lost two wickets in the last seven balls on the previous day, West Indies began the third day well behind the game, trailing by 346 in the first innings with four wickets down. Nightwatchman Bishoo might understandably have been carrying a few scars from the second evening, having been involved – and arguably culpable – in the run-out of Kraigg Brathwaite in the last over of the day. But he shrugged all of that off to occupy the crease for a gutsy 66-ball knock that, while not always convincing, helped West Indies repel many of Pakistan’s early efforts.Bishoo’s overnight partner, Blackwood, departed about half an hour into the session with only 15 runs having been added to the overnight score of 106 for 4. Blackwood took a couple of steps down the track, before playing a loose, half-hearted drive to a Rahat delivery moving away from him; Sarfraz Ahmed collected a good, low catch to his right.Bishoo struggled against Rahat’s outswing, repeatedly playing and missing outside off stump with no footwork. He got off the mark in his 20th ball with a cross-batted swipe through midwicket off Yasir. His first boundary came off his 50th ball with a similar shot, this time off Zulfiqar Babar. By that stage, Bishoo’s stubborn knock was vexing Pakistan. In Babar’s next over, the bowler went up for a big lbw appeal after Bishoo missed a sweep; Pakistan reviewed the not-out decision, only to find that the impact was just outside off. That exhausted Pakistan’s reviews.But Bishoo did not last too much longer. He had his off stump floored by Sohail who angled the ball away from the left-hander to beat his outside edge and give Pakistan their second wicket of the morning. Roston Chase and Shai Hope then added 7 off the 49 balls leading into lunch, and added a further 18 after lunch before both fell to Yasir in the space of three overs.Yasir struck with the first delivery of the second new ball, finding the outside edge of an extravagant drive from Chase with Shafiq completing a sharp catch at second slip. In his next over, Yasir bowled Hope when the batsman missed an attempted pull off a short ball that kept low.He could have had a third when Jason Holder played an inside-out drive in the air to long-off, where Mohammad Nawaz dropped the catch. Instead, it was Sohail who broke the 19-run ninth-wicket partnership, when he angled a ball across Miguel Cummins to beat the bat and hit off stump, much as he had done to Bishoo earlier in the day. Holder and Gabriel then chipped in with a few lusty blows, before Gabriel holed out to mid-on as West Indies were bowled out for 224.West Indies had added 118 for 6 over the course of 49.4 overs of attritional cricket, till they were bowled out at the stroke of tea. Pakistan’s solid start in their second innings left West Indies in need of a far better effort when they bat again.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUpul Tharanga anchored Sri Lanka’s innings with an unbeaten 110•AFP

For a brief period on the second morning, Zimbabwe made run-scoring look strenuous. For the rest of the day, Sri Lanka’s batsmen enjoyed a placid Harare surface and a tiring bowling attack to pile on 537. Upul Tharanga, displaying admirable patience, reaped the most rewards on the second day to score to his second Test ton, an unbeaten 110.Tharanga milked the bowling for the majority of his innings, capitalising on anything short with cuts and dabs behind square on the off side. With legspinner Graeme Cremer blocking that option by bowling a fuller length, Tharanga chose to sweep, a lofted heave over midwicket bringing up his fifty. Once he was set, the drives came out and their timing was excellent.Tharanga was assisted by debutant Asela Gunaratne, who auditioned for a regular spot in the Test squad with 54 off 102 balls, compiled with a compact technique and an ability to manoeuvre the field. A tight channel just outside off didn’t work against him: he often opened the face to steer boundaries either side of gully.But, soon after becoming the 18th Sri Lankan batsman to score a fifty on his Test debut, Gunaratne misjudged the length of a short delivery from left-arm spinner Sean Williams. A leading edge off an attempted pull was taken at midwicket.Zimbabwe were sloppy in the field again: Peter Moor missed a stumping and dropped two more catches, in addition to his two spills on the first day. Tharanga was given a life when he checked a drive off Donald Tiripano, but Tino Mawoyo at cover could not hold on to a catch low to his left. It was a disheartening spell of play, especially considering how well Zimbabwe had bowled in the morning.Seamers Chris Mpofu and Mumba kept the ball well outside the off stump and asking overnight batsmen Tharanga and Dhananjaya de Silva to play away from their body if they wanted runs. The batsmen were content in seeing off their opening spell though and only occasionally wafted at the bowlers’ invitingly wide deliveries.In their recent Test series against New Zealand, Zimbabwe’s bowlers displayed competence in consistency but weren’t able to ‘bore’ batsmen for long enough. Newly-appointed coach Heath Streak may have already turned that around. Barring the sporadic overpitched delivery, the bowlers repeatedly hit the same lines and lengths which meant Zimbabwe conceded only 50 runs in the first 24 overs of the morning. And that led to De Silva, on 15 runs in 55 balls, to step out to Cremer. He failed to get to the pitch of the ball, went through with the stroke and ended up skewing a catch long-off.Zimbabwe had another good spell of play towards the end of the day. There were 23 overs to go for stumps but the batsmen – despite a massive deficit – were positive from the outset, shimmying down the track or sweeping hard even if they weren’t to the pitch of the ball, particularly against Rangana Herath. They finished the second day at 88 for 1, trailing by 449 runs.There wasn’t much turn for the spinners; most deliveries skidded on with the arm. One such delivery from Herath rapped opener Brian Chari on the pad in front of leg stump. Umpire Simon Fry raised the finger but it seemed the ball may have been sliding down with the angle. Sri Lanka could have added another wicket in the next over, with Suranga Lakmal inducing Hamilton Masakadza into an expansive drive. The resulting outside edge, though, was dropped by Dimuth Karunaratne at first slip. Masakadza, with 33 off 50 balls and Tino Mawoyo, with 41 off 74 balls and, took Zimbabwe to stumps.

Match facts

September 4, 2016
Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT)Dhananjaya de Silva has proven that he is worth sticking with as an opener for now, but he needs more support at the top of the order•Associated Press

Big Picture

Australia have lost three of the four tosses, lost players to injury, and put their captain on a flight home, and yet have eased to a series win, with their most dominant performance coming in the previous match. Sri Lanka have had the dusty tracks they prefer, had rowdy crowds cheering for them from overflowing stands, and had their first-choice top order available through the series, and yet have consistently failed with the bat.The hosts arrive in Pallekele with several decisions to make now. Angelo Mathews has been ruled out, throwing out the balance of the whole XI. Dhananjaya de Silva has suggested he is worth sticking with as opener for now, but Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando have failed at the top of the order this series. And with Thisara Perera now omitted, at least one bowling spot becomes available as well. Sri Lanka say they are building a team for 2019, but unlike in Tests, where some future-proof players have been identified, they are still rifling through ODI candidates.They seem a little conflicted as to what strategy to pursue in the shorter formats as well. Sri Lanka can claim to have revolutionised ODI batting in 1996, but in recent years, they seem to be trying to kill off limited-overs bowling, lately fielding as few as two specialist bowlers in the XI.David Warner’s captaincy, meanwhile, has been in as fine form as his complaining. So good have Aaron Finch, George Bailey and Matthew Wade been, Sri Lanka’s spinners have found themselves defused on some very dry tracks.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

Australia WWLWW
Sri Lanka LLWLL

In the spotlight

No one has played Mitchell Starc better on this tour than Dhananjaya de Silva. Owner of an exceedingly simple – and immensely watchable – batting technique, de Silva has the strokes to access virtually any part of the ground, and he has showcased both creativity and grit. Now that he has begun to open the ODI innings, Sri Lanka desperately need him to continue succeeding there.George Bailey’s batting average is a healthy 42.47, but in Asia, this figure rises to 62.14 across 17 innings. Bailey has been Australia’s best operator in Sri Lanka, partly because he is the smartest. He puts spinners off the length early in their spell by using his feet, or the sweep. He manipulates the field better than his team-mates. And he is rarely fooled by variations. Each of the Tests he has played in an underwhelming long-format career so far has been in Australia. If Bailey’s mastery of Asian conditions continues, though, perhaps the selectors could consider him for the forthcoming Test tour of India.

Teams news

This being a dead rubber, Sri Lanka may take the chance to ratchet up the experimentation even further. Upul Tharanga is likely to enter the XI, as is Dasun Shanaka. Where they will bat is anyone’s guess. Suranga Lakmal is due for a match as well.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Dhananjaya de Silva, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (capt.), 5 Upul Tharanga, 6 Kusal Perera (wk), 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Seekkuge Prasanna, 9 Dilruwan Perera, 10 Amila Aponso, 11 Suranga LakmalAustralia may keep the same XI, unless it is felt the track demands a second spinner, in which case Nathan Lyon may replace Scott Boland.Australia(probable): 1 David Warner (capt.), 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 George Bailey, 5 Travis Head, 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 James Faulkner, 8 John Hastings, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Scott Boland/ Nathan Lyon

Pitch and conditions

Pallekele has historically been one of the more seam-friendly venues in the country, with the ball tending to nip around under lights especially.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have won five of their last six matches in Pallekele, losing only to England in a rain-affected game played over two days.
• Dinesh Chandimal has previously captained two ODIs, against South Africa at home, both of which Sri Lanka won.
• The three top wicket-takers in the series are all Australia seamers. James Faulkner and Starc have nine scalps apiece, while John Hastings sits behind them on eight. Adam Zampa has seven, level with the best Sri Lanka bowler, Amila Aponso.

Quotes

“We are playing a few more quicks than what they (Sri Lanka) are, but with variable bounce and reverse swing, we’ve countered their spinners.”

ScorecardSam Hain continued his good form in limited-overs cricket•Getty Images

An opening stand of 180 from Sam Hain and William Porterfield powered Warwickshire to an eight-wicket Royal London Cup victory over Northamptonshire at Edgbaston.Northamptonshire posted a solid total of 254 for 9 thanks to Alex Wakely, who top-scored with 70, Josh Cobb and Ben Duckett. But Warwickshire, who suffered a pre-match blow when Jonathan Trott was ruled out after hurting his back in the warm-ups, made short work of the chase thanks largely to Hain’s 88 from 108 balls and Porterfield, who made 92 from 112.The Bears headed straight off north in good heart for Wednesday’s game in Durham while Northamptonshire need to bounce back against Worcestershire at New Road.After the visitors endured more misfortune with the toss (they have lost it in all six RL Cup games this season) they were put in and started well, passing 100 for the loss of just one wicket in the 20th over with partnerships of 48 in eight overs between Cobb and Adam Rosssington and 55 in 13 between Cobb and Duckett.But they were pegged back by three wickets in 29 balls. Cobb embarked on a single that wasn’t there and was calmly run out by Tim Ambrose for 50 before Jeetan Patel struck twice in three balls. Duckett, fresh from smashing 220 not out for England Lions against Sri Lanka A, edged behind and Rob Keogh followed his 134 against Durham with a duck as he fired a return catch back to the spinner.Wickets continued to fall as Rob Newton was superbly held by Hain at deep square, Steven Crook chipped a sitter to mid-off and Rory Kleinveldt holed out. Wakely reached a 57-ball half-century with a six but after he top-edged Olly Hannon-Dalby to short third-man, the innings subsided quickly.The total looked a little under par on a good batting track and Porterfield and Hain started purposefully by hitting five fours in the third over, from Kleinveldt. The openers paced the pursuit perfectly and were within ten runs of setting a new Warwickshire limited-overs record opening stand when a total mix-up brought the run out of Porterfield eight runs short of his tenth List A ton.Hain was trapped in the crease by Azharullah and fell lbw but Laurie Evans, with 43 not out, saw his side comfortably home with 12 balls to spare.

ScorecardBrendon McCullum became the latest Middlesex T20 batsman to punish Kent•Getty Images

Middlesex star Brendon McCullum became his county’s latest overseas batsman to put Kent to the sword after hitting an unbeaten 87 that helped down Kent Spitfires by 40 runs in a one-sided NatWest T20 Blast clash in Canterbury.Following in the footsteps of Adam Gilchrist (2010) and Dan Christian (2014), who plundered T20 tons on Kentish soil in Middlesex colours, McCullum – the Kiwi short-form specialist – hit four fours and five sixes during a 57-ball stay that eased his side to a formidable 216 for 6.In his final innings of the summer for Middlesex, McCullum featured in a century opening stand with in-form Dawid Malan (60), the Middlesex captain, to set Spitfires an exacting asking rate of 10.55 an over for victory ­ – a pursuit that proved well beyond Kent’s reach.Fresh from an unbeaten 50 against Somerset at a soggy Lord’s on Thursday evening, Malan soon took a liking to a hard and pacey Canterbury pitch, lofting Matt Hunn’s third ball into the Frank Woolley Stand.In the ninth over Malan hoisted his third six over the long leg ropes off Darren Stevens to raise the Middlesex 100 but, in trying to square drive the next delivery, Malan was superbly caught one-handed by a leaping James Tredwell to go for 60 off 30 balls.McCullum might have gone for 34 had Tredwell clung on to a stinging return catch off his own bowling, but the 34-year-old from Dunedin survived to take his side on to 112 by the innings mid-point.Tredwell made amends in the next over by snaffling a tumbling catch at backward point after Paul Stirling (12) backed away aiming to cut against Stevens.Fabian Cowdrey’s direct hit from deep mid-wicket accounted for James Franklin (1), run out after McCullum had called countryman through for a risky second run and Kent’s fightback continued when Stevens pegged back James Fuller’s off stump.Without seemingly finding his top gear McCullum countered by moving to a 34-ball 50, but Stevens bagged another scalp when John Simpson (2) holed out to long-on to give Stevens figures of four for 31.Having been spanked to most parts of the ground, Hunn enjoyed some consolation by having Nick Gubbins (11) caught off a skier at extra cover, but Kent’s woes continued in the 19th over when umpires Nick Cook and Russell Evans awarded six penalty runs for their slow over rate.McCullum posted his side’s 200 with his fifth maximum of the night but ran out of deliveries in his quest to reach three figures and finished 13 short of an eighth short-form century.Kent’s run chase started disastrously when openers Tom Latham and Joe Denly fell within 14 balls. Latham edged the first ball of the reply from Toby Roland-Jones onto his off stump. Then, in his next over, Roland-Jones had Joe Denly (6) caught off a skier at mid-on.Under the lights and in front of the biggest Canterbury crowd of the summer, Kent captain Sam Northeast mowed a quick 41 before miscuing to short third man.The required run-rate had risen above 13 at the mid-point of the Spitfires reply forcing Blake (3) into the extravagant, only for the left-hander to sky to long-on.With spin from both ends and pace off the ball, Kent started to struggle for boundaries but Cowdrey found the ropes against Stirling to post his 32-ball 50 and Kent’s 100 in the 14th over.The hosts needed a further 85 from the final 30 deliveries but England international Sam Billings soon departed for seven, paddling to short fine leg.Top-scorer Cowdrey reached a career-best, but the right-hander drove to mid-off to go for 71 and Kent’s outside hopes of stealing a third south group win went with him.

The list of 57 candidates for the post of India coach has been cut to 21, the BCCI announced on Wednesday. The next step in the process of selecting the coach will be a review of the remaining candidates by the BCCI’s cricket advisory committee, comprising former players Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. Sanjay Jagdale, who had served as BCCI secretary in the past, will act as chief co-ordinator of the committee for the duration of this process.The trimming down from 57 applicants to 21 was carried out by BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke’s office. However, if the cricket advisory committee wishes, it will be furnished with the entire list of 57 as well, the BCCI said. The committee is expected to submit its choice to Shirke by June 22.Shirke did not divulge any of the 21 names, pointing out that that would affect the committee’s work. The BCCI has not revealed any of the 57 names, but some candidates confirmed that they had applied. The prominent ones are Ravi Shastri (former India team director), Anil Kumble (former India captain), Sandeep Patil (current chairman of selectors) and Stuart Law (ex-Bangladesh coach).Among the key qualifications asked of the applicants by the BCCI was that they should have coached at the international or first-class level. It was also mentioned that “it is preferred that the candidate should be qualified through a certification/assessment program conducted by any of the Full Member countries, and currently possess such a valid certification.”*Kumble, despite his vast experience as a player and administrator, does not meet both criteria. Shirke did not want to comment on this, but said it was for the advisory committee to work out the eligibility of the shortlisted candidates. “They [panel] have the liberty to decide,” Shirke said.It is understood that a final shortlist of candidates will be asked to appear for interviews before the BCCI finalises the coach.*15.30GMT, June 15: The wording of the required qualification quoted here has been changed to reflect the BCCI’s list of criteria.

Jason Gillespie, the Yorkshire head coach, will not be putting himself forward for the position of Australia’s bowling coach and has said he has no desire for an international role because of the time he would spend away from his family.Gillespie met with Darren Lehmann, the Australia head coach who is in the UK for ICC Cricket Committee meetings, at Headingley over the weekend, where Lehmann gauged the interest of his former team-mate.Gillespie has now gone back to Lehmann to say that the position recently vacated by Craig McDermott, and which will be covered in a temporary capacity by Allan Donald for the tour of Sri Lanka, is not right for him.”He mentioned that there was a role coming up with Australian cricket,” Gillespie told BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. “I want to make it very clear there was no job offer from Darren – it was merely gauging interest.”I said thanks for the chat and I would get back to [him]. I confirmed to him that I am not going to apply for a role with Cricket Australia – so we can end all the speculation right now.”Although not categorically confirming his future was with Yorkshire he repeated that a key factor in the jobs does he take is based around his young family. Currently he splits his year between county cricket and his position with Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash.”At this point in time in my life, I am not prepared to be away from my family for that length of time,” he said. “So, it is not on the radar. I am not applying for any international cricket roles.”Gillespie became Yorkshire’s head coach ahead of the 2012 season and led them back to Division One of the County Championship in his first summer, then they won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. Last year he spoke with Andrew Strauss during the recruitment process for England’s new head coach before the ECB went with fellow Australian Trevor Bayliss.

In a blow for England, Nat Sciver-Brunt has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing five-match T20I series against India, where England are 2-1 down with two games to go. Maia Bouchier has replaced Sciver-Brunt in the squad, while Tammy Beaumont will continue to lead the side.Sciver-Brunt had initially been ruled out of only the third T20I – which England won under Beaumont’s captaincy on Friday to claw back in the series after defeats in the first two games – but scans have since confirmed that her left-groin injury wouldn’t mend in time for her to take part in the series at all. Making the announcement, the ECB said Sciver-Brunt “is expected to be available for selection” for the three-match ODI series that will follow the T20Is.Sciver-Brunt had led in the first two games, which India won by 97 runs courtesy a Smriti Mandhana century and by 24 runs after 63 each from Jemimah Rodrigues and Amanjot Kaur, and Sciver-Brunt didn’t bowl at all in those two games. That she wouldn’t bowl was decided prior to the series by the team management in a bid to manage her workload, and she contributed with the bat in the first game, where her 42-ball 66 was the only effort of note in England’s 113 all out. She picked up the injury during the second game, where she scored 13.When Beaumont was asked before the third T20I about Sciver-Brunt’s possible availability for the last two games, she had said, “That’s something we don’t know just yet, our medical team are doing all they can. She’s got a scan today, so we’ll know more, but I think it’s in the balance for Manchester. But, whether it’s one game or a couple, I’m just hoping to put my hand up for the team and do the best I can, and will welcome Nat back with open arms whenever she’s fit.”In Sciver-Brunt’s absence, Beaumont led England to victory in what was her first match as captain in her 247th international match. She was chosen to lead England despite Sophia Dunkley being the designated vice-captain because of her greater experience at the highest level.The fourth and fifth T20Is will be played on Wednesday (Manchester) and on Saturday (Birmingham).

Bangladesh’s fast-bowling coach Shaun Tait feels that his seamers could not make the best use of the first new ball against Sri Lanka on the third day of the Galle Test.After Bangladesh finished their first innings on 495, Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana opened the bowling but couldn’t make a breakthrough. Mahmud bowled six overs with the new ball and Rana seven in two short spells as Bangladesh had a fast bowler operating from one end till the 20th over. But it was Taijul Islam who got the first wicket, in the 13th. By stumps, Sri Lanka had sped to 368 for 4, reducing the deficit to 127.”It is a good batting wicket, and it was difficult conditions for fast bowlers today,” Tait said. “They toiled hard. They gave effort. We could have started better with the first new ball. We probably missed out. They know that. That’s all you can ask for. You bowl on a different day on a different wicket, you get a different result. We batted for two days. It is one of those good batting wickets.Related

• Nissanka 187 leads SL's strong reply to Bangladesh's 495

“I think they batted really well. Sri Lanka are no pushovers. This is the team that was competing for the WTC final. They are a good side with good batters. The pacers missed a trick with the new ball. It would have been nice if they had taken a couple of wickets with the new ball but I am not going to be negative.”Sri Lanka forced the issue, particularly Pathum Nissanka with a career-best 187. He struck 23 fours and a six in his 256-ball stay. The Galle pitch typically starts helping spinners from the third day but that was not the case in this Test.”I think the wicket is pretty good,” he said. “It hasn’t changed a great deal. Today was a good batting day, we saw that. It probably hasn’t spun as much as maybe people thought it would on the third day.Pathum Nissanka’s century was his third in Test cricket•Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images

“Normally, Galle starts to turn a bit more. It turned a little but nothing significant. There are still a couple of days left. Test cricket can change pretty quickly. There’s hard work to be done.”With Mehidy Hasan Miraz out with illness, Bangladesh played just four frontline bowlers, which has made their task difficult. Rana, who is playing only his eighth Test, was particularly expensive as he tried to bowl attacking lines and lengths. He went for 80 from his 16 wicketless overs, but Tait said it was up to him to work with the youngster.”Anyone who bowls that pace should get the new ball from time to time,” he said. “I don’t know, going forward, who is going to take the new ball. This is my first Test [as fast-bowling coach]. We have two fast bowlers. He has to take the new ball. He is absolutely fine [taking the new ball].”It is early in his career. He burst onto the scene. There’s a lot of attention and expectation on him. I don’t know if Bangladesh have ever had a fast bowler as exciting as him. There’s a little bit of pressure on him from the media and public. It is up to me to work through that with him as the bowling coach. It is not just about the bowling all the time. It is also how you deal with the extra pressure of being a young superstar.”Towards the end of the day, Mahmud made some amends by dismissing Nissanka with the second new ball. He set up Nissanka with the one that went away before bowling him through the gate with a big inswinger.”He struck the middle stump – it was a good ball,” Tait said. “You have to take little wins to the shed on this wicket. At the end of the day, it is a positive.”

The uncertainty around the future of Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam as well as the fate of the selection committee lingers as head coach Gary Kirsten and selector Wahab Riaz submitted their tour reports to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi following Pakistan’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. Pakistan were dumped out of the tournament after just three games, with defeats to the USA and India proving terminal to their campaign.The end of Pakistan’s World Cup was followed by a fierce – and a somewhat frenzied – backlash in the country. The selection committee of seven, widely viewed as being de facto headed by Wahab, was one of its central targets, while a perceived tactical ineptitude and culture of conservatism under the captaincy of Babar has also come under scrutiny. There remain unanswered questions about the selection of the squad itself, particularly around the continued non-selection of specialist legspinner Abrar Ahmed despite Shadab Khan’s indifferent form.Related

• India won the T20 World Cup, but who were the real winners?

• PCB likely to make changes to selection committee after dismal show in T20 World Cup

• The curious case of Pakistan's World Cup 15

However, as ESPNcricinfo reported last month, the PCB has chosen to take its time before launching into any major decisions. Pakistan do not have a white-ball engagement until November, allowing the PCB to wait till Kirsten and Wahab – who was also the senior team manager for the tournament – handed in their reports.It is understood the PCB remains open to a change of captaincy, though sticking with Babar has also not been conclusively ruled out. This partly stems from a lack of obvious candidates to replace him; when Naqvi decided to sack Shaheen Shah Afridi, he ultimately returned to Babar – who had only been replaced a few weeks earlier. That was following yet another poor showing at an ICC event – the ODI World Cup in India in 2023.Now that Kirsten and Wahab have submitted their reports, any decisions regarding the “surgery” Naqvi had reportedly been prepared to conduct do theoretically move closer. However, the PCB has consistently refused to put a timeline on any action, insisting they wish to make a considered decision rather than a quick one.