If the batting can back up the bowling, the visitors can make this a fabulously exciting series

Danyal Rasool25-Dec-2020

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This isn’t the Boxing Day Test that’ll fill the most column inches, generate the greatest number of app notifications or create the most viral hashtags on Twitter. Mount Maunganui, sadly, is no match for Melbourne as New Zealand and Pakistan don’t quite stack up against their giant neighbours, Australia and India, who also face each other on the same day. But for those interested in more niche contests, more arcane storylines, and arguably equally absorbing cricket, tuning into this Test instead of that one promises to leave you equally satiated.

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Set aside the financial might of Australia and India, and you’ll find New Zealand vs Pakistan stacks up well against it on cricketing merit. New Zealand, for one, don’t intend to play dark horses to anyone these days, as they look to clinch two further Test wins to complement their 2-0 series win against West Indies and get one foot in the World Test Championship final. Pakistan, though heavy underdogs, will be buoyed by an impressive performance against England despite losing the series 1-0; the scoreline doesn’t quite reflect how close they were to a memorable series win. If they can bring that same fight, and, more importantly, bowling quality, to these two Tests, New Zealand will find these Tests won’t be the cakewalk the ones against Jason Holder’s men ended up being.New Zealand, though, are a fearfully well-oiled machine who relentlessly stack up the series wins at home. Only South Africa and Australia have beaten New Zealand in a Test series at home since January 2011. For much of this time, the core of this side has contained arguably two batsmen and two bowlers who rank among the greatest ever New Zealand cricketers: Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tim Southee and Trent Boult. The presence of Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls and Neil Wagner ensures the home side is neither unbalanced nor overly reliant on a handful of individuals.Related

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Pakistan, meanwhile, have been left reeling by the absence of Babar Azam, who was due to make his debut as Test captain. It not only leaves a big hole in the heart of the batting line-up but also means Mohammad Rizwan needs to take on even greater responsibility – as stand-in captain, batsman and wicketkeeper, while the openers, who didn’t quite manage much against New Zealand A last week, will need to step up. The trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Abbas with the ball are by far Pakistan’s biggest hopes of discomfiting New Zealand over the next fortnight, with a helping hand from the batsmen carrying the potential to make this a fabulously exciting series.

Form guide

Pakistan DDLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WWWWLHenry Nicholls has fought his way to become one of New Zealand’s first-choice picks•Getty Images

In the spotlight

Henry Nicholls might have been thought of as a utility squad player when he made his Test debut four years ago, and didn’t look up to much when Pakistan last visited in 2016, managing just 69 runs all series. It was a different story in the UAE two years later, where he demonstrated the sort of unflashy grit that has made him a mainstay in the New Zealand middle order. Managing two steely fifties, and a history-making, series-winning hundred in the third Test, he was among the unsung heroes for New Zealand as Williamson swept the awards, and his value to this New Zealand Test side has only increased since. With an average on the right side of 40, and 174 in his last Test innings against West Indies, Nicholls is in the sort of form to set the record straight.Mohammad Abbas‘s eyes might light up at how green the New Zealand surface will invariably look, much as West Indies’ did when they opted to bowl after winning the toss twice. New Zealand first innings scores of 519 and 460, however, suggested the colour of the surface doesn’t mean a whole lot without quality bowlers. Abbas, who butters his bread thanks to his accuracy and seam movement, would do well to remember that. If he manages to keep his focus on what his strengths are: line, length and subtle seam movement, rather than getting greedy and throwing the ball up in search of unrealistic swing movement, he may well be unplayable.

Team news

New Zealand have a full-strength, well-rested squad available to them, with Williamson back, having missed the second Test against West Indies for the birth of his daughter. That could edge out Will Young, with the rest of the line-up likely unchangedNew Zealand (probable): 1 Tom Latham, 2 Tom Blundell, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Daryl Mitchell, 8 Kyle Jamieson, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultBalance is the problem for Pakistan, with the absence of a genuine allrounder in the squad. Shadab Khan might have been tasked with that job, but with him ruled out, Pakistan look set to play potentially a batsman light.Pakistan (probable): 1 Shan Masood, 2 Abid Ali, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Fawad Alam, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (capt & wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Yasir Shah/Sohail Khan, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Mohammad Abbas, 11 Naseem Shah

Pitch and conditions

Mount Maunganui has hosted only one Test till date – against England last year. It was something of a turgid surface, albeit one that led to a New Zealand innings victory. The toss, and early wickets with the new ball, will be vital. The weather is fine for four out of five days, with rain expected for much of Sunday.

Stats and trivia

• Before New Zealand commenced their current unbeaten home run against all sides barring Australia and South Africa, Pakistan were the last side to beat them in a series, 1-0 in 2010-11.
• New Zealand’s fast bowling attack is significantly more seasoned than their Pakistani counterparts. Pakistan’s entire fast bowling contingent in New Zealand – Abbas, Afridi, Shah, Sohail Khan, Ashraf – have a combined 169 Test wickets. Each of Southee (296), Boult (272) and Wagner (215) have more wickets on their own.

Fast bowler wants to set an example to kids from varying backgrounds

Barny Read03-Feb-2021England bowler Chris Jordan says he hopes that by being a positive presence at the highest level the game can serve as inspiration for young people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.Cricket, especially in England, is increasingly under-fire for its lack of diversity, with former England batsman Michael Carberry saying last summer that “cricket is rife with racism” and that “the people running the game don’t care about black people”.Carberry’s comments forced the ECB to admit that “barriers to enjoying our sport exists”, while Azeem Rafiq’s litigation against Yorkshire over claims of discrimination and racial abuse led to the club issuing a statement that lifetime bans for anyone involved in “vile” threats on social media aimed at Rafiq, his family and his legal team.Under-representation is a major aspect of cricket’s issues in dealing with and precenting discrimination, and Jordan wants both his performances and professionalism to be something that leads the way for others to follow.”So many different eyes are on you but the kind of eyes that I’m more concerned about are especially those younger kids from different backgrounds and varying backgrounds that might be looking up to me, who knows, for some inspiration. You try to set an example as much as possible,” Jordan told ESPNcricinfo.”Bearing that in mind, when I do step onto the field and you do find yourself in certain settings, you know that some of your actions and everything that you do, those kids might be looking towards you for that inspiration. So if they see me trying to continue to improve my game and continue to reach new heights and doing all these things and that inspires them then that’s good enough for me.”The England bowler is so often the go-to guy for teammates looking for advice; the man able to not only lead his team but also unite it. Tom Banton this week explained how he would ask Jordan for an introduction to Nicholas Pooran, while Qalandars captain Sohail Akhtar described him as his team’s “leader”.”[He’s an] excellent human being, very supportive character,” said Sohail after Jordan’s 1-11 – including a wicket and just two runs from the ninth over of Bangla Tigers’ chase that came up seven runs short – ensured the Qalandars maintained their perfect T10 League record in Abu Dhabi.Speaking prior to that decisive performance with the ball for Qalandars, Jordan explained that the mentoring role is something he relishes and could be an avenue he explores whenever he hangs up his spikes.”I do enjoy really working with younger players, I do enjoy encouraging them,” Jordan said. “I’m always willing to share, I’m always trying to help just because I’m trying to live good with people in general and any bit of knowledge I can share or impart on anyone then I’m more than willing to do that.”If that allows me to transition into a coaching role or mentorship role eventually then when that time comes, I think that I’ll have enough information to make that decision but I stay in the movement as much as possible. I’m enjoying playing my cricket, I’m enjoying continuing to travel the world and continue to improve my skills as well so I’m putting all my energy into that.”

Finger and calf problems have disrupted his home season but he was still named T20I player of the year

Andrew McGlashan07-Feb-2021Ashton Agar is hoping to make up for lost time on the T20I tour of New Zealand having seen the majority of his home season wiped out by injury.Agar injured a finger and calf in the ODI series against India, which meant he missed the T20Is, and the latter problem ruled him out of the whole of the BBL with Perth Scorchers who finished runners-up after defeat in the final against Sydney Sixers. He has been preparing for this tour back in Western Australia were his build-up was briefly hit by the Covid-19 lockdown of Perth last week.Despite missing the matches against India, Agar was named the T20I player of the year at the Cricket Australia awards. Now, with the T20 World Cup to work towards in October, Agar is looking forward to getting some time in the middle in New Zealand once the players complete their two weeks managed isolation in Christchurch.Related

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“It has been frustrating, there has been so much cricket on,” he said at Sydney airport. “All I’ve been doing is watching cricket, I’m itching to get out there and that’s a nice feeling to have when you come back after a while to really want to get out there and play.”Lucky I’ve got that opportunity coming up. The injury is coming along nicely. My finger is all healed up and my calf is going really so hopefully fit for game while.”Taking the T20I award and having built an impressive record the ball that reads 30 wickets at 20.86 and an economy of 6.87 has enabled Agar to feel “a bit more settled” in his position but he takes nothing for granted. “You can never get too comfortable because international cricket is a brutal game,” he said.He knows as well that conditions could be a challenge. New Zealand is a tough place for spinners in T20: in the last two years the economy-rate of 8.56 is the joint highest among the top-ranked T20 nations.It’s not certain that Australia will field two frontline spinners in the XI given they will also have Glenn Maxwell’s offspin in the team and perhaps D’Arcy Short’s left-arm wristspin.”That is always the biggest challenge, the smaller grounds,” he said. “I remember going to Eden Park the first time I went to New Zealand and I was like ‘this is a joke, it has to be the wrong ground’ because of how small it was. But it actually brings you into the game as a spinner. They are going to try and hit you for sixes and you’ll get hit for some but you have the opportunity to take a few wickets.”The established pair of Agar and Adam Zampa are joined on this tour by 19-year-old Tanveer Sangha who was the leading spinner in this season’s BBL.”I saw lots of it and was so impressed,” Agar said. “I was just having a chat to him before and have spent a bit of time with him, he’s such a nice level-headed guy. He was able to hold his nerve in his first Big Bash, so his maturity was probably what was most impressive and his skills, I think he’ll be a very fine bowler if he’s not already.”For the new faces – Sangha is one of three uncapped players along with Josh Philippe and Riley Meredith – and the fringe players the tour is a chance to make their claim for a spot at the World Cup. “When you speak about World Cups it takes a whole squad to win one,” Agar said. “We don’t have all the Test stars at the moment but we still have a really good team who I think can beat anyone on their day. Hopefully a few guys can get an opportunity this tour and get a taste.”

Allrounder is back to bowling in the nets after recovering from the side strain he suffered in the BBL

Alex Malcolm13-Feb-2021Australia allrounder Mitchell Marsh is hoping to be fit to bowl if selected for the opening T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch, as he bids to make yet another return to international cricket.Marsh injured his side while bowling for the Perth Scorchers in a match against against the Hobart Hurricanes in early January. It was only the fifth game he had bowled in after recovering from a serious ankle injury that he suffered during the IPL.He played as a batsman only in the last six BBL matches of the season. In the games he did bowl in for the Scorchers, he was very effective, taking four wickets at an economy rate of just 6.52, and the Scorchers won all those five matches.Related

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Marsh has returned to bowling in the nets at training in the last couple of days and is hopeful he would be available to bowl if selected in the first game on February 22. “Yeah, hoping that I’ll available to bowl in the first couple of games if all goes to plan,” he said. “I pushed back, sort of, almost to the full run two days ago. So I’ll progress over the next week and hopefully in the first few games to bowl. I think it’s great that we’ve got so many options with the ball so I’m not under a whole heap of pressure to get back for the first game.”Marsh made his T20I debut in 2011, but has played just 15 games in the format for his country in that time, while he has played 32 Tests and 60 ODIs. He played in the 2016 T20 World Cup but managed just two games in the next four years before returning to the side on the tour of South Africa last year where he played all three matches.He was not selected for the first two T20Is on the following tour of England but returned for the third and was Player of the Match in Southampton.But he suffered a serious ankle injury in his first game in last year’s IPL for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and was ruled out of the tournament. He also missed Australia’s ODI and T20I series against India.An excellent BBL campaign, where he made 315 runs, including three half-centuries, at a strike rate of 147.88 has put him back in the frame for Australian selection. He is one of the players in the mix to fill the vital middle-order role that would be critical to Australia’s success both against New Zealand and in the T20 World Cup later in the year.”Five and six is somewhere that I’ve batted for basically all of my career,” Marsh said. “I absolutely love that role and I really enjoyed playing it for the Scorchers, the way we lined up this year, and with the Power Surge, it was great for our team with a stacked top order. If I’m playing at five or six for Australia I’ll be really looking forward to playing alongside Stoin (Marcus Stoinis) and Maxy (Glenn Maxwell) and those guys and hopefully forming some good partnerships.”Marsh’s power-hitting is a trademark but Australia’s stand-in coach Andrew McDonald made particular mention of Marsh’s improved hitting against wide yorkers and wide-line bowling. Marsh made just 44 runs from 38 balls on the three-match tour of South Africa where the bowlers tied him down with wide bowling, with Marsh scoring just 21 runs from 25 balls including 12 dots and just one boundary against deliveries aimed wide of off stump.”It probably stems from the tour to South Africa where they bowled really wide to me,” Marsh said. “It’s not something that I’ve struggled with in the past but I did on that tour. So it was noted for me to go away and make sure I got better at that. I worked really hard over the winter to make sure that I added that to my game and added that to my power game. It was really nice to see that come to fruition in the Big Bash. I’m feeling really comfortable with that part of my game now. It just adds another string to my bow and hopefully, I can keep doing the same over here.”Probably the only thing that has changed is not trying to hit the ball for six every ball. Picking my balls and making sure I’m trying to manipulate the field to the best of my ability, certainly through the off side.”

The whole tournament will take place in Karachi, with bio-security outsourced to a UK-based company

Umar Farooq18-Mar-2021The window for the unfinished 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League is likely to begin on May 23, with at least seven days of quarantine to start. The PCB had chalked out two options, with one involving double-headers every day from June 6 and a final on June 20. But ESPNcricinfo understands that the franchises preferred the other option, to have mostly one game per night from June 2, with a final on June 20.The first option had eight straight double-headers with 16 matches scheduled in 10 days followed by three playoffs in two days with the final on Sunday. The second option covers 16 group matches in 13 days. There was a minor disagreement on the timing and the number of days of quarantine, which is still being worked out, with the final decision to be taken by the PSL management in due course.The year’s edition was suspended only after 14 matches, following a spate of Covid-19 cases among players and support staff. It has been decided to resume the season in Karachi in two and a half months’ time with the PCB offering two windows after revamping their coronavirus protocols, which have come under severe fire in the wake of the season stalling in very abrupt fashion. The PCB decided to recruit the services of a UK-based safety and technology company to establish a bio-secure environment this time around.Related

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After the postponement, the PCB constituted a two-member independent committee consisting of infectious disease specialists who will both help the PCB get to the bottom of how an outbreak occurred inside a bio-secure bubble and advise the board on stricter safety measures so that it doesn’t happen again. The head of the PCB medical department Dr Sohail Saleem has already handed in his notice in the fallout.The new window will not clash with the Indian Premier League but the English season will coincide with it. It is understood that several English players are likely to miss out due to a clash with the County Championship and the T20 Blast. The PSL will have a round of replacement drafts closer to the event to allow franchises to have new players on their roster.In June, Pakistan doesn’t host much cricket because of the intense heat. There was one exception though, in 2008, when they hosted their first-ever Asia Cup between June 25 and July 6. Karachi has been chosen as the venue because the weather there is considered to be milder during the summer months.

Fiery outing for Sussex shows progress in recovery from elbow and finger injuries

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2021Jofra Archer demonstrated that his return to fitness is firmly on track following a fiery performance for Sussex on the opening day of their LV= County Championship clash with Kent at Hove, and confirmed he would be ready to step back into the England bubble if selected for the two-Test series against New Zealand, at Lord’s and Edgbaston next month.Archer claimed 2 for 29 in 13 well-grooved overs, with both of his scalps coming in his opening four-over spell, including his England team-mate Zak Crawley, who was caught behind for 7. Kent were rolled aside for 145 inside 55 overs, with Archer’s fellow England prospect, Ollie Robinson, also starring with 3 for 29 in 18 overs.It was Archer’s first Championship appearance for Sussex since September 2018, and potentially his last of the season too, given that the county has no fixture in next week’s round of games – the last that England’s Test players will be able to play ahead of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, beginning on June 2.But, after a low-key outing for Sussex’s second XI against Surrey last week, he assuaged many concerns about his recovery from both a long-term elbow injury, and an operation to remove a shard of glass from the middle finger of his right hand.”It’s great to play again with the [Sussex] lads who I’ve played with nearly all of my career,” Archer told the ECB Reporters’ Network afterwards.”My fitness is fine, I thought I bowled okay. I played in the second team last week and it’s good to get some confidence and I felt fine. I bowled in short spells for protection in case we had a long day but it was overcast, which helped a bit. There was a bit of management, but it all worked out.Related

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“With the [elbow] injury I have tried not to get too frustrated,” he added. “If I’m fit, I guess I will play in the Test series and I feel alright. I would ideally have another game next week but we’re off and then we play Northamptonshire. I don’t know what the plan is but I’d be happy to play again before the Test series. I’d be happy to go into the bubble again.”Archer is sure to be joined in the bubble by Crawley, who made a career-best 267 against Pakistan in last season’s England campaign, but he’s looking forward to heading to Lord’s with the bragging rights after getting the better of their short-lived duel.”I bowl to Zak Crawley in the [England] nets and I have done that quite a bit,” Archer said. “Obviously, you’re never out in the nets so it was good to get him out here, with umpires.”It remains to be seen whether Robinson, too, has done enough to earn a Test debut, but after claiming 28 wickets at 13.35 – and with England indicating that they will offer chances to some new faces – the signs are so far promising.”Hopefully Ollie Robinson will get his [England] chance this summer,” Archer said. “We all know what he can do, he’s a talented bowler and his stats prove that.”

Only 12.5 overs were possible on the third day, but Leicestershire still slipped to 28 for 5

ECB Reporters' Network21-May-2021Torrential rain once again accounted for most of day three at the Ageas Bowl – but not before eight wickets fell for just 38 runs in 12.5 overs of play.Hampshire started the day on 223 for 7 underneath leaden skies in Southampton, but added only 10 to their overnight total before running through Leicestershire’s top order as the visitors slumped to 28 for 5 before play was halted just before lunch.In-form Hampshire allrounder Keith Barker, fresh from back-to-back 50s, clubbed the first two balls of the day for four off Ed Barnes but departed to the first ball of the next over for 24 when he slashed Chris Wright straight to Rishi Patel at gully.Wright then trapped Kyle Abbott lbw five deliveries later for his fourth wicket before Brad Wheal edged Barnes to Hassan Azad in the slips, handing the young Yorkshireman his career-best figures of 4 for 61.With the wind howling around the ground, Abbott, who grabbed 11 wickets at Lord’s last week, and Mohammad Abbas tormented the Leicestershire top order with the new ball, in conditions tailor-made for two high-class Test quicks.Azad survived six deliveries before being rapped on the pads in front of his stumps by Abbott, with fellow opener Sam Evans suffering a similar fate at the hands of his former county team-mate Abbas for just 5.Australian Test opener Marcus Harris, a century-maker against Surrey two weeks ago, was the next batsman to perish when he played no shot to an Abbas delivery that nipped back and clipped the top of off stump to leave his side reeling at 8 for 3.Visiting skipper Colin Ackermann was unable to stem the bleeding as his stumps were cleaned up by Abbott before Lewis Hill joined him back in the pavilion when he edged the South African to Lewis McManus behind the stumps to become the fifth Leicestershire wicket to fall in 45 balls.Patel showed some fight with back-back boundaries off Abbot before the players left the field with Leicestershire needing another 56 runs to avoid the follow-on.

Captain Will’s T20 career-best leads thumping victory over winless Leicestershire

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2021Will Rhodes, Birmingham Bears’ captain, posted a T20 career-best 79 as the North Group leaders notched a fourth consecutive win and consigned Leicestershire to a fifth straight defeat in the Vitality Blast.Sam Hain overtook Ian Bell as the Bears’ all-time top scorer in the format in making 45 as they racked up 191 for 7. Ben Mike took a career-best 4 for 22 bowling two death overs but Naveen-ul-Haq was the pick of the Foxes’ bowlers with 2 for 20 from his four.Scott Steel made 46 and Rishi Patel 30 but after losing three key batters in the powerplay, Leicestershire were always off the pace and fell 35 runs short, Tim Bresnan taking 3 for 29 and Danny Briggs 3 for 35.Asked to bat first, the Bears lost both openers to Naveen’s slower balls, Ed Pollock miscuing his to short fine leg and Pieter Malan spooning one to mid-on, which left Bears 42 for 2 from the powerplay.But Rhodes, dropped off Colin Ackermann on 27 when Naveen misjudged a chance at long-on, hit clearly to clear the ropes five times as he and Hain added 113 from 62 balls before Rhodes mistimed one to caught at square leg.”I think I’ve owed the lads a performance like that,” Rhodes said afterwards. “I’ve had a fairly bleak three or four months with the bat and to hit a few over the ropes is really pleasing.”Related

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Hain looked set for a fourth half-century in five innings but going after Ben Mike he holed out to long-on, where Lewis Hill took a fine catch above his head, with Carlos Brathwaite caught at wide long-off in the same over.Mike claimed two more in the final over, tracking a skier from Michael Burgess out to midwicket for a return catch, before Dan Mousley hit the next ball straight to deep point, although Bresnan pulled the hat-trick ball for six and overthrows made for an untidy end.Josh Inglis hit two of his first three balls to the boundary as Briggs opened the bowling for the Bears, but he was bowled trying to cut, setting the tone for a costly powerplay for the Foxes, who also lost Lilley to a stumping off Briggs, and Ackermann to a slower ball from Bresnan that he hit straight to mid-on to leave them 48 for 3.Rishi Patel raised Leicestershire’s hopes with 30 from 25 balls and as he and Steel added 51 off 39 the Foxes needed 92 from eight overs. But after Patel’s flick off his legs found the fielder at square leg, Steel was beaten by Briggs and stumped, with Louis Kimber run out in the same over.Hill was left unbeaten on 26 but wickets fell quickly at the other end, Bresnan dismissing Mike and claiming his third wicket off the last ball as Ed Barnes holed out to deep midwicket.”It’s a very disappointing night for us,” Paul Nixon, Leicestershire’s head coach, said. “We had a really good bowling powerplay but there was a bit of a breeze down the ground and the Bears used it as they targeted the Pavilion end, scoring about 100 in eight overs. They looked a side full of confidence.”We didn’t field well again – the catch dropped off Hain should have been taken. There were too many expensive overs and when we batted there were too many soft dismissals. The first three dismissals essentially gave their wickets away.”

Arish Ali’s four-for on debut in vain for Quetta Gladiators, who finish season with only four points

Varun Shetty19-Jun-2021Karachi Kings completed the win they needed to make it to the qualifiers, edging Lahore Qalandars on net run-rate after they swept Quetta Gladiators aside by 14 runs on the last day of the group stage. After putting up 176, the Kings needed to defend 32 off the last over with Jack Wildermuth on strike; a delicious bit of symmetry after Danish Aziz had smoked 32 off the bowler during their batting innings – in a 33-run over – to completely change the course of the game. That blitz, a 13-ball 45, propelled the Kings to a total that was too much for the Gladiators, who finished the season with only two wins in ten games.Naseem goes off, Danish goes boom
After taking the ball to start the 19th over, the Gladiators’ Naseem Shah began hobbling immediately. He could barely get a few steps into his run-up, possibly because of cramp on a hot day, and the ball eventually went to Wildermuth, who had struggled early on and struggled once again.Danish, who got an inside edge for four first ball, took complete control – hitting the next four balls for six. The last of them came off a slower-ball-turned-beamer as Danish managed to hoick it over the long leg boundary. It was 29 off four balls at the point, and suddenly there was a very real possibility of six sixes in a row, not to mention an over going for 41 runs. Wildermuth might have been pleased those deliveries ended up going for only four. But the match had swung – 136 for 5 in 18 overs became 176 for 6 in 20.A chase that never took offThe Kings began their defence with captain Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir, who went for a combined seven runs. That seemed to set the tone right at the start, as the Gladiators never looked like challenging the bowling till the very end. Sarfraz Ahmed’s unbeaten 51 off 33 was a good knock, but neither he nor anyone else in the middle order looked capable of breaking the shackles through the middle overs. The Kings’ spinners didn’t extract as much turn or gain as much control as the Gladiators’ spinners had done. Instead, the win was rooted mostly in the performances of their frontline pacers – Amir, with his economy and a second consecutive slog-overs performance of high quality; Mohammad Ilyas, who picked wickets almost every time he came on; and Arshad Iqbal, whose skiddy, back-of-a-length plan that looked unplayable in the early stages of the innings.The wickets always seemed to be around the corner, despite a rather safe approach to the chase. The one instance of a batter being fearless came late, with Hassan Khan swinging his bat around for a 15-ball 24; but even after that injection of momentum, the score was 123 for 5 in 16.5 overs when he fell. That was indicative of the Gladiators pretty much always being behind the rate in chase.All spin and a dream debut for Arish AliA lot of the Kings’ early runs and momentum came with sixes from Sharjeel Khan, even though both he and Babae Azam struggled for fluency during their 71-run stand. The pitch wasn’t one for free-flowing shots, and Sarfraz brought offspinner Abdul Nasir on in the sixth over. Until the 17th over it was only spin, with left-arm spinners Hassan and Arish Ali filling bowling out their overs. Only 83 came in those 12 overs.The Gladiators came into this game with nothing to play for, which allowed them to play a second emerging player in the XI alongside Khurram Shahzad. Arish hadn’t played at senior level before, but went away with an impressive haul and a statement before the next season.Arish came on in the 11th over, after Abdul Nasir had strangled the Kings and dismissed Azam the previous over. Martin Guptill gave him a wicket off his very first ball, lofting a full one straight to long-off. Sharjeel was already in at this point, and was looking to push on against the left-arm spinner. But he only managed a chopped four past short third before playing on attempting the same shot again, the result of a simple plan from Arish – spin it in from outside off against the left-handers on a pitch that was offering grip and turn.With the Kings trying to rebuild, Arish was in his element. In the end, Najibullah Zadran chopped him on trying the late cut as well. With the way he was going, Sarfraz even asked him to come on in the 17th for his last over – and that resulted in the wicket of Imad, caught at long-on. That made it three left-handers dismissed on his first day in senior cricket.

It’s a battle of two top bowling attacks, but both teams are still mulling their top-order combinations

Varun Shetty03-Aug-202113:42

Laxman, Bell mark India as favourites for the Test series

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It’s funny to think that a series of this magnitude – with these teams and these players – has flown under the radar over the last month. Relatively speaking.Trent Bridge was doused in the Hundred’s branding a couple of days ahead of the first Test, and even when it’s not on, the IPL has influenced cricket scheduling across the world, including pushing an England tour of Bangladesh 18 months into the future. That the ECB’s and the BCCI’s premium products will hold sway in this day and age is understandable, perhaps, but it is hard to imagine this series won’t be front and centre when it kicks off on Wednesday.Related

• Kohli: Challenge is 'wanting to win in conditions which are not ours'

• Joe Root on Ben Stokes: 'I just want my friend to be okay'

• Concussion rules Mayank Agarwal out of first Test

• Ben Stokes to miss India series, takes an 'indefinite break'

For one, it will be played to a full house. For another, it’s rare that a team can lose a series 3-1 and have a chance at a comeback in the same year – over five Tests, no less. England’s defeat in India this year meant the end of their WTC ambitions. Now, it’s a chance to set the tone early against the runners-up, who have managed two wins in their last three tours of England.India’s leadership has argued that the 4-1 scoreline on their 2018 tour was not an accurate reflection of how closely fought the series was, and upon that will rest their approach this time around. In the time since, this is a squad that has grown in depth and shown it can find ways to win overseas; they haven’t yet done it in swing-friendly conditions, however, and it’s a challenge that Virat Kohli said his team is craving.1:47

Anderson vs Kohli? Pant vs Buttler? And who will win the series?

They won’t be the only ones. England are without Ben Stokes, which could potentially pave the way for Sam Curran to be a designated gamechanger, as opposed to the surprise package he proved to be in 2018. Both sides also have team compositions to figure out, and top-order batters who are either new, or returning, or searching for form. Throw that together with two of the best fast-bowling line-ups over a month-and-some of cricket, and we could have a series for the ages.

Form guide

England LDLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India LWWWL

In the spotlight

Sam Curran told ESPNcricinfo that Stokes is someone he looks to emulate, and this series will bring him both the opportunities and some of the heft that comes with being Stokes. There is perhaps no better replacement in the England roster as they attempt to fill such a role – Curran is only 23 but has already built a reputation for making things happen, across formats, and in multiple roles. There will be eyes on him, and not just from English supporters; the wounds he inflicted on the Indian team in 2018, no doubt, continue to linger.0:50

Ian Bell: Curran would do Stokes’ role for me

KL Rahul‘s last big moment as a Test opener came in the last Test of the 2018 series. Following that 149 at The Oval, it has been a wobbly, uncertain career in red-ball cricket even as he has established himself as a limited-overs giant in Indian cricket. He was thought to be on this tour primarily as a middle-order option, but injuries to the main openers and good form in the warm-up games in Durham could mean Rahul comes back in as an opener in what will be his first game of competitive first-class cricket since the Ranji Trophy semi-final in March 2020 [he played the three-day tour game against County Select XI too].

Team news

England are almost certain to play four fast bowlers, and the batting talents of both Curran and Ollie Robinson mean they could be tempted to fit Jack Leach in there for a five-pronged attack. Ollie Pope could be a doubt after his injured quadriceps suffered a reaction to training, putting Jonny Bairstow potentially in line for a return to Test cricket.England (possible): 1 Rory Burns, 2 Dom Sibley, 3 Zak Crawley, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Ollie Pope/Jonny Bairstow, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Sam Curran, 8 Ollie Robinson, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Jack Leach, 11 James AndersonMore than anything else, India would be thinking about who slots in at No. 7. Ravindra Jadeja’s rise as a reliable batter in the format, alongside his runs during the warm-up games, would make him frontrunner for No. 7. It’s also difficult to imagine that India would drop R Ashwin in the sort of form he has been in, and so it’s the same quandary for India as they had during the WTC final; two spinners or one spinner and Shardul Thakur? The former beefs up a thin lower order, the latter keeps India’s frontline seamers fresher.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul/Abhimanyu Easwaran, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit Bumrah2:00

Laxman: Would pick KL Rahul to open alongside Rohit Sharma

Pitch and conditions

It has been cloudy, but warm, in the lead up to the first Test. Temperatures are expected to hover in the high teens. The pitches in the square have been green but have shown signs of getting drier and changing colour.

Stats and trivia

• James Anderson is three wickets away from overtaking Anil Kumble’s 619.
• India’s last three five-match series have all been against England.

Quotes

“I think it’s a tricky one because there is a bit of grass on it but it’s definitely changed colour in the last few days, it’s starting to turn a bit brown as well. So I’m sure there will be a spinner in our 12 for tomorrow.”
“I don’t really believe that some series matter more than the others, because then you’re really picking and choosing what you want to do. And that’s not being honest to the game in my opinion. So any match that you play for your country, and any series, is as important as any other series that you play around the world. And for us it’s wanting difficult cricket, wanting tough cricket. And wanting to win in conditions which are not ours.”