He has made a mark in T20s in leagues around the world but does not possess first-class experience yet

Firdose Moonda16-Jan-2023Hard-hitting opener batter Dewald Brevis can expect a David Warner-like transition to international cricket as South Africa look to deepen their player pool under a new coaching structure.Former under-19 coach Shukri Conrad, who was in charge of the age-group team at the 2022 World Cup, where Brevis was the top-scorer, and former Central Stags coach Rob Walter, were announced as South Africa’s new red and white-ball coaches respectively and both are keen to fast-track young talent with Brevis top of mind. He has become the most-talked-about batter in South Africa, more so when he struck 162 runs off 57 balls in a domestic T20 match in October, a week before the national men’s side failed to chase 159 in a must-win T20 World Cup match against Netherlands and calls for his immediate promotion grew. Enoch Nkwe, South Africa’s Director Cricket, has heard them and has a plan to get Brevis into the senior set-up soon.Related

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“There’s a lot of noise around Brevis. We know how good he is. He has shown it in SA20, he has played some good cricket and he has been pretty consistent in T20 cricket,” Nkwe said. “In terms of youngsters, the reality moving forward, we might have to do a David-Warner type of approach where there is going to be the transition phase from under-19 cricket into professional cricket through T20 and then ODI and then Test cricket. That’s something we foresee happening in the future.”Warner, who played his 100th Test against South Africa at the MCG, had just 20 domestic white-ball caps to his name before making his international debut in a T20I against South Africa and played in only 11 first-class matches before his Test debut. Brevis already has more experience than that in shorter formats. He has played in 37 T20s including at the IPL, CPL and SA20, and six List A matches but has yet to play a first-class match. As part of a strong Titans’ squad, who are third in the four-day domestic competition, and boasts names like Test captain Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Theunis de Bruyn, and Heinrich Klaasen, it has been difficult for Brevis to get a look-in but playing him in longer formats is top of Nkwe’s mind.”We understand someone like Brevis has a lot of cricket to play and now we have to see how we get him to that longer format? We know that he can offer a lot to South African cricket,” Nkwe said.Asked specifically whether Conrad and Walter have been involved in discussions about Brevis, Nkwe would not be drawn into anything more than reiterating their commitment to development. “Both coaches are big believers in looking after the younger generation but also not just throwing them in the deep end,” he said. “It’s about having a very clear detailed plan of every individual who has been identified and how they are going to form part of the Proteas set-up.”Ultimately, the decision of whether Brevis plays for South Africa will not lie with Conrad and Walter alone. Selection convener Victor Mpitsang and Patrick Moroney are the other two people involved in picking players and, though the coaching set-up has changed, both are contracted until the end of the year. They will be in charge of naming the group of players who will take on England in three World Cup Super League ODIs later this month. Given Brevis’ form – he struck an unbeaten 70 off 41 balls in the SA20 opener and 42 off 34 balls in the third game – he could be a wildcard pick for what are crucial matches for South Africa. They need to win at least one of the ODIs to remain in contention for automatic qualification for this year’s 50-over World Cup and with Nkwe saying the T20 and ODI formats are “close to each other,” it may be time for Brevis to graduate to the big time.The squad is expected to be announced later this week but Walter will not be in charge of it just yet. The new coaches begin work next month and an interim appointment will be made for the England series.

ECB counsel returns focus to historic tweets in case against former England captain

Osman Samiuddin07-Mar-2023Michael Vaughan’s lawyer has said “due process” was denied to his client, and “sent on holiday” in the ECB’s investigations into charges that he made racist comments to four Asian and British-Asian players in 2009. Christopher Stoner KC, representing Vaughan, called the investigation “wholly and woefully inadequate” on the final day of the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) hearings in London, where closing submissions were being heard by a three-person panel.Jane Mulcahy, the ECB’s lead counsel, brought the case to a close by focusing again on a series of historic tweets made by Vaughan, at least one of which was from around the time he is alleged to have made the remarks. Arguing that they were “central to the case” Mulcahy said, “If a person has a tendency to make racist comments, they have a tendency to make racist comments.”Related

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Much of the final day was consumed by closing submissions for the Vaughan charge, serving to highlight how the five-day hearing had boiled down to Azeem Rafiq’s allegation and Vaughan’s defence of it. The ECB presented charges against Rich Pyrah and Andrew Gale in the morning, but they – like four other players as well as Yorkshire CCC – had already chosen not to appear.As signposted in his cross-examination of Meena Botros, the ECB’s director for legal and integrity, last week, Stoner criticised the ECB’s investigation process, in particular the testimony given by Ajmal Shahzad. Shahzad was one of the four players Vaughan is alleged to have directed his comment to that day, but he told the ECB he did not recall the comment being made and also that he thought Vaughan “wasn’t that way inclined” [to making racist comments].Stoner argued that was important “counter evidence” to the historical tweets by Vaughan that the ECB was relying on in its case. “The investigation was wholly inadequate,” Stoner said. “Due process matters and is the cornerstone of law. In our submission it was sent on holiday by the ECB. It raises a real question of fairness [of this investigation]. Mr Vaughan has not been accorded fairness.”Vaughan’s defence also submitted a 22-page storyboard of Sky’s footage of the pre-game huddle from that day, footage they argue is the only “contemporaneous evidence” of the incident. In it, they dissect a two-minute clip which begins with Vaughan addressing the team before they disperse on to the field. Stoner argued that it is “inherently improbable that such serious and unacceptable words were spoken to team-mates just as a game was starting, in the presence of a cameraman and almost certainly a microphone.”He also criticised what he called “half-hearted efforts” to reach out to more players and potential witnesses from the day, including the umpires and the cameraman.Mulcahy had begun her closing earlier, placing Vaughan’s historical tweets at the front and centre of the ECB’s argument. Mulcahy said that two of the three tweets – brought up last week in her cross-examination of Vaughan – were made in 2010. “Although Michael Vaughan now purports to be a changed character, Vaughan in 2009 was the same person who shortly afterwards (in 2010) sent two tweets complaining about foreigners… [he] still held the same ‘unacceptable’ views seven years later when he sent further tweets concerning Muslims and potential terrorism… the supposedly lighthearted but offensive expression in the tweets is very similar in tone to the comment made on 22 June 2009.”She argued these showed it was “quite the opposite” that it was, as the defence argued, “inherently improbable” that Vaughan said what he is alleged to have said. She said it made no difference, as Vaughan’s defence argued, that the tweets were non-cricketing in context. “If a person has a tendency to make racist comments, they have a tendency to make racist comments”. Vaughan’s tweets, she said, were there for “all to see”, including those he played with.In support, Mulcahy also pointed to the fact that Yorkshire had admitted to the charge of systemic racism at the club, spanning a period from 2004 to 2021. During it, Hoggard and Gary Ballance had admitted to making racist or discriminatory comments.Mulcahy also launched a robust defence of the ECB’s investigations, calling out an “extraordinary amount of bitter and inaccurate correspondence” from Vaughan’s legal team about the disciplinary process. She said the allegations about the Sky cameraman not being interviewed illustrated “the ridiculous length” to which Vaughan is prepared to go to “unfairly throw mud at the ECB”.She ended her arguments by saying that the charging was “properly based on Adil Rashid and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan corroborating the testimony of Azeem Rafiq” and that it is “frankly objectionable and wrong” of Vaughan’s closing submissions to suggest the ECB singled out Vaughan.Pyrah and Gale have both denied charges that they used racist and/or discriminatory language, including “Rafa the K***”, “P***”, “you lot” and “fit P***” between 2008 and 2014. Closing submissions against both – as well as the other absentees, Hoggard, Tim Bresnan and John Blain – were submitted by the ECB in the form of written statements to the panel.The three-person panel, of Tim O’Gorman (Chair), Mark Milliken-Smith KC and Dr Seema Patel, said they hoped to publish a verdict by the end of March.

He has led Delhi in 12 T20s in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament, and has been with KKR since 2018

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2023Nitish Rana has been appointed interim captain by Kolkata Knight Riders, while their regular leader Shreyas Iyer recovers from a back injury that is likely to sideline him for at least the first half of IPL 2023.Rana was one of two candidates for the interim captaincy along with Sunil Narine, who joined the franchise in 2012 and has been with them ever since. Narine had recently led Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the inaugural edition of the International League T20, where they finished last among six teams with one win and eight losses.Rana has led his state team Delhi in 12 T20s in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with eight wins and four defeats. A 29-year old middle-order batter, he was bought by KKR ahead of the 2018 season and has been retained by the franchise ever since. He’s played 74 matches for them, scoring 1744 runs at a strike rate of 135.61.”While we are hopeful that Shreyas will recover and participate at some stage in the IPL 2023 edition, we feel fortunate that Nitish, with the captaincy experience of having led his state side in white-ball cricket and the IPL experience he has had with KKR since 2018, will do a great job,” KKR said in a statement. “We are also confident that under head coach Chandrakant Pandit and the support staff, he will get all the support needed off the field, and the highly experienced leaders in the squad will provide all support that Nitish may need on the field. We wish him the best in his new role and Shreyas a full and speedy recovery.”Rana was KKR’s second highest run-scorer last season, behind Shreyas, with 361 runs at a strike rate of 143.82. It was a disappointing year for the team, as they finished seventh in the league with six wins and eight losses.With Rana taking over as captain, KKR will be under whole new leadership this season, with Chandrakant Pandit replacing Brendon McCullum as head coach and Bharat Arun appointed bowling coach.

England Test coach says boards must “work with leagues” so best players remain available for international cricket

Vithushan Ehantharajah12-May-2023England Test head coach Brendon McCullum believes international boards, including the ECB, would be “completely naive” to assume their stars would turn down longterm franchise contracts.Recent reports have suggested that IPL teams are in talks with a number of English cricketers to sign annual deals. Given their investments across other tournaments such as the CPL, SA20, ILT20, Abu Dhabi T10 and the upcoming Major League Cricket in the United States, franchise owners have been working towards a situation where they can extend control over their most valuable assets beyond three months of the year.At the time of writing, it is understood no formal offers have been made to English players. However, Test nations such as South Africa and West Indies have long been at the mercy of franchise competitions when it comes to controlling the movement of their own players, and it seems only a matter of time before the likes of Australia and England must face a similar reality.Related

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In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, England men’s managing director Rob Key spoke of boards needing to work with players regarding franchise competitions for their own good: “You’re never going to compete financially with these competitions. So you’ve got to try and find a way to actually make sure that you do retain control of those players.”Speaking to SENZ Radio in New Zealand, McCullum echoed those sentiments, urging professional empathy in a fast-changing landscape.”The last few years, there’s been a shifting of the sand somewhat around international cricket,” McCullum said.”We’d be completely naive to think that players would turn down huge amounts of money on longterm contracts for a lot less work in these T20 leagues because they should be playing international cricket. Those days are fast approaching to be over. It’s definitely a shifting landscape and you’ve just got to be fluid.”What you’ve got to do is you’ve got to work with these players, you got to work with these leagues and try and allow, ideally, players to have their cake and eat it too because you want your best players playing.”The ECB’s more open approach when it comes to the IPL is reflective of the fact it sees no gain in maintaining England’s early antagonism to the competition. This year’s edition has seen a record 17 Englishman contracted, most notably Test skipper Ben Stokes, Sam Curran and Harry Brook, who all signed on seven-figure deals.Brook, who has taken Test cricket by storm, is currently on an incremental contract with the ECB, earning around £60,000 (US$75,000) for representing England. That his deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad is £1.3 million (US$1.6 million) speaks of the disparity. While it is due to be rectified in the next round of central contract handouts at the end of the summer, particularly given Brook’s role as a multi-format batter, it is unlikely to be more than the eye-catching figure of his first IPL season.McCullum, however, does not anticipate a situation where he will not be able to call upon his best Test players in the near future. Indeed, he feels making international cricket a more enjoyable and meaningful experience can be an easy remedy as opposed to adopting a hardline stance on those who want to indulge in franchise cricket.”How much fun they’ve had, how much those experiences which they’ve been able to get in an England shirt is so great that they are prepared to continue to put their yards [in] even though it might not be as financially viable as some of the other leagues,” McCullum said.”I think we are a little bit lucky, too, because the amount of money that we can pay players is better than some of the other boards around the world. It’s not good enough to say ‘You know what, if they don’t want to play international cricket for us, then bugger them, we’ll move on and find someone different’.”As a spectator, you want to see the best players in the world representing their countries.”

Northants struggle with bat before knockout hopes ended by six-wicket defeat

ECB Reporters Network02-Jul-2023Lancashire made it through to the Vitality Blast quarter-finals with a comfortable six-wicket victory that also ended Northants Steelbacks’ qualification hopes.Phil Salt smashed a 51-ball 74 as Lancashire chased down the Steelbacks 138 for seven with twenty balls to spare. The result means the Lightning will return to Emirates Old Trafford next Friday, where they are now unbeaten in 21 home games, to host their quarter-final tie against Surrey.Northants struck two early blows as the hosts set off in pursuit of their target, Jos Buttler cracking a short ball from David Willey to Saif Zaib on the cover boundary for 11, immediately after he had hit the bowler for six and four from consecutive deliveries. Steven Croft swiftly followed after top edging Tom Taylor to AJ Tye for 5.That left the Lightning ending the powerplay on 43 for 2 but Salt picked up the scoring with a six off Freddie Heidreich during a 35-run partnership in five overs with Liam Livingstone.Livingstone, the stand-in Lightning skipper, went for 11 slicing Taylor to Ricardo Vasconcelos at gully as Lancashire reached halfway on 74 for 3 but Daryl Mitchell was quickly into his stride driving Taylor for six into the pavilion seats.Salt continued to score freely as the hosts reduced their target to a-run-a-ball 44 before a mix-up saw Mitchell run out for 17. Undeterred, Salt reached a 40-ball half century by smashing Tye for six over long-on, and then took four, six, four off Justin Broad in the fifteenth over as the Lightning raced towards their target.The opening bat ended the contest in style with six off Taylor in the seventeenth over to finish unbeaten on a Lancashire-best 74 alongside Dane Vilas.A fine opening spell of 2 for 14 from three overs by Wood, after Livingstone had put the visitors in to bat, had Northants quickly on the back foot at the start of their innings. Vasconcelos was brilliantly caught for 12 by wicketkeeper Buttler diving to his left, followed by Emilio Gay who chipped the left arm quick to Luke Wells at mid-on two balls later.Northants then suffered a big blow when Willey departed for 10 attempting to hit Livingstone over midwicket to leave the Steelbacks struggling on 47 for 3, midway through the seventh over.Chris Lynn led an initial fightback launching Livingstone for consecutive sixes in the ninth over but he was then bowled for 35 aiming a big heave at Wells with the visitors on 74 for 4, one ball into the 11th over.Zaib pulled Mitchell to Wells at fine leg for 12 and the Steelbacks only managed to get any impetus into their innings during a 40-run partnership for the sixth wicket between McManus and Broad. McManus hoisted a slower ball from Tom Bailey into the hands of Wood at long-on having made 22 while Broad smashed a six over midwicket in his unbeaten 34 off 26 balls.Wood returned to bowl Tye for 1 as Northants closed on 138 for 7.

Ilyas, Shoaib and Nadeem score fifties to anchor the chase; UAE still searching for their first win

Abhimanyu Bose21-Jun-2023Oman followed up a disciplined bowling performance with confident batting display to make it two in two in the World Cup Qualifier group stage. Jay Odedra, Bilal Khan and Fayyaz Butt helped restrict UAE to 227 before half-centuries from Aqib Ilyas, Shoaib Khan and Mohammad Nadeem and a nifty knock from Ayaan Khan helped them seal victory with four overs to spare.Ilyas and Shoaib put on a 100-run stand for the third wicket in Oman’s chase, but in a three-over period, Rohan Mustafa cleaned Ilyas up and trapped Zeeshan Maqsood lbw. On top of that, Shoaib, suffering from cramps, had to trudge off.But Ayaan and Mohammad Nadeem made sure UAE never got back in the game with a run-a-ball 76-run partnership that all but put the game to bed, with Shoaib returning to bat to see the game off.Oman got off to the perfect start after winning the toss and choosing to bowl. Bilal trapped UAE captain Muhammad Waseem lbw in the third over and Butt had Mustafa strangled down leg in the next.Vriitya Aravind and Rameez Shahzad then rebuilt for UAE, putting on an 87-run partnership. Aravind started quick, taking on Butt for 11 runs in the sixth over. But he slowed down after that and scored just one more boundary which was squeezed past slip off Maqsood.Shahzad on the other hand started slow, taking ten deliveries to get off the mark. It took till the sixteenth over for him to really get going, pulling Mohammad Nadeem for four through midwicket and following it up with a punch down the ground for another boundary next ball.Shahzad cut Odedra for four behind point in the 25th over and then looked to give him the charge, when the offspinner bowled a length ball that spun in to crash into his stumps.Four overs later, Odedra got one to spin in sharply from outside off to bowl Aravind out one run short of a half-century.Jay Odedra was among the wickets•ICC/Getty Images

Basil Hameed then gave a simple catch at point off Ayaan Khan before Odedra knocked over the dangerous Ali Naseer with another peach that spun past the outside edge from a length.Asif Khan, who looked stuck till then, responded to the fall of wickets by beginning to up the tempo as he took on Odedra for a six over long-on and a four over cover. With Asif there as the enforcer, Aayan Afzal Khan held up one end, scoring just three off 15 in their 20-run stand before Butt had Asif caught at cover in the 40th over.With the score still on 154 and having lost seven wickets, UAE were in threat of being bowled out for under 200. But then, Aayan began his assault on the bowlers. In the 41st, he pulled Bilal for a one-bounce four over midwicket before taking Butt for three back-to-back fours in the next over. He hit Maqsood for consecutive boundaries as well. He brought up his half-century off the first delivery of the final over and finished unbeaten on 58.UAE started well with the ball as well. Junaid Siddique and Ali Naseer started off with maidens and the pressure soon told on the Oman openers in the fifth over.Kashyap Prajapati looked to cut a short and wide delivery from Siddique but only found an edge to Hameed at slip. In the last ball of the over, Jatinder Singh went after another short and wide ball only to cut it to Karthik Meiyappan at point.Ilyas and Shoaib then batted UAE out of the game. They were happy to go after Meiyappan and Aayan and Zahoor Khan didn’t find much luck against them either. They looked in complete control until Mustafa knocked Ilyas over with a length ball that spun in to beat his attempted cut.Shoaib having to go off with cramps and Maqsood getting out in quick succession lifted the UAE camp, but Ayaan and Nadeem snuffed out any hopes they may have had.Ayaan took on the role of aggressor as he raced to 41off 36 balls, while Nadeem stayed solid and kept turning the strike over.By the time Ayaan got out, holing out to midwicket off Aayan, Oman were firmly in the driving seat and Shoaib came back out and went on to bring up a half-century of his own. Nadeem got the winning run, and brought up his fifty, with a single to deep third as UAE slumped to two defeats in two games in their campaign.

The Australia opener said he wouldn’t want his children hear some of the things being said

Andrew McGlashan17-Jul-2023Usman Khawaja believes abuse from the crowds towards players has gone too far – both in England and Australia.Khawaja was involved in the confrontation with MCC members in the Lord’s pavilion after the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow which has led to three members being suspended. However, he is equally concerned about what children in the stands are hearing as insults get hurled near the boundary.The Bairstow incident prompted strong reaction from the crowds, with Alex Carey saying there had been some “nasty stuff” said, but players had been facing plenty even before that.Related

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“Personally, if I am coming to the cricket and watching the cricket, I wouldn’t want my kids to be around that,” Khawaja said ahead of the Old Trafford Test. “If I saw that I would 100 percent make a complaint or just leave. I think some of the stuff can be pretty poor. Over at Edgbaston they were calling Travis Head a c… you know what. I’m like I can’t believe you can actually say that in a public domain anywhere.”England’s players are often quick to point out that they receive similar treatment on tours of Australia and Khawaja does not condone that either.”If you talk about it to England guys, they say we are equally as rough when [they go to Australia]. I don’t agree with it either way. I don’t think it’s the right thing to do,” Khawaja said.”It can be a little disappointing at times, and I think we can take it too far in Australia. I’m not a big fan of it. I know watching a lot of sport and loving sport that it happens around the world. You watch the NBA [and] it happens there. Particularly when crowds can get real close to you, which they can in cricket. It is what it is, I don’t agree with it.”Khawaja would not be drawn into further discussion about the events in the Lord’s pavilion. “I’m just going to leave it there,” he said. “MCC are all over it. I trust them to do the right thing.”With the Ashes on the line, and Old Trafford another ground where the crowd can get boisterous, it is unlikely the Australians will be in for a quiet time this week.”There’s some nasty stuff been said but…it is the Ashes,” Carey said last week. “There was nasty stuff said before that as well. From Australia I still think we’ve got lots of fans and from England, I don’t think we’ve made any, but we probably didn’t lose any.”It is the Ashes we’ve got to remember, and we’ve had some amazing crowds. We love coming over here, we love playing the Ashes and my first experience [playing Test cricket] in England has been amazing.”

Last ball no-ball drama can’t deny home side as London Spirit fall short in chase of 190

David Diangienda15-Aug-2023Oval Invincibles completed the double over London Spirit in a dramatic last-ball thriller to win by two runs and move clear at the top of the Men’s Hundred table.Matt Critchley threatened to steal the win for Spirit with an unbeaten 32 off 13 balls before a Sam Curran no-ball from what should have been the final delivery of the game gave Spirit a second chance with three needed. But tailender Chris Wood could not make contact as the hosts defended 189, which owed to some big hitting from Match Hero Will Jacks who clubbed 68 off 42 before claiming 2 for 22.Heinrich Klaasen also thrashed 46 not out with Curran adding a blistering 35 despite Daryl Mitchell claiming 2 for 16 from 10 balls.Adam Rossington was instrumental in leading the Spirit chase with four huge sixes as he opened with 61 from 32 balls.The opening stages of the match were difficult for Invincibles as they failed to score from five balls, before Jason Roy and Jacks found their fluency in a partnership of 79. The visitors ended the stand when Mitchell had Roy caught behind with his first ball and then Jacks was taken in the deep by Zak Crawley.Klaasen picked up from where Jacks left off as he scored four sixes and he powered Invincibles at the death, while Curran caught the mood of the match before being caught out on the boundary by Mitchell.With the visitors chasing 189 for the win, the partnership of Crawley and Rossington was influential as they scored 58 for none at the end of the powerplay. Rossington reached his half-century off 22 and while Crawley struggled for his timing Spirit kept rolling as the partnership flourished to reduce the requirement to needing 99 off 55.Invincibles got their breakthrough as Curran bowled Crawley off the thigh pad before Jacks claimed two quick wickets, including the key scalp of Rossington.Spirit’s chase started to falter with Matthew Wade out for 19 off 15 balls as three wickets went down in eight balls. But Critchley then found his groove, smashing Curran for back-to-back sixes, before Wood slogged Zak Chappell for four to leave Spirit needing 17 off Curran’s final set of five.Critchley clubbed the third ball into the crowd and thought he had done the same next ball only for Ross Whiteley to somehow palm it back into play. Curran’s no-ball then gave Spirit once last chance but it was too much for Wood as the hosts held on.

Axar’s situation is slightly more tricky; could miss first two Australia ODIs next week

Shashank Kishore17-Sep-20231:36

Is this India’s ideal ODI playing XI?

Shreyas Iyer wasn’t fit for much of the Asia Cup, but he has ticked off most of the boxes the team management had set for him as he came back from injury and attempted to prove his match fitness for the World Cup, which is now less than three weeks away.”Shreyas was not available for this game [final] because there were certain parameters that were kept for him to tick off. Today, he completed most of it,” Rohit Sharma said after India won their eighth Asia Cup crown on Sunday after making short work of Sri Lanka. “I would say 99% he should be okay as of now, but he looks good.”He batted, he fielded for long hours before we came in today So, he’s looking good at this point in time. I don’t think it’s a worry for us.”Related

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Iyer featured in just two games at the Asia Cup – in the group stage against Pakistan and Nepal – and then missed out after suffering back spasms. The timing of the fresh injury has raised doubts over his availability for the World Cup, but it appears that Iyer will remain with the squad for the three-ODI series against Australia starting on September 22 in Mohali.The update on Axar Patel wasn’t as encouraging. Axar was ruled out of the final after picking up a left quadricep strain during India’s last Super Four fixture against Bangladesh on Friday, and replaced in the XI by Washington Sundar, who was flown in from Bengaluru just 24 hours earlier.”Axar – I’m not sure, he had a small tear,” Rohit said. “It looks like maybe [unavailable] a week or ten days. We just have to wait and see how the injury progresses. Because every individual is different; some guys recover quickly.”I hope that’s the case with Axar, so we’ll wait and see what happens with him. Obviously, am not too sure if he’ll be available to play the first two games at home against Australia. We’ll wait and see.”1:45

Is Washington the stand-by for Axar in World Cup squad?

Is Washington in the frame for the World Cup?

Asked specifically about Washington’s role and where he stands in the bigger scheme of things, given India’s World Cup squad lacks an offspinner, Rohit said he had been communicating with those who the team management thinks may have a role to play, even if they don’t make the final cut.”With the spinning allrounder, everyone’s in line, [R] Ashwin as well. I’ve been talking to him on the phone,” Rohit said. “He’s very much in line, so is Washy. We want those guys who can do the job with ball and bat as well. Washy, honestly that injury happened to Axar very late in the night, and then we had to call a few guys to see where they were at.”Washy was available, so we got him in to play the role and perform the job for us. Luckily, he was with the Asian Games squad in Bangalore. He was training, he was bowling, so he was cricket fit, so we had to get him.”But yeah, I’ve been very clear with certain guys who can come up and play certain roles. I’ve been talking to everyone; I don’t want to take names. Everyone is aware of what is happening, no one is in the dark as to what is happening. Everyone is kept in the loop.”

Pakistan’s hopes slip further after a heartbreaking loss while Bangladesh and Netherlands aim to keep their tournament alive

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-20231:24

Pujara: South Africa seem to lack a clear game plan while chasing

—Fixtures | Squads | Points table | Tournament Index

Top Story: South Africa rise to the top by the barest of margins in thriller

As Keshav Maharaj exploded into celebration, having swung Mohammad Nawaz to the fine-leg boundary for the winning runs with the No. 11 for company, waves of relief washed over his team-mates watching from the dressing room. South Africa had thrown off the yoke of the choke by the barest of margins against Pakistan in Chennai to chase successfully for the first time in their World Cup 2023 campaign.The one-wicket win took them level with India on ten points at the top of the table, but ahead on net run rate, though they have played an extra game.The victory was set up by their bowlers – Tabraiz Shamsi and Marco Jansen in particular – who dismissed Pakistan for 270 in 46.4 overs despite them having been well placed at 225 for 5 in the 40th. And when Aiden Markram – who overtook Virat Kohli to become the second-highest run scorer of this World Cup during his innings of 91 – and David Miller were putting together their 70-run stand for the fifth wicket, a South African win looked comfortable. All that changed when Miller edged Shaheen Shah Afridi behind in the 34th over, with the target still 65 runs away.Click here to read the full report

Match reaction: Maharaj caps unlikely World Cup comeback with cathartic winning role

South Africa’s last pair – Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj – rejoices after sealing a one-wicket win•AFP/Getty Images

Keshav Maharaj was just having dinner around the time when Pakistan’s concussion substitute Usama Mir pinned Rassie van der Dussen lbw for 21. South Africa were 121 for 3 at that point, needing a further 150 runs off almost 30 overs. Given South Africa’s gun middle-order – Aiden Markram at No.4, Heinrich Klaasen No.5 and David Miller at No.6 – Maharaj might have felt like he could just put his feet up during the chase, having put in a shift with the ball in Chennai’s oppressive heat.But it eventually came down to him scoring the winning runs for South Africa with No.11 Tabraiz Shamsi at the other end, lifting the lid on what had become a cauldron of immense tension at Chepauk.Read the full piece from Deivarayan Muthu in Chennai

Must Watch: Urooj Mumtaz on Mohammad Rizwan

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Urooj: Rizwan was a massive letdown

News headlines

• Pakistan brought in Usama Mir as a concussion substitute for Shadab Khan during their World Cup match against South Africa in Chennai on Friday
• Pat Cummins has insisted there are no issues with Steven Smith batting at No. 4 despite the batter reiterating his preference for No. 3

Match previews

Australia vs New Zealand, Kolkata (10.30am IST; 6.00am GMT; 4.00pm AEDT)6:06

Bond: Top-order partnerships will prove critical for both NZ and Australia

Attention in New Zealand might currently be focused on another World Cup, with their beloved All Blacks on the cusp of regaining the Webb Ellis Cup. But the cricketers have started this tournament particularly strongly with only another Virat Kohli chasing masterclass denting their unbeaten campaign.Despite that, New Zealand can almost lock in a semi-final berth – defying predictions of many pundits – with a victory over Australia in another intriguing Trans-Tasman contest. But it won’t be easy with a rejuvenated Australia finally looking like the serious title contender expected of them after a shaky start to the tournament.Team newsAustralia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Steve Smith, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis/Cameron Green, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodNew Zealand (probable) 1 Devon Conway, 2 Will Young, 3 Rachin Ravindra, 4 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Mark Chapman, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent BoultBangladesh vs Netherlands, Kolkata (2pm IST; 8.30am GMT; 7.30pm AEDT)The World Cup has arrived in Kolkata, where Bangladesh can expect a fair bit of support at Eden Gardens when they take on Netherlands. There are supposed to be at least 2000 fans on their way from Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh for this match, with the cultural connection with Kolkata and good travel options between the two making it a popular destination for Bangladeshis.Bangladesh come to Kolkata following a 149-run defeat against South Africa in Mumbai. Moreover, Netherlands’ inspiring performances issue a warning.Click here for the full previewTeam newsBangladesh (probable) 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Nasum Ahmed/Towhid Hridoy, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur RahmanNetherlands (probable) 1 Vikramjit Singh, 2 Max O’Dowd, 3 Colin Ackermann, 4 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 5 Bas de Leede, 6 Scott Edwards (capt & wk), 7 Teja Nidamanuru, 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Roelof van der Merwe, 10 Aryan Dutt, 11 Paul van Meekeren

Feature: Sitting down with Trent Boult and Tim Southee

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Trent Boult and Tim Southee: ‘We hope that kids want to pick up a ball one day and bowl fast’

New Zealand’s old fast-bowling firm of Southee and Boult amble down memory lane, with the occasional pause to poke each other in the ribs”I remember hitting him for a six when we were about… how old were we then?” Boult has his head down. He’s probably just thinking but it looks like he wants to forget. “That would’ve been 15-16.”Read the full interview from Cricket Monthly