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He says the freshly-installed selection panel, headed by Tharanga, had him in their T20 World Cup plans

Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Jan-2024Expect to see more of Angelo Mathews in Sri Lanka’s T20 side this year. Expect to see him bowl more frequently. And because this is late-career Mathews, coming back into the white-ball frame after years of being picked only for Tests, expect him also to be driven by grievance to some extent.Following his first T20I outing in almost three years, Mathews seemed to take aim at the previous set of selectors – headed by Pramodya Wickramasinghe – for working to their own “agendas”. He also said the freshly-installed selection panel, headed by Upul Tharanga, had him in their T20 World Cup plans.In any case, in his first international T20 outing since March 2021, Mathews played a critical role in a last-ball win, top-scoring with 46 off 38 balls. This is after he had taken the new ball and bowled two overs for 13 runs. He thinks he shouldn’t have spent so long in the white-ball wilderness.Related

• Upul Tharanga, Ajantha Mendis named on five-man Sri Lanka selection panel

• Angelo Mathews back in T20I squad after three-year absence

• Angelo Mathews stars in thriller as Sri Lanka go 1-0 up

“In the last two Lanka Premier League (LPL) seasons I batted and bowled well, but unfortunately I wasn’t selected for the T20 World Cups, and I wasn’t given reasons for that,” he said after the game, having picked up the Player-of-the-Match trophy. “If you take decisions that are driven by agendas, these kinds of things can happen – we haven’t even qualified for the Champions Trophy.”But one thing I believe is that if you train and play wholeheartedly, you can create an environment for yourself where you can perform. I kept my efforts up over the last couple of years. I think I can play for a little while longer.”Mathews’ bowling has been a sticking point over the years. He had been an important member of the attack in arguably Sri Lanka’s best white-ball sides (between 2007 and 2014), where he frequently bowled in the powerplay in T20s. But a growing catalogue of injuries over the years had either prevented him from bowling, or put him in a frame of mind to play only as a specialist batter, depending on who tells the story.More recently, though, he has become a regular contributor of quiet overs again – a role he said he relishes.”The communication with me and the new selectors is quite clear. They asked me what my plans were for the future and [told me] their plans as well. We had a very good discussion. They said that I’m in their plans for the T20 World Cup, and if I could bowl a few overs. I said: ‘Absolutely – if I can help the team in any way’.”I’ve been bowling in the LPL as well, and you saw me bowling in the [domestic] one-dayers as well recently. If I can bowl a few overs that helps the balance of the team and the captain can decide whether he wants to play an extra batter or a bowler.”In this particular match, which he helped Sri Lanka win from a dire position, Mathews said he relied on his experience. Sri Lanka needed 61 off the last six overs, with four wickets in hand, when Mathews and Dasun Shanaka came together at the crease. The pair added 55 runs off 34 balls together, when Mathews was dismissed trying to hit the winning runs (they would come off the bat of Dushmantha Chameera eventually).”When we batted together I talked to Dasun about how if one of us gets out it will be really difficult,” Mathews said. “We thought it would be better if we batted until the 16th or 17th over, and keep the required rate at an achievable level – around 10 runs an over. In the end we had to go after their best bowlers as well. We took some calculated risks.”Dasun played a good innings, and the person who played the most important innings was Dushmantha Chameera who got six off the last two balls, or else everything else we did would have been meaningless.”

Naveen-ul-Haq misses out with Abdollah Ahmadzai taking his place for matches starting Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2025Afghanistan will get plenty of practice, and scope to gather information on their Asia Cup opponents, when they play Pakistan and UAE in a T20I tournament starting in Sharjah on Friday. They’ve named virtually the same squad for both competitions, with only Naveen-ul-Haq missing from the tri-series.Abdollah Ahmadzai takes his place in the 17-member squad. The 22-year-old fast bowler, with 14 wickets from 10 T20s, is still waiting for his first international cap and has been named among the reserves for the Asia Cup. These games will be Afghanistan’s first white-ball matches since the Champions Trophy ended in February 2025.Mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar is in line to make his T20I debut in the UAE tri-series, as he joins a strong spin unit comprising captain Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad.Related

• Pakistan, Afghanistan, UAE gear up for Asia Cup rehearsal

• No Babar, Rizwan in Pakistan squad for Asia Cup

• Afghanistan bring in Ghazanfar to strengthen spin department for Asia Cup

• Junaid Siddique comes back as UAE ring in the changes for T20 tri-series

• Afghanistan bring back former Ireland allrounder John Mooney as fielding coach

The tri-series will also mark the return of Ibrahim Zadran, with the opener not a part of Afghanistan’s last T20I assignment in Zimbabwe in December 2024. From that squad, left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote has also been left out, although he is part of the reserves for the Asia Cup. Zadran returns having last played T20Is during the 2024 World Cup.The tri-series, which Afghanistan and Pakistan will kick off, has the three teams playing each other twice in round-robin format before the top two meet in the final on September 7. Should Afghanistan reach the final, they will only get a day’s rest before their first Asia Cup game, against Hong Kong, on September 9. UAE’s first game of the Asia Cup is on September 10 and Pakistan’s is on September 12.

Afghanistan squad for UAE tri-series

Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Former West Indies allrounder will be in charge of the Knight Riders teams in other T20 leagues too

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Sep-20241:58

Pollard: Champion Bravo has given cricket his all

Former West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo has ended his long and celebrated career at Chennai Super Kings, with whom he won four IPL titles in different roles. He has joined defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as mentor from the 2025 season.ESPNcricinfo learned that Bravo recently met with KKR CEO Venky Mysore during the CPL before agreeing to a long-term contract. Apart from KKR, he will be in charge of all franchises under the Knight Riders label in T20 leagues: Trinbago Knight Riders (CPL), Los Angeles Knight Riders (MLC) and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ILT20).”DJ Bravo joining us is an exciting development.” Mysore said in a statement. “His relentless drive to win, along with his vast experience and deep knowledge, will greatly benefit our franchise and players.”Bravo, who turns 41 in October, replaces Gautam Gambhir, who took over as India’s head coach soon after helping KKR win their third IPL title in 2024. A day prior to the announcement, Bravo had retired from all cricket. Apart from Gambhir, KKR also lost two of their assistant coaches, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, both of whom were also given roles in India’s support staff. At KKR, Bravo will have Chandrakant Pandit as head coach and Bharat Arun as bowling coach.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I’ve been part of the Trinbago Knight Riders for the last 10 years in the CPL. Having played for and against the Knight Riders in various leagues, I have a lot of respect for how they operate,” Bravo said in a statement. “The owners’ passion, the professionalism of the management, and the family-like environment make it a special place. This is the perfect platform for me as I transition from playing to mentoring and coaching the next generation of players.”The mentor role with KKR is Bravo’s second team management position in the IPL. Having joined CSK in 2011, he retired from the IPL after the 2022 season and joined the franchise as bowling coach from the 2023 season. Bravo had immediate success in his first coaching role as CSK won the title in 2023, to go with his three titles with them as a player. Among the best death bowlers in T20 cricket, Bravo is the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL history and the first player to win two purple caps in the tournament.Related

• Ottis Gibson takes charge as KKR assistant coach

• Russell and TKR pay tribute to CPL legend Bravo

• Injury draws curtains on Dwayne Bravo's CPL career

• Dwayne Bravo announces retirement from all cricket

With more than 500 T20s worth of experience, Bravo is considered by players and peers as among the best tacticians and motivators, qualities that had elevated him to the West Indies captaincy. He had retired from international cricket after the 2021 T20 World Cup, and while he continued to play in T20 leagues (at Mumbai Emirates in ILT20, Texas Super Kings in MLC and TKR in CPL), he gradually moved towards coaching. During the 2024 T20 World Cup, Bravo played a key role as a consultant coach for Afghanistan, helping the team making the semi-finals for the first time in their history.

The missing trophy is back in Australia’s hands to continue a run of considerable success under Cummins

AAP06-Jan-20253:19

Cummins on making WTC final: ‘It’s huge, we talk about it a lot’

There’s no end in sight for Pat Cummins’ captaincy as he prepares to put family first and skip his first full tour since taking over from Tim Paine four years ago.Sunday’s six-wicket win over India at the SCG on Sunday sealed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and ensured Australia own every bilateral trophy for which they compete, capping a superb run for the team under Cummins.With ODI and T20 World Cups also captured in that time, Cummins was asked after the SCG win if he felt he “had completed cricket”.Related

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• Australia book WTC final date with South Africa at Lord's

Cummins will likely miss Australia’s next tour, admitting on Sunday he “likely might struggle” to play in Sri Lanka as he awaits the birth of his second child.Steven Smith is expected to return to the captaincy in his place, having already filled in four times previously in the past four years. But in the long run, Cummins is still driven and in no way feels as if his job as captain has been finished.”First of all, I absolutely love what I do. That’s the biggest driver in wanting to play Test cricket and work with this team and support staff,” Cummins said. “I absolutely love everything about it; it’s that much fun. If I can keep doing it for a while, even better.”The transition of the Test team has been a key talking point for the past year, with Sam Konstas the only player in the fifth Test side under 30. But Cummins still has several years left in him with a mega 2027 on the horizon, which includes away Test tours of India and England, despite him initially hinting at a shorter tenure when he took over in 2021.Pat Cummins remained calm in the face of criticism early in the series•AFP

“You always talk about [succession]. We have two vice-captains in the team. We have had three debutants in this series,” Cummins said. “You’re always balancing between the here and now, but have a bit of an eye towards the future.”They are conversations we always have, but I don’t think there is any point in doing things for the sake of it. Those can play out over the next few years.”Cummins’ leadership in the 3-1 Border-Gavaskar trophy triumph was immense. The Australian team under his watch has often become a target for criticism, of which there was plenty after they were thrashed by 295 runs in the series opener.Claims of fractures in the team were known to have frustrated players, after press-conference comments from Josh Hazlewood were picked apart by sections of the media. The team’s preparation also came under the microscope, after Cummins and other players skipped white-ball matches in the lead up to the Tests.But Cummins pulled the right rein at almost every opportunity after Perth, with his captaincy at its peak in the final-hour win at the MCG last week.”When you start a series behind, a lot of things get questioned, fairly and unfairly,” Cummins said. “But I think it shows a strength of the group to stay strong. Know we weren’t at our best but we can be better.”

Half-centuries from Tom Haines, Tom Alsop and James Coles help put visitors in driving seat

ECB Reporters Network04-May-2024Sussex 357 for 5 (Pujara 104*, Coles 72, Alsop 64, Haines 58) lead Derbyshire 246 (Tickner 47) by 111 runsA century from Cheteshwar Pujara led a dominant Sussex batting display on the second day of the Vitality County Championship Division Two match with against Derbyshire at Derby.The Indian maestro scored an unbeaten 104 – his ninth hundred in three seasons with Sussex – with Tom Haines, Tom Alsop and James Coles all making half-centuries as the visitors closed on 357 for 5, a lead of 111. Sussex’s position would have been even better but for two late wickets for Luis Reece to keep Derbyshire in the game.The home side had earlier taken their first innings to 246 thanks to a career-best 47 from Blair Tickner who shared a ninth wicket stand of 68 with Jack Morley before Coles took 2 for 6 with his left-arm spin to finish off the innings.The cloud cover of the first day was replaced by patches of blue sky, making batting a more comfortable proposition and Tickner and Morley took advantage.Tickner pulled an Ollie Robinson no-ball to the ropes and there was more frustration for the pace bowler when Tom Clark put down a difficult low chance at second slip with Morley on 6.The pair completed a 50 stand from 75 balls and Tickner was in sight of a maiden first-class half-century when he made room to force Coles and was bowled by a quicker ball.Morley had played the supporting role, displaying sound defence, but with Tickner gone, he became more expansive and came down the pitch to dispatch Jack Carson over long-on for six. Derbyshire were closing in on a batting point when Morley used his feet again to try and force Coles through the off side but missed the ball and was stumped.Although their score was higher than had looked likely when the eighth wicket went down at 163, early wickets were needed to put Sussex under pressure and Daryn Dupavillon obliged in his second over. The South African fast bowler moved one back in from outside off to bowl Clark but the bowling was too inconsistent and Haines pounced on anything that was slightly offline.He reached his 50 which came from only 38 balls in the first over after lunch and the stand with Alsop was worth 90 when he played on aiming to cut a ball that was too close to him for the stroke.The sight of Pujara walking out to bat on a ground where he made a double-century two years ago was an ominous one from a Derbyshire point of view and he was soon working the ball around with a quiet assurance.Alsop reached his 50 with consecutive fours off Reece but two overs before tea, he aimed to work Anuj Dal through midwicket and was lbw.At the interval, Sussex were trailing by 50 and with Coles playing positively from the start, they began to take a grip on the match in the evening session. Coles launched Morley over long-on for six before Pujara reached 50 from 74 balls, the same number Coles needed to complete his when he pulled Zak Chappell to the fine leg boundary.The partnership was worth 141 when Coles drove Reece low to mid-off and after Pujara punched David Lloyd to the cover boundary for his 10th four to complete a century off 158 balls, Reece bowled John Simpson with one that straightened.Derbyshire claimed the new ball before the close but Pujara and Carson stood firm to ensure it was the visitors day.

Mousley takes T20 best 4 for 19, Alex Davies puts Bears run-chase on course with 42 off 24

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay20-Jun-2025Birmingham took the local derby honours against Worcestershire Rapids with a thrilling one-wicket Vitality Blast victory in a low-scoring nerve-shredder at Edgbaston.The Rapids, put in, floundered to 134 all out in 18.4 overs in the face of the experienced Bears spin attack. Dan Mousley took a T20 best 4 for 19, Danny Briggs 2 for 20 and Jake Lintott 2 for 27 as no batter reached 30.Warwickshire then scraped to 135 for 9 with three balls to spare. Alex Davies supplied a violent start and, after Fateh Singh (3 for 18) and Ben Dwarshuis (3 for 32), forced a collapse, last pair Sam Hain (38 not out) and Lintott took the Bears over the line.The Rapids charged to 39 from 21 balls before Mousley struck twice in three balls. Seventeen-year-old Isaac Mohammed, a product of the Edgbaston youth system before joining Worcestershire earlier this year, showed his class with a glorious six over long-off off Ed Barnard but then missed a full toss and was bowled. Jake Libby, off-balance, sliced to extra cover and it was three wickets for four runs from ten balls after Kashif Ali made a porridge of a pull at Briggs and was bowled.Adam Hose struck four fours to restore some momentum but his demise accelerated the collapse. Hose chipped Mousley to deep midwicket, Gareth Roderick swept Lintott’s first ball into the gloves of wicketkeeper Davies and Ethan Brookes drove Briggs to extra cover to supply the bowler’s 300th wicket in all T20 competitions across the world.Mousley’s fourth scalp arrived when Tom Taylor slogged to long-on. Dwarshuis socked Lintott for three successive sixes but, after the sequence was broken by a shrewd off-side wide, hoisted the next ball to long -off.Eight wickets having fallen in 12 overs, the Rapids’ last two wickets found themselves with 26 balls at their disposal. They gathered 15 runs before Jacob Duffy holed out to Barnard to cap the catalogue of carelessness that was the Rapids’ innings.Birmingham soon lost Tom Latham, who skied a slog at Dwarshuis, but were put on course for victory by Davies’ cameo. The captain hit 34 of his 42 runs in fours and sixes before lifting Singh’s first ball to Taylor at long-off.The Bears then emulated the Rapids’ collapse. Taylor took another calm catch in the same position when Mousley attacked Duffy. Warwickshire were still well in control, needing only six per over, but Moeen Ali and Barnard tried to go big and only sent up catches. When Barnard and Kai Smith, pinned lbw, fell to successive balls from Singh, the home side were 86 for 6.The Rapids were on a roll but Hain and George Garton applied some belated intelligence to the batting to add 25 in five overs before the latter was brilliantly caught at point by Mohammed off Duffy. With 21 needed from three overs, the Bears were leaning, as so often, on Hain.Hasan Ali slogged six and glanced four from successive balls in the penultimate over from Dwarshuis to take his side within three of victory. The Pakistan star then skied to deep extra cover but the Bears needed three from the last over, with Hain on strike – and the Bears’ talisman, with mature support from Lintott, saw his side home.

The ICC is believed to have informally told PCB it was an early technical error, the explanation, however, has left PCB dissatisfied

Danyal Rasool21-Feb-2025The PCB has asked for an explanation from ICC over the omission of Pakistan’s name in the Champions Trophy branding during the live broadcast of Thursday’s match between India and Bangladesh in Dubai. The logo in the top left corner of the broadcast carried the event name – Champions Trophy 2025 – but not the name of Pakistan, the hosts, for the entirety of the match, which India won by six wickets.This was a departure from the broadcast graphics for the other matches of the tournament so far including the tournament opener between Pakistan played New Zealand in Karachi where the event name, as well as Pakistan’s name was visible on the broadcast. It was also visible for today’s game between Afghanistan and South Africa in Karachi. PCB is understood to be aggrieved at the situation and asked for assurances it will not happen again.While the ICC is believed to have informally told PCB it was an early technical error, the explanation has left PCB dissatisfied. Graphics are prepared by the ICC and provided to the live feed, produced by UK-based Sunset & Vine under ICC’s supervision, well in advance; that Pakistan’s name was on the logo for the opening game of the tournament has left PCB unconvinced over why the issue arose for the game between Bangladesh and India.The ICC maintains the incident occurred due to a technical glitch and has clarified this is not an issue that will affect any future games, regardless of whether they are played in Pakistan or the UAE. The next game in the UAE will also be the tournament’s most followed, with India taking on the official hosts Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday.The issue over where the tournament takes place became contentious in the months leading up to the tournament, with Pakistan demanding they host every game, since the ICC had awarded them rights to the whole tournament. The BCCI informed the PCB the Indian government did not permit them to play in Pakistan, and insisted on a neutral venue for India’s matches. Ultimately a deal was struck that guarantees India will not need to play in Pakistan, including if they reach the final. As a reciprocal arrangement, Pakistan will not travel to India for any ICC events for the next three years, with their games agreed to be played at neutral venues.

The New Zealand quick crushed it in dry conditions, finishing with three wickets on the first day

Andrew Fidel Fernando18-Sep-2024In his first outing as a red-ball bowler in Asia, Will O’Rourke was a menace. In his first spell, when the pitch was at its bounciest, he was rapid – sometimes breaching 140kph, and generated uncomfortable bounce from his six-foot-four-inch frame.His first Test wicket in the continent came from a bouncer, with experienced opener Dimuth Karunaratne so shaken by the deliveries O’Rourke had bowled to him previously, that he fenced at one he could have left, and edged it to the wicketkeeper.Pathum Nissanka, a centurion in the last Test innings he played, barely 10 days ago, was dismissed by an even better ball, a rapid, yorker he brought his bat down too late on, and which ended up rattling his stumps.Related

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Often foreign seamers struggle in their first outings in dry conditions. O’Rourke crushed it.”Me and Tim Southee as the pace bowlers have the role to be aggressive and bowl quick and unsettle people – that’s what we’ve talked about with coach Gary Stead and bowling Jacob Oram,” O’Rourke said.In his first five-over spell, O’Rourke took two wickets for 26.”A lot of the talk going into the game was maybe that the pitch was a little bit flat and a little bit slow. We probably wanted to have a bat first. But we had a bowl, and Tim and I were getting good carry, so the communication was to run in hard and hit the deck hard. I probably scattered it around a bit more than I wanted to, but when I hit the right spot I was lucky enough to get a few edges.”O’Rourke’s third wicket was especially impressive. Not only did he get one to rise sharply to smack Angelo Mathews on the index finger late in the first session, causing Mathews to retire hurt at the time. But when Mathews – frequently a good player of fast bowling – returned to the crease, O’Rourke got his wicket with another short, sharp delivery, one that a seemingly muddled Mathews fended at from a bad position.”It’s very special being this early on in my career bowling to legends like Angelo Mathews,” O’Rourke said. “One ball maybe jumped and caught him on the finger and unsettled him a little bit. It’s special to be able to bowl to greats like him and lucky enough to get his wicket at the end.”O’Rourke, in his third Test, is also reveling in having Southee as a mentor. Southee has bowled several memorable spells in Sri Lanka, including in Galle on the morning of the second day in a 2012 Test. Southee also averages an impressive 18.46 against this opposition.”It’s been awesome having Tim as captain. Having another fast bowler as captain who has done as much for the game as he has – it can only be a good thing for a young guy coming through. Getting him at mid-on, or even third slip when he comes over and gives you a wee pointer – that’s a big part of our team and a big part of helping me out.”

Visitors bounce back from 58 for 6 on back of 82-run seventh-wicket stand with Adam Hose

ECB Reporters Network06-Jun-2024Notts Outlaws suffered their third defeat in three North Group matches as Worcestershire Rapids repeated their 2023 Vitality Blast victory at Trent Bridge to make it two wins from three.The Rapids recovered from 58 for 6 to finish on 154 for 8 after New Zealand seamer Nathan Smith hit a career-best 51 not out from 35 balls, sharing an 82-run seventh-wicket stand with stand-in skipper Adam Hose, who hit 36 from 37 after being dropped on nought.Kiwi left-armer Ben Lister (2 for 20) and leg spinner Calvin Harrison (1 for 14) were the pick of the Outlaws bowlers.With their biggest batting hopes back in the hut inside the powerplay, Notts were never really in contention in the face of some disciplined bowling and sharp fielding from the Rapids, Will Young top scoring with a modest 25. Seamer Tom Taylor took 2 for 23.After Joe Clarke remained still to win a toss as the Outlaws captain in this format, Hose opted to bat but after a flying start to a powerplay made up of six overs of pace, the visitors stuttered to 42 for 3 in the absence of the injured Brett D’Oliveira.The first two overs yielded 25 but then Olly Stone removed both openers in the space of four balls, Matthew Waite top-edging to short fine leg, Ed Pollock losing his middle stump to a peach. Dillon Pennington missed out when Hose was dropped behind the stumps but had Josh Cobb caught on the leg-side rope.Three wickets lost in as many overs then plunged the Rapids into serious trouble. Ethan Brookes risked a second run on a misfield and paid the price, Rob Jones, on his Rapids Blast debut, hoicked Lister to fine leg for 1 and Harrison bowled Taylor to leave Rapids six down in the ninth.Yet Hose and Smith batted smartly, the latter passing his previous best of 38 when he hammered Lister over long-on for his second six, and were not parted until Lister bowled the former with a slower ball in the 18th. Lyndon James picked up the wicket of Hayden Walsh in the last over but the Rapids had something to defend.And that defence started superbly as danger men Clarke and Hales were out in single figures, the former chipping tamely back to the bowler before Hales found Brookes on the square-leg boundary, When Haynes, one of three former Pears in the Outlaws side, was leg before to Adam Finch, Notts were 29 for 3 from 5.3 overs.By the halfway point, seven wickets remained intact with 94 still needed but Matt Montgomery and Young, who had added 44 in six overs, were out to consecutive balls, the former hitting straight to extra cover off Taylor, who then fortuitously diverted a James drive to run out Young at the non-striker’s end.When James holed out to deep midwicket in the 15th, the required rate was up to 13 runs per over. Harrison was a little unlucky to be run out, stumbling as he tried to recover his ground as Tom Moores send him back, after which Moores and Stone flung the bat gamely but were always destined to fall well short.

Maddinson made his second successive century while Will Pucovski and Peter Handscomb posted unbeaten half-centuries to put Victoria in command

AAP17-Feb-2024Resurgent Victoria batter Nic Maddinson has scored a century for a second-straight Sheffield Shield match to continue his impressive return from a serious knee injury.The former Test player hit a superb 108 from 136 balls to put Victoria into a commanding position at stumps on day two against New South Wales at the SCG on Saturday.Victoria are 277 for 2, holding a first-innings lead of 25, with Will Pucovski and Peter Handscomb making unbeaten half-centuries to put the visitors on top at stumps.Maddinson’s 17th first-class century comes two weeks after he hit a dominant 104 against South Australia in his first Shield innings since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in a BBL game on New Year’s Day 2023. It was also his ninth for Victoria and his third against his former state. He averages 52.09 in his last 37 Shield innings since moving states in 2018.Despite struggling for form during his return to cricket in the BBL for the Melbourne Renegades, Maddinson has quickly returned to his best in the longer form of the game.Maddinson put on a 114-run opening stand with Marcus Harris in reply to NSW’s 252. Harris made 32 from 117 but fell to a wild shot off Nathan Lyon. The Test spinner claimed both Victorian wickets in his last Shield appearance before embarking on Australia’s tour of New Zealand.But it has been tough going in the field for the Blues, rotating through seven bowlers as they search for breakthroughs.Pucovski will be vying to score his seventh first-class century when play resumes on Sunday with he and Handscomb sharing an unbeaten century stand after Maddinson’s dismissal.The talented 26-year-old missed Victoria’s last-start Shield win against South Australia due to suffering delayed symptoms of concussion. But Pucovski, regarded as one of Australia’s brightest batting prospects, recently spoke about feeling more on top of his mental health battles and concussion issues than ever before.Pucovski’s last first-class century came back in November 2020, two months before he made his one and only Test appearance.