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Jonathan Trott eased to a trouble-free century as England finetuned their preparations for next week’s first Test on a sleepy second day in Chittagong

Andrew Miller in Chittagong09-Mar-2010Bangladesh’s most-capped cricketer, Mohammad Ashraful, has been omitted from the Test squad for the forthcoming series against England, after failing to convince the selectors that he is in the right frame of mind to resume his international career.Ashraful, 25, missed last week’s ODI series in a bid to recapture his form following a poor tour of New Zealand, but in consecutive first-class matches for Dhaka Division, he made 21 runs in four innings, including three ducks.His final chance to impress the selectors came during his captaincy stint for Bangladesh A against England at Chittagong, but having managed just 1 in the first innings, he was bowled by Amjal Shahzad for 30 on the third and final morning of the match.Ashraful has played in 53 of Bangladesh’s 64 Tests to date, having made his mark with a debut century against Sri Lanka in November 2001, when he was just 16 years old. However, he has never yet featured in a home Test against England, having been dropped for the 2003 series, again due to a loss of form.The Bangladesh selectors have named a 14-man squad which includes the centurion from the warm-up match, Raqibul Hasan, as well as no fewer than three left-arm spinners – the captain Shakib Al Hasan, Abdur Razzak and Enamul Haque Jr – in response to Kevin Pietersen’s much-publicised problems against that style of bowling.Ironically, Pietersen fell to Ashraful’s spin for 20 on the final afternoon of the tour match.Bangladesh squad Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Aftab Ahmed, Mahmudullah, Raqibul Hasan, Naeem Islam, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Abdur Razzak, Enamul Haque Jr, Shahadat Hossain.

Pakistan lost a referral after an lbw appeal against Grant Elliott was turned down due to Mohammad Asif overstepping, something which the on-field umpire overlooked

Cricinfo staff27-Nov-2009The fourth day’s play between New Zealand and Pakistan in Dunedin revealed a minor loophole in the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), making its official debut in this Test. When Mohammad Asif challenged Billy Doctrove’s decision – in favour of Grant Elliott – the replays showed that while the batsman was plumb lbw, Asif had marginally overstepped. It would have been a successful challenge but for the no-ball that was originally missed by Doctrove. Yet it ended up costing Pakistan a run and, more importantly, it counted as an unsuccessful challenge.It raised the question of whether the bowling side should be expected to keep an eye on no-balls, or actually be penalised for having missed one. The ICC’s regulations remain silent on the issue. A guide to the system circulated several days ago by the ICC offered this: “If the original decision of ‘out’ is upheld but for a different method of dismissal than the on-field umpire originally intended, then the review will still be regarded as being unsuccessful.” But it doesn’t advise on cases when the original decision of “not-out” is upheld for reasons other than originally intended by the on-field umpire.The ICC’s Umpires and Referees Manager Doug Cowie admitted a solution for the blip had yet to be found. “We’ll look into that one,” Cowie was quoted as saying in the “It might be one of the things we fine tune when we look into the whole business later on.”We did explore that idea about what happens in a no-ball situation. It’s an interesting one, but I don’t know how you get around it.”When contacted after Friday’s incident, Dave Richardson, the ICC’s cricket operations manager, said it was not a loophole but an issue that needs sorting before every series. “It was something that was not covered specifically in the playing conditions. But I know that in the Australia series it was decided beforehand if that happens [a no-ball which is initially overlooked], the fielding team would not lose out on a review. Obviously in the New Zealand series they haven’t decided, and now they can’t introduce it in the middle of the play.”The umpires followed the book in New Zealand, and Doug Cowie, the ICC’s umpires manager, said that the final decision remained not-out so it is counted as unsuccessful.

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

Travis Head made a positive 89 but the home side’s hopes were forlorn from the start and it was over shortly after tea

Tristan Lavalette25-Nov-2024Completing a remarkable turnaround, India wrapped up a famous Test victory at Optus Stadium with a 295-run victory over Australia in a one-sided result set to cause aftershocks in the latest tussle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.The result was essentially a formality throughout the fourth day despite counterattacking knocks from Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh. India’s deserved victory was official just after tea when Harshit Rana knocked over Alex Carey as they drew first blood in the five-match series.Related

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It was a memorable performance from India, who drew on a heroic effort from stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah. He claimed eight wickets for the match, while Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli produced outstanding centuries in India’s second innings to decimate a flagging Australia.India had largely been written off after an unprecedented 3-0 home whitewash against New Zealand. They entered the series-opener without having played an official match on tour and were shorthanded without captain Rohit Sharma and injured batter Shubman Gill.Under intense pressure, coach Gautam Gambhir made the right moves and the brave selection calls, which included veteran spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja being left out, were vindicated.Bumrah, particularly, deserves a lot of credit for galvanising a new-look team and he led from the front with a mesmerising spell late on day one to haul India back into the match after they had been bundled out for 150 having won the toss.Usman Khawaja fell to a miscued hook•Getty Images

There is set to be recriminations for Australia, who underwhelmed in their first Test since March’s New Zealand tour. There will be questions raised over the limited preparations of a number of players.Australia’s misfiring top-order will be particularly under the spotlight, especially No. 3 Marnus Labuschagne who scored 5 runs in the match to continue a lengthy form slump.Having started so well on the opening day, Australia’s bowling wilted in India’s second innings with captain Pat Cummins enduring a rare off match. Cummins had not played a red-ball match since March, preferring his series build-up through three 50-over games in the lead-up, and he finished with the modest match figures of 3 for 153 from 40.4 overs.Australia appeared flummoxed with the changing conditions of the pitch, which was spicy on day one before flattening out for most of day two and three. Cracks did widen as the match wore on and created up-and-down bounce to make batting difficult on the fourth day.Resuming at 12 for 3, after a disastrous start amid the shadows late on day three, Australia confronted an India attack eyeing to finish things off quickly.Australia’s hopes of chasing down a record 534 runs were forlorn but they aimed to at least muster some spirit which had seemingly been broken over the last couple of days.After a golden duck in the first innings, having returned to his favoured No. 4 position, Steven Smith fronted up to his nemesis Bumrah, who on the first ball of the day’s play had a loud lbw appeal turned down although in an anti-climax it was a no-ball.Travis Head edged behind for an excellent 89•Getty Images

Smith was relieved when he got off the mark on his fourth delivery with a trademark drive through the covers. But Australia’s woes reared in the next over after opener Usman Khawaja fell off the first short ball of the day’s play when he top-edged quick Mohammed Siraj and was caught by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant running back.Having had lbw issues recently, Smith made a technical adjustment and his trigger movement was not as pronounced as in the first innings when Bumrah pinned him in front of the stumps. Smith still faced a battle and copped a painful blow in the ribs from debutant quick Rana that left him on his back and in agony.He bravely continued batting and combined well with Head, who backed his aggressive instincts and counterattacked as they produced Australia’s first half-century partnership of the match.India dried up the scoring for Smith with Bumrah packing the legside with fielders as pressure built. Smith’s 60-ball resistance ended when he nicked off a superb back of a length delivery from a pumped-up Siraj that straightened off the seam and caught the edge.After a tough return to bowling, where his modestly-paced seamers were treated with disdain on day three by India’s batters, Marsh hoped to finish his home Test match strongly.He was all at sea before the lunch break and hit on the gloves several times but managed to hang in. Marsh and Head, who both entered the match with a limited build-up having been on paternity leave, made batting look relatively easy after the interval in a time of day that had been the best for batting through the match.Head motored towards a century and as per usual attacked any width and continually flayed through the offside, while Marsh struck several lusty aerial blows in a speedy half-century partnership.But Bumrah returned and he produced a superb back of a length delivery that caught Head’s edge on 89 and prompted impassioned celebrations from Kohli.Marsh also missed a milestone when on 47 he chopped on to allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who capped an impressive debut with his first Test wicket.Mitchell Starc was sharply held at short leg, giving Washington Sundar his first wicket of the match, and it wasn’t long before India claimed a victory they will savour for some time as the pressure starts to intensify on Australia.

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.”

The legspinner will miss the remainder of England’s tour after landing heavily in the field

ESPNcricinfo staffUpdated on 02-Apr-2024England legspinner Sarah Glenn has been released from the ODI squad for the remainder of their tour of New Zealand after suffering a concussion during the T20I leg.Glenn picked up the concussion when she landed heavily after dropping a catch in the third T20I in Nelson. She did not immediately leave the field and came on to bowl the next over but then went off. At the change of innings she was subbed out for Holly Armitage.Glenn missed the final two T20Is of England’s 4-1 series win, and could only have been available for the third and final ODI in Hamilton on April 7 after following the ECB Graded Return to Play Protocols.Now, however, it has been confirmed that she will return home early, after it was decided that she would not be fit to feature at any stage of the series. No replacement has been called up.England were able to replace Glenn with leading spinner Sophie Ecclestone in Wellington after the players who had featured in the WPL became available. Alongside Ecclestone, that included Danni Wyatt, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Alice Capsey, who all played the fourth T20I which saw England wrap up the series with a commanding 47-run victory.Offspinner Charlie Dean claimed four wickets in the fourth T20I, and followed that with an impressive allround display in the first ODI in Wellington, where she and Amy Jones combined in an unbeaten 130-run stand for the seventh wicket to seal a tight four-wicket win.When everyone is available England could field a strong spin attack of Dean, Ecclestone and Glenn, supplemented by captain Heather Knight, which bodes well for their prospects at the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.Meanwhile, New Zealand have an injury concern of their own after captain Sophie Devine sustained a quad strain in Wellington which has so far ruled her out of the final T20I and the first ODI as well.This story was updated on April 2, following confirmation of Glenn’s release from England’s squad

Australia need England to level the series 2-2 in Ahmedabad to qualify to play New Zealand

Andrew McGlashan02-Mar-2021England will have some unusual support in their final Test against India with Australia, perhaps through gritted teeth, hoping their arch rivals can secure victory to give them a place in the World Test Championship final.Australia have needed favours from England throughout the series since their tour of South Africa was postponed due to Covid-19, taking it out of their hands whether they will qualify to play New Zealand in the late-June encounter.There were a variety of series outcomes that would have put Australia through, but the only one left is for England to level the scoreline at 2-2 in Ahmedabad. England’s two-day defeat in the third Test put England themselves out of the running for the final.Related

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“[There’s a] bit of self-interest there for us. We’ll be hoping they can do the job there,” Andrew McDonald, Australia’s assistant coach who is in charge of the team in New Zealand, said.”It’s going to be difficult for them, no doubt, some of the surfaces have been conducive to spin bowling and probably India’s strengths in their ability to play spin as well. We wish them well. See what unfolds, it’s out of our hands but we’ll be watching along with interest.”Think most people have been watching that series with some great interest in terms of the conditions and the short nature of the Tests has been very interesting to watch from afar.”However, David Warner won’t be able to bring himself to support England although would gladly take a spot in the final. “I won’t be barracking for England,” he said. “From a cricket perspective we’d like to see a draw [in the series]. It would be ideal for us to make the World Test Championship final and if that happens it’s a great result for us.”If it had not been for points docked for a slow over-rate against India in Melbourne, Australia would have qualified for the final once their South Africa tour was called off. If they do not sneak through with England’s help it will mean their next Test cricket will not be until late this year with the Ashes or potentially a one-off match against Afghanistan beforehand.For his part, Joe Root, the England captain, said he wouldn’t see beating India as doing Australia a favour.”I would see it as us ending the series as a drawn series and us doing something special here in India,” Root said. “Unfortunately we can’t qualify for that final, but it would be a fantastic achievement for us to have drawn this series and as an England captain that is about as much as I can say.”New Zealand, meanwhile, can watch it all unfold having booked their spot in the final weeks ago, and they weren’t stating a preference of opponent. “It’s out of my hands,” coach Gary Stead said. “I know it’s either going to be India or Australia, we’ve put England to side, but it doesn’t really worry me.”

Australia’s visit makes for the perfect dessert after a slap-up cricketing feast

Andrew Miller03-Sep-2020

September is upon us, schools are going back, nights are drawing in, but the cricketing treats just keep on coming in this most delayed gratification of a summer schedule.There was a time, not so long ago, when the prospect of this many white-ball games against Australia this deep into an English season would fill most of the home contingent with dread – the most damning example coming in Australia’s 6-1 filleting of Andrew Strauss’s sated side in 2009, although the same autumnal fate awaited England’s Ashes winners in 2013 and 2015 too.Right now, however, what would any of us rather be tuning into? Having waited so long for this season even to begin, and having doubted for longer still that Australia would actually show up for their share of the action, here we are, with the prospect of six more contests to round off the summer and give the impression, statistically speaking at least, that 2020 was actually a fairly standard season after all – blighted by English rain, obviously, but nothing else untoward, surely?As Mark Wood put it in his typically effusive tones on Wednesday, and Eoin Morgan reiterated on Thursday, there’s something special about an Anglo-Aussie clash, regardless of context. It’s England’s biggest rivalry, and the oldest, and the fact that Australia come in as the No.1-ranked side in T20Is merely adds to the two team’s desires to, on the one hand defend that status, and on the other to knock them down a peg.Australia arrive with a quietly formidable side, powered by a pair of quicks in Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins who would grace any team in the world, backed up by the established twin-spin pairing of Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar, and with Aaron Finch and David Warner leading off a batting line-up that will feature the unfettered talents of Glenn Maxwell for the first time in 2020, following his decision to take a break for his mental health last October.England’s T20I squad pose for a socially-distanced team photo•Getty Images

It’s an uncomplicated formula that has reaped rich rewards in the format – they’ve won four series in a row since the start of 2019, and Morgan intimated that Australia would begin this campaign as favourites given that his own side are still rather more pre-occupied with broadening their base than sharpening their first XI. It’s unfortunate on several levels for Australia that this winter’s T20 World Cup has been postponed. Going into that campaign on home soil, in ordinary circumstances, they would surely have been overwhelming favourites.Then again, England have had the better of Australia in white-ball cricket for quite some time now, and while Aussies don’t scare easily, they’ll doubtless have one or two painful memories of their last few clashes in coloured clothing – the World Cup semi-final at Edgbaston, for starters, where England produced their most complete evisceration of a somewhat erratic campaign, and atoned for their group-stage loss at Lord’s. And if that doesn’t spook them, there’s the memories of 481 for 6 and all that from the summer of 2018 – the apogee of England’s 5-0 ODI thrashing with which they confirmed their readiness for the challenges ahead.That said, England are far from the finished article in T20Is. That much is clear from this week alone, after they were outmuscled in the third and final contest by a fervent Pakistan, in the Powerplay with the ball, and in the death overs with the bat, where it is so hard to hit the ground running when wickets start to fall, and equally hard to get the match practice required to be the hero that the team needs as such moments. The timely return to form for Moeen Ali may be a huge boon on that front – the one thing that can be said for his recent abject run of batting form is that he has never died wondering in his brief stays in the middle. Sam Billings can also face an important audition in the coming days, as England are starting to expect a return on the investment that’s been put in him in recent times.Whatever transpires, if the weather stays remotely clear, the next fortnight of action promises a fitting send-off to a summer that has been like no other in living memory – and that more than anything is the message to absorb in the coming days. As recently as July, we were still hoping against hope that something, anything, could be salvaged from the English cricket season. Irrespective of the setbacks along the way, the fare on offer so far has been beyond anyone’s realistic expectations. A visit by Australia makes for the perfect dessert.

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

Australia WLWWW

Welcome back to the white-ball world, Jofra Archer. For myriad reasons – injury, rotation and bio-bubbles among them – the hero of England’s World Cup Super Over has not been seen in coloured clothing since that extraordinary climax at Lord’s last July. But here he is, back in the format that – for all his promise across every length of the game – he has truly made his own with his world-beating exploits on the T20 circuit for Sussex, Rajasthan, Hobart, Quetta and wherever else he may have roamed. And you sense that, after cutting a somewhat peripheral figure during an arduous Test leg of the summer, he’ll rather relish getting back to delivering short, sharp shocks of his extraordinarily versatile skills. Raw pace, pinpoint yorkers, unfathomable slower balls. No time like the present to remind everyone why he was the point of difference in that run to glory last year.Chris Jordan and Jofra Archer in the nets with England•Getty Images

And welcome back to England, David Warner, the pantomime villain de nos jours. As if the idea of England and Australia battling it out behind closed doors isn’t strange enough already, imagine how eery the echoing environment of the Ageas Bowl will feel for Warner in particular, without a packed English crowd taunting him about sandpaper or Stuart Broad at every turn. On his last visit to England, he famously signed off with 95 runs at 9.50 in the Ashes, with Broad cramping his style time and time again with seven dismissals from that round-the-wicket line. But let’s not forget he had been a different beast in the preceding World Cup, with three hundreds and 647 at 71.88 in Australia’s run to the semi-finals. Somewhere between those two contrasting memories, he’ll doubtless find equilibrium for the challenge ahead.

Plenty to ponder for England as they rebalance their line-up after the experimental outings against Pakistan. Jos Buttler is back, and in the absence of Jason Roy, he will be partnered at the top of the order by Jonny Bairstow, all of whom were described by Morgan as “three of our greatest white-ball players”. That will leave an interesting decision at No.3, where Dawid Malan is the incumbent, having produced an important half-century in England’s second T20I win over Pakistan, but where Tom Banton might feel he deserves an opportunity, following his full-throttle displays at the top of the order last week. Sam Billings should get another chance to prove his finishing credentials in the middle order, while Sam Curran might get a go to prove his versatility at No.7 after cutting his international teeth in the Test arena. With Archer back in harness, Mark Wood’s absence of subtlety might be vying with Tom Curran’s death-over wiles for the final bowling berth.England (possible): 1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Tom Banton / Dawid Malan, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Sam Billings, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood / Tom CurranDespite his burgeoning reputation across formats, Marnus Labuschagne won’t be inked in for a T20I debut just yet, with Steve Smith preferred as the tempo-setter at No.3, and Glenn Maxwell back as the man who makes things happen at No.4, in place of Matthew Wade. Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey look set to be given the mid-innings roles at 5 and 6, while Kane Richardson is the likeliest candidate to complete the five-prong attack that has done as much as any unit to lift Australia to the No.1 ranking.Australia (possible): 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 David Warner, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Mitchell Marsh, 6 Alex Carey, 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Adam Zampa, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Kane Richardson

Australia have been more than happy with the warm-up surfaces for their intra-squad contests at the Ageas Bowl, and Aaron Finch said he was expecting decent scores on a strip with good carry. A bright Friday evening is in prospect in Southampton, which augurs well for another entertaining clash.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have won nine of their 16 T20Is against England since their first encounter in 2005, including seven of their ten meetings this decade.
• However, England won their most recent engagement, at Edgbaston in 2018, where they posted 221 for 5, their highest T20I total against Australia.
• Finch needs 11 runs to become the second Australian after Warner to reach 2000 in T20Is.
• Australia have won just one of their 11 scheduled T20Is in England, but it did come at the Ageas Bowl in 2013, where Finch posted a remarkable 156 out of 248 for 6.
• Australia have lost eight of those games with two no-results – a run that includes five successive losses against non-English opposition, at the World T20 in 2009 and the neutral series against Pakistan the following year.

“For the first time this summer we’re seeing a majority of our best team on the park [but] I don’t think we have to go out and pick our best XI every series, because we can’t put all our eggs in one basket. You need 16 or 17 players in the lead-in to World Cup selection that are all vying for a position in the best 15.”
“The England-Australia rivalry is always huge, regardless of who you’re playing in front of or where you’re playing, I think you could play it in the street and it’d still be there. It’s just a great rivalry.”.”

As the possibility of a Test debut looms, the Cape Cobras batsman says time off during MSL helped channel his game better

Liam Brickhill09-Jan-2019Zubayr Hamza doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, but the possibility of making his debut in the current South Africa batting unit is “something you only dream of”.Hamza has been travelling as a reserve batsman in the Test squad, but Faf du Plessis’ suspension has opened up an opportunity for the 23-year-old to be South Africa’s 100th cap since readmission.”As a batting unit, It’s something you only dream of, batting with these guys, playing in the same side and representing your country,” said Hamza at the Wanderers on Wednesday. “I haven’t received confirmation if I am playing or not. If given the chance that would be great, I have really enjoyed my time so far, the training has been intense and everyone has been welcoming. I have felt comfortable within the team surrounding. If given the chance, I am looking forward to it. There is a lot of excitement at the moment.”Hamza is yet to score a first-class century this season (he has three fifties for Cape Cobras), but has enjoyed an otherwise fruitful run at franchise level over the last two years, averaging a shade over 49 with nine centuries, including an unbeaten double. Although he is lacking in match time after missing out on the Mzansi Super League and a round of CSA four-day matches since he has been with the squad, he remains confident about his preparation and form.”It was disappointing, but the month off [from the MSL] gave me perspective and I focused on working on myself and on my game,” he explained. “Yes I haven’t started off too well this season with franchise cricket but I don’t feel out of form. I still feel like I’m batting well and that I have a lot to offer. The runs and performances haven’t shown it but that is not how I feel, I have been batting well. I have been training well with the world-class coaching staff that we have here, and I have learnt a lot so far.”Born and bred in Cape Town, Hamza matriculated from Rondebosch Boys High School. It is an institution that has produced a notable cricketing alumni including Jonathan Trott, Gary Kirsten, HD Ackerman and Andrew Puttick, who also played an early role in guiding Hamza’s development before he blossomed under Cobras coach Ashwell Prince.While not many will have seen him bat before, Hamza’s promising first-class record speaks for itself. He is a batsman with the kind of grit that could help him slot easily into a squad that has thrived off fast bowling and braved batting in seam-friendly conditions, and professed a “willingness to battle” as what he will look to bring to the side if selected.Hamza described his style as “at times free-flowing, but also willing to graft. Never looking the prettiest, but I take pride out of the innings where there’s a bit of struggle in them.” He grew up idolising players such as Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla, but says he has been feeding off most of the players in the squad on what it takes to perform at international level.”When I look up to someone, it’s not necessarily the person they are, but a combination of a whole lot of people and what they bring to the game,” Hamza said. “Faf for example is very cool and calm at the crease. Then there’s Kallis’ technique, or Virat Kohli’s passion. Stuff like that, I pay attention to. I look up to those things.”I have learnt a lot from every individual in the team, whether it is on the field or off the field. For me, I’d like to stay true to myself and stick to the game plans that have got me to this position. I will try to be self-confident and have self-belief.”I have tucked under a few guys’ wings so far,” he admitted. “I’ve been leeching as much information as I can about what it takes to perform at this level, and then sort of combining it and finding my own mixture to try and perform as an individual.”

They have never won a Test series in the West Indies, and considering the hosts’ form, they have a good chance to break that duck now

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Jun-20182:30

‘I want to break Brian Lara’s 400’

Big Picture

That we have got to the eve of this first Test with no changes to the schedule is a small miracle. Sri Lanka-West Indies matches are prone to postponement and cancellation. Broadcasters feel the markets too small, and the time difference too great to sustain long-format cricket between these teams. They would rather see them play T20 cricket, or perhaps ODIs. But somehow, this time, the series appears as if it will be played as planned. It is not melodramatic to suggest that this could be the last ever three-Test encounter between these sides, because that way goes the cricket schedule.Considering the Test series planned for 2013 was turned into an ODI tri-series, the last time West Indies and Sri Lanka met for Test cricket in the Caribbean was in 2008. Back then Ramnaresh Sarwan was still playing, Chaminda Vaas was a new-ball bowler, and Rangana Herath was just a… okay, he was already pretty old. Point is, things have changed. West Indies’ top order is more brittle now – Roston Chase sporting their best average, a tick over 38. Sri Lanka’s fast bowling stocks have been depleted – Lahiru Kumara, their second most-experienced seamer with only nine Tests to his name. Both teams also know what a struggle it can be to rebuild following great players’ exits.It is difficult to pin down form going into this Test, because it has been so long since either team has played. West Indies’ most-recent Test was all the way back in the first half of December. Sri Lanka’s had wrapped up in early February. The one fact to recommend the visitors in this series is that Tests are probably their best format now, with a settled top order in place, and an effective spin-department led by Herath. In their last three series, all of which were overseas, Sri Lanka won against Pakistan, drew two matches against India, and beat Bangladesh – all of which are creditable achievements. West Indies, meanwhile, have won only one series in their last 11 – against Zimbabwe.Sri Lanka, for all the greats that have played for them over the years, have never quite managed to win a series in the Caribbean. Strangely, although they had one of their worst years in 2017, they have arrived on the islands feeling as if they have a good chance on this attempt. But as England found out last year at Headingley, this West Indies side has the capacity to surprise.3:21

‘If you can keep wicket in Sri Lanka, you can keep anywhere’

Form guide

Sri LankaWDDLD (completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LLDWL

In the spotlight

Don’t say it too loudly, but there is a little of the regality of the old West Indian batsmen in 21-year-old Guyanese, Shimron Hetmyer. He hasn’t cracked the top level. Not even close. But there are glimpses of a wonderful player in his imperious pull shots, and his dismissive drives. In New Zealand last December, he had faced down one of the best attacks around and hit a sparkling 66 to light up the Basin Reserve. The issue for Hetmyer is that there is no consistency yet. His other scores in that series were 13, 28 and 15. Perhaps, against a weaker Sri Lanka pace attack, he can put a few more good performances together, and kick his career into a higher gear.Dinesh Chandimal took over the captaincy at one of Sri Lanka’s lowest ebbs, and within a few series, he has begun to make something of this team. His own batting has been crucial to the cause. Once a producer of flashy fifties, he is now workman-like to a fault, batting slow, batting long, often bailing innings out, sometimes even grinding down the opposition bowlers for other batsmen to take advantage of their exhaustion. He has already overseen an important series victory over Pakistan, in the UAE, but the prospect of achieving a series win in West Indies – something no other Sri Lanka captain has done – may be special motivation.Roshen Silva and Niroshan Dickwella prepare for a hit in the nets•Getty Images

Team news

The two fresh entrants into the squad, opener Devon Smith and wicketkeeper-batsman Jahmar Hamilton, may be left out of the playing XI. Devendra Bishoo is the only specialist spinner in the squad, so in Trinidad, he is likely to have a place in the XI.West Indies (possible): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Shane Dowrich (wk), 7 Jason Holder (capt.), 8 Devendra Bishoo, 9 Miguel Cummins, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shannon GabrielDhananjaya de Silva, who delayed his departure to the West Indies because of the murder of his father, may have arrived too late to be available for the first Test. If he doesn’t take his spot at No. 3, Kusal Perera could be deployed there. Uncapped Mahela Udawatte might take the injured Dimuth Karunaratne’s place at the top of the order. Sri Lanka also have a difficult decision to make on which of their offspinners they should field. Akila Dananjaya is the more attacking option, but Dilruwan Perera’s batting may earn him the spot.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Kusal Mendis, 2 Mahela Udawatte, 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Roshen Silva, 5 Dinesh Chandimal (capt.), 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Lahiru Gamage

Pitch and conditions

The weather in Port-of-Spain is expected to be good for the majority of the game, with the temperature in the low 30C range. The pitch generally takes a bit of turn.

Stats and trivia

• Chandimal has an average of 48.5 across his 10 Tests as captain, against an average of 42.33 when he is not leading.
• Sri Lanka have played only six Tests in the West Indies in total, winning only one of those games, in 2008. All their series before this one were restricted to two Tests only.
• West Indies, however, have won only two of their last 12 Tests at home.