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Pakistan have called up 17-year-old Mohammad Asghar as a back up for legspinner Yasir Shah in the Test squad in Australia

Umar Farooq08-Dec-2016Pakistan have called up 17-year-old Mohammad Asghar as a back up for legspinner Yasir Shah in the Test squad in Australia. Yasir missed the ongoing tour game in Cairns with a back problem, which prompted the PCB to send the uncapped left-arm spinner Ashgar down under.Left-arm allrounder Mohammad Nawaz is the only other spin option in Pakistan’s Test squad.Asghar was originally considered for the tour of Australia because he had been pulled out of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League to play first-class cricket in Pakistan, but the selectors eventually named the same squad that played the Tests in New Zealand.He bowled only 6.2 overs and took one wicket in his first match for United Bank after returning from the BPL, but in his second game he sent down 72 overs in an innings for figures of 3 for 166. Overall, Asghar has played 17 first-class matches and taken 68 wickets at an average of 26.61 since his debut as a 15-year-old in December 2014.Yasir hurt his back during a training session at the Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns on December 6. He was being treated for the issue by a doctor in Cairns, and was advised a few days’ rest. The first Test against Australia – a day-night match in Brisbane – begins on December 15.”Yasir is visibly improving but it’s an important Test and we don’t want to take a risk,” Amjad Hussain, Pakistan media manager, told ESPNcricinfo. “He basically suffered back spasms and is being taken care of with therapy. We are hoping to have him back. But it’s always good to have back up to counter the worst case.”Asghar was picked over experienced left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar, who had been Pakistan’s second spinner in home Tests since Abdur Rehman faded away. Babar travelled to England this summer with the squad, though he did not play a Test. A poor series in the UAE against West Indies – three wickets at 49.66 apiece – followed.The selectors said it was not that lack of form that prompted Babar to be sidelined, though.* Instead, the selectors said, with Asghar merely being cover for Yasir and they being quite confident that the legspinner will be fit to play, they wanted to bring in a young player to get a feel of the international set-up. They were not keen to call in a senior player only to be benched, especially since Babar is set to play the final of the domestic first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in Karachi from December 10.*09.15GMT, December 8: This article was updated with the selectors’ take on Zulfiqar Babar.

Steven Finn was the most impressive bowler in England’s second warm-up match in Sharjah but said afterwards that he would be “surprised” if he were selected for next week’s first Test

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2015Four wickets for 16 runs from 15 overs – decent figures for the “back-up”. Steven Finn was the most impressive bowler in England’s second warm-up match in Sharjah but said afterwards that he would be “surprised” if he were selected for next week’s first Test.Finn made a dramatic return to Test cricket during the Ashes after two years in the wilderness and is likely to contest the third seamer’s slot with Mark Wood, who was preferred in England’s first match. The heat and dust of the UAE are conditions to make a fast bowler sick – literally so, for Finn – but his first performance on tour suggested he was acclimatising well.Still, with James Anderson and Stuart Broad expected to take the new ball, Ben Stokes in the side as an allrounder and England set to play two spinners, Finn conceded he may be the man to miss out.”I’d say I’ve staked a claim … [but] I’d still be surprised if I played the first Test. I think the guys bowled really well the other day, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the team that was picked then is the team for the first Test,” he said. “At the moment, I’m back-up to those guys. But nothing is set in stone.”Accepting that it was likely to be a straight choice between him and Wood, Finn suggested that England may have to rotate their seamers during the three Tests, which will be played across 24 days.”Broady and Jimmy bowled well when they were out here last time, and bowled well the other day – and so did Woody,” Finn said. “There will be disappointed people, regardless of who gets picked, but that’s part of building a strong unit of players who can come out here and challenge in these sorts of conditions.”I don’t think the same bowling attack is going to play all the way through the series – because of the conditions and the overs bowlers might get through. So if you don’t play the first Test, it’s not the end of the world, there are two others in very quick succession to come.”England rested Anderson, Broad and Wood for their second tour match, with Liam Plunkett taking the new ball alongside Finn and plenty of work for the three spinners, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Samit Patel. In temperatures high enough to make players feel unwell, Finn was pleased to have got through a full day’s bowling.”Having only bowled four or five-over spells in the nets, to then get 15 overs under my belt in a game situation, I felt good for it,” Finn said. “We’ve put in some hard work getting used to these conditions.”A few net sessions, I was pretty close to being sick – or was sick. I think everyone’s been in that position a little bit over the last week or so, but that hard work now will stand us in good stead.”England’s attack ended up sharing 12 wickets, with the teams having agreed to each spend a full day batting, and dismissed three members of the Pakistan A top order twice over. Slightly unorthodox, maybe, but England could still be satisfied with their efforts.”I think a proper match would be ideal. But we don’t have the luxury of that over here, and I think you have to use these matches to serve a purpose,” Finn said.”Having 88 overs in our legs at the end of the day is a very good thing for us – and even their top-order batsmen coming out again is more of a challenge for us. You want to be challenged as much as you can in these practice games, so you’re not surprised when it comes to the Test matches.

Harbhajan Singh is all set to become the 10th Indian to play 100 Tests after he was confirmed in the XI for the Chennai Test

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2013Harbhajan Singh has said he is a bit nervous but he will be all right before he steps out to play against Australia on Friday, which will make him the 10th Indian to have played 100 Tests. India don’t usually divulge team news before the toss, but made an exception this time. It would not have needed such confirmation in the usual course, but Harbhajan has mostly been out of the side and has played only one Test in more than 18 months, and is making a comeback into the squad.The landmark Test will come against Harbhajan’s favourite opposition, Australia, and at a venue where 12 years ago he applied the finishing touches to one of the greatest turnarounds in Test history, finishing off as joint Man of the Series against Australia. Harbhajan has taken 408 wickets from 99 Tests at an average of 32.27 and a strike-rate of 68.1.”It’s a big game,” Harbhajan said. “[The previous] 99 are gone. Obviously a bit nervous but I am sure I will be fine. I have faced these situations before.”I have gone through times when I was not doing well or when I was doing well and got too excited. These things happen. Bit nervous to start with, but I will be fine. Once I get away with 100, we will see what needs to be done to play another 50-odd. Probably I will have to work even harder.”Harbhajan said he was aware of the gap between the last few Tests, but he said he wanted to look ahead and make sure there was no such gap between the upcoming appearances. He remembered when he made his debut as a 17-year-old, in Bangalore against Australia, as just a wide-eyed kid.”Had no clue about what was going to happen,” Harbhajan said. “To be honest I was a little kid on the park. I was starstruck at looking at players. ‘Wow I am playing alongside [Sachin] Tendulkar, [Javagal] Srinath, Anil Kumble. These are all my heroes. I am playing today with them.’ Of course I have come a long way. At that moment I never thought I would play for India this long a time.”Harbhajan thanked his seniors profusely. “God has been very kind,” he said. “Big thanks to all my team-mates and great seniors like Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Srinath, Rahul Dravid, Laxman. They have been fantastic. I don’t think I would have achieved this without their support, and would like to thank each and every one who supported me and stood by me. Just want to go out and enjoy this big match.”Harbhajan might have forgotten to mention the name of Sourav Ganguly on that list, but he came back to it and thanked him too. “I am just repeating names, but I couldn’t have achieved this without their support.”Harbhajan said the seniors helped him learn to never give up. “Of course it’s been a journey with a lot of ups and downs. No one can always be on the top. No one can always be down. You will have ups and downs. Not just as a cricket, but as a normal guy too.”What I have learned from my seniors is to never give up. I have seen all these guys have done so well for India. And made themselves great cricketers, great ambassadors for the game. One thing in common was they never give up. That’s what made this team successful. They showed us how to work hard. They made us believe we can win anywhere and from any situation. I am very proud I have played with these cricketers.”Harbhajan said growing as a person mattered as much as doing well as a cricket. “I have definitely grown up,” he said. “I have made a few mistakes early in my career due to my extra aggression. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. Of course with time I have learned a lot and am looking forward to doing even better as a person. You might play this game for 15 years or so, but what sort of person you are matters the most. Everybody wants to be a better person than he was yesterday.”The last few years haven’t been easy for Harbhajan. He has had to face a lot of criticism for his ineffectiveness of late, especially after Anil Kumble’s retirement. He was asked how he deals with being possibly the most criticised man among those who have taken 400 Test wickets. The reply was belligerent.”How do I handle? I just keep quiet,” Harbhajan said. “Everybody has got their opinion. Unfortunately or fortunately, people have not played up to that level. Those kind of guys, if they say I am not good enough to play for India or if I have not done enough, it doesn’t matter. Who cares? What matters is what my team thinks of me, what my team-mates think of me. End of the day those guys are going to be there for you. As I have said everybody has got their opinion. Even I have got my opinion for others, it doesn’t mean I am always right.”Yet there was time, and the mood, for candour. Asked what he has been working on when outside the side, Harbhajan made a mockery of all mystery-ball announcements spinners make nowadays. “Small adjustments from point to point,” he said. “I have not developed any mystery ball. [There is no fourth one or fifth one – taking on from the doosra, which literally translates to the second one. If the first one comes out all right, it will be enough to get the wickets]

The Duleep Trophy has been, and largely still is, a showcase of the country’s best domestic talent

Abhishek Purohit in Indore11-Feb-2012For a tournament that comprises four games between five entities called ‘zones’, making them assemble teams that are together for barely three weeks, the Duleep Trophy still attracts its share of attention. It is perceived by some as having become irrelevant in a packed domestic season; others say it is still the gold standard for domestic cricket. It is the only tournament in which the Kookaburra ball is used, as opposed to the SG which is the norm in India.One thing is clear though. The Duleep Trophy has been, and largely still is, a showcase of the country’s best domestic talent. The finalists this time, Central Zone and East Zone, have their share of fringe India players like Wriddhiman Saha and Piyush Chawla, and past stars like Mohammad Kaif.
They have the first-class season’s top three wicket-takers – Ashok Dinda, TP Sudhindra and Pankaj Singh. They have the top two run-getters – Robin Bist and Vineet Saxena. A couple of national selectors are expected to watch the game.This is the final chance for Test hopefuls to get noticed before the season descends into a spate of state one-dayers, zonal one-dayers, state Twenty20s … all climaxing into the clutter of the IPL.Both sides are banking on their fast bowlers, with the grassy Indore pitch looking a complete contrast to the lifeless strip that made for a sleepy Ranji Trophy final in Chennai last month. Chawla, the Central Zone captain, remarked on how green the surface appeared – an unusual sight in India, except when a desperate home team dishes out green tops in search of an outright win.Indications were that the grass would stay tomorrow. It did for the Ranji quarter-final between Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai in January. The visitors saw the grass, the overcast conditions and the cold weather, and chose to bowl. Fifteen wickets fell on the first day, two on the second, six on the third, and one on the fourth. Mukesh Sahni, the MP coach, had said then that despite all the green cover, the pitch tends to ease out on the second day, and becomes good for batting. The surface was looking dry beneath the grass, with the afternoon sun beating down hard.Samundar Singh Chauhan, the curator, said that the pitch for this game had more live grass compared to the one for the Ranji quarter-final. Seemingly, Central – who have several MP players for whom this is a home ground – would bowl if they won the toss.Chawla said that this being a five-day game, sides always had a chance to come back even if they did poorly in the first innings. A five-day game also leaves a side with a huge disadvantage if one of the bowlers gets injured, which is why Central were worried about the fitness of Pankaj.The fast bowler was feeling stiffness in his shoulder, though he practised without any visible discomfort. Chawla said Pankaj had a 70% chance of playing; Rituraj Singh will take his Rajasthan team-mate’s place if Pankaj is ruled out tomorrow morning.East were also hit by an injury to one of their fast bowlers. Debashish Mohanty, the East coach, said that Abu Nechim had been ruled out. One of Bengal’s Shami Ahmed or Tripura’s Rana Dutta will replace Nechim.Mohanty was understandably confident about his side’s chances, with East having beaten West outright by five wickets in the quarter-final and then North on the first-innings lead in the semi-finals.East have historically been the weakest side in the Duleep Trophy and are the only zone never to have won the tournament. Of the four other zones, Central have won the least number of times. Both sides would feel this is their best chance.

Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin are to be the host venues in New Zealand for the staging of the Under-19 World Cup in January and February

Lynn McConnell09-Feb-2011Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin are to be the host venues in New Zealand for the staging of the Under-19 World Cup in January and February.Sixteen teams from around the world will be taking part, and 14 of the teams have been decided with two more qualifiers still to be found.An opening ceremony will be held at the Christchurch Convention Centre on Monday, January 14 with teams then having two warm-up games against sides from other pools before the tournament starts with the opening game between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at Bert Sutcliffe Oval at Lincoln on Saturday, January 19.India is the defending champion having beaten Sri Lanka in the final of the last tournament, held in Sri Lanka two years ago.The tournament will be staged in four pools of four.In Auckland, playing at Colin Maiden Park will be India, South Africa, Bangladesh and Canada.Two sections will be played in Christchurch, at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln Green and Lincoln Three.In section two will be, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Namibia while in section three will be Pakistan, England, the Asia qualifier and the East Asia/Pacific qualifier.In section four in Dunedin, with all games played at Carisbrook, will be Australia, the West Indies, Scotland and Kenya.Once the first round of section play is completed, the top two teams from each pool will move into a Super League. This will be played in two pools of four teams.The top two teams in each pool will go through to the finals series.The Super League and finals will all be played in Christchurch.The bottom two teams in pool play move into a plate championship, also in two pools to follow a similar format to the Super League. The plate championship will be staged in Auckland.Each team in the tournament will be assured of six games, while the World Cup winner will have played eight matches.

Corrie van Zyl, the South Africa coach, believes that there is enough mental strength in his team to not be intimidated by the prospects of a turning track for the second Test in Kolkata

N Hunter10-Feb-2010Corrie van Zyl, victorious in his first Test as South Africa’s coach, has said that his team will not be intimidated by a probable turning track at Eden Gardens because the visitors are now mentally much stronger than they were on their last visit in 2008.Two years ago Dale Steyn had broken the back of India’s batting with a powerful burst of fast bowling in Ahmedabad to put South Africa one up going into the final Test in Kanpur a week later. India opted for a turning pitch at Green Park, which Steyn called a “bunsen burner”, won the Test and levelled the series.This time, though, Graeme Smith is leading a unit that is not just consumed by the possibility of beating India in India but is confident of doing so. That, van Zyl points out, is the difference between this squad and the previous ones. “Mentally, the South African team is better prepared,” van Zyl, who was appointed the interim coach after Mickey Arthur resigned, said.”It is still going to be a challenge to deal with turning wickets or whatever the wicket is,” he said. The South African think-tank has already assumed the Indians will opt for a pitch that play to their strengths. “India have more control over the conditions,” Smith had said yesterday after the innings win in Nagpur.van Zyl echoed his captain’s sentiments today. “I won’t say it would be a minefield, but I do expect something that will help the Indian team.”But the South African coach said they would not be in a hurry to change their gameplans, especially after they worked so well in Nagpur. Speaking about the aggressive bowling lines adopted by Steyn, Morne Morkel and Wayne Parnell, van Zyl said it was a conscious decision. “It would be part of our gameplan going forward. We need to make sure as a bowling unit we start operating together and we don’t work as individuals. That makes you a lot more effective.”Still there was an individual effort that stood out and that came from Paul Harris. The left-arm spinner had been targeted going into the series but produced a concerted effort of bowling to strict lines and lengths that clamped the movement of the specialist Indian batsmen, especially in the crucial second innings.”Just the fact that he bowled so many overs, and his economy rate, shows he was really effective,” van Zyl pointed out. Importantly Harris knows exactly what his role is within the bowling unit. He said that the decision to enforce the follow-on became viable only because Harris kept an end tight and delivered marathon spells on the fourth afternoon.Asked whether the leg-stump line against Sachin Tendulkar was deliberate, considering the batsman’s past vulnerability to such a ploy, van Zyl indirectly confirmed it. “The line of the attack is determined by the amount of the turn on offer and the line where it turns from. And we had to assess where it was more difficult to score against.”van Zyl has been part of the South African coaching set-up for the better half of the last decade and worked closely with various coaches, including Arthur. His previous assignment, before moving into the present job, was to deal with the emerging talent at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria. A fast bowler during his playing days, van Zyl said the most striking aspect about Smith’s squad was its “professionalism”.”I was telling the team and the team management that I was pleasantly surprised by the level of professionalism,” van Zyl said. According to van Zyl the main reason for the superior mental strength the players possess now could be the structure Arthur worked hard to create. “Credit must be given to Mickey and what he put in the place. That does make my introduction a lot easier.”Both Smith and van Zyl have no illusions about that the second Test, which begins on February 14, being just another hurdle that can be easily crossed. “If the first Test was a challenge then the second Test is a bigger challenge,” van Zyl said.Smith said an extra day’s break would be welcome given the amount of preparation that went into the Nagpur Test. “The guys need a few days’ rest to regain the mental energy more than anything else. This [first Test win] has taken a lot out of the guys,” he said. But he is not losing any sleep yet. “There is enough in the group now and we have beaten India enough number of times. I don’t think anything will surprise us going into Kolkata.”

Bangladesh will hope to create an upset after beating Sri Lanka in their first Super Four game

Sidharth Monga23-Sep-20254:47

Chopra: India lives in Bangladesh’s head rent free

Big picture: Can Bangladesh challenge India?

Even though they haven’t been close games, the tension during the two India-Pakistan matches has made players do and say things they otherwise wouldn’t. One of them is based on facts but lacks professional humility. After beating Pakistan once again, India captain Suryakumar Yadav invoked a dominant head-to-head in recent years in order to call for an end to the term “rivalry” for these contests.There is good reason to believe Suryakumar, or any India captain, would not have said what can be interpreted as arrogant had it not been Pakistan and the current relations between the two countries. For where is a rivalry for India in recent times? Since the start of 2024, India have won 32 and lost three matches of T20I cricket.The sheer talent, now coupled with the appropriate intent, has turned India into perhaps the most formidable T20I side ever assembled. Add to it the slowness of the Dubai pitches, and India are able to experiment with just one frontline quick and getting him to bowl three overs in the powerplay.Related

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Those who market the sport will not be too thrilled at such numbers because the biggest draw in sport is the possibility. If there is any consolation, though, one of the three defeats India have suffered in these two years has come against Zimbabwe.Bangladesh will go in believing they can cause an upset. They have just done that to the leaders of their group in the first round, Sri Lanka. They did so using the slowness of the conditions with Mahedi Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman combining for figures of 8-0-45-5. The reward is massive. If they can somehow beat India, Bangladesh will be a good shout to enter the final. Can they do the unthinkable, beat India for the first time since 2019, repair their 16-1 head to head, and somehow initiate a rivalry?

Form guide

India WWWWW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
Bangladesh WWLWW

In the spotlight: Sanju Samson and Mustafizur Rahman

Another experiment that India are able to work on is Sanju Samson in the middle order. Clearly, the team management seems to have decided that Samson is too good a player to be sitting out, so they are trying to create a place for him in the side now that the top order is packed with Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar and Tilak Varma. The one innings he has played there is no sample size to draw any conclusions, but there were signs he wasn’t quite at home when starting against an older ball. So eyes will be on him whenever he gets a chance to bat.4:20

Chopra: India need to give Samson a long rope

One of the challenges for Samson and the rest of the middle order will be the canny bowling of Mustafizur Rahman, who becomes double dangerous on slower pitches. He showed that against Sri Lanka with figures of 4-0-20-3. An encore could give Bangladesh a strong chance against India.

Team news: No changes expected for India

In the first round, India experimented with their combination only once their progress to the Super Four was confirmed. So don’t expect any changes to their first-choice XI, which they returned to against Pakistan.India (probable): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Varun ChakravarthyCaptain Litton Das complained of a back strain during training two days before the match, but he should be okay to play. The one change Bangladesh are pondering is Tanzim Hasan for Shoriful Islam, who travelled for 49 runs against Sri Lanka.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Saif Hassan, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Litton Das (capt. & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shamim Hossain, 6 Jaker Ali, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Nasum Ahmed, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Tanzim Hasan, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

As expected, the pitches have been slow, making it difficult to score quickly in the middle overs. Expect more of the same in the extreme heat of Dubai.

Stats and trivia

• With the wicket of Fakhar Zaman, Hardik Pandya went past Yuzvendra Chahal to become India’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket, now only three behind Arshdeep Singh’s 100.
• Mustafizur is tied with Shakib Al Hasan as the most prolific wicket-taker for Bangladesh. When he does go past Shakib, he will become only the fourth bowler in T20Is to reach 150 wickets.

Keeper recognises need to be more proactive alongside lower-order, but focussed on volume of runs

Matt Roller30-Mar-2024Ben Foakes will continue to bat in the top six for Surrey in the early stages of the County Championship season, despite conceding that he is learning on the job while batting at No. 7 in England’s Test team.Twenty-five Tests into his England career, Foakes has batted exclusively at No. 7 or 8 and has often struggled to adjust to batting alongside tailenders. He made 205 runs in 10 innings during their recent 4-1 series defeat in India, with a top score of 47, during which time his career average dropped below 30.”I felt like I kept pretty well; my keeping felt good,” Foakes said, reflecting on his performances in India. “To start off, I didn’t feel amazing with the bat and then, yeah, disappointed in a couple of innings that I didn’t kick on. Again, that role of batting lower down, batting with the tail – the more I do it, the more I look at it as: ‘How many times can I impact [the game]?”Because in some series you might not get an opportunity to go big, for example, so it is very crucial when you do get a chance to try and really kick on, so I was disappointed in the fourth Test [in Ranchi] where I could have kicked on and didn’t. I felt alright with the bat. I’m still evolving and trying to learn [how to bat] with the tail and how to manage those sorts of situations.”Foakes under-performed with the bat during the India series•Associated Press

Foakes has been happy to play second fiddle in big partnerships with frontline batters, including his series-turning century alongside Ben Stokes against South Africa in 2022, but has found it harder to find the right tempo when batting with England’s bowlers. Those struggles were perhaps best exemplified during a ninth-wicket stand worth 12 runs in 12.2 overs with Shoaib Bashir in the second innings at Ranchi.”Naturally, batting higher up is preferable for me,” Foakes said. “Obviously, when you play for England, that will not always happen and it is understandable. But it naturally suits my game more to be higher. Over the period of time I’ve played for Surrey, there are not that many instances where you come in, face five or 10 balls, and you’re batting with the lower order when you have to play a different game.”Yet Foakes does not intend to slide down the order in the Championship in order to gain more experience in that role. Instead, he believes that his hopes for retention in the England side ahead of their next Test against West Indies on July 10 will be best served by him scoring as many runs as possible from the middle order.Related

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“It’s tricky,” he said. “I’ve been in and out of England, but it’s always been about trying to get runs to get back in the England team. Here [at The Oval] I’ve found a pretty good spot at No. 5. I’ve been pretty successful for a few years, and for me, it is about always working on my game so I feel like I can do a decent job if that situation does arise.”There was definitely a period where all my focus and all my training was just to bat and bat and bat, and trying to grind big scores. For me, it is more about trying to score big runs for Surrey but then also working on that [batting with the tail] as more of an add-on than just the odd session… to maybe have a gameplan where I can take someone down rather than just bat against them.”Foakes has grown accustomed to coming in and out of the England side, and goes into the 2024 summer with a familiar lack of clarity around his status in the Test set-up. “I haven’t been told anything,” he said. “The more years I’ve got into my career and the more I’ve been in and out, I’ve almost come to an acceptance that it has been the case.”I try not to worry about it, try not to stress too much about getting a long run or external stuff. India, first and foremost, I took as just trying to really enjoy it. The more times you get dropped, the more you realise you don’t know how long you’ve got left… while you’re out there, rather than stress too much about the game or think ‘this might be my last chance’, just enjoy the fact you are playing and you don’t know how long for, essentially.”England are due to play a dozen Tests in the second half of 2024, so Foakes is considering missing an early-season Championship game in order to manage his workload. “It depends what they’re looking at. [It depends] whether I am likely to play or not likely to play, and then [I will] reassess.”

Head coach Jonathan Trott’s contract has been extended until the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2023UAE will host Afghanistan for three T20Is in Abu Dhabi starting February 16 as part of the agreement signed by the two cricket boards last November, wherein the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) will be offering the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) logistical and infrastructure support for the next five years, including hosting their “home” matches for the period. As a result, Afghanistan committed to playing UAE in a three-match T20I series annually until the deal expires.”We are honored to be [a] part of this partnership, and are pleased with the results of our recent talks and negotiations with the Emirates Cricket Board,” Naseeb Khan, CEO of the ACB, said. “Playing this T20I series is the first step in our long-term commitment, and we are looking forward to a continued relationship with ECB.”The teams will be meeting across formats for the first time since March 2018. However, this series isn’t a part of the ICC’s FTP during the 2023-27 cycle, where they are slotted to play 21 Tests, 45 ODIs and 57 T20Is. This will also be Afghanistan’s first assignment this year, with another three-match T20I series to be played against Pakistan in March. That series might be held at a neutral venue, with the Afghanistan and Pakistan boards to equally split the revenue.Related

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For the UAE series, Afghanistan have selected a preliminary list of 22 players for a preparation camp in the UAE. Rashid Khan will be leading the visitors, who will be departing for the UAE next week for a conditioning camp in Abu Dhabi before the series. The squad will then be trimmed to 17 members.Meanwhile, the contracts of head coach Jonathan Trott, bowling coach Umar Gul and fielding coach Ryan Maron had come up for extension last month. The ACB has been deliberating on the matter – in which time the team had been in the care of assistant coach Raees Ahmadzai – and green-lit Trott and Maron to stay on till the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup*. Gul’s deal has run out.The timing of the UAE series means several Afghanistan players will be missing the first week of the Pakistan Super League, which starts in Multan from February 13.Given the political situation in Afghanistan, it has remained a no-go zone for international teams. The situation escalated with the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, following which several ACB staff fled the country. Thereafter, even getting visas for Afghanistan players to play abroad became a challenge.The ACB subsequently arranged UAE residency visas for about two dozen players and staff, making UAE as their home away from home. In fact, Australia even cancelled a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan scheduled for March after the Taliban banned university education for girls.Afghanistan’s 22-member squad: Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Abdul Rahman Rahmani, Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Bilal Sami, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Nangyal Kharoti, Naveen Ul Haq, Nijat Masoud, Noor Ahmad, Rahmat Shah, Sediqullah Atal, Shahidullah Kamal, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Zahir Khan*

Manchester Originals still winless despite Sophie Ecclestone’s all-round efforts

ECB Reporters' Network31-Jul-2021Welsh Fire’s women claimed their first win of the Hundred thanks to an excellent effort in the field and an impressive innings of 71 from Hayley Matthews as they defeated Manchester Originals in Cardiff.The Fire won the toss and put the Originals into bat. The Originals reached 120 for 6 from their 100 balls with Sophie Ecclestone top-scoring with a late-innings flourish of 31 not out off 15 balls.The Fire got their innings off to a fantastic start thanks to Matthews who once again hit powerfully down the ground, and reached their target with nine wickets and 12 balls to spare. This defeat means the Originals are still to claim a win in the tournament.Related

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The Fire were brilliant in the field inside the powerplay with just 21 runs coming from the first 25 balls. Lizelle Lee had crunched the first two balls of the innings for four but from there the Fire kept things very tight. It wasn’t until the 36th ball of the innings that the Originals found the boundary again.The Fire managed to picked up early wickets with Lee was run out in the first set of five and Emma Lamb also going inside the powerplay which set the tone for a tight performanceHarmanpreet Kaur played the anchor role for the Originals, making 26 from 32 balls but no batter went on having got set. Mignon du Preez looked impressive, making a well-paced 24 before she chipped a ball from Georgia Hennessey to mid-off.It was Ecclestone who took the Originals past 100 and on to a score that they had some hope of defending. Her innings included a towering shot over midwicket off a Hennessy full toss. The Fire shared the wickets around with Hennessey finishing with the best figures of 2 for 24 from her 20 balls.Matthews had made 33 and 30 in the tournament thus far but here she kicked on to pass fifty from just 35 balls. She was well supported by Georgia Redmayne who made 38 from 35 balls.The Originals had a few moments where the undefeated partnership of 101 between Matthews and Redmayne could have been broken, not least when du Preez pulled off a stunning one-handed catch in the deep off Laura Jackson but it was judged to be a no-ball. As it was the two batters took their team to the victory target with ease.