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Dinesh Karthik, currently playing for Tamil Nadu as a specialist batsman, is disappointed that a hairline fracture to his little finger on his right hand coincided with India’s hunt for a wicketkeeper to replace the injured Wriddhiman Saha in Mohali.While it is understood that the selectors would have anyway preferred Parthiv Patel, because of his improved wicketkeeping and experience, Karthik still rued the timing of his injury.”When there is an opportunity to play for the Indian team and you get injured at that time, it is definitely disappointing,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I got hit in the first [Ranji Trophy] match against Mumbai. I kept in two matches after that, but it caused quite a bit of pain. Then, my doctor and physio told me that if I continued to keep wickets it could lead to a stress fracture and jeopardise my season. So, I had to rest.”I padded my little finger heavily and thought I will push myself for another game, but after the third game it was impossible; it was hurting too much. Even during the Dharamsala game against Uttar Pradesh, I couldn’t keep in the second innings because I had kept for nearly 160 overs in the first innings.”Karthik hasn’t kept for four matches, but hopes to return to his preferred position ahead of Tamil Nadu’s last league game against Gujarat in two weeks. “It is healing and getting better with time,” he said. “After two-three weeks of rest, I should be better.”This isn’t the first time Karthik has been overlooked for a wicket-keeping berth even in a stop-gap position. Naman Ojha was chosen as Saha’s replacement for the third Test in Sri Lanka last year. This season, however, Karthik may have slipped down the pecking order despite being Tamil Nadu’s top scorer because of his injury. But he still hopes the improvements he’s made as a keeper would be recognised.”I am very concerned about my contributions as a keeper,” he said. “I have been working with Sameer Dighe for the last three-four years whenever I have got the opportunity. It’s just been one-on-one two or three-day camps a lot of times. That’s really helped my keeping. Even this season, before the Duleep Trophy, I went and had a few sessions with Sameer in Mumbai.”Keepers are judged a lot like umpires; you are only remembered for your bad ones. Sometimes if you have taken five catches you could have still had a bad day, wherein if you haven’t taken any catch you could have still had a good day, by getting into the line of the ball correctly and taking those difficult ones. The chairman of selectors MSK Prasad knows what keeping is about. I think he will do a very fair job for the keepers.”Karthik last played a Test over six years ago. His last international was over two years ago. While he’s aware of the competition around him, he said he wasn’t bogged down by it. “It’s important to be competitive and trying to keep getting better at the sport,”That’s something I have always focused on – trying to improve myself in an all-round perspective. I must say that’s one of the reasons why I am able to contribute still for Tamil Nadu.”

Defending champions Mumbai earned a thrilling first-innings lead against Baroda on the back of opener Akhil Herwadkar’s fifth first-class century on the second day of their Ranji Trophy game in Delhi.In response to Baroda’s first-innings score of 305, Mumbai were reduced to 172 for 6 before Herwadkar (106) and Balwinder Sandhu struck a 90-run stand. Sandhu’s unbeaten 56 and handy lower-order contributions from Shardul Tahkur (17) and Tushar Deshpande (11) ensured Mumbai got three points on first-innings lead. Mumbai ended the day at 313 for 8, eight runs ahead. Seamer Sagar Mangalorkar picked up three wickets, while Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan chipped in with a wicket each.Madhya Pradesh fast bowler Ishwar Pandey returned figures of 8 for 102 to spark a spectacular middle-order collapse that saw Punjab stumble from an overnight score of 347 for 3 to 378 all out. Pandey took six wickets on a 12-wicket second day in Lahli, including those of centurions Yuvraj Singh (177) and Gurkeerat Singh (103). Apart from Yuvraj, Gurkeerat and Jiwanjot Singh, all other Punjab batsmen were dismissed for single-digit scores.Pacer Manpreet Gony, though, disrupted Madhya Pradesh’s momentum with 4 for 25, all caught behind. Madhya Pradesh ended the day at 182 for 5 with Shubham Sharma (48) and wicketkeeper Ankit Dane (14) at the crease.Tamil Nadu‘s bowlers and captain Abhinav Mukund led the team’s resurrection on the second day of their Group A match against Railways in Bilaspur. Resuming on 87 for 3, just 34 behind Tamil Nadu’s first-inning score of 121, Railways were wrapped up for 173 in the first session. Left-arm seamer T Natarajan, playing his second first-class match, finished with career-best figures of 4 for 51.Openers Mukund and Washington Sundar nearly wiped out Tamil Nadu’s deficit of 52, before the latter was trapped in front by Manjeet Singh. Kaushik Gandhi proved to be an ably ally to Mukund as the pair added an unbeaten 124 to push Tamil Nadu 109 runs ahead. Mukund struck 10 fours in his 98, while Gandhi was more patient, consuming 146 balls for his 41. Manoj Tiwary compiled a brisk 110 to help Bengal pile on Uttar Pradesh‘s misery on the second day in Jaipur. A lack of substantial support from the other end meant Tiwary did the bulk of scoring, adding 109 of Bengal’s 178 runs on the second day. He was last man out for a 150-ball 110 as Bengal were bowled out for 466. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav polished the middle and lower order with 5 for 115, his second five-wicket haul in first-class matches.Uttar Pradesh were reduced to 49 for 3, before Umang Sharma and Sarfaraz Khan added an unbeaten 77-run stand to help the team to 126 for 3 at stumps.

A move to give Shahid Afridi a farewell during the T20Is between Pakistan and West Indies in the UAE has not materialised, with the former captain left out of the squad for the three matches. The PCB confirmed the move had come from selection committee head, Inzamam-ul-Haq, but it fell through in the absence of the board chairman Shaharyar Khan, who is recovering from surgery, and executive committee head Najam Sethi, who is on vacation in England.Afridi had plans to retire at the end of the 2016 World T20 in India and Shaharyar had confirmed this earlier in the year saying, “He is also a Pathan and I am also a Pathan and once the agreement is done between two Pathans it can’t be changed.” However, before the tournament, Afridi revealed that he was reconsidering his retirement due to “huge pressure” from friends and family.Following Pakistan’s poor performance at the World T20, and criticism surrounding his leadership, Afridi stepped down as captain but chose to continue playing in the format. However, he has not played for Pakistan since then, with the new selection committee not seeing him as a part of their plans for the side.

Azhar Ali retained as ODI captain

Azhar Ali has been retained as Pakistan’s ODI captain for the West Indies series. His leadership was under scrutiny following a 4-1 series defeat on the tour of England. Azhar reportedly refused to relinquish the captaincy after the PCB asked him to step down and focus on his batting. The PCB has decided to maintain status quo for the series in the UAE as chairman Shaharyar Khan is currently recuperating in London after a heart surgery.
According the PCB’s constitution, the decision to appoint or remove the captain can be taken only by the board chairman. Azhar took over the captaincy after 2015 World Cup and has led the side in eight series. However, Pakistan have only beaten Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Ireland [in a one-off match] in this time and are currently ranked ninth in ODIs with 86 points, their lowest ever tally since the ranking system was introduced in 2001.

Afridi had succeeded Mohammad Hafeez as Pakistan’s T20 captain in September 2014. In his second stint as captain, Afridi led the side to 11 victories in 24 matches but his personal form dipped. He averaged 14.65 during this period with a best of 49, and took 20 wickets.After the 2016 World T20, Afridi turned out for Hampshire in Natwest t20 Blast the scoring 191 runs at 17.36 in 12 matches and taking nine wickets. He also played only one match in the recent domestic National T20 tournament, before pulling out due to fitness concerns. He reportedly underwent an MRI scan on his knee and was later trained in Karachi as a part of injury rehabilitation. He was also optimistic that he would be selected for the series against West Indies, but he was ignored.However, days after the team announcement, the Urdu newspaper carried a report that claimed Afridi would be selected as the 16th player for the three-match series against West Indies in the UAE, as part of a planned farewell.Afridi hinted at that possibility and his retirement during a media session in Karachi, but the statement was seen as ambiguous.”I have put no pressure on the board nor they on me but whatever happens it will be good and set new precedents,” Afridi said in a statement in Karachi. “I have always noted that in Pakistan there is no tradition of players retiring gracefully, even the big names. Every player wants to go out on a high and I am no different.”Players must exit respectfully since the ones who serve the country with distinction deserve honour. I have had a discussion with Inzi (Inzamam-ul-Haq) who is an elder to me and we will do what is beneficial to both Pakistan cricket and my own self. This would allow players to decide themselves when it is the right time for them to retire gracefully and with dignity.”Afridi’s decisions to retire from other formats were also surrounded by uncertainty. His decision to retire from Test cricket, immediately after leading his side to a 150-run loss against Australia at Lord’s in 2010, was seen as abrupt. His ODI retirement, too, was muddled for some time before he decided to quit the format after the 2015 World Cup.

The ECB has invited Graeme Swann to work with England’s best young spinners.Swann, who claimed 255 wickets in his 60 Tests and was arguably England’s best offspinner since Jim Laker, has been contacted by Peter Such, the ECB’s lead spin bowling coach, and asked to work with England Under-19s and those in contention for a Lions place. It is understood Swann will undertake several sessions at Loughborough, not far from his Nottingham home, ahead of the winter tours.Alastair Cook recently brushed off questions about Swann’s involvement as a coach, suggesting he was too busy with his media commitments. Swann works for the both the BBC and BT Sport, but he has often expressed an interest in helping where he can and frequently bemoaned the fact that, while England’s batsmen and seam bowlers have specialist coaches with them throughout series home and away, spin bowlers receive less help.The ECB recently hired Saqlain Mushtaq to work with the Test squad’s spinners, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, for a few days ahead of the Old Trafford Test and hopes to use him again in the near future. In the past, Daniel Vettori, the former New Zealand spinner, has been used in a similar role, while Mushtaq Ahmed worked with the England team on a consultancy basis for a couple of years.While Saqlain is expected to work with England’s Test spinners at the start of their winter tours – potentially travelling to Bangladesh if that tour goes ahead – it is thought he may struggle to gain a visa to India.The involvement of Swann would be the latest in a raft of measures the ECB has implemented in an attempt to encourage the development of spin bowlers in England. As well as allowing opposition captains the opportunity to bowl first in the County Championship in 2016, a move designed to disincentive counties preparing pitches providing extravagant assistance to seam bowlers, it has been noticeable that young spinners have been invited to bowl at England’s Test players in the nets ahead of each Test of the summer. Mason Crane, the 19-year-old Hampshire legspinner, has been in the nets at the Kia Oval this week.The issue is likely to become more contentious in the coming months as England face seven Tests in Asia. While England’s two main spinners, Swann and Monty Panesar, claimed 37 wickets between them as England defeated India in India in 2012 (nobody on either side took more than Swann’s 20 wickets in the series), when they return to the country in November it will be Moeen and Rashid who are relied upon to provide the bulk of the spin bowling.

Match facts

Saturday, August 27, 2016
Start time 1000 local (1400 GMT)2:13

Fans in the USA want to be a part of history in Florida

Big Picture

Despite the format’s popularity, it is fair to say bilateral Twenty20 internationals are not the newest fad in town. The sheer amount of effort and perseverance required to win a Test match gives importance to even dead rubbers. Bilateral ODIs are still a series, and 100 overs is a long enough duration for narratives to develop. Twenty20, more than any other format, needs a larger context: two points that might push you up a league table or a win that might save you from elimination from a World T20. Bilateral T20 series are played either at the end or start of a long tour almost as an afterthought; they are usually so unimportant that teams hardly bother with getting visas for their T20 specialists.However, these two, to be played over a weekend in Lauderhill in Florida, between world champions West Indies and the team they beat in the World T20 semi-final, India, are different. They carry an important context. While this is not the first time international cricket is being played in America, India v West Indies – two teams with a large expat following there – is way bigger than New Zealand playing Sri Lanka or West Indies.Cricket economy mostly runs around India. So when India go to America with all their delegates, when they sell the TV rights, when they sell the trophy rights, it becomes a big experiment for the future of cricket. This could even be a test run for a second IPL, a mini version, in America going forward; CPL has already had a stint in America that can’t be termed unsuccessful.While these two matches are huge for the cricket economy and its globalisation – in terms of staging and not participation – the cricket carries more subtext than your usual bilateral Twenty20 internationals. Who can forget Darren Sammy’s impassioned speech after he led West Indies to their second World T20 title? Well, the WICB wants you to forget the man himself. He has been dropped despite his stellar performance in the CPL. Leading them now is Carlos “remember the name” Brathwaite.West Indies’ T20 success is down to their individual professionalism rather than the administration. Dropping an inspirational leader such as Sammy is not the first time the establishment has been less than conducive to their best performance; can they continue to excel regardless?India’s leader, on the other hand, is a man much relieved because he is not playing Tests anymore, but that means whatever limited-overs cricket he leads India in becomes extra important for him. He has not tasted first-hand the joys of beating Sri Lanka, South Africa and West Indies in Tests recently. Over the last year the two highlights for him have been the Asia Cup win and perhaps the Twenty20 series win in Australia. When a player doesn’t get chances in all formats, his shortcomings in the only formats he plays can get magnified. The home series defeat to South Africa, and his failure at finishing off a chase against Zimbabwe means people will keep raising questions if he is going to be around for the 2019 World Cup.

Form guide

India WWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WLWWW

In the spotlight

Start time of 10 am on the weekend. Such an early start is okay for a Test or for an ODI, but defeats the whole idea of T20 as evening-time family entertainment. While this could affect the attendance at the stadium – healthy crowd is still important for the organisers – a prime time TV start for the Indian audience is what brings in the money from the broadcasters.Sammy might not be playing these matches, but that can’t spell much relief for the opposition. His replacement is the now-fit Kieron Pollard. He had an indifferent IPL and CPL after missing out on World T20, and will be looking forward to getting back in form.Ajinkya Rahane does not feature in India’s first XI when everybody is fit for a Twenty20 international. While India seem to have dropped Suresh Raina and haven’t bothered with asking Manish Pandey to travel all the way from the A tour of Australia for just two three-hour games, Rahane is likely to get an opportunity to present his case.

Team news

India are likely to draft Mohammed Shami back in looking at his impressive comeback in Tests. Jasprit Bumrah should play. The other quick bowler could be a toss-up between Stuart Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav, depending on how much batting they need from the said bowler. It will be interesting to see how Dhoni goes with his spinners given how he wasn’t very trusting of R Ashwin’s offspin in the World T20 and in the IPL.India 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 KL Rahul, 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 7 Stuart Binny/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 8 Ravindra Jadeja/Amit Mishra, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed ShamiSunil Narine is back with a cleared action, and should take Sulieman Benn’s place.*West Indies 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Andre Fletcher, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Lendl Simmons, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Kieron Pollard, 9 Carlos Brathwaite (capt.), 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Samuel Badree

Pitch and conditions

According to , the 10 inches of rain so far this month in Miami makes it the eighth-wettest August on record. A magnificent lightning show danced across the Fort Lauderdale sky almost non-stop from 7 pm until well after midnight on Thursday. A tropical low currently just north of Haiti and nearing the Bahamas is threatening to develop into the Atlantic tropical season’s eighth named storm as Tropical Storm Hermine. Preliminary forecasts are showing that if it forms into a full-fledged Hurricane, it may be on track to hit south Florida on Sunday.

Stats and trivia

• In 2010 Lauderhill threw up a slow tacky surface, which produced only one score of over 100 in two matches, but there was more T20 entertainment in store in 2012 when West Indies piled on 209 and 177 to beat New Zealand.
• The first-innings scores in the CPL matches in Lauderhill ranged between 206 and 137. Three of the six matches were won by sides batting first.
• Dwayne Bravo is one wicket short of becoming only the third player to reach the double of 1000 runs and 50 wickets in T20Is. Shahid Afridi and Shakib Al Hasan await him at the club.

Quotes

“The only thing that we are doing is that we will prepare as best as we can because India is going to be coming looking for revenge for the semi-final loss and we have to make sure that we are ready for whatever they bring to us.”
“West Indies has always been a tough side, they are the T20 world champions. They are quality cricketers and have shown consistently how good they are and we had a tough match in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup as well. In terms of the quality that we are going to encounter, we are aware of that.”
*18.20GMT, August 26: The preview had erroneously mentioned Denesh Ramdin as part of the West Indies squad.

Phil Simmons, West Indies’ head coach, has said his bowlers have done well to keep India’s batsmen quiet on day two of the Sabina Park Test. India, 126 for 1 overnight, went to stumps 358 for 5, with a lead of 162.”Usually, you average a day to be 270 in Test cricket with 90 full overs and we have restricted them, especially with [KL] Rahul going the way he was and then the skipper [Virat Kohli] later. Restricting them to 230 (232) in 90 (88) overs shows there’s improvement from Antigua.”He went on to elaborate on this point, saying his bowlers were learning to be patient.”I think they learned today what we have been talking about for the last six months, about being patient in Test cricket. And when the wicket isn’t assisting like this one, you have to be patient and then the pressure that you build from patience will get you wickets. I think what I have learned that they are listening sometimes. I hope they are listening all the time. They are seeking patience now, they are trying to hold these world-class batsmen [back].”Midway through the day, the debutant fast bowler Miguel Cummins pulled up after bowling a wide in his 16th over of the innings, and went off the field clutching the back of his thigh. Simmons said Cummins had suffered from cramps, and hoped he would be fit to resume bowling on the third day.”He had a lot of cramps today,” Simmons said. “I can’t tell you why because I’m not a doctor. But yeah, we basically played with two quicks today. Hopefully he will be better tomorrow and do his job.”When the second new ball became available, India had a new batsman at the crease in Kohli, but West Indies chose not to take it immediately, instead waiting until the start of the post-tea session, by which time 11 more overs had elapsed.Asked about this, Simmons’ response was terse. “I haven’t spoken with the captain, so I don’t know.”Jason Holder, the captain, had chosen to bat despite the first-day pitch sporting a fair covering of grass and looking like it was moist underneath. Simmons said he had made the right decision, and the batsmen had failed to do their job.”Batsmen are supposed to bat,” he said. “I didn’t think there was any threat in the wicket yesterday. So I would bat first again.”Simmons hoped his bowlers would continue to bowl as they had done on day two.”The only thing we can do is to come tomorrow again and work hard to get the wickets that we have to. And then the batsmen have got to stand up because the bowlers have stood up today and hopefully they will stand up again tomorrow morning and we get the wickets we need. It’s up to the batsmen to stand up now.”Simmons expected India’s spinners, who took six wickets in West Indies’ first innings, to remain a threat in the second innings as well.”It’s definite,” he said. “[R] Ashwin is the No.1 bowler in the word. He is going to be difficult on any wicket you play him on, let alone a wicket that’s turning and has some bounce too. It’s going to be difficult but that’s what Test cricket is about. If it’s not difficult it won’t be called Test cricket. The batsmen know that they have to come and make sure that they put their heads down and they have to work hard against both spinners.”Rain is forecast on the three remaining days of the match, but Simmons said he wasn’t hoping for the weather gods to intervene just yet, and still had some hope that his players could turn the game around.”I don’t think we need them yet,” he said. “I will tell you on the fourth day if we need it on fifth day. The wicket is still playing very well so it’s up to the batsmen to get their heads down and get some runs.”

Schedule

Sept 30: England arrive in Dhaka
Oct 4: Warm-up one-dayer, Fatullah
Oct 7: 1st ODI, Dhaka
Oct 9: 2nd ODI, Dhaka
Oct 12: 3rd ODI, Chittagong
Oct 14-17 Two two-day warm-up matches, Chittagong
Oct 20-24: 1st Test, Chittagong
Oct 28-November 1: 2nd Test, Dhaka

England are set to tour Bangladesh for the first time since 2010 for two Tests and three ODIs in October.In their third multi-format tour to the country, England, who are likely to arrive in Dhaka on September 30, will start with a warm-up one-day match in Fatullah on October 4.The first two ODIs will be played on October 7 and 9 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. The teams will travel to Chittagong for the third.The visitors have been given back-to-back two-day warm-up games at the MA Aziz Stadium before the first Test begins on October 20 in Chittagong. The second Test will be held in Dhaka from October 28.Having played only T20s this year so far, this will be Bangladesh’s first ODI and Test series since last November. England will depart for their tour of India on November 2.*11.40am GMT, June 28: The full schedule was added, including the warm-up fixtures in Chittagong.

Andy Balbirnie, the Ireland batsman, has been released by his county Middlesex after he was ruled out of the 2016 season. Balbirnie underwent hip surgery in April and a lengthy recuperation period meant that he would not be able to take part for Middlesex this season, at the end of which his contract was due to expire.”It’s always extremely sad to release a young cricketer, especially when they are as likeable and as committed to the game as Andrew,” said Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s managing director. “He is expected to make a full recovery from his operation, is a very good cricketer, and everyone at the club wishes him well for the future.”Balbirnie, who is a graduate of the club’s academy, played two first-class, three List A and seven T20 games for Middlesex. He has been a regular in Ireland’s squads, including at the recent World T20.”I would like to thank everyone involved in Middlesex County Cricket Club over the last five seasons who have helped me develop not just on the field but off it too,” Balbirnie said. “It’s been a huge honour to represent this great club and one that has been thoroughly enjoyable. I wish the squad and the staff the very best for the remainder of the season.”

Big picture: Big-ticket visit, but small beer for visitors

It’s a state of affairs that sums up the imbalances of international cricket. England and Ireland are about to play their first-ever bilateral game of T20 cricket – even though the format has consumed the sport in the course of the past two decades – at a moment in the respective itineraries of the two nations that could scarcely be more polarized.On the one hand, there’s the visitors England, girding their loins for one final push after an exhausting home season comprising a five-Test series against India, while already casting their eyes forward to the single biggest date on their 2025 calendar: November 21, and the start of their legacy-defining Ashes campaign.Despite the notable pick of Jacob Bethell as captain, they’ve arrived in Dublin with something close to their first-choice XI, or at least the version that took the field with such stunning success in their most recently completed match, against South Africa at Old Trafford last week.Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett were scarcely missed while Phil Salt and Jos Buttler were blazing England towards that record 304 for 2, but they remain in mothballs alongside the regular captain Harry Brook and Jofra Archer – each of whom, with as much respect as can be mustered in such circumstances, has bigger fish to fry in the coming months. As indeed has the head coach, Brendon McCullum, who has already flown home to New Zealand.And then, there’s the hosts Ireland – for the most part exiles in their own land, given how rarely they are able to attract the quality of opposition that justifies the outlay required to accommodate them. This three-match series is their biggest ticket since India popped over for three T20Is in August 2023 (one of which was abandoned).Sure enough, Malahide has rolled out its temporary stands (at considerable expense) to take the ground’s capacity to around 4,000 for these three games. Happily, Friday and Sunday are already sold out, while Wednesday’s series opener should be at least 80% full, with tickets still available. Given that last year’s visit by Australia was canned on the grounds that even those broadcast rights couldn’t have covered Cricket Ireland’s costs, their financial tightrope is real and terrifying.For both teams, however, this series remains a key staging post for a significant and looming peak. England’s thoughts will have to turn to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka almost before they’ve completed their Ashes comedown, and such are the reasons why experimentation for this leg has been relatively limited, even if the conditions in Malahide will be as far removed from those in the subcontinent in February as can be imagined.For Ireland, however, that focus will be nothing less than full-bore. So much of their raison d’etre revolves around ICC events, from the long and anxious qualification bids that precede them, to the crucial exposure and funding that their moments on the big stage provide. But here, in a slender weather-threatened five-day window, that stage has at long last come back to their own shores.

Form guide

Ireland LLWLL (last five T20Is, most recent first)
England WLWWW

In the spotlight: Jordan Cox and Ross Adair

All he ever seems to get are scraps from the table, but to Jordan Cox’s immense credit, he has not yet been consumed by frustration at an international career that simply cannot stick a landing. The false starts have been numerous – most gallingly the broken thumb that robbed him of three guaranteed Tests in New Zealand last winter – while his two previous T20I appearances, against Australia last year, were – just like this potential recall – tacked onto the end of a long international summer. But his belated call-up to the squad is entirely on merit, after his MVP displays for Oval Invincibles in the Hundred. Given half a chance, he is still hungry to make the most of it.At the age of 31, and having parked his previous career in rugby union, Ross Adair is a significant bolter for this winter’s T20 World Cup. His last-but-one international innings was a storming knock of 100 from 58 balls as Ireland beat South Africa in Abu Dhabi this time last year, and as he told ESPNcricinfo this week, the explosive nature of T20 cricket means there are plenty of transferrable skills from his previous incarnation as a winger.

Team news: Calitz, Baker in line for debuts

Ireland could hand a maiden cap to Ben Calitz, the 23-year-old Canada-born batter, with Paul Stirling, their captain, saying they were “crying out” for a left-hander in their middle order. Their bowling stocks have taken a hit with Josh Little and Mark Adair both absent for this series – Little has played just once for Middlesex in two months as he nurses a side injury. Matthew Humphreys is set to lead the attack once more, after impressing in his only outing against West Indies in June.Ireland: (possible) 1 Paul Stirling (capt), 2 Ross Adair, 3 Harry Tector, 4 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 5 Ben Calitz, 6 George Dockrell, 7 Curtis Campher, 8 Barry McCarthy, 9 Graham Hume, 10 Matthew Humphreys, 11 Craig Young.Sonny Baker seems in line for a maiden T20I outing, and ideally a less brutal return to England colours, after being launched for 76 runs on his wicketless ODI debut against South Africa earlier this month. Cox is the obvious replacement for Brook in the middle-order, with England likely to persevere with their spin-heavy attack in preparation for the T20 World Cup.England: (possible) 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell (capt), 4 Jordan Cox, 5 Sam Curran, 6 Tom Banton, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Liam Dawson, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Luke Wood, 11 Sonny Baker.

Pitch and conditions

Dublin in early autumn is unlikely to be the sort of batting paradise that England encountered in that Old Trafford contest. Stirling predicted conditions would be as “alien” to those at next year’s World Cup as you could imagine: “September in Ireland is going to be green, it’s going to nip a little bit, and it’s going to be slightly slow.” The weather for Wednesday is mostly set to be clear, though torrential overnight rain is anticipated, which may well influence the decisions at the toss.

Stats and trivia

• England and Ireland have played only twice before in the T20I format – at the T20 World Cups in 2010 (then the World T20) and 2022. Ireland memorably won the second of those at the MCG and might well have won the first but for a washout. England, remarkably, recovered from those set-backs to claim the title on each occasion.
• At 21 years and 329 days, Jacob Bethell is set to become the youngest captain in England’s history, beating the mark currently held by Monty Bowden, who was 23 and 144 days when he led England against South Africa at Cape Town on the Test tour of 1888-89.

Quotes

“It was fantastic viewing… Hopefully it’ll be a bit different than Old Trafford, where the pitch didn’t seem to be doing much. Coming here, it might be a bit slower, it might do a bit more, and hopefully we can catch a team off-guard that way if things go our way – maybe win the toss and go from there.”
“I’ve played with Paul Stirling myself, and I’ve seen how destructive he is at the other end. He’ll be someone we’ll be looking to target early and try to get him walking back into the sheds.”

Zaheer Khan has joined Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as their mentor, filling the vacancy left by Gautam Gambhir’s exit after IPL 2023. Gambhir had taken up the mentor role at Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2024 and has since become head coach of the India men’s team.Zaheer will also take on bowling coach duties, after Morne Morkel left the franchise to join Gambhir’s coaching staff with the Indian team. During a media interaction after his unveiling, Zaheer did not specify that he would be bowling coach, but said with a smile: “If I am there in the set-up, does the team need another bowling coach?”From 2018 to 2022, Zaheer was involved with the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise, first as director of cricket and then head of global development. Prior to that, he was part of three IPL teams as a player – MI, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Daredevils. In all, he featured in 100 games for the three teams across ten seasons, picking up 102 wickets at an economy of 7.58. He last played in the tournament in 2017, when he led Daredevils, before retiring from all forms of cricket.As reported earlier by ESPNcricinfo, apart from the role of mentor, LSG are keen on giving Zaheer a wider profile that will mean involvement with the scouting and player-development programmes during the off season.Related

• IPL 2025: Rishabh Pant set to be named Lucknow Super Giants captain

• Dhoni on future: 'Needs to be in the best interest of the team'

• IPL franchises' wishlist: mega auction every five years

LSG’s coaching set-up is currently headed by Justin Langer, who will continue in the role after having replaced Andy Flower as head coach ahead of IPL 2024, with Lance Klusener and Adam Voges as his assistants. After securing playoff berths in their first two seasons, the KL Rahul-led side was pipped on net run rate for a spot in the top four in 2024.Zaheer’s return to the IPL fold comes at a time when teams are preparing for a mega auction. The IPL is likely to announce the retention rules by early September.