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Shadab Khan will be available for the World Cup, with Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed confirming he was fit

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2019Pakistan look set to confirm Shadab Khan in their World Cup squad, after the PCB announced in a press release* that the legspinning allrounder had been cleared to join up with the squad after their ODI series with England.Their captain Sarfaraz Ahmed had already allayed doubts about Shadab’s fitness in comments ahead of the third ODI in Bristol. Shadab, who was struck down with a bout of hepatitis ahead of the England tour, has been recuperating back home since the start of the ODI series.But speaking at the toss in Bristol, Sarfaraz told Sky Sports: “We have good news about Shadab. He will be fit for the World Cup and we are excited to have him back.”He is now set to leave Pakistan for England on Thursday, where he will again see a London-based specialist, before joining up with the rest of the World Cup party on Monday. Shadab’s fitness to play a part in Pakistan’s World Cup warm-up games will be determined nearer the time.Shadab was quoted by the PCB release as saying: “I am delighted to know that the blood tests are negative and I can now return to competitive cricket. I was always very confident that I would fully recover from the viral infection and will be available for the World Cup.”The development is a massive boost for Pakistan, who had selected Yasir Shah for this series instead. However, Yasir’s ODI form is a far cry from the quality that has marked him out as an elite Test match bowler, with an ODI average of nearly 50, and he was omitted from the Bristol match after a poor game at the Ageas Bowl on Saturday.It effectively left Pakistan with two options: taking Yasir to the World Cup, or deciding to go in without a legspinner at all. Shadab’s all-round ability also gave the team more flexibility with the batting order and squad selection, and as a legspinner, he is far and away the premier choice for Sarfaraz’s side.Whether he will be fully fit right from the outset is unclear yet. The virus was discovered in his blood following routine medical tests that the PCB conducts on its players. However, its early detection is believed to have helped his recovery, and one day after Mohammad Amir’s diagnosis of chicken pox all but ruled him out of the World Cup, Shadab’s arrival will certainly be a fillip.”It is fabulous news and on behalf of the Pakistan cricket team, I look forward to welcoming Shadab back in the squad,” Pakistan’s coach Mickey Arthur said. “Shadab is one of the finest of his generation and is an influential figure in the team. His presence in the dressing room and on the field of play keeps the side geared up and motivated.”Shadab’s inclusion also balances what is a young but extremely talented squad. I understand it will take Shadab some time to be back at his brilliant best as he has not played cricket for a few weeks, but our first game is on 31 May and he has got two weeks to regain complete form and fitness.”He is a brave lad and the way he has fought back to regain fitness is a testament to his attitude and approach, which gives us the encouragement that he will be hopefully available for selection for our World Cup opener.”*1500 BST – This story was updated with news from the PCB release

He is set to leave India on May 5 and will miss at least three of Gujarat Titans’ matches in the ongoing IPL

Matt Roller21-Apr-2023Josh Little has been included in a full-strength Ireland squad for May’s ODI series against Bangladesh at Chelmsford, a series they must win 3-0 to qualify automatically for the 50-over World Cup at South Africa’s expense.Little, the left-arm seamer, became the first active Ireland international to play in the IPL earlier this month, representing defending champions Gujarat Titans, and is expected to miss at least three of their upcoming fixtures.Little is due to leave India after Titans’ fixture against Rajasthan Royals on May 5, and will miss their games against Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in order to play against Bangladesh.ESPNcricinfo understands that Cricket Ireland’s intention is for Little to feature in all three matches, even if they suffer a defeat that would rule them out of contention for automatic World Cup qualification and render the final games of the series dead-rubbers.Little is centrally contracted by Cricket Ireland, but his captain Andy Balbirnie admitted recently that the INR 4.4 crore (€500,000 approx.) he will pick up from his IPL contract “could take five, six, or even more years to earn while playing for Ireland.”He was granted leave to miss the recent tour to Bangladesh and the ongoing Test series in Sri Lanka in order to play in the IPL, but his availability for international cricket remains a matter of ongoing discussion between him, his representatives and the national board.Mustafizur Rahman (Delhi Capitals) and Litton Das (Kolkata Knight Riders) are also due to miss around 10 days of the IPL due to their involvement in the series, having been named in Bangladesh’s squad earlier this month.Ireland’s squad also includes Craig Young, who has missed the vast majority of the 2022-23 winter due to injury but made a return in last month’s T20I series in Bangladesh. Barry McCarthy, however, misses out due to a knee injury.PJ Moor, who made his Test debut for Ireland in Bangladesh last month, has been named captain of an Ireland Wolves side that will play a behind-closed-doors warm-up match against the same opposition on May 5.Ireland squad to play Bangladesh: Andy Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.Fixtures: May 9 – 1st ODI, May 12 – 2nd ODI, May 14 – 3rd ODI (all fixtures at Chelmsford).

Davis claims 4 for 19 to restrict visitors before skipper’s half-century sees Sparks home

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2023Central Sparks got their season up and winning in fine style with an accomplished seven-wicket victory over Northern Diamonds in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Worcester.Sparks handed Diamonds their first defeat of the campaign after a dominant display at New Road, led by spinner Georgia Davis with the ball and skipper Eve Jones with the bat.Put in, Diamonds sped to 50 without loss after ten overs but then folded to 161 all out despite Lauren Winfield-Hill’s 42 from 40 balls. Davies unpicked the lower order with 4 for 19 as the last seven wickets fell for 40.Sparks then chased down the target with great efficiency to reach 162 for 3 with 70 balls to spare. Jones, who was unbeaten on 67 and Abbey Freeborn (37) added 98 in 21 overs for the second wicket to break the back of the chase and skipper Jones stayed to see her side all the way to victory with a consummate captain’s innings.Diamonds had started their innings crisply as Winfield-Hill scored 42 of the first 50 before England fast bowler Issy Wong made the vital breakthrough by bowling the fluent opener. Thereafter the innings lost momentum with only Hollie Armitage (37) and Chloe Tryon (26) making any impact against an impressive collective effort from the Sparks bowlers. Wong, Katie George and Hannah Baker took two wickets apiece before Davies bamboozled the later batters.When Sparks began their reply, Diamonds struck early when Jessica Woolston had Chloe Brewer caught at slip in the fourth over, but Jones and Freeborn rebuilt diligently. They put 50 on the board in the 12th over and advanced to 100 in the 24th before Freeborn was run out in the cruellest fashion, at the non-striker’s end when a straight drive from Jones was deflected on to the stumps by Katie Levick.If Diamonds had any hopes of inducing a clatter, they were killed off by a stylish cameo from 16-year-old Davina Perrin. Her 30 from 51 balls underpinned a stand of 45 in 12 overs with Jones. When Perrin was stumped off a nicely flighted delivery from Armitage, Sparks needed just 13 from 23 overs with seven wickets in hand and a rock-solid win to christen their home campaign was assured.

The 30-year-old fast bowler is just concentrating on what he needs to do to make sure New Zealand win

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2019It isn’t often that Tim Southee ends up on the sidelines, least of all in a World Cup year, while New Zealand are facing one of the favourites for that tournament. The 30-year old fast bowler has played only two of six limited-overs matches in the ongoing series against India but was quite excellent during the T20I on Wednesday, taking 3 for 17 and helping his team to victory by 80 runs.

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Southee said it was “tough” spending time out of the side but he understood the reasons. “A number of guys that needed game time and I know I haven’t been at my best with the white-ball for a while. It’s never nice missing out but just have to make the most of opportunities when you get them.”And he did, bouncing out the India captain Rohit Sharma in his second over in Wellington on Wednesday. Just as importantly, Southee showed signs of the swing that seemed to have gone out of his game, causing his ODI bowling average to shoot up to 45 since the end of the last World Cup.So, did it feel like he had a point to prove coming back into the XI? “Not at all. Any time you get a chance to play, you’re going out there to do your job and your role for the team. It was no different last night. Felt like I’ve been bowling really well in the nets and for me it was just about transforming that form from the nets to the game. Different when you’ve been sitting on the sidelines for a while and to go out there, there’s obviously excitement, few nerves, but obviously nice way to start the series.”Sometimes in T20 cricket, it can feel really nice and your figures can look really different. It was just a part of almost the perfect puzzle last night, the perfect team performance.When asked why he’s run into trouble in limited-overs cricket lately, Southee pointed to a “lack of wickets”, but was quick to add that there were mitigating circumstances.”There’s been times in the last year or so I’ve felt I’ve bowled extremely well at times and haven’t got wickets or supported [Trent] Boulty at the other end. So I guess you’re always looking at ways to get better, always looking at ways to try and improve as a cricketer. So it’s just always [about being] involved in the game and look in a different way so you can get better and looking back to when you were at your best and how you were operating then.”New Zealand handed India their worst T20I defeat, in Wellington, and were keen on sealing the series in Auckland, where Southee expects a full house.”Last night was a good atmosphere and I think tomorrow will be an amazing atmosphere too. I think it’ll probably be the first time Eden Park’s been sold out since the 2015 World Cup. Doesn’t happen too often when we play there. Will be a very noisy crowd and one the guys are very much looking forward to.”

Instead, the PCB plans to “revive junior series on a home and away basis” going forward

Umar Farooq31-Dec-2022The Pakistan Junior League (PJL) has been scrapped by the PCB’s new administration, with new plans instead to “revive junior series on a home and away basis” going forward. The decision to scrap the league had been expected since Ramiz Raja was was removed as chairman of the PCB, and was taken at Saturday’s meeting of the PCB’s managing committee, the new leadership body led by Najam Sethi.The league was Ramiz’s brainchild but massive losses in the very first year meant its future was always uncertain. The two-week tournament, a T20 league for Under-19 players from around the world, had its inaugural edition from October 6 to 21, 2022.”The PCB Management Committee agreed to discontinue the Pakistan Junior League,” a PCB statement said. “However, to ensure there is a pathway for the high-performing teenagers and the country continues to produce talented cricketers across all age gaps, it was agreed to revive junior series on a home and away basis.”It was also agreed to hold discussions with the HBL Pakistan Super League franchises to include an Under-19 player under their Emerging Categories in the playing line-ups.”A board financial report meanwhile revealed the staggering losses incurred in staging the inaugural edition. As per the report, the two-week tournament came with expenses of approximately PKR 997 million, while the PCB got an income of only PKR 190 million out of it.A week before Ramiz was removed from office, he had signed an MoU with a company for the commercial and management rights of the PJL – the deal was for 20 years, and was worth PKR 55.5 million per year. Pakistan’s federal government removed Ramiz and his Board from office last week, and revoked the 2019 constitution that the PCB was operating under. Now, a Sethi-led 14-member management committee has been handed full executive powers and been asked to rework processes to meet the requirements of the 2014 version of the PCB constitution.This new management committee has since opened an internal audit of Ramiz’s 14-month term, with the PJL facing particular scrutiny given the weight of related expenses.Why did the PCB incurs such high costs over the PJL?
When the PJL was announced, there were ambitious plans to have it based on a franchise model but turnout from bidders failed by some distance to match expectations of the board. That forced the PCB to bear the costs of putting together and running the teams itself, and later the title sponsorship and other commercial tenders also failed to bring in lucrative deals.Despite the lack of interest in the market, the PCB under Ramiz decided to go ahead with the league, calling it a strategic decision. ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB’s commercial committee was reluctant to approve the expenses but the Board of Governors had given approval.What were the major expenses?
While cricket remains the most popular sport in the country, realistically only the national set-up or the well-established PSL fetch lucrative sponsorship deals. For the PJL, the response to title sponsorships rights and digital streaming rights was lukewarm at best, far lower than expectations Ramiz had: four companies came forward for the title sponsorship rights and one broadcaster for the digital rights, though in both cases the bids were below expectations. For the TV production, the PCB spent PKR 286 million and failed to close a lucrative broadcast deal, ending up partnering with PTV, the state-owned broadcaster.Additionally, some of the match fees given out at the PJL – to “elite” players – were higher than what a senior Pakistan player would get for a T20I. The league had six teams featuring a mix of 15 local and overseas players between the ages of 15 and 19, picked through a draft process and classified under three categories – four elite players with a salary of USD 16,000, five premier players (USD 12,000) and six X-factor players (USD 6000).The PCB also roped in big names like Shahid Afridi, Javed Miandad, Daren Sammy, Colin Munro, Imran Tahir, Vivian Richards and Shoaib Malik as mentors for each team.Did Pakistan already have a junior cricket system in place?
Ramiz’s rationale was that the league would identify and nurture talent, and close the gap between quality at the Under-19 level and the senior level.Pakistan already had a pathway in place for young cricketers, though, structured from the Under-15 to the Under-19 level. Historically, their junior players were only exposed to one-day and three-day formats, with a batch graduating to represent the country at the Under-19 World Cup every two years. Players like Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq and Shaheen Afridi have come up through the age-group ranks.Additionally, every year PSL teams picked two emerging players from the Under-19 circuit and were required to play one of them in the XI.How does the PJL bill compare to other domestic tournaments’?
PKR 1 billion was the total domestic expenditure in 2017, the same year Pakistan won their last global tournament, the Champions Trophy.This year, the PCB’s six domestic associations spent just over PKR 1.5 billion on the full season, across all formats and levels.

Watkin, Bezouidenhout offered New Zealand women contracts after impressive performances on the tour of Ireland

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2018Jess Watkin and Bernadine Bezuidenhout have both been offered central contracts for the New Zealand women, after their performances on the tour of Ireland and England.Watkin made 77 not out on her T20I debut and 62 on her ODI debut – both against Ireland – with the second knock part of a record total of 491 for 4.Bezuidenhout, who played for South Africa Women in 2014 and 2015 before switching over, made her New Zealand debut in the same game, hitting 23 not out off 15 balls.”It really is a dream come true to be offered my first full-time professional contract,” Watkin said. “Getting a taste of international cricket in Ireland and England left me wanting more and it’s awesome that I’ll now be able to train and play all year round.”The 20-year-old Watkin and the 24-year-old Bezuidenhout are among four new players in this year’s list of 15, joining Canterbury Magicians allrounders Hayley Jensen and Kate Ebrahim, who made comebacks to the team this year. Jensen, 25, had last played for New Zealand in 2014, while Ebrahim last played an international game in 2015.The ones who missed out after being on the list last year are Rachel Priest, Thamsyn Newton and Anna Peterson, while Erin Bermingham has retired from international cricket.Priest is the senior-most player to miss out, having played 86 ODIs and 68 T20Is since her international debut in 2007. She has had somewhat lean returns in the last two seasons though, with 440 runs in 19 ODIs at 23.18, though her strike-rate of 84.13 remained healthy. She wasn’t picked for any T20Is in 2017-18, but in the four T20Is she played in 2016-17, she made only 45 runs at considerably slower than a run a ball.The players who have been offered contracts have until August 6 to accept the offer.

Fast bowler believes eight-week break until Sri Lanka Tests will be ample time to recover from exertions in India series

George Dobell12-Sep-20182:08

Anderson: Cook is an idol to me and the team

James Anderson, who became the highest wicket-taking pace bowler in history when he passed Glenn McGrath at The Oval, has urged the England selectors to resist the temptation to rest him for either of this winter’s tours to Sri Lanka and West Indies.Anderson claimed 24 wickets at 18.12 in the course of the five matches against India, and went past McGrath’s tally of 563 wickets by bowling Mohammed Shami with the final ball of the Test series against India. His performance defied pre-series reports that both he and Stuart Broad might need to be rested to cope with the demands of five Tests in six weeks, and it suggested that, at the age of 36, he is still operating at something close to his physical peak.The England team management is considering blooding a couple of young fast bowlers with a view to planning for life beyond Anderson and Broad, who is expected to be out of action for a month after suffering a broken rib while batting at The Oval.Anderson felt the natural break in the schedule – there are about eight weeks until England’s next Test starts in Sri Lanka on November 6 – provides time for them to rest, recover and prepare, even though he may yet be made available by the ECB to play for Lancashire in their final County Championship fixture, starting on September 24, depending on whether the club is still in with a chance of avoiding relegation.

Key players rested for final county rounds

Alastair Cook, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes have all played their final matches of the 2018 season.
Cook has been stood down from Essex duty in the wake of his England farewell at The Oval, while the others have been rested ahead of next month’s tour of Sri Lanka.
Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson, Jos Buttler and Keaton Jennings (all Lancashire) have been made available for T20 Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston on Saturday, with Moeen and Jennings both available for the final round of Championship games.
Sam Curran and Ollie Pope can play for Surrey as they seek to cement their title bid against Essex and Somerset, but a decision on Stuart Broad will be taken after an assessment of his rib injury.

“Myself and Stuart don’t play white-ball cricket so we have that time to be able to get ourselves in the right frame of mind and the right physical condition to cope with what’s ahead of us,” Anderson said. “I think I have enough time in between Test series to prepare myself well and get myself in good physical shape.”We came into this five Test series in six weeks with question marks: will the bowlers get through? Will we need resting or will we get injuries? And we’ve done it. We pride ourselves on working hard.”Anderson, who has now been playing Test cricket for more than 15 years, also refused to be drawn on a retirement date following the emotional scenes at the end of The Oval Test as his close friend Alastair Cook brought the curtain down on his England career.”I don’t really think about it,” he said. “I play my best when I focus on what’s ahead of me: the next game, the next series, whatever. I’ll go away now – we have a decent break before Sri Lanka – and I’ll try to get myself in the best condition possible to cope with the rigours of bowling seam in Sri Lanka, which could be tough. Then we’ll see how it goes.”I read something that Glenn McGrath said that he went into the 2006 Ashes with no intention of retiring and by the end of it he thought his time was up. That could happen to me. Who knows? I don’t like looking too far ahead. I don’t think it helps me or the team either, when we look too far ahead, whether it’s in a session or a day or a game. If you look too far ahead, you take your eye off the here and now and that’s what I like to focus on.”Meanwhile, Anderson has hailed Sam Curran as “a diamond of a player” following England’s victory in the Test series over India.Curran, aged just 20, was named Player of the Series and singled out for praise by India captain Virat Kohli in the post-match presentations at The Oval. He claimed 11 wickets at 23.54 and made a couple of vital half-centuries – including an aggressive 63 at Edgbaston which helped England recover from a precarious 87 for 7 – in averaging 38.85 with the bat.After Kohli noted Curran’s “important contributions” as a defining feature in the result, Anderson was full of praise for both Curran’s skill and character, suggesting the all-round depth he provided would prove a huge asset for England.”I think we’ve found a gem there,” Anderson said. “He’s an absolute diamond of a player to be able to score runs in crucial situations or to be given the ball in any situation. He’s extremely skilful with the ball and he loves the battle and the fight that Test cricket brings. He offers us that left-arm option as well.”I think we’ve made really good strides in this series. We’ve had a really inconsistent period in Test cricket and it’s something that we’ve really tried to do something about and make sure we improve and put in more consistent performances. I think we’ve done that.”We always knew we had a pretty strong team and some really exciting talent in there. We’re lucky that we’ve added to that this series.”

“It’s long overdue; everyone is really buzzed about it,” SA allrounder says about the inaugural SA20 league

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2022Wayne Parnell feels a lot of questions about South Africa’s performance at the men’s T20 World Cup have “probably been left unanswered”, but the team has to move on.”It was good, personally. But, obviously, as a team, we stumbled. A lot of questions have probably been left unanswered. But you have to move on,” Parnell, who picked up five wickets in five games at an economy rate of 6.37, told ESPNcricinfo on the sidelines of the SA20 launch. South Africa started the tournament well but were eliminated after a shock defeat to Netherlands.The focus, in terms of white-ball cricket, now shifts to the ODI World Cup next October in India, and 33-year-old Parnell feels he has it in him to make it to the next two global events, including the T20 World Cup in 2024.Related

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“For me, the key is enjoying cricket. There was a stage where I didn’t probably enjoy that much. It probably showed a little bit on the field,” Parnell said. “But, over the last five-six years, I have sort of really enjoyed my cricket, I have enjoyed [playing with] different teams, adding values on and off the field. So, 2023, why not? And then 2024, why not?”It’s about keeping your game simple. Obviously, I have a lot of clarity, and I am trying to focus on my role and not trying to do something else. I think that’s probably been the biggest change. And also, game time – I think, with cricket being the game of averages, you might have bad games; I trust my skills to the fullest and I have been able to showcase that, really.”Parnell was the first former Kolpak player to be recalled to the South Africa men’s national team after the system ceased to exist and has been a regular in both white-ball teams since returning to the national side in November 2021.He has also been a T20 globetrotter, playing in leagues across the world, and has also turned out regularly in the county circuit since 2017. He said that Moeen Ali [they were colleagues at Worcestershire between 2018 and 2021] and Faf du Plessis were instrumental in him becoming a better player in the last few years.Wayne Parnell fell for a duck as South Africa’s T20 World Cup collapsed in the game against Netherlands•Getty Images

“I have been lucky enough to share the dressing room with some of the best T20 players,” Parnell said. “So, [I’m] just trying to learn, learning from the next generation because they come with new ideas and they also look at the game differently. Even though I am more on the older side, I am probably trying to tap into the youngsters.”I think Moeen Ali has been the most influential. [He is a] really good cricketer, really great captain as well. And also, with the Hundred, with Faf du Plessis, same thing as well. Just really calm and clear about what you want to do and try to execute. It’s more about the process and outcome. They are very much process-driven and focussed and try to play to your strengths.”There is also South Africa’s SA20 league around the corner. Parnell, part of Pretoria Capitals, said a franchise T20 league was “long overdue” in the country.The tournament will comprise 33 matches, to be played from January 10 to February 11, with a halt between January 25 and February 1 when South Africa host England in three Super League ODIs.”Very excited. It’s long overdue. Everyone is really buzzed about it,” Parnell said. “Everyone can’t wait for the first game, obviously, it’s going to be a great Cape derby, I am also looking forward to Pretoria Capitals’ first game as well.”

Sam Curran reprised his rescue act at Edgbaston, driving his side towards a serviceable total with a belligerent 78

The Report by Andrew Miller30-Aug-2018India 19 for 0 (Rahul 11*, Dhawan 3*) trail England 246 (Curran 78, Bumrah 3-46) by 227 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTo think that Sam Curran, Man of the Match in that humdinging first Test at Edgbaston, was dropped for England’s Trent Bridge defeat for the sake of the team balance. On what had been shaping up as another ignominious day for England’s batting at the Ageas Bowl, Curran reprised his rescue act in that first match, driving his side towards a serviceable total of 246 by ignoring the match situation and the ineptitude of his senior team-mates.By the time he was last man out for a Test-best 78, bowled on the hoick against R Ashwin with only James Anderson for company, Curran’s efforts had disrupted the dominance of India’s rampant swing-based attack, exceeded the output of England’s entire rejigged top six, and turned a disastrous mid-afternoon scoreline of 86 for 6 into something for England’s own bowlers to rub up against. India capped their day by calmly negotiating four overs before the close, but with Anderson in particular making the new ball talk as ever, a first-innings dogfight remains a likely scenario.Much like England’s inexplicable descent into blind panic in this series, having cruised to a 2-0 series lead at Lord’s a fortnight ago, there was little warning of the calamity in store when Joe Root won a useful toss under clear skies and chose to take first use of a blameless surface that both captains agreed looked like the best batting wicket of the series.And yet, by the time Keaton Jennings – so desperate for runs after his stay of execution from Nottingham – had been bamboozled by Jasprit Bumrah’s lesser-spotted inswinger and evicted for a strokeless four-ball duck, the tone of England’s morning had been set.Sam Curran raised his second fifty of the series•AFP

India, to their credit, were outstanding and attacking from the outset, harpooning England’s batsmen with aggressive full lengths and an unrelenting command of the swinging Dukes ball that brought to mind the 80-over menace that made England’s 2005 attack so formidable.Joe Root, promoted to No. 3 and seemingly burdened by the need to be both anchor and enforcer, endured a ghastly 14-ball stay – he survived a stone-dead review for lbw when replays showed Bumrah had overstepped, but had no answer to his first ball from Ishant Sharma, another hooping inswinger that nailed him on the front pad and persuaded him to burn a review out of desperation. And when Bumrah atoned for his error by serving up a beautifully shaping outswinger that Jonny Bairstow grazed to the keeper, England were 28 for 3 and in very dire straits indeed.If there was a positive about England’s efforts in the first hour, it was in the discipline and confidence of Alastair Cook, who lined himself up on off stump to counter Bumrah’s javelin-like movement and looked as calm in his defiance as he has appeared all summer. But then, on 17 from 54 balls (a perfectly acceptable attrition rate in the circumstances) he lined up a limp cut to a wide ball from Hardik Pandya, and scuffed a top-edge to Virat Kohli in the gully. It was the dismissal of a man who had allowed his fabled concentration to waver, another uncharacteristic blip in a flat-lining summer.Not for the first time this month, England turned to Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes for salvation, and briefly the pair delivered in hauling their side to lunch and beyond in a 33-run stand. But Buttler, whose belligerence at Trent Bridge had met the desperate needs of their hour in that innings, misjudged the requirement on this occasion when, on 21, he flung a hard-handed drive at Mohammed Shami for Kohli to pluck a superbly sharp chance at third slip. Stokes, calm and collected for as long as he survived, was less at fault for his dismissal for 23 – another howling inswinger from Shami nailed him on the shin from round the wicket – but his review was once again optimistic as England found themselves six-down inside 35 overs.Enter Curran, with England’s series lead, no less, in the balance. Alongside him was another of England’s recalled allrounders, Moeen Ali, whose 40 from 85 balls was another vignette of an innings, packed with languid aggression, context-free boshing and ultimately a scuffed dismissal, as Ashwin ended a vital stand of 81 by luring him into a top-edged slog-sweep to square leg – a mode of dismissal that Nathan Lyon had turned into something of a trademark during the Ashes.But if anything, Moeen’s departure clicked Curran into overdrive. He plays every innings with the defiance of a younger brother in the back garden – undaunted by the more exalted reputations around him, and seemingly ecstatic simply to get a chance to have a swing.India kept chipping away as Curran grew into his innings – Adil Rashid was nailed lbw by another big inswinger from Sharma, so big in fact that it would have missed leg stump (there were no reviews left to reprieve him) – but with Stuart Broad loitering optimistically for his 31-ball 17, Curran danced at the crease, kept out the good balls and lambasted the rare bad ones, and even reprised his feat at Edgbaston by romping to his fifty with another six – this time over wide long-on, to go alongside his inside-out clout over extra cover three weeks ago.Curran’s self-admonishment in the wake of his eventual dismissal was telling – he clearly believed that a maiden Test hundred had been within his reach when he took one swing too many against Ashwin. But it wasn’t impossible, given the swing-dominance of England’s own bowlers, that he had already done enough to keep the match in the balance. Curran himself is sure to find some deviation through the air when his turn comes. Much like his batting, he usually finds a way.

Head coach travelled across after returning negative Covid-19 test; VVS Laxman expected to return to Bengaluru

Shashank Kishore28-Aug-20221:01

India hit the nets ahead of marquee Pakistan clash

Head coach Rahul Dravid has joined India’s Asia Cup tour party in Dubai after returning a negative result for Covid-19. He will take over the reins of the team from VVS Laxman, who had stepped in to oversee the preparatory phase of India’s campaign in Dravid’s absence.Dravid will be in the Indian dugout on Sunday when their play their Asia Cup opener against Pakistan in Dubai, while National Cricket Academy director Laxman is expected to leave for Bengaluru, where he will link up with the India A squad that is training for their series of three four-day matches against New Zealand A, starting September 1.Related

• Favourite India vs Pakistan moment

• The lovey-dovey rivalry between India and Pakistan

Laxman had travelled to Dubai from Harare, where he was the coach of an under-strength Indian side led by KL Rahul, as Dravid took a break. India beat Zimbabwe 3-0 then. He was earlier also part of the coaching set-up for the short tour of Ireland and the first T20I in England, when the red-ball squad was preparing for the final Test against England at Edgbaston. Laxman was scheduled to return to India following the Zimbabwe tour but was asked to take charge after Dravid “experienced mild Covid symptoms” last week.The Indian players assembled in Dubai on August 23 and began training a day later. They held three days of rigorous training, with emphasis on skills, before having an optional session on Saturday, the eve of their game against Pakistan.India will also play Hong Kong in the group phase, with the top-two teams from the two groups securing entry into the Super Fours stage, where each team will play the others three sides. After the Asia Cup, India will play Australia and South Africa at home before their T20 World Cup opener, also against Pakistan, on October 23.