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Speculation about surprise comeback had been rife, but ultimately Australia opted for discretion

Andrew McGlashan04-Dec-2025Pat Cummins became a genuine option for a recall in Brisbane over the past week as he surprised everyone with the speed of his recovery. However, Australia’s selectors ultimately decided there was too much risk attached in playing a bowler whose overs would still need to be managed, but are very confident in him being ready for Adelaide.Chair of selectors George Bailey said his panel had not been “playing silly buggers” in leaving Cummins out of the squad but refusing to officially rule him out of contention in the lead-up to the second Test. However, he did admit a hug between Cummins and Andrew McDonald during a pitch inspection on Wednesday had been “for laughs”.Bailey said that there had been no expectation of Cummins being available when the group was selected but it became a realistic prospect as he ramped up his training in Brisbane, which included two spells on Monday and his first bowls on back-to-back days.”We weren’t playing silly buggers with him not being in the squad and in the mix. But I think once we got up here, saw his training, got as much of the background medical information as well, it became a live possibility,” he said. “Then it was just working through the permutations of what would that look like in terms of the amount of overs, what would it look like going forward from that as well.Related

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“I don’t think we thought he was going to be as close, it really changed through the week. Then risk tolerance became the conversation around what could he take on. Yes, he could have played. There would have been some restrictions around the overs and then obviously just the permutations [around that].”There was also consideration into what bringing Cummins back for this Test could mean going forward, and the added pressure it could leave on the rest of the attack. “Being in a really controlled environment [in] the nets where you can be really structured around the breaks and how you want it, then it’s just that risk of maybe going into a game,” Bailey said. “There’s some things you can control and probably some things that do get taken out of your control.”Meanwhile, Bailey said that the selectors had not got to the stage of debating whether Usman Khawaja would retain his place for the Gabba because he had never been passed fit to play. Khawaja batted on Tuesday before being ruled out of the Test the following day, having not recovered from the back spasms he suffered in Perth. He returned to the nets on Thursday. Travis Head, who made 123 in Australia’s chase in the opening match, will continue in the opening role during the second Test.”He hadn’t got his back back to baseline,” Bailey said. “And if you’re not back to the starting point then it’s obviously a heightened risk. There’s obviously your own performance, but when you’re injured and you feel like you’ve let the team down, I think that was something he was just conscious of; if it happened again, it would be an awful feeling. So sitting this one out buys time.”For now, Head is not being locked in at the top beyond this Test, and there has even been discussion of having in-match flexibility to batting orders.”We’ve gone into this series so far very much with a Test-by-Test focus,” Bailey said. “I imagine we’ll get another look at it here and see what that looks like and see that combination. We can cross that bridge [and] make that decision as and when we need to make that decision, but it’s an interesting one. What’s the threshold now for it to be a specialist opener, what’s that look like?”

“I’m not insecure about where I bat,” says Indian captain on moving down the order to accommodate all three openers

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai13-Jan-20203:21

Happy to bat at number four – Kohli

KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan are both in form in the lead-up to India’s ODI series against Australia starting Tuesday, and India captain Virat Kohli revealed that playing both of them, along with Rohit Sharma, in the XI could be a possibility. Rahul and Dhawan opened together and made useful contributions in the recent T20Is against Sri Lanka, and with the return of Sharma, who was rested for the T20Is, it appeared that India would be forced to pick one out of Dhawan and Rahul. But India are now considering a new combination for the upcoming ODIs.

Kohli reiterates openness to d/n Test in Australia

India captain Virat Kohli has reiterated that India are “open” to playing a day-night Test in Australia when they tour for four Tests in 2020-21, after the T20 World Cup. India recently played their inaugural day-night Test, against Bangladesh in Kolkata, winning the game by an innings and 46 runs.
“We played the day-night Test here, we’re pretty happy with how it went and it’s become a very exciting feature of any Test series so we’re absolutely open to play a day-night Test,” Kohli said. “We’re ready enough for the challenge and whether it’s Gabba or Perth, doesn’t matter to us, we do have the skillsets as a team to compete against anyone in the world, anywhere, in any format of the game – whether it’s white ball, red ball or pink ball. We’re ready to play anything.”

“All guys in form is always a good thing for the team,” Kohli said in Mumbai, where the three-match series begins. “You don’t want a guy out of form for him not to start in the XI. You obviously want to have the best players available and then choose from what the combination should be for the team. We’ll figure out what combination we want to go in with, there’s a possibility all three might play.”Rahul has been in more prolific form of late, having scored three half-centuries and a century against West Indies in three T20Is and as many ODIs, before making 54 and 45 against Sri Lanka in the T20Is. Dhawan missed the games against West Indies with an injury and he slotted back straight in the XI against Sri Lanka in Sharma’s absence, finishing the series with an impressive 52 off 36 to stake his claim for the opening slot again.Playing Sharma, Dhawan and Rahul together would push Kohli to No. 4 and Shreyas Iyer to No. 5, but that would then create a problem for the lower order. India will be forced to pick one out of Rishabh Pant and Kedar Jadhav for No. 6 as dislodging Ravindra Jadeja from the No. 7 slot would reduce the bowling options to four. Kohli said he was “very happy” to move from his usual No. 3 spot to accommodate the in-form batsmen, but he did not say anything about the lower-order combination.Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul share a light moment•AFP

“Yeah, big possibility, very happy to [change my batting position],” Kohli said. “I’m not possessive about where I play and I’m not insecure about where I bat. Being the captain of the team, it’s my job to make sure that the next lot is also ready as well. A lot of the other people might not look at it that way but your job as the captain is not only to look after the team right now but also to prepare a team that you can leave behind when you eventually pass it on to someone else.”So I think these are times where you need to be aware, it’s very easy to get into a personal zone saying, ‘no, I need to get runs’. It’s not like that, it doesn’t work like that. The vision has to be always on the larger picture and figure out how you can make these guys more confident. If at all someone has to take responsibility, it should be me and give the other guys opportunities as well. I’m very open to it and I really want to see guys stepping up and taking responsibility. That’s part and parcel of being captain and it’s good to see players finding their game, realising their own potential when you’re captain. I think that’s probably the most satisfying thing you can feel as a captain.”In order to slot both Jadhav and Jadeja, India could consider leaving Pant out, hand the wicketkeeping gloves to Rahul and play Jadhav at No. 6 as the sixth bowling option. Batting coach Vikram Rathour had said on Sunday they had not considered that option then, but the management was open to giving it a thought.”Rohit is an obvious choice, of course. Shikhar and Rahul are playing well, Shikhar has done tremendously well in one-dayers, Rahul is in great form. There are still a couple of days to go, the management will sit down and make a choice. I don’t see an issue, one of them will have to sit out, so that’s okay,” Rathour had said.When asked if Rahul would keep, he had said: “We haven’t really started thinking on those lines yet. At this point I think Pant is the first wicketkeeping option. Rahul can keep, that’s a skill he has so it will depend if the team management feels at any stage we require that.”

The former New Zealand coach had taken charge of the IPL franchise in October last year for the 2019 IPL season, where Kings XI finished sixth

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2019Mike Hesson has parted ways with Kings XI Punjab after a ten-month tenure as coach of the IPL franchise.Hesson announced his decision to step down through a post on Twitter on Thursday.”I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Kings XI franchise,” his tweet said, “and wish to thank them for the season I had in charge. Whilst disappointed not to be able to build on the work we did this year, I’m sure success isn’t too far away for them. I wish them all the best for the future.” Hesson’s departure from the IPL comes at a time of significant coaching changes at the international level in the aftermath of the men’s World Cup.Hesson, who had coached New Zealand between 2012 and 2018, replaced Australian Brad Hodge as Kings XI coach in October last year. He took up the IPL role five months after stepping down as New Zealand coach, and his stint with Kings XI was his first in a T20 franchise league. During his tenure, Kings XI finished sixth in IPL 2019, winning six of their 14 games, with R Ashwin as captain.Hesson had quit as New Zealand coach less than a year before the 2019 World Cup, with a view to taking a “break from the rigours of international cricket”. Under him, New Zealand became a dominant Test team and also made the World Cup final in 2015. In 59 T20Is under Hesson, New Zealand won 30 and lost 24.

Home batters made to struggle on rain-affected day as promotion race nears conclusion

Paul Edwards26-Sep-2022It is the last week of the season and suddenly it seemed so at New Road this morning. Full daylight came late to the city and Middlesex’s players seemed to be wearing an extra layer each as they strolled across the Worcester Bridge to the cricket ground. Travelling in the other direction, lines of commuter traffic took people to other, surely very different, occupations. One wondered how many earlier generations of visiting players, hairstyles different but concerns similar, had also walked from the nearby hotel and thought themselves fortunate indeed to be paid for playing the game they loved. It would have been easy at such autumnal moments to surrender to melancholy had not the Severn lay lacquered and still in the morning light, the swans cruised as though in formation and the cathedral been shadowed before a reluctant sun. “The doctrine of despair was never taught by such as shared the serenity of nature,” wrote Henry David Thoreau.Some farewells are more final – and more poignant. Nick Cook was given a guard of honour to mark his retirement from the first-class umpire’s list after this match and it is also Ed Barnard’s last game for Worcestershire before he joins Warwickshire. That, though, brought an end to the good fellowship. Important points are at stake around the country over these four days and for no one more so than Middlesex, who could be hailed as champions, congratulated as runners-up or dismissed as also-rans.That latter judgement would be savagely hard on Tim Murtagh’s team, who have won six and lost two of their 13 games, but if Glamorgan beat Sussex and Middlesex fail to win at New Road, there is a chance Lord’s will be the home of second-tier cricket in 2023. Murtagh and his players will be reminding them that matters are still in their hands. Beat Worcestershire and they will be promoted, perhaps even as champions depending on Nottinghamshire’s result against Durham. It would be a lovely conclusion to the season, particularly so for Toby Roland-Jones, who took three wickets on a rain-scarred day, one on which Worcestershire’s 167 for 8 was a disarmingly decent effort.Ed Pollock, on the other hand, might be rather pleased to see the end of the season. After making a 12-ball nought against Nottinghamshire last week, Pollock lasted 11 deliveries fewer on the final morning, his blameless forward defensive to Murtagh’s first nut of the game edging a catch to John Simpson. Five overs later Jake Libby was gone as well, lbw to a ball from Roland-Jones that nipped back a little.After an hour’s play the essential shape of this day seemed clear. This is a not a poor pitch but it was used for the game against Sussex in April and Middlesex’s exclusively seam attack clearly enjoyed bowling on it, especially as a couple of showers allowed them useful recovery time. On such days and on bowlers’ wickets like this, even modest contributions assume greater value and careless dismissals greater censure. Jack Haynes batted as calmly as anyone for his 20 runs but then fished at a wideish ball from Roland-Jones and Sam Robson grabbed the resulting chance.Azhar Ali committed no such indiscretions. Instead he laboured an hour and a half longer than Haynes for seven runs more than his young colleague before being pinned on the crease by Ryan Higgins. Barnard arrived to play his penultimate innings on a field he has always regarded as his home ground and immediately made batting seem simpler than anyone else. But each of Barnard’s six fours were scored either square or backward of square on the off side and he perished a little as he had lived when he edged Roland-Jones to Steve Eskinazi at slip. Gareth Roderick, last week’s centurion, arrived and left almost immediately when he clipped his fifth delivery off his toes and short leg Mark Stoneman clutched a ball that had been trapped somewhere near his armpit.That gave Murtagh his second victim of a day on which Roland-Jones’ three wickets had taken him to a career-best tally of 66 with power to add a few more in the rest of this match. But Middlesex’s captain will know that the game is probably evenly poised. For while wickets were falling at the other end, Brett D’Oliveira, Worcestershire’s skipper, was attacking the bowling where possible and putting his many play-and-misses behind him.D’Oliveira was one of his side’s best batsmen in the first half of the season and his dismissal, caught by Robson off Ethan Bamber for 44 a few minutes before the close, might yet be seen as vital in the outcome of this game. A few moments after his departure Cook, aided by his colleague Rob Bailey, took the players off the field. Cook has three days left in his career as a top-level umpire. Middlesex’s cricketers, by contrast, have three days left in which to realise the ambitions they have nursed for nearly a year.

Buttler, McCoy and Bosch were also part of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2022In a continuing sign of T20 franchise owners gravitating towards players they already know and trust, Paarl Royals snapped up the South African duo of David Miller and uncapped allrounder Corbin Bosch, England’s new white-ball captain Jos Buttler and West Indies fast bowler Obed McCoy. All four have worked for these owners before – in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals – and will continue to do so now in the upcoming CSA T20 LeagueAccording to tournament rules, a team can sign a maximum of one capped South African, three overseas players and an uncapped player ahead of the players auction. So far, the Durban franchise – owned by the same group that manages Lucknow Super Giants and comprising the same core of players who helped take LSG to the knockout stages of IPL 2022 – and MI Cape Town have announced their picks.Buttler bossed this year’s IPL for the Royals, scoring a whopping 863 runs, an average of 57.53 and a strike rate of 149.05. He hit four centuries and smashed 45 sixes and was also the leading run-getter of the competition.

The tournament enjoyed a resurgent season but cricket’s crammed schedule will continue to present challenges

Tristan Lavalette06-Feb-2023Twelve months ago, there was a lot of unrest over the maligned BBL after a second straight season was ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.Everyone, including BBL general manager Alistair Dobson, seemed to acknowledge that the tournament’s 12th edition was going to be a pivotal juncture magnified by Cricket Australia’s vital media rights negotiations in the backdrop.Fast forward a year, in the aftermath of a riveting season capped by a fitting finale at a heaving Optus Stadium, the BBL is glowing amid a stunning revival to rekindle its heyday from mid-last decade.Here are some of the main reasons for the BBL regaining its standing as a hot ticket in the congested Australian sports summer after being mired in uncertainty in recent years and some of the questions that remain.

Return of homegrown stars

Australia’s best players have rarely ever been available to play in the BBL. Finally, David Warner returned after nine years, but it was his great mate Steven Smith who stole the show with a spectacular whirlwind of a stint to become the marquee drawcard.Related

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Smith and Warner, the latter who had been courted by the cashed-up new UAE T20 league, were paid a lot of money to play in the BBL, but it was worth every dollar. Some of the returning Australian stars struggled during their short stints, including Warner and Strikers skipper Travis Head, but they lit a fuse under the latter stages of the regular season during what is perennially a dreary period.The star power provided a much-needed injection of talent into the BBL after a slew of overseas players left for the new UAE and South African T20 leagues. The competition was upended with lowly Heat storming into title calculations after the inclusions of skipper Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw.By any metric the returns of some of Australia’s best and most popular players was a huge success. It’s well and good to covet top international players but, ultimately, homegrown heroes whip up local interest.South Africa controversially pulling out of a three-match ODI series set for mid-January – to ensure its players were available for their new T20 league – proved a godsend for CA.Steven Smith made two stunning centuries•Getty Images

New-name match-winners

But, as in the past, the BBL showed it wasn’t all about the A-listers. Some players took the chance to make a name for themselves. Left-arm spinner Paddy Dooley and left-arm quick Spencer Johnson led the way as key parts of Hurricanes’ and Heat’s attacks respectively.Johnson’s team-mate, Josh Brown, meanwhile produced one of the most memorable individual performance of the season with his fierce 62 off 23 balls against Sixers.And in the final itself, Nick Hobson, an accountant by trade who had taken annual leave to play the BBL, composed himself after a mix-up Ashton Turner to help take Scorchers to victory. “I’ll come back the week after,” he said of returning to the day job. “I’ll let it all decompress.”

Should a dedicated BBL window be created?

It’s become an annual pastime to debate what the ideal Australian cricket summer should look like, but this season might have provided answers.In other words, a clear window for the BBL after the traditional New Year’s SCG Test is probably optimal. But with cricket’s calendar increasingly brimming to capacity, it’s not always going to be possible for Australia’s Test players to be available.There will be a clash next year with West Indies set to be playing a two-Test series in the latter half of January. While it’s laudable that Test cricket is still a major priority for CA, it feels like a matter of time before they follow the lead of several other nations and dedicate space for their T20 league to ensure the BBL’s long-term viability, although it appears unlikely under the recently confirmed Future Tours Programme with the expectation that, on average, every other season will see significant clashes.Spencer Johnson was one of the breakout stars•Getty Images

Bigger crowds help turn around BBL’s perception

Tune into a BBL game in recent years and often the first thing that stood out was the near empty grandstands. Of course, some of that had to do with the Covid-19 situation but the sterile surrounds further fuelled the BBL’s spiralling reputation with crowds having already started to dip prior to the pandemic.With Australia’s strict policies on Covid-19 effectively binned, crowds returned with around a million fans attending games this season to beat the combined turnouts of the last two seasons.The crowds have, of course, helped create better spectacles which have translated well onto television screens, where ratings have jumped.The BBL has undoubtedly benefited from a scrapping of Covid-19 policies, particularly in Western Australia where Scorchers only played five home games in the previous two seasons due to the state’s hard-line pandemic rules. With WA’s hard border removed, the beloved Scorchers attracted healthy home crowds all season, including around 95,000 fans for the two finals staged at Optus Stadium.It only added to a growing belief that Scorchers are more popular among parochial West Australians than the Australian cricket team.Several marquee BBL games, such as Strikers’ annual New Year’s Eve game at the Adelaide Oval and the Melbourne Derby at the MCG, also reeled in the masses to help turn around the competition’s perception.

Thrillers and controversies create constant headlines

An opening night thriller between Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars foreshadowed what was ahead for a madcap BBL season.There were numerous nerve-jangling finishes, while records were made along the way, including Strikers’ epic chase down of 230 against Hurricanes at home. Thunder, too, were in the record books but for all the wrong reasons after being humiliated for just 15 against Strikers in a disastrous performance that made global headlines.Michael Neser’s contentious juggled catch on the boundary and Adam Zampa’s attempted run-out of Tom Rogers at the non-striker’s end also sparked furious debate worldwide. All of this attention helped BBL lift firmly back to relevance and become an almost daily talking point.Matthew Short’s century in a huge chase was one of the moments of the season•Getty Images

Dud Test summer created an appetite for the BBL

When the BBL memorably started peaking in 2015-16, marked by a still record BBL crowd of 80,000 for the Melbourne Derby, there had been a major thirst for competitive cricket on the back of a lacklustre Test series between Australia and West Indies.Similarly, this Test summer was mostly one-sided with West Indies again out of their depth and South Africa enduring a rare misfire in Australia. Much like seven years ago, the BBL stepped up and delivered a riveting season filled with instant classic games and never-ending storylines.But it has proven harder for the BBL to find the same amount of oxygen during summers involving England and India, which are likely to get more bloated in the future.

Is a scaled down BBL needed?

After such a success, it can be now pondered whether shortening the BBL season from its current 61 games to 43 – a key plank in the new media rights deal with plans for it to be implemented as early as next season – was done in haste. Sticking with the 14-game home and away format for each side has advocates.”I have no problem with reducing the season but I think the current format is fairer,” Strikers coach Jason Gillespie told ESPNcricinfo. “I think the length of the BBL could have been condensed without losing games by having more doubles headers and teams playing back-to-back games.”That type of schedule can better test out a BBL list, where currently there are a few players who don’t often get a look in.”But a shorter season is happening, and could yet start next summer if everything can be put in place, and time will tell if it’s the right formula amid cricket’s changing landscape.

Sparks’ hopes evaporate in steep chase as Davidson-Richards, McDonald-Gay share six

ECB Reporters Network16-Sep-2023South East Stars secured qualification in the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy in the most emphatic style with a 152-run victory over Central Sparks in a winner-takes-all clash at Edgbaston.Stars captain Bryony Smith led from the front with a blistering 97 from 81 balls, with ten fours, three sixes, and supported by Kira Chathli (61 off 92) powered her team to a hefty 283 for 7. Spinners Hannah Baker (2 for 46) and Georgia Davis (2 for 47) imposed some mid-innings control for Sparks.Sparks would have qualified themselves if they had chased down the target but their reply never took flight. Only Maddy Green, with 39 off 48 balls, passed 20 against a disciplined attack led by Alice Davidson-Richards and Ryana MacDonald-Gay, who both claimed three-fors.Put in, Stars lost an early wicket when Alexa Stonehouse skied a slog at Emily Arlott, but it was an isolated success with the new ball for the bowlers as Chathli and Smith added 125 in 21 overs for the second wicket.After Chathli chipped Baker to mid-off and Smith fell three short of a deserved century when she top-edged Davis to midwicket, the innings lost momentum in the middle before a late fillip came from Chloe Hill (34 off 24) and Maddie Blinkhorn-Jones. They batted intelligently to add 57 in 48 balls for the eighth wicket to lift the total from around par to imposing.Under some scoreboard pressure, Sparks needed a strong platform but lost both openers in three balls from McDonald-Gay. Eve Jones was strangled down the leg side and then Bethan Ellis edged a lovely outswinger to wicketkeeper Chathli.Green and Abi Freeborn counterattacked with brief success to take the score to 50 in ten overs but the departure of Freeborn, lbw to Paige Scholfield, triggered a collapse. Davidson-Richards removed Ami Campbell, caught at deep midwicket, and Katie George who top-edged a scoop and was well caught by Chathli running back towards fine leg.When Green, having hit six fours, was bowled by Danielle Gregory, it was 102 for 7. Sparks needed something miraculous from their tail but Stars closed the game out without alarms.

Kings’ forgettable season came to an end as Quetta finished with a win though they are unlikely to progress

S Sudarshanan20-Feb-2022The first match of Sunday’s double-header in the PSL in Lahore was an odd one; neither the winning team nor the losing one would have been happy at the end of it. Quetta Gladiators needed to win their final match of the league stage by a huge margin in order to keep their hopes of qualification alive, mathematically. Kings, who held the upper hand for most parts, skittled away a strong start with the bat to go down by 23 runs.It was a case of old habits dying hard for Kings as a forgettable PSL season came to an end with their ninth defeat in ten matches. Kings lost seven wickets for just 37 runs with Gladiators’ Khurram Shahzad picking four on T20 debut, turning the chase on its head. It meant Kings were restricted to 143 for 8 in their chase of the 167-run target.Gladiators chose to bat first and their openers struggled to get going. Will Smeed fell early while Jason Roy made use of the powerplay to get off to a fast start. However, Roy was far from his belligerent self, bringing the edges of his blade into play more often.Imad Wasim and Umaid Asif snuck in some economical overs as Kings captain Babar Azam rotated his bowlers quite regularly. That did not deter Roy and James Vince, who added 90 for the second wicket. Vince’s attempt at upping the scoring rate resulted in his dismissal, as he was bowled by fellow Englishman Lewis Gregory while trying to play a big shot across the line.Roy soon brought up his third half-century in the season but then fell in the final over, holing out to Mir Hamza. Thanks to Roy and Iftikhar Ahmed, Gladiators collected 41 off the last four overs to post 166.Kings were on course for overhauling the target and registering their second successive win when Babar and Joe Clarke, who had a forgettable outing with the gloves, were in the middle. The duo blazed through the powerplay, finishing 51 for none – Kings’ best this season – and added 87 for the opening wicket. Legspinner Ashir Qureshi was taken for 15 in his second over, which signalled the openers’ intent.Player-of-the-Match Shahzad, first got through Azam’s defense before castling Sharjeel Khan, who hit 16 off just seven balls. Clarke then completed his first fifty of the season before missing an attempted heave off Mohammad Irfan to be bowled.Kings never recovered from those setbacks as Gladiators tightened the noose to shut the game. Shahzad’s blows ensured a winning end to Gladiators’ campaign, even though they are likely to be knocked out.

Pakistan have lost eight of their last 10 T20Is, including a series defeat to Sri Lanka last October

The Preview by Mohammad Isam23-Jan-20202:51

When a bowler bowls 140-plus, nobody can ignore him – Haris Rauf

Big picture

The sight of Bangladesh players walking down from their chartered aircraft at the Allama Iqbal Airport in Lahore, late on Wednesday evening, was an assuring sign for cricket lovers from both countries. Not too long ago, the tour was nearly called off after the BCB stuck to their position of only playing T20Is, while Pakistan sent a fresh proposal of only Tests.But it all changed dramatically when, over the course of a meeting in Dubai last week in the presence of ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, the two parties reached a deal. Bangladesh are on the first of three legs of touring Pakistan over the next three months, this time to only play the T20Is.Bangladesh will be without Mushfiqur Rahim, who opted out of the tour due to his family’s concerns, while five members of the coaching staff have also been excluded from the travelling party. It has unquestionably made Bangladesh a lesser side, with added responsibility on Tamim Iqbal and captain Mahmudullah. Bangladesh have an experienced pace attack to call upon, but lack a genuine spinner. The batting line-up has form, but needs careful organising and reshuffling.Bangladesh performed admirably in the T20Is in India in November, where only a sensational Deepak Chahar spell stood between them and a famous series win. The same cannot be said about Pakistan, however. They have lost eight of their last ten T20Is, including a series defeat to Sri Lanka at home in October last year.In the need to improve their record, the coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has included some newcomers like Amad Butt, Ahsan Ali and Haris Rauf, as well as veterans Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik to beef up the batting line-up.

Form guide

Pakistan LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)Bangladesh LLWWW

In the spotlight

Sixteen wickets at a strike-rate of exactly ten, economy rate of 6.89 and 11.56 bowling average in the BBL has not only landed Haris Rauf a place in the Pakistan T20I side, but his tape-ball to BBL story has made fans quite excited to see him bowl at home.Mohammad Naim’s 81 against India in Bangladesh’s last T20I made heads turn, and he followed it up with an impressive BPL campaign for Rangpur Rangers. Naim, too, is a virtual unknown in Bangladesh cricket, but fans have noticed the youngster’s unassuming strokeplay.

Team news

Pakistan are going with a whole host of changes from the side that last played a T20I. Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Shaheen Afridi are likely to return while Ahsan Ali and Haris Rauf are set to be handed T20I debuts. Three places would obviously open up in the absence of Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Amir and Haris Sohail who don’t feature in the squad.Pakistan (possible): 1 Ahsan Ali, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Imad Wasim, 7 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Haris Rauf, 10 Shaheen Afridi 11 Mohammad HasnainBangladesh’s team management will have a tough time replacing Mushfiqur Rahim, and maneuvering the five openers within the line-up. Coach Russell Domingo said a few days ago that many of them may have to bat out of position, although the bowling line-up is likely to be similar to the one that faced India in November.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Mohammad Naim, 3 Afif Hossain, 4 Liton Das (wk), 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Soumya Sarkar, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Aminul Islam, 9 Shafiul Islam, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Al-Amin Hossain

Pitch and conditions

The brownish wicket is projected to be a belter, giving the chasing side enough of an advantage to go after even a 200-plus total. The weather forecast seems perfect, with a high of 17 degrees.

Stats and trivia

• This will be only be the second T20 to be played during the day at the Gaddafi Stadium in the last six years.
• Only Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah have played in Pakistan from this current Bangladesh side.
• Mohammad Hafeez, who has made a comeback into the Pakistan T20I side, is 92 runs short of 2000 T20I runs, while Shadab Khan is four scalps away from 50 T20I wickets.