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Stumps With the whole second day lost to rain, Centurion practically made up for the time lost with the most wickets it has produced in a day of Test cricket, 18. India lost their last seven wickets in 69 balls, which is not usually considered ideal, but it was just the result they needed as it suggested the pitch had significantly more life in it than on day one. Mohammed Shami then led India’s bowling – missing Jasprit Bumrah for 49 overs because of an ankle injury – with his second first-innings five-for in Test cricket to give India a lead of 130.India now held all the keys to dominance in the Test, provided no further weather interruptions in the remaining two days. Things looked similar at the end of day one, but the washed-out second day left them needing an innings win or a transformed pitch if they were to force a result. The Centurion pitch, which usually gets quicker after the first day, responded with both pace and uneven bounce for the new ball.What resulted was the second-quickest collapse in Test cricket (where fall-of-wicket information is available) in terms of number of balls, when the first four wickets of a team had batted 90 overs or more. India’s first new ball looked just as lethal with four wickets falling in the first 13 overs before the pitch settled down enough for South Africa to recover from 32 for 4 to end up with 197.Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi caused the havoc early doors, hitting the pitch hard and drawing the inconsistent bounce. Ngidi ended with his second six-wicket bag in Centurion. Once the overnight batters, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane fell, both to extra bounce, the approach of the rest of the batters suggested they felt safe with what they had on the board in practically a four-day Test. They probably fancied bowling out there instead of taking time out of the Test by merely surviving. There was good reason for it: after just 60 false response in the first 90 overs of the Test, 28 came about in the next 15.3 overs. India took 55 runs in those overs, and unleashed their attack.As early as the first over, Bumrah produced an unplayable delivery to send back captain Dean Elgar: a full ball that shaped in and then nipped away just enough after pitching to take the edge. In the half hour that India had before lunch, they looked to swing the ball, but didn’t find much. They came back a mean machine: repeatedly bowling the fullest length that can’t be driven, mixing in the odd lifter into the ribs.Mohammed Shami celebrates the wicket of Temba Bavuma•AFP via Getty Images

Keegan Petersen responded with an error immediately as soon as India changed the lengths. Still looking for the drive, he was well away from the pitch of the ball, which seamed back to take the inside edge and knock over his stumps. When Aiden Markram had his off stump pegged back by one that held its line, it wasn’t the first unplayable ball he was facing. This was an interrogation of the highest order.After Bumrah twisted his ankle and walked off in the 11th over, Mohammed Siraj cleverly checked Rassie van der Dussen out on the drive with two sucker balls. One edge fell short of second slip, and the second went straight to gully, a dismissal that should leave the batter disappointed.As the ball began to grow softer, it began to misbehave less, allowing Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock to build a partnership. They applied themselves well, and took toll every time India overpitched. They added 72 for the fourth wicket, the only stand of 50 or more, but this is where India’s decision to play five bowlers came in handy. The duo saw off R Ashwin’s first spell and also a Shami spell, but Shardul Thakur came back to have de Kock play on the first ball of a new spell. This was just before tea, Bumrah had come back on the field, but there were still close to two hours to go before he could bowl again.It was hard work post tea too with the ball not doing much. This is when Shami put in a spell of 4-0-19-2 to take out both Bavuma and No. 7 Wiaan Mulder. They both looked comfortable at the wicket, Bavuma even reached his half-century, but they both made errors against the impeccable accuracy of Shami. Mulder played a loose drive to a half-volley, and Bavuma defended a wide one outside the line of his head.Rabada and debutant Marco Jansen now added 37 for the eighth wicket, managing to make it look easy, but again Thakur produced the breakthrough just before Shami and Bumrah came back on. He had Jansen playing inside the line of what looked like a straight ball. Shami had Rabada for his five-for, his 200th wicket. He is the only Indian among the 11 with 200 or more with a strike-rate of under 50. Bumrah finished things off with the wicket of Keshav Maharaj, caught at fly slip.In the half hour possible before stumps, Jansen managed to get the wicket of Mayank Agarwal, with India ending the day effectively at 146 for 1. At the end of day three on such a pitch, you back yourself to win, but there is some forecast for rain on day five, which will make for an interesting watch on India’s declaration should they get themselves into a position to do so.

Pace bowler Jhye Richardson says he’s on board with the decision to rest him for the Test tour of Pakistan and backed Justin Langer to secure a new term as national coach.Richardson’s three-year hiatus from the Test arena came to an end in December when he was part of the Australian unit that beat England by 275 runs in the day-night Ashes clash in Adelaide. He snared 5 for 42 in the second innings in a stunning display, but an injury to his left foot and shin kept him out for the rest of the series.He has battled a series of shoulder injuries in recent years and selectors want to take a careful approach with him to avoid his body breaking down. Richardson has been selected for the upcoming five-match T20 series against Sri Lanka but he will be rested for the three-Test tour of Pakistan, which begins in March.Related

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“These conversations have always been positive, there’s never been a negative word said regardless,” Richardson said. “It’s making sure we’re in the best place possible to play for the next 10 years, and making sure the body is right and 100 percent moving forward.”It would be exciting to play Test cricket in the subcontinent, it’s a big challenge. But for me now the focus is most certainly on the Sri Lankan series with another T20 World Cup coming up.”National selector George Bailey indicated he still expected Richardson to play a part during the winter with a Test tour of Sri Lanka also in the calendar. In the short term, though, it is unclear what cricket Richardson could play after the T20I series with the domestic schedule yet to be determined and Western Australia’s hard border adding to the complexity.Jhye Richardson took a five-wicket haul in his one Ashes appearance•AFP/Getty Images

“He is a player that we we’ve got long term expectations for,” Bailey said. “He still hasn’t played a huge amount of cricket coming back from the injuries and things that he’s had over the past couple of years. So just making sure that he gets the opportunity to build up the way that he needs to build up is really important.”Richardson will line up for Perth Scorchers against Sydney Sixers or Adelaide Strikers in Friday’s BBL final at Marvel Stadium. He will still have to manage the injury he suffered during the Ashes.”I had a scan on it [the shin], and it showed the muscle was pulling on the bone a little bit, so there was a little bit of stress there, which is why it’s taken longer to settle down,” Richardson said. “But throughout the whole time it’s been functional. I’ve been able to play and bowl throughout that whole series, and then moving into Scorchers stuff.”Meanwhile, Langer’s future is still uncertain despite helping Australia secure the T20 World Cup crown and a 4-0 Ashes triumph. Richardson, who played under Langer at WA, wants the veteran coach to be rewarded with a fresh deal.”For someone to come and take the World Cup, to then win an Ashes 4-0, I can’t fault anything that JL has done,” Richardson said. “JL and I have always gotten along really well. What he’s been able to achieve recently has been absolutely amazing. And no doubt the guys from a playing point of view have full faith in him. He’s been awesome.”

She is well aware of the pressure of playing against arch-rivals India in the Women’s ODI World Cup opener next month but Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof hopes that the marquee match will inspire girls across the border to make a career in the sport.India are set to face Pakistan in their opener of the World Cup on March 6 in Mount Maunganui. The tournament will be held from March 4 to April 3 across six cities in New Zealand.”Pakistan vs India is indeed a great stage for any player to establish her credentials, but at the end of the day, it is a cricket match that has to be won by executing the basics right and keeping thing simple,” Maroof, who is making a comeback after motherhood, told PTI from Queenstown.Related

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“This match is a great opportunity to inspire millions of girls in Pakistan and India to take up this sport as a profession. It is the biggest rivalry, and attracts innumerable eyeballs.”I hope girls in the two countries will watch this match and will be inspired to take up the game.”She praised the Indian team led by Mithali Raj, but she was very optimistic about Pakistan’s chances against them.”The Indian team is a good unit and has done well recently. They also have had some very good youngsters coming in of late,” she said. “Our aim is to make it to the semi-finals, something which we have never done before. I strongly believe that this side has all the ingredients to achieve that.Being the senior-most player and the captain of the team, Maroof felt it was her duty to lead from from the front.”Being the senior player and the captain of the side you have to inspire your team and lead by example. If you are not doing the right things, you cannot demand them from girls. I have a very clear vision with this team that we need to be in top four.”When asked about the team composition, she said that conditions in New Zealand will determine the playing XI.Maroof has played 108 ODIs and equal number of T20I matches and has scored 2602 and 2225 runs, respectively.Having seen many ups and downs in her journey so far, she had once decided to quit cricket to embrace motherhood.”It has been an incredible journey and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Being a cricketer has designed my life and played a very important role in the person I am today. There have been ups and downs, which have made me learn,” she said.”I am very excited to be back. It feels like I am making my debut again for Pakistan. I am grateful to my family, especially my husband who has supported me immensely throughout this phase. I also want to mention the support that the Pakistan Cricket Board has provided me through the parental policy.”To make a successful comeback after motherhood is not easy and Maroof has worked very hard to regain that level of form and fitness.”The journey from childbirth to getting here had its fair share of difficulties, as I had to start from scratch to regain my fitness,” she said. “Women don’t often return to sports or continue their professional careers after getting married or childbirth.”I spent a lot of time doing strength and conditioning sessions at the National High Performance Centre in Lahore.”

India’s build-up to the women’s ODI World Cup has been far from ideal, as they lost a five-match series 4-1 in New Zealand, where the marquee event will be held. Despite that, Mithali Raj, the India captain, has placed her faith in the younger players in the line-up to lift the team when the time comes, saying that the likes of Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Meghna Singh and Pooja Vastrakar “have shown that they have the ability to play at this level”.Related

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Speaking at the ICC’s pre-tournament captains’ press conference, Raj said, “They all have been given good game time and those series have really helped them, and me as a captain, to find out where they fit in into the composition of the team.”I definitely know my playing composition for the first couple of games and I look forward to giving game time to all the core players during the warm-ups and also to those players who will get opportunity at some point in the World Cup.”Raj confirmed that the composition she spoke of had space for Harmanpreet Kaur, who has gone through an extended run of poor form internationally, but scored a 66-ball 63 in the final ODI, which India won by six wickets.India reached the final the last time the tournament was played, in 2017 in England, before losing to the hosts by nine runs after having threatened to pull off victory when on 191 for 3 in the 43rd over chasing 229. They lost their final seven wickets for 28 runs as Anya Shrubsole returned 6 for 46.To repeat that finish, or go one better, India will be up against it, with Australia looming as the big favourites, New Zealand expected to do well at home, and England always among the frontrunners.”We do have an experienced core group from last edition,” Raj said. “Most of them, even the young players who recently got into the side, had the opportunity of playing in [T20] leagues. That gives them exposure other than bilateral series. When you go into big events, you depend on experience not just young players. Having both together is a good mix.”The young talent in the side today, I tell them that you don’t have the experience of the past World Cups, so it’s a clean slate for you, all you have to do is enjoy the big stage. The only advice I would give the young players is enjoy the big stage because if you pile up the pressure you may not be playing the best that the team and you would want to do in the World Cup.”Richa Ghosh is a young player who has started to come into her own•Getty Images

Raj has been criticised of late for scoring slower than needed in white-ball cricket, but gave a good account of her form in the ODIs against New Zealand, finishing second overall on the scorers’ chart, behind Amelia Kerr (353 runs) with 232 runs from five innings. Her runs came at a strike rate of 82.56.”As far as me, personally, I am happy with the way that I’ve been scoring runs, and I would love to continue the form into the World Cup,” she said. Her role, as has been the case for a while, is to hold the innings together and be the pivot around which the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Verma, Ghosh, Harmanpreet and others play their natural games.As for the build-up to the World Cup, Raj chose to look at the positives.”The win [in the final game] is important for any team which is getting into a big event,” she said. “The takeaway definitely is how the batting unit has turned out in each game. The bowling unit took a bit of time. The spinners that we bank on, they do also understand these wickets are batting friendly and they need to tighten up line and length and bowl consistently.”We definitely also look to put more effort on fielding, it is an area we are consistently working on.”

Big picture

The doughty virus has squeezed through the bio bubble, a player has been hospitalised as a precaution, and the match has been relocated across the expressway from Pune to Mumbai, but the good news is that the match will still be happening. Fingers crossed, for who can forget 2021?

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Both Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings have lost three and won two of their last five matches, and will want to weed out the inconsistency they’ve shown with the tournament nearing its halfway stage. Capitals are in further strife, and not just because their camp has been hit by Covid-19.There are as many as 19 names above Prithvi Shaw, their highest run-getter of the tournament; Anrich Nortje, one of their retained picks, first sat out injured, then returned, and got taken off the attack for sending down a pair of high full-tosses. An early drop of Dinesh Karthik by Rishabh Pant then went a long way in deciding Capitals’ fate against Royal Challengers Bangalore the last match.Related

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If they can get their act together and manage two points against Kings, Capitals will climb two steps up to No. 6 on the points table. If not, they can only hope it is not too late.Meanwhile, Kings have alternated between Ws and Ls over their six matches so far. They have lost the toss and batted first in the last five of them, but, thanks to their mantra of all-out-attack, have still posted totals of 198, 189 and 180. This, after they had hunted down 206 to start the season.So the batting’s okay. But the bowling, apart from Rahul Chahar and Kagiso Rabada, has lacked wicket-taking menace. Arshdeep Singh has been superb at keeping the runs down at the death, but he only has two wickets across phases from 21 overs in six matches. And Odean Smith, on top of not scoring enough runs, is leaking them at 11.86 an over.Like Capitals, a win for Kings can help them up two places – and three if Royal Challengers lose big to Lucknow Super Giants – at just the right time.David Warner has been dismissed five times in 13 T20 innings by Kagiso Rabada•BCCI

In the news

With Mitchell Marsh out of action for at least a week after testing Covid-positive, he is certain to miss Capitals’ fixture against Kings and also against Rajasthan Royals two days later. Meanwhile, Kings’ regular captain Mayank Agarwal missed their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad due to an injured toe. At the end of that game, Shikhar Dhawan said he was “much better now”, and hoped Agarwal would play “the next game”, although there has been no further updates.

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Sarfaraz Khan/Yash Dhull/Tim Seifert, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Lalit Yadav, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Khaleel AhmedPunjab Kings: 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Odean Smith/ Benny Howell/Rishi Dhawan/Raj Bawa, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Vaibhav Arora, 11 Arshdeep Singh

Strategy punt

It says a lot for the calibre of Ed Barnard’s third Worcestershire hundred that for the first time this season Stuart Broad decided he must try to curb a growing rebellion and really slipped himself.He was no longer feeling his way into the season, drawing on years of experience in his meticulous preparation for a potential England recall, he was pumping in with the old ball, a respected adversary in his sights, seeking to fashion a Nottinghamshire victory with as much energy as he could muster. Barnard made him forget the future and brought him into the present.Broad in his veteran phase is not as quick as he was. Allegedly. His speeds varied between 76 and 81mph all day, according to the ECB speed guns that are the latest impressive enhancement to the excellent live county feeds. A suggestion is taking hold, however, that the speeds are a little on the slow side, a view perhaps approved by ageing fast bowlers. Intriguingly, this is the opposite to the traditional whispers about international cricket where a bit of ramping up has occasionally been suspected. Perish the thought that according to official ECB figures England could go into the New Zealand Test series with the most celebrated but also the slowest new-ball attack in Test cricket.But he was at the top of the range (whatever that range was), with some nasty bounce to boot, as Barnard, for so long regarded as a bowling allrounder, battled through his final assault with a century beckoning and earned the right to be regarded as equally proficient with bat and ball.He was 98 when Nottinghamshire took the second new ball with four overs remaining – it can be safely assumed that bit had not quite gone according to plan. But he worked Luke Fletcher’s first delivery to third man, comfortably took on Haseeb Hameed’s throw, and secured a just reward.It fell to Broad to bowl the final over of the day as Trent Bridge was bathed in evening sunshine. But Barnard and Ben Cox, whose first half-century of the season had contributed to an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 125 in 47 overs, stood firm. They took a few blows and batted with considerable discipline. There are football fans around, apparently, who hope to see Notts wrap up victory before Nottingham Forest continue their promotion push against Swansea just across the road at three o’clock but it feels a little optimistic.Related

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“Ed Barnard, just had nerves of steel, really,” said Cox, whose career suggests he knows a bit about such things. “He was so calm at the crease. Today was tough against a high-class attack on what certainly had been a favourable wicket on the first day – albeit one that had changed a bit.”A match that looked likely at one stage to be claimed by Nottinghamshire within two days remains alive with Worcestershire holding a 118-run lead with five wickets remaining. The Lincoln Green stripes of the first day have long gone and an easing surface still makes Nottinghamshire strong favourites, but balls have occasionally gone through the top and Barnard’s application has given his side hope.Barnard’s career progress is a two-finger salute to those who advocate the cutting of 18 professional counties for a supposed future of The Best v The Best, primarily based upon areas of high population.His background – Shrewsbury School and England U19s – suggests that he would have made the grade in a slimmed-down system, but it is unlikely that he would have been the same rounded cricketer he now is. His batting talents have progressed more slowly than his bowling – he was not particularly prolific with the bat at junior level – but Worcestershire have nurtured those talents over many seasons and now, at 26, have given him the chance to make the grade at No. 6.His maiden hundred only came last season, in a bore draw against Essex at Chelmsford, although he was less boring than some. A second century followed against Warwickshire at New Road in another run-fest. This time the demands were more onerous. When he came to the crease, Worcestershire were still 75 in arrears, having lost four for 32 in 12 overs.Fletcher had uprooted Ed Pollock’s middle stump second ball with a wonderful delivery that left the left-hander from around the wicket before Jake Libby drove with uncharacteristic looseness to be caught at backward point driving loosely. Broad produced bounce and movement to remove Azhar Ali in the same region. Dane Paterson added Brett D’Oliveira, who lobbed into the leg-side.The batter who really catches the eye in this Worcestershire side is Jack Haynes, son of the former Worcestershire allrounder, Gavin. With respect, he looks as if he has the potential to outdo his father by a considerable margin, but looks can deceive and he is still awaiting his first half-century of the season. Broad, back for a third spell in mid-afternoon, old-manned him by setting him up for a hook, on 49, which he obligingly yanked straight to Ben Duckett at deep square.There were runs, too, for Broad, at the start of the day, a hit-about-him innings that included two sixes against Charlie Morris as Worcestershire, who must have been watching too many Test match highlights, overdid the short stuff on a pitch still offering bowlers assistance by traditional means. Broad’s unbeaten 45 from 27 deliveries represented his best score in county cricket for five years, but the only stats that England will be studying will be 18-3-49-2… with the chance of a five-for in the morning.

Stuart Broad says that England will carry their new-found positive approach into the clutch moments of their 277-run chase, after Joe Root’s unbeaten 77 and a streaky but vital half-century for Ben Stokes had taken the fight to New Zealand on an absorbing third day of the first LV= Insurance Test at Lord’s.Broad himself instigated a key momentum shift in the morning session, as New Zealand’s final six wickets fell for 49 runs in 12.3 overs. The first three of those came in a row in his third over of the day, including the run-out of Colin de Grandhomme, as England battled back from a chastening second afternoon to restrict New Zealand to 285.And as Root and Ben Foakes put together an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 57 to reduce England’s final-day requirement to a further 61 with five wickets standing, Broad acknowledged that his work in this match could yet be far from done.”It’s been a really enjoyable Test match, really exciting and hard to know what is going to happen from hour to hour,” he said. “It’s great to be coming [back] knowing either team could win.”In Test cricket you’re constantly saying ‘it’s a big hour’, and I feel like we’ve said that every single hour here. The hour with Rooty and Foakesy before the new ball is going to be crucial to try and get the runs down as low as we can.”There’s been times we’ve had to soak up pressure, but we’ve got to have a really positive mindset leading up to the new ball. The way Rooty and Stokesy played after a bit of luck with the no-ball showed the way this team want to go about it.”After a relatively quiet performance with the ball in the first two days, Broad’s ebullient display was typical of the game-changing displays that he has made his calling card down the years, and after Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell had turned the tide of the game with a 195-run fifth-wicket stand, he admitted that it had come at a critical moment for the team.”It was huge,” he said. “We were a bit disappointed yesterday afternoon…they played really well for their runs. We knew we had to strike with the new ball because the Test match was riding on it. If New Zealand get 340-350 it’s a different game. I really enjoyed the feeling of getting the crowd going, lifting the energy in the stadium. The crowd responded brilliantly and so did the players.”In his 153rd Test, Broad has seen most situations that the game can serve up, and with Covid restrictions now lifted, he said he was looking forward to taking his mind off the game – and his probable role with the bat – by enjoying a night out for his fiancée’s birthday.Related

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“Gone are the days of 20 beers to relax yourself. That was my dad’s [former England opener, Chris] trick. I think it’s important for all of us to take our mind off the game tonight.”It’s actually Molly’s birthday today. Happy birthday Molly. So we’re going out for dinner with a couple of her friends which will be great, and I’ll next think about [the match] when I arrive at the ground tomorrow and practice specifics in the nets.”There’s no point just having throwdowns, with me not focusing on how I want to play in the middle,” he added. “Obviously my situation might change depending if I’m in in the first ball or the 10-15th over, or whatever, but it’s runs we need. There’s no point blocking and waiting for a draw. It’s runs we need.”Whatever transpires, however, Broad knows that England have achieved one of their primary aims of this game already, by setting out to entertain.”A win would be great, it would cap off a fantastic Test match,” he said. “But there’s no-one who’s come to watch this game over the last three days who would leave disappointed, I don’t think.”It’s had a bit of everything. It’s up to us as a group of players to do everything we can to get over the line, and it would be very special, but if it doesn’t work that way we step up to the plate in Nottingham.”But I’ve got a really good feeling about tomorrow. Joe Root is one of the calmest, England’s best ever batsmen, and Foakesy I thought settled really nicely, and then it’s going to be up to the lower order to chase these runs, so it’s set up to be a brilliant morning.”

Derbyshire 283 (du Plooy 122, Dal 90, Rushworth 7-44) and 320 for 6 (du Plooy 134, Guest 116, Rushworth 4-44) lead Durham 296 (Mackintosh 51, Pettman 3-40, Thomson 3-48) by 316 runsCenturies from Leus du Plooy and Brooke Guest worked Derbyshire into a match-winning position on day three of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash against Durham.Du Plooy and Guest combined for a mammoth stand of 248 for the fifth wicket to take the contest away from the home side, recovering from the loss of two early wickets that had put the visitors in trouble at 36 for 4 in the first hour of the day.The two Derbyshire batters were outstanding as Du Plooy scored his second century of the game, while Guest passed three figures for the third time of the campaign to leave their side in command at the close at 329 for 6 with a lead of 316 and the potential of an overnight declaration.After reducing the visitors to 19 for 2 in the evening session on day two, Matt Salisbury ramped up the pressure on Derbyshire by pinning Luis Reece lbw for 12 after the opener opted to leave a straight delivery. Rushworth then claimed his 10th wicket of the game by ousting Wayne Madsen for nine, leaving the visitors in a precarious position with a lead of only 23.The visitors were in dire need of a partnership to calm proceedings, and Guest and Du Plooy rose to the occasion in sublime manner. They ushered Derbyshire into the lunch break to stem the tide and force Durham captain Scott Borthwick to alter his plans.After the break, Guest and Du Plooy reached their half-centuries in the same Liam Trevaskis over and continued to lay the foundations of a match-winning position. Guest had been stymied in the morning session, but moved through the gears against a toiling Durham attack in the afternoon under the baking sun at Chester-le-Street. The bowlers found no life in a flat pitch, and it allowed Guest and Du Plooy to capitalise to great effect, turning the momentum of the game in the favour of Derbyshire.Du Plooy was unfettered and continued his fine form from the first innings, offering nothing to the home side in a controlled knock. For the second time of the partnership, both men reached their milestones in the same over as Du Plooy became the 19th Derbyshire player to score two hundreds in a match. Guest followed his team-mate to three figures from 216 balls, securing his third ton of the campaign along, pushing their partnership past 200, Derbyshire’s highest for the fifth wicket against Durham.Du Plooy’s outstanding innings was finally ended by Rushworth with the new ball finding the outside edge, but only after the left-hander notched his highest score of the campaign. Guest soon followed for 116 lbw to Salisbury, but the visitors were already entrenched in a dominant position before Anuj Dal and Hilton Cartwright worked their lead past the 300-run mark at the close.

CSA has taken a risk with an eye on “securing the long-term sustainability of the game” by forfeiting three ODIs in Australia, which form part of the direct-qualification pathway for the 50-over World Cup in India next year. The reason for the forfeiture is to launch its own T20 franchise league, but there is acknowledgement that not qualifying for the World Cup will be “a disaster”.”The players are disappointed that the ODIs in Australia will not happen but they understood the reasons,” Pholetsi Moseki, CSA’s chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “A lot of people are investing a lot of money in the T20 league, and we have to give it the best chance of success.”Moseki spoke to head coach Mark Boucher and white-ball captain Temba Bavuma first, and also had a 45-minute meeting with the entire squad, including Test captain Dean Elgar. “They were not exactly happy but they understood the long-term importance of the decision,” Moseki said.South Africa are currently 11th in the World Cup Super League points table and have eight matches left to play. These are against India [three, away] and Netherlands [two, at home – the first game of the series was washed out, and the remaining games were postponed because of Covid-19]. South Africa’s upcoming ODIs in England are not part of the Super League, though the ones in South Africa in February 2023 are. After opting out of the Australia fixtures, they face the possibility of a qualifying campaign in Zimbabwe in June-July next year.In the meeting, it was explained to the players that CSA has identified setting up the T20 league as a “top priority”, according to Lawson Naidoo, CSA’s board chair. And that the tournament, which aims to be the second-biggest in the world after the IPL, needs everyone’s buy-in when it launches in January 2023. “We need all our top players available to satisfy team owners and guarantee the integrity of the league,” Naidoo told ESPNcricinfo.Naidoo further said CSA had presented Cricket Australia with “various options” to play the matches at a different time.”Given our situation on the points table, we knew it would be a tough ask to qualify,” Naidoo said. “We would have liked the opportunity to automatically qualify but if we have to go to the qualifiers, that’s what we have to do. The players know what’s at stake. A World Cup is the pinnacle of a career.”World Cup participation is also financially lucrative and missing out on the tournament is not a scenario CSA wants to contemplate. “That will be a disaster,” Moseki said. “We are backing ourselves in qualification.”Effectively, that increases the pressure on South Africa’s players to ensure they do not miss out on the 2023 World Cup, but the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) said it sympathised with CSA’s position and hoped this would shine a light on broader issues in the game. “We recognise the predicament CSA finds themselves in. The situation is not ideal. This should highlight the crisis facing world cricket at the moment as more leagues emerge,” Andrew Breetzke, SACA’s CEO told ESPNcricinfo.South Africa are set to play India, Australia, England and Pakistan in Tests at home in the next cycle•AFP/Getty Images

This is South Africa’s third attempt to launch a franchise T20 league. The Global League T20 failed to get off the ground in 2017, and the Mzansi Super League was unable to secure big broadcast rights in 2018 and 2019, and was effectively given to the public broadcaster at no cost. This time, CSA has partnered with cable television broadcaster SuperSport, which will own 30% of the league, and the process of finalising team owners is ongoing.”The deadline for bids for teams is today [July 13],” Naidoo said. “We have appointed Deloitte [the auditing firm] to run an independent selection process and we hope to announce the six teams by the end of the month.”The league is expected to fundamentally change the landscape of South African cricket, which, from next year, will see no international cricket played after the New Year’s Test in January. Australia will follow the same model to accommodate the BBL. The UAE’s T20 league will be played at the same time. Those tournaments are followed by the PSL in February-March, then the IPL, the Hundred and the CPL, all of which will complicate FTP discussions at the ICC’s annual general meeting later this month.South Africa are set to play India, Australia, England and Pakistan in Tests at home in the next cycle but discussions on the number and format of white-ball matches are ongoing.”Everyone is trying to get a window for their league and we are finding we have to squeeze bilateral cricket in,” Moseki said. “We still want bilateral cricket to be supreme but the reality for countries like us is that you only make money when you play India. In the pre-Covid year, in 2019, we hosted England and Australia and we still make a loss. So we have to look at other options.”

Mosaddek Hossain’s stunning opening spell set up Bangladesh’s series-levelling win against Zimbabwe in Harare. The part-time offspinner completed his maiden five-wicket haul in just the seventh over of the innings, and became only the fourth Bangladesh bowler to take a five-for in T20Is, after Elias Sunny, Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib Al HasanWith Zimbabwe in tatters, Sikandar Raza scored a fighting half-century – his second of the series – but a total of 135 proved inadequate. Opener Litton Das spearheaded Bangladesh’s chase with a half-century and the target was achieved with seven wickets in hand and 15 balls to spare.Five wickets in seven overs
Opening the bowling for the first time in T20Is, Mosaddek struck with the first ball of the match – Regis Chakabva edging the wide, innocuous delivery to the wicket-keeper. Wessly Madhevere, who had struck a fifty in the first T20I, slammed one straight to cover-point where Mahedi Hasan took an easy catch off the last ball of the over.In his second over, Mosaddek had captain Craig Ervine caught at slip while attempting a reverse sweep, reducing Zimbabwe to 6 for 3. Sean Williams was next to go, chipping one back at Mosaddek in the fifth over, with the bowler having to jump to complete the return catch.Mosaddek completed his five-for when Milton Shumba dragged one towards deep midwicket, only to see Hasan Mahmud run hard and complete a diving catch. Mosaddek became the first Bangladesh bowler to take the first five wickets to fall in an innings, and 31 was the lowest score for which Zimbabwe had lost their first five wickets in a T20I.Sikandar Raza struck 62 off 53 balls and added 80 for the sixth wicket with Ryan Burl•AFP/Getty Images

Raza leads the recovery
Raza and Ryan Burl stopped the slide with an 80-run stand for the sixth wicket. Raza scored his second half-century of the series, hitting fours through cover and deep third, and also sixes over the leg-side boundary. He struck 62 off 53 balls before falling to Mustafizur in the 19th over.Burl had fallen in the 18th, when Hasan Mahmud bowled him for 32. Towards the end of the innings, Luke Jongwe struck a late six, as Zimbabwe tried to capitalise on the recovery that Raza had led.Litton starts quickly
Litton got Bangladesh’s chase off to a quick start when he struck Tanaka Chivanga for two sixes and a four in the third over. But he lost his opening partner Munim Shahriar cheaply for the second game in a row when Richard Ngarava bowled him through the gate.Litton added 41 for the second wicket with Anamul Haque but got out shortly after reaching his half-century – his 56 off 33 balls included six fours and two sixes. Anamul struck two fours in his 16, but once again got out soon after getting set.The final act
Afif Hossain was unbeaten on 30 off 28 balls and Najmul Hossain Shanto made 19 off 21 balls to take Bangladesh to the target. Their unbroken 55-run stand for the fourth wicket ensured there were no more hiccups for Bangladesh, who had lost their previous two wickets in the space of four balls.The seven-wicket victory brought Bangladesh level at 1-1 in the series, with the decider on Tuesday in Harare.