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The appointment is till the end of the Champions Trophy next year, after which the PCB will finalise the full-time coach

Danyal Rasool18-Nov-2024Aaqib Javed has been named interim head coach of Pakistan’s men’s national white-ball teams till the end of the 2025 Champions Trophy, of which Pakistan are the hosts.Former Pakistan quick and UAE men’s head coach Aaqib will continue to serve as a senior member of the Pakistan men’s selection committee, and “will be assigned additional responsibilities following the conclusion” of the Champions Trophy, the PCB said in a statement on Monday.The PCB added that it “will initiate the recruitment process for a permanent white-ball head coach” with the aim of completing the appointment by the end of the Champions Trophy, which is set to run from February 19 to March 9.Speaking at a press meet at Gaddafi Stadium on Monday, Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, said, “We have temporarily asked Aaqib Javed to take over as coach until Champions Trophy. We don’t want to act too hastily in bringing in another coach who isn’t right. So this three-month gap, Aaqib will work [in that position]. He definitely wants to work on other things but we requested him to work for three months as head coach and after that we will see about the other stuff he wants to do.”It is only for [Aaqib to be only] white-ball [coach] and only [in an] interim [capacity]. We will begin the process of looking for a head coach in the next 10-15 days so we can search and find a good head coach.”Jason Gillespie, meanwhile, will continue to helm the Test side, and will join the touring party for the two-Test series in South Africa, which starts on December 26 after a T20I and ODI series. Last week, Gillespie was sounded out to perform white-ball duties until the Champions Trophy, without a change in his current contract – in effect, to take on two additional formats without being paid more for the increased scope of his role. Gillespie turned that offer down.Aaqib continuing to be on the selection committee puts the PCB’s coaching set-up in the unusual position, where the interim white-ball coach does have a say in selection across formats, while the full-time red-ball coach does not have a say in selection for the Test side.The decision to hand Aaqib white-ball coaching duties at such a critical phase of white-ball cricket for Pakistan underscores how swift the speed of Aaqib’s ascent has been. Until a few weeks ago, he was Lahore Qalandars’ long-term coach and director of cricket operations, where he had a mixed record; he led the side to consecutive PSL titles, but also saw several bottom-place finishes, including earlier this season.Jason Gillespie will continue to be Pakistan’s red-ball coach•Getty Images

When appointed a member of the selection committee, he was viewed by the PCB’s top brass as the mastermind behind the implementation of spin-friendly pitches against England to turn that series. He quit his role at Qalandars to focus on the PCB, where he was initially viewed as the favourite to be appointed director at the National Cricket Academy. He served a stint as Sri Lanka’s bowling coach earlier this year, but now begins his highest profile challenge.Pakistan haven’t had a full-time white-ball coach since Gary Kirsten resigned in late October. Gillespie had been given additional responsibilities for the ongoing white-ball tour of Australia.The tour of Australia, where Pakistan won the ODI series but lost the T20Is, ends today, and Pakistan are next slotted to play three ODIs and three T20Is in Zimbabwe (November 24 to December 5) before travelling to South Africa. In South Africa, they will first play three T20Is (December 10 to 14) and then three ODIs (December 17 to 22) before the two Tests. Pakistan then play a two-Test series at home against West Indies (January 16 to 28) before hosting New Zealand and South Africa in a short ODI tri-series just before the Champions Trophy.

Guyana Amazon Warriors, the hosts, go down by eight runs after restricting Rangpur Riders to 162

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2025Bangladesh quick Khaled Ahmed was the star of the show as defending champions Rangpur Riders began their Global Super League 2025 campaign with a narrow but solid win over hosts Guyana Amazon Warriors at Providence.Having opted to bat, Rangpur put up 162 for 5 with contributions from Kyle Mayers, Soumya Sarkar and Iftikhar Ahmed, before Khaled’s four-for and two-wicket hauls from Tabraiz Shamsi and Azmatullah Omarzai mande sure Amazon Warriors fell short by eight runs.Chasing 163, Amazon Warriors lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz cheaply to countrymate Omarzai, but Johnson Charles (40) and Moeen Ali (27) put together 48 runs in five overs to keep the chase on track.Kyle Mayers top-scored for Rangpur Riders•Global Super League via Getty Images

After they were felled in back-to-back overs, contributions continued to come, but none of them were impactful enough. All of Jewel Andrew, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford and Dwaine Pretorius, the Nos. 4-7, got into double-digits but couldn’t carry on and make a difference.And it was largely because of medium-pacer Khaled, who removed the dangerous Rutherford and Hetmyer in back-to-back overs, the 15th and 17th, and then got Pretorius and Shamar Springer on consecutive balls in the 19th.Omarzai finished it off first ball of the last over by sending back David Wiese that saw Amazon Warriors bowled out for 154.Earlier, Rangpur were slow off the blocks. They were 40 for no loss at the end of the powerplay – Amazon Warriors would get 49 for 1 later – with Saif Hassan going at a run a ball and Sarkar even slower. The impetus came only after Mayers went out and scored 44 not out in 31 balls and there were key lower-middle order contributions from Nurul Hasan (18 in ten balls) and Iftikhar (34 not out in 21).

The injury means she will be unavailable for the home ODI series against Australia in December

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2024New Zealand opener Georgia Plimmer has been ruled out of cricket for remainder of the year after sustaining a bone stress reaction in her groin. The injury means she will be unavailable for the home ODI series against Australia in December.A New Zealand Cricket release said Plimmer experienced pain in her left hip joint during the recent ODI series in India last month. A subsequent MRI and assessment by a specialist upon return to New Zealand confirmed the injury. She is expected to require six weeks of rest and rehabilitation, with a progressive return to high-speed running in January.Along with the Australia ODIs, Plimmer is also set to miss the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and the Super Smash domestic competitions.”We’re really gutted for this to happen to Georgia when she’s at the top of her game,” Ben Sawyer, New Zealand women’s head coach, said.”She’s certainly a loss for us heading into an important series against Australia. After her recent success at the World Cup and in India it’s disappointing she won’t be able to continue that form for the Wellington Blaze and against Australia next month. Georgia’s determined to rehab well and get back as soon as she can and we’re wishing her a smooth recovery.”Plimmer was New Zealand’s second-highest run-scorer during their successful 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, making 150 runs in six innings. She also made scores of 25, 41 and 39 in the ODI series against India that followed, which New Zealand lost 2-1.

Trescothick will have a few days off after the second Test before linking up with his white-ball squad ahead of the first Australia T20I

Matt Roller30-Aug-2024Andrew Flintoff will work with England’s batters ahead of their third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval next week, with Marcus Trescothick taking a short break ahead of his stint as interim white-ball head coach for September’s series against Australia at home.Flintoff has been involved in England’s white-ball set-up for the past year, including at June’s T20 World Cup, but will not be part of Trescothick’s coaching staff for the three T20Is and five ODIs against Australia next month. He recently had his first experience as a head coach at the Hundred, his Northern Superchargers finishing fourth and narrowly missing out on qualification.He is expected to link up with the Test squad on Wednesday for the first of two training days, and will be part of Brendon McCullum’s staff throughout the third Test. He is only filling the role on a short-term basis and is not expected to be involved on the winter tours of Pakistan and New Zealand.Related

• Root and Stokes still in Champions Trophy mix despite ODI axe

• England hand Bethell, Hull, Mousley maiden white-ball call-ups

Trescothick will have a few days off after the second Test at Lord’s, which is scheduled to finish on Monday, before linking up with his white-ball squad ahead of the first T20I at the Utilita Bowl near Southampton, to be played on September 11. His backroom staff will be largely the same as Matthew Mott’s, with the short-term addition of England Under-19s coach Michael Yardy.He is yet to decide whether he will apply for the white-ball head coach’s role on a permanent basis. “I’m still very focused on the batting stuff with the Test team,” he told Sky Sports on Friday. “I’m going to let this play out and see what happens for this period of time, and see how much I enjoy doing the head coach’s role and then go from there really. I’m quite open to the idea of seeing what’s going to happen.”Trescothick will work alongside Jos Buttler, his old Somerset team-mate, who has been backed to continue as captain but may relinquish the wicketkeeping gloves in the T20Is. “It’s definitely something we’ll think about,” Trescothick said, “because we can try different options, give it a go for a period of time and see what reaction it has on his captaincy and on the team.”For whatever reason, there were a tough couple of World Cups that they had in the meantime and we’ve come out of those not feeling too great about our one-day cricket. But it’s still in a really good place, and Jos is going to lead that forward for a period of time at the moment – and I don’t see it changing.”

Bouchier and Beaumont stepped up after England’s spin experiment worked like a charm in Durham

Valkerie Baynes26-Jun-2024Playing all three spinners together at every opportunity was high on England’s wish list heading into the second half of their home summer and, kicking off the first of two white-ball series with New Zealand, it worked a charm.Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn claimed seven wickets between them – Dean the standout with her 4 for 38 – as New Zealand were bowled out for just 156 in the first of three ODIs in Durham on Wednesday.After lacking a ruthless streak during their defeat of Pakistan in both white-ball formats when they visited England last month, addressing that would have been right up there as an objective for the hosts too, and Maia Bouchier and Tammy Beaumont answered the call with a brutal opening partnership of 137 off 106 balls which guided them to a nine-wicket victory with 28.4 overs to spare.Related

• Heather Knight: New Zealand ODIs offer chance for World Cup experimentation

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After Brooke Halliday had offered the only true fight from New Zealand with a defiant half-century, Bouchier smashed 67 off 50 balls and Beaumont an unbeaten 76 off 69. They got England to within 20 runs of victory before Halliday claimed the only home wicket to fall, Bouchier spooning Halliday’s eighth delivery straight to Suzie Bates, who took a low catch diving forwards at cover, before Beaumont and Heather Knight took their side over the line.New Zealand’s bowling was even more lacklustre and England’s openers capitalised with sublime placement and relentless power. Both struck boundary after boundary through most areas and each hit a six down the ground. With Sophia Dunkley returning to England’s squad for the three ODIs and five T20Is with New Zealand after losing her place on the corresponding tour earlier this year, where Bouchier was a standout performer, the competition at the top of the order is fierce.Asked recently what he hoped to get out of three ODIs followed by five T20Is against the White Ferns, who had lost at home 1-2 and 1-4 in March and April, Jon Lewis, England’s head coach told ESPNcricinfo’s Powerplay podcast: “I’m really keen to try and get all three of my spinners in every team that we play. It’s a really, really hard thing to do. They’re world-class spiners, they’re brilliant bowlers so I’m trying as best I can to work out how to balance the side to get those players in.”Charlie Dean ripped through New Zealand’s middle-order•Getty Images

The opportunity presented itself with Kate Cross ruled out by an abdominal injury and Nat Sciver-Brunt unable to bowl her full allocation as she manages a knee problem, leaving Lauren Filer and Lauren Bell to shoulder the seam-bowling workload on a Seat Unique Riverside pitch that was expected to offer some turn.New Zealand won the toss in good batting conditions under clear skies and with a fast outfield, even if the pitch was on the slow side.Filer took a couple of balls to find her length but she struck with her eighth delivery, a gem which jagged back in and rocketed into the top of Suzie Bates’ middle and off stumps in the fourth over of the day to halt a promising start by Bates, who struck three fours on her way to 16 off 12 balls.Georgia Plimmer was run out in freakish style, inadvertently deflecting Melie Kerr’s jab down the pitch with her foot towards midwicket as she set off for a run then continuing to the other end as Bouchier gathered and fired the ball to wicketkeeper Amy Jones with Plimmer short of her ground. That brought Sophie Devine to the crease and Devine’s presence became more crucial when, moments later, Kerr top-edged her attempted slog-sweep off Ecclestone high into the air and ultimately into the hands of a waiting Jones. Plimmer’s 29 ended up being New Zealand’s next-best score behind Halliday on a sorry looking scorecard.Brooke Halliday made 51 off 60 balls•PA Photos/Getty Images

Ecclestone and Jones teamed up again, the former with a beautiful delivery that drifted in then turned away and the latter with the sharpest of catches off Devine’s thick outside edge to leave New Zealand reeling at 75 for 4.When Maddy Green fell lbw to Sciver-Brunt and Izzy Gaze and Hannah Rowe both departed in similar fashion to Dean, the White Ferns slumped to 111 for 7.Dean claimed her third wicket and Jones her third catch when Jess Kerr prodded at one outside off stump and sent a faint edge behind, then Molly Penfold fell cheaply, beaten by a Dean delivery which spun back in to rattle the top of leg stump.Halliday struck the only six of the New Zealand innings, launching a fuller delivery outside off-stump from Dean down the ground, and seven fours, including one behind backward square leg to bring up her half-century before edging Glenn’s next ball high into the air for Heather Knight to pocket a diving catch.Ecclestone closed with 2 for 28 from seven overs while Glenn, Filer and Sciver-Brunt took one each. It was only the second time Dean, Ecclestone and Glenn had played together in an ODI and, given the result, it may well not be the last.

The former captain made his first-class debut aged 17, scored 28 Test centuries and led Australia to 2015 ODI World Cup

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2025Former captain Michael Clarke has been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of FameClarke, 43, accepted the honour on Thursday, nearly a decade after he closed the chapter on his remarkable playing career. He is the 64th inductee, with two further members to be named this season.Making his first-class debut for New South Wales at 17, Clarke captained Australia to victory in the 2015 ODI World Cup and led the side across 47 of his 115 Tests.Overall, Clarke scored 8643 Test runs, putting him sixth on Australia’s all-time list, and 7981 in ODIs where he stands fourth. His tally of 28 Test centuries also leaves puts him sixth on that list.Having impressed early in his ODI career – he wasn’t dismissed in his first three innings – Clarke burst onto the Test scene during Australia’s 2004 tour of India, crowned the player of the match in Bengaluru after scoring 151 on debut.After being dropped in late 2005, Clarke returned a even more formidable player. He became the sixth Australian to score a Test triple-century after posting an unbeaten 329 against India at the SCG in the 2011-12 series.He followed up his SCG performance with a double century in the fourth Test against India, before notching two further double centuries against South Africa the following season.Other standout innings included the 151 against South Africa at Cape Town in 2011 (from a total of 284) in the game Australia were later dismissed for 47, his 161 at the same venue in 2014 when he defied a broken shoulder to set up a victory that would take Australia to No. 1 in the world and the hugely emotional 128 against India at Adelaide in 2014 shortly after the death of the Phillip Hughes in what would prove his final home Test.Michael Clarke was prolific in the period from 2012 to 2014•Getty Images

It had been in 2011, after England won the Ashes 3-1 in Australia, that Clarke succeeded Ricky Ponting as captain. At his peak, he was ranked the best batter in the world. He was also at the helm for the Ashes whitewash in 2013-14 and retired at the end of the lost 2015 campaign in England.”To be able to sit along so many wonderful players, idols, role models growing up as a kid and looking up to is something I’m honoured by,” Clarke said. “Retirement does a lot of things to you. Through stages of watching cricket now, you miss parts.”When you play at the highest level, people talk about your international career but for me, it started at six years of age. I retired at 34 so it was my life. It’s still a part of my life.”Cricket – it’s probably so similar to life in general. You walk out and make 100 and then lift the bat, and then you walk out to field, field in slip and drop a catch second ball of the game.”Australian Cricket Hall of Fame chairman Peter King praised Clarke as a player who “defined his generation”.”Michael’s extraordinary first-class playing career started at just 17 at the SCG – the place where many of his highlights occurred, including a Test triple century against India in 2012,” King said.”Michael’s career will forever be remembered fondly by the Australian public and his standing held alongside those at the upper echelon of our game.”Clarke also proved capable as a left-arm spinner. It was his spell of 3 for 5 in 1.5 overs in 2008 against India that helped Australia retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and extend their winning streak to a record-equaling 16 Tests. In his debut series against India he had also taken 6 for 9 in Mumbai.

Six out of eight equity sales have been completed, but Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets still negotiating

Matt Roller30-Jul-2025The ECB insists that external investment in two Hundred teams remains “on track” despite the fact that their deals are yet to be completed.ESPNcricinfo revealed last week that Knighthead Capital’s investment in Birmingham Phoenix had been signed off and five more investors have now completed deals, which were agreed in principle earlier this year. The sales process valued the eight teams at nearly £1 billion collectively, with over £500 million invested in English cricket as a direct result.But two deals have taken far longer than anticipated to complete. The ECB initially gave new investors an eight-week deadline to finalise paperwork, which was later extended after disagreements over the participation agreement, and the deadline for completion has now been extended further for both Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets.Related

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The ECB announced the completion of six deals on Wednesday, with chair Richard Thompson hailing a “seminal moment” for English cricket. The board said in a statement: “The remaining two [deals] are set for formal completion at a later date. They remain on track, in line with the ECB having offered investors the option of completing later.”Invincibles will be run as a joint-venture between Surrey (51%) and Reliance (49%), the Indian conglomerate which owns Mumbai Indians and their affiliated franchises around the world. Surrey declined to comment, but are understood to be very confident that the deal will be completed at the start of October.ESPNcricinfo has learned that the Ambani family, which owns Reliance, will attend the fifth England vs India Test at The Oval, but that the visit is unrelated to the timeframe of the deal. One outstanding issue in discussions surrounds the name of the franchise, which could be renamed MI London or MI Oval in line with Reliance’s other franchises outside of India, but branding is not considered a major sticking point.The Rockets’ new investors are Cain International – whose co-founders Todd Boehly and Jonathan Goldstein are part of the consortium that owns Chelsea FC – and private equity firm Ares Management. They will run the franchise as minority partners, with Nottinghamshire – who also declined to comment – retaining a 51% interest.Trent Rockets’ new investors are Cain International and Ares Management•Nathan Stirk/ECB via Getty Images

Both investor groups are understood to have taken up the option presented to them by the ECB to complete their deals post-season on October 1, when they will assume operational control of their teams.Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, has previously blamed the deals’ slow progress on the need to consider “what ifs” and new investors wanting “clarity on all sorts of details” before signing. Gould told ESPNcricinfo last month: “I hate to think how many sets of lawyers are in on this, but that’s what they’re paid to do.”The imminent financial windfall will be significant for many counties, not least Yorkshire, who have sold 100% of Northern Superchargers to the Sun Group. “The deal puts the club in a strong financial position, which has been far from the case for many years,” Sanjay Patel, their chief executive, said. “The first priority is clearing our debts.”The new investors will assume operational control from October 1, with the ECB running all eight teams for the 2025 season which runs from August 5-31.

Rachin Ravindra and Shivam Dube played key roles with the bat as CSK won by six wickets

Deivarayan Muthu22-Mar-20242:42

Will Mustafizur play a big role in games in Chennai?

Chennai Super Kings, under a brand-new captain, enjoyed a winning start to their defence of the IPL title in front of a raucous Chepauk crowd on Friday night. Mustafizur Rahman, who was among four debutants for CSK, took out four of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s top five in the space of ten balls to set up an eighth successive defeat for RCB in Chennai.Rachin Ravindra, who was playing his first IPL game, also played his part in the victory, with 37 off 15 balls at a strike rate of 246.66 on a pitch that slowed down later in the night. In his first game as CSK captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad started with a first-ball four, but RCB’s Impact Player Yash Dayal cut his innings short on 15 in CSK’s chase of 174.Cameron Green and Alzarri Joseph then briefly silenced the Chepauk crowd with their contrasting styles. While Green bowled slower cutters into the pitch, Joseph operated at high speeds and generated steep bounce, taking the pitch out of the equation.2:42

Do RCB have an overseas combination problem?

Shivam Dube, who was working his way back from injury, replaced Mustafizur as an Impact Player for CSK and laboured to 7 off 13 balls. But he then turned up the tempo to usher CSK home with an unbeaten 34 off 28 balls along with Ravindra Jadeja, who scored an unbeaten 25 off 17. MS Dhoni didn’t get to bat in the chase, but perhaps this is what he had hoped for when he handed over the keys of the CSK kingdom to Gaikwad.

RCB’s Jekyll-and-Hyde powerplay

After opting to bat in what was his first IPL game as an opposition player in Chennai, Faf du Plessis dashed out of the blocks, hitting seven fours in the first three overs. He latched on to any width that Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande offered, repeatedly pumping them over the off-side infield. Gaikwad got into the act and pushed extra cover back to deep cover and, on cue, Mustafizur had du Plessis holing out to Rachin Ravindra there for 35 off 21 balls. Three balls later, Mustafizur found a bit of extra bounce to have Rajat Patidar nicking off for a duck. Then, in the final over of the powerplay, Chahar had Glenn Maxwell guiding one straight into Dhoni’s gloves, also for a duck.After being on 37 for no loss in the first four overs, RCB lost three wickets for five runs in the next two.1:26

Moody: ‘RCB were predictable with short-ball plan’

Mustafizur goes bang-bang once again

Mustafizur then returned in the 12th over and dismissed Virat Kohli and Green in the space of three balls. While Kohli dragged a pull off a seam-up delivery to deep midwicket for 21 off 20 balls, Green was bowled by a whippy cutter for 18 off 22 balls. It was Mustafizur’s second double-wicket over.Mustafizur might not even have played had CSK’s death-overs specialist Matheesha Pathirana been fit. He ended up with figures of 4-0-29-4 on a night where the other two seamers in his team – Chahar and Deshpande – went at well over nine an over. When Pathirana returns to action, CSK will have a happy selection headache.

Rawat and Karthik prop up RCB

That RCB finished with 173 for 6 was down to a counterattacking 95-run partnership for the sixth wicket off just 50 balls that ended off the last ball of the innings courtesy a Dhoni direct hit.At one stage, RCB went 28 balls without a boundary, but Rawat then hit two in six balls to set RCB up for the end overs. He then walloped Deshpande for 6,6, 4 in a 25-run 18th over. At the other end, Karthik looked rusty to start with, but mixed power with inventiveness to give RCB’s innings more impetus.

Dube gets the job done for CSK

After CSK lost Gaikwad in the powerplay, Ravindra lined up RCB’s quicks with pulls and pick-up shots. He even whacked Karn Sharma over midwicket for six, but when he went for another six, he holed out to deep square-leg.Ajinkya Rahane (27 off 19 balls) and Daryl Mitchell (22 off 18) made cameos to take the chase deep in typical CSK style. But when Green snagged Mitchell, CSK still needed 64 off 45 balls. The two-bouncer rule empowered Joseph to run in hard and hit the deck even harder. Dube, however, just about passed the short-ball test and sealed the chase with six wickets and eight balls to spare.

“Whatever Rohit has told me, I feel like I’ve done that to the best of my ability, and I know that Rohit feels the same”

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-20252:22

Kumble: ‘Rahul showed what he’s capable of with his innings today’

After becoming a full-time No. 5 in ODI cricket, KL Rahul had expanded his range as a middle-order batter – since 2020, nobody has a higher average than his 61.52 in that position (for a minimum of 20 innings). Not even Heinrich Klaasen, whose average is about seven points lower than Rahul’s. But in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, India were keen to break up the sequence of right-handers and hence decided to promote Axar Patel to No. 5. As a result, Rahul dropped down to No. 6, but he’s adapted to that position, too, and has been “working on boundary-hitting a lot more”.”Yeah, I do [enjoy batting at the top] – I mean, I won’t lie,” Rahul told after taking India home in the semi-final. “It’s after opening the batting in Australia in Test matches [in the last series] and having to face that attack in Australia. And, you know, red-ball [cricket] is much harder. I opened the batting there and then to come here and bat low seems a bit different, but this is how I’ve played white-ball cricket in the last four-five years.”I’m quite used to going up and down the order, so I’m just happy getting a chance to play in the middle and whatever role is given, I think it’s really helped me understand my game a lot more and I’ve had to work on boundary-hitting a lot more in the last year or so, because the last ODI we played in Sri Lanka I batted at No. 6, so I knew that’s where I’ll be batting and [we] needed a left-hander in the top order.”Related

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Before the Champions Trophy, there was a toss-up between Rahul and Rishabh Pant for the keeper-batter’s spot, but Rahul, the incumbent, eventually got the nod. On Tuesday, Rahul went out to bat at the fall of Axar’s wicket, with India needing 86 in 15 overs with six wickets in hand on a tricky Dubai surface. When Virat Kohli holed out for 84, it appeared like Australia had an opening, but Rahul slammed the doors on them with an unbeaten 42 off 34 balls, including two fours and two sixes. After putting India in the final, Rahul was asked how he dealt with the uncertainty around his role.”It’s since I think 2020 that I’ve batted at No. 5 and a lot of times people forget that that’s where I’ve been batting,” Rahul said. “And every time I perform in a series and then there’s a break from ODI series, ODI cricket, and then we come back after four or five months there’s a question mark again about ‘oh well, will he play in the XI, where does he fit’ and sometimes I’m sitting there thinking what more can I do. Everywhere that I’ve been asked to play I’ve played, and I feel like I have performed my role, whatever’s been told to me by Rohit [Sharma]…”And whatever he’s told me I feel like I’ve done that to the best of my ability. And I know that Rohit feels the same and he’s always supported me and backed me with that. So there’s that confidence going into game that the captain has my back.”KL Rahul paced his innings smartly in India’s chase•AFP/Getty Images

Though Dubai had rolled out a fresh pitch for the semi-final, it was still slow and conducive to spin. It was one of those pitches where it was difficult to rotate strike, so Rahul felt that it was worth taking a risk every over, especially when Kohli was in supreme control at the other end. Rahul took Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshuis and Adam Zampa for a brace of fours and a six in quick succession before Kohli was caught at long-on. Hardik Pandya did his job but also holed out later, and Rahul got the job done with Ravindra Jadeja.”When I walked in and when I played ten-12 balls, I told him that you’re the batter that needs to go on and be there till the end, and let me try and hit or let me try and take one chance an over,” Rahul said of his chat with Kohli. “Because we only needed 6 runs an over. But 6 runs an over on that wicket seemed like 8-8.5. So, you had to take one chance an over, one boundary or one six.”So, I told him that I will do that and why don’t you just rotate the strike and be there because you’re the set batter and it might be harder [for me]. If you get out another batter comes, it becomes a lot harder. But yeah, he felt like it was in his range to hit and yeah, he didn’t time it well.”

Both teams are coming off home series defeats to Australia, and will look to fine-tune their plans for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September-October

Srinidhi Ramanujam27-Apr-2024It was rather ill-tempered the last time these two sides met in Bangladesh, with Harmanpreet Kaur smashing the stumps and slamming umpires for “pathetic decisions”, and the home captain Nigar Sultana criticising her “manners”. Nine months later, the bigger picture is the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh this September-October, as India and Bangladesh begin their preparations with a five-T20I series in Sylhet, starting Sunday.

Building towards T20 World Cup

Bangladesh were thrashed 3-0 at home by Australia a few weeks ago, and despite that drubbing they haven’t changed their squad much for this series. India’s last T20I series was also a 2-1 defeat at home to Australia in December-January, where seniors such as Harmanpreet and Smriti Mandhana had underwhelming performances. However, several of India’s international players got back to form in the 2024 WPL, and with some new names in the mix, they will hope to carry that momentum into international cricket as well. Both teams will be keen to experiment and find their ideal combinations in these five T20Is before they travel to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup in July, ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year.

Bangladesh’s batting struggles

Bangladesh need improvement in their batting if they want to give India a fight. In the recent series against Australia, they scored totals of 126 for 4, 103 for 9 and 78 all out. Only their captain Sultana was consistent with 96 runs in three innings, including a fifty, though it came at a strike rate of 91.42. The second-best batter for Bangladesh was Fahima Khatun, with 53 runs. From the squad that played Australia, Bangladesh made just one change, bringing in wicketkeeper-batter Rubya Haider, who played the three-T20I series against Sri Lanka last year, in place of uncapped Farzana Akter. The hosts will need top-order batters such as Fargana Hoque, Sobhana Mostary and Rubya to provide a solid foundation before Sultana can take off.

Can India’s top order flourish in Sylhet?

The last time India toured Bangladesh in July 2023, their top three had a disappointing series. In three matches, Shafali Verma scored a total of 30, Smriti Mandhana 52, and Jemimah Rodrigues 47. Rodrigues will miss this series due to back niggle. As far as recent form goes, both openers had an excellent WPL, with Shafali finishing as the third highest run-scorer with 309 in nine matches at a strike rate of 156.85 and Mandhana just behind her with 300 in ten games at 133.92. With Richa Ghosh preferred as the team’s first-choice keeper, Yastika Bhatia might play as a pure batter at No.3; she scored 204 runs in eight games at 121.42 as an opener for Mumbai Indians in the WPL. India will believe their top three are better prepared this time.S Asha was a revelation for RCB in WPL 2024•BCCI

WPL stars and a problem of plenty

India potentially have a problem of plenty. Legspinner S Asha and spin-bowling allrounder S Sajana have earned maiden international call-ups on the back of their WPL performance after years of toil in the domestic circuit. Asha, 33, became the first Indian to take a five-for in the WPL and she finished as the second highest wicket-taker (12) of the season, playing a crucial part in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s title-winning run. Sajana was one of Mumbai’s breakout stars with her big-hitting ability. Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav has returned to India’s squad after a year, following an impressive outing for Delhi Capitals, picking up ten wickets in nine games at an economy rate of 7.48. With Deepti Sharma and Shreyanka Patil being the first-choice spinners, how India squeeze in Asha, Radha and Saika Ishaque in the XI remains to be seen. To accommodate Sajana in the lower-middle order, India might even have to bench Amanjot Kaur.

Pitch and conditions in Sylhet

The last T20I series between the two sides was played entirely in Dhaka. India went in with three spinners and two seamers, with Shafali and Rodrigues chipping with more overs of spin as part-timers. Bangladesh played a spin-heavy attack with just one seamer in Marufa Akther. This time, all the five T20Is are in Sylhet, from 3.30pm local time. The venue recently hosted a men’s three-T20I series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in March, where the average score was 177 and four of the top five bowlers were fast bowlers. Some assistance for the seamers can be expected initially but both teams might still bank on spinners for wickets. India have played two T20Is against Bangladesh at this venue, and both times, they scored 150-plus and restricted the hosts to 100 or below.