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With Amazon Warriors needing 11 from the last over, Naseem Shah held his nerve to concede just five

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2025In what was a must-win game for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Mohammad Rizwan and the bowlers helped them get the better of Guyana Amazon Warriors by five runs in a last-over finish in Providence.Chasing a mere 150, Amazon Warriors needed 11 from six balls with three wickets in hand. Naseem Shah held his nerve and had Keemo Paul caught at long-on with the first ball. For the rest of the over, he mixed slower balls into the pitch with yorkers to give away just five. While the result ended Patriots’ three-match losing streak, their playoff chances still look bleak. They need nothing less than a win in their last league match, against Barbados Royals on Friday, but also other results to go their way.Earlier, Patriots did not have a great start and were 26 for 3 inside five overs with Andre Fletcher, Kyle Mayers and Leniko Boucher all falling in single digits. But Rizwan’s 85 off 62 balls steered them to 149 for 6.Rizwan stabilised the innings with Rilee Rossouw and took the side to 64 for 4 at the end of ten overs. He was on 36 off 30 at that point but scored 49 off the next 32. In all, he hit eight fours and three sixes and was responsible for Patriots scoring 45 in the last four overs.Patriots’ Pakistani stars Mohammad Rizwan and Naseem Shah celebrate the big wicket of Shimron Hetmyer•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Amazon Warriors had a much better start, reaching 41 for 1 after the powerplay. But they could not build on that, losing two wickets in the next four overs to be 67 for 3 at the halfway mark. Patriots pegged them back further by dismissing Hassan Khan and Shai Hope in successive overs. Dominic Drakes had Hassan caught and bowled and Navin Bidaisee castled Hope with a slider that kept low.After 15 overs, both sides were 100 for 5. But while Patriots had a set better in Rizwan, Amazon Warriors did not. With 50 needed from the last five overs, Dwaine Pretorius tried to take on Waqar Salamkheil but perished attempting a slog sweep. On the very next ball, Salamkheil could have had Romario Shepherd caught behind but Rizwan was not sure if there was bat involved. Replay showed a clear outside edge.Shepherd rubbed it in by pulling the last ball of the over for a six. Paul did the same against Naseem in the following over but could manage only a leg bye from the other five deliveries.With 21 needed from ten balls, Jason Holder had Shepherd caught at long-on with a short ball. Quenton Sampson hit two fours off the next three balls to bring it down to 11 needed from the final over. But Naseem denied them.

In the last five years, batting averages there have diminished as the game has progressed, with spinners having taken more than 100 wickets each on days three and four

Mohammad Isam16-Jun-2025Bangladesh batters are eager to cash in on the Galle pitch before it starts responding to spinners, according to captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. The visitors begin their Sri Lanka tour with the Galle Test starting on Tuesday, with recent performances putting both batting units under pressure.Shanto had scored his maiden Test century in the first game during Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2021 – he scored 163 in Pallekele, which remains his highest Test score. This time around, Bangladesh will be playing only their third Test in Galle, the last of which was back in 2017.In the last five years, batting averages in Galle have diminished as the game has progressed – from 45.64 on the first day to 35.61, 28.53, 28.31 and 20.65 in the subsequent days. Spinners have taken more than 100 wickets each on the third and fourth days of Tests in Galle during this period.Related

• Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh: New beginnings for both teams as WTC restarts in Galle

• Ebadot Hossain back in Bangladesh squad for SL Tests

• Shanto banks on away form, squad flexibility for fresh WTC

“I have some good memories in Kandy, but I want to take the opportunity in Galle,” Shanto said. “Playing spin may be challenging, but there’s also a lot of runs in the first two or three days in Galle. We want to take that opportunity. There will be challenges for the batters as spinners take a lot of wickets in this venue. We have to bat well. We are enjoying each other’s company despite all the challenges.”Shanto said he is pleased with the combination of players he has in the current Test squad, although Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who reportedly has a fever, remains a doubtful starter against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh will take a last-minute call on the playing XI after confirming whether Mehidy is available.”Mehidy is still under observation, but his health is improving. A lot depends on his availability,” Shanto said. “If he is in the team, we can go into the Test with a good combination. I don’t want to reveal where I am going to bat in the Test match. I don’t want my opponent to know. We still have a few things up in the air. Miraz is still not fully well.”I am happy with the Test squad. I think it is also quite positive that we all could agree on this combination. It is a balanced side with enough options for batting and bowling. We can pick the XI depending on the opposition and conditions. We also have to execute our plans by playing good cricket.”Earlier this year, Bangladesh levelled the Test series against Zimbabwe after defeat in the first Test•AFP/Getty Images

Bangladesh’s batting struggles are often attributed to the absence of their batting heavyweights, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan. While Tamim has retired from all formats, Shakib could be available just for ODIs. In Tamim’s absence, Bangladesh are yet to settle on an opening pair, while Shakib’s role as a batter hasn’t been totally replaced either. Shanto, though, is hopeful that the current Test players can do their jobs in Sri Lanka.”They are not in the team for the last two or three years; Shakib and Tamim served Bangladesh cricket for a long time,” Shanto said. “But we don’t want to think about the past. We have some experienced cricketers in the squad. They will do well here. I hope those in the team will take the team forward.”Bangladesh will be looking to bounce back after having won just two out of ten completed matches across formats so far this year. In February, they exited the Champions Trophy in the group stage, before going down to Zimbabwe in the Sylhet Test in April. Bangladesh then lost back-to-back T20I series against UAE and Pakistan in May-June. Shanto, however, said that the team will take inspiration from their drawn Test series against Zimbabwe, where they bounced back in Chattogram after the defeat in Sylhet.”We don’t want to think too much about the Zimbabwe series. We came back well in that series,” Shanto said. “It will motivate the team. We are playing in conditions that many of us have played in the past. We have to play good cricket, especially the batters.”We have good memories in Sri Lanka, which will be helpful but every series is a new beginning. The top order has to provide the team with a good start. We have a good squad here, so it will be a great opportunity to do something special here.”

A flat-looking MCG surface on Boxing Day could hand a Test debut to Michael Neser

Andrew McGlashan in Melbourne24-Dec-2019Justin Langer has kept the door ajar for Australia employing the rare tactic of playing five frontline bowlers should they be confronted by a flat-looking MCG surface on Boxing Day which could hand a Test debut to Michael Neser.James Pattinson will fill Josh Hazlewood’s role, but Langer is conscious of the toil Australia’s attack has faced in the previous two Boxing Day Tests against England and India. The final decision may be taken as late as the morning of the game with Travis Head the most likely to make way should the bowling unit be bolstered by Neser’s inclusion.There has been much discussion on what the nature of the MCG pitch will be following the abandoned Sheffield Shield game earlier this month, but groundsman Matt Page has promised a decent covering of grass and two days out there was still a good layer on the surface.ALSO READ: James Pattinson awaits favourite opponents on Boxing Day returnIn the previous two Melbourne Tests Australia have had Mitchell Marsh in the team but he was out of contention after breaking his hand punching the dressing room wall earlier this season.While the change would give Australia a lengthy lower order – with Tim Paine elevated to No. 6 – Pattinson, Neser, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are all handy with the bat; Neser has a first-class average of 25.13 (plus a domestic one-day hundred) and Pattinson 23.07.Peter Siddle, who was added to the squad after Hazlewood’s injury, is the other bowler available but Langer has made clear he favours consistency in selection and rewarding those who have previously been around the squad.The last time Australia fielded five genuine bowlers at home (as opposed to an allrounder in a five-man attack) was January 2013 against Sri Lanka, at the SCG, when Matthew Wade batted at No. 6 and Mitchell Johnson was used at seven.”We’ll work out what the set-up of our team is going to be, whether we play an extra bowler,” Langer said. “We’ll have a look at the wicket, it looks pretty good two days out.”The only reason we’d do it is if the wicket looks anything like it has the last few years here on the Boxing Day Test because you have to get 20 wickets. The Australia cricket team doesn’t usually go down that path of the extra bowler, but if we are to play on wickets like we have the last two years at the MCG we’ve certainly got to find a way of taking 20 wickets.”There’s been so much discussion about the wicket we are hopeful that’s not the case, but if we were to turn up on Boxing Day and it looks really flat we have the flexibility to be able to do it. In most circumstances you don’t need it which is why we don’t do it.”Australia have not needed a great deal from their middle order so far this season with Marnus Labuschagne filling his boots at No. 3 and David Warner being prolific against Pakistan. Wade and Head have a fifty apiece – with Head’s coming in the previous Test in Perth – and it is a curious fact of the summer that the one member of the top six who has yet to reach a half-century is Steven Smith.”Great, isn’t it,” Langer said. “If you are playing good cricket, the team is winning, and Steve Smith isn’t doing well it puts a smile on everyone’s face because you know it’s not far away. He loves the big stage, looking forward to watching him bat.”Smith twice fell to Neil Wagner’s short ball in Perth – one of the few overall successes for New Zealand in the match – and has worked on combating that angle of attack ahead of the Melbourne Test where he has a formidable record. Prior to missing last year due to his ban, Smith had made hundreds in his previous four Boxing Day Tests dating back to 2014 against India.His twin dismissals in the opening Test continued a little bit of a trend against New Zealand having also fallen in that manner during the World Cup match at Lord’s.”I’ve changed a little bit in that I’ve been facing a fair bit of short stuff in the nets because I’m expecting a bit,” he said of his preparation. “It’s going to be completely different with the red ball as opposed to the pink ball, especially the second innings in Perth when it was a bit up and down, that’s never easy at any time, so it will be different but I’m looking forward it.”In the first innings, think I was 40 off 160 rocks, I got underneath them for a while there, and it got to a point where it was about moving the game forward a little quicker and I just didn’t execute [the shot] very well. The second innings was a bit harder, but we’ll see what happens out here. Certainly looking forward to the red ball.”

Sean Williams’ side will also want to prove a point, given they won’t feature in this year’s T20 World Cup

Sreshth Shah16-Mar-2021

Big picture

After a hard-fought Test series where the honours were shared, the focus in Abu Dhabi shifts to the three T20Is that Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will play within the span of four days.Apart from the shared aim of winning the series, the two teams’ respective goals with the bigger picture in mind will be quite different. Afghanistan will look to firm up their strongest team looking ahead to the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup scheduled in India later this year. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will not be participating in the World Cup, having not taken part in the qualifier event since their board was suspended at that time. They will look to show what the marquee event will miss in their absence.Related

• Nigeria replace Zimbabwe in men's T20 World Cup Qualifier

• Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gulbadin Naib wait on 'visa issue' ahead of T20I series

One thing going Zimbabwe’s way – they are ranked 12th compared to their opponents’ 9th – is that visa issues could force Afghanistan to play without their strongest XI. Five of their players – including Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Gulbadin Naib – are yet to arrive in the UAE, which has forced their selectors to revise their squad with players who were around from the Test series who otherwise weren’t in contention for the T20Is.In nine previous T20I meetings between the two sides, Zimbabwe have just one win. And they have lost all five of their T20Is in 2020. But they’ll be hungry to prove a point without World Cup action to look forward to, and a weakened Afghanistan side could balance the scales considerably. If they can keep Rashid Khan quiet, they might just stand a pretty good chance.

Form guide

AfghanistanLWWWW
Zimbabwe LLLLL

In the spotlight

Fresh off an 11-wicket match haul in the second Test, Rashid Khan continues to be Afghanistan’s No. 1 weapon in the format. In the last 12 months, he has taken 48 T20 wickets at an average of 18.85 while conceding just 6.14 runs an over. Those are elite numbers but he has done even better in his 16 matches in the UAE, with an average of 17.20 and an economy rate of 5.37. With two global tournaments approaching, Afghanistan could be tempted to make more use of his big-hitting skills as well, so don’t be surprised if he gets a promotion wit the bat.Zimbabwe’s batsmen could face a difficult time against the spinners, but their bowlers could cause some problems too, particularly with Blessing Muzarabani leading the attack. In his nine T20Is, the tall right-arm quick has taken two or more wickets on six occasions, including a career-best 3 for 21 against Australia.Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran will play key roles in the middle order•Getty Images

Team news

The visa issue could force Afghanistan to field an XI that looks markedly different to the one that featured in their last white-ball outing earlier in the year.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2 Usman Ghani, 3 Karim Janat, 4 Asghar Afghan (capt), 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Najibullah Zadran, 7 Afsar Zazai (wk), 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Naveen Ul Haq, 10 Amir Hamza, 11 Fareed Ahmad.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Prince Masvaure, 2 Tinashe Kamunhukamwe/Kevin Kasuza, 3 Wesley Madhevere, 4 Sean Williams (capt), 5 Sikandar Raza, 6 Ryan Burl, 7 Milton Shumba, 8 Regis Chakabva (wk), 9 Donald Tiripano, 10 Wellington Masakadza, 11 Blessing Muzarabani.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch in Abu Dhabi is expected to be good to bat on under lights, although the large boundaries could keep the sixes in check. It should be a warm, dry evening.

Stats and trivia

• The last time these two teams met in a T20I game, in Chattogram in 2019, Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan for the first time in nine attempts.
• Rashid is six wickets away from becoming the seventh man (and fourth spinner) to take 350 wickets in the format.
• If he scores 28, Sean Williams will go past Elton Chigumbura (893 runs) and Brendan Taylor (909) to become Zimbabwe’s second-highest T20I run-getter behind Hamilton Masakadza (1662).

Captain does “not blame the young players one bit” and expected the senior batters to do the scoring

Andrew McGlashan09-Aug-2021Australia captain Matthew Wade called his side’s capitulation in the final T20I against Bangladesh “not good enough for an Australian cricket team” and said it was down to the batters to find ways to score runs in tough conditions.The series concluded with Australia bowled out for 62, their lowest T20I total, having made a high score of 121 across the five matches.While echoing Dan Christian’s remarks that the surfaces were unlike any he had played T20 cricket on, and did not expect them to be replicated at the T20 World Cup, Wade noted how Bangladesh had been able to wrangle their way to enough runs in four out of the five matches and that spin had also caused problems in the West Indies where Australia also lost 4-1.Related

• Dismal show leaves Australia with several problems to ponder on ahead of T20 World Cup

• Christian: Conditions 'don't get more difficult' than Bangladesh series

“There’s not a lot of positives to take out of it, to get beaten in the fashion we did, especially tonight, was not good enough from an Australian cricket team regardless of the personnel we’ve got here,” Wade said. “The reality is we need to get better at spin, myself included. There’s a lot of players in this team who need to find a way to score runs in these conditions.”[Bangladesh] are a terrific team in their own conditions, their spinners bowled really well, and they still found a way to find the extra runs and that’s something we can definitely get better at doing. Whether they came a little harder at the front and that is something we maybe needed to do earlier.”Wade was confident the less experienced batters among the group would not carry baggage away from this tour and laid the blame for the run-scoring woes to the more senior figures.”I do not blame the young players one bit,” he said. “Myself, Moises [Henriques], Dan Christian, we are all experienced players and we needed to do better. Those [younger] guys got the opportunity to experience these conditions and if they take it as a learning opportunity to become better players, as we all should, then at least we’ve learnt something.”I’ve played a lot of cricket and they are certainly the most challenging T20 international pitches I’ve ever played on. What they’ve seen out here will be very valuable going forward but it’s on the senior batting group, we needed to get more runs. If the batters can go back and find a way to get those extra runs in challenging conditions that will hold us in good stead.”The final lead-in to the World Cup for Australia remains to be confirmed with talk of a potential series against Afghanistan and West Indies in Sri Lanka which would overlap with the resumption of the IPL. Wade said he expected all the players who opted out of this tour due to bubble fatigue to be available for selection. Steven Smith was kept out with an elbow injury and how someone of his skill was missed in Bangladesh.

The 25-year-old allrounder had represented South Africa women in 3 ODIs and 1 T20I in 2013, and was active with coaching at the grassroots level after that

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2019Elriesa Theunissen-Fourie, the former South Africa women’s allrounder, died in a road accident on April 5.Theunissen-Fourie, who would have turned 26 on May 2, played three ODIs and one T20I for South Africa, all in 2013. She was part of South Africa’s squad for the Women’s World Cup in 2013, and made her ODI debut against Sri Lanka women in Cuttack. She last played for South Africa in a series against Bangladesh Women in September that year.In domestic cricket, she represented the North West Dragons and was described by Cricket South Africa as “very active at the grassroots level, coaching at the local community hub until she had to take maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child”.CSA said she died in a “motor car accident in Stilfontein, North West. The life of her child was also lost in the accident.””This is a dreadful tragedy in the true sense of that word,” CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe said. “This is devastating news for all of us. Elriesa did so much for the community in which she lived and gave excellent service both as a national player of note and in the work she did at grassroots level to help in the less fortunate communities.”On behalf of the CSA family I extend our deepest sympathy to her husband, Rudy, her family, friends and all her cricketing colleagues.”

Alex Davies, Jordan Clark and Joe Mennie all threatened match-winning hands, but all fell to Porter as the defending champions held on by 31 runs

Alan Gardner at Chelmsford22-Apr-20182:57

Defending champions Essex off the mark

ScorecardThree times during this third and final day at Chelmsford, Lancashire began to seriously raise hopes of pulling off a chase for the ages. Three times Jamie Porter thundered in and found the ball to quell Essex fears. Alex Davies, Jordan Clark and Joe Mennie each scored valiant half-centuries but all three were victims of Porter’s indefatigable seam bowling, as the defending champions claimed victory in the sort of hard-fought, sun-drenched contest after which victory beer slips down like ice water.It can’t be long before they start serving pints of Porter porter at the Spinner’s Bar. The 24-year-old collected 9 for 80 to continue the form that saw him lead the Division One wicket-taker’s list in 2017, celebrating the dismissal in particular of Davies with a throaty roar. That left Lancashire 139 for 5 and although Clark took them to within 77 of victory with three wickets still standing, Porter speared a delivery into his pads to ease the tension.Still Lancashire kept coming, with zombie determination, as the Australia seamer Mennie clubbed his way to fifty, bringing the requirement down to 38 with the arrival of the second new ball. Eight deliveries was all it took for Porter to rattle the stumps and finally end Mennie’s resistance.”He digs in and has a crack,” was the assessment of Porter’s team-mate, another Australian, Peter Siddle. “That’s what you want from your main fast bowler. Coming off a big year last season, needed to come out here and start well, and he was tremendous. He tries hard and deserves every wicket he gets.”Lancashire have now lost two from two but certainly found some fibre to fortify their batting, after failing to reach 200 in three previous innings. They had been left with too much to do, stretched out of shape by the eighth-wicket stand of more than 100 between James Foster and Simon Harmer on the second evening. Keeping Harmer to just a single wicket in the fourth innings on a wearing pitch was little consolation.Davies could have been accused of giving his wicket away in the first innings, chipping tamely to mid-off having faced 17 balls, but he was the only member of Lancashire’s top order to demonstrate the required graft second time around. There was plenty of class on display, too. Porter was thrashed for three successive fours – two pulls and a drive – and Davies also played Harmer deftly, using his feet to cut the spinner with regularity.Lancashire had given themselves a solid platform, reaching lunch on 82 for 2 with Davies playing beautifully and the captain, Liam Livingstone, reining in his attacking instincts. Those Essex supporters sitting in the Tiptree jam stand could be forgiven for feeling a bit sticky around the collar, with the sun shining and the pitch having eased after 18 wickets fell on the opening day.There was also a suspicion that Essex were a little light on bowling beyond the frontline three of Porter, Harmer and Siddle, with the tall left-armer Paul Walter only in the side after Sam Cook fractured a finger in training the day before the game. Walter was unused during the morning session, but he needed only three ball to break the third-wicket stand: a bouncer and a gentle half-volley pushed for two was followed up by good-length ball that drew another drive and a thick edge from Livingstone.Walter made it two in as many overs when he won an lbw decision against Shivnarine Chanderpaul, not quite such an eternal presence at the crease these days, and the main scoreboard promptly broke down – something Chanderpaul refuses to do, although he has now collected scores of 11, 0, 8 and 1 this season.In the dark about the score, the muttering from the home fans increased as Davies coasted to his half-century and began to open up. He had laced 38 from 30 balls faced after lunch and was looking to be the pivotal figure of the chase, only for Porter to produce a thunderbolt of a yorker that knocked Davies off his feet and sent him back for a fine 71.Dane Vilas fell soon after, a second wicket for Siddle, who then produced a marvellous bit of fielding to leave Lancashire seven down. Having been denied an lbw appeal against Clark, Siddle hurtled across to his right and threw down the stumps with Tom Bailey a yard short having been sent back. Clark might have fallen on 19, but Varun Chopra was unable to hold a fast edge off Ravi Bopara.The morning began with Lancashire required to make the highest score of the match – and significantly more than they had managed in three previous innings this season – in order to inflict Essex’s first defeat since September 2016. The mantra at Essex over the last two seasons is that “no one gets through the new ball” and Porter ensured that held true when he flattened Haseeb Hameed’s off stump in the third over. It was a good enough strategy come the end of the day too.

The allrounder will also miss the Mzansi Super League to undergo a procedure on his right shoulder, after he aggravated a pre-existing injury

Liam Brickhill16-Oct-2018JP Duminy will miss both South Africa’s upcoming limited-overs tour of Australia and the Mzansi Super League to undergo surgery for an injury to his right shoulder.Duminy had been announced as the marquee South African player for the Cape Town Blitz in the MSL, but he will now be replaced by Quinton de Kock. Duminy’s time out for surgery means that South Africa will be without two of their most experienced players on their trip to Australia. Earlier this week, it was announced that Hashim Amla would also not be touring as he is given time to fully recover from a finger tendon injury picked up during the Caribbean Premier League.”JP aggravated a pre-existing shoulder injury during the recently-concluded series against Zimbabwe,” South Africa team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee said. “The injury will require surgical management, thus ruling him out of the immediate tour of Australia and the upcoming MSL. At the moment, we can’t say how long he will be out for, that is dependent on the results from the surgery.”South Africa’s squad for the Australia tour, consisting of three one-day internationals and a solitary T20 international, will be announced later this week. The tour begins with a warm-up game against a Prime Minister’s XI on October 31, while the MSL kicks off on 16 November and runs until 16 December.

Sunrisers’ captain underlined the importance of banking on experience in a knockout after his side entered its second IPL final in three seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2018Two nights after being pipped by a late Faf du Plessis onslaught that cost them a four-day break and a direct entry into the final, Sunrisers Hyderabad did it the hard way at Eden Gardens. They snapped a four-match losing streak by beating Kolkata Knight Riders by 14 runs to enter their second IPL final and have another crack at Chennai Super Kings, who they are yet to beat in three attempts this season.”It was a great fighting effort from the lads,” Sunrisers captain Kane Williamson told Star Sports. “The game ebbed and flowed. Kolkata are an outstanding side, they deserved to be here and the game could have gone either way, but it’s nice it fell our way in some crunch moments. Credit to the way the boys finished off the first innings to get a very competitive total. The game was slipping away at the start of the chase, but we knew if we held strong and picked wickets through the middle, we could squeeze. We’ve now got another game of cricket left.”After being asked to bat, Sunrisers were struggling at 134 for 6 in the 18th over. Rashid Khan, however, smashed an unbeaten 34 off 10 balls to lift the total to 174 for 7. He then claimed 3 for 19 with the ball, including the key wickets of Chris Lynn and Andre Russell. In addition, he effected the run-out of Nitish Rana, who was promoted to No.3 to counter the legspinner’s left-handedness. Rashid capped the night with two catches in the last over.”He (Rashid) was brilliant but he’s got another game, so we’re going to keep him wrapped up,” Williamson said. “The final is our focus now. As a team, we fight until the very last ball and we showed that today. It’s a real team effort. Rashid was certainly the Man of the Match and he was brilliant, but a lot of guys chipped in. It’s a great fighting effort, which is the attitude we want to see from Sunrisers.”Sunrisers had made three changes coming into this knockout bout. They left out Manish Pandey, their costliest signing at USD 1.6 million (approx) INR 11 crores, after he had managed only 284 runs in 13 innings. at a strike rate of 115.44. Instead, they backed Deepak Hooda in the middle order and recalled a fit-again Wriddhiman Saha in place of Shreevats Goswami. Williamson underlined the importance of balance without losing experience as a key reason for the move.”The thing we didn’t change was our balance [despite the changes], he said. “We did make some adjustments because we had injuries obviously. Saha was injured, but he came back and it was nice to have his experience. [Shreevats] Goswami contributed well, got some exposure, but for us to have that experience in the final was a big thing. Every one of those guys in the squad have played a huge part, whether it’s on the field or carrying drinks. It’s been a huge collective effort, but we still have another game of cricket left.”Shakib Al Hasan, now into his third IPL final and his first with Sunrisers in his debut season, gave a peek into the spirit in the team. Williamson also touched upon it as he spoke of Carlos Brathwaite. The West Indies allrounder had conceded 20 runs off the 18th over against CSK, but Williamson still backed him to defend 18 runs off the final over at the same venue, where he had hit Ben Stokes for four sixes to deliver West Indies’ second World T20 title two years ago.Brathwaite took the wickets of the well-set Shubman Gill and Shivam Mavi to close out the game. “Carlos will be happy because he might have thought he was responsible for the loss against CSK, even though he really wasn’t, and might have taken it personally,” Shakib said. “The way he came back today was terrific.”

Interim coach plays down importance of four-match spell in charge of T20 team, but earmarks long-term role

George Dobell at Edgbaston26-Jun-2018Paul Farbrace has confirmed he would like to be considered for the role of England coach when Trevor Bayliss’s contract expires in just over a year.Farbrace, the England assistant coach, has taken charge of the England side on an interim basis for the four IT20 matches against Australia and India over the next couple of weeks. And while he played down the suggestion the games provide an opportunity for him to demonstrate his value, or gain any further experience in the role, he answered “of course” when asked whether he would be interested in succeeding Bayliss after September 2019.”If, next September, Andrew Strauss said ‘we want to offer you the job as coach’ it would be so difficult to say no to that, it really would,” Farbrace said. “Even if I was lucky enough to be considered for the role, then that would be a great position to be in.”I count myself very fortunate even to be in this position, as an assistant coach to the England team. I wasn’t good enough to get anywhere near it as a player, so to be involved as a coach is fantastic.”Having spent much of the last decade living out of a suitcase – Farbrace has been with the England side since 2014 and before that had two spells with Sri Lanka – he is sympathetic to the idea of splitting the coaching role into two. Or, as he sees it, perhaps even three.”Maybe, the way the game is going, it does make sense to go the way of split coaching,” Farbrace said. “Trevor did five months solid in the winter – that’s a lot to ask of anyone – and I enjoyed the little break I had.”It may be that, when we get to September 2019, having one coach – me or somebody else – they may want to keep the job together if possible. Even the idea of two assistants, and keeping the energy that way, that may be another way to go. That’s not my call. Whatever it was I’d be excited to be in with a chance.”I don’t have a preference for the Test or limited-overs role. To be honest, I’d take anything. The Test team obviously would be an exciting challenge because there’s more work to do than with the one-day side. But a lot will depend on who’s in the frame. It may be that there is a strong candidate that is happy to do everything. That’s for Straussy to decide and others to worry about.”Farbrace has been in demand for a variety of coaching jobs in recent times. As well as having been linked with a couple of international roles – notably Bangladesh – several of England’s first-class counties have made approaches for him. It does now seem, however, that the England head coach role would be his preferred option.”I don’t think the next 10 days are necessarily about me at all really,” Farbrace continued. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be an acting head coach a couple of times before, thoroughly enjoyed it, and my goal is to make sure that nothing really changes.”I genuinely mean it that I’m thrilled to be asked to look after the squad. Same as in the West Indies and same as after Peter Moores left and before Trevor came. It’s just great to do.”As a coach you are continually learning and trying to get better. I’ve made some horrendous mistakes in the past. In the two years I was head coach at Kent I had a disaster. And that’s the only thing you can do as a coach, keep learning and improving.”I’m not saying this to make it easier if I don’t get the job. If come next September, I have a chance that would be fantastic and if I ended up being offered the position that would be great.”