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The allrounder batted for more than three hours to make 75 off 159 balls in the tour game against India A, who responded in kind with Shreyas Iyer smacking an unbeaten 85 off 93 balls

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2017
ScorecardMitchell Marsh followed in his brother Shaun’s footsteps, with a fifty-plus score in the tour game against India A to perhaps bolster his chances of a Test recall. He spent over three hours at the crease in Mumbai, making 75 off 159 balls with 11 fours and a six to help the Australians declare on 469 for 7 on the second day.Australia have been struggling for an allrounder to make the No. 6 spot their own and Marsh had himself enjoyed a considerably long run before he was dropped after the home series loss to South Africa late last year. He averages only 23.18 from 19 Tests so far and bowls seam up, which may go against him considering the conditions in India and the fact Australia already have Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in their squad to swing the new ball and reverse the old.However, with his 17th first-class half-century, Marsh has done his bit to stay in contention. His nearest competitor appears to be Glenn Maxwell, who has his own issues with regards to playing up to potential in Test cricket. He is not established as a batsman, but on his day can still be explosive and can also chip in with a few overs of part-time offspin.”I’ve certainly batted more than ever over the past few weeks, just trying to get better and trying to learn as much as I can,” Marsh said of the opportunity presented by the need to rest his bowling shoulder. “You never want to get injured but it was nice to get a couple of weeks off, I’m feeling really strong at the moment so hopefully the body can hold up.”Probably the biggest thing for me has just been softening my hands, in my defence and also in my attack as well. The later you hit the ball, the easier it is to hit gaps especially in the subcontinent when it’s turning. If you have a solid defence, you can attack the balls that are there to attack and really back your defence.”That’s something I’ve learnt, playing in the subcontinent a couple of times now through my own experiences. I think I’ve just faced a lot more spin over the time, and I’ve learned that rotating the strike is really important, especially in the subcontinent for getting off strike.”India A’s batsmen too profited on a Brabourne stadium pitch that was quite true. Shreyas Iyer smashed 85 off 93 balls with five sixes and seven fours at No. 3. He was unbeaten at stumps, alongside Rishabh Pant, who was batting on 3.For the Australians, Jackson Bird was highly economical with a spell of 11-7-15-2 while Nathan Lyon provided the first wicket of the innings, dismissing Akhil Herwadkar and later accounted for Priyank Panchal, the top-scorer in India’s premier domestic first-class tournament, the Ranji Trophy, in 2016-17.

Slingy speedster Munis Ansari produced a yorker barrage that Jersey’s batsmen could not answer on his way to claiming 5 for 27 and Man of the Match honours in Oman’s 58-run win

Peter Della Penna in Jersey23-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSlingy speedster Munis Ansari produced a yorker barrage that Jersey’s batsmen could not answer on his way to claiming 5 for 27 and Man-of-the-Match honours in Oman’s 58-run win at St Saviour. Ansari took two wickets in his first spell, including the key scalp of Jersey captain Peter Gough for 17, before returning to spark a hasty conclusion with three more as Jersey fell from 143 for 5 to 147 all out in pursuit of Oman’s 205 for 9.Jersey’s middle order produced a resilient fightback after the team had slipped to 43 for 4 during Ansari’s first spell, in which he also claimed Cornelis Bodenstein caught behind for a duck. Jonty Jenner and Anthony Hawkins-Kay added 39 for the fifth wicket to give Jersey a bit of hope before Jenner slammed a full and wide ball straight back at left-arm spinner Aamir Kaleem, who took a stunning return catch for his second wicket to make it 82 for 5 one ball into the 24th over.Hawkins-Kay grinded his way through the next 10 overs with an able ally in Luke Gallichan, who made 30 as part of a 61-run sixth-wicket stand. After bowling five overs earlier, Ansari came back for a second spell to start the 33rd over and the pair was able to negotiate him safely for his first two overs of the spell, but a key moment occurred on the first ball of Ansari’s eighth over, the 37th, that contributed to the breakdown of the partnership.Hawkins-Kay was on strike and clipped a single off Ansari through the leg side. Gallichan wanted to push for two but when he was turned down, he tweaked his left calf muscle while trying to get back to his crease. Gallichan took a single off the next ball, after playing to third man, but hobbled all the way down the pitch and needed treatment from the physio, resulting in a seven-minute break before he decided to continue batting. After one more single by Hawkins-Kay, Gallichan came back on strike and, with his footwork now limited, he was promptly bowled by an Ansari yorker.Charles Perchard arrived and fell to another Ansari toe-crusher but Jake Dunford was able to keep out Ansari’s hat-trick ball. Three balls into the 38th over, Hawkins-Kay’s dogged stay ended for 45 when he was adjudged to have edged one down the leg side off Rajeshkumar Ranpura that was spectacularly caught by Swapnil Khadye. Ansari started his final over by yorking Ben Kynman for his fifth wicket before Ranpura ended the match nine balls later, getting the injured Rhys Palmer to edge to Kaleem at second slip.Palmer’s health was a point of contention before the start of play when he suffered a knee injury while warming up after Jersey had won the toss and opted to field. The Jersey team management requested to have Palmer changed out of the XI after he had initially been included but Oman captain Ajay Lalcheta declined, as is his right under ICC playing conditions. Palmer took 3 for 29 in the rain-affected first encounter between the two sides on Saturday which ended with no result, and his absence deprived Jersey of a specialist spinner on a track offering plenty of turn.Zeeshan Maqsood’s 69 paced Oman’s innings though the rest of the top order struggled for the third match in a row. Maqsood made his half-century off 73 balls, though he was dropped in back-to-back overs on 35 and 36 by the wicketkeeper Dunford, first standing up to Perchard’s medium pace and then to left-arm spinner Ben Stevens.Maqsood combined with Jatinder Singh for a 78-run third wicket partnership after Jatinder came in at 48 for 2 in the 17th over to give Oman a necessary platform for a defendable total. Perchard eventually nabbed Maqsood to end the 39th over, this time inducing an edge held on to by Dunford after Maqsood was cramped trying to cut. It was the third wicket in a patch that saw Oman lose four wickets for 17 runs, to shift momentum Jersey’s way. After Hawkins-Kay took one wicket in his opening spell, he came back late to claim Sunday’s high-scorer, Kaleem, for just 12 to make it 163 for 7.But Jersey’s focus lapsed over the final two overs as tailenders Khadye and Ranpura added 27 runs – including a six by each batsmen off consecutive balls to end the 49th and start the 50th over. Hawkins-Kay finished with Jersey’s best figures of 2 for 18, while spinners Stevens and Nat Watkins also took two each in the loss.

Chris Gayle might be the world’s most-feared T20 batsman, but in their four most recent games against him, Sri Lanka have felt they cracked Gayle – his scores in those matches: 5,2,3 and 3

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Bangalore19-Mar-2016Chris Gayle might be the world’s most-feared T20 batsman. He has scored more World T20 runs than anyone else still playing. But in their four most recent games against him, Sri Lanka have felt they cracked Gayle – his scores in those matches: 5,2,3 and 3.Sri Lanka’s plans have revolved around Nuwan Kulasekara’s bowling, but Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga and even two offspinners, have played a role. When Gayle opens, Kulasekara has taken the new ball to deliver back-of-a-length deliveries, which pitch on around leg stump, then move across the batsman, off the seam.Mathews, also possessed of a good away-seamer to left-handers, has usually followed suit. The offspinners have often pitched it fuller, but have persisted with the leg stump line, and have turned the ball across Gayle’s body as well.The result was not just a muting of Gayle, but four successive dominations of him. Kulasekara bowled 22 legal deliveries to Gayle in those games, has conceded only seven runs and taken his wicket twice. Against all bowlers, Gayle has mustered just 13 from 42 balls.Though hot off his 47-ball ton against England, Gayle can expect a similar test in Bangalore, Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said. Ford had been in charge during Sri Lanka’s march to the World T20 final in 2012, when they faced West Indies twice.”We have put a few things in place against in the past,” Ford said. “In 2012 we did quite nicely against him. Whether that still works – we’ll find out. We’re certainly not going to be telling everybody what we did in those two games to keep him quiet. It’s something that we are aware of in our group. It’s certainly something we’ll be trying to do again in this game.”Even if Gayle is trussed up at the top of the innings, however, Sri Lanka may be put under pressure by West Indies’ lower-order hitters, as they had been in that 2012 World T20 final. Sri Lanka’s chances have grown grimmer over the past few days, with Lasith Malinga forced to withdraw from the tournament.”The loss of Lasith makes a huge impact,” Ford said. “One has got to be realistic. The management and selectors are aware that it’s a different side at the moment. With Lasith it’s not just his experience, but also his brilliant execution of skill. For so long he’s done that death-bowling role. For so long he’s been able to strike up front and then finish the innings off so well. Finishing the innings is so important for momentum, etc. Now we’ve got to find somebody to do that.”Like against Afghanistan in their World T20 opener, Graham Ford hopes that the Sri Lanka can bat around one senior batsman•AFP

Kulasekara has lately performed the death-overs role alongside Thisara Perera, but the pair have reaped mixed results. Against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka leaked 72 runs in the final six overs of the innings.”But the group of lads that I’ve got – and the one thing I know about Sri Lankan cricket – is that they are great triers,” Ford said. “They are great workers. There are a couple of guys putting their hands up and saying: ‘I’ll do that job.’ With that sort of attitude I’m sure we can make something happen.”I just love the attitude of this group. As a coach you have a feeling of confidence when you know you know you’ve got a really good attitude within the group.”Among the other players now absent in comparison with the team Ford had coached in his first stint with Sri Lanka, are the old brains of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. While they were in the side, Sri Lanka established a reputation as one of the best tournament sides in the world. Though those players are gone, the men that remain from that era have retained that tournament know-how, Ford said.”There have been some brilliant, brilliant Sri Lankan cricketers who were wonderful at adapting to the situation, passing on information, thinking on their feet and strategizing,” Ford said. “I think some of the senior men that are left in the system have learned a great deal from those that have left the group. There’s still some very smart heads left. It’s that kind of sharing information that’s crucial to adapting to conditions and situations. There’s a fair amount of that still going on.”The senior group in the current side features Tillakaratne Dilshan, who had been Sri Lanka’s best batsman in their tournament opener against Afghanistan. Dilshan had been through something of a lean trot in recent weeks, even recording two ducks in the World T20 practice matches, but that doesn’t mean he was out of touch, Ford said.”People sort of felt Dilshan was out of form, but the way he’s been playing in the nets – he’s been playing superbly. That night [against Afghanistan] he put on a masterclass. It was just about him getting going. In the practice games he got two really good deliveries. No batsman likes to miss out and not score, but I don’t think he was particularly worried, because he was playing well in the nets, and had made a good score in the last match of the Asia Cup. He knew he was going pretty well.”Sri Lanka’s top order still appears vulnerable however, with the likes of Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne yet to make themselves reliable performers in the shortest format.”It’s nice if an experienced player bats a long period and the younger players bat around him,” Ford said. “But I do believe the younger players can start to do the same things Dilshan did the other night.”

Zulqarnain Haider, the Pakistan wicketkeeper who fled Dubai for London after receiving threats, has announced his retirement

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2010Zulqarnain Haider, the Pakistan wicketkeeper who fled Dubai for London after receiving threats, has announced his retirement. Haider, 24, went missing from the team hotel on the morning of Pakistan’s fifth ODI against South Africa in Dubai and resurfaced in London later the same day. He was said to be seeking some sort of protection in the UK after he was threatened by unidentified people following his team’s one-wicket win in the fourth ODI against South Africa.

Defeat for either side will spell the end of their involvement in the Champions Trophy

Andrew Miller25-Feb-20253:01

How will England replace Brydon Carse?

Big Picture: Politics takes back seat in high-stakes match-up

For several febrile weeks at the turn of the year, it was impossible to ignore the political mission-creep of England versus Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy. And yet, it’s not impossible that a cricket match will be allowed to take centre stage, after all, in Lahore on Wednesday. A potentially fascinating one, too.To deal with the frivolous keep-politics-out-of-sport top line first, this is now a must-win clash for the two winless sides in Group B. Australia’s washout against South Africa in Rawalpindi has changed little in that regard, except that it guarantees that, if either team loses in Lahore, they will now be sunk without a trace, rather than relying on snookers and net run-rates when they play the table-toppers later this week.And, before we get bogged down in the baggage that this contest has acquired, there’s plenty of recent on-field intrigue to drill down into too. Afghanistan’s historic victory in Delhi at the 2023 World Cup has seen to that. It wasn’t the result that ended the reign of the 2019 champions – the tournament’s drawn-out itinerary meant no swift end to their humiliation – but it did unquestionably show them up as plodding, timid and past their collective sell-by date.Eighteen months on, similar concerns endure for England, even as they embark on their white-ball Bazball reboot. On the one hand, their five-wicket loss to Australia was a game of fine margins, none more galling than Jofra Archer’s glaring miss in the deep at a pivotal juncture of the chase. On the other hand, they put an apparently hefty 351 on the board yet still got steamrolled with almost three overs to spare. Not even Ben Duckett’s tournament-record 165 could suffice for a side whose reticence runs deep, no matter what positive messaging may have been carried across from Brendon McCullum’s Test dressing-room.Ben Duckett produced the goods in Lahore – but England still went down•Associated Press

On balance, therefore, would you rather be in England’s shoes – confused as to why your best is still not enough and, in the case of their captain Jos Buttler, vaguely cognisant of the implications of another early tournament exit – or Afghanistan’s – fresh from a shoddy display against South Africa that was so far from the new standards that they set themselves that the only way, surely, is up?Afghanistan’s 107-run loss in Karachi was studded with shoddy fielding, including a glaring missed run-out, and capped by a batting effort that was sunk inside the first 15 overs. Rahmat Shah showed the requisite mettle with a 92-ball 90, but Rashid Khan’s breezy 18 from 13 balls at No. 9 was their second-best score. After their march to the T20 World Cup semi-finals, not to mention four wins at the 2023 World Cup which secured them their Champions Trophy berth, this squad expects better of themselves these days.Cue England, then, the perfect opponents for teams in need of a little extra incentive to raise their games.In truth, the protests about this fixture have dissipated in recent weeks, but that’s not to say there won’t be more discussion as the contest gets underway, or that the underlying issues are no longer worthy of airtime. On the contrary, when the Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi wrote to the ECB protesting the “sex apartheid” of Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, on whose watch women’s sport has effectively been banned since 2021, she was merely articulating the same unease that many individual boards were already feeling – including both England and Australia, who had previously pledged to suspend bilateral ties while the Taliban remain in power.That letter had been signed by a cross-party group of 160 British MPs, but the UK prime minister Keir Starmer echoed the ECB’s line, that this is a matter for the ICC as a collective body, not for individual boards. And that, broadly speaking, has been the final word on the matter for now. Certainly it’s a far cry from the situation that Nasser Hussain’s World Cup squad found themselves in back in 2003, when – amid similar political posturing – it was left to the players themselves to debate, and ultimately carry out, a unilateral boycott of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.Besides, as Buttler reiterated on the eve of the game, there is still a place for sport as “a source of hope and enjoyment” in tough times … much as was the case on the eve of the 2023 clash, in fact, when Afghanistan’s own aim had been to bring a bit of joy back to their country after a devastating earthquake in Herat had killed several thousand people. The issues may be different, but the underlying truth remains the same. When there are forces beyond your control, whatever they may be, all you can do is produce your best and hope it contributes to the greater good.

Form guide

England: LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan: LWWWL

In the spotlight: Mark Wood and Rashid Khan

To judge by its early showings, white-ball Bazball is distinctly Route One. Stack the side with the rawest pace imaginable, and let guile and subtlety go hang. It’s a policy that you can imagine being utterly explosive on its good days, but these have been all too infrequent so far in McCullum’s tenure. Mark Wood‘s display against Australia epitomised this. His ferocious powerplay spell featured barely a delivery below 150kph, and landed the key early wicket of Steven Smith. But by the back end of Australia’s 352-run chase, Glenn Maxwell was making room to leg with impunity, safe in the knowledge that any sort of connection would go the distance. Eight of Wood’s ten ODIs since the start of the 2023 World Cup have now come in ICC events. Nine wickets at 58.44 and an economy rate above 6.5 imply that the Aussies aren’t the only team who are ready for what he’s being primed to unleash.Rashid Khan has memories of success against England to fall back on•Afghanistan Cricket Board

England’s struggles against high-quality spin have been protracted across formats, and few spinners come more highly rated than Afghanistan’s gun leggie Rashid Khan. Last week, he was knocked off the top of the ICC’s ODI rankings by Maheesh Theekshana, largely due to inactivity, and though he went wicketless in Afghanistan’s opening Group B loss to South Africa, he has happy memories of his most recent outing against England: figures of 3 for 37 in that famous World Cup encounter in Delhi included the winning moment itself, a slider to Wood that sealed a 69-run success, their first over England in any format. As Adam Zampa demonstrated in Australia’s high-scoring win in Lahore on Saturday, stump-threatening wristspinners can unlock even the flattest conditions.

Team news

Brydon Carse had been one of the breakthrough bowlers of England’s winters, but his battered toes contributed to an untimely breakdown against Australia, as his seven overs were dispatched at a tick below ten an over. He has now been ruled out of the tournament, with Jamie Overton the likeliest like-for-like replacement – and if Lahore’s conditions remain as true as in the first match, this might even include the impact that his powerful lower-order hitting has often promised, but rarely delivered.England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jamie Smith (wk), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jos Buttler (capt), 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Jamie Overton, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark WoodHashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan’s captain, hinted that the same XI that tripped up against South Africa would take the field in Lahore – unsurprising in light of his pointed but uncontroversial observation that “the England team struggles a bit against spinners”. In Rashid, Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad, they will have to negotiate 30 overs of the finest, and most varied, slow bowlers in subcontinental conditions, although they will at least be spared a reunion with their chief destroyer at the World Cup, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who has been managing injury in recent months and is not currently involved in the 50-over format.Afghanistan: (possible) 1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Sediqullah Atal, 4 Rahmat Shah, 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Gulbadin Naib, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi

Pitch and conditions

England got a clear idea of Lahore’s run-laden conditions in their tournament opener, and more of the same is in prospect on a pristine new surface. The weather, however, could be decidedly cooler. There’s been rain around on the eve of the contest, and while it is not expected to be a factor during the match, the cloud cover could remain in situ … a possible boon for England’s pace-dominant attack.

Stats and trivia

• England have lost five ODIs in a row, their joint-worst run since losing six in a row in their home ODI series against Australia in 2009. Auspiciously, they followed that performance with an improbable semi-final place, weeks later, in the Champions Trophy in South Africa. (Although they did then get crushed by the eventual champions, Australia, once more…)
• Rahmat Shah, who made 90 in defeat against South Africa, needs 41 runs to become the first Afghanistan batter to reach 4000 in ODIs.
• Rashid needs two more wickets to become the first Afghanistan bowler to reach 200 in ODIs.
• Duckett, England’s centurion in defeat against Australia, needs four runs to reach 1000 in the ODI format. Phil Salt isn’t far behind, on 968 runs, while Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone are both in the 900s too.

Quotes

“We are cricket players, we are sportspersons, we are sportsmen. So, we control what we can do inside the ground. We don’t worry about what’s happening out of the ground.”
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi plays a straight bat to the political chat“Any time as an England captain you want to perform well, and you want to lead your team to winning games of cricket. We haven’t been doing that enough in the recent past. But as soon as you catch yourself thinking about any negative things, you try to completely flip that and focus on all the positive things that could go right, and where you can take the team. I’m very much focused on that.”

Then opener anchored Western Australia with a fine century while Sam Whiteman and Josh Inglis played their part

AAP01-Mar-2024Jayden Goodwin scored his maiden first-class century to anchor Western Australia’s first innings in their Sheffield Shield match against Queensland at the WACA Ground.On a day when Cameron Bancroft fell for a six-ball duck, Goodwin dug in his heels to help guide WA towards a competitive first-innings total.Related

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Sam Whiteman combined with Goodwin to anchor the innings, while Josh Inglis added a handy 47 before WA lost 4 for 25 late in the day.WA entered the match third on the ladder and knowing a loss could end their hopes of reaching the Shield final to defend their title.Goodwin, the son of former Zimbabwe star Murray Goodwin, was the hero of the day, with his brave knock only brought undone when he was bowled by Mark Steketee soon before stumps.”Credit to Jayden, he batted tremendously,” Whiteman said. “He scored a good 80 the other week [against Tasmania], and he’s scored a mountain of runs in club cricket and second XI.  So it was awesome to see him get the job done in first-class cricket.”We’ve gotten to know Jayden pretty well over the last few years, and he just loves batting. He probably gets that from his dad. He’ll do whatever he can to spend as long as possible at the crease. He leaves really well and sticks to his game plan. It was a joy to watch today.”Bancroft fell for a duck in the first over after edging Xavier Bartlett to third slip, but WA were on top following a 128-run stand between Whiteman and Goodwin.Whiteman’s hopes of a century went up in smoke when he charged down the wicket to Mitchell Swepson and was stumped well out of his crease.Hilton Cartwright fell for a duck two overs later edging Swepson to slip, and WA looked shaky at 151 for 4 when D’Arcy Short nicked Steketee behind.Inglis helped Goodwin settle the ship after that. Goodwin struck 13 fours and one six on the way to reaching his century in 245 balls, and he fell just short of seeing out the day.Bartlett was the pick of the Queensland bowlers with 5 for 45, while Steketee and Swepson snared two apiece.”To get Bangers [Bancroft] out – he’s probably the form batsmen of the competition – to see the back of him early was a nice start to the day,” Bartlett said. “I thought the way Sam Whiteman and Jayden Goodwin batted there, they were superb. They put the pressure back on us, so hats off to them.”

All bases will be covered in the squad but Travis Head could have an increasing part to play with the ball

Andrew McGlashan09-Jan-2023Using three frontline quicks remains an option for Australia on their tour of India with Pat Cummins keeping an opening mind about the balance of the side that they will need.The last time they won in India, on the 2004 tour, their bowling attack was based around the three-pronged pace of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz alongside the spin of Shane Warne and then some part-time overs.Australia have the resources to go with a similar shape of team this time although the emergence of Cameron Green has given them greater flexibility. However, Green is expected to miss the first Test in Nagpur due to his broken finger so the selectors will need to decide whether to stick with the two-quick, two-spinner method employed against South Africa or back what is traditionally Australia’s strength in pace bowlers.Nagpur has not hosted a Test since 2017 and Australia’s previous game there was the VCA Stadium’s maiden fixture in 2008 when Jason Krejza took 12 wickets in the match on debutRelated

• Starc ruled out of first India Test, Australia select four spinners in 18-member squad

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Mitchell Starc is also unlikely to be fit for the first Test – and things may yet be tight for the second in Delhi – due to his broken finger suffered at the MCG, but Josh Hazlewood’s impressive return from injury in Sydney, where he was threatening with reverse swing, means he could get more opportunity than presented itself on last year’s trips to Pakistan and Sri Lanka where he only played once.Scott Boland was left out of the final Test against South Africa and has yet to play a game overseas, but it could be an option to field him, Cummins and Hazlewood together unless the pitch is so persuasive of including another spinner.”Potentially,” Cummins said when asked about playing the extra quick. “[When] Cam Green bats at six you’ve kind of got three quick bowlers which is a bit of luxury as it is. [Josh] showed his class out there. No qualms picking him, you know what you are going to get and it’s quality. Each game in India we might need to chop it up slightly differently, maybe one game it’s three quicks and another it’s one quick. We’ll get over there and see.”Australia’s second spinner at the SCG was Ashton Agar who went wicketless through 22 overs in his first home Test, nearly 10 years after making his debut. Agar is assured of his place on the India tour, and Australia are keen on having a left-arm spinner in their attack, but Mitchell Swepson and Todd Murphy are also in the mix for the tour.Travis Head could get plenty of work with the ball•Getty Images

However, there is an option where Australia rely on a combination of their part-time spinners to supplement Nathan Lyon, with Travis Head’s development of his offspin making him a viable option. Head has taken seven wickets at 13.99 in his last seven Tests having not struck before then.”It’s a real option,” Cummins said. “Think the squad will have all possibilities there. Really comfortable [with the part-time spinners] especially Trav, he’s a slightly different offspin bowler to Nathan, a bit flatter, which could be really helpful over there. Probably underbowled him in this game so he’ll be a big part over there.”Away from the bowling, the batting options for the tour are likely to include Peter Handscomb, who was drafted into the SCG squad when Marcus Harris was released to play BBL. He is the leading Sheffield Shield run-scorer this season with 571 runs at 81.57 and coach Andrew McDonald said he was unlucky not to originally be selected for Sydney when Matt Renshaw was preferred.”He’s a huge chance over in India, he’s played really well in Bangladesh, India he’s been there before,” Cummins said. “He’s earned the right by scoring a lot of runs in Shield cricket. I’m sure come selection time he’ll be there or thereabouts. Always nice having a right-hander as well, we’ve got plenty of left-handers.”The squad is expected to be named later this week and will depart at the end of the month. There are plans for a short training camp in Sydney with the tour itself not including a warm-up match before the opening Test in Nagpur from February 9.

Club captain stands down for family reasons after struggling for form in two seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2022Peter Handscomb, Middlesex’s club captain, is standing down from his role, and will not return to complete the 2022 season following his involvement with next month’s Australia A tour of Sri Lanka.A statement from the club confirmed that Handscomb would be returning to Australia after the Sri Lanka tour for family reasons, and that Tim Murtagh would be taking over as club captain in both the four-day and 50-over formats.”We would like to thank Pete for all he has contributed to the club throughout his time with us,” Alan Coleman, Middlesex’s head of men’s performance cricket. “He is a fabulous bloke to have around the dressing room and has led us with distinction this year on the field.”He is a natural leader and inspires those around him to perform, and many of the younger players within our squad have learned an enormous amount from him during the time he’s been at the club.”Despite leading Middlesex to the top of the LV= County Championship Division Two – a position that he helped to consolidate with an unbeaten 39 in their six-wicket win over Durham at Lord’s on Sunday – Handscomb’s own form has been intermittent, with a solitary half-century in five appearances this season, to go with his average of 17.46 in his seven matches in 2021.The news follows the confirmation that Shaheen Shah Afridi, Middlesex’s other overseas player, will not be returning to the club this season either, due to Pakistan’s busy international schedule. The club confirmed that they were in negotiations for a replacement top-order batter for the remainder of the season, and were hopeful of making an announcement in the near future.”I’ve really enjoyed my time here at Middlesex and it’s been a pleasure to have played with such a great bunch of blokes,” Handscomb said. “To have started the season in the manner we have is testament to the amount of hard work the playing group and coaches have put in, and I wish Middlesex every success for the remainder of the season and moving forwards.”It’s been an honour to have been able to call Lord’s my home, and my thanks go to everyone at the Club for their support in allowing me to head home to spend time with my family after my international commitments with Australia A.”

Join us for updates, analysis and colour from the first day of the Brisbane Test

Varun Shetty15-Jan-2021*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local.

5.30pm local/1pm IST: Stumps

Australia will be pleased with the day. It didn’t begin particularly well, with two wickets, but India gave them a sniff by dropping Labuschagne early and he’s anchored a positive innings on the day one. India were hamstrung with their best two bowlers going out, and the new faces might have felt like they were doing a decent job until Australia flipped the pressure on them through flowing knocks from Smith, Wade, Green and Paine right at the end. By the end of the day, India looked like a fading team, and the hosts have capitalised on that. India have also ended the day a bowler short. It could be a long day tomorrow.

4.30pm local/12pm IST: The pitch

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It’s been a difficult pitch to assess from afar. Natarajan’s two wickets were deliveries that kicked off the surface and got big on two pull shots. The only real instance of that any time previously was the delivery off which Labuschagne was dropped earlier in the day. And these all came off different bowlers, and form differing lines. So what do you put it down to? The range of pace? The likelihood of a bowler getting it to grip? Cracks in the pitch? And in that case, the cracks would have to be on both the left- and right-handers’ sides. Which sounds far fetched so early in a Test. Perhaps the only characteristic that an be gauged confidently is its slow nature.

3.56pm local/11.26am IST