Mohammad Wasim, the 18-year-old fast bowler, has replaced him

Umar Farooq01-Jan-2020Naseem Shah has been withdrawn from Pakistan’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup. Mohammad Wasim, the 18-year-old fast bowler who has been an Under-19 regular in recent months, has replaced him.Naseem, the 16-year-old fast bowler who has played three Test matches since making his senior international debut in November, was named in the original Under-19 squad last month. Pakistan head-coach-cum-selector Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis, however, were not in favour of releasing him for age-group cricket.ALSO READ – Naseem Shah caught in tug-of-war between Pakistan’s senior and Under-19 teamsThe senior and junior selection committees have now come to an agreement, and Naseem will not travel to South Africa for the tournament, which begins on January 17.”The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup is a stepping stone for future stars and a platform for budding youngsters to graduate to international cricket,” said Wasim Khan, PCB’s chief executive officer. “Naseem has recently broken that glass ceiling and has established his credentials as an international cricketer. As such, the PCB has taken a pragmatic approach and decided to withdraw him from [the] competition to provide this opportunity to another promising cricketer so that he can show his mettle and potential at a global stage.”In his short time so far as an international cricketer, Naseem has marked himself out as a special talent with his precocious pace and venom. He made his debut in Perth, in the first Test of Pakistan’s recent tour of Australia, and dismissed centurion David Warner with a brute of a short ball. He missed the second Test with a knee niggle that is understood to have hindered his rhythm in the nets, but played both Tests of Pakistan’s home series against Sri Lanka, taking seven wickets in the two Tests including a match-winning five-wicket haul in the second Test in Karachi.Naseem Shah bowls•AFP

That performance made him the second-youngest bowler, behind compatriot Nasim-ul-Ghani in 1958, to take a five-for in Test cricket, and the youngest fast bowler to do so.The junior team management, headed by coach Ijaz Ahmed, wanted Naseem to be freed up for the Under-19 World Cup, and he was meant to link up with his team-mates at a preparatory camp in Lahore after the series against Sri Lanka. But he did not attend the camp, and was also rested from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final in Karachi.After extensive discussions with the senior team management, the national junior selection committee, headed by Saleem Jaffar, have agreed to withdraw Naseem and include Wasim in his stead. Wasim has taken 10 Youth ODI wickets in eight matches, at an average of 27.40.”This should not deter Pakistan’s chances at next year’s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup as the selectors have picked a side that is experienced and bubbling with confidence to perform strongly,” said Khan. “Naseem will now remain in Pakistan and continue to work on his skills under the watchful eyes of bowling coach Waqar Younis. Furthermore, he will remain available for the home series against Bangladesh.”Pakistan, the 2004 and 2006 champions and three-time runners-up, are slotted in Group C along with Bangladesh, Scotland and Zimbabwe in the 16-team Under-19 World Cup. They will kick off their campaign against Scotland on January 19 in Potchefstroom.After a month-long camp followed by a break, the players regrouped in Lahore on Wednesday for the final leg of the camp. The team will depart for Johannesburg on January 10 from Lahore.

For two excellent pace-bowling units, the conditions will be a challenge, making draws a possibility

The Preview by Sidharth Monga20-Feb-20205:32

Questions for India: Pant or Saha, Jadeja or Ashwin?

Big picture

Test series these days – ones between sides at close to full strength – start along predictable lines. Home sides are usually so dominant that they are overwhelming favourites or they are so weak that strong sides such as India can steamroll them. Draws are hardly a possibility either. Rarely comes along a series where a proper victory march comes across a fortress that has stood tall for years without looking that formidable once.In New Zealand over the next two weeks, anything is possible: 2-0, 0-2, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1, 0-0. For two excellent pace-bowling units, the conditions will remain a challenge, making draws a distinct possibility. Don’t go by New Zealand’s annihilation in Australia, these sides are pretty evenly matched. If India have arguably the best all-conditions bowling attack, New Zealand’s quicks know how to get wickets at home better than anyone else. The same bowlers that seemed pedestrian in Australia where you need to bash the hard length will be effective with their kiss-the-surface swing. Or at least they won’t suffer in comparison with the opposition quicks as much as they did in Australia.ALSO READ: Why Test cricket in NZ is unlike anywhere else in the worldThat doesn’t mean India don’t have the attack to take wickets in New Zealand. Just that in these conditions, their added advantages over a slightly limited New Zealand attack will not be apparent. It is in the second innings that their familiarity with the conditions has tended to trump their opponents. Test cricket in New Zealand is played in the reverse with batting getting progressively better on pitches that don’t break up, and it is in those second innings that New Zealand’s bowlers have found ways to dismiss oppositions. This is when New Zealand bowlers have managed to average in the mid-20s since December 2013, but one of the key components of that attack, Neil Wagner, will be missing for the season opener at Basin Reserve as he awaits the arrival of his child, and the other, Trent Boult, has had no competitive cricket since breaking his right hand in Australia.In most other places, India would start as favourites, but at home, New Zealand have lost just two Tests in their last 14 series, a record second only to India’s at home. Then again, India haven’t lost a series anywhere since the 4-1 reverse in England in 2018. Let there be no further ado then.

Form guide

New Zealand LLLDW
India WWWWW

In the spotlight

Since December 2013, when this New Zealand team started coming together, Trent Boult has been the second-best to Wagner in second innings. The importance of a successful return for him cannot be overstated for New Zealand. These are the series you play for, he has said, to get players such as Virat Kohli out.If you want to identify a point of difference, look no further than Jasprit Bumrah. In his brief Test career, Bumrah has tended to get the better of every challenge the conditions have thrown at him. He has the hyperextension, he has the deceptive pace, he has all the other bowling tricks, and he has a sharp bowling mind.

Team news

Kyle Jamieson will become New Zealand’s 279th Test player as he replaces Wagner. By leaving Matt Henry out of the XII, New Zealand have made it clear they are looking for a Wagner-like point of difference in the second innings. Jamieson brings those hard lengths and extra bounce with his height. Depending on what they read of the pitch of the morning of the match, New Zealand will choose between Daryl Mitchell and Ajaz Patel, the lone spinner in the squad.New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham, 2 Tom Blundell, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Daryl Mitchell/Ajaz Patel, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Kyle Jamieson, 11 Trent BoultRishabh Pant and Hanuma Vihari could both feature in the XI•AFP / Getty Images

As you would expect with visiting teams, equations are not simple for India. However, there is great news for them in the sooner-than-expected return of Ishant Sharma after he had torn a ligament in his ankle in December. After a long bowling session in the nets two days from the Test, Sharma didn’t bowl in the nets on match eve; instead he was put through a fitness test. Clearly, India want to be sure. If he doesn’t make it, Umesh Yadav is the favourite to take his spot.India seem to have settled with the opening combination of Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal. With fewer vagaries in New Zealand pitches, India seem to be going with the batting prowess of Rishabh Pant ahead of the wicketkeeping purity of Wriddhiman Saha. Unlike New Zealand, India are sure to play at least one spinner. If they do play only one, R Ashwin is the favourite from the trends in the warm-up game and in the nets. He could use the wind to his advantage.Given how difficult it is to pick 20 wickets at Basin Reserve, there might be temptation to play both the spinners and form a second lower middle-order of Ravindra Jadeja, Pant and Ashwin, but this India is slightly different from the one that used to take such risks in the first Test of a series.India (probable): 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Hanuma Vihari, 7 Rishabh Pant (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Ishant Sharma/ Umesh Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

The novelty of telling the pitch apart from the outfield in New Zealand has long worn off. The 15-18mm of grass makes for a menacing look, but the pitch should become friendly after early exchanges. Except for the general windiness, perfect weather conditions for Test cricket have been forecast after two days of intermittent rain in the lead-up to the match.

Stats and trivia

• In 28 Tests in New Zealand since December 2013, teams have decided to field after winning the toss on 25 occasions. They have won 12 and lost eight of these Tests. In the rest of the world, over the same period, teams have decided to field in 58 out of 253 Tests.
• Kohli averages 66 against Boult, and 46.5 against Southee in Tests. His average against Wagner, who is missing the first Test, is 20.
• Ross Taylor will become the first player to 100 matches in each international format.

Quotes

“It’s about bringing the focus to the smaller steps rather than some of the loftier goals that can be achieved, but you do need to take care of the next moment rather than you getting too far ahead of yourselves. As a unit, it was a tough series [in Australia] in terms of a result to swallow but you know you can’t change the past but you can use it definitely to improve as individuals and as a team.”

Kane Williamson looks to bounce back from the sweep in Australia“It doesn’t matter how much patience the opposition has. Then we obviously have to show more patience than them. We can’t prepare in a manner that New Zealand might be more patient than other teams and then put pressure on us. Our fitness levels are such and concentration levels are such now that we can compete against anyone and anywhere in the world.”

Virat Kohli on a possible battle of attrition

Nine out of ten rounds had been completed, with New South Wales the comfortable leaders

Daniel Brettig14-Mar-2020Australia’s domestic first-class competition, the Sheffield Shield, is set to be cancelled before its conclusion due to coronavirus, the first such event since the Second World War.Cricket Australia officially announced the decision to cancel the final round of the regular season on Sunday morning. The players are understood to have been informed on Saturday night, before they travelled to venues. The final, scheduled to be hosted by New South Wales in Wollongong, is also set to be cancelled, although CA have said an update will be provided “in due course”.Concerns about the risk of contracting coronavirus while travelling by air is thought to be a part of the decision, with South Australia to host Queensland in Adelaide, Western Australia to host New South Wales in Perth and Victoria to host Tasmania in Melbourne.With nine of 10 rounds completed, NSW sit clearly atop the table, with Victoria second and then little separating Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia. It is not yet clear whether NSW will be awarded the Shield as the top team, or no winner declared.The Shield has been contested every season since 1892, only stopped by the First World War from 1915 to 1919 and the Second World War from 1940 to 1946.”At times like this, cricket must take a back seat for the greater good,” the CA chief executive Kevin Roberts said. “We have been in consultation with relevant government agencies, our own medical team and an infectious-diseases expert for quite some time now, and we have taken all their advice into account in making these decisions.”In recent days, it has become evident that we must play our part in helping limit the spread of the virus by reducing person-to-person contact wherever possible. These measures reflect that.”The decisions made this week are not something we are accustomed to in cricket. But by making them, we hope we can contribute to the global effort to slow, and eventually stop, the spread of coronavirus.”After hosting an ODI between Australia and New Zealand at an empty SCG on Friday, CA was forced to cancel the remainder of the series due to the visiting team being called home, with the New Zealand government imposing emergency travel measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.An Under-19s women’s tour of South Africa has also been cancelled, after the decision to abandon a senior women’s tour of the same nation, and the men’s team’s trip to New Zealand for Twenty20 matches.

Board says decision taken “owing to the current threat” of Covid-19

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2020India’s tours of Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, scheduled for June and August respectively, have been called off by the BCCI owing to the “current threat of Covid-19”, board secretary Jay Shah said in a statement on Friday.India were scheduled to tour Sri Lanka for three ODIs and as many T20Is starting June 24, and then to Zimbabwe for three ODIs starting August 22.The BCCI’s decision was made public a day after SLC said it was still hopeful of hosting India in August. With Sri Lanka seeing just over 700 active Covid-19 cases currently, the board was pushing hard to restart cricket in the country by also holding a residential training camp for 12 of its players earlier this month.In the circumstances, India are also unlikely to travel to South Africa at the end of August to play three T20Is, a series proposed by CSA recently. At the time, the BCCI had not committed one way or other, but had told CSA that if there were no quarantine restrictions, India could think of stopping by after the Zimbabwe tour.The Indians have not played any competitive cricket since mid-March, when the BCCI was forced to call-off the three-match ODI series at home against South Africa. After the first match in Dharamsala had been rained off, the BCCI had planned to conduct the remaining two games behind closed doors. But the two boards decided to reschedule the series because of the Covid-19 situation. With the IPL also being indefinitely postponed, there has been no cricket in the country for three months.On Friday, the BCCI reiterated that it would conduct a camp for its contracted players “only when it is completely safe to train outdoors”. It added: “The BCCI is determined to take steps towards the resumption of international and domestic cricket, but it will not rush into any decision that will jeopardize the efforts put in by the Central and State governments and several other respective agencies in containing the spread of the coronavirus.”The spread of Covid-19 has played havoc with the cricket schedule globally, and in India, the BCCI is trying its best to host the IPL at some stage this year, even if in front of empty stands. President Sourav Ganguly had recently written to the state associations that the BCCI was on the verge of finalising guidelines for the return of cricket in India.

Six venues to be used as 24 players prepare for return to training

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2020England women’s hopes of salvaging an international season in 2020 have been boosted by the confirmation that 24 players will return to training later this month across six venues.The ECB were forced to postpone the series against India, initially scheduled to start at the end of June, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and have since been in talks with the BCCI and CSA about turning the South Africa tour in September into a tri-series.And with that objective in mind, the players are due to resume practice on June 22, initially on an individual basis and later in small groups.The training sessions will take place at Loughborough, Headingley, The Oval, Bristol, Hove and Chester Boughton Hall CC, all under the same medical guidelines and bio-secure conditions as have been in place for England Men.Jonathan Finch, the ECB’s director of women’s cricket, said: “We remain hopeful of playing cricket this summer and it’s exciting for this group of players to be able to return to training.”We’ve had great support from the First-Class Counties with the use of their venues, and we’re grateful to them for that, and hopefully this is one step closer towards England Women returning to the field this summer.”Squads for specific formats will be named in due course, subject to confirmation of the proposed series. But the 24 names include both Lauren Winfield and Amy Jones, both of whom recently arrived back in the UK after being stranded in Australia after the Covid-19 outbreak.”We will get some international cricket, all being well,” Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, told the BBC’s Tuffers and Vaughan Show last week. “We’re talking to the BCCI and to Cricket South Africa about bringing their women’s teams over to play a tri-series, so we have something really to celebrate with the women’s game in September.”England Return to Training squad Tammy Beaumont (Kent/London Spirit), Lauren Bell (Berkshire/Southern Brave), Katherine Brunt (Yorkshire/Trent Rockets), Kate Cross (Lancashire/Manchester Originals), Alice Davidson-Richards (Kent/Northern Superchargers), Freya Davies (Sussex/London Spirit), Sophia Dunkley (Surrey/Southern Brave), Sophie Ecclestone (Lancashire/Manchester Originals), Georgia Elwiss (Sussex/Birmingham Phoenix), Katie George (Hampshire/Welsh Fire), Sarah Glenn (Worcestershire/Trent Rockets), Kirstie Gordon (Kent/Birmingham Phoenix), Amy Jones (Warwickshire/Birmingham Phoenix), Heather Knight (Berkshire/London Spirit), Emma Lamb (Lancashire/Manchester Originals), Nat Sciver (Surrey/Trent Rockets), Anya Shrubsole (Berkshire/Southern Brave), Bryony Smith (Surrey/Welsh Fire), Linsey Smith (Sussex/Northern Superchargers), Mady Villiers (Essex/Trent Rockets), Fran Wilson (Kent/Oval Invincibles), Lauren Winfield (Yorkshire/Northern Superchargers), Issy Wong (Warwickshire/Birmingham Phoenix), Danni Wyatt (Sussex/Southern Brave)

Former India captain excited to be part of another dressing room at Kings XI Punjab

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-2020Anil Kumble, the former India captain, doesn’t regret walking away as the team’s head coach in 2017, but feels “the end could have been better”. He stepped down immediately after the Champions Trophy in June, where India finished runners-up to Pakistan, after his partnership with captain Virat Kohli became “untenable.”Ahead of that tournament, reports of Kohli telling BCCI about players being uncomfortable with Kumble’s “overbearing” ways surfaced. “The one year I spent with the Indian team (2016 to 2017) was fantastic,” Kumble said in an Instagram Live with former Zimbabwe medium-pacer Mpumelelo Mbangwa. “We did really well in that one-year period.”During his term from June 2016 to 2017, India rose to become the No. 1-ranked Test team, beating West Indies (away), Bangladesh, New Zealand, England and Australia (all at home). In all, India won 12 and lost just one Test during his 17-match run as India coach.”I was really happy that there were some contributions made and there are no regrets. I was happy moving on from there as well. I know the end could have been better but then that’s fine. As a coach, you realise when it’s time to move on; it’s the coach who needs to move on. I was really happy I played a significant role in that one year.”Kumble currently chairs the ICC Cricket Committee, with still a year to go in his nine-year term. On the coaching front, he will be involved with Kings XI Punjab as director of cricket operations.”Kings XI Punjab haven’t been consistent in 12 seasons of the IPL, and it’s a challenge,” Kumble said. “I’m looking forward to being part of a dressing room again. I’m also towards the end of my term in the ICC Cricket Committee. It’s wonderful being part of the ICC, to keep yourself abreast of what is happening and to contribute in your own way is very special.”

Lace becomes third young Middlesex player to join Gloucestershire in four years

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2020Gloucestershire have announced the signing of 22-year-old batsman Tom Lace with immediate effect on a three-year contract.Lace, who made 835 County Championship runs at 41.75 last year with three hundreds, becomes the third young Middlesex player to join Gloucestershire in four years, after Ryan Higgins and George Scott.He spent the majority of the 2019 season on loan at Derbyshire, topping their Championship averages and making 83, 57, 16 and 125 in his four innings against Gloucestershire.After passing a medical last week, Lace will go straight into the Gloucestershire squad for their Bob Willis Trophy match against Glamorgan on Saturday having been released from his Middlesex contract with immediate effect.”I’m delighted to have signed for Gloucestershire for the next three years,” Lace said. “I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running and helping the team to more success.”Bristol is a brilliant city and Gloucestershire is a county full of hungry and talented young players. I’m hugely grateful to everyone at the club for the opportunity to be a part of that.”Richard Dawson, Gloucestershire’s head coach, described Lace as a “very talented young batsman” with a “great work ethic”.”Last season we saw first-hand when he played for Derbyshire how good a batsman he is,” he said, “and now we look forward to him scoring runs for Gloucestershire.”Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s managing director of cricket, said: “We are sorry to see Tom leave. He is a fine young man with a bright future in the game. When Tom extended his contract, it was on the mutual understanding that if, for whatever reason, he was not playing regular first XI cricket he would be entitled to seek opportunities elsewhere. Everyone at Middlesex wishes him well for the future.”

History will be made one way or another at the CPL final in 2020

Peter Della Penna09-Sep-2020

Big picture

It’s the CPL blue bloods vs the sea blue jerseys in this year’s final. One side is very familiar with their role in the winner takes all championship showdown. The other couldn’t be more alien to the playoffs, let alone playing for the title.Three-time champions Trinbago Knight Riders have been the chalk team virtually since the CPL’s inception. They have never missed the playoffs and have topped the regular season table in three of the last four seasons. The old Oakland Raiders NFL teams of the late Al Davis era might have been envious of the commitment to excellence the Knight Riders have demonstrated in 2020 though, reeling off a run of 11 straight victories as they attempt to be the first CPL side to finish as undefeated champions.Though the Knight Riders have more than their fair share of stars to draw upon, the standout quality from this group has been their collective depth. Sunil Narine, Colin Munro and Ali Khan have all missed time due to injury, but the Knight Riders haven’t skipped a beat as they received handy contributions from unheralded sources like Tion Webster, Jayden Seales and 48-year-old legspinner Pravin Tambe. You know TKR is a juggernaut when Akeal Hosein – arguably the fourth choice spinner behind Narine, Fawad Ahmed and Khary Pierre – is claiming a Man of the Match award in the tournament semi-final after claiming 3 for 14 in a nine-wicket romp over the Jamaica Tallawahs.Standing across from the Knight Riders at Brian Lara Academy on Thursday morning will be the St Lucia Zouks. They have been bottom-feeders throughout their history, making the playoffs for just the second time in eight seasons this year. After years of historic futility, an infusion of Afghan might in 2020 has sparked Daren Sammy’s side to their first ever tournament final.A decade ago it would have been unthinkable for three Afghanistan players to be present in all the world’s franchise leagues combined. But the country’s players are in ever-increasing demand and the trio in the Zouks starting XI – Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran and Zahir Khan – are a microcosm of the battling qualities which have seen both Afghanistan and the Zouks rise in prominence.Their fighting spirit, along with shrewd captaincy from Sammy, has spread throughout the team. On paper, one might think it impossible for a team that has produced just two half-centuries with the bat all season – both by Roston Chase – to be capable of going all the way to the final. But a never say die attitude in the field has galvanized them to some improbable wins. Defending 92 to beat the reigning champions Barbados Tridents tops the list, but sparking a Tallawahs collapse from 84 for 0 to defend a total of 145 isn’t far behind. So it shouldn’t be too surprising then that their bowling unit led by Scott Kuggeleijn, Nabi and Zahir shredded the Guyana Amazon Warriors for 55 in the semis, the second lowest total in CPL history.Logic says the Knight Riders are the obvious choice to prevail on home soil in the final. But there is nothing logical about how the Zouks have continued to defy the odds to arrive alongside them with tournament hardware on the line. One way or the other, there will be a historic result – a maiden undefeated champion or a maiden Zouks crown – by Thursday afternoon.Rahkeem Cornwall smashes one over long-off•Getty Images

Form guide

Trinbago Knight Riders WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
St Lucia Zouks WWLLW

In the spotlight

Tion Webster only played half the matches in the league stage, but he has been finding form at the right time as a more than capable replacement in the top-order, first for Narine and then for Munro. He ended the league stage with an unbeaten 41 off 33 balls against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, then followed it up in the semi-finals with 44 not out off 43 balls against the Tallawahs. While both innings came chasing targets of 78 and 108 respectively, many top order players have found batting tricky in the second innings on tough surfaces. Webster on the other hand has remained carefree and that confidence may play a significant role in the final.Last year it was Hayden Walsh Jr who played a leading role for the Barbados Tridents on their way to the title. Another Liberta Blackhawk from Antigua has a chance to play a key role if his team lifts the trophy in 2020. Rahkeem Cornwall has hit the most sixes for the Zouks, with 13 in nine innings. In an event where most batsmen have struggled to time the ball to the rope, his strike rate of 142.62 has given the Zouks short but fiery starts. The big man showed off his agility in the field on Tuesday’s semi-final with a superb catch diving forward at slip to end the first innings.

Team news

If the Knight Riders were unwilling to risk Colin Munro in the semi-final, it’s unlikely he’ll be fit enough for this game. Ali Khan has bowled below full pace in his two matches back from a hamstring injury. TKR management will have to decide whether they value his experience in a final – he took a wicket first-ball in 2018 against the Amazon Warriors at the same venue to give TKR a huge lift – is enough to keep his place ahead of Seales.Trinbago Knight Riders (possible): 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Tion Webster, 4 Tim Seifert (wk), 5 Darren Bravo, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt.), 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Akeal Hosein, 9 Khary Pierre, 10 Fawad Ahmed, 11 Ali Khan/Jayden Seales.The Zouks have had a fairly settled side down the stretch of the season. It’s unlikely they have any fitness issues after a semi-final which lasted a combined total of 18.1 overs. Expect an unchanged XI.St Lucia Zouks (possible): 1 Rahkeem Cornwall, 2 Mark Deyal, 3 Andre Fletcher (wk), 4 Roston Chase, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Najibullah Zadran, 7 Javelle Glen, 8 Daren Sammy (capt.), 9 Scott Kuggeleijn, 10 Kesrick Williams, 11 Zahir Khan.

Pitch conditions

The five highest totals in the CPL this season (all 172 or more) have all come in 10 am starts at Brian Lara Academy, all made by the team batting first in victory. Though T20 strategy traditionally points teams towards chasing, things could be different in the final, if only because the Knight Riders were responsible for four of those five wins and the Zouks round out the stat. Expect a higher scoring contest than the pair of semi-final duds.

Stats and trivia

• The two half-centuries scored by the entire Zouks roster – both by Chase – are the fewest for any CPL finalist since the inaugural season when the 2013 CPL champion Jamaica Tallawahs had one apiece from Kumar Sangakkara and Chris Gayle. However, the Zouks total of two is the fewest for any team in the current 10-match regular season format as teams only played seven league stage matches in the 2013 CPL.
• Darren and Dwayne Bravo are the only remaining players from the 2015 Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel squad, the previous incarnation of the Knight Riders, which won the first of the three championships for the TKR franchise.
• Though the Zouks don’t have a title as a franchise, it would not be the first title for several of their players. Deyal played one match as a member of the Red Steel in 2015. Kesrick Williams was the leading wicket-taker for the 2016 champion Tallawahs while Leniko Boucher joined the Zouks in 2020 after being a member of the 2019 champion Tridents.

Quotes

“We have come here and played fantastic cricket throughout the tournament and we need the cherry on top of it. Looking around the dressing room, you don’t see overconfidence. You see guys who want to improve each and every time out.”
“We didn’t come here to celebrate a semi-final. You don’t carry anything from before into the finals. It’s a clean slate. Whoever plays good cricket on the day… on Thursday we’re going to come with the same attitude.”

Travis Head made 151 as for the second match running South Australia fought for a draw

Andrew McGlashan02-Nov-2020South Australia batted out the final day – and 160 overs in total – to secure their second backs-to-the-wall draw in consecutive matches. Travis Head made 151 but the hero was 19-year-old Liam Scott, in just his fourth first-class match, as he made 61 from 162 deliveries to see the Redbacks through most of the last session.Two vital moments came early in the final hour when Scott was brilliantly caught by Seb Gotch, when on 54, but Zak Evans had overstepped and next ball he struck a boundary to wipe out the 364-run deficit and knock off a few extra vital overs from South Australia’s task.He fell with the job not quite complete – a sixth wicket for the outstanding Scott Boland who hurled his body through 33 overs – unable to keep out a superb yorker, but Daniel Worrall and Wes Agar stood firm for eight overs.Scott, who mixed excellent defence with calculated attack in an innings that included four sixes, had come to the crease midway through the day when it appeared Victoria had made the game-changing incisions either side of lunch. Head had just gone past 150 for the second match running when he turned Jon Holland off the face of the bat to short leg, leaving South Australia 5 for 264 and the lower order exposed.Head and Henry Hunt had extended their third-wicket stand to 226 in 86 overs when Victoria finally broke through with the second new ball, Boland finding Hunt’s outside edge and then doing the same against Callum Ferguson who bagged a pair.Boland, in a herculean effort during the fourth innings, struck again in the first over after tea when he produced a beauty from round the wicket to bowl Harry Nielsen to break a stand of 66 in 23 overs with Scott and reenergise Victoria.Their victory push gathered steam when Will Sutherland claimed a much-deserved wicket as Chadd Sayers played onto his stumps with South Australia still 26 behind, but as they moved into the lead the clock turned against Victoria and Boland’s sixth wicket came too late.

England captain says ‘there are still a lot of issues to be a girl in sport’

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2020Heather Knight believes comments by former Football Association chairman Greg Clarke have highlighted that there is still work to be done for sportswomen to achieve equality with their male counterparts.Clarke resigned from the FA and from his role as FIFA vice-president this week after using a series of racist and offensive phrases while speaking at a parliamentary committee meeting.He was also criticised for saying a coach had told him that a lack of women’s goalkeepers was because girls “don’t like having the ball kicked at them hard”.Knight, the England women’s cricket captain, said there were still “lots of issues” surrounding how women in sport are viewed and treated.”To have someone so high up in football to say that is not a great place to be,” Knight told Sky Sports News. “There’s a lot going on at the moment in terms of women’s football academies not being able to train whereas the boys’ academies are [under UK Covid-19 restrictions].”It highlights that there are still a lot of issues to be a girl in sport. It’s not a problem purely for football, there are lots of examples from other sports where girls don’t get the same opportunities as guys. I think it highlights there’s still a lot of work to do in that area and still a lot of changes that need to be made.”Boys’ football academies were allowed to stay open during a second national lockdown because they met government requirements for elite sport, but girls’ academies initially remained closed because they fell outside the FA’s interpretation of those rules.Following political pressure, girls’ academies will be allowed to open, although Baroness Campbell, the FA’s director of women’s football, told Telegraph Sport that she expected only “one or two” to be able to do so because of the costs involved in complying with Covid-19 prevention measures – a problem not faced by the significantly better resourced boys’ academies.Knight acknowledged that many positive changes had occurred in women’s cricket and women’s sport over the course of her decade-long England career.”When I was growing up [cricket] was very much a male-dominated sport,” Knight said. “I played men’s cricket down in Devon and you had to have a thick skin sometimes [due to] the comments you got.”Luckily a lot of that has changed. I think perceptions to women in cricket and in sport in general is miles away from where they were while I was growing up.”It has become a lot more normal to become a woman in sport, and a lot easier for young girls to aspire to be that and to emulate the people they are now seeing a lot more in the media, obviously with women’s sport being a lot more visible. I think we’ve still got progress to make, but in terms of my career playing for England for the last 10 years, it’s changed massively.”During a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee hearing on Tuesday, Clarke referred to “coloured footballers”, stereotyped south Asians and Afro-Caribbean people as possessing “different career interests” and described homosexuality as a “life choice”.Asked in the hearing if he would like to withdraw the use of the word “coloured”, Clarke apologised for using the term.In his resignation statement, Clarke said: “My unacceptable words in front of Parliament were a disservice to our game and to those who watch, play, referee and administer it. This has crystallised my resolve to move on. I am deeply saddened that I have offended those diverse communities in football that I and others worked so hard to include.”