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The Covid-19 situation has left many young cricketers in Bangladesh with no option but to try and grab the attention of the selectors through video clips rather than via proper trials, in a radical reimagining of the way age-group cricket teams are usually selected.The BCB announced this first-of-its-kind programme on Tuesday, with national ODI captain Tamim Iqbal, senior player Mushfiqur Rahim and Under-19 World Cup-winning captain Akbar Ali describing the process to follow with a video.BCB’s game-development manager AEM Kawser explained that the board has formed three WhatsApp groups (one each for the Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 age-groups) for each of the 64 districts and eight divisions, and eight others – based on zones – for the Dhaka metropolis area. Once all the videos are collected, within a stipulated period, the regional coaches will assess these videos to whittle them down to around 35 to 40 players for each age-group of the particular district, division and Dhaka metro. These players will then take part in a proper in-person trial, with proper pandemic protocols in place, and from there they will be selected for their district or division age-group squads, which usually have 15 players. The BCB’s nationwide age-group tournaments will be held once the pandemic situation gets better.ALSO READ: Domestic cricket in Bangladesh to resume with three-team one-day competition“Previously the open trial was in-person,” Kawser told ESPNcricinfo. “Five hundred or more kids would show up for the trials at specific venues around the country. It is not suitable in the present pandemic reality. Health safety is a real concern, but we have to continue our player development pathway.”Regardless of how many videos we get, it will be shortlisted to around 40 players for each of the district or division Under-14 teams and around 35 each for their Under-16 and Under-18 sides. The shortlisted cricketers will be called for the in-person trial in their region after ensuring health protocols. Districts, which are more safe as far as Covid-19 is concerned, will hold these trials first.”From these 35-40 players, the coaches will make a 15-man squad for registration, age-verification medical test and then begin training. Once the situation improves, we will hold the age-group tournaments.”Iqbal, Rahim and Ali were involved in explaining to the youngsters how to shoot the videos with mobile phones: videos for batsmen and wicketkeepers should be shot from the umpire’s position, while those of the bowlers must be from three angles, which catch the details of their delivery.The capital region of Dhaka will be split into eight zones because, as Kawser explained, “There are about 85 academies in Dhaka from which we take players to take part in age-group competitions. We select the Dhaka metropolis team from this tournament.”So this time too, we will divide the city into eight zones so that the academy coaches can upload their players’ videos in separate WhatsApp groups specific to age groups.”

Australia opening bowler Megan Schutt has called her form in the ODI series against New Zealand “a bit average”, admitting the switch from T20 to the longer version has challenged her as the team hunt down the world-record-equaling 21 ODI wins in a row.Schutt, who has played 18 of the current 20-match winning run, has claimed three wickets in the two ODIs – although her brace in the second game came in the final over – and her two opening spells of five overs in each outing have gone for a combined tally of just 25 runs but her overall economy rate of 4.74 is above her career figure of 4.22. Such are the standards the Australians set themselves that Schutt has felt frustrated at her contributions.”A bit average, to be honest,” she said. “I haven’t been overly pleased with how I’ve bowled. Think I’ve had some good overs in there but have had some poor ones as well. For me the ODIs over the last couple of days – I’ve felt like I’ve struggled a bit with my length; need to get a bit fuller, but think that’s the transition from playing so much T20 cricket for a long period and then we are converting back with the WBBL. I’ve been a little bit disappointed but, hopefully, will find some consistency.”ALSO READ: How Australia made it 20 record ODI wins in a rowSchutt said that she had not been able to find quite the amount of swing that she expected in the mornings – Meg Lanning has bowled first on winning both tosses – and she has had to focus on ensuring she hasn’t offered up too many drives to the New Zealand batters.”In the first couple of games my eyes lit up a bit being the morning at AB (Allan Border) Field; there’s normally a bit more juice in the pitch, and I haven’t quite had the swing I thought I’d have – not sure if it’s me, the ball, the pitch or all the above so had to switch up after a couple of overs,” she said. “Quite often when I get ahead of myself I chuck up too wide hoping it will swing and give them a nice half volley. I have been quite aware of not doing that, so have been trying to adjust my lines to straighten up.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

During the ODI series, Schutt has opened the bowling with Annabel Sutherland who made her debut in the format in the opening match. Sutherland is a player with significant expectations attached to her, mentioned as being someone to replicate the role of Australia’s premier allrounder Ellyse Perry in the years to come and, for Schutt, it has been exciting to have her at the opposite end.”Raw pace,” Schutt said when asked to sum up what Sutherland provides. “It’s really cool for me to do my thing at one end and have someone who’s the complete opposition – she’s fast, gets that bounce and a bit of swing at times, too, so she’s an exciting prospect and balances out [the attack] really well. Not having Pez (Perry) at the other end we need someone who’s doing that…and think that’s where we work well together, at her age to see the pace and the ruthlessness she has is really exciting.”ALSO READ: Meg Lanning interview – Sutherland can hit the ball hardIt is an example, too, of an emerging young player keeping the motivation levels high in a squad that has experienced a huge amount of success. “There’s been a turnaround of new players and they keep us old ones on our toes. [We think], ‘Crap! These girls will take our spots one day, so you may as well play your best as long as you can,'” Schutt said.The squad continues to insist the 21-match record of Ricky Ponting’s 2003 ODI side has not been discussed and that if they do level the mark – and potentially go and beat it whenever their next one-day assignment might be – it will purely be a byproduct of their steely focus.”Obviously deep down it would be cool to reach the record but the way we explain it is it’s one game at a time and every game we go out we are trying to win,” Schutt said. “Losing sucks and we are pretty hard on ourselves when we do. It makes you dive deep and pick little things out but think we do that even when we are successful. That’s the best part; winning is great but we know we can still get better.”

Jos Buttler has revealed that he instigated his move into the Rajasthan Royals middle order during the IPL after starting the tournament in his preferred role as an opener.After missing the first game of the season while in quarantine, Buttler reached double figures in six of his first seven innings at the top of the order, but only once managed to score more than 22, in an innings of 70 off 44 balls in a heavy defeat against eventual champions Mumbai Indians.But with Ben Stokes backed as an opener after his late arrival from New Zealand, and Robin Uthappa struggling for form in the middle order, Buttler told the Rajasthan management that he thought he should shift down into the position he filled for the bulk of his T20 career and has mastered in England’s 50-over team.”It actually probably came from myself saying I didn’t think our team had the right balance,” Buttler told Sky’s IPL Cricket Show. “I thought we were lacking a bit of experience in the middle, and I thought we were a bit top-heavy. [We were] losing games and it felt like there were a couple of games we didn’t quite close out when we were in good positions, and I felt like if we had had a bit more experience in that position, maybe we would have got over the line.”Rahul Tewatia had a great season for us with the bat, being a bit of a finisher, but I felt like a more experienced guy alongside him would have balanced our team a bit better. It was an offering, really, from myself to say: I haven’t had the runs I’d have liked at the top and I’m quite happy to move. I thought for our team, it looked a better balance having a more experienced player in the middle as well.”Buttler made 160 runs in five innings in the middle order, including a match-winning 70 not out in a successful chase against the Chennai Super Kings, but was ultimately unable to drag them into the playoff stage.Buttler’s batting position in England’s T20I team has been a talking point ever since he began to open on a regular basis in 2018, and that will only intensify as next year’s T20 World Cup comes closer into view.ALSO READ: Buttler plays opener and finisher to keep debate bubblingFollowing his promotion for Rajasthan against the Delhi Daredevils in May 2018, Buttler opened in 40 of his next 41 T20 innings, the exception being a single knock at No. 4 for Lancashire in the 2018 T20 Blast. During that period, only Aaron Finch could match him in scoring 1000 runs as an opener at an average of 40 and a strike rate above 150.Since the 2016 World T20 final, Buttler averages 40.83 and strikes at 151.96 as an opener in all T20 cricket, compared to 26.18 and 132.69 from No. 3-6. While almost every player has a better record at the top of the order, since the role allows them to bat for six overs with fielding restrictions in place, the contrast in Buttler’s is particularly stark.In an England shirt, he averages 51.00 at the top of the order with a strike rate of 157.73, but with a logjam of opening options and fewer middle-order specialists in contention, there remains a school of thought that he would be better used as a floater or a finisher.Jos Buttler range-hitting at the Ageas Bowl•Getty Images

On Wednesday, Buttler reiterated his view that opening is the best place to bat in T20, and he seems likely to continue in the role for England during their three-match T20I series in South Africa next month. He also said that there are still areas he felt he could improve in the role, most notably guarding against post-powerplay lulls when facing spin.”For myself, and actually for probably 90% of anyone who plays T20, [I] would say batting at the top of the order is the place to bat,” Buttler said. “It’s where you have the most balls, it’s where I feel I affect the game the most, and I feel like I’ve had more success at the top of the order and impacted more games in a positive way. I think it’s the best place to bat in T20 cricket, isn’t it?”I feel like I can really affect the game at the end of the innings as well, [so sometimes I] come through that opening bit and then go into a gear where I think ‘I’m going to wait now until the back end where I know I can do more damage’, or ‘I’m desperate to get to the back end’. But when you’re opening that isn’t particularly your job.”I find coming out of the powerplay sometimes as an opener, naturally the field spreads and a spinner may come on, the pace of the games changes and that can slow you down from quite a boundary-dominant phase of the game in the powerplay. The real learning for me is how to keep that intensity and be really role-specific. The ideal as an opener is to bat 20 overs, but there should be guys in your side who are tuned in to do the back end and your game allows you to really affect the front of the match.”If England did choose to use Buttler in the middle order, there would be no shortage of options to replace him at the top: nine of their 15-man squad for the series have opened the batting in the IPL at some stage in their career, while one of the other six, Dawid Malan, did so for England as recently as last winter.

Stereotypical as it may be, the question had to come up.Is South Africa’s plan against Sri Lanka to attempt to bounce them out based on the (these days outdated) assumption that batsmen from the subcontinent are afraid of the short ball?Yes, and no, according to Anrich Nortje.”If there is someone that’s not comfortable against the short ball, he is definitely going to get the short ball. If there is someone that’s comfortable with it, he is not going to get it too much.”Sounds pretty much like an approach any team would take against other. But it’s a talking point because of the way South Africa have approached series like this before. Meaning series against Asian sides.It all started after South Africa’s tour to India in 2015 when they were out-spun on pitches that favoured the home side heavily – so much so that the Nagpur surface was rated poor – and decided to exact revenge in future. Sri Lanka’s tour in the 2016-17 summer saw the unleashing of green mambas at venues all around the country, which drew criticism from chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya. South Africa tried something similar, against India in 2017-18, and it backfired at the Wanderers where South Africa lost and the surface was deemed dangerous, against Pakistan in the 2018-19 season, where South Africa won 3-nil, and against Sri Lanka that same summer.Related

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After South Africa lost in Durban, the teams were greeted by a green pitch at St George’s Park but Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha and Suranga Lakmal outplayed the hosts at their own game and Sri Lanka became the first Asian team to win a series in the country.Since then, South Africa have not won a series, losing to India away and England at home, and have only won one Test. Crucially, their batsmen have been unable to put decent numbers on the board, both as a result of conditions being difficult and because their confidence has dwindled. That means that although South Africa want to make use of home conditions to turn their results around, conditions can’t be too extreme and the quicks know it.”There’s going to be a little bit more bounce and a little bit more pace so if we can use it, we’re definitely going to use it to our advantage but we don’t want to get carried away,” Nortje said. “You don’t want to go into a game thinking you are going to bomb guys out and it’s not going to happen. Everyone is playing international cricket for a reason. If we can hit our straps, we are going to ask a lot of questions.”Glenton Stuurman could potentially make his international debut in Centurion•Cricket South Africa

“It’s the first time in my career I haven’t played a red-ball match in so long. Red-ball has always been the format I have been selected in the most. You get used to things very quickly again,” Nortje said. “It’s not like T20 cricket where you have to think quickly about what the batsman is going to do, it’s about being consistent. It’s a little bit different. It’s more about the rhythm and how the body is feeling and the control you have on the day.”Nortje is not the only fast bowler who South Africa will look to for discipline. They are likely to hand a debut to Glenton Stuurman – if fit, as he also had a small injury concern on Christmas Eve – who is from the same franchise as Nortje, the Warriors, and who will offer the subtle skill of seam movement.South Africa know they can’t underestimate Sri Lanka, who have arsenal of their own and bragging rights from their last meeting, especially because South Africa’s own pack is depleted. Kagiso Rabada will not feature in the series after sustaining a groin injury in the T20s against England leaving Lungi Ngidi and Nortje – who have all of 11 Test caps between them – to lead the attack. Ngidi has been nursing a niggle, which could place even more responsibility on Nortje, who is likely to take the new ball. Although he hasn’t played a long-format match since January, Nortje is ready to get going.”He is a very good bowler. He has got a lot of control and skill. From what I have seen of him in the nets, he has got a lot of talent so he can trouble a lot of guys, especially at Centurion,” Nortje said of Stuurman. “He has got so much control. He’s sort of a Vern (Vernon Philander) but I don’t want to label that on him. That’s the role he can play and we will have to see what the rest is.”The “rest” could include Migael Pretorius or Lutho Sipamla. They’re both newcomers, which could mean South Africa have three new quicks in the series but Nortje isn’t worried about whether they will be able to pull their weight. “We are inexperienced but we’ve played so much red-ball cricket domestically that we do have a lot of leaders within the group,” he said. “We have sort out tuned our game quite a bit and it’s just about putting in the performances now as a unit.”

Pravin Amre, the former India batsman, has returned to the Delhi Capitals as assistant coach to Ricky Ponting. Amre had earlier served as the Capitals’ head talent scout from 2014 to 2019.Since November 2019, Amre had been part of the Mumbai Indians’ staff, and had played a key role in helping the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan grow into consistent performers during the team’s victorious IPL 2020 campaign.In his previous stint at the Capitals, Amre was instrumental in shaping the team’s batting core of Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan. He has also enjoyed a long association with Ajinkya Rahane, another Capitals player, as his personal coach, and won three Ranji Trophy titles as the coach of Mumbai.”I am grateful to the Delhi Capitals management for having me on board,” Amre said in a press release. “With the team having reached its very first IPL final in 2020, this is certainly an exciting time to be back there. I look forward to working with Ricky again, and all the players.”Amre played 11 Tests for India from November 1992 to August 1993, scoring 425 runs at an average of 42.50, including a backs-to-the-wall century on debut against South Africa in Durban. He also played 37 ODIs, scoring 513 runs at 20.52.”I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Pravin Amre back to the Delhi Capitals side,” the Capitals’ CEO Dhiraj Malhotra said. “Ours is a team with an Indian core, and that thought process applies to our coaching staff as well. Few coaches know the domestic cricket scene in India as thoroughly as Amre does. He has been instrumental in getting the likes of Shreyas, Rishabh and Prithvi to our franchise, and his experience will once again be extremely valuable for us. We are delighted to have him on board.”

Nat Sciver said that England’s aggression with the new ball was crucial to their seven-wicket win against New Zealand in Dunedin, after her fine all-round performance led them to a series-sealing victory.Both Katherine Brunt and Tash Farrant preferring to bowl from the same end because of the wind direction gave Sciver the chance to open the bowling in an ODI for the first time since April 2018, and she combined with fiancée Brunt to reduce New Zealand to 27 for 4 inside eight overs in an impressive new-ball burst.Brunt was particularly threatening, regularly passing 70mph (112kph) as she swung the ball appreciably. She was rewarded with the wickets of both openers, and also hit Amelia Kerr on the helmet with a sharp bouncer. Sciver, meanwhile, took the prized wicket of New Zealand captain Sophie Devine, who chipped a simple catch to short midwicket, and bowled Kerr with an offcutter which moved appreciably off the surface to peg back leg stump.”I think that was a key part of the game for us,” Sciver said. “We always want to be really aggressive and take wickets. It doesn’t always happen but today it came off. Katherine was really, really aggressive with the ball and making it very difficult for the batters. I managed to come on at the other end and help out.”I wasn’t initially down to open the bowling – Tash [Farrant] was going to go from the other end – but with the wind as it was, they [Farrant and Brunt] both thought that they would be really effective from the same end, so I got the nod. I was very happy to have a go at opening the bowling.”Nat Sciver cries “catch!” as a chance goes up•Getty Images

Brunt’s two wickets took her past Ellyse Perry in the list of all-time women’s ODI wicket takers, moving her into third place behind only Jhulan Goswami and Cathryn Fitzpatrick. while Sciver finished with 3 for 26 after returning to remove New Zealand’s top-scorer, Brooke Halliday.”She’s had a couple of net sessions where I would not sign up to be batting,” Sciver said. “She’s had some great preparation coming into these two games. The other day [in the first ODI] she could have got a lot more wickets that she did as well. She’s been brilliant and is getting herself up the leading wicket-takers list.”We probably had the best of the conditions but obviously that means that seamers need to take wickets and sometimes that can be a pressure and the margin for error might be a bit smaller. We managed to put it in the right area for a long time and kept the pressure on for the first 15 overs or so.”England knocked off their eventual target of 193 with seven wickets in hand and 12.2 overs to spare thanks to half-centuries from Sciver and Tammy Beaumont, sealing the series ahead of the third ODI on Saturday.”[Beaumont] has been so consistent and that’s so important at the top of the order, having that stability,” Sciver said. “When things are going right it’s brilliant and it’s easier to score [for others], and when it’s a bit more difficult, she’s not fussed to put a few shots away and make sure she’s there at the end.”We’ve managed to bowl them out twice. Wickets is a real key goal for us, to be able to take ten wickets, and I think the way we’ve been bowling, we’d get a few wickets from other sides as well. We know that this isn’t their best performance, especially with the bat; we know what their players are capable of but at the minute we seem to be one step ahead.”Related

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• Nat Sciver and Tammy Beaumont lead the way as England make it 2-0

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For New Zealand, it was an 11th straight ODI defeat, a run that dates back to February 2019. While Halliday impressed again, backing up her half-century on debut in the first ODI with 60 off 80 balls, there were few positives to take from another difficult defeat.”[It was] another tough day at the office,” Devine said at the post-match presentation. “I thought the way that the tail batted at the end was fantastic, but batting first we just haven’t put enough runs on the board, so it’s hard work for the bowlers to try and create any pressure.”Credit has to go to England. They bowled exceptionally well again, and they put us under pressure for extended periods of time and used the wicket well using change-ups and bowling cross-seam as well probably got a little bit out of the wicket. But unfortunately batters didn’t do their jobs so we go back to the drawing board and figure out a way forward.”We know if we put this lot [England] under pressure for extended periods of time, we might see some cracks opening up. But we’re just not doing it for long enough. The way Nat Sciver batted was outstanding, Tammy Beaumont too, so we’re going to have to work really hard for those wickets.”

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The A-Z of Test cricket will be on full display this week when, in Ahmedabad, India and England enter into the final tussle to decide the World Test Championship finalists and in Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan host Zimbabwe for a series that has no bearing on the points table at all.In fact, it is only Afghanistan’s fifth Test, and their first since November 2019, while Zimbabwe have not worn whites in just over a year, since February 2020. In that time, India have played nine Tests and England 11; these two teams also have another five-Test series to look forward to in this year’s northern hemisphere summer. The issue of unequal distribution of fixtures, which South Africa have raised among their concerns with the ICC following the indefinite postponement of their series against Australia (who also pushed back series against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe) that was also due to kick off this week, means Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have to content themselves with what they can get. For now, it is each other.Related

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• No Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine in Zimbabwe squad for Afghanistan Tests

It’s something of a restart for both sides with Afghanistan’s squad containing eight uncapped players and two teenagers in opening batsman Ibrahim Zadran and fast bowler Mohammed Saleem. They have given the captaincy back to Asghar Afghan, who was in charge for their first two Tests but then handed over to Rashid Khan, who has since been unburdened. The change has come at an opportune time because Khan will miss the first Test after picking up a finger injury in the PSL.Zimbabwe have also included some new names, largely necessitated by injuries and illness to some of the key players. Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine and Kyle Jarvis are all out of the tour for health-related reasons while Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha and PJ Moor have upper-arm, thigh and hamstrings niggles respectively. Former under-19 star Wesley Madhevere headlines the newcomers which includes left-arm pace bowler Richard Ngarava, while there are also returns for two-metre tall quick Blessing Muzarabani, batsman Tarisai Musakanda and batting allrounder Ryan Burl.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan LWWL
Zimbabwe LDLLW

In the spotlight

Afghanistan are still in the foundational phase of creating Test milestones and their No.3 Rahmat Shah has, so far, led the way. Shah is their first (and to date only) Test centurion and is two away from completing 300 runs in this format. He has established himself as reliable and responsible No.3 and will be key to their ability to post challenging totals in this series. Though there hasn’t been much cricket for Afghanistan to gauge form, Shah notched up his fifth ODI century in a series against Ireland in January.The Emirates may not be the ideal place for Blessing Muzarabani to make his Test comeback but conditions aside, this is the most eagerly anticipated return for the visiting team. Muzarabani has only played one Test, and it was a pink-ball game in South Africa which lasted barely a day-and-a-half, so this series might as well be regarded as his first proper introduction to international cricket’s longest format and he will be keen to show what he can do. Since opting out of his Kolpak deal, Muzarabani has been a stand-out performer in white-ball cricket and his captain Sean Williams hopes that his height, the bounce he can extract and the pace at which he bowls will prove a strong secret weapon for Zimbabwe.

Team news

Khan’s absence presents Afghanistan with their biggest selection dilemma and they will have to lean on the limited bowling experience of Shah for legspin. Amir Hamza will provide left-arm spin while the No.8 spot could be occupied by a debutant. Hasmatullah Shahidi, who missed out on Afghanistan’s last Test against West Indies, will slot back into the top four.Afghanistan (possible): 1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Javed Ahmadi, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi, 5 Asghar Afghan (capt), 6 Nasir Jamal, 7 Afsar Zazai (wk)/Munir Ahmad, 8 Fazalhaq Farooqi/Mohammed Saleem, 9 Amir Hamza 10 Yamin Ahmadzai 11 Sayed ShirzadThe absence of Ervine, Taylor and Moor has opened the door for Madhevere to earn his first Test cap and Burl to return in the top five. Muzarabani will lead the pace attack, which includes Victor Nyauchi and Donald Tiripano while Brandon Mavuta’s legspin and Sikandar Raza’s offspin will ensure Zimbabwe have a varied attack.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Prince Masvaure, 2 Kevin Kasuza, 3 Wesley Madhevere 4 Ryan Burl, 5 Sean Williams (capt), 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Regis Chakabva (wk) 8 Donald Tiripano 9 Brandon Mavuta 10 Blessing Muzarabani 11 Victor NyauchiAfghanistan haven’t had any Test practice since November 2019, when they played against West Indies, in Lucknow•AFP

Pitch and conditions

Less than 24 hours before the Test, Williams had yet to see the playing surface but on previous evidence, surfaces in the UAE tend to be placid for the first few days before taking turn as the match wears on. Though Williams was keen to unleash his quicks on Afghanistan, it will probably be hard work for the pace bowlers, who will need to be at their quickest to get anything out of the track. Winter may be the most pleasant time to play in this part of the world, but temperatures are still set to get up into the 30s, with clear skies and no wind expected throughout. The series will be played behind closed doors.

Stats and trivia

• This is the first Test between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe but they have a storied white-ball history against each other in which Afghanistan hold the upper hand. They have played in 25 ODIs, of which Afghanistan have won 15, and nine T20Is, of which Afghanistan have won eight.
• Zimbabwe’s 15-man squad has more than double the number of first-class caps as Afghanistan’s 19-man group. Between them, Zimbabwe’s players have featured in 747 first-class matches while Afghanistan have played in 356.
  

  Quotes

  “Our country is watching, all the way down to grassroots level. It might be the first time in more than 10 years since we’ve had our games live on ZBC. It’s a huge thing for us, and it gives us purpose.” on the importance of an away series being shown on free-to-air television for the first time in at least a decade in Zimbabwe

Lancashire 291 (Croft 90, Norwell 5-78) and 329 for 6 (Wells 175*, Jones 66) beat Warwickshire 292 and 327 for 9 dec (Davies 121, Brookes 55) by four wicketsLancashire strengthened their position among the LV=Insurance County Championship Division One leaders after a perfectly executed run chase led by Luke Wells’ unbeaten 175 brought them a four-wicket victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston.The Red Rose, set a target of 329 in a day and four overs, reached 329 for 5 with 24 balls to spare.They were in jeopardy at 93 for 4 but Wells, who hit 22 fours and a six from 280 balls, batted beautifully alongside Rob Jones, who scored 66 off 138 balls, in a fifth-wicket stand of 162 in 45 overs.Lancashire’s third win of the season keeps them within reach of Division One leaders Surrey at the halfway point of the season. Reigning champions Warwickshire, meanwhile, with just one win from seven games, have it all to do to retain their title and sit too close to the opposite end of the table for comfort.Lancashire resumed on the final morning on five without loss, needing to make the highest total of the match to win. They added only another 14 before Olly Hannon-Dalby struck twice in an over. Keaton Jennings edged to third slip and, three balls later, Josh Bohannon fell lbw.When Steven Croft was lured into driving at a wideish ball from Henry Brookes and edged to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess, the Red Rose were 53 for 3.Dane Vilas’ frustrating match with the bat then continued. Given out caught when he appeared not to have hit the ball in the first innings, his second knock ended in different but equally exasperating fashion… run out backing up. A sweetly-timed straight drive from Wells was diverted on to the stumps at the non-striker’s end by Liam Norwell – rotten luck for the Lancashire captain, but credit to the big paceman for getting down quickly to parry the ball onto the stumps.That was the only wicket to fall in the afternoon session as Wells and Jones consolidated to take their side to 167 for 4 at tea, at which point, with 162 runs or six wickets needed from a minimum of 35 overs, all results remained possible.On a flattening pitch, Wells and Jones played with increasing freedom to take Lancashire into the last 20 overs needing 91. Jones fell in pursuit of his 11th four, well-caught at deep square leg by Alex Davies, but the wicket did not stem the run-flow as George Balderson (33 from 43 balls) helped Wells seal the victory with a measured partnership of 70 in 12 overs.

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Eoin Morgan is in his first season as full-time captain of an IPL team. When he takes the field on Sunday in Chennai, he will not just square off against David Warner’s Sunrisers Hyderabad, but also against Trevor Bayliss, a close confidante who helped Morgan plot England’s white-ball renaissance, which culminated in their 2019 World Cup win. Not to forget, Bayliss was the Knight Riders’ coach between 2012 and 2015, when they won the IPL twice, before joining the Sunrisers.The Kolkata Knight Riders haven’t made the playoffs since 2018; their quest for the title stretches even further back to 2014. While many others would have chopped and changed, the core of the Knight Riders is still the same. Sunil Narine and Andre Russell are still as big, if not bigger, as the newer signings like Pat Cummins or Shakib Al Hasan, who has been brought back by the franchise after being part of two title wins in 2012 and 2014. Dinesh Karthik continues to be a key finisher, while they have Shubman Gill as potential retention material going forward.Related

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Among the few teams to conduct yearlong camps, the Knight Riders have a well-oiled Indian group of players, both in batting and in bowling. Kamlesh Nagarkoti was injured for two successive seasons, but has been persisted with. Shivam Mavi has also been retained despite a history of injuries. Their latest project is Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner who broke into the Indian team based on his IPL 2020 performances, but has been let down by fitness issues. Can he build on his previous season?Over the last two seasons, the Knight Riders have somewhat been let down by their own strengths – the fluidity of the batting line-up has led to a hint of confusion. The three finishers in Morgan, Karthik and Russell have been shuffled around in the order. Maybe a bit more stability is the key for the team.The Sunrisers are among the more industrious sides, one that bank on collective work. Warner has empowered individuals, given the youngsters a long rope, and has been patient in developing a solid group of players, who’ve all thrived under his leadership. T Natarajan and Sandeep Sharma are prime examples.3:28

Are Sunrisers Hyderabad stronger than last season?

They will be boosted by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return and Wriddhiman Saha’s emergence as a T20 opener. They also have two hungry individuals in Manish Pandey and Vijay Shankar, keen to prove a point after overcoming injuries in order to regain their berth in the national squad.Jonny Bairstow is in fine form, while they can also turn to the ever-reliable Kane Williamson if needed. Throw in the threat a Rashid Khan possesses and it makes for a heady cocktail that can trip up any opponent on a given day. The young group of Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma add to their batting riches.There are no clear favourites for this one. Just the promise of two solid teams, with very different philosophies and approaches, going head to head with the aim of starting on the right foot.

In the news

The match will test Warner’s fitness. Last month, Warner conceded that he had rushed back during the Test series against India following the groin injury he had suffered during the ODIs in December. Warner made himself available for the last two Tests in Sydney and Brisbane, when he was clearly still hampered by the injury. Another lengthy rehab was followed by an outing for New South Wales before he got on the plane to India for the IPL.This also marks Shakib’s return to the IPL, and to the Knight Riders. Last season, he was far away from the action as he was serving an ICC ban, and he starts out this time – if he gets in the XI – against the team he was with till before the suspension. His presence in the IPL this time hasn’t been uneventful either, as he opted for the Knight Riders gig over matches for Bangladesh, and the process was not without confusion.2:25

Will Andre Russell have a big season for KKR?

Likely XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Rahul Tripathi/Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Sunil Narine/Shakib Al Hasan, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Shivam Mavi/Harbhajan Singh, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Varun Chakravarthy Sunrisers Hyderabad:1 David Warner (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Kane Williamson, 5 Vijay Shankar/Abhishek Sharma, 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 T Natarajan

Strategy punt

Harbhajan Singh has played much of his IPL cricket recently at Chepauk for the Chennai Super Kings. Friday’s opener at the venue threw up a slow black-soil-based surface that gripped and spun. Singh had been used regularly with the new ball by MS Dhoni, particularly against the left-handers. With Warner likely to open, there’s a case for Morgan to turn to Harbhajan with the new ball too. There’s good reason, too. The senior offspinner has dismissed Warner four times in the IPL.At IPL 2020, Warner struck at 133 in the powerplay, considerably slower than his overall record. While there may be a temptation to play Saha, who enhanced his reputation as an opener in IPL 2020, it could potentially be advantageous to open with the in-form Bairstow. The England wicketkeeper has struck for the Sunrisers at 142, and he’s in red-hot form too, having just been named Player of the Series during the ODI series against India.

Stats that matter

The sixth season of the PSL will resume from June 9, with a final set for June 24. The tournament will after all be played in Abu Dhabi, despite speculation in recent days that it was going to be moved to Sharjah. The compressed schedule means there will be as many as six double-headers, with the early games starting at 5pm Abu Dhabi time, and the evening matches at 10pm local time. Single matches will start at 8pm.The remaining league games will be played from June 9 to 19, the Qualifier and first Eliminator on June 21, the second Eliminator on June 22 and the final on June 24.*The fate of the tournament had been hanging in the balance for the last two weeks with several challenges around logistical arrangements and more crucially pending approvals from Abu Dhabi government. One of the main roadblocks was getting the necessary exemptions for the production crew from India and South Africa to land in the UAE. The delay in their visas and then clearances for chartered flights caused a delay as they are meant to undergo 10 days in quarantine on arrival.The seven-day isolation period for players and staff who arrived in the UAE via chartered flights from Pakistan ended on June 2 but a delay in the arrival of the production crew forced the PCB to rejig the schedule. The tournament was earlier meant to start not later than June 5 and they had considered Sharjah as an alternative where the quarantine rules are not as strict as in Abu Dhabi.Related

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“Since its inception in 2016, the HBL PSL has embraced and overcome numerous challenges, only to emerge as a stronger and competitive league year-on-year,” Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive, said in a statement.”The enhancement and credibility of the brand remains critical to the PCB and I am pleased that we have continued to take decisive actions in the face of ongoing pressures and major challenges outside of our control over the last 10 days. Everyone has worked tirelessly to find solutions and way forward, and I am delighted that we are now in a position to announce the complete schedule.The schedule for the PSL’s resumption in 2021•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“There was a consensus between the PCB and the franchises that it was imperative to complete the remaining matches in 2021 so that we have a clean 2022 [for the next season]. Now, after overcoming all obstacles through due diligence and careful planning, I believe we have collectively achieved the desired objective that was set in March following the postponement.The PCB has had lengthy negotiations with the Abu Dhabi government to stage the tournament in the emirate, and got clearances too recently, but the resumption has not been as smooth as it was expected. Over the last 15 days, the PCB even came close to postponing the event further, but the board has now managed to put most of the pieces together and finalise on June 9 as the resumption date.One of the biggest challenges was to wrap up the league before June 22 as the Pakistan squad was set to fly to England on June 23 which was later changed to June 25 after the ECB agreed to delay the start of the bilateral tour to accommodate the PSL. But there will be no change in the dates of the matches with the first game of the tour, an ODI in Cardiff, set to be played on July 8.The squad will land in Manchester from where they will be transported to Derby for the mandatory 10-day isolation period and training session. They will then move to Cardiff on two days before the first ODI.”We are grateful and thankful for the support and backing we have received from the UAE and Pakistan governments. I would like to thank the England & Wales Cricket Board for their flexibility, the Emirates Cricket Board, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, as well as all the franchise owners for backing our approach and supporting our decision-making.”Overall, over 300 personnel – both from Pakistan and overseas – are in Abu Dhabi and a majority of them (other than the ones from India and South Africa) have already completed their quarantine. Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars completed their quarantine and started training on Wednesday, while the other four sides will start training from today. Players and player support personnel, who have completed the mandatory seven-day room isolation and returned three negative tests, are allowed to integrate with their sides and participate in training sessions.The PCB had arranged chartered flights for arriving in the UAE but those who were left behind due to visa glitches were made to fly through commercial flights, including Quetta Gladiators’ Sarfaraz Ahmed, who, along with a few other individuals, was not allowed to board a commercial flight from Lahore and Karachi to Abu Dhabi via Doha on last Sunday. They flew a day later to take a different route via Bahrain. There are still over seven personnel, including players and support staff, waiting fo their visas.*1230 GMT: The story was updated after the PCB announced the fixtures on Thursday