All posts by csb10.top

Danielle McGahey, who became the first transgender player to feature in international cricket earlier this year, will no longer be able to participate in women’s international games following a key change to the ICC’s gender eligibility regulations.Under the new rules, approved by the ICC board on Tuesday, any player who has transitioned from male to female and has been through any form of male puberty will not be allowed to participate in women’s international cricket, regardless of any surgery or gender reassignment treatment they may have undertaken.McGahey, a 29-year-old batter, is originally from Australia but moved to Canada in 2020 and underwent a male-to-female medical transition in 2021. In September 2023, she appeared for Canada in the Women’s T20 Americas Qualifier, the pathway tournament to the 2024 T20 World Cup. So far, she has played six T20Is, scoring 118 runs at an average of 19.66 and a strike rate of 95.93.Related

• Danielle McGahey acknowledges her international career 'is over' after ICC transgender ruling

• ICC to introduce stop clock to regulate pace of play

• ICC shifts Men's Under 19 World Cup from Sri Lanka to South Africa

Brazil Women’s captain Roberta Moretti Avery, against whose side McGahey played two T20Is and registered her best of 48, respected the ICC’s decision but called its timing “unfortunate”.”It’s a decision that appears to have been made by the ICC in good faith with the benefit of the most recent scientific advice,” Avery told ESPNcricinfo. “That said, the timing of the decision is really unfortunate.”Danielle McGahey was allowed to play in the recent World Cup Qualifier on the basis of the rules that applied at the time. As a result, she was subjected to a lot of abuse from people who have never met her and who do not understand the difficult journey she has been on.”She and her team-mates also had a reasonable expectation that she would be allowed to play in future matches. So it’s unfortunate that this decision has been made after the event, once Danielle’s hopes had been raised and after she has already been exposed to a huge amount of scrutiny and abuse. That can’t be good for anyone’s mental health. The ICC lifted the hopes of a whole community and it feels like those hopes have now been dashed.”The ICC finalised the new policy following a nine-month consultation process with the sport’s stakeholders. “It is based on the following principles (in order of priority), protection of the integrity of the women’s game, safety, fairness and inclusion,” the board stated in a release. “The regulations will be reviewed within two years.”ICC CEO Geoff Allardice added: “Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect the integrity of the international women’s game and the safety of players.”For now, the review, which was led by the ICC medical advisory committee chaired by Dr Peter Harcourt, relates to gender eligibility for international women’s cricket only. “The gender eligibility at domestic level is a matter for each individual Member board, which may be impacted by local legislation,” the ICC said.

—Fixtures | Squads | Points table | Tournament Index

Top Story: Boult all but leads New Zealand into semi-finals; SL’s Champions Trophy hopes fade

New Zealand all but booked their place in the World Cup semi-final against India with a dominant five-wicket win – with 160 balls to spare – against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. The result took them to ten points, and a net run rate (NRR) of 0.743, leaving Pakistan needing to beat England by 287 runs, while Afghanistan need an even more fantastical 438-run win over South Africa, if they are to surpass New Zealand’s NRR.If Pakistan were to chase, they would have no chance of qualifying.As for Sri Lanka, the margin of defeat against New Zealand left them languishing in ninth place, thus out of qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy. They now need one of England or Bangladesh to suffer defeats – while Netherlands also need to lose to India – to the extent that their respective NRRs drop below Sri Lanka’s.Click here for the full report

Match analysis: How Santner slows it up to get the drop on batters

Mitchell Santner is pumped up after snagging Angelo Mathews•Associated Press

It won’t go down as the ball of this World Cup. Or even the best ball bowled by a left-arm orthodox spinner at this World Cup. Or even the best ball bowled by Mitchell Santner at this World Cup – that honour, surely, will go to the pitch-leg, hit-off ripper he bowled to Mohammad Nabi in Chennai.This ball wasn’t that kind of ball, the kind that becomes instant social-media fodder. This was different, a ball less about its own magnificence than what it revealed about the bowler’s craft in totality. This was the kind of ball that made you wish you had paid more attention to every preceding ball this bowler had sent down, and resolve to pay extra attention to every subsequent ball.Read the full piece from Karthik Krishnaswamy

Must Watch: Sri Lanka’s batting has been a massive letdown

2:35

Maharoof: Sri Lanka’s batting has been a massive letdown

News headlines

• The BCB has sought an explanation from Allan Donald, the Bangladesh team’s fast bowling coach, for his comments on Angelo Mathews’ timed out dismissal following the World Cup match in Delhi on November 6. In an interview with CricBlog.net, conducted soon after the team returned to their hotel in Delhi, Donald had said “it was disappointing to see” that kind of a dismissal and he found it “really difficult to watch that unfold”.
• Ben Stokes never countenanced the possibility of leaving the World Cup early to bring his impending knee surgery forwards, despite England’s Test tour to India looming in two-and-a-half months’ time. Going home, he said, would have been “the easy way out”.

Match preview

Afghanistan vs South Africa, Ahmedabad (2pm IST; 8.30am GMT; 7.30pm AEDT)5:31

Harmison: Chance for SA to go into semi-finals with momentum

Afghanistan were so close to achieving their most important ODI win. Against Australia. For a shot at the World Cup semi-finals. Almost there. Before a Glenn Maxwell-sized meteorflattened them.They are now in Ahmedabad to play their final league game and will bow out of the World Cup at the largest cricket stadium in the world. Having only ever beaten Scotland once in 2015 and 2019, Afghanistan have beaten three former champions – England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan – this time, as well as Netherlands, but the 438-run victory they need against South Africa to push New Zealand out of fourth place on net run rate is impossible. An exit with ten points, as many as the team that qualifies fourth, however, will be a massive win in itself.In all seriousness, England would be all too happy to walk away from this miserable campaign right now.Full preview

Feature: Clinical, risk-assessed, productive – Afghanistan’s batting evolution unlocks new highs

Ibrahim Zadran’s ramp against Australia would have been remembered as one of the shots of the World Cup on any other night•ICC/Getty Images

Do you still remember that shot? The shot before the shots that you’re not going to ever forget. The shot before Glenn Maxwell pulled off shots that even Glenn Maxwell might think were a little bit too much.That shot came off the bat of Ibrahim Zadran earlier in the game and on any other night, it would have been recognised and remembered as one of the shots of the tournament. A ramped dab – or was it a dabbed ramp? – dead straight over the wicketkeeper, off Pat Cummins, to the boundary on the bounce: written out like this, it sounds a little prosaic.Read the full piece from Osman Samiuddin

Australia 318 and 187 for 6 (Marsh 96, Smith 50, Hamza 3-27, Afridi 3-58)) lead Pakistan 264 (Shafique 62, Masood 54, Cummins 5-48, Lyon 4-73) by 241 runs In-form Mitchell Marsh and a battling Steven Smith struck half-centuries under pressure to deflate Pakistan as Australia regained control of the Boxing Day Test after recovering from a calamitous top-order collapse.In cloudy conditions and on a tricky MCG surface, Australia had crashed to 16 for 4 in their second innings with a lead of just 70 runs. But Marsh and Smith combined for a 153-run partnership in the highest fifth-wicket stand in Test history from a total of 20 for 4 or lower.In a late twist, they both fell in the final session with Smith dismissed for 50 on what proved to be the last ball of day three when he gloved a brutal delivery from spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi to gully.Related

• 'We are in the game' – Hamza fulfils his dream, and keeps Pakistan's alive

• From boos to an ovation – how Mitch Marsh became the darling of the Boxing Day crowd

• Play delayed as third umpire gets stuck in lift at MCG

• Pakistan, and the familiar sigh of resignation

• 'How did that bowl me?' – the tale of Babar, Cummins, and a dream ball

Afridi’s strike gave Pakistan hope, but Australia still had the edge with a valuable lead of 241 runs with four wickets in hand.Pakistan, however, could have been in a far better position. The pivotal moment came early in the second session when Marsh on 20 was badly dropped by Abdullah Shafique at first slip off quick Aamer Jamal when Australia were 46 for 4.Reminiscent of his blunder early on day one when he spilt Warner, Shafique could not hold onto a thick edge from Marsh’s attempted drive. The ball almost rebounded to Salman Agha, who appeared to be caught off guard. Shafique was eventually removed from the slips as Pakistan’s confidence nosedived.Ghosts of the past appeared to be rearing for Pakistan as seemingly distracted captain Shan Masood misfielded at mid-off on the next delivery to gift Marsh a boundary.Marsh made a dejected Pakistan pay with 96 off 130 balls to continue his rich form since being recalled to the team in Headingley during the Ashes. But he missed out on his fourth Test century when he edged a brilliant delivery from left-arm quick Mir Hamza that was superbly taken low at slip by Salman.His father Geoff and brother Shaun, who both played Test cricket for Australia, were left in disbelief in the terraces.In contrast to an aggressive Marsh, Smith batted watchfully and intent on playing a support role. He did not hit a boundary until the 101st delivery he faced with Smith remaining extremely cautious of a surface that somewhat settled as the day wore on but proved unpredictable.Smith only scored one run in the final hour before he was left in shock after his 176-ball knock ended in the final over.Pakistan still faced a daunting task of avoiding a 16th straight defeat in Australia and will feel frustrated having stormed back into the contest after inspired new ball bowling from Hamza and Afridi.Shaheen Afridi claimed two early wickets to jolt Australia•Getty Images

Leading by 54 runs on the first innings, Australia slumped to 6 for 2 after Afridi shrugged off a sluggish series by removing opener Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne on the stroke of lunch.The resumption of the second session was briefly delayed after third umpire Richard Illingworth was stuck in a lift. But Australia were soon in disarray when opener David Warner bottom edged an attempted pull shot off Hamza onto his stumps.Warner trudged off the ground to a standing ovation from the 39,000 crowd in his last Test innings at the MCG before retiring at the end of the series.Hamza was perhaps fortunate to have dismissed Warner, but he exhibited sheer skill when he clean bowled Travis Head for a golden duck with a gem of a delivery that swung back in and crashed the stumps.It was a calamity Australia have rarely experienced on home soil. Only during their dire performance in 2016 against South Africa in Hobart, when they crashed to 8 for 4 on the opening morning, had Australia been in a worse position after the fall of the fourth wicket in a home Test over the last 70 years.Marsh scrambled to the crease before leaving alone a wide delivery to negate Hamza’s bid for a hat-trick. He had to overcome immaculate line and lengths from Afridi and Hamza, who targeted his pads. He finally got off the mark on his 14th delivery and scored briskly despite some anxious moments.Play on day three had been delayed by 45 minutes due to drizzle underlining Melbourne’s fickle weather with no rain having been forecast.Resuming at 194 for 6, trailing by 124 runs, Pakistan’s lower-order kept them in the contest before they were ultimately dismissed for 264. Shafique and Masood made half-centuries but a collapse of 5 for 64 late on day two proved costly.Wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan made 42 in his return to the team, while Jamal scored an unbeaten 33 to show promise of being a genuine allrounder as he starts his Test cricket impressively.But Pakistan had no answer for Australia captain Pat Cummins, who finished with 5 for 48 from 20 overs to complete his 10th five-wicket haul in his Test career.Offspinner Nathan Lyon finished with 4 for 73 off 18.5 overs in his first match since claiming his 500th wicket in the series-opener.

Australia’s reserve batter Matt Renshaw will be released to play in the BBL qualifier for Brisbane Heat against Sydney Sixers on Friday night on the Gold Coast, which leaves Australia’s Test team without a concussion replacement for 24 hours if a batter were to suffer a head knock against West Indies on day three of the Adelaide Test.Renshaw was selected as the only spare batter in Australia’s 13-man squad for the first Test but was always going to carry the drinks with Steven Smith opening the batting in place of the retired David Warner, and Cameron Green coming into the side to bat at No. 4.Cricket Australia confirmed that Renshaw would fly from Adelaide to Gold Coast on Thursday night and return on Saturday morning.It is one of the rare times Australia will not have a batting concussion substitute available at the ground in recent years, but they are confident they can fly Renshaw back at short notice from Gold Coast in the unlikely event of a mishap.Previously, Australia have twice needed a concussion substitute in Tests but never at home. Marnus Labsuchagne was famously the first to fill the role in Test cricket at Lord’s in 2019. Labuschagne was also a concussion sub in ODI cricket last year when Cameron Green was hit in South Africa. Renshaw was Australia’s only other Test concussion sub when he came in for Warner during the second Test against India in Delhi last year.

R Ashwin has come out in strong support of Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya, blaming India’s “fan wars” and “cinema culture” for the vehement booing Hardik has been subjected to at various grounds this IPL season.Hardik, who took over the Mumbai captaincy from Rohit Sharma this season, was given a hostile reception by the fans in Ahmedabad last week when he faced his former team Gujarat Titans, whom he had led to successive IPL finals including the title in 2022. The booing continued when Hardik faced Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, as Mumbai began their campaign with back-to-back defeats.Answering a question from a viewer on his YouTube channel on whether Mumbai should issue a statement to diffuse the situation, Ashwin said that the onus lay with the fans, not the team, to “get our act together” and put an end to such “ugly” scenes.Related

• Hardik's wait to win over Mumbai hearts continues

• Relaxed Rohit Sharma eases himself into Wankhede gig

• Can slow starters Mumbai Indians kick into gear at batting paradise Wankhede?

• The People vs Hardik Pandya – why, what, and the way out

• Smith to Hardik on crowd abuse: 'Block it out, it's all irrelevant'

“People should remember which country these players represent. It’s our country, ” Ashwin said. “Fan wars should never take such an ugly route. I’ve said it many times, this is cinema culture, that happens only here.”I know there are many things like marketing, branding, and positioning. I don’t deny it, but have you seen these fights happen in any other country? Have you seen, for instance, Joe Root and Zak Crawley fans have a fight? Or Joe Root and Jos Buttler fans fight? It’s crazy. Do you see Steven Smith fans fighting with Pat Cummins fans in Australia?”Ashwin brought up examples from the past, when several Indian greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid all played under each other’s captaincies, with minimal fuss or backlash from the fans.”I don’t understand. If you don’t like a player and boo him, why should the club come out and issue a clarification? We act like this has not happened before.”Sourav Ganguly played under Sachin Tendulkar and vice versa. These two have both played under Rahul Dravid. These three have played under Anil Kumble and all of them have played under MS Dhoni. When they were under Dhoni, these players were cricket (giants). Dhoni too played under Virat Kohli.”Ashwin said he believes that all fans have a collective responsibility to “correct ourselves” before blaming others, explaining that cinema can’t be compared directly to sports.”You know what the issue is? We all happily sit inside our houses and look at the trash outside. We expect someone else to pick it up instead of doing it ourselves.”This is real-time sport. Sport has real players with real emotions, nothing is scripted. Hero and hero worshiping is great, but sport should never be compared to cinema. How we go beyond that, counter it and find balance to play cricket is what this is all about.”You are free to enjoy what you like about your favourite players or team, but not at the cost of putting another player down. This is one thing I’d love to see disappear from the face of the earth in our country.”Mumbai will play their first home game of the season against Ashwin’s Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede on Monday.

The Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) has accepted responsibility after Netherlands fielded an ineligible player in a women’s T20I against Italy on Monday.Netherlands thrashed Italy by 94 runs in the first T20I of a four-match series on Tuesday, posting 178 for 4 before restricting their opponents to 84 for 9. But they did so while selecting a player who was not qualified under the ICC’s player eligibility regulations. The KNCB flagged this to the ICC after they had realised their error.The board said in a press release on Wednesday morning: “The ICC has informed the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) regarding an irregularity in the line-up of the Dutch Women’s Cricket Team in the match between the Netherlands and Italy on Tuesday, May 28.”Although no additional details have been communicated yet, the KNCB acknowledges that it was correctly identified for this error and will make the necessary adjustments in the next match to comply with the regulations.”The KNCB has not confirmed the identity of the player in question, but it is understood to be Madison Landsman, the 20-year-old allrounder who made her T20I debut in the match. Landsman took a hat-trick for South Africa at the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup last year. ESPNcricinfo understands that the fault for the breach lies with the board rather than the player.The ICC have not yet publicly commented on the breach of their player eligibility regulations. There are a number of possible sanctions including a suspension for the player and an “adjustment, overturning or amendment” of the result in the match.The Dutch board also reiterated its support for its women’s team, saying: “The KNCB is committed to developing the Netherlands Women’s Cricket team and is ambitious for the team to continue to progress in ICC T20I and ICC 50-over World Cup pathway competitions.”After their T20I series against Italy, Netherlands are due to play Papua New Guinea, Scotland and Hong Kong next month. They are ranked 15th in the world in the ICC’s Women’s T20I rankings.

Shaheen Afridi was offered the vice-captaincy of the Pakistan T20 side ahead of the World Cup squad announcement, but rejected the chance to take up the position. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the PCB selection committee raised the prospect of officially naming Shaheen as Babar Azam’s deputy for the 2024 T20 World Cup, but were told that the fast bowler did not want the role. In the end, the World Cup squad, which was named hours before the ICC deadline to submit the final squad, did not officially have a vice-captain.Though Shaheen had opted to put the matter of being stripped of the T20 captaincy after one series behind him, a sense of injustice continues to linger. The player has never felt the reasons for his dismissal were ever adequately explained to him, and having been unceremoniously dumped from one leadership position, he was understood to not be keen to jump into another.The latest development in the PCB-Shaheen saga only further demonstrates the challenges that lie ahead in mending a relationship that was put under severe strain a few weeks ago. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi hinted at a press conference in March that Shaheen may be replaced, and once he was, the PCB put out a statement on their website containing remarks from Shaheen offering Babar warm words of encouragement.Related

• Babar to lead a pace-heavy Pakistan side at T20 World Cup

• Shaheen Afridi, PCB reach uneasy truce as dissatisfaction lingers

• Shaheen, Babar and Rizwan outclass Ireland as Pakistan seal series win

It would emerge that Shaheen never said the words attributed to him, and once he planned to make that public, Naqvi rushed to Kakul – where the players were undergoing a military training camp. While Shaheen remained thoroughly unimpressed and betrayed by the manner of his dismissal, an uneasy truce was understood to have been reached.That Shaheen turned down another chance at a leadership position, though, demonstrates how uneasy that truce still is. Shaheen is among the core leadership group of the T20 side, but is understood to feel he does not need to take up an official role delineating it, particularly as the role is a demotion on the position he held just weeks ago.While Shaheen was their first choice, the PCB selection committee also discussed other alternatives. Shadab Khan – who has served as vice-captain before – was one of the leading contenders, though his struggles with the ball and Pakistan’s tendency not to use him with the bat in the top order means his place in the XI is not necessarily guaranteed. The possibility of nominating Mohammad Rizwan as Babar’s deputy was also raised, though ultimately rejected, with the committee wishing to appoint a younger player in the position.The approach to Shaheen was made before the selection committee’s meeting to finalise the squad, where the issue of the vice-captaincy came up once more. Despite other names being discussed, there was relative unanimity on the PCB’s final decision not to announce a vice-captain, with six of the seven members believed to be in favour of the move.”During Friday’s selection committee meeting, discussions on the vice-captaincy took place,” the PCB said in a statement. “However, it was unanimously decided not to appoint anyone. As such, no offer was made to any player. The side is fully united, committed and keenly looking forward to the upcoming matches in the UK and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.”**

Ravindra Jadeja made a triumphant return to international cricket with his 11th five-wicket haul to help bowl Australia out for 177 on the first day of the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Jadeja took the wickets of the three batters who looked assured: Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Peter Handscomb. Rohit Sharma led India’s reply with 56 off 69, taking India to within 100 of Australia’s score with nine wickets still standing.On a helpful surface, Jadeja bowled with accuracy and subtle changes of pace and trajectory. He kept bowling on a length or slightly fuller, but slowed down the odd ball. R Ashwin, who tried much more, contributed with three.The rhythms of Australia’s innings were typical of a turning track. Scoring and dismissals happened in spurts as Australia looked to cash in on every scoring opportunity, and India were a little impatient with their bowlers knowing the premium on runs on such tracks.Related

• Indian team tells match-referee Jadeja used pain-relief cream on finger

• The underappreciated genius of Ravindra Jadeja

• Head-less Australia's horses-for-courses approach backfires

The first spurt of wickets, though, came without any build-up. Australia had won the crucial toss on a pitch where batting last will be treacherous, but there was just enough in it for the fast bowlers for the excellent Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami to remove the openers for 1 run each.Siraj started off with a beautiful outswinger – the inswinger to left-hand batters – to pitch on leg and move just enough to beat the inside edge of Usman Khawaja and still stay on leg stump. Shami went round the wicket to seam the ball just enough to beat David Warner so comprehensively that he would have been out lbw had the ball not ricocheted to send the off stump cartwheeling.Labuschagne and Smith managed to hit four boundaries in the next three overs, which brought about a double change: Jadeja and Axar Patel. The ball turned immediately for Jadeja, and India brought back control through a combination of pace and spin. The second half of the first session was bowled by spinners, but Labuschagne and Smith were equal to the task. They went into lunch having added 74 largely assured runs.Post lunch, though, the ball turned more, and Jadeja ran through the middle order. The one to get Labuschagne was perhaps the best delivery. It was roundarm, dipped on Labuschagne, dragged his back foot out, and then turned away with a puff of dust to leave him stranded. Debutant KS Bharat had his first official dismissal after having substituted for Wriddhiman Saha last year.Matt Renshaw, arguably keeping out Travis Head who doesn’t have a good record in Asia or against spin, fell first ball as he was caught on the crease and Jadeja turned it past his inside edge from round the wicket.Rohit Sharma brings up fifty•Associated Press

Then came a spurt of runs with Smith taking on Axar for three boundaries in an over, prompting an immediate change and more runs for Handscomb against R Ashwin. Jadeja, though, dragged them back again with a string of deliveries that turned away big. Smith got into the habit of defending for big turn but one turned only slightly to hold its line in front of off and beat his inside edge to knock back the off stump.Again came a spurt of runs through Alex Carey’s reverse-sweeps and sweeps. India responded immediately by taking out catching men in front of the wicket to block both the sweeps. Eventually Carey played on a reverse-sweep to give Ashwin his 450th Test wicket and end a 53-run partnership in just 11.1 overs..Ashwin then followed it up with some classic Ashwin bowling to draw Pat Cummins’ outside edge. He dragged him wide, straight, forward, back before sliding one quicker one in.Both Jadeja and Ashwin had a shot at a five-for with three wickets, a sight missed for a while as Jadeja last played a home Test in March. The friendly competition was won by Jadeja as he trapped debutant offspinner Todd Murphy and Peter Handscomb lbw either side of the tea break. Handscomb had looked good until he started to farm the strike and played a low-percentage sweep to a full ball. Ashwin finished the innings off with a carrom ball to Scott Boland. Labuschagne’s 49 remained the highest score.Australia came back on the field with hardly any room for error with the ball left. They hardly had any runs to attack with, and needed everything to go right for their four-man attack.It was an unfortunate time for their best bowler and captain Cummins to have perhaps his worst day with the ball. He frequently overpitched and strayed on the pads, and Rohit was just ruthless. Three boundaries came in the first over, one between slip and gully and two lovely flicks into the leg side. Just when it looked like Cummins had got the control back with a maiden to KL Rahul, his second over contained two leg-side offerings for Rohit. Cummins’ figures read 3-1-23-0, and India were 26 for 0 in five overs.Boland provided better control, but Nathan Lyon and Murphy, two similar offspinners, couldn’t extract as much purchase from the pitch as the India spinners did. Whenever they strung together good balls, Rohit was quick with a calculated risk. He stepped out to hit Lyon back over his head for a six in the 14th over and cover-drove every full ball.With a paddle sweep in the 22nd over, Rohit got to his fifty in just 66 balls, and celebrated it with a regal cover-drive next ball. He had cashed in on early wickets, and then had worn out the spinners to draw the errors.Just before stumps, though, Murphy drew some consolation for Australia, turning the ball from the rough from round the wicket, and getting on the board in Test cricket with KL Rahul’s wicket.

Gaddafi Stadium witnessed a clinic in six hitting on Sunday, as the home side Lahore Qalandars pumped 18 sixes while posting 241 for 3, the season’s highest batting total. After that, Shaheen Shah Afridi ran through the Peshawar Zalmi batting unit to finish with 5 for 40, thereby ensuring a 40-run win for Qalandars in a high-scoring mid-table tussle.The game was set up by Qalandars’ top order, with Abdullah Shafique (75) and Fakhar Zaman (96) putting on 120 in 10.3 overs. Shafique was the majority contributor in that partnership, thumping five fours and five sixes in his 41-ball innings. Once he fell, Fakhar took over proceedings, mauling 10 sixes and three fours while charging towards a third T20 century. However, he fell four short of the landmark when he mistimed a drive to cover.With Fakhar gone, Zalmi had the opportunity to bring Qalandars’ run-rate down in the slog overs. But No. 4 Sam Billings did not let that happen, crunching 47 runs in 23 balls to leave Zalmi chasing an imposing 242. The 18 sixes struck by Qalandars also set a PSL record while their total was the third-highest in the competition’s all-time list.The Zalmi chase began terribly with Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam falling prey to Shaheen’s new-ball spell. However, half-centuries from Saim Ayub (51) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (55) in quick time on a batting-friendly surface kept Zalmi’s run-rate high, taking the side to 119 for 2 in 10 overs. They played a big part in Rashid Khan going for 1 for 49 in his four overs, his worst spell in PSL history.But both batters fell in the space of six deliveries and the experienced middle order could not come to the fore. Bhanuka Rajapaksa, James Neesham and Rovman Powell produced short-lived cameos but the side needed more runs from them with the target so stiff.Shaheen returned in his second spell and capitalised on the Zalmi batters looking for the big shots. He picked off Saad Masood, Wahab Riaz and Neesham with the older ball – his fifth five-for in T20s – to take the sting out of the contest, and Zalmi fell well short of the target despite a spirited batting performance, finishing on 201 for 9.Overall, it was a day to forget for bowlers, conceding 441 runs in 40 overs. Zalmi’s Arshad Iqbal (0 for 28) and the Qalandars pair of Zaman Khan (2 for 28) and Haris Rauf (1 for 38) were the only three bowlers to finish with single-digit bowling economies.

On the first day of the third Test, India’s batting finally came together but not without an early alarm. Down at 33 for 3 on a pitch that was full of runs and with two debutants to follow, India were looking at possible trouble. But a 204-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja for the fourth wicket – India’s first century stand of the series – took them to 326 for 5 at stumps. Rohit and Jadeja got centuries while Sarfaraz Khan made a sparkling debut, hitting 62 off 66, before being run-out.This was the first time since 1999 that India had three players in the top seven who had played fewer than two Tests. That in mind, Mark Wood gave England a leg-up when he got rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill – India’s only centurions this series before Thursday- with the new ball. Gill, in particular, got a ball that swung in and then nipped away, that took the outside edge. These two scalps doubled Wood’s tally of wickets in the first six overs of a Test innings.The early-morning moisture that had assisted Wood possibly helped Tom Hartley grip one in his ninth over, which took the front edge from Rajat Patidar. A day before the Test, Jadeja had said England were not a difficult side to beat. The team management asked him to go out and demonstrate it from No. 5 in the ninth over, the second-earliest he has walked in to bat in a Test innings, and the earliest in the first innings.Related

• How Bazball alters one of the fundamental truths of Test cricket

• Stokes does captaincy his way to set himself apart as England's greatest

• Live Report: Ind vs Eng, 3rd Test, 1st day

A promotion to Jadeja made double sense: protect the debutant Sarfaraz and also introduce a left-hand batter. Coming back from possibly the first time he has missed a Test with a hamstring injury, and having to deal with a family dispute gone public, Jadeja would have been excused for having a lot on his mind when he joined Rohit, but he batted with the most unencumbered mind: just purely reacting to the next ball in an old-school fashion.Rohit, who had got off to a smashing start, had to do unconventional things at the start of the partnership. Wood tried to bounce him with a fine leg, a deep backward square leg and a deep forward square leg. For once, looking at the score and the situation, he decided not to hook and had to wear one in his helmet grille. He charged at James Anderson to cut down the movement, on one occasion chipping one just out of mid-on’s reach. With Hartley, he flicked in the air and against the turn. The first attempt brought four, the second an edge to slip, which Joe Root dropped.Mark Wood was the pick of the England bowlers on the opening day•BCCI

Rohit will argue this was just the luck he needed after the lack of it in the first two Tests. By then, the early movement had begun to die down. Just after that miscued chip off Anderson, Rohit went back to punch him through extra cover for four, an emphatic sign that he was in.Jadeja never looked less than in. The two took India to lunch without further bother. Just after lunch, Rohit became the 14th man in this series to hit a six. The added responsibility of being the leader of an inexperienced line-up had messed with his approach a little, but now though, we were seeing the usual Rohit. There were timely lofts, some paddle sweeps, and a lot of back-foot runs. His second six took him past MS Dhoni’s 78, with Virender Sehwag as the only Indian ahead of him.Once there was spin from both ends, Jadeja began to catch up too, hitting a six in the final over of the middle session, the first wicketless session of the series. Immediately after tea, Rohit brought up his 11th hundred with two easy couples off two short balls from Rehan Ahmed. For a long time, the team management would have hoped for the batters to not take risks and just benefit from the inevitable loose balls the inexperienced spin attack was bound to dish up. A little like how Rohit brought up his hundred.It was happening now with ease, especially for Jadeja. England had to go back to Wood’s pace. A top edge from Jadeja cleared long leg, who was 20 yards in off the fence. Rohit was getting freebies from Rehan. Fifty runs came in 11 overs after tea without having to break a sweat. Then Rohit pulled one off Wood that was probably not short enough to pull. It skidded on, got big on him, and was caught at midwicket.Sarfaraz Khan picked the lengths early against spin•AFP/Getty Images

Out came Sarfaraz with whispers already around his game against quick short-pitched bowling. That Wood began with a deep fine third, two men deep on the hook, a short leg and a catching forward square leg suggested it was not a mere whisper. Around the wicket he went and looked to bounce Sarfaraz. He ducked the first three nonchalantly. Towards the end of his spell, Wood insisted on one more over. Sarfaraz ducked again before bunting the surprise yorker down the ground.With pace out of the way, Sarfaraz displayed remarkable skill against spin, helped no doubt by Ben Stokes’ attacking fields. A series of one-twos followed: a loft over the infield followed by going deep into the crease to take a single off the seemingly inevitable shorter delivery. The feet moved perfectly according to the trajectory of the ball, the sweep was out early, and the lofts down the ground were executed perfectly. Before one realised, Sarfaraz had a fifty off 48, the joint second-quickest for an India debutant.Another byplay had begun to develop. Jadeja had got stuck in the 80s and 90s. In the time that Sarfaraz scored 50, Jadeja had got only 12. He had three hundreds, but four dismissals between 80 and 99. He almost became passive. Had Hartley reviewed his lbw shout against Jadeja, he would have got him out lbw pad-first on 93.Finally, on 99, Jadeja called Sarfaraz through for an impossible single and unsuccessfully sent him back. Looking at India still leaving the door ajar, Rohit threw his cap in disgust in the dressing room. Jadeja got to the hundred next ball, but the celebrations were subdued since Sarfaraz was gone just one delivery before. Jadeja knew there was more work to do on day two, walking back unbeaten on 110 with Kuldeep Yadav by his side.