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Klaasen and Bosch resist in stiff run-chase, but can’t prevent historic series result

Firdose Moonda22-Dec-2024Pakistan 308 for 9 (Ayub 101, Rizwan 53, Babar 52) beat South Africa 271 (Klaasen 81, Bosch 40*, Muqeem 4-52) by 36 runs (DLS)South Africa were blanked for the first time in a bilateral ODI series at home after losing by 36 runs to Pakistan in a rain-affected game at the Wanderers. Saim Ayub starred with bat and ball by scoring a second hundred in the series and with figures of 1 for 34. Debutant wristpinner Sufiyan Muqeem took 4 for 52 to again ask questions of South Africa’s ability against spin.The loss means South Africa have won only one out of three ODI series this year, after also losing to Afghanistan in Sharjah, and two out of six ODI series under white-ball coach Rob Walter, who took over in February 2023. Pakistan, on the other hand, completed a fifth successive bilateral series win after beating New Zealand, Afghanistan, Australia and Zimbabwe.Ayub has enjoyed a stunning summer in South Africa so far. He scored 98 not out in the T20I in Centurion and 109 in Paarl, and then anchored a strong Pakistan effort at the Wanderers, with 101. He also shared in a 114-run second-wicket stand with Babar Azam and a 93-run third-wicket partnership with Mohammad Rizwan to give Pakistan the perfect platform. Both Babar and Rizwan brought up half-centuries as well. Pakistan had mini-collapses either side of Salman Agha and Tayyab Tahir’s sixth-wicket stand of 74 off 47 balls which pushed their total above 300. Their template of slow starts and explosive finishes continued to work well for them while South Africa’s top-order batting concerns continued.Heinrich Klaasen was the only batter to score a half-century, and he did it in all three matches. He was also the leading run-scorer in the series with an average of 88.00 but had no support from anyone else until Corbin Bosch’s 44-ball 40, on debut at No.8, kept South Africa in the chase.After opting to bowl first in overcast conditions, South Africa were unable to maximise their chances, despite Kagiso Rabada beating the edge several times early on, and then struggled with their disciplines later on. Bjorn Fortuin and Aiden Markam bowled 13 overs of spin between them at a collective economy of 5.6 to the over but the seamers were costly. Marco Jansen’s nine overs cost 58 runs while Bosch and Kwena Maphaka, in his second ODI and first on his home ground, bowled 15 overs between them for 119 runs and picked up a wicket apiece.Things started well for South Africa when Abdullah Shafique edged Rabada to second slip to register his third successive duck of the series. All Shafique’s dismissals have come nicking off, which South Africa will remember ahead of next week’s Test. Play only continued for another 17 deliveries before rain kept the players off the field for an hour and a quarter.Heinrich Klaasen fought for South Africa with a hard-hitting fifty•AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan could have lost Babar 14 balls after the restart, when he cut Jansen to point. Fortuin leapt to his right but got his hands in the wrong position and dropped the chance. Babar was on 10, and would take some time to get into his rhythm. Instead, It was Ayub who took South Africa on with two drives off a Rabada over in the “v” and then two pull shots off Jansen to end the Powerplay with Pakistan on 42 for 1.Maphaka was expensive in his first spell which lasted only two overs and cost 17 runs but Bosch immediately showed his potential with deliveries above 140kph. Ayub inside-edged one of his deliveries onto his box but no major damage was done and he brought up 50 off 54 balls. Maphaka returned from the other end and initially Babar had the better of him but the 18-year old had the final say. He hit Babar on the bottom hand and then tempted him with a short ball that Babar sent straight to David Miller and short mid-wicket. This year will be the first since Babar made his debut in 2015 that he will not score an ODI hundred.Pakistan were 115 for 2 after 23 overs and added only six runs in the next three overs as Fortuin led the squeeze. The pressure was released when Ayub smoked Maphaka through the covers, fine leg and long-off in an 18-run over. Runs kept coming in boundaries for Ayub and he hit four fours and a six in the next seven balls to gallop into the 90s. He reached his century off 91 balls, in the 34th over, with Pakistan 199 for 2.Ayub became Bosch’s first international wicket when he gloved him down leg to Klaasen but left them in a good position. By then, Rizwan was on 45 off 44 balls and joined by big-hitting Kamran Ghulam. He could not repeat his antics from Newlands, where he smashed a 32-ball 63, but tried. He sliced Fortuin high above cover and was caught by Temba Bavuma.Rizwan got to 50 off 48 balls but then top-edged Fortuin to short third to give him a second. Fortuin was one of two bowlers to deliver 10 overs and finished with 2 for 56. Rabada was the other and struck late in his final spell when he removed Salman and Shaheen Shah Afridi in successive deliveries to take 3 for 56. South Africa took four wickets in five balls for five runs to prevent some big-hitting from being fruitful at the end but Salman and Tayyab had already done major damage. They hit five fours and three sixes in their time together.Pakistan’s innings was delayed by 15 minutes and interrupted by rain after 3.1 overs. The 75-minute break meant the match was reduced to 47 overs a side. Pakistan were 10 for 1 when the rain began and South Africa’s target was adjusted, so they had to chase 308. At 212 for 7, it looked like that was only mathematical but Bosch’s 40 and run-a-ball stands of 38 and 21 for the eighth and ninth wickets kept them in it. They were bowled out for 271 in 42 overs.It was always going to be a tough chase but South Africa’s reply started strongly and they were 24 after three overs before Bavuma played Naseem Shah to Ayub at point. This is the second time in the series Bavuma has taken his right hand off the handle as he played a shot, which may concern South Africa ahead of the Tests. Bavuma has only just regained fitness after a left elbow injury.Tony de Zorzi looked dangerous on the drive and the pull but was bounced out by Afridi. Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen took South Africa to 15 overs on 80 for 2 before Markram gifted his wicket to Muqeem’s first ball. Markram hit a filthy short ball straight to deep mid-wicket to leave South Africa in trouble even before enough overs had been bowled to call it a game.Klaasen walked in to light rain and the DLS par score of 136 in 20 overs hanging over him and got to work. He took on Muqeem, who bowled too flat and too short, but van der Dussen’s dismissal on the penultimate ball of the 20th over pegged South Africa back. Van der Dussen was out lbw to Mohammad Hasnain for 35, making it his 10th completed innings without an ODI half-century.David Miller might have been South Africa’s last hope but Rizwan anticipated his lap-sweep off Ayub and was ready to take the catch at a leg slip position. South Africa were 123 for 5 and not even Klaasen’s lone hand could get them over the line. He reached fifty off 29 balls, smashed Afridi for four fours in an over and 10 runs off three balls in his next over before hitting him to deep square leg and all but ending South Africa’s fight. Bosch proved his worth as a lower-order hitter but ran out of partners to bat out the overs. Rabada and Maphaka were dismissed in successive balls to give Muqeem his four-fer and South Africa many questions ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Harshit Rana and Ravindra Jadeja picked up three wickets each to restrict England to a very gettable 248

Vithushan Ehantharajah06-Feb-2025

Shreyas Iyer came out all guns blazing in India’s chase of 249•BCCI

It was both untidy and emphatic. India made light work of their 249 target, passing it with 68 deliveries to spare in Nagpur. That they only won this first ODI by four wickets was down to an unnecessarily messy finish. One that spoke more to their disorder at how simple this was than any rallying from England’s part. After a 4-1 hammering in the T20I series, Brendon McCullum’s first ODI as head coach ended in a similar shellacking.It was a mix of old and new that combined to give those in light blue a 1-0 lead in this three-match series. Ravindra Jadeja’s 3 for 26 was supplemented by Harshit Rana’s 3 for 53 on his maiden ODI appearance to roll England for 248 with 14 deliveries to spare. Jos Buttler’s 52 and Jacob Bethell’s 51 were the only scores of note after Phil Salt’s emphatic start of 43 from 26 had been wasted.With Virat Kohli ruled out with a right knee injury sustained on Wednesday evening, Shubman Gill stepped up to ice the chase with 87, helped initially by Shreyas Iyer’s 59 and Axar Patel’s outstanding 52, in stands of 94 and 108, respectively.The former came at a vital juncture, as Jofra Archer nicked off Yashasvi Jaiswal on ODI debut and Saqib Mahmood – in for the rested Mark Wood – had skipper Rohit Sharma caught at mid-on in the space of six deliveries. From 19 for 2, India did not look back.Iyer’s fifty off 30 deliveries set an emphatic tone, dealing with anything and everything short, pulling and then ramping Archer for consecutive sixes at the end of the seventh over. Four of his nine fours were carved off Brydon Carse, who opted for length deliveries more on the off side once it became apparent Iyer was relishing the chance to heave to leg.Axar’s introduction up the order proved a masterstroke, the left-hander playing with the kind of freedom that allowed Gill to calmly go about his business. Gill’s one alarm came when given out lbw on 38 to Liam Livingstone, but even that was corrected immediately as DRS showed a clear inside edge. The vice-captain’s 14th fifty was his first against England.The pair combined expertly in the 29th over against Carse, taking 17 from it with two boundaries each – the best of them a ramp from Axar over the keeper. It was then that this chase officially became a canter, with just 48 needed from the last 21 overs. Axar raised his bat for fifty for the first time on home soil, driving his 46th ball, from Carse, on the up and through the fielder at mid-off.Axar Patel and Shubman GIll put on 108 runs together•AFP/Getty Images

That he was not able to see things through – bowled by a slow leg spinner by Adil Rashid – was a disappointment to Gill at the non-striker’s end. On 81 at the time, with 28 remaining, thoughts then turned to the 25-year-old’s century, which seemed to bring about indecision, first with KL Rahul’s dismissal – a tame caught and bowled to Rashid – and then his own, as he failed to strike Mahmood over Buttler at mid on.Jadeja’s edge off Mahmood through wicketkeeper Salt for the winning runs characterised the anxiety brought on by that unnecessary cascade of three wickets for just four runs. But it also highlighted England’s shortcomings with the bat, brought about by their own three-wicket collapse at the top of the order in the space of eight deliveries.Salt had driven an opening stand of 75 with Ben Duckett, leaving India flapping in the field. The brutality of Salt’s acceleration after a watchful start was contained in Rana’s third over for 26 courtesy of three sixes – a top-edge, a slog sweep off a slower ball and a heave over midwicket to finish the over.But a miscommunication on a third run brought about his demise, the first domino to fall as 75 for 0 became 77 for 3. A cut to deep point was chased down by Iyer, who threw to the striker’s end to find Salt comfortably short of his ground, having been sent back by Duckett.Harshit Rana on ODI debut picked up three wickets•AFP/Getty Images

Back came Rana with a bang, with two wickets in the following over. Duckett mistimed a pull shot that required a spectacular catch from Jaiswal, running back from midwicket before a well-judged dive. Harry Brook was then taken well down the leg side by Rahul, who had beaten Rishabh Pant to wicketkeeping duties, after a rising length delivery caught the bottom glove.Joe Root came to the middle for his first ODI innings since the 2023 World Cup, the ideal man for such a rebuild even given his absence from 50-over cricket. What optimism there was with Buttler at the other end did not last long, with Root falling lbw to Jadeja after 51 deliveries at the crease. It was the fourth time the left-arm spinner has dismissed him in the format.At that stage, England were 111 for 4 in the 20th over. Not too dissimilar to India’s 111 for 3 at the end of the 16th, when Bethell trapped Iyer plumb in front.Bethell’s stand with Buttler for the fifth wicket looked to be trending towards an emphatic rebuild akin to what Gill and Axar achieved. But the English duo’s partnership was capped at 59 when Buttler, nine deliveries after bringing up his 38th fifty-plus ODI score from 58 balls, clipped an Axar long-hop around the corner to Hardik Pandya at short fine leg.Unlike India’s middle order, England’s fell apart, even as Bethell held his nerve through to a second ODI fifty from 62 balls. His maturity and reading of the situation was a lesson to more experienced heads around him. Those lower down owed it to him to stick around, but the return of pace ended up seeing off Liam Livingstone (caught behind for Rana’s third) and Carse (bowled for Mohammed Shami’s first).Once Bethell was given out on review after Jadeja had struck his back pad on the sweep, only a few lusty strikes from Archer (21 not out) gave England what looked a respectable total at the halfway stage. India, though, showed it no respect whatsoever.

He will however have to forgo his PSL deal to participate in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2025Mumbai Indians have signed allrounder Corbin Bosch as a replacement for fellow South African Lizaad Williams, who has been ruled out of IPL 2025 with injury.Bosch, a bowling allrounder, is yet to make his IPL debut, but has been part of Rajasthan Royals in the past as a reserve player. Bosch, 30, though is familiar with the MI franchise, having been part of their title-winning SA20 side, MI Cape Town, in February earlier this year. He took 11 wickets in seven innings at an economy rate of 8.68 in MICT’s run to their maiden SA20 title. Bosch will reunite with his SA20 team-mate Ryan Rickelton at Mumbai Indians. He will slot in as the third seam-bowling allrounder at MI behind captain Hardik Pandya and Raj Bawa.He was a diamond pick by Peshawar Zalmi for PSL 2025 at the draft that was held in January, but will now have to forgo that deal to participate in the IPL. Starting this year, the PSL will be played in an April-May window, clashing with the IPL.Related

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• Mujeeb Ur Rahman replaces injured AM Ghazanfar in Mumbai Indians' squad for IPL 2025

Bosch has also been part of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and now-defunct Mzansi Super League (MSL). He can float in the batting line-up – he even batted at No.3 for Barbados Royals in CPL 2022 – and bowl at the death too.Overall, Bosch has played 86 T20s so far, taking 59 wickets at an economy rate of 8.38 to go with 663 runs at a strike rate of 113.33.An IPL deal with MI has added to his recent success. In the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan in Centurion, Bosch became the first South Africa player to take a four-wicket haul and make a fifty-plus score on debut. Bosch’s all-round effort helped South Africa confirm their place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, which will be held at Lord’s in June later this year.After winning the SA20, Bosch also made South Africa’s Champions Trophy squad as an injury replacement but ended up playing just a warm-up fixture in Karachi.As for Williams, he is the second MI player to be sidelined from the upcoming season after Afghanistan’s mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, who is nursing a back injury.

Nathan McAndrew’s 6 for 21 seals Sharks’ second win over Glamorgan this season

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay14-Jun-2025Sussex Sharks completed a double over Glamorgan thanks to 6 for 21 from Australian international Nathan McAndrew to give the visitors a 27-run win at Sophia Gardens.A strong all round performance kept Sussex occupying an all-important top spot in the South Group of the Vitality Blast at the halfway stage.Harrison Ward set the tone for the innings for Sussex with 55 from 24 balls inside the powerplay despite appearing to pull a muscle in the innings which prevented him from fielding. All of Sussex’s top order contributed to send them to 199 for 7.Despite Dan Douthwaite’s quickfire 40 and Colin Ingram’s 21-ball 37 kept Glamorgan in the chase before they fell to 172 all out.Sussex began strongly after opting to bat first with the sun still beating down at Sophia Gardens. Ward’s season best despite being hampered came through a liking to Timm van der Gugten, taking 22 from the third over.Ward’s striking continued, particularly with destructive hitting straight and over deep midwicket, reaching a half-century in just 20 balls, his knock inside the powerplay thanks to van der Gugten getting his revenge with a bouncer.John Simpson found his rhythm for a well-managed 41 from 26 balls from five off seven. Similarly James Coles, who has helped the Sharks to three wins with two unbeaten half-centuries already this season, had a license to free himself, taking Mason Crane for 19 in an over on his way to a useful cameo.The Sussex scoring didn’t let up with 10-an-over the norm after the second over until the late fightback with three wickets in four balls courtesy of Glamorgan top wicket-taker Crane and Douthwaite in the 18th and 19th overs.Imad Wasim impressed on debut for Glamorgan and was pick of the bowlers, being the most restrictive in the powerplay, and he brought a wicket at an important time while the other spinners also played key parts with wickets and economy between them.In reply, Glamorgan struggled to string a partnership together when chasing their highest total so far this season.The hosts didn’t find the same destructive powerplay prowess as the Sharks did, however a free-flowing Ben Kellaway added to the newfound form of Ingram made sure run-rate was never an issue.Kellaway had to retire hurt when he reverse-swept a ball into his helmet after damaging internationals Ollie Robinson and Tymal Mills early in his innings with swats down the ground and exquisite cover-driving.South Africans Ingram and Chris Cooke kept Glamorgan afloat until Cook’s dismissal prompted Kellaway’s return. Shortly after though, Ingram and Kellaway were dismissed in the same over by McAndrew, conceding just three from the 12th over.Douthwaite entered with the equation: 93 from 8.3 overs, immediately after the mini-collapse. The all-action allrounder, together with Asa Tribe had already put on an unbeaten 64 partnership to see them home from an unlikely position in their T20 opener. Douthwaite’s five sixes in an 18-ball innings, left the equation at 41 to win from 3.5 overs.A collapse came once more with Glamorgan going out swinging in an unlikely attempt to chase after Douthwaite’s dismissal, giving McAndrew three wickets in the 19th and eventual final over.

Spinner takes season’s best but no result had long been inevitable

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Jul-2025Surrey 537 (Patel 92, Burns 78, Lawrence 78, Blake 72, Sibley 52, Bess 7-162) drew with Yorkshire 517 for 6 dec (Revis 110) and 120 for 5Surrey maintained their one-point lead over Nottinghamshire at the top of the Division One table but Yorkshire are back in the bottom two after both counties dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s on a high-scoring Rothesay County Championship draw at Scarborough today.Unbeaten champions Surrey’s seventh draw in 10 games yielded 14 bonus points and gives them a slender advantage with four rounds remaining having replied to a first-innings 517 for six declared with 537 all out shortly after lunch.Yorkshire, meanwhile, have slipped back into the second relegation place with their fourth draw. This yielded 13 points. Essex jumped above them with victory at Sussex. However, Durham are now firmly in the dogfight having lost to Somerset.Before a ball was bowled on day four, a draw was inevitable. Surrey started on 338 for four and went on to gain three more batting points, with Josh Blake’s 72 off 112 balls representing his maiden first-class fifty in his third game. When the players shook hands at 5.25pm, Yorkshire were 120 for five in their second innings.Yorkshire captain Jonny Bairstow was absent after his partner Megan went into labour at 5am this morning. Dom Bess took on the captaincy and returned a season’s best seven for 162 with his off-spin.Given the high-scoring nature of this weather-affected game, it was a surprise that Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Revis was the only man to post a hundred – 110 not out in the first innings.Blake, 26, advanced from 10 overnight and was more poise and invention than powerful.Just before lunch, he was the sixth man in the match out in the seventies when stumped by substitute wicketkeeper Harry Duke off Adam Lyth’s part-time off-spin.New-ball seamer Jack White had Ryan Patel caught at mid-off for 92 during the opening stages of the day before Blake shared a sixth-wicket stand of 90 with Jordan Clark.That was key in helping impressive Surrey claim the maximum five batting bonus points.Surrey travel to face Durham next week and Yorkshire host Sussex here.The White Rose will head into that fixture seven points adrift of third-bottom Durham and eight behind Essex.Either side of Blake’s dismissal – 462 for seven late in the morning – Bess had Clark caught at deep midwicket on the slog sweep for 39 and Jamie Overton bowled.During the early afternoon, he had Sai Kishore caught and bowled and then Dan Worrall stumped.The latter shared a 10th-wicket stand of 50 with Matthew Fisher, who finished 38 not out against his former county.Yorkshire started their second innings 20 runs in arrears with a minimum of 57 overs remaining.Up until the end of Surrey’s first innings, every single batter across both sides reached double figures.Surrey have had all 11 batters pass double figures in an innings for the second time against Yorkshire this season. It has only happened to the White Rose on three occasions in Championship history.The first batter not to post a double-figure score was Yorkshire opener Fin Bean, who edged Indian Kishore’s left-arm to slip on one with the score 15 for one.Overton took a superb one-handed catch diving low to his left.All five Yorkshire wickets fell to spin either side of tea on a pitch now offering assistance.Dan Lawrence played his part in three of the last four.His spin had the other opener Lyth caught at slip by Overton for 34 before being the catcher for the next two as Yorkshire fell to 81 for four.James Wharton was caught at silly point off Kishore for 25 and Will Luxton at leg-slip off Will Jacks.When Jacks trapped Matthew Revis lbw offering no shot on the back foot, Yorkshire were 108 for five but still safe.

There is only a two-day gap between the South Africa and Sri Lanka ODI series, and then only a day’s gap before the T20I tri-series

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2025Pakistan are set to host Sri Lanka for three ODIs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, in the nine-day gap between the end of the South Africa tour and the T20I tri-series with Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in November.Once Pakistan conclude their series against South Africa with the third ODI on November 8 in Faisalabad, they will head to Rawalpindi with just a two-day gap before facing Sri Lanka on November 11, 13 and 15 – all matches separated by just a day’s rest. The hosts will remain in Rawalpindi as the T20I tri-series also begins there, on November 17 against Afghanistan before the action moves to Lahore after the first two games.This will be the first time Pakistan host Sri Lanka for an ODI series since 2019, when the hosts had beaten Sri Lanka 2-0 in a three-match series under Sarfaraz Ahmed after the opening game was washed out in Karachi. Sri Lanka’s last visit to Pakistan was just before the 2023 ODI World Cup, when they had flown to Lahore for the Asia Cup.Related

• Pakistan to host SL, Afghanistan for T20I tri-series

• SA to open WTC 2025-27 campaign against Pakistan in Lahore

The ODI series is the latest addition to a busy home season for Pakistan, which starts with two Tests against WTC champions South Africa from October 12 to 24 in Lahore and Rawalpindi, followed by three T20Is and as many ODIs against them. The T20I tri-series will run from November 17 to 29.Pakistan recently won the T20I tri-series involving Afghanistan and hosts UAE in the lead up to the T20 Asia Cup, which begins on September 9. Pakistan’s first match is on September 12 against Oman, followed by a clash against arch-rivals India on September 14.

Australia have won their last nine ODI series, but New Zealand have shown in the past that form and records don’t mean much at the world stage

Vishal Dikshit30-Sep-20252:21

‘Tough to make a case against Australia winning the lot’

Big picture

If recent form is anything to go by, Australia have been bossing ODIs like, well, the world champions, whereas New Zealand, ranked fourth in ODIs, have a forgettable streak coming into this World Cup. Australia have won their last nine ODI series, last going down in the ODI leg of the 2023 Ashes in England, brushing teams aside both at home and away. They have been touring India almost every year in recent times, their top players have been getting used to the conditions in the WPL for the last three years, and they even played a three-match series in north India as a warm-up for this World Cup, which they won 2-1.Related

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New Zealand have no such records or achievements to show for. Jogging their memory back to the 2022 World Cup will only bring back disappointing recollections as they finished sixth out of eight teams in a home World Cup, they were rolled over for 128 by Australia for a 141-run thrashing in Wellington, and they haven’t played an ODI in six months.But they had shown last year that form and records are not much to go by. New Zealand entered the T20 World Cup with 10 consecutive losses in the format but went on to lift their maiden T20 World Cup with a stellar all-round show in alien conditions in the UAE. And they have a big chunk of players from that campaign to turn things around this time: captain Sophie Devine, former captain Suzie Bates, leader of the pace attack Lea Tahuhu, ace allrounder Amelia Kerr, among others.These two teams will clash it out at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, which is known for its flat tracks and will host its maiden women’s international on Wednesday.

Form guide

Australia WLWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WWLLL

In the spotlight: Alyssa Healy and Sophie Devine

The last time Alyssa Healy turned out in a World Cup, she finished the 2022 edition by smashing back-to-back centuries in the semis and final to help Australia lift their record seventh title. Things are a lot different this time; it’s her maiden ODI World Cup as captain, after Meg Lanning’s departure, and she has just returned to action after a long injury layoff of a stress fracture in the foot. She got in the groove of international cricket with modest scores of 1, 30 and 9 in the recent bilaterals in India, but would want to use the big stage to get some runs going on a flat pitch. She averages 31.40 against New Zealand with a strike rate of 89.97 against New Zealand much lower than her overall ODI strike rate of 97.90, and New Zealand would want to keeps those numbers down on Wednesday too.This is going to be Sophie Devine‘s farewell ODI series, only available for T20Is after this. Having led her side to T20 World Cup glory less than 12 months ago, she wants to end her ODI career with a double and her all-round skills could play a major role, starting Wednesday. She comes into the tournament after a rich run of form in the Hundred and bucket loads of experience of Indian conditions, having first toured the country back in 2007 when she was just 17.2:19

‘NZ might find it tough switching to ODI mode’

Team news: one concern for New Zealand

Australia’s full squad trained on Tuesday evening under the lights after a few injury concerns to Phoebe Litchfield (low-grade quad strain), Annabel Sutherland (hip soreness) and Darcie Brown (back spasms) during the recent bilateral games against India, and Ellyse Perry was down with an illness during the warm-ups. Vice-captain Tahlia McGrath, however, confirmed on Tuesday that everyone in the squad will be available for selection. What mix of spinners and pace bowlers they finalise is the only question that remains, as Sophie Molineux returned to action after a knee surgery, in the warm-up against England, and Australia could think about leaving out one of the legspinners – Alana King or Georgia Wareham – to make place for her.Australia (probable): 1 Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Beth Mooney, 5 Annabel Sutherland, 6 Ashleigh Gardner, 7 Tahlia McGrath, 8 Sophie Molineux, 9 Kim Garth, 10 Alana King/Georgia Wareham, 11 Megan SchuttNew Zealand have one injury concern and Devine intentionally kept her name under wraps at the press conference on Tuesday. Their line-up is otherwise a great blend of youth and experience and if that mysterious player with a niggle is also fit on Wednesday, they won’t have too many headaches for the final XI. Devine also didn’t rule out uncapped 22-year-old left-arm spinner Flora Devonshire making her ODI in their opener.New Zealand (probable): 1 Suzie Bates, 2 Georgia Plimmer, 3 Amelia Kerr, 4 Sophie Devine (capt), 5 Brooke Halliday, 6 Maddy Green, 7 Isabella Gaze (wk), 8 Eden Carsen, 9 Jess Kerr, 10 Flora Devonshire, 11 Lea Tahuhu2:02

McGrath on playing NZ: ‘We know each other’s game really well’

Pitch and conditions

The curator at Indore has decided to roll out a flat track for its maiden women’s international, testified by both Devine and McGrath after they saw the pitch. They had no hesitations to call it “an incredibly flat” pitch which has the makings of a “run fest,” as is often the case there in men’s white-ball matches. Indore has been muggy in the lead up to this game, with plenty of clouds spread across and the sun appearing in parts. Temperatures are unlikely to cross 30 degrees Celsius but it could feel a lot worse with the humidity when the match starts, for the fielding team.

Stats and trivia

The England coach said the team had embraced the high-profile public nature of an Ashes tour

AAP14-Dec-2025England coach Brendon McCullum has conceded an airport altercation between team security and a cameraman was “not ideal” but insists his side have handled their intense Ashes scrutiny well.On the same day Cameron Green admitted he had some sympathy for the tourists, McCullum stressed his touring party had embraced the banter in Australia.Related

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• England security in airport clashes with Australian media

• Trouble in paradise as Noosa tightens on England's Ashes hopes

It came after a member of England’s security staff made contact with a Seven Network cameraman on Saturday at Brisbane airport, trying to block him from filming the team.Cricket Australia (CA) media directives state that teams are not available for interview while in transit, but can be filmed “from a respectful distance”.England captain Ben Stokes was also unhappy with an Adelaide journalist who breached those guidelines on Saturday, annoyed he had been recorded from close distance.The tourists have been heavily scrutinised since touching down in Australia, at times becoming the butt of jokes while going 2-0 down in the series and with their aggressive style of play not working.Stokes went as far as to pose for a photo with a radio duo during the team’s highly-publicised break in Noosa, as they held up signs referencing “moral victories” and “Bazball”.”I didn’t see [the airport incident], but obviously it wasn’t ideal,” McCullum said on Sunday. “But hopefully it’s been dealt with and everyone’s able to move on.”Obviously, we know coming to Australia, there’s a lot of eyeballs, there’s a lot of intensity and scrutiny on everything we do. I feel like we’ve managed ourselves pretty well throughout this tour. I thought the boys were outstanding.”The last week we’ve had, they’re engaging with a lot of the locals and everyone was in good spirits. There was some good banter flying both ways and I think everyone treated it [well] and respected it.”McCullum also defended England’s decision to go to Noosa, with the trip having been booked well in advance given the gap between the Perth and Adelaide Tests.”It was quite an important period,” the beleaguered coach said. “We could give ourselves a chance to allow some of the lessons we’ve learnt over the last couple of weeks to settle and to recalibrate a little bit. I think now the freshness which we come into this Test match with will hopefully pay off.”McCullum’s comments came as Green admitted he felt sorry for the tourists, admitting he too battled to grow accustomed to the spotlight put on players.”You never like getting filmed, especially when you want to get away from it,” Green said.  “There’s always sympathy for anyone in life that’s getting filmed in public or in a private space. It’s never a nice feeling.”

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According to The Mirror, Simon Beck – the linesman who was on duty for West Ham’s match with Liverpool on Monday – has been dropped from this weekend’s fixtures following the events of the London Stadium match.

Both linesmen were embroiled in controversy having first allowed play to continue after Adam Lallana flicked the ball into the path of a certainly offside James Milner, who subsequently fired into the feet of Sadio Mane in the Hammers box to give the Reds the lead.

Beck’s flag remained down amidst outrage from West Ham players and fans alike, and so the goal stood. Luckily, Michail Antonio fired the hosts level six minutes later after Felipe Anderson cleverly played the Englishman in, but in the dying minutes it almost happened again.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

Then as Liverpool pressed forward looking for a winner, Naby Keita scooped the ball towards Divock Origi but the Belgian couldn’t find a lethal touch. The opposite linesman’s flag remained glued to his side and replays revealed that the Reds forward was well offside – had he found the net, a Liverpool goal would, for the second time in the game, have wrongly stood.

Having battled their way to a point, the London Stadium faithful are right to feel aggrieved that the referee’s assistants had cost them two points, and nearly all three.

Here’s how they reacted on Twitter…

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According to the Daily Express, Tottenham Hotspur are lining up a £35 million summer bid for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice.

The 20-year-old has been in fine form this season, and has made himself a vital member of Manuel Pellegrini’s first team squad. His performances have been so impressive that the Irons handed him a new long-term contract in December.

However, this new deal doesn’t appear to have put Spurs off. It’s easy to see why Mauricio Pochettino would want to add Rice to his squad too, especially after Moussa Dembele’s January exit to join Chinese Super League club Guangzhou R&F.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

The Hammers, though, must do all they can to hang onto Rice, despite their rivals’ interest in his services. The London-born ace has the capacity to shine for West Ham for many years to come if they can keep him at the club.

After the story of Spurs’ interest emerged, plenty of West Ham fans took to Twitter to give their reactions…