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Big Picture

Zimbabwe are a cricket team in desperate need of context; Bangladesh, one that is aching for a return to normalcy and stability. Bangladesh’s first T20I match of the year, against an opponent they have dominated at home in recent years, should give them just the sort of soft landing they need in this tri-series ahead of what will likely be sterner challenges against Afghanistan, who are probably the favourites at this stage.Hot on the heels of the Test defeat to Afghanistan, further ructions are at play in Bangladesh’s cricket system, with the Bangladesh Cricket Board set to take charge of the next edition of the BPL after a fallout with the team owners. Shakib Al Hasan has grown increasingly frustrated in his captaincy tenure, and the T20 World Cup is just a year away. A win over Zimbabwe will go some way towards calming everything down a little bit for Bangladesh.Zimbabwe, of course, do not have any global tournament on the horizon to look forward to. They are still under suspension, and both the men’s and women’s sides lost their places at the T20 World Cup Qualifiers as a result. The suspension opened up divisions in their squad that are yet to fully heal.Zimbabwe enter the series without one of their most accomplished players as Sikandar Raza has been left out for ‘disciplinary reasons’ – a curious catch-all phrase that is yet to be fully explained. Their head coach, Lalchand Rajput, admitted that Raza will undoubtedly be missed, but he also underscored that Zimbabwe are a team in transition, with their eyes on the future. What that means for Raza’s future remains to be seen. And with only three members of the squad aged 25 or under, and nine aged 30 or above, Zimbabwe do not appear to be in a huge rush to usher in a new era.And first, they will say goodbye to the past. This series will be Hamilton Masakadza’s last in national colours. A long-time servant of the game, Masakadza has struggled a little of late, amid tumultuous times, and will be desperate for his last games as captain to be happy ones. So, surely, will Shakib.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh: LWLWWZimbabwe: WLTLL

In the spotlight

Since his teenage Test hundred on debut 18 years ago, Hamilton Masakadza has summited several statistical peaks for his team, and he will go out playing a format in which he blazed a trail for his country, holding several Zimbabwean records. But the last year has been a lean one in all formats: he has passed fifty only once in internationals – during the Sylhet Test the last time Zimbabwe visited Bangladesh. Runs at the top of the order will provide a fitting finale, as well as vastly improving his team’s chances of success.Shakib Al Hasan is Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker in this format over the last year, and is only narrowly behind Liton Das as their leading T20I run-scorer over the same time period. Indeed, he is central to Bangladesh’s fortunes no matter the format, and in a sense the spotlight is always on him. Perhaps that is why he has become an increasingly reluctant captain. But there will be no let-up for him just yet, and Bangladesh will continue to look to Shakib as a leader with bat and ball, even if he doesn’t have the captain’s hat on.AFP

Team news

Tamim Iqbal is still on R & R leave, so Bangladesh will have to cobble together a new opening pair for this series. But plenty of experience remains in the core of the middle order. There could be some new faces lower down, however, and Afif Hossain’s three quick wickets for the BCB XI on Wednesday could see him picked ahead of Mosaddek Hossain, while pace bowler Yeasin Arafat may be in line for a T20I debut.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Liton Das, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mohammad Saifuddin, 8 Afif Hossain, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Yeasin ArafatBrendan Taylor kept wicket in Zimbabwe’s warm-up match, and will likely take the gloves again, despite Zimbabwe having, somewhat bizarrely, two specialist wicketkeepers in the squad in Regis Chakabva and Richmond Mutumbami. The absence of Raza leaves a hole in the middle order but Timycen Maruma’s outing against the BCB XI in the tour opener means he should fill the vacant slot ahead of either of the wicketkeepers. Chris Mpofu, Zimbabwe’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is over the last year, didn’t get a bowl in the warm-up, so he may well be left out of the series opener.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Hamilton Masakadza (capt), 2 Brendan Taylor (wk), 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Timycen Maruma, 6 Ryan Burl, 7 Tino Mutombodzi, 8 Neville Madziva, 9 Kyle Jarvis, 10 Ainsley Ndlovu, 11 Tendai Chatara

Pitch and conditions

The T20 strip at the Shere Bangla Stadium has built a reputation for big scores in recent times: Bangladesh breached 200 here for the first time during West Indies’ visit in December last year. This should be a good track to bat on, while probably offering a little more to the spinners than it will the quicks.While the track might be conducive to exciting cricket, the weather may not. Rain is forecast in Dhaka in the morning and the evening. This being an evening game, wet weather is likely to be around.

Stats that matter

• Hamilton Masakadza’s 1529 runs in this format are the most by a Zimbabwean, and almost twice as many as the man below him on the list, Elton Chigumbura. He also holds the record for most fifties (10), and most runs in a series – the 222 he scored over four games in Bangladesh in 2015/16.
• Craig Ervine is Zimbabwe’s leading run-scorer in this format over the last year, with 211 runs at an average of 70.33
• The last time these two teams met in a T20 here, allrounder Neville Madziva inspired Zimbabwe to a win when Bangladesh seemingly had the match in the bag, spanking two sixes and a four in the final over to pull off a memorable heist
• Bangladesh have won five of the nine T20Is between these two sides
• Shakib Al Hasan is Bangladesh’s leading run-scorer and wicket-taker against Zimbabwe in this format, with 185 runs at 37.00 and 12 wickets at 17.50 against them

As though in riposte to the bizarre events at Canterbury on Tuesday, Yorkshire’s cricketers completed their fifth victory of the season in resolutely unflashy style on Wednesday afternoon. Steve Patterson and his bowlers patiently worked their way through Nottinghamshire’s lower order and collected 21 points for their efforts just after two o’clock when Jake Ball pushed forward to Keshav Maharaj and the ball looped almost apologetically into the hands of Adam Lyth at slip. The win leaves Yorkshire 37 points behind Essex with three games to play but they have done all they can this week and are still just about in touch.What may be significant for Yorkshire’s hopes is that they will have Maharaj in their side for their next game at Taunton in September. The South African slow left-armer completed a return of 6 for 95 on this last day at Scarborough and collected 11 for 102 on his previous visit to Somerset last season when he was wearing Lancashire’s colours and the game was tied. If there is anything in the pitch at the County Ground, he will find it. Essex are not home yet.Nottinghamshire, on the other hand, can probably ring the undertakers and choose their hymns. They almost certainly need to win their last three games of a season in which they have not yet won one. Ben Duckett’s 75 and Liam Patterson-White’s 58 not out did no more for the outcome of this game than lend it honour. However, Duckett’s innings may do something for his confidence and Patterson-White’s maiden first-class fifty was further confirmation that here is a proper all-rounder whose emergence has been one of the brightest features of dark times at Trent Bridge. One is not taken aback to hear rumours Samit Patel has been talking to other counties.But so much for consequences and, as Book IV of the reminds us, so much for rumour. Some of the thousand and more spectators who turned up at North Marine Road this lovely morning did so to follow their team; others were neutrals for whom the County Championship is part of their summer. All of them took their leave of a cherished festival.And so there was a gentleness about the cricket, a fondness one often finds on the final day of outground games. There are still important matches to be played at Scarborough this summer but this was farewell to the cricket upon which the reputation of this famous field rests. The players strove as nobly as ever, Duckett flourishing his way past fifty for only the third time in the season. Then, after cutting and sweeping his way to 75, he pushed hesitantly forward to Duanne Olivier and the ball looped off the thickest of edges to Will Fraine at point. Four overs later Tom Moores was gone too, also caught by Fraine, although this time at short leg off Maharaj.Paul Coughlin joined Patterson-White and the pair batted for half an hour in relative comfort. Not for the last time this season one thought how beautiful all this was, how intricate the patterns within which the game is played. Then a short ball from Olivier hit Coughlin on the helmet and one was reminded that blood and danger are also part of cricket’s rich mixture. A few overs later, Coughlin tried to take his bat away from one of Tim Bresnan’s deliveries but only edged a catch to Lyth at second slip. Luke Wood was immediately befuddled and bowled by a sharply turning delivery from Maharaj and we thought the sprinkler would be on the square by lunchtime.Yet Luke Fletcher defended stoutly and the game lingered into the second over of the afternoon session. Then Nottinghamshire’s most favoured son was leg before and Ball’s innings could only have been shorter if he had been timed out. The players signed autographs and offered their views to the media. Within an hour North Marine Road was deserted, apart, that is, from the ubiquitous gulls and the shades of other glories.

Pat Brown was playing golf when he got a phone call from Ed Smith on Monday afternoon, and had to interrupt the round with a request to his partner: “Pick my ball up – I’m going to be five minutes.”England’s national selector called Brown to let him know that he was part of England’s squad to play five T20 internationals in New Zealand this winter, and the 21-year-old seamer said he was “speechless” in response.”It’s absolutely incredible,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I didn’t really expect it to be honest. It’s a nice surprise to have after a disappointing day on Saturday [Finals Day].”ALSO READ: Brown hopes to stave off sophomore syndrome after breakthrough yearWhile Brown’s 2019 season was slightly less eye-catching than his breakout campaign this year, he still ended the tournament with 17 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 8.12. He again shone on Finals Day, with a combined return of 3 for 49 from his eight overs across the semi-final and the final, despite Worcestershire’s eventual last-ball defeat to Essex.Brown’s temperament was particularly notable – he exchanged glares with Dan Christian in the semi-final after dismissing him, and didn’t celebrate after taking the wicket of Paul Walter in the 19th over of the final – and Smith told him that his level of self-assurance was an important part of the decision to call him up.”Ed basically said that they were really impressed with my skills, but also my manner, in terms of how I’ve dealt with the pressure in certain situations,” Brown said, “and being in control, not rushing things, making sure I do what I want to do, and having real clarity in what I’m doing. He said that was impressive, and that it gives off a good image of being in control.”Brown suggested that his battle with Christian on Saturday had been “blown out of proportion”, and that he hadn’t been helped by the TV cameras.Pat Brown glares at Dan Christian after dismissing him•Getty Images

“The cameras made it look worse,” he said. “I celebrated, like, ten yards away from him, but the angle made it look like it was right next to him. I let out quite a roar, and I think he thought I was getting in his face or something, so he had a word with me when he went off. That’s why we were looking at each other, but he was really nice afterwards and said ‘congrats’ – there was nothing malicious in it at all.”Looking at the day as a whole I’m quite pleased with it. Obviously when you lose the final, or lose any game really, you try and work out if there’s anything you could have done, but it’s just one of those things.”Brown reflected that his penultimate delivery – a knuckleball to Simon Harmer which went for four – was not the right option if he was “highly critical”.”If I’m completely honest, in the penultimate over – when Harmer took me for four, that was quite a big moment in the game. I changed it to a knuckleball when I should have stuck with an offcutter, which had been working.”But look, it’s hard to look back and think you could do something differently, because in that moment I thought it was the right thing to do, and Mo [captain Moeen Ali] agreed.”Brown would have played in the Big Bash and the Bangladesh Premier League last season but for a stress fracture in his back, and was not far off being picked up in the IPL auction, and hopes to fit appearances on the franchise circuit into his schedule this winter.”I’ve potentially got a Big Bash deal lined up, which is close to getting pushed over the line,” he said. “Before this news, I was looking at the T10, BPL, PSL, but I’m not sure what my schedule will look like now. I’ll wait and see.”

Quinton de Kock expects Faf du Plessis to lead South Africa in next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia but said he would probably not turn down the opportunity if asked to captain in the format.The wicketkeeper-batsman, who captained South Africa in their recent T20I series in India, has been appointed skipper of Cape Town Blitz for the second edition of the Mzansi Super League and is being seen as a successor to du Plessis in the shortest format.With back-to-back T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021, it may not be long before de Kock is at the helm, and it’s a role he would welcome.”The way I see it is that I was just a replacement,” de Kock told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s the way I took it. For now, it’s still Faf’s baby. But maybe if things change and they do want me to do it, then I will do it.”For the moment, I am not looking too far ahead. I am just trying to look at how I can help out with the youngsters, with the new guys in the T20 team, and by myself, just getting better and getting ready for the T20 World Cup next year. But if that does come upon me, then I will try and grab it with both hands.”He did exactly that when Blitz coach Ashwell Prince approached him at the MSL draft on September 3. “Ash came to me at the draft and asked me if I want to do it and I said, ‘, no problem.’ It was pretty quick and easy. I don’t think there was much discussion around it. He just asked me right there and then and I said yes,” de Kock said, speaking at the Cape Town Blitz media day.Prince had good reason to ask de Kock – his team needed the stability of a leader who would be around for the full five-and-half weeks of the tournament. Last season, Blitz were led by Dawid Malan for the first two matches before Farhaan Behardien took over on his return from international duty in Australia. With Malan not involved in this year’s event and Behardien playing forNelson Mandela Bay Giants, Prince had to find someone else, someone who would also bring form and the ability to think on his feet. De Kock, fresh off two half-centuries in his first two matches as South Africa’s T20I captain, and known for his no-frills approach to playing, seemed to be the perfect fit.”He leads from the front as a player but he is also street-wise,” Prince said. “I like people who can see what’s required on the ground and can make calls and be brave and I think he does all of those things.”De Kock will need to do a bit more. His new role means he will open the batting, keep wickets and lead the side, a trio of tasks that became too much for even the likes of AB de Villiers, who did not open but had a similarly important role of setting the tone in white-ball innings.But de Kock isn’t fussed about the workload. “It’s nothing too difficult – keeping and batting, and the keeping will help out my captaincy anyway,” he said. “Rather than being out in the field, I seem to read things better, how the pitch plays, which bowlers to bowl when, the angles and all that kind of stuff when I am keeping. I feel like the keeping helps my batting and also my captaincy.”This season of the MSL could confirm if de Kock is indeed equipped to perform all three tasks and may also tell us whether he is seriously considered for the national job in the near future. Asked if that’s where he sees de Kock’s career going, Prince said: “Why not? He is still quite young. He hasn’t captained a lot but everyone has to start somewhere. He has had a bit of a taste of it and I think he can grow in the role.”De Kock’s only stint with captaincy before the India series was in an ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2018 after du Plessis suffered a shoulder injury. South Africa had already clinched the series, winning the first three ODIs, but went on to lose the last two matches, which de Kock led in. That instance was considered nothing more than an emergency replacement but it marked the start of a downward spiral for South Africa, which saw them lose five Tests in a row in Asia, and three out of their last four Test series. Their white-ball form also dipped and a poor World Cup followed, which has left South African cricket on the brink of a crisis.Quinton de Kock is mobbed by teammates after pulling off a stunning run-out•Getty Images

But de Kock is one of very few players to have weathered the storm. He has been in prolific run-scoring form across formats for South Africa this year and also finished as the third-highest run-scorer at the IPL this season, and his form could give South Africa some hope that a revival is not far off.”We are not the first team that has gone through a transition,” de Kock said. “England did it after their last World Cup and look at them. Four years later, they end up winning the thing.”With England the visitors this summer, there’s motivation in the camp for South Africa to start putting things right. But de Kock also pointed to the national team’s triumph at the rugby World Cup as a rallying point for cricket to get itself back on track.”It’s all right if the whole country and guys are a bit down and out but when we all gather together, especially after winning this rugby World Cup, a lot of people are pumped up and want to get this transition going so the time we get to our next World Cup, we can really put ourselves in a good stead, just like England did.”

It was a six fest at Surat’s Lalabhai Contractor Stadium as a sizeable crowd was treated to some outstanding short-format hitting from KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal to start with, and then by Mayank Agarwal. But that Karnataka were chasing 195 on a belter of a pitch and not something in the region of 210 was down to a very special performance from Abhimanyu Mithun, who made history by picking up five wickets, including four off the first four deliveries, in the final over of the Haryana innings.When Mithun was handed the ball for the final over, Himanshu Rana was on 61 from 33 balls, Rahul Tewatia was on 32 from 19, and Haryana 192 for 3. Ball one: Rana holes out to Agarwal at cow corner. Second ball: Tewatia slogs one to Karun Nair at long-on. Third ball: Sumit Kumar scoop-pulls a slower one to Rohan Kadam at short fine-leg. Hat-trick! Fourth ball: Amit Mishra hits to K Gowtham in the covers. Double hat-trick! This is followed by a wide and a single, taking Haryana to 194. Then, sixth ball: Jayant Yadav moves outside the off stump and guides it straight to Rahul behind the stumps. Five in an over!Smiles, whoops of joy, high-fives – the momentum was certainly with Karnataka at the break.”I kept wickets, so I knew they were 10-15 runs short,” Rahul told after the game. “That was the chat at the halfway mark. To chase this down in 15 overs tells you everything about the pitch. We knew if we got a good start, we had the batting to chase this down.”That’s what happened. Once they came out to bat, Rahul and Padikkal pressed home the advantage ruthlessly.ALSO READ: Fitness revolution helps Rohan Kadam chart a new courseTo be fair, Harshal Patel started well, conceding just one run in the first over of the chase. But Padikkal hit an inside-out drive over the off side and then a delicate flick for fours in the second over, bowled by Ashish Hooda, and Karnataka were on their way. Patel was taken for 16 runs in the third, Hooda then gave away 23 in the next, and the Haryana fielders were mostly spotted retrieving the ball as the Powerplay yielded 82 runs.With that sort of platform, there was no real threat of Karnataka losing, not with Agarwal, Nair, Manish Pandey and Kadam to follow, and the question really was about how soon they would cross the line. It took them 15 overs.Rahul got to his half-century in the seventh over, reaching the milestone off 21 balls. He was dismissed not long after, though, mistiming a hoick off a Yadav slower delivery to long-on a ball after slamming yet another maximum, but his 31-ball 66 was an outstanding innings, the four fours and six sixes keeping the crowd entertained.Not that Padikkal wasn’t turning it on at the other end. He was on 56 off 26 balls when Rahul fell, and ensured the big hits kept coming even as Agarwal walked in and hit Mishra for back-to-back sixes down the ground in the 11th over. With Padikkal in sight of a century, Agarwal did look like he was putting the big hits away, and the youngster obliged with a flurry of fours and sixes, taking his tally up to 11 fours and four sixes. But, with both his century and the target just 13 runs away, a flick off Patel refused to go high enough or long enough, and landed in Chaitanya Bishnoi’s hands at deep midwicket.KL Rahul combined with Devdutt Padikkal to give Karnataka the perfect start•PTI

Padikkal’s 87 came from 42 balls, and took his tally for the tournament up to 548, comfortably ahead of second-placed Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 419. With this coming close on the heels of the 19-year-old opener’s chart-topping 609 runs from the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, it’s been quite the season for Padikkal.It’s also been quite the season for Mithun, the seasoned pro, who recorded the second instance of a bowler picking up five wickets in an over in a T20 game. Not to forget, the double hat-trick came just over a month after he picked up a hat-trick in the final of the Hazare trophy, as Karnataka beat Tamil Nadu.Before Mithun’s heroics, however, it did look like Haryana meant business. In the first ten overs, they had 92 for 2 on the board. The start was frenetic, with Bishnoi and Patel putting on 67 for the first wicket by the seventh over before Patel, the medium-pacer who has enjoyed a good time as an opener this season, fell for a 20-ball 34. Shivam Chauhan didn’t last long either, Shreyas Gopal accounting for both of them, but Rana and Bishnoi kept the tempo up with some lusty hitting.After Bishnoi fell, run out for a 35-ball 55, having been sent back by Rana when trying to steal a quick single to Pandey, Tewatia performed his role well and it was all going swimmingly for Haryana till the last over. But Rana first, for a 34-ball 61, and Tewatia next, for 32 off 20 balls, were sent back going for big hits by Mithun in that remarkable final over, and the game slipped away from Haryana rather quickly.

There’s an air of serenity around Shai Hope. In a West Indies side filled with six-hitters, the 26-year-old wicketkeeper-opener constructs his innings with singles and doubles, 1990s-style, and lets the batsman at the other end enjoy most of the spotlight. He has been in tremendous form in ODI cricket, averaging nearly 64 in 42 innings since the start of 2018, but this strike rate in this period has been only 75.97.For a large part of his hundred in Chennai in the ODI series opener against India on Sunday, his strike rate was hovering around 50. But, with Shimron Hetmyer rattling along at a strike rate in the 130s at the other end, Hope just had to do his thing: bat through the innings at his own pace.Hope had batted through the chase in the third ODI against Afghanistan in Lucknow last month too, his unbeaten 109 off 145 balls sealing West Indies’ 3-0 sweep.”I’m pacing my innings to my team’s requirement,” Hope said on the eve of the second ODI in Visakhapatnam. “Say when you have to chase only 280, we have to make sure everyone’s on the same page. My role is to stay at one end, knock around the bowlers, and not give them any wickets. And it’s about doing what the team requires. That’s my role in the team. If the chase requires me to step it up, I can do that. So I just hope to play what the team requires.”ALSO READ: Opposites Hope and Hetymyer find the perfect balance for WIIn isolation, 2019 has been a banner year for Hope in limited-overs cricket. He made his World Cup bow for West Indies and then played a crucial hand in their winning their first ODI series in more than five years, against Afghanistan, before playing his part in West Indies going 1-0 up in Chennai. In May, in the lead-up to the World Cup, Hope had cracked a career-best 170 against Ireland, in a 365-run partnership with John Campbell – the biggest first-wicket stand in ODI history.Shai Hope punches on the up•BCCI

Hope (1225) is currently the third-highest run-getter in ODIs this year, behind the India pair of Virat Kohli (1292) and Rohit Sharma (1268). Does he see himself climbing to the top by the end of this three-match series?”Obviously, you need the bowlers to do some damage as well,” Hope said. “As a batsman, you want to score as many runs as possible and contribute to team wins. That makes it even more satisfying. So, hopefully we can get some early strikes and get the two of them [Kohli and Rohit]. And hopefully, I can get some big runs and go on top of the list.”ALSO READ: Smart and on target, Cottrell is more than just the saluteHope sustained a finger injury during the Test series against India at home and missed a major chunk of CPL 2019. He, however, returned to action at the fag end of the tournament and won the CPL title with Barbados Tridents. Hope also proved his fitness in international cricket, keeping for 50 overs and then seeing off chases against both Afghanistan and India.”It’s a tough job and it takes a lot on the body,” Hope said of his dual role. “And I just need to remind myself that I’m playing for the entire Caribbean and everyone supporting us. So, just finding my motivation and doing whatever I can to get the team over the line. So, if I have to keep 100 overs and then go out and bat, I’m going to do that.”Hope is part of the IPL 2020 auction list, as are several of his team-mates. When asked whether strong performances in the second ODI – scheduled to take place a day before the auction – would boost their chances of getting picked, Hope dead-batted the question. Instead, Hope said West Indies’ immediate focus was on winning the series against India.”I’m sure that [doing well] would [help IPL selection], but that’s secondary,” he said. “We came here to play the series against India, to win a series against India. So, what comes secondary is secondary. I’m sure some of the guys will be looking forward to the auction, but we have the India series to play, and that’s the main thing right now.”

There is someone in the South Africa set-up who needs the team to produce big first-innings runs and it is not who you might immediately think. It’s not the trio of experienced batsmen, Dean Elgar, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, who all played reckless shots at Newlands, and it’s not the younger three, Pieter Malan, Zubayr Hamza and Rassie van der Dussen, who are all trying to secure their places for the foreseeable future. It is Keshav Maharaj, who is waiting for an opportunity to make an impact on the ongoing series against England.”Without a good first innings total, it’s difficult for a spinner to really get stuck in,” Paul Harris, who has been working as South Africa’s spin consultant in the Mark Boucher era, said. “As a spinner, you need the batsmen to stand up so you can bowl to more attacking fields and have a more aggressive mindset.”Look no further than the first two matches of the series for proof. At SuperSport Park, South Africa had a 103-run first-innings lead and controlled large parts of the game. That allowed Maharaj to be kept on even after England tried to take him on in the second innings and it resulted in the all-important wicket of Ben Stokes.At Newlands, however, South Africa were 46 runs behind in the first innings and playing catch-up for the rest of the match. While Maharaj had been used to hold an end and allow the quicks to rotate from the other in the first innings, in the second his role was unclear, as captain du Plessis struggled to contain England and his quicks were unable to make inroads. As a result, Maharaj was South Africa’s most expensive bowler in that innings and Boucher later called him a “work in progress”.Given that Maharaj has been a mainstay in the Test team since he made his debut in November 2016, it seemed an unusual way for Boucher to describe him. He is South Africa’s second-most successful spinner since readmission, and overall only Aubrey Faulkner has a better strike rate (minimum 40 wickets). Most players will say they never stop learning and those of the bashfulness of Maharaj are unlikely to ever consider themselves the finished article but Boucher’s description would have been more apt for a junior member of the squad, especially at such a politically sensitive time in South African cricket.Lest we forget, there is an undercurrent of suspicion from quarters such as the Black African Cricket Clubs and on social media that Boucher and co are whitewashing the game after the Africanisation of the previous administration. Those fears won’t be helped by Boucher’s paternalistic choice of words when it comes to Maharaj or Harris’ involvement. Like batting consultant Jacques Kallis, Harris is a personal friend of Boucher’s.However, it is worth knowing that he has been mentoring Maharaj for a prolonged period of time, mostly over the telephone, after Maharaj approached him several summers ago. Harris and Maharaj had planned to meet up before but were unable to coordinate schedules until recently. Harris still has a full-time job and is only employed on a consultancy basis.Jacques Kallis and Paul Harris at South Africa training•Getty Images

“We’ve worked on getting him closer to the stumps and bowling more wicket-to-wicket, rather than from wider. If you bowl from wider, the ball has got to turn quite a lot to catch the outside edge,” Harris said. “And we’ve also worked on getting his front arm higher, because sometimes it drops and then he bowls a little shorter. I could definitely see the improvement in Cape Town.”Maharaj’s figures may not immediately reveal that but Harris hopes the results will come in Port Elizabeth, South Africa’s slowest surface and the most likely to take turn. “We’re expecting it to play more in his favour than other wickets. In South Africa conditions are generally not suited to spinners, which presents its own challenges.”South African spinners are used to playing second fiddle to the seamers, and usually operate on green tops which limits their role to a containing one for the bulk of their careers. That means they have to get used to doing the donkey work, something Maharaj has never shied away from. “He is a hard worker and he can bowl long spells,” Harris said. “He takes it seriously and he wants to improve and if he can get 10-20% better than what he is, why not?”Importantly, Maharaj knows he has to keep getting better because there are several others nipping at his heels. Three of the top five first-class bowlers in South Africa are spinners and one a recent debutant: George Linde, who was capped in India, currently tops the domestic wicket-takers’ chart, Jon-Jon Smuts is third and offspinner Prenelan Subrayen is fifth, all of whom Harris hopes will push Maharaj to stay a step ahead of the rest. “It’s sometimes harder to keep your spot than it was to get into the side because you always have a target on your back,” Harris said. “It’s good to have that and I don’t think it will negatively affect Keshav.”

Tasmania’s horror match with the bat continued at the Gabba as they lost three second-innings wickets without a run on the board to leave them facing an innings defeat against Queensland.A battling half-century from Usman Khawaja and handy lower-order contributions had taken Queensland to a lead of 179 after they had dismantled Tasmania for 78 on the opening day.In reply, Alex Doolan, Jordan Silk (who bagged a pair) and Jake Doran all fell for ducks against Michael Neser and Jack Wildermuth.They regained some composure as Charlie Wakim and Ben McDermott added 72 but Wakim was pinned lbw by Mitchell Swepson late in the day.Queensland were already in the lead overnight but Tasmania mounted something of a fightback as they chipped away. Bryce Street’s 171-ball stay ended when he edged Jackson Bird and Sam Heazlett was given caught down the leg side.Khawaja held the innings together with his second Shield half-century of the season before the hard work ended when a booming drive was edged to second slip. Cameron Gannon and Mark Steketee chipped in with 20s from Nos. 9 and 10. The innings was wrapped up by the offspin of Beau Webster who, in a game dominated by the seamers, finished with 3 for 44.

Unbeaten half-centuries by Luke Ronchi and Shadab Khan wound up being in vain for Islamabad United as Alex Hales’ own rapid fifty chasing a target of 184 propelled the Karachi Kings to a five-wicket win with eight balls to spare. Ronchi and Shadab added an unbeaten 106 for the fourth wicket to end Islamabad’s innings, and then maintained early momentum in the Karachi chase when Babar Azam was run out without facing a ball taking on Shadab’s arm at backward point in the first over of the reply.But in a way it backfired for Islamabad because it brought Hales to the crease, who teamed with Sharjeel in a ferocious stand, adding 58 together off just 27 balls to put Karachi in command. Sharjeel was the aggressor, turning on the accelerator in the fifth over against Faheem Ashraf when he clobbered a pair of pulls over backward square leg for sixes in the space of three balls.Sharjeel was eventually given out via DRS on 38 in the sixth over when replays revealed his attempted upper cut to a Rumman Raees slower ball was gloved on the way through to Ronchi diving forward. But again momentum shifted quickly back to Karachi as Cameron Delport picked up the slack from where Sharjeel left off, crunching three sixes in his 38 off 28 balls during a 64-run stand with Hales.The pair got out in back-to-back overs in identical fashion, bashing a six before getting out on the very next ball. But by that stage there was little work left to do. One last brief hiccup came via the run out of Iftikhar Ahmed for 1, but Chadwick Walton and Imad Wasim were largely unfazed during their unbeaten 48-run stand to close out the match. Wasim blasted Ashraf for back-to-back sixes over square leg to start the 19th over to bring the equation down to two off 10 balls. A single to level the scores was followed by a four struck by Walton over cover to clinch victory.Turning pointIslamabad could not contain their excitement in the field when Shadab’s athletic charge from backward point along with a sidearm whip from 12 yards pinged the striker’s stumps with Azam inches short of his ground in the first over of the chase. The run out was partly a consequence of Azam trying to take pressure off Sharjeel by calling for a tight run to get Sharjeel off strike after he had already gone scoreless in his first three deliveries.But rather than get mentally bogged down by the run out even further, Sharjeel responded in extremely positive fashion. His assault on Ashraf in the fifth over flipped momentum firmly back towards Karachi and his innings inspired Delport to follow suit.Star of the dayHales may have been overshadowed by both Sharjeel and Delport in his half-century stands with them, scoring at a slower rate than either. However, he lasted longer at the crease and in the process brought up his maiden PSL half-century. He reached the landmark off 29 balls in style too, driving the spin of Ahmed Safi Abdullah over long-off for six.In addition to his fifty, Hales was also superb in the field. Perhaps his most underrated contribution towards receiving Player-of-the-Match honours was his sliding catch taken after charging forward about 25 yards from long-off to snare the wicket of Rizwan Hussain, who was looking very ominous having already struck two fours and a six in his 22 off 14 balls.The big missShadab was so caught up in a fit of rage aimed at Rizwan that he missed Rizwan running out Iftikhar in the 15th over of the chase. Iftikhar had nudged Shadab behind point for a would-be single that was called for by Walton thinking Rizwan had chosen the wrong end to throw at. Walton had bolted immediately for the run and was almost in the crease by the time Rizwan had released the ball aimed at the non-striker’s stumps, triggering Shadab into furious gesticulations. Meanwhile, Iftikhar had hesitated significantly and was only halfway down the pitch when the throw was on its way, ultimately falling short. As the rest of the Islamabad squad celebrated, Shadab was still smarting.Where the teams standIslamabad blew a chance to pass the Quetta Gladiators and instead remain in third place on five points, ahead of Peshawar Zalmi on net run rate. Karachi closed the gap with Islamabad and Peshawar and are now one point behind both in fifth place on four points.

Surrey chairman Richard Thompson says that the possibility of finishing the county season in the UAE “has to be considered”, after ESPNcricinfo revealed that Abu Dhabi Cricket will offer the ECB its facilities to use between October and January.Abu Dhabi has avoided the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic so far, with infection and death rates low following a strict lockdown, to the extent that much of the UAE could return to work as early as next week.ALSO READ: Abu Dhabi to offer ECB use of facilities in order to extend English seasonThe Sheikh Zayed Stadium – which has previously staged Pakistan internationals, IPL and PSL games, and multiple county pre-season tours – has two support ovals alongside it, creating the possibility that several games could be played in a single day. The ground is broadcast-ready in terms of equipment, and costs could be reduced since it is effectively state-run via a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s programme, Thompson said that stakeholders in English cricket needed to be “creative” in finding ways to stage games, with all professional cricket in England and Wales on hold until at least July 1.”We’re in extraordinary times, and extraordinary times call for extraordinary decisions,” Thompson said. “I don’t know how this will play out, but if that’s a possibility it’s clearly something that’s got to be considered.”Abu Dhabi have made it clear that they could host matches if the season were to be extended. There are some challenges there, because you’ve got the T20 World Cup in Australia and some T20Is and ODIs that England should be playing in India around that time, but Abu Dhabi and Dubai are very well known to English cricket.”A lot of pre-season matches have been played there, a lot of other matches have been played there, so if the season had to be extended, Abu Dhabi I know have made this offer to the game, that if the season needed two months to finish the competitions, then they could potentially host it. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility.”Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, said that there had been “multiple” offers to potentially take English cricket overseas in the coming months.”It’s not limited to Abu Dhabi,” he said. “We’ve had informal offers from multiple boards as far away as New Zealand and Australia about hosting ECB cricket. Everything is on the table. The discussion around the FTP, the T20 World Cup, the IPL… there’s a huge number of moving pieces and our winter is already congested. We don’t have enough knowledge right now but it’s fair to say there will be changes to the FTP.”While the costs of flying squads to the UAE and putting them up in hotels would be significant, counties are used to travelling overseas for pre-season tours – the majority of which were aborted this year due to the pandemic. Surrey travelled to Dubai for pre-season in 2018 and 2019, and were due to return this year.And there is a growing acceptance at the ECB that it will be difficult to stage any cricket in front of paying spectators this summer. The UK’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty said this week that it was “wholly unrealistic” to think a return to normal life would be possible any time soon, with some form of social-distancing measures likely to continue beyond the end of the English season and into 2021.”I’d rather [T20 Blast games] were staged in this country purely because of the gate receipts, but then if social distancing exists for another six to 12 months, and if it’s behind closed doors, then frankly it doesn’t matter,” Thompson said.”Broadcasters are crucial to this. No governing body wants to breach an agreement with the broadcasters, so as long as it can deliver the product, it doesn’t matter where it delivers it from.”Obviously there’s a significant cost to ship 18 counties to one location and play a tournament that way, but if that’s the only option – and I would say the Abu Dhabi option would only be looked at if there is no possibility of playing in this country – then you’ve got to be creative.”