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The airport has been shut down indefinitely with the hurricane expected to pass by Barbados on Sunday night local time

Edited PTI copy01-Jul-2024A hurricane warning has left the T20 World Cup-winning India team stranded in Barbados.Hurricane Beryl (Category 4) is expected to pass by Barbados on Sunday night local time with the centre of the storm approximately 80 miles off the south coast. India are currently staying at the Hilton Hotel. They were initially planning a charter straight home but the airport has been closed since Sunday evening. South Africa had left earlier on Sunday.BCCI secretary Jay Shah said that board is planning a felicitation for the victorious team after they reach India.”Like you we are also stuck here. After the travel plans are clear, we will think about the felicitation,” Shah told reporters in Barbados.Related

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Shah: New India coach to take charge from SL series

Shah has said that the Indian team will have a new head coach from the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka starting later this month, but did not reveal who has been finalised to succeed the outgoing Rahul Dravid.Former India opener Gautam Gambhir is the frontrunner to take up the position of the head coach. The Cricket Advisory Committee [CAC] has conducted the interviews for the post and shortlisted Gambhir and former India women’s coach WV Raman.”Both coach and selector appointments will be made shortly,” Shah who is in the Caribbean with the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup 2024, said. “CAC has interviewed and shortlisted two names and after reaching Mumbai whatever they have decided we will go by that. VVS Laxman is going to Zimbabwe but a new coach will join from the Sri Lanka series.”The Indian team is due to tour Sri Lanka for three T20Is and three ODIs starting July 27.2:46

What is Virat Kohli’s legacy in T20Is?

‘Seniors will be there for CT and WTC’

Shah has also said that “seniors will be there” in next year’s Champions Trophy and the World Test Championship final, if India qualify for it, while a decision on whether Hardik Pandya succeeds Rohit Sharma as the next T20I captain will be taken solely by the selectors.”The transition has already happened with three greats retiring,” Shah said when asked about the team’s next phase following the T20I retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit and [Ravindra] Jadeja.”The way this team is progressing, our target is to win the World Test Championship final and Champions Trophy. There will be a similar squad playing there. The seniors will be there.”This means that the senior players, fitness permitting, are likely to be available for the nine ODI matches that India will play before the Champions Trophy scheduled for February-March 2025 in Pakistan.India’s ODI assignments before that include three games each against Sri Lanka (away), New Zealand (home) and England (home).8:43

Rohit Sharma: ‘This has to be my greatest achievement’

‘From Rohit to Virat, all excelled’

Shah also praised the efforts of Rohit and Kohli, who played a match-winning knock in the final against South Africa which India won by seven runs in Barbados. Both Kohli and Rohit announced their retirement from T20Is after the triumph and were joined by allrounder Jadeja in saying goodbye to the format a day later.”It was the same captain last year and same here in Barbados. We won all games except the final in 2023 [ODI World Cup] as Australia played better. This time we worked even harder and played better to win the title,” Shah said. “If you look at other teams, experience counts. From Rohit to Virat, all excelled. Experience makes a lot of difference. In World Cups, you can’t experiment much also. A good player knows when to say goodbye to the game, we saw that yesterday. You look at Rohit’s strike rate, it is better than a lot of young players.”India, who had lost big finals in the past decade, finally ended their title drought after losing two ICC finals – World Test Championship and ODI World Cup final – over the last 12 months and Shah hoped the winning run would continue.”I would want India to win all the titles. We have the biggest bench strength, only three players from this team are going to Zimbabwe. We can field three teams if the need arises,” he said. “The way this team is progressing, our target is to win World Test Championship final and Champions Trophy. There will be a similar squad playing there. The seniors will be there.”On Hardik’s all-round performance in the T20 World Cup and chances of him taking over the captaincy from Rohit, Shah said: “Captaincy will be decided by the selectors and we will announce it after discussing with them. You asked about Hardik, there were lot of questions over his form but the selectors showed faith in him and he proved himself.”India will next travel to Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series which begins on July 6 in Harare. Shubman Gill will lead the Indian side there with plenty of seniors being rested. Shah also confirmed that an India A team will be travelling to Australia later in the year ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Earlier in the match, Haris Rauf went off the field with what was later confirmed to be a low-grade side strain

Danyal Rasool08-Feb-2025New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra is unlikely to feature in the ODI against South Africa on Monday, after sustaining a blow while fielding during Saturday’s tri-series ODI against Pakistan.Fielding at deep square leg in the 37th over, Ravindra steadied himself to take a catch as Khushdil Shah slog-swept Michael Bracewell towards the on side. But Ravindra seemed to lose the ball, struck flat and low, mid-flight, and took no evasive action as it struck him square on the forehead. He was seen staring at the ground, apparently in a daze, as blood streamed down his face while medical staff rushed onto the field.New Zealand Cricket [NZC] has since released a statement saying that Ravindra is “otherwise well” and will continue to be monitored.Related

• Lockie Ferguson in doubt for Champions Trophy and Pakistan tri-series

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“Rachin Ravindra sustained a laceration to the forehead after being struck by the ball in yesterday’s ODI tri-series win over Pakistan in Lahore,” the release said. “Ravindra passed the initial head injury assessment and the laceration, which required stitches, was addressed and treated at the ground. He is otherwise well and will continue to be monitored under HIA (Head Injury Assessment) protocols. He is unlikely to feature in tomorrow’s match against South Africa.”A stunned silence took hold of the ground after Ravindra went down. A stretcher was brought on as well, though it was ultimately not required. The Pakistan team doctor, nearest to the incident, also rushed on to provide first-aid assistance. After lying down on the ground while receiving a few minutes of treatment, Ravindra got up with the assistance of medical staff, and walked off the field, holding a towel to his head, to warm applause from what had just recently been a packed Gaddafi Stadium.New Zealand, riding on Glenn Phillips’ maiden ODI ton, won the opening game of the tri-series comfortably by 78 runs. Ravindra had earlier opened the batting and scored a brisk 25 off 19 balls to get his side up and running and sent down three overs.Haris Rauf walked off the field with a side strain•Associated Press

Earlier in the match, Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf went off the field two balls into his seventh over, and the PCB later revealed he had complained of “sharp pain in the left side of the chest and abdomen muscles”, which was later confirmed to be a “low-grade side strain”. Rauf, it was confimed, would not come out to bat during Pakistan’s chase.These developments come just 11 days before the start of the Champions Trophy, which begins when these two sides meet in Karachi on February 19. New Zealand’s next game is on Monday, when they take on South Africa in the second match of this tri-series, while Pakistan are scheduled to meet South Africa on Wednesday.As the Champions Trophy looms, New Zealand could also be without the fast bowler Lockie Ferguson, who suffered a hamstring injury while playing in the ILT20 in the UAE. As yet, the team is awaiting reports of a scan on Ferguson’s injury.GMT 0925 The news report was updated following NZC’s statement on Ravindra’s injury.

Libby ton in vain as Smith’s 130* sees Worcestershire fall by four wickets

ECB Reporters Network16-Aug-2024Warwickshire will visit Glamorgan in the Metro Bank One Day semi-finals on Sunday after a dazzling maiden List A century from Kai Smith powered them to four-wicket victory over Worcestershire at Edgbaston.Warwickshire were in deep trouble when, chasing 286, they hit 77 for 5, but Smith, whose previous List A best was 44, smashed an unbeaten 130 from 104 balls. A sixth-wicket stand of 181 in 163 balls between Smith and Will Rhodes (75) saw the Bears to 288 for 6 with six balls to spare.It was devastating turnaround for injury-ravaged Worcestershire who had totalled 286 for 9 thanks to a stylish century from Jake Libby. Already the national leading run-scorer in this year’s Metro Bank One Day Cup, the captain struck 112 from 115 balls to build on a platform set by Ed Pollock’s 54.Early wickets then put Worcestershire in command but 19-year-old Smith played with freedom, fluency and not a trace of nerves to book his side a semi-final in south Wales.Put in on a used pitch, Worcestershire openers Pollock and Gareth Roderick added 38 in ten overs before two wickets fell in five balls. Roderick was lbw to Rae and Rob Jones edged his second ball behind to reward Ed Barnard for an excellent opening spell.Pollock advanced to a 54-ball half-century against his former team-mates but added only four more before slicing a drive at Jake Lintott to point. Adam Hose, freed from Hundred duty, soon spliced Michael Booth to extra cover but Libby reached his sixth half-century of this year’s tournament (from 67 balls) and celebrated with six over mid-wicket off Barnard.Jake Libby hits through the off side•Getty Images

The captain received important support from Ethan Brookes and Tom Taylor in stands of 61 in ten overs and 28 in 18 as the pitch flattened out in the sunshine. Fateh Singh and Tom Hinley also cleared the ropes to lift Worcestershire to a strong total.They also started strongly with the ball, taking two wickets in the first five overs as Theo Wylie skied Harry Darley to mid off and Zen Malik off-stump was trimmed by an inswinger from Taylor.Barnard and Rhodes took the score to 50 before two big wickets fell in the 14th over. Barnard flicked Jack Home straight to midwicket. Three balls later, Michael Burgess was run out by a direct hit from Brookes.When Benjamin edged a cut at Brookes, Warwickshire were 77 for 5 but Rhodes and Smith were unfazed. While the former captain anchored the fightback, Smith raced to a maiden List A half-century and then onward to a scintillating ton off 89.The sixth-wicket pair had put their side in control by the time Rhodes was brilliantly caught by a sprawling Brookes from a skier. That left the Bears needing 29 from four overs and Smith and Lintott closed the game out nervelessly, Smith striking Taylor for six and four from successive balls to seal victory.

Vernon Philander will work on his conditioning ahead of a packed home summer scheduled to feature 10 Tests, including two four-match series against India and Australia

Firdose Moonda at Old Trafford07-Aug-20171:54

Du Plessis challenges Philander to prove fitness

Vernon Philander will work on his conditioning ahead of a packed home summer scheduled to feature 10 Tests, including two four-match series against India and Australia, for which South Africa want him to be fully available.Philander struggled with a comeback from an ankle injury and a viral ailment in the first and third Tests in England respectively and then sat out the fourth with a back concern. He came under severe criticism from his former captain Graeme Smith and his current skipper Faf du Plessis has also weighed in, urging Philander to focus on his fitness.”It’s fair that you need to play a lot of cricket for your country and be available for selection and Vern accepts that,” he said. “If you’re only playing one or two Test matches and then off for one or two… there have just been too many times when we as a team go, gulp, ‘Vern might be injured again’. So he’s taken it on board from a fitness point of view.”We have important series coming up, not that we play series that are not important, but India and Australia at home, it’s eight Test matches and he needs to be fit to get through all of them.”Philander’s value to South Africa was underlined in the second Test when he turned in a Man of the Match performance at Trent Bridge. South Africa were depending on him as they sought the series lead at The Oval and though he bowled well on an opening day interrupted by toilet breaks, the rest of his participation was limited. He spent a second night in hospital and though he returned to bat, could not bowl as much as needed in the second innings in conditions that would have been perfect for him.Then, just as South Africa thought they would have Philander back for their must-win game at Old Trafford, he pulled up with back spasms, which left Smith fuming and du Plessis frustrated.”The last I spoke to you, I said he’s just got to do a small fitness test but he’ll be fine. So when he woke up with a stiff back the next morning it was frustrating,” du Plessis said. “For us to have competed and to win Test matches we needed Vern, you need your best players. Duanne bowled well this game but Vern is one of the best in these conditions, probably the best in seaming, swinging conditions which has been the case in all four Test matches, so not having him here was very frustrating and disappointing.”Philander played in all 11 Tests – two against New Zealand at home, three against Australia away, three against Sri Lanka at home and three against New Zealand away – prior to this series, but he struggled with injury in the early part of his career. He had injuries in three of his first four series – a knee, back and hamstring problem – before tearing ankle ligaments in India in November 2015 that kept him out of action for nine months. Philander has admitted it took time for him to fully trust the ankle again and it would not have helped that he injured the other one in the lead-up to this series.Given that he only plays one format at international level, Smith pointed out that Philander does not always have the benefit of a team trainer to put him through his paces. He has had to take that responsibility for himself and du Plessis said Philander has committed to doing more. “It is a challenge for Vern because it’s happened too often that he doesn’t play a full series. I’ve spoken to him about that and he’s accepted the challenge and that he needs to improve that.”

It is the second trophy for them this season after also winning the first-class competition

Firdose Moonda28-Apr-2024Lions won the CSA T20 Challenge to add a second trophy to their cabinet this season, after also winning the first-class competition. Their latest triumph came two days before the announcement of South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad.Several Lions players are in the running for South Africa’s provisional squad, most notably batters Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks, who were the second and third-highest run-scorers in the tournament.Hendricks was the hero of the final by scoring a 52-ball unbeaten 73 to anchor a successful chase of 166. His half-century was his fourth of the campaign, and saw him finish a run behind Rickelton on the run charts.On a mild autumn afternoon, Lions chose to bowl at the home ground and had Dolphins in huge trouble at 103 for 6 in the 15th over. Jason Smith scored his first fifty of the campaign and shared in a 57-run seventh-wicket stand with Eathan Bosch to push Dolphins to a competitive score. Crucially, Smith scored 24 runs off legspinner Nqabayomzi Peter’s final over, to mark the first time in the competition he had conceded more than 30 runs. Peter finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 20 at an average of 9.50, one behind Siya Simetu and Beyers Swanepoel, and two more than his captain, Bjorn Fortuin.Left-arm spinner Fortuin could also come into South Africa’s T20 World Cup plans, especially after the way he led Lions in this tournament. He took 2 for 24 in the final and maintained an economy rate of 5.85 across their 16 matches. His consistency mirrored that of Lions, who won 10 of their 14 group matches and the right to host a home semi and final.Still, when Rickelton was dismissed in the powerplay for 18, Rassie van der Dussen followed shortly after for 6 and when former national captain Temba Bavuma went for 7, they may have been concerned. Hendricks and Wiaan Mulder put on 85 for the fourth wicket and Mulder brought up his first half-century of the tournament to take Lions to victory.

Hosts pile on 503 but Durham responded positively after 146.4 overs in the field

ECB Reporters Network11-May-2024Tom Prest flaunted his significant talent with his second Vitality County Championship hundred as Hampshire and Durham’s Division One clash turned into a run-fest.The 21-year-old expertly scored 102, to dovetail with Ali Orr’s day one century and Ben Brown’s 75th first-class fifty, to help Hampshire to 503.Alex Lees led Durham’s response on a Utilita Bowl pitch which has displayed heavy spin in patches but has mostly been fun in the sun to bat on.The opener scored 71 before departing in the penultimate over of the day, having teamed up with David Bedingham to put on a match-high 97 for the third wicket. Durham ended the day on 146 for 3, 357 in arrears.Prest furthered his reputation of being Hampshire’s most exciting homegrown batter since James Vince while showing his complete range.He had enthusiastically reached his half-century on the first evening but was forced to bedded in with Ben Brown, as the visitors bowled accurately during the morning. The pair eventually added 72 together.Prest’s overnight partner Liam Dawson was leg before in the third over of the day – having survived a caught behind appeal from Ben Raine the delivery before.The former England under 19 captain cemented his place in the Hampshire side after a century against Essex in the penultimate match of last season, before an 85 against Lancashire last month proved the ton was no fluke.He never looked in any discomfort, not offering up a single chance as he strode his side to three batting points and a 161-ball century.Prest guided to first slip two balls after reaching three figures to give Brydon Carse his first wicket of the season – having gone nought for 285 up until that point in 2024.Brown, who passed fifty in 95 balls, and Felix Organ maintained Hampshire’s progress – with a clear intention to only have to bat once, especially with rain forecast on Monday.They put on 60 before a flurry of wickets ended the innings. Brown lost control of the bat and splattered one-handed to midwicket, Organ was run out by James Fuller’s lazy running, Kyle Abbott was bowled by a Callum Parkinson ripper before Fuller – after some exciting shot-making – lost his off stump.Parkinson ended with an expensive four-for, with debutant Peter Siddle pilfering three. Hampshire reached 500 at home for the first time since 2019.Vince called for his spinners as soon as the eighth and ninth overs and was quickly rewarded with turn for Dawson and Organ – the former seeing two loud lbw appeals turned down in his first over.Organ was the first to strike when Scott Borthwick brought tea by misreading a full straight delivery to be bowled, and end a pacy 45-run stand with Lees. And then Colin Ackermann was plumb in front to Dawson.Lees batted himself out of danger of becoming a victim of the spin and variable bounce with a series of aggressive boundary shots.But the spell of peril eased and Lees slipped back down the gears to reach 50 for the second time this year in exactly 100 balls, with Bedingham keeping him company.He was adjudged leg-before to Dawson with the seventh from last ball of the day, with Hampshire the only side who could realistically win this game.

Ricky Ponting suggested the club might need to consider moving to find better conditions

AAP09-Jan-2024Sydney Thunder remain committed to their western Sydney home, despite question marks over a Showground wicket labelled “substandard” by Ricky Ponting.Thunder’s seven-wicket loss to Perth Scorchers on Monday was plagued by questions over a slow, spinning wicket that produces the lowest scoring rates in the Big Bash League.Ashton Agar took 2 for 6 off four overs for Scorchers, as Thunder were kept to 137 for 8 from their 20 overs. Scorchers reached their target with five balls to spare.Related

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• Ponting slams Showground pitch as Thunder lose low-scoring game to Scorchers

It is not the first time the Sydney Showground wicket has come under attack, with Scorchers captain Ashton Turner labelling it “disappointing” in early 2019.The run-rate at the Showground of 7.76 since the BBL’s inception is the lowest of all regular grounds, with spinners and off-pace deliveries the norm.That raises questions over the ability of the venue – situated in one of Sydney’s most-populated areas – to assist the BBL in acting as a gateway for new fans into the sport.Former Australia skipper Ponting, in commentary for Seven on Monday night, went as far as to question whether Thunder should move to Canberra permanently, concerned the Showground wicket would stop them attracting or keeping talent.Two of Thunder’s home games this summer are at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.But AAP has been told there are no plans for Thunder to shelve western Sydney, or for the number of games in the area to be reduced.It is more likely Thunder could increase games in the region, given its population of 2.6 million, with the hope of kick-starting the introduction of better facilities.Thunder captain Chris Green rejected any suggestion the club should pick up and leave the Showground for the national capital.”We’re the Sydney Thunder, this is where we like to play. This is our home ground. This is where we’re from, the west of Sydney,” Green said.”I’d hate to see us move down [to Canberra] permanently. I like staying at home, playing at home, having my family come and watch me play. This is our home base.”Green also shot down any suggestion the Showground pitch had been a long-term issue, joking he would love to take the wicket everywhere he goes as a spinner.”This is better than a lot of wickets in the country. It’s just about adapting to those conditions better,” Green said on Monday. “We had a 200-game here last year [in the finals] and the rain ruined it. The Sixers game this year was a sellout, and the rain ruined it.”If we scored 10 more runs or about five less wides tonight, it’s probably going down to the last ball which is an entertaining fixture. So I disagree with those comments.”We can’t just roll out a belter of a wicket and have 220 plays 220, because that tests one side of skill – but this is another side of skill.”

Mumbai, the winners of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, haven’t made the knockouts

Shashank Kishore05-Jan-2025Mayank Agarawal slammed his fourth List A hundred in five innings as Karnataka entered the knockouts of the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy along with defending champions Haryana, Punjab, Bengal and Tamil Nadu among others.Mumbai, the winners of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, haven’t made the knockouts after finishing third in Group C with five wins in seven games. Both their losses, to Karnataka and Punjab, deflated their campaign which they ended on a winning note on Sunday with teenaged opener Aayush Mhatre hitting an unbeaten 148 to seal victory over Saurashtra in a 290-run chase.Mhatre, who made his List A debut for Mumbai during the competition, finished as the side’s leading run-getter with 458 runs in seven innings, including two centuries and a half-century. The only other centurion for Mumbai was Shreyas Iyer, the captain, who also hit two centuries: an unbeaten 55-ball 114 in a losing cause against Karnataka and a match-winning 133-ball 137 not out against Puducherry.Related

• The long-winding rise of Krishnan Shrijith

• Karun Nair sets new List A record for most runs without being dismissed

Meanwhile, Punjab’s road to the knockouts was dotted with impressive batting performances that helped them rack up scores of 424 and 426 against Saurashtra and Hyderabad respectively. On Sunday, they scored 338 to win by 167 runs against Puducherry and finish the group stage with six wins in seven games. However, Karnataka by virtue of their one-wicket win over Punjab topped the group.That loss notwithstanding, Punjab finished as the best second-ranked team (in terms of points) from all five groups to earn a direct quarter-final berth. Their campaign has been spearheaded by wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh, who has so far slammed three centuries: 150* vs Mumbai, 125 vs Saurashtra and 137 vs Hyderabad.Prabhsimran’s opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma has been particularly formidable. Against Saurashtra, they put on 298, the joint second-highest opening stand in the tournament history, equalling the record set by Bengal’s Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Gharami in 2022. Abhishek, Punjab’s captain, hit a career-best 170, off just 96 balls, while Prabhsimran hit 125.Punjab’s scintillating run has also seen wholesome contributions from pace spearhead Arshdeep Singh, who sits atop the wicket-takers’ charts. Arshdeep’s 17 wickets in six games have come at an economy of 5.53, with a best of 5 for 38 against Mumbai.Elsewhere, Gujarat and Vidarbha were the only two teams to finish the group stage with an all-win record, while Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan Bengal are the only three teams (out of ten) to make the knockouts having lost two games.Gujarat’s campaign has been spearheaded by their fast-bowling pair of Chintan Gaja and Arzan Nagwaswalla, who are second and third on the wicket-taker’s charts while Vidarbha’s run comes on the back of Karun Nair’s record-breaking run of form: he has hit four hundreds in five innings.Nair holds the record for most List A runs without being dismissed. He’s currently second on the run charts with 542 runs, behind Agarawal’s tally of 613 in seven innings, which includes four hundreds and a half-century.

Vijay Hazare Trophy knockouts line-up

Pre-quarterfinals: Haryana vs Bengal, Rajasthan vs Tamil Nadu (both on January 9)
Quarter-finals: Vidarbha vs Punjab, Karnataka vs Baroda (both on January 11); Gujarat vs winner of Haryana-Bengal, Maharashtra vs winner of Rajasthan-Tamil Nadu (both on January 12)Semifinals: January 15 and 16.Final: January 18

The legspinner has battled injuries and illness to thump life into Australia’s World Cup campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-20231:11

Pujara: Zampa’s flatter trajectory made the difference

Adam Zampa has had to deal with back, neck, shoulder, and glute complaints – and even illness – in this World Cup, but he has overcome them to revive Australia’s campaign. After taking 4 for 47 against Sri Lanka in Lucknow, the legspinner bagged another four-wicket haul against Pakistan in Bengaluru on Friday, to help Australia secure their second successive victory. This, after they had started the tournament with back-to-back losses.Australia captain Pat Cummins was pleased with Zampa’s latest effort, which helped his side defend 367 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which often spooks bowlers with its small dimensions and easy-paced pitch. Zampa claimed the key wickets of both captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, the highest run-getter in the tournament so far, to kill off the chase.”Yeah, Lazarus [Adam Zampa] has been awesome,” Cummins told at the post-match presentation. “He’s been in the bed for the last week or two. He was fantastic, and he just showed his class. He’s a real wicket-taker in the middle. Babar Azam and Iftikhar [Ahmed] at the end when he was going – two big wickets.”Related

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• Stats – Warner and Marsh's record stand in a six-hitting blitz

Marcus Stoinis, Zampa’s close friend and team-mate, felt that this was Zampa’s best spell in this World Cup. “I’m very happy for Lazarus (laughs). He’s had a flu, he’s had a sore back, he’s had a bad neck and he’s had a bad glute,” Stoinis said. “But he’s been bowling really well. This game was the best he has bowled, I reckon. So, he will rest up today and come strong tomorrow.”Zampa – and Australia – will have a four-day break before they face Netherlands in Delhi.Cummins also credited David Warner and Mitchell Marsh for setting up Australia’s victory on Friday with a 259-run opening stand. Both batters scored century and at one point Warner even threatened to convert it into a double-hundred. Pakistan’s bowlers then clawed their way back in the slog overs, but the openers had already inflicted severe damage on their attack by then.”Yeah, that was a great win,” Cummins said. “Pretty tough playing here at Chinnaswamy, but good to get a win. Yeah, that was proper from those two [David Warner and Mitchell Marsh]. That kind of set the tone for how we want to play our cricket: take the game on. Eighty-odd in the powerplay was fantastic and I can’t ask for any more. That [batting through] in ODI cricket is key and it can look easy at times and hard to get the breakthrough. You just need one breakthrough and the next guy suddenly looks a bit different. So, it was great.”Just five days ago, Australia were rooted to the bottom of the points table. They’ve now climbed up into the top four and are looking like serious contenders for the title once again.

There is the World Cup looming for the visitors, while the hosts will be aiming for their first ODI series win against India since 2006

Hemant Brar31-Jul-20235:25

“Hope India bring back Kohli and Rohit for the decider”

Big picture

After India’s loss in the second ODI, their head coach Rahul Dravid said: “With the Asia Cup and World Cup coming up, we have to look at the bigger picture. We cannot get worried about every single game and every single series. If we do that, it will be a mistake.”If India walk the talk, Tuesday’s series decider could be another rest day for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Even in the first ODI, Rohit batted at No. 7 and Kohli never came out.Ishan Kishan has made good use of these World Cup auditions, scoring a fifty in each ODI. However, two other candidates – Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson – have failed to impress. Suryakumar got starts in both games but couldn’t convert them into something substantial. Samson played only the second match and scored 9. But Tuesday could present them with another opportunity.Related

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• Hardik still 'turtle, not the rabbit' as he builds up bowling workload

West Indies will not be going to the World Cup, but they have a chance to register a rare ODI series win against India in recent times. Since 2006, the two teams have played 12 bilateral ODI series against each other with India winning every time.Batters from both sides – barring Kishan and Shai Hope – found it difficult to score in Bridgetown as the pitch helped fast bowlers and spinners alike. Hope said after the first ODI that a 9.30am start was the main reason behind that. It will be another 9.30am start in Tarouba, where the third ODI will be held, and while the pitch may not be as conducive for seamers, spinners could once again prove to be difficult to score off.

Form guide

West Indies WLLWL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
India LWLLW1:25

“Forget about the past, look ahead to better days”

In the spotlight

Until the start of 2023, Shai Hope was primarily a top-order batter who doubled up as an anchor. He averaged 48.95 with a strike rate of 74.68. But since then, despite moving down to the order, he has struck at an average of 69.66 and a strike rate of 96.75. The main contributing factor towards that elevated strike rate is his improved six-hitting skills. He is now hitting a six every 33 balls as opposed to one every 93 balls prior to that. With scores of 43 and 63 not out so far in the series, he will once again be a key batter for West Indies.Few can do what Suryakumar Yadav does in T20 cricket, but he is finding it difficult to adjust to the rhythm of the 50-over game. While he has a strike rate of over 100 in ODIs, he has managed just 476 runs in 23 innings, at an average of 23.80. After the second ODI, coach Dravid said that the team management wanted to give him as many opportunities as they can. With the ODI World Cup roughly two months away, Suryakumar better grab these chances soon.

Team news

After a win in the second ODI, West Indies are unlikely to make any changes.West Indies (probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Alick Athanaze, 4 Shai Hope (capt & wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Keacy Carty, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Yannic Cariah, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Jayden SealesIndia, too, could field an unchanged XI, resting Rohit and Kohli again.India (probable): 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Umran Malik, 11 Mukesh Kumar3:05

“Our last chance to try different combinations”

Pitch and conditions

This will be the first ODI at the Brian Lara Stadium. The venue has hosted only one men’s international game to date: a T20I between West Indies and India last year. In 23 List A matches there, teams batting first have breached 250 only seven times. On Tuesday, the weather is expected to be cloudy but the rain should stay away.

Stats and trivia

• Hope is 65 away from 5000 ODI runs. If he gets there on Tuesday, in his 113th innings, he will be the third fastest to the mark behind Babar Azam and Hashim Amla.
• If Kohli plays and scores 102, he will become the fifth batter to reach the 13,000 mark in ODIs.
• Ravindra Jadeja needs six wickets to become the seventh Indian to 200 ODI wickets, and the first Indian since Kapil Dev (3783 runs and 253 wickets) to complete the double of 2000 runs and 200 wickets.
• Kyle Mayers is only the third West Indies player to open both batting and bowling in the same ODI. Phil Simmons and Chris Gayle are the other two.