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Zimbabwe betrayed the inexperience of a team that hasn’t played top-level opposition in over five years to leave Pakistan sniffing victory in Bulawayo

The Report by Nitin Sundar04-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Hafeez carved up the Zimbabwe lower-middle order•Associated Press

Zimbabwe betrayed their rustiness at the Test level, undoing ten sessions of hard-earned parity by frittering eight second-innings wickets in 27.3 overs to leave Pakistan sniffing victory in Bulawayo. Pakistan’s offspinners – Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez – were always going to be a factor on a strip dusting up after three days of inactivity, but Zimbabwe’s nervous shot-making contributed to their downfall.That the match did not end on the fourth day was down to a gutsy ninth-wicket stand worth 66, between Tatenda Taibu and Kyle Jarvis. Their effort highlighted just how poorly the top order had fared on a pitch that was not the minefield that their capitulation made it out to be. Zimbabwe finished the day effectively 81 for 8, and Pakistan will doubtless be reminded of their shambolic defeat in Sydney when Australia jail-broke from a similar situation in 2009. But against this inexperienced bunch, they are still well in control.The draw still seemed the likeliest outcome when the third innings got underway, though Ray Price had shown that the wicket had some life it in. Zimbabwe’s hopes would have been bolstered by the fact that they had somehow survived Ajmal’s doosra in the first innings, despite not picking too many of them. Today, however, the mere threat of the doosra proved their undoing.Vusi Sibanda exited even before Ajmal made an appearance, to his tendency to pull with little regard for length. It wasn’t a particularly short ball from Aizaz Cheema, but Sibanda hauled it meekly to mid-on. Ajmal then took over, removing two of the three batsmen most likely to resist. Tino Mawoyo had prodded several times inside the line in the first innings as the doosra left him. This time, he shuffled across in an attempt to cover the doosra, leaving his leg stump prone to the offbreak. Brendan Taylor tried to negate the variations by reaching well out and sweeping, but he was still beaten by the turn and trapped in front.Three balls later, Hamilton Masakadza inside-edged Cheema onto the stumps even as he looked to leave the ball. Hafeez then tormented the lower half with the minimally turning offbreak, a weapon that had worked well for him in the West Indies. He snuck a slider onto Crag Ervine’s pads to leave Zimbabwe reeling at 45 for 5. Taibu was firm, but Hafeez kept striking at the other end as the tail seemed to mistake him for Muttiah Muralitharan.Greg Lamb padded up to a regulation offbreak, Price played inside the line of a straight ball, and Brian Vitori heaved straight to midwicket. At 69 for 8, Zimbabwe were only 14 ahead and looking at an early finish, before Taibu and Jarvis showed resolve.Taibu survived a nervous moment when he lofted Ajmal just out of the slow-moving Sohail Khan’s reach at mid-off. After that he was solid, showing the virtues that easily make him the best player of spin in his side. His sure feet smothered the spin when the ball was full, while soft hands and the ability to cover the line helped him keep out the shorter ones. Gradually, Pakistan began to give Taibu the single, a move that played into his hands as he slog-swept Hafeez to bring up his fifty.Jarvis plugged his end after enjoying an early let-off when Aizaz Cheema grassed a tough return catch. He was not too certain against Ajmal, but ensured Zimbabwe lasted another day.Earlier in the day, Price was the only exception as Zimbabwe aided Pakistan’s quest for a lead with listless bowling and atrocious catching.Price homed in on the rough created at the Airport End, and began to rip the ball out of the footmarks past the right handers. Younis Khan, on 61 overnight, responded by charging out of the crease and launching him over long-on. After that, he reverted to stout defence. Unlike Younis, Adnan Akmal was constantly on the lookout for the extra run. He hurried Pakistan into the lead in the 136th over by glancing, driving and steering Jarvis for boundaries. Before long, though, his enthusiasm got the better of him and he ran himself out.After 44 overs of supreme discipline, 23 of them maidens, Price finally struck. He found a way past Younis on 88, getting him to edge an over-pitched ball into Taibu’s pad, for Taylor to take the rebound.Ajmal slashed Vitori through point, before summoning the skill to loft Price over long-on. Masakadza then fluffed a sitter at gully – the sixth drop of the innings – and Sohail celebrated by biffing the next ball for six. Chris Mpofu’s short balls, and Price’s persistence eventually bowled Pakistan out 54 ahead. In hindsight, Zimbabwe may have been better served by not hastening the end of that innings.

Gavin Hamilton, the veteran Scotland batsman and former captain of the national side, has announced his retirement

Cricinfo staff19-Aug-2010Gavin Hamilton, the veteran Scotland batsman and former captain of the national side, has announced his retirement. He will make his final appearances in Scotland colours in the two Clydesdale Bank 40 matches against Hampshire and Leicestershire in Aberdeen this weekend.”It is really a build-up of circumstances and part of it is that I don’t want to go down the slippery slope of being a liability to the team,” Hamilton told . “Due to work commitments, I simply don’t have the time to train and practise and there is only so long you can get away with that. I always promised myself I would stop playing when I still felt I was doing a decent job and personal pride is really the bottom line.”Born in Broxburn, Hamilton, 35, made his senior Scotland debut against Essex at Lochside Park, Forfar, in 1993 at the age of 19, after a successful time in the national Under-16 and Under-19 squads. Six years later, he was Scotland’s player of the World Cup in England, scoring half-centuries against a Pakistan attack that included Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain Mushtaq, and Bangladesh on his way to a tournament tally of 217 runs – 24 more than England’s leading run-scorer.His performances caught the eye of the England selectors and he was included on England’s tour of South Africa the following winter, but he scored a pair and failed to take a wicket in what will remain his only Test, at Johannesburg, and was ruthlessly dumped. After a mandatory four-year wait, he was again picked for Scotland in the squad for the 2004 ECC European Championship and helped them qualify for the 2007 World Cup in West Indies.Hamilton took over the captaincy from Ryan Watson in 2009, holding the position for a year before relinquishing it to Gordon Drummond earlier this summer. As well as stints with Yorkshire and Durham, in 130 matches for Scotland to date, he has amassed more than 3,500 runs at an average of 31.25, including five centuries and 21 half-centuries.”Gav has been a tremendous servant to Scottish cricket, and we will miss him greatly,” said Roddy Smith, Cricket Scotland’s chief executive. “He has been, arguably, one of the best-ever Scottish cricketers and everyone was very proud when he played Test cricket for England.”Gavin has been the backbone of our batting in recent years, and also steeped into the captaincy last year, and has been instrumental in assisting the team through a transitional period. To play for your country for 17 years is an amazing achievement.”He has been a remarkable player, who represented his country in four World Cup events and umpteen pressurised situations. Never once has his enthusiasm flagged, and he has been a fantastic ambassador for Scottish cricket. Let’s hope he goes out with a bang this weekend.”Scotland’s selectors also announced the 13-man squad that will feature Hamilton’s name for the last time for their CB40 fixtures.Scotland squad: Gordon Drummond (capt), George Bailey, Richie Berrington, Ryan Flannigan, Gordon Goudie, Gavin Hamilton, Majid Haq, Moneeb Iqbal, Dougie Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Preston Mommsen, Matthew Parker, Fraser Watts.

The Tasmania allrounder continued an impressive season while Australia crashed to defeat in Perth

AAP25-Nov-2024Beau Webster sent a timely reminder of his all-round capabilities, posting a half-century and taking three top-order wickets in Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield clash with New South Wales.The hosts went to stumps on day two at 235 for 4 at the SCG, with Kurtis Patterson out for 99 just before the close. Patterson’s runs and Webster’s form have come in the background of Australia’s first-Test embarrassment against India in Perth.Related

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If changes do come before the second Test in Adelaide, it is likely to be Josh Inglis who comes into the side as the current reserve bat and pressure on Marnus Labuchagne.But there is a case to be made for Webster. The Tasmanian was the leading run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield last summer, and his 61 on Monday helped take his red-ball season record to 401 runs at 57.29. Included in that are unbeaten scores of 61 and 41 for Australia A against India A in the past month.Webster brought up his 50 off 66 balls on Monday, after two cover-drives went to the rope early in the day against Jackson Bird. Another boundary came from a clever paddle-sweep off Adam Zampa, before he was caught behind off Bird shortly after lunch as part of a collape of 3 for 0.The other factor in Webster’s favour are the overs he can offer with the ball as both a seamer and spinner. Bowling workloads have suddenly become crucial after Cameron Green’s injury, and the use of Labuschagne to shoulder some of the load in Perth.He trapped Maddinson lbw for 34 on Monday with his medium-pace, before having Oliver Davies and Patterson caught behind in his 3 for 56. He also had two catches dropped off his bowling.For now though, Webster is resigned to the fact Australia are unlikely to go away from their set up of three specialist quicks and only the one allrounder in Mitch Marsh.”It seems like they are pretty traditional with three quicks, spin and allrounder for a lot of years,” Webster said. “Those big three quicks are very hardened and bowl a lot of overs, and Nathan is unbelievable [with his workload]. That’s usually the way they go, I don’t see them going any other way.”My way in is if someone does need a rest, or God forbid an injury. You never wish that on anyone. But that is a way I might find my way in the squad at least.”Patterson is also starting to make something of a selection case, with this his fourth straight score above 50 since being recalled to the NSW team.A Test player who scored a century in his last match back in 2019, the left-hander has made scores of 91, 66, 71 and 99 this summer.Earlier Sam Konstas had looked particularly good, cover-driving anything too full to the boundary before chopping on a cut shot on 39.

They have suggested November 11, instead of November 12 which is also the date of the Hindu festival of Kali Puja

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2023The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has requested the BCCI to move the England vs Pakistan ODI World Cup game, scheduled to be played at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on November 12, to another date, suggesting November 11 as an alternative. The development came after the city police informed CAB that they are expecting enhanced security for the game as Pakistan are one of the teams. November 12 is also the date for Kali Puja, one of the city’s, and the region’s, most important Hindu festivals.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that CAB officials had a meeting with city police authorities on Thursday, and were informed about the law-and-order concerns on the day of the festival. Following that, the association wrote to Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, requesting the date change.This comes close on the heels of the Ahmedabad police expressing its inability to provide security for the India vs Pakistan game on October 15, since it clashed with the first day of the nine-day Hindu festival of Navaratri, one of the most important festivals in Gujarat, of which Ahmedabad is a part, and many other parts of northern India. The game – still in Ahmedabad – has since been moved to October 14, though the ICC or the BCCI is yet to make an official statement to that effect.Related

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Kolkata Police’s position is not ideal, managing a major religious event and a high-profile cricket match on the same day.The CAB’s position is an unenviable one. In 2011, when the ODI World Cup was last played in India, Kolkata, and the city’s iconic Eden Gardens, was deemed unfit to host the India vs England game. The venue did host three games, which did not involve India, in 2011.CAB, and cricket fans in Kolkata, wouldn’t want to be in a situation where the big-ticket England vs Pakistan game is moved to another city, and it is understood the association officials have also reached out to Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, to try and intervene.The original schedule of the World Cup had Eden Gardens marked to host five games: Bangladesh vs Netherlands on October 28, Bangladesh vs Pakistan on October 31, India vs South Africa on November 5, England vs Pakistan on November 12, and the second semi-final on November 16.The schedule of the World Cup was released after a long delay on June 27, just 100 days before the scheduled start of the tournament on October 5 in Ahmedabad, whereas the schedules for the last two editions of the tournament, in Australia and New Zealand (2015) and England and Wales (2019) were out more than 12 months in advance.The World Cup is scheduled to begin with reigning champions England taking on New Zealand and end on November 19, but there is still no update on when the tickets will go on sale.

KKR coach will stand down from IPL role at end of season after signing a four-year deal

Andrew Miller12-May-2022Brendon McCullum, the former New Zealand captain, has been confirmed by the ECB as England Men’s new Test head coach, on a four-year deal.McCullum, who will step down from his role as Kolkata Knight Riders’ head coach at the end of the ongoing IPL, played 101 Tests for New Zealand between 2004 and 2016, scoring 6453 runs at 38.64 with a highest score of 302 against India in 2014, which remains the only triple-century made by a New Zealander.Although he has never before taken charge of a red-ball team in his coaching career, McCullum was New Zealand captain for 31 Tests from 2013 until his retirement, earning plaudits for a positive approach which was also instrumental in the white-ball team’s run to the World Cup final in 2015. In 2020, he also coached Trinbago Knight Riders to the Caribbean Premier League title.His exact arrival date in the UK is dependent on KKR’s qualification for the IPL play-offs, although with two group-stage games remaining – the last of which comes against Lucknow Super Giants on May 18, they are an outside bet to reach the competition’s final four.Work permits permitting, he is expected to link up with the squad – which will be led by England’s newly-appointed captain Ben Stokes – ahead of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, starting June 2, and will now have an input in next week’s selection meeting too.Rob Key, England’s director of men’s cricket, acknowledged that McCullum’s appointment was a calculated gamble, adding that it was “time for us all to buckle up and get ready for the ride”, but praised his proven ability to change team cultures for the better – an attribute sorely needed after a grim 12 months for England’s Test team, in which they have won one of their last 17 Tests and sunk to their lowest ICC ranking since 1995.”I’d like to say how pleased I am to be given this opportunity to positively contribute to England’s Test cricket set-up and move the team forward into a more successful era,” McCullum said in an ECB press release.”In taking this role on, I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we’ve confronted them head-on.”I’ve enjoyed several robust conversations with Rob Key about the direction of travel for the team and have found his enthusiasm contagious. I’m no stranger to bringing about change within a team environment, and I can’t wait to get started.Related

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“Ben Stokes is the perfect character to inspire change around him, and I look forward to working closely with him to build a successful unit around us.”McCullum had initially been earmarked for England’s white-ball coaching role, not least because of his close personal and professional relationship with the captain Eoin Morgan – he was master of ceremonies at Morgan’s wedding in 2018 and last year the pair guided KKR to the IPL final.However, once it became clear he was interested in the Test job, McCullum emerged as the unanimous choice of an ECB selection panel comprising Key, CEO Tom Harrison, performance director Mo Bobat, and Andrew Strauss, who is a strategic advisor to the board having stood down from his interim MD role in the wake of Key’s appointment.In particular, it was felt that his vision for the Test team was in alignment with that of the new captain Stokes, who last week called for “selfless” cricketers to help revive the team’s fortunes, after being unveiled as the successor to Joe Root, who stood down last month after a record 64 Tests in charge.”We are delighted to confirm Brendon as England Men’s Test head coach,” Key said. “It has been a real privilege to get to know him and understand his views and vision for the game. I believe his appointment will be good for England’s Test team.”He has a recent history of changing cricket culture and environments for the better, and I believe he is the person to do that for England’s red-ball cricket.”We were incredibly fortunate to have a seriously strong list of quality candidates for the post, with Brendon demonstrating he was our number one choice.”I’d like to thank Tom Harrison and the ECB Board for their support in this process. I believe in Brendon and Ben Stokes – a formidable coach and captain partnership. Time for us all to buckle up and get ready for the ride.”Venky Mysore, CEO of the Knight Riders franchises, joked that the ECB were taking all of KKR’s successful coaches, having earlier seen Trevor Bayliss move into the head coach role from the IPL. Mysore, who recruited McCullum as head coach at the two Knight Riders franchises in IPL and CPL, said the former New Zealand captain’s biggest strength was being transparent and positive.”First of all he is a good human being. It starts with that,” Mysore said. “A national coaching role is a little different because you have so much more time with work with someone around the year. But it starts with being a good human being and then being able to connect with people and build relationships. When you do that and earn their trust that’s when people are open to listening to you.”At the core of it, you’ve got to be a trustworthy person who people take a liking to. It takes time. Then they are open to listening to what you are saying. That is the key. It seems simple but it is such a hard thing to get. Ultimately you need to have that core capability, which is to be able to be transparent, be honest and build those relationships. And that’s his strength. He has got a very positive vibe about him, always.”England’s white-ball team is not in action until their three-match ODI series against the Netherlands which starts on June 17, and so there is less urgency in filling the second of England’s coaching vacancies.Candidates for that role include Gary Kirsten – who had been among the frontrunners for the Test role – alongside the Australia women’s coach Matthew Mott and Paul Collingwood, who filled the interim coaching role for both the red- and white-ball legs of England’s recent tour of the Caribbean.

Being No. 1 “means that there’s been a lot of hard work over a lot of matches and trainings” New Zealand captain says

Umar Farooq06-Jan-2021New Zealand have made it four wins out of four in their home Test summer, and become No. 1 in the world in the format for the first time, while also extending their unbeaten streak at home to 17. Kane Williamson feels this consistency is down to “the drastic changes in terms of the culture” in the team put in place during Brendon McCullum’s stint as captain, which has given them the license to play fearless cricket.”My observation of teams is that over a period of time, you have changes in personnel and obviously under Brendon the drastic changes in terms of the culture started things off to a large extent,” he said after New Zealand swept the two-Test series against Pakistan with an innings-and-176-run win at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Wednesday. “From our perspective, it’s just been trying to build, grow and adjust when needed as time goes by, and that’s a continuation, and something that we’ll try to focus on and continue to improve on.”I don’t know how the rankings work exactly, but I know they sort of span over a period of time, which, I suppose, means that there’s been a lot of hard work over a lot of matches and trainings and all these sorts of things to to reach that. So a very special moment from the guys. It was hard to talk about until perhaps the summer was over, so it’s nice to be able to sit back now and enjoy the moment.”New Zealand have now won six Tests at home in a row, against India, West Indies and Pakistan, their best streak ever, and it’s kept alive their hopes of making it to the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June.Related

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Williamson was named the Player of the Match in Christchurch for his 238 in New Zealand’s only innings, but Kyle Jamieson, playing only his sixth Test, was as crucial to the outcome with his match haul of 11 wickets. Only Richard Hadlee (thrice) and Daniel Vettori (twice) have had better match returns than Jamieson’s 11 for 117 for New Zealand, while only three bowlers with at least 20 wickets have had better averages than Jamieson’s 13.27 after six Tests.”Some younger guys have come in, the likes of Daryl Mitchell [who scored his maiden Test century in Christchurch] and Kyle Jamison, you know, especially in this game where there were some outstanding performances, contributions… But more the attitude that they brought in terms of their performance is most satisfying,” Williamson said. “Their efforts that went into just trying to move the team forward, and perhaps get the side across the line, that’s really special and something that we do focus on as a team and try to build on as a unit moving forward as well.A souvenir to remember the 11 iwickets by•Getty Images

“Kyle is extremely good at bat and ball, a very, very special talent. I think if he continues to – and I’m sure he will, he’s got a great head on his shoulders – bring that great attitude that he has… things have come very thick and fast for Kyle, which is a really enjoyable part of the game, but also something that he’s learning a bit about as well and learning about himself.”He’s got a real strong desire to improve and pick the brains of some of these other senior guys that have been around for a long time, so he’s a humble guy and a player that just wants to continue to get better.”As for Pakistan, they did show some fight in the second innings of the first Test, almost forcing a draw courtesy the 165-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Fawad Alam and Mohammad Rizwan. But they have been outplayed outside of that in all departments.”The game is truly a game of small margins – we’re very pleased with the efforts that went into these last two games, but we we know the quality side that the Pakistanis have,” Williamson said. “There were definitely moments in both games that either went our way, or perhaps moments that we seized that went a long way to changing the result or putting the result in our favor.”I guess, on the scorecard, this game appeared to be one-sided, but you knew it wasn’t as the quality that they have in their attack, that things can happen really quickly with the new ball.”

Waqar Younis also returns as bowling coach but there are likely to be conflict of interest queries around Misbah’s appointment

Umar Farooq04-Sep-2019Misbah-ul-Haq has been handed unprecedented influence over Pakistan cricket, with the PCB confirming his appointment as coach of the national side, as well as – uniquely – chief selector. Pakistan’s most successful Test captain will also be reunited with Waqar Younis, who has been named bowling coach. Waqar was head coach twice during Misbah’s near-seven-year tenure as captain, the pair working well together in registering some of Pakistan’s finest successes in the period. Both have been given three-year contracts.Speculation had been rife about Misbah being appointed for a while now – though both positions were advertised publicly, the PCB actively chased Misbah. He delayed applying formally for the position and the reason, ESPNcricinfo understands, is because of yet another role he is due to take up: that of the PSL side Islamabad United’s head coach. Eventually, Misbah applied hours before the deadline, was interviewed, and ended up beating Mohsin Khan and Dean Jones, who had also applied. From being a shock candidate to take the captaincy less than a decade ago, Misbah is now, arguably, the most powerful man in Pakistan cricket.Applications were not especially abundant. Waqar was the only one who turned up for the interview after another shortlisted candidate, Mohammad Akram, withdrew at the last minute. This is Waqar’s fifth term with Pakistan in a coaching capacity, having served as bowling coach of the side in 2006-07, bowling and fielding coach briefly in 2009-10, head coach in 2010-11 and again from 2014 to 2016. The end, when it had come, wasn’t a pleasant one as he resigned three months before his contract was to end after a poor World T20. He will be replacing Azhar Mahmood, who was released alongside Mickey Arthur, the previous head coach, after the World Cup this year.ESPNcricinfo

If Misbah’s multiple roles weren’t already a talking point – and he was part of the selection of all province squads for domestic cricket too – he was also part of the very committee that reviewed Arthur’s tenure after the World Cup and then decided to not renew his contract. Now, in effect, one of those responsible for the decision to release Arthur has succeeded him.The PCB had used a five-member panel with two independent former cricketers – Intikhab Alam and Bazid Khan – as well as governing board member Asad Ali Khan, Wasim Khan (chief executive, PCB) and Zakir Khan (director – international cricket) for the recruitment process.The board had also sought candidates for the batting coach role, but didn’t shortlist the only applicants – Mohammad Wasim and Faisal Iqbal. Both were ignored and with Misbah at the helm, the PCB has decided to call in an assistant coach from the NCA as support staff.Of Misbah’s numerous roles, his position as head coach of a PSL franchise and the national team raises questions of a potential conflict of interest – much in the way it had with his predecessor. Arthur was also coach of Karachi Kings during his time as Pakistan coach. The matter was taken up by Ehsan Mani after becoming PCB chairman and he promised to form a policy on dual roles that caused potential conflicts of interest.Before becoming chairman, Mani had questioned the situation of national coaches working with domestic teams. But with Misbah now holding three roles, a definitive position on the issue may not be forthcoming. Last year, under Mani, the PCB did remove chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq from the PSL player draft committee because of a potential conflict of interest since he was involved with a talent-hunt programme run by one of the tournament’s franchises, Lahore Qalandars. Tauseef Ahmed, part of the national selection committee while also serving as Islamabad United’s spin coach, was also left out of the PSL draft committee.The first assignment of the Misbah-Waqar combination will be the upcoming three-ODI and three-T20I home series against Sri Lanka, which will be played from September 27 to October 9. Their first series in the World Test Championship will be in Australia, where Pakistan will play in Brisbane (November 21-25), followed by a day/night Test in Adelaide (November 29 – December 3).

England remain confident the allrounder will be available for the fourth Test against India next week

George Dobell22-Aug-2018Ben Stokes will not be available for Durham’s Vitality Blast quarter-final against Sussex having sustained a minor knee injury in the third Test.Stokes missed the second Test at Lord’s as he was standing trial on a charge of affray at Bristol Crown Court. As a result, he came into the
match at Trent Bridge a little short of bowling and, used in something of an enforcer role, got through 35 overs in the match.Towards the end of the India second innings, he was seen holding the back of his left knee after a spell of short-pitched bowling on a sluggish surface.While the England management expect him to be fit for the fourth Test, which starts on August 30, they have decided to rest him – both as an allrounder and as a specialist batsman – from the Blast quarter-final.Jos Buttler and Keaton Jennings, however, have both been made available for Lancashire, while Moeen Ali is available for Worcestershire.

Both Sri Lanka and Pakistan have been so strikingly inconsistent in their respective campaigns that it opens up a host of possibilities when they clash in a must-win in Cardiff

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando 11-Jun-2017

Match Facts

June 12, 2017
Start time 10.30am local (0930 GMT)

Big Picture

And so, it has transpired that two fundamentally flawed sides – seventh and eighth on the ODI rankings – now have the chance to scramble over the other into the semi-final of the most competitive one-day tournament around.How this came about deserves a brief recap. Pakistan, who barely strung together five overs of competence against India, choked South Africa’s top order with spin, before the quicks came back to wipe out the middle order with reverse swing. The next day, Sri Lanka, who had been swatted away like a gnat by South Africa, ran down India’s 321 for 6 with ease – Angelo Mathews so cool in the final overs, he practically had a cigar between his lips, and a drink in one hand.Even just two games in, both teams have put together such colourful campaigns. Sri Lanka’s old warhorse, Lasith Malinga, has been sporadically effective with the ball, but has been more entertaining in the field, where his slow-motion dives have brought to mind the keeling over of a ship. If you squint, you can just about see seismic ripples in the turf. Elsewhere, Sri Lanka have attempted singles advisable only on low-gravity planets, have committed batting hara-kiri against high-quality wrist spin, and players have strived en masse to rule themselves out of this game – Chamara Kapugedara, Kusal Perera and Upul Tharanga already unavailable, before a blow to Thisara Perera’s head at training also put him in doubt, though, thankfully, he appears to be fine now.Pakistan, meanwhile, had lost Umar Akmal to fitness concerns a week before the tournament, have seen ace bowler Mohammad Amir go wicketless in both matches, while other bowlers in the attack lurched from abysmal to dominant in the space of three days. Sarfraz Ahmed’s new captaincy has also been eventful. Mohammad Hafeez delivered ten overs and contributed the vital wicket of Quinton de Kock in Pakistan’s win over South Africa, but had not been bowled at all in the previous match, prompting much head-scratching, not least from Pakistan’s own coach.Look, these previews are often an occasion for considered analysis; a platform for weighing up relative strengths, and figuring out which side has the upper hand. But is there really a point with these two teams? When they play as they have, they are impervious to any kind of meaningful dissection. There is so little consistency from one game to the next, the whole exercise loses its value.And a Sri Lanka v Pakistan knockout has so much tragicomic potential that to discuss it beforehand is like giving out spoilers. This preview may already have said too much.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WLWLL (completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WLWWL

In the spotlight

Babar Azam, one of the brightest young batting talents on the planet, has five hundreds and six fifties in 28 innings, a rocking average of 54.44, and – crucially for a Pakistan batsman of the last two years – a 21st-century strike rate of 89. He had just been warming up when the rains came down in Birmingham – his last stroke having been a regal on-drive off Kagiso Rabada. Having had a modest tour of England last year, Babar will be eager to cross fifty for the first time on English soil, and Sri Lanka’s limited attack may be the opposition to do it against.Also in possession of a potentially devastating payload of talent is another 22-year-old, Kusal Mendis, whose crinkle-free 89 on Thursday helped set Sri Lanka on track to victory. There are still flaws in his game – Pakistan might be wise to pack their slip cordon early in his innings, for example. But 26 innings in, there is a scientific composure to his game that has been the cause of quiet excitement for Sri Lanka fans. Only Joe Root has hit more ODI fifties than Mendis’ 11, since the latter’s debut almost a year ago.Kusal Perera’s hamstring injury may mean a straight entry into the XI for Dhananjaya de Silva•Associated Press

Team news

Kusal Perera’s exit from the tournament due to a hamstring injury means Sri Lanka’s batting will be in flux again. They have flown in Dhananjaya de Silva and, given Tharanga remains suspended for another match, de Silva may have to walk straight into the middle order. There is a chance Sri Lanka will play Lakshan Sandakan instead of Thisara Perera, but the selectors have generally been conservative, so Thisara could stay. De Silva and Gunathilaka both provide offspin options.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Nuwan PradeepThere is a chance of fast-bowling allrounder Faheem Ashraf debuting, in place of Mohammad Hafeez. However, Pakistan will perhaps be unwilling to mess with a winning combination.Pakistan (possible): 1 Azhar Ali, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Mohammad Amir, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Junaid Khan

Pitch and conditions

The weather is forecast to be cloudy but dry, with temperatures around the mid-teens. A fresh pitch is being used for this match. Scores of 280-300 have seemed about par in the two matches played in Cardiff so far.

Stats and trivia

• The last time these two teams met in an ODI outside Asia was back in 2002. Of their ten most recent encounters – each of which has been in Asia – Sri Lanka have won six.
• Angelo Mathews, who hit 52 not out against India, has averaged an outstanding 50.08 since the start of 2014, with a strike rate of nearly 88
• Since his debut in August last year, Hasan Ali has taken 33 wickets at an average of 25.9 and strike rate of just under 27 – better, by a distance, than any of his team-mates to have played more than one match during that period

Quotes

“We are not trying to get too far ahead. We just want to take one game at a time. We’re not thinking about the semi-final as of now. We’re just taking on Pakistan tomorrow. We’ve got to play really good cricket to beat them, and we all know that they’re a very dangerous team.”
“I think it’s an achievement. Everyone wanted to do well in this competition. I believe, and we believe as a team, we are moving towards the right direction. We know as a team we are gelling together.”

Queensland have looked to local youth to replenish their list for the 2016-17 season, upgrading five rookies from last summer and handing a contract to 21-year-old opening batsman Marnus Labuschagne

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2016Queensland have looked to local youth to replenish their list for the 2016-17 season, upgrading five rookies from last summer and handing a contract to 21-year-old opening batsman Marnus Labuschagne. The Bulls have lost veterans James Hopes and Ryan Harris to retirement, while legspinner Cameron Boyce and allrounder Simon Milenko have moved to Tasmania.Fast bowler Nick Buchanan was dropped from last year’s contract list, while rookie batsman Nick Stevens did not have his contract renewed. Batsmen Sam Heazlett and Matt Renshaw were upgraded from rookie deals after breakout seasons, as was allrounder Jack Wildermuth, fast bowler Billy Stanlake and allrounder James Bazley.New rookies for 2016-17 include 17-year-old high-school students Xavier Bartlett, a 192-centimetre fast bowler, and Max Bryant, a batsman and medium-pace bowler. Fast bowler Jack Prestwidge, the son of former Queensland allrounder Scott Prestwidge and brother of Queensland Fire bowler Georgia Prestwidge, was handed his first rookie contract.There was also room on the rookie list for left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, fast bowler Brendan Doggett, and top-order batsman Bryce Street.”Having Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns on national contracts has allowed us to contract some exciting young rookie talent but also reward those players who emerged this season,” Justin Sternes, the Queensland convenor of selectors, said.”Ultimately we want to produce more players for Australia, and to do this, we need to continue to develop the potential that we have, complemented by experienced players and coaching staff. It is a stable playing group at the moment and that is quite encouraging for us as we plan and work towards meeting our collective goals.”Queensland finished fourth on the Sheffield Shield points table in 2015-16 and sixth in the Matador Cup, ahead only of the Cricket Australia XI.Queensland squad James Bazley, Joe Burns (Cricket Australia contract), Ben Cutting, Luke Feldman, Jason Floros, Peter Forrest, Cameron Gannon, Peter George, Chris Hartley, Sam Heazlett, Charlie Hemphrey, Usman Khawaja (CA), Marnus Labuschagne, Chris Lynn, Michael Neser, James Pierson, Nathan Reardon, Matt Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson, Jack Wildermuth.
Rookies Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Brendan Doggett, Jack Prestwidge, Matthew Kuhnemann, Bryce Street.