All posts by n8rngtd.top

David Coltart, the former sports minister, called it a “misplaced budgetary priority” as ZC look to market it as a destination venue for touring teams and the fans

Firdose Moonda25-Aug-2025Zimbabwe Cricket’s (ZC) construction of a flagship 10,000-seater stadium at Victoria Falls has come under severe criticism from the country’s former sports minister and mayor of Bulawayo, David Coltart.The stadium, named the Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium, is scheduled to be ready by August 2026 and is expected to host matches in the 2027 ODI World Cup. It has been called a “misplaced budgetary priority” by Coltart, even as ZC looks to market it as a destination venue for touring teams and the fans, especially from the countries that make up cricket’s Big Three.Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium has already had the main pitch planted, irrigation installed, and grass embankments completed. Work is now being done on the players’ pavilion and media centre, as well as with the water and power supply infrastructure.The development is fully funded by ZC and will cost the organisation US$12 million, money they believe they will recoup through the hosting of 2027 ODI World Cup matches and high-profile international visits. The confirmed fixtures and venues for the World Cup are yet to be decided, but Zimbabwe, who will co-host the tournament with South Africa and Namibia, will have at least two stadia allocated to them.Related

• Australia set to face Zimbabwe in three ODIs in 2026

• Zimbabwe cricket hit rock bottom last year, but they are picking themselves up

Post-tournament, Zimbabwe’s first target for a Victoria Falls series could be England and their large contingent of travelling fans. If a tour can be agreed, it will end more than 20 years of England cricket’s absence from Zimbabwe. England last played in the country in 2004 but relations thawed when they hosted Zimbabwe for a Test in May, after 22 years.Even with England as a drawcard, Coltart’s concern is that ZC are putting all their eggs in one basket, and not a very big one when it comes to cricket development. “Victoria Falls is a small tourist town with a tiny cricket supporting population. The development of this boutique stadium is unprecedented worldwide,” he posted on Facebook. “In every other Test-playing nation, the primary investment by their Boards has been to invest in existing stadia in large population centers right across their countries.”It must be clear that this stadium is not primarily part of an objective to take the game to smaller centers to promote the game. It appears to be mainly to have a stadium in a tourist center to attract foreign teams who will come for reasons beyond the sole purpose of playing cricket.”Whilst this may be admirable if the financial health of ZC was good, it is a terribly misplaced budgetary priority given the fact that cricket venues in cities across the country outside of Harare are collapsing and there is, as stated above, a near total collapse of cricketing facilities at most Government schools countrywide.ZC’s flagship Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium is expected to be ready by August 2026•Zimbabwe Cricket

“Unless we focus on the development of grassroots cricket and the game right across the country, our ability to play the game well at international level will continue to erode and ultimately the Victoria Falls stadium will become a white elephant.”ZC has not disguised that they are hoping to cash in on the tourist appeal of Victoria Falls, whose 108-metre-high and 1,708-metre-wide waterfalls attract around half a million people a year. However, they denied that it is their sole financial focus as they are spending a further US$6 million on other projects around the country.”Victoria Falls is our flagship project, but Zimbabwe Cricket is also investing heavily in other venues,” Tavengwa Mukhulani, ZC’s chairman, said. “At Harare Sports Club (HSC), we have almost completed construction of a new indoor facility, while we will also be reconstructing the famous Castle Corner grandstand and other areas.”Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo is getting new floodlights this year, while Takashinga is being expanded with new pitches and practice nets. We have also modernised facilities in Masvingo while setting up our new academy facility at Ncema. We are also preparing new sites in Mutare, Gweru and Mhondoro-Ngezi. These investments are about building capacity across the country so that cricket truly becomes a national game.”It is the last of those points that Coltart also contested in his post, where he wrote, “it appears that there is a conscious decision by Zimbabwe Cricket to promote cricket in Harare but little elsewhere,” and referenced both fixtures and team selection.HSC, which is Zimbabwe’s only venue with floodlights, currently hosts all of Zimbabwe’s white-ball internationals, while Queens in Bulawayo has hosted their last nine home Tests. Zimbabwe have not won a Test at Queens since 2001, and have not won a home Test since beating Pakistan in Harare in 2013.Their latest string of defeats, which culminated with their heaviest Test loss by an innings and 301 runs to New Zealand earlier this month, has also prompted criticism of team selection. Coltart alleged this is regionally biased and speaks to the lack of development elsewhere in the country.Zimbabwe were handed a comprehensive defeat by New Zealand•Zimbabwe Cricket

“It is also increasingly reflected in the composition of National teams, with almost all the players selected coming from Harare. All but one player in the current senior men’s team comes from Harare,” he wrote. “All but two players in the current men’s Under-19 team come from Harare and its environs.”Is it really the case that the rest of the country isn’t producing players of international quality? Cricket is a national game and we can only compete well internationally if we promote the game fairly right across Zimbabwe.”In a press conference, Mukhulani admitted that there is “an issue with the talent pool,” but said Zimbabwe’s wretched run is the result of them playing much more cricket (11 Tests this year alone) against much stronger opposition. “Given where we were coming from, it was important that we challenge ourselves,” he said. “We give the boys the best opportunity to progress. And you can only do that when you play those who are better than you.”The media engagement took place on August 15, the same day as Coltart’s post went public and three days after ZC issued a press release condemning what they called a “smear campaign,” run by Coltart.Among the issues between the parties are historical disputes dating as far back as 2003 over Coltart’s role when Andy Flower and Henry Olonga wore black armbands to protest what they called the death of democracy in Zimbabwe, both ZC’s and Coltart and relationship with the UK, and differences over team selection and environment and board composition.

Richard Pybus and Trevor Bayliss in agreement about potency of squad, despite lowly world ranking

George Dobell in Grenada25-Feb-2019West Indies can cause a shock – and perhaps even win – the World Cup, according to the England and West Indies coaches.While West Indies’ recent record is not promising – they have not won a bilateral ODI series since 2014, have won only two of their last
seven completed ODIs and are currently ranked No. 9 in the world – the coaches of both sides in the current series in the Caribbean believe
they are a fast-improving, dangerous side who could beat “anyone on their day”.”I know the right West Indies combination with a fully focussed side can beat anyone on their day,” Richard Pybus, West Indies’ interim coach, said. “I wasn’t at the World Cup qualifiers but, with the group of guys we have now, we feel confident could take down anyone on their day.”Key to West Indies’ improved confidence is the return of several high-profile players. Darren Bravo returned in December, Chris Gayle returned for this series – and has responded with a century and half-century – while Andre Russell is expected to return for the fourth ODI in Grenada on Wednesday. As a result, West Indies look as if they have the firepower to damage more opponents.”The West Indies have been playing some decent cricket over the last 18 months,” Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, agreed. “With the size of their batters and the way some of them hit the ball they can be a chance of winning that World Cup.”While he was unable to confirm whether Gayle had done enough to cement his place as opener at the World Cup, Pybus did say he had made a “very resounding case” and defended his somewhat careful starts in each of the first two ODIs.”I can’t speak on behalf of the selectors but I think Chris has put forward a very resounding case,” Pybus said. “He’s just class really. It’s always great having guys in your side who are a bit scary for the opposition who know full well what they can deliver.”In those first two games, Chris was getting a feel for a spongy wicket batting first. It can be a game of two halves in Barbados. He was playing himself through. But, as we have all seen in T20, he can attack that first powerplay brutally. On good wickets he’ll be going hard pretty early.”

Pakistan head coach says he will focus on getting batters used to such conditions

Danyal Rasool24-Jan-2025Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed has launched an impassioned defence for the recent spin-friendly pitches for Test matches in the country.Ahead of the second Test against West Indies in Multan, Aaqib said that if the decision to prepare such wickets been taken sooner, Pakistan may have been closer to making the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Speaking publicly for the first time since assuming the role of interim coach of the Test side, he said he remained focused on winning Test matches and dismissed concerns about his side’s strategy.”Why is it that if fast bowlers take wickets, [people say] Test cricket is moving forward, and if spinners take wickets, Test cricket’s going backwards?” Aaqib said on the eve of the game. “I don’t understand this. When you go to Australia and England, they prepare pitches how they like. So, if we prepare turning wickets and spinners take wickets, what is the problem?”Of course, we were right to prepare a spin pitch [in the first Test] against West Indies. Their batters are not as proficient against spin when compared to fast bowling. I also want to address concerns about where our Test cricket is going. If we had taken these decisions earlier, then we would have been in the race for the WTC [final]. The rule of Test cricket is to win at home. If you win at home and you win two to three Tests away, you become a strong candidate for the final.”Related

• Spin runs riot again as Noman, Warrican lead the way on 20-wicket opening day

• Shan Masood: 'We'll do what we need to take 20 wickets'

• West Indies face another trial by spin, Pakistan eye clean sweep

Aaqib was speaking after his team wrapped up victory in the shortest completed Test in Pakistan – the first Test against West Indies. He said Pakistan were trying to prepare a similar surface for the second Test too, and the decision to pivot to spinning tracks, masterminded largely by him and selector Aleem Dar when they were appointed to the men’s selection committee in October, was partly necessitated by a drop in the skill levels of Pakistan’s current fast bowlers.”We used to be strong on [bowling] reverse swing, but now that skill level has gone down,” he said. “We have told our fast bowlers if you want to take wickets here, their reverse-swing skill will have to go up. In the past, we had Shoaib [Akhtar, Waqar [Younis], Wasim [Akram], and both spin and pace bowlers took wickets.”In the clearest sign that Pakistan’s latest strategy looks like it might be here to stay, Aaqib acknowledged the toll this was taking on his side’s batters because “even they have never played in these conditions”. He indicated broad changes would follow in the off-season with regards to Pakistan’s domestic pitches as well as the training regimen the batters would be put through to prepare them for these wickets in the future.”Even though foreign players are struggling with spin pitches from abroad, so are our players, because they have never played on these pitches,” Aaqid said. “Moving forward, we have told them their training and practice routines will be geared towards this, and we will change domestic pitches too. Our next Test is not until October, so that gives them time to improve their batting.”All three pitches against England last October were declared satisfactory by the ICC•PA Images via Getty Images

Pakistan’s tactics have come under intense discussion, and at times criticism – both from outside the country and within. While they escaped ICC censure for the surfaces they prepared against England last October – all three were declared satisfactory – a decision on the pitch for the first Test against West Indies has not yet been made.Criticism from abroad has focused on whether Pakistan’s tactics amount to pitch doctoring. Concerns have been raised at home over Pakistan’s future ability to develop fast bowlers and quality batting talent, and if this is likely to further erode Pakistan’s competitiveness in away Test series.”We were in South Africa just now, and we came very close to winning a Test,” Aaqib said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t take those last two wickets in Centurion. No spinner played those Tests for us there. You have to select a team depending on the conditions you get.”It’s about winning Tests; that’s what matters. We think we can prepare these pitches in every center of Pakistan, and it should be as difficult to beat Pakistan here as it is to beat Australia or South Africa away. People should know if they’re going to Pakistan, they will have to do something extraordinary to beat Pakistan.”

Each of the five is believed to be paid salaries that are more than what all but the most elite Pakistan players are paid

Danyal Rasool30-Aug-2024While Pakistan look to stave off a first series defeat against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, much of the PCB’s focus has been 300 km south in Lahore. Having announced five mentors for the Champions Cup, an upcoming series of domestic tournaments which begin with a one-day competition from September 12, the PCB lined them up for press conferences to outline their vision, and, to some extent, clarify their roles.On Friday, it was the turn of former Pakistan captain and coach Misbah-ul-Haq, who will mentor the Wolves. “My thinking is you need to try and maximise a player’s potential. If a player is well-equipped and technically good, he can play all formats. We have to look at how he manages his fitness and potential, and not have any pre-conceived notions about any player. Then we can look at which player specifically fits into our team. That doesn’t mean we limit a player’s ceiling. As mentor and coach, we need to explore their potential to the full.”The vision is to reduce the gap between domestic and international cricket. I feel it and players feel it too. When I came to the international side, it took three to four years to believe that I belonged to international cricket. The vision of the mentors is to prepare the players to raise them to that level, so they adjust with it. This requires a lot of hard work, and it will only happen if we do it.”Misbah is one of five mentors, alongside Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Malik. Only one – Sarfaraz – is set to participate in the upcoming one-day cup, while Malik, who conducted a press conference on Thursday, said he planned to play “select” games in the T20 iteration of the tournament, for which the window has not yet been finalised.”As a mentor, my role goes beyond just providing guidance from the dugout,” Malik, affiliated with the Stallions, said in a statement released by the PCB. “I will also take to the field in select matches to impart my first-hand knowledge and experience. This will enable our upcoming cricketers to refine their skills and elevate their game, ultimately supporting the Pakistan Cricket Board’s efforts to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket.”In addition to his role as mentor, Shoaib Malik will also play the T20 version of the Champions Cup•PSL

Though the teams don’t have geographic affiliation, Malik’s pairing with Stallions is symbolic, given his success as captain of the Sialkot Stallions in the mid-2000s. Malik created one of the first successful T20 dynasties, leading his side to five successive domestic titles in the days before the PSL. To a lesser degree, so is Misbah’s with Wolves, the former Pakistan captain a key player in the successful Faisalabad Wolves sides of the early 2000s.The mentor roles have come under scrutiny not least for the salaries involved. Each of the five is believed to be on three-year contracts, earning in the range of PKR 5 million (approx. USD 18,000) per month. Those salaries have raised eyebrows because they are higher than what is paid to all but the most elite Pakistani cricketers – the category A players, Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan, in the central contracts pool. The Champions Cup has yet to announce a tangible commercial inflow. A broadcaster has not been announced either. The PCB has advertised for team partners/sponsors to come in but has not yet said whether any have come on board.For perspective, just the mentor salaries will total about half the PCB’s entire broadcast deal for bilateral international cricket at home over the next 30 months. From August 2024 to December 2026, the PCB’s broadcast deal is worth between USD 6 to 6.5 million. Salaries for the five mentors in that time will amount to approximately USD 2.7 million.The roles are separate from coaching – each side will have a separate yet-to-be-announced coaching set-up – and do not require coaching qualifications. Three of the five mentors have served as Pakistan’s head coach in the recent past and the PCB has not made public what metrics the mentors will be evaluated by, or why they believe the outlay will offer a return on investment. In a statement to ESPNcricinfo, the PCB said that it “as a responsible organisation, never discusses in public salaries of its staffers and consultants, which remain a matter between the employer and the employee”.The Lahore and Karachi stadiums are currently undergoing significant renovation, with minor upgrades scheduled for Rawalpindi as well, the cost for which is understood to run into billions of Pakistan rupees. This lines up with a generally heavy spend rate since Mohsin Naqvi assumed the PCB chair, which has coincided with annual revenues from the ICC that have doubled in this international rights cycle, thanks to the global body’s new deal with Disney-Star. However, there will invariably be concern around whether the spend rate is sustainable, especially because the PCB does not receive any public money for its operations.Naqvi made clear early on his goal was to spend the PCB’s money on improving Pakistan cricket, rather than save it.”I have told the PCB our job is not to save money or keep it hoarded away, but to spend it on cricket, from grassroots right through to the national team,” Naqvi said in March, addressing the Pakistan players. “The money will be spent on your fitness, training and coaches rather than keeping it locked away.”

Australia batter signs to play with new Freedom coach Ricky Ponting despite a heavy workload in 2024

Alex Malcolm15-Apr-2024Travis Head has elected not to rest following the T20 World Cup and will instead join Steven Smith to play in Major League Cricket’s second season after signing with Washington Freedom.Head, who is currently playing in the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad, was clearly fatigued at the end of the Australian summer having required a rest during the home white-ball series against West Indies in February before another four months of non-stop cricket which included the tour of New Zealand, the IPL and the T20 World Cup.Related

• Pat Cummins signs four-year deal with MLC's San Francisco Unicorns

• MLC 2024 to begin on July 5, set for six-day clash with the Hundred

• Maxwell signs with Washington in MLC, clarifies that form was the reason for IPL self-omission

• Steven Smith joins Washington Freedom ahead of Major League Cricket's second season

• Ponting confirmed as Washington Freedom head coach in Major League Cricket

Head has chosen to continue his 2024 playing odyssey by signing with Freedom, just a week after Smith joined the franchise. Australia does not have any international commitments after the T20 World Cup until a white-ball tour of England in September.Head and Smith will play under Freedom’s new coach, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting after he recently replaced Greg Shipperd.Freedom recently announced the signing of New Zealand allrounder Rachin Ravindra. They retained two overseas players from the 2023 season in Marco Jansen and Akeal Hosein.Head joins Smith, Adam Zampa (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Spencer Johnson (Knight Riders), Tim David (MI New York), Matt Short (San Franciso Unicorns) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (San Franciso Unicorns) as confirmed Australian signings for the second season of MLC, with more expected to join for the tournament which starts immediately after the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies ends on June 29.

“All I want is to have options moving forward,” Rohit says on Shivam Dube the bowler

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-20241:13

Aaron: Suryakumar’s innings should be appreciated

Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 49-ball 50, which bailed India out from a precarious situation on a low-scoring New York surface against USA, wasn’t a typical 360-degree knock, but it impressed his captain.”He showed he’s got a different game as well, that is what you expect from experienced players,” Rohit Sharma said on the official broadcast after India won their third straight game to enter the Super Eight stage. “To come out and bat differently if the situation demands, that is what Surya did. The partnership [67-run stand] with [Shivam] Dube was very important for us. In the end, to take us home was a great effort.”We knew it was going to be a tough task scoring those many runs [111], but credit to us. At the end, we held our nerves, got that partnership as well. We lost wickets upfront but credit to Surya and Dube to show that maturity and take the game till the end.”Related

• 'Iceman' Netravalkar creates the moment, and then lets it pop out

• USA hit with first-ever stop-clock penalty at crucial time against India

• Suryakumar and Arshdeep script hard-fought India win

Dube finished on 31 off 35, and though he did the job required off him, the scorecard won’t reveal his struggle to force the pace against cutters dug into the surface. Dube was on 5 off 14 balls at one point, but muscled a six off Corey Anderson in the 15th over just as USA were beginning to tighten the screws. Before that shot, India needed 44 from 35.While Dube’s spin-hitting has made him a point of difference in the middle overs for Chennai Super Kings for two IPL seasons now, and led to his selection for the World Cup, he is also expected to chip in with the ball. On Wednesday, Rohit turned to Dube for an over. That went for 11. In a match where 221 runs were scored from 38.2 overs.”I think that is something we want; we want options with us,” Rohit said when asked about Dube the allrounder. “As and when we feel like we can use them, we should be able to use them. Today, I thought we could use them, the pitch had something in it. But yeah, again, all I want is to have options moving forward.”Rohit called the conditions “very tough” for batters, but lauded his bowlers, particularly Arshdeep Singh, for leading the way. Arshdeep struck twice in his first over – the first of the match – and finished with 4 for 9, his career-best figures in T20Is. Hardik Pandya also picked up two key wickets, of Aaron Jones and Anderson, with short deliveries.”We knew bowlers had to take the lead,” Rohit said. “We knew run-scoring is difficult on this pitch. Again, all our bowlers did the job, particularly Arshdeep, the way he started off was magnificent. Playing cricket here wasn’t easy. It could’ve been anyone’s game.”All three games we played, we had to stick in till the end and take the game as deep as possible. Lucky for us, we managed to pull through in all three games and [we] take a lot of confidence for a victory like this.”Rohit also lauded USA’s Indian-origin players for their performance. Saurabh Netravalkar, the left-arm seamer, was his junior in the Mumbai circuit once upon a time, while Harmeet Singh, the left-arm spinner, went to the same school as him in the Mumbai suburb of Borivali.”Lot of these guys, we’ve played cricket together,” Rohit said. “But I’m very happy to see them, their progress in cricket. Last year, we saw them play in the MLC [Major League Cricket] as well, they’re going from strength to strength, and I can hope for nothing but the best for them. They’re hard-working guys making their mark here in US.”

Panthers were never really in the contest, with six of the top seven failing to reach double figures

Danyal Rasool12-Sep-2024Naseem Shah’s opening salvo with the ball ensured Markhors came away with victory in the opening game of the Champions One-Day Cup against Shadab Khan’s Panthers.Panthers won the toss and inserted Mohammad Rizwan’s side in, with Kamran Ghulam’s 102-ball 115 setting the platform for the formidable 347 Markhors posted. Panthers were never really in the contest, with six of the top seven failing to reach double figures as Naseem’s 3-27 helped reduce them to 52 for 6. A late rearguard by Amad Butt, who managed a spirited 72, was much too little much too late, and the Markhors secured a 160-run win.The opening game of a tournament the PCB had set so much faith and investment in saw Faisalabad attract a decent crowd, which grew as the afternoon heat gave way to evening. Panthers had Markhors on a leash early on, prising Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Faizan out before they could really get going. Offspinner Mubasir Khan was the pick of the bowlers, getting rid of Zaman and Salman Ali Agha, but against most of the other bowlers, Markhors made hay.Shadab Khan was picked off in the middle overs and never returned to bowl, but fellow legspinner Usama Mir was smashed for 83 wicketless runs in his full quota. Amad Butt bore the brunt of a sizzling cameo from Abdul Samad; his 25-ball 62 helped Markhors add 83 runs in the final five overs, posting a total that appeared well above par.Naseem, aided by Shahnawaz Dahani, killed the game off before the chase ever took flight. A combined 5 wickets for 56 ripped through Panthers’ batting order, with Panthers briefly in danger of the heaviest defeat in Pakistan List A history. Amad combined with Mubasir and Usama for a pair of half-century partnerships, which staved off that prospect, but Panthers’ fate had long since been sealed.

“The conversation and the decision and the outcomes have been exactly how Dean and I discussed it,” SA red-ball coach says

Firdose Moonda23-Dec-2023Dean Elgar’s decision to retire from Test cricket was the result of detailed discussions with red-ball coach Shukri Conrad, who was full of praise for the player who was removed as captain when Conrad took over.While the reasons Elgar has chosen to end his international career after the New Year’s Test against India have not been explicitly stated, it is understood Elgar was not part of Conrad’s longer-term plans in a scant Test schedule. But Conrad said the calendar was only partly responsible for Elgar’s decision.”The fact that we haven’t got much Test cricket is part of the reason we arrived at the decision we arrived at,” Conrad said in Centurion, where South Africa will take on India from Boxing Day. “Ideally, we would like to play more Test cricket because the more Test cricket we play, the more opportunity we’ve got to blood cricketers for the future. If we have fewer Tests, that means I’ve got very little opportunity to blood young cricketers. Sometimes we arrive at decisions like Dean’s now because of a lack of cricket and a lack of opportunity to blood young players.”South Africa have only played two Tests in 2023 but will play 10 (one against India, two in New Zealand, two in West Indies, two in Bangladesh, two against Sri Lanka at home and the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan) in 2024, so Elgar would have had plenty of opportunity to continue, should he have wanted to. In all likelihood, he would have been asked to captain South Africa again in New Zealand as Temba Bavuma (and most of the other first-choice XI) will be occupied with the SA20. Instead, Elgar decided to bow out at home, where Conrad said the team hopes to give him “the perfect send-off,” in recognition of how he has symbolised the South African way.Related

• Elgar to retire from Tests after India series

• Elgar's retirement draws curtains on a 'certain era' of South African cricket

• India's thorny Centurion questions: Rahul vs Bharat, Thakur vs Ashwin

“Dean epitomises what a South African cricketer and almost what a South African person is about: resilience, dog fight, pride in performance and that ability to never back down,” Conrad said. “Those are all the elements that Dean has brought to his extensive international and first-class career and to all the sides he has played in. Hopefully if some of the young bucks that are going to be stepping up into those big shoes, half of the characteristics and the qualities that Dean had, then we will be in a good space.”Some of the younger players include the likes of Tony de Zorzi, who is expected to open the batting in New Zealand and who was the leading run-scorer in South Africa’s ODI series against India, David Bedingham, who has abandoned ambitions to play for England and returned home, and Tristan Stubbs. This group of players are seen as distinctly different from the Elgar generation, who built their reputations on being intimidating and aggressive, as Conrad described above.Asked if those qualities will be lost with Elgar’s retirement, Conrad had no doubt that will not be the case while also clarifying Elgar’s persona was as not as combatant as it may seem. “Nice guys can be resilient as well. You don’t have to be a knob to be resilient. The characteristics we display when we are on the field, that needs to speak to what being South African looks like,” Conrad said. “And Dean is a great guy. There is a lot of stuff being bandied about about his and my relationship and that’s great for media hype but we are going to keep the core values of what a South African cricket team is about. And Dean epitomises that. The Tony’s and some of the nicest people in the world will always embody that and that’s something we are going to continuously strive towards.”Some of what has been written in the media has come from sources who revealed Elgar and Conrad’s relationship is not as good as Conrad made it sound. But he revealed the pair were in talks about Elgar’s future and reached a conclusion together. “The conversation and the decision and the outcomes have been exactly how Dean and I discussed it,” he said. “It is absolutely no surprise to me that we are at the place where Dean has decided to retire against India. I am very comfortable and thrilled to have Dean available for this series. It’s a massive series for us as a team. It’s a huge series for Dean. And It is going to be quite an emotional one. Hopefully we can give him the perfect send-off as well.”Both Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada are available for selection for the first Test against India•ICC via Getty

Rabada, Ngidi on track for selection

Lungi Ngidi was withdrawn from the T20Is against India with an ankle sprain and Kagiso Rabada missed the domestic four-day game he was due to play because of a bruised heel but both remain in South Africa’s Test squad and are available for the starting XI. Ngidi has not played a red-ball game for a year and Rabada last bowled in a Test in March but Conrad played down their readiness for the two Tests.”I’ve always been a firm believer in best when fresh,” he said. “They’ll be fresh, they’ll be firing. It’s like riding a bicycle for a lot of them. The ideal would have been for them to get some mileage in the legs in the four-day game. But life happens. We’ve got to find a way from there. I am not in the least bit concerned that they will be undercooked in any way. Both KG and Lungi are still in the squad and up for selection.”South Africa will hold a full training session on Sunday and optional nets on Christmas Day before the series starts on Tuesday.

Test captain offers support to Ollie Robinson as England ponder three-man seam attack

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Mar-20241:34

What will Bazball 2.0 look like?

For the first time under Ben Stokes’ captaincy, England will be playing for pride in a Test match.India hold the spoils, and all England have is the carrot of leaving with a 3-2 scoreline by becoming the first team since 2012 to win two matches in a series against the hosts. Though that is mainly down to the fact not every Test nation is afforded five Tests in these parts. Even Australia were only given four this time last year.That Dharamsala is hosting this fifth and final Test does add extra context of scenery and, for some, divinity. A number of the touring party will meet the Dalai Lama on Wednesday morning. At this point, England’s own spiritual leader is unlikely to be among them.Related

• Just sit back and get ready to marvel at R Ashwin, for the 100th time

• Tom Hartley keen for Nathan Lyon Lancashire link-up

• Jonny Bairstow on his 100th Test: 'I'll puff my chest out and try to have a good time'

• Jonny Bairstow at 100 caps: A century of spirit and resilience

• India's Dharamsala dilemma: three quicks or three spinners?

The series may be gone, but Stokes’ focus remains for this final stretch of this tour. “Well, it’s like whenever we play,” he replied when asked what, aside from a few World Test Championship points, are at stake. “We want to win this week.”Complacency is not an option, particularly with the sense this team needs to step up to the next level. Missed chances against Australia last summer stung, and similar spurned opportunities in India speak of the need for a talented group to start handling these pressure situations more effectively.”It’s not a mental or a mentality thing,” Stokes said, matter-of-factly. “All you can do is work your hardest and try your nuts off in the nets because that’s where you get better.”It was in the nets on Tuesday morning that England came the close to freezing those proverbials off. Most of the squad trained in beanie hats, which were brought over during the break between the second and third Test, along with a few long-sleeve cream jumpers. Cooler temperatures and even rain forecast on day one make this match an altogether different proposition.England are entertaining picking a three-pronged seam attack for the first time on this trip, but will wait to see how what Stokes described as a “belting deck” as far as batting is concerned, with surprisingly little grass given the rain over the last week, looks on Wednesday afternoon. Shoaib Bashir is nursing a split spinning finger, having bowled almost 38% of his first-class overs in the last month. He is likely to be the one that makes way for the extra pace option.With James Anderson fully fit after a quad strain kept him off the field for the final session of the fourth Test – and just two away from 700 career dismissals – Mark Wood could return for his third match of the series. And while Stokes lauded uncapped quick Gus Atkinson as “an exciting talent”, Ollie Robinson may retain his place in the XI after a disappointing first appearance since last July in the defeat at Ranchi.Robinson went wicketless in 13 overs consigned solely to the first innings after picking up a back issue running between the wickets while compiling his maiden Test fifty. It dramatically stifled his effectiveness and in turn blunted England’s cutting-edge with the ball. His misery was compounded by a costly drop of Dhruv Jurel in India’s first innings.Stokes took the opportunity to back Robinson, whose Test record still reads an impressive 76 wickets at 22.92. And he gave a clear indication he sees the 30-year-old as an important part of England’s future.Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum oversee preparations ahead of the fifth Test against India•Getty Images

“You are more gutted for Ollie that something on day one, his back going, which affects the role he can play in the long run. He is more disappointed that he couldn’t help the team out as much as he’d like,” he said.”With Ollie, we look at the effort he put in as an individual leading up to and on this tour. His work ethic away from playing was very good, and he gave himself the best chance of being in position to win that game for us.”The thing to look at is that he was out on the field, trying to influence the game even though he wasn’t feeling 100%. A lesser man would have put their hands up, walked away and not even tried.”Stokes saved special praise for Jonny Bairstow, ahead of the Yorkshire batter’s 100th cap. The pair have a long association, starting from age-group cricket. And it was instructive that Bairstow rated his 2022 summer – Stokes’ first as captain – as a broad highlight of his career.Naturally, Stokes was unwilling to take credit: “I’m not the one who’s out there doing that,” referencing the 681 runs struck across just six Tests that season. But as a close friend of Bairstow, and someone who brought up three figures himself in the third Test at Rajkot and brushed it off, he knows how much this will mean to the 34-year-old.”This is probably going to be more of an emotional thing for Jonny than it ever was for me. I don’t need to go into details as to why about the whole family. He’s got his mam, sister, partner, little baby boy and some friends here.”Playing for England means so much to Jonny and means so much to his family as well and to play over 100 ODIs, 100 Tests – a lot of cricket for England – it means a hell of a lot to him. He deserves everything that gets spoken about him in the build-up to the game and throughout the week as well.”But amid all the Bairstow-related pageantry, and the possibility of narrowing the gap between them and India, England first need to approach this fixture like it matters, even if it carries little weight in the grand scheme of things. Stokes made a note of reiterating that to the team before training got underway.”We’ve been on so many India tours, you know what it’s like when you get to an end of a long one – that sometimes you start thinking about the end of the game,” Stokes warned.”I don’t think that anyone is thinking like that because every opportunity we feel at the moment is special to play for England. Because we’ve lost the series, it doesn’t mean that this game is different to what last week was or the week before.”We’ll think about the plane and getting home when we’re in the airport. So I won’t be thinking about that whatsoever until the game’s done.”

Debutant pace bowler Chloe Ainsworth made her mark with a double-wicket opening over

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2023Sophie Devine had an instant impact in her new middle-order role for Perth Scorchers as they secured a crushing opening win over Hobart Hurricanes who were bundled out for 88.Devine, batting at No. 4, hit 87 off 44 balls and dominated stands of 69 with Amy Jones then 65 to Amy Edgar after Scorchers had been 52 for 3 in the eight over.Related

• WBBL previews: Thunder look to Kapp, Matthews could inspire Renegades

• Surge boost: Devine likely to start WBBL season in middle order

• Heat leave Renegades in a spin despite Wareham's late onslaught

Having previously opened for Scorchers, Devine will likely have the middle-order role – something she has done this year for New Zealand – at least until Nat Sciver-Brunt arrives with Lauren Winfield-Hill opening the innings.Shabnim Ismail was the standout bowler although she went wicketless, with 14 dot balls in her four overs and 14 of the runs she conceded coming off her last over.In reply, Hurricanes were blown away. Their batting line-up was without the ill Elyse Villani and injured Nicola Carey meaning a change of plans and order.After Milly Illingworth had impressed with her pace at North Sydney Oval on the opening night it was the chance of another debutant quick, Chloe Ainsworth, to make a mark with a spectacular opening over.She produced a searing inswinging yorker to remove Lizelle Lee then followed that by trapping stand-in captain Heather Graham lbw. By the fifth over, Hurricanes were 19 for 4 and the game was as good as over.Stella Campbell, who has moved to Scorchers from Sydney Sixers, claimed two wickets in an over while Alana King helped herself to three which all involved Mooney behind the stumps.