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England star suffered a blow to his knee in one-day semi-final defeat

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2019James Anderson is in doubt for Lancashire’s County Championship return after suffering a blow to his knee while bowling last weekend.Anderson was due to feature in Lancashire’s Division Two home fixture against Northamptonshire, starting on Tuesday. However, the club said he was no certainty to play after being struck on the inside of his knee while bowling to Hampshire’s James Fuller, who hit the ball sharply back during the closing stages of Sunday’s Royal London Cup semi-final, won by Hampshire.Anderson collapsed on the ground immediately after being hit and took some time to get up. When he did, he was unable to complete his spell.Lancashire coach Glen Chapple said after the match: “He was nearly able to bowl but it is a bad spot and as soon as there’s any swelling in there it can restrict your movement and limit your strength. I would imagine it would be very painful for a couple of days. I think a lot of us have had a similar blow in a similar area and it’s just at the edge of the joint.”Lancashire expect to be without Alex Davies, who is nearing a return after breaking his thumb during their seven-wicket win over Middlesex in last month’s season opener.Opening batsman Joe Burns is set to make his debut, becoming the third Australian to represent Lancashire this season after Glenn Maxwell – who recently left to prepare for the World Cup – and Jake Lehmann, whose half-century offered some resistance to an excellent performance by Hampshire’s bowlers in the one-day match.Northamptonshire expect to have two month-long loan signings available to them. Jamie Overton has joined from Somerset as he seeks to build his match fitness after a back injury, while the 23-year-old left-arm pace bowler Luke Wood has joined from Nottinghamshire. It is Wood’s second loan spell with Northants this season after he played in their first match, against Middlesex, which ended in a draw.

Karachi Whites chased 282 with ease to beat Peshawar by five wickets in the first semi-final

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2018
Khurram Manzoor made 100 off 70 balls•PCB

A century from Khurram Manzoor guided Karachi Whites to a five-wicket win over Peshawar in the first semi-final on Thursday. Peshawar, who had decided to bat first after winning the toss, posted 281 before they were bundled out in the final over.Eight of the top nine batsman reached double figures, with captain Mohammad Rizwan top-scoring with 72. Regular wickets in the final third of the innings derailed Peshawar in their quest for a 300-plus score. Anwar Ali and Mohammad Asghar were the pick of Karachi’s bowlers, taking three wickets each to chip away at Peshawar.Karachi Whites led an impressively strong reply, with an 80-run opening partnership between Manzoor and captain Asad Shafiq setting them on course. Akbar-ur-Rehman, at number three, linked up with Manzoor in the match-defining partnership. The pair contributed 113 runs for the second wicket as Rehman scored 82, with the game effectively done.Quick wickets made it a tense affair towards the end, but Danish Aziz ensured the good work of the top order would not go to waste. He hit two sixes and a four in an 8-ball 20 to see his side home with five balls to spare.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has brushed aside suggestions that the one-off Test has historic relevance, saying that their focus is on putting up a strong performance against a good team instead

Mohammad Isam01-Feb-2017Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has brushed aside the portrayal of their maiden Test in India next week as a “historic” one, saying that he feels it is more important to treat the game as an opportunity to show Bangladesh’s measure in world cricket. He also hopes that a good performance in the one-off game will prompt the BCCI to invite them frequently.The team leaves Dhaka on February 2, to play a two-day practice match against India A and the Test in Hyderabad, which will be Bangladesh’s first in India since gaining ICC Full Member status in 2000. Interestingly, it was the BCCI’s push that was vital in their ascent from Associate Member, and India played against them in their inaugural Test on November 10, 2000. India toured Bangladesh four more times to play Tests thereafter.”I’m a little surprised, I don’t believe that this is a historic Test,” Mushfiqur said. “Take for example when we play against Zimbabwe. The pressure is more because if we lose against them then there is nothing more shameful than that. I will say that it is better that we are going there now and not five years ago.”We want to tell world cricket what we can do in India. I don’t think about how many years later we are going to play in India. We want to play in such a way that India invites again and again. This to me is just another Test match.”Mushfiqur, who has returned to the Test squad after missing Bangladesh’s last game in New Zealand due to a finger injury, said that he hopes the team puts together a collective performance. Bangladesh lost both Tests in New Zealand but gave the home side some tough sessions.”I hope that the recent performers will hold on to their form and put together a team performance. And to those who haven’t done well in the recent past, you have a chance to give a good account of yourself.”A team effort will give us a good result. They have a strong squad, and are always really good in their home conditions. We want to do well against them over five days, and not just two or three days,” he said.Mushfiqur said Bangladesh’s squad is balanced, with four pace bowlers and three specialist spinners and depth in the batting department.The return of Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur himself means that Bangladesh have their full batting strength back. Soumya Sarkar and Imrul are likely to be in competition for the role of Tamim Iqbal’s opening partner, while Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan and Sabbir Rahman will be expected to make runs in the middle order.”No matter what conditions they offer, we have a balanced side. We have enough pacers and spinners and depth in batting.”I think our batsmen will have a challenge in their hands against their world-class attack. As a bowling unit we are inexperienced, but one or two bowlers did do well in New Zealand. If we can perform as a team we can do well against any other good team.”

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has thrown his support behind the idea of scrapping the toss, while he is also open-minded about the concept of four-day Test cricket

Brydon Coverdale03-Dec-2015Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has thrown his support behind the idea of scrapping the toss, while he is also open-minded about the concept of four-day Test cricket. While Australia and New Zealand pioneered day-night Test cricket in Adelaide last week, other suggestions have also been made in the debate around making Test cricket more competitive and more attractive to spectators.One idea is to abolish the coin toss before matches and instead allow the visiting team the choice of whether to bat or bowl, which proponents argue would encourage the host country to produce a fair pitch. Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and Michael Holding have all expressed support for the idea, while the ECB will next year trial a similar concept in county cricket.Under the ECB’s trial, the visiting county will automatically be given the option of fielding first and only if they decline will the coin toss go ahead as usual.”That is one that should definitely come in to cricket, where the opposition gets the right to choose what they want to do,” Lehmann told reporters in Adelaide on Thursday. “I reckon it will stop all the wickets suiting the home team.”As you saw in Perth, the wickets don’t suit how we want to play sometimes and in Australia in general the wickets have been fantastic for years, it doesn’t really matter on the toss, who wins or not. But in some other places it certainly has a big bearing on the game.”The MCC World Cricket Committee also expressed its concerns about pitch preparation last week and said in a statement that home advantage had become too significant in Test cricket, and it would monitor with interest the ECB trial next year. It was the MCC World Cricket Committee that pushed for day-night Tests six years ago and Lehmann said he loved the roll-out of the inaugural pink-ball Test.”I thought it was a great concept,” he said. “It was probably over a little bit quick for my liking in terms of the game but it was exciting for three days and it could have gone either way. Maybe a little less grass [on the pitch] and maybe get the ball a little bit darker in the seam, but it’s only a little bit of tweaking. I was quite impressed by it. I know the fans loved it … we have just got to make it better.”Four-day Test cricket has also been floated as a possible way of keeping fans interested in the longest format. Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has an open mind about the concept, with the possibility that the four days could be extended so that little play was lost overall. Lehmann said he did not mind the idea, but was unsure whether the extra overs could be easily fitted in.”We don’t bowl our 90 overs in a day as it is, so that is probably the only thing,” he said. “But I’m open to all those sorts of things. Whatever makes the game better for the fans is pretty important.”

Stephen Parry claimed his first five-wicket haul in one-day cricket to help Lancashire to a stunning victory over Surrey in the Yorkshire Bank 40

19-May-2013
ScorecardStephen Parry claimed his first five-wicket haul in one-day cricket to help Lancashire to a stunning victory over Surrey in the Yorkshire Bank 40 Group B match at Old Trafford.The left-arm spinner claimed 5 for 17 as Lancashire, who at one point were 59 for 5, claimed a seven-run win – which was all the tighter for Surrey having been awarded six runs due to Lancashire’s slow over rate. Seamer Wayne White chipped in with 4 for 35, while Karl Brown hit 80 as Lancashire recorded their first YB40 win of the season.Steven Davies and Jason Roy got Surrey off to a flier in reply to Lancashire’s 176 for 9, scoring at more than seven an over until Parry bowled Roy for 18 with his first ball to end the 60-run stand. He bowled Davies for 36 in his next over and then claimed two wickets in three balls, holding a catch off his own bowling to account for Vikram Solanki and then trapping Gary Wilson lbw.Parry, Steven Croft and fellow spinner Simon Kerrigan continued to strangle Surrey, who went 13 overs without a boundary, and when Croft bowled Rory Burns for four they were 91 for 5.Zander de Bruyn and Gareth Batty upped the rate, but Kerrigan pulled off a great catch off White to end Batty’s resistance. White then struck twice in the 36th over as de Bruyn went for 37 and Jon Lewis 10. Parry then trapped Chris Tremlett lbw to claim his fifth wicket and, despite being penalised six runs for a slow over rate, Lancashire secured victory when Jade Dernbach was caught by Kerrigan off White from the final ball.Earlier Lancashire, who suffered a blow before the game with stand-in skipper Simon Katich forced out with a back spasm, struggled after being put in. Stephen Moore fell in the first over, caught at cover by Solanki off Dernbach for 9, then Lewis clinched the wicket of Ashwell Prince, caught by de Bruyn at short midwicket for 7. Tremlett accounted for Croft, caught at slip by Wilson, and captain Paul Horton who was caught behind by Davies.Gary Keedy, returning to face Lancashire for the first time since leaving at the end of last season, struck with his first ball with White edging him to Davies for 5. Gareth Cross and Brown’s 30-run stand was ended when Cross was trapped lbw by Batty for 15.Kyle Hogg fell for 12 as he was bowled by Lewis and Oliver Newby followed eight balls later, caught and bowled by Batty for a duck. Brown and Parry smashed 40 off the final three overs, with Parry scoring 23 off 25 balls. Brown was caught in the deep by Burns off Batty – who finished with 3 for 35 – with four balls left.

Azhar Mahmood, the former Pakistan allrounder and debuting in the IPL as a British citizen, breathed life into a stuttering Kings XI Punjab innings which had once again been let down by its batsmen

The Report by Abhishek Purohit20-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAB de Villiers was involved in a match-winning stand with Chris Gayle•AFP

For a while, Kings XI Punjab showed some fight. Azhar Mahmood turned a middling total into a seemingly challenging one. Parvinder Awana jolted Royal Challengers Bangalore with three early strikes. But the visitors had Chris Gayle. And AB de Villiers. A nearly risk-free partnership of 131 at more than ten runs an over followed, shutting Kings XI out totally.At 25 for 3 facing an asking-rate touching nine-and-a-half, Royal Challengers should have been pushed much more than they were. That they were not was down to the class of Gayle and de Villiers and the lack of depth in the Kings XI attack.When they needed someone to increase the pressure after Awana’s initial burst, Kings XI instead had Harmeet Singh delivering innocuous legbreaks from a long run-up on a greenish pitch. They were also confronted with two batsmen who were so much in control of the situation that they did not even bother to attack as much as they usually do.Gayle kept the big strokes away as long as he could rein himself in but that did not deter him from scoring boundaries at will. Awana had just taken out Mayank Agarwal and Virat Kohli in the space of five deliveries. Gayle responded with consecutive fours off Praveen Kumar in the next over.Awana had Saurabh Tiwary top-edging to the wicketkeeper off the first ball of the sixth over. Gayle responded with another pair of boundaries. He softly turned deliveries through square leg for runs while de Villiers found his timing as soon as he arrived.De Villiers, in fact, went along at a faster clip than Gayle initially, tapering off towards the end as the latter finally decided to display his range with some huge straight hits.The game went to the last over only because Gayle and de Villiers fell on the brink of victory. In the end, Royal Challengers had just too much power for a ragged Kings XI unit. That Kings XI even set the visitors a reasonable chase was down to Mahmood, the former Pakistan allrounder debuting in the IPL as a British citizen. He breathed life into a stuttering innings after Kings XI had once again been let down by their batsmen. Coming in at No. 7 in the 16th over, Mahmood smashed 33 off 14 deliveries as Kings XI posted their highest total of the season.Despite three of five bowlers used going for around six runs an over, Royal Challengers discovered there were still enough weak links in their attack for even a shaky Kings XI line-up to exploit. Harshal Patel disappeared for 44 and Vinay Kumar for 40 as Kings XI took 51 off the final four overs.Kings XI had sleepwalked to 105 by the 15th over, and the departure of David Hussey off the last ball of that over had further dented their hopes of posting a decent total. Mahmood walked in and completely changed the tempo of the innings. Harshal was thumped over mid-off and midwicket for consecutive boundaries; Vinay was calmly dabbed between the wicketkeeper and wide slip for four.Royal Challengers had been on top till Mahmood’s arrival. Only Shaun Marsh and Hussey had dominated them in a three-over span. Even that partnership had been terminated before it could cause much damage. After playing some pleasing cover drives, Marsh was bowled for 26 as he tried to late-cut Andrew McDonald.Marsh’s fall came after Zaheer Khan, enjoying the bounce on the Mohali pitch and bowling with control from both sides of the wicket, had removed the Kings XI openers early. Stand-in captain Hussey, leading in place of the injured Adam Gilchrist, kept the home side going steadily but fell when they were in need of a late boost. It was to come from Mahmood, and gave their medium-pacers some leeway to exploit a favourable pitch. Awana did that, but Gayle and de Villiers were unstoppable.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur

The Preview by Sriram Veera08-May-2011

Match facts

Monday, May 9, Jaipur
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Shane Warne’s farewell song has begun•AFP

Big Picture

This will be the first game that Shane Warne will be playing at home after announcing his decision to retire from the IPL at the end of this season. The home crowd is likely to get behind their favourite captain. The first-leg of the home-and-away game was won by Chennai Super Kings in Chepauk. Jaipur have always enjoyed the home advantage but the dry and slow pitch at Sawai Mansingh should also suit Chennai’s spin-heavy attack.In Chennai, though Shadab Jakati starred, it was the seamers, Albie Morkel and Doug Bollinger, who did the job for the home team. It’s in the seam department that Chennai trump Rajasthan for both teams generally like to go in with a three-pronged spin attack. Jakati’s performance in the last game has added more teeth to the attack; Chennai would hope that Suraj Randiv can get more consistent. Chennai’s batting has become more potent since the arrival of Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina’s form has seen an upswing in the second half of the tournament.Rajasthan’s batting has been a hit-and-miss affair. If Shane Watson and Ross Taylor click, they can get a big score. Else, it comes down to Johan Botha and Ashok Menaria to push them to a competitive total. Rahul Dravid finally broke his habit of throwing away starts with a polished 66 against Chennai and Rajasthan would wish he can remain consistent from now on.

Form guide (most recent first)

Chennai: LWWWW (fourth in points table)
Rajasthan: LWWWL (fifth in points table)

Team talk

Will Chennai give another chance to Randiv? They like to play three spinners but Randiv has just taken six wickets in eight games at an economy rate of 7.68. While Jakati has improved in the last few games, Randiv has stagnated. The Jaipur pitch might give Randiv another chance at redemption. Chennai have another option in West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo, who arrived late on Sunday. Bravo made just 54 runs in the ODI series against Pakistan that West Indies lost 3-2 and picked up four wickets, but New Zealand allrounder and Chennai team-mate Scott Styris wrote on Twitter that Bravo had arrived “just in time for today’s match.”Stuart Binny hasn’t sparkled yet – he hasn’t batted or bowled much. Will Warne replace him this time?Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Albie Morkel is a talent on the path of self-destruction. How else can you explain his absence from the South African national side in the ODIs? He is a free-scoring batsman who has often, in the IPL, impressed with the ball but always struggles to find consistency. With the skill-sets at his disposal, he should be a more regular feature in the national side. Will he find that elusive consistency?Rahul Dravid was one of the main batsmen for Bangalore in the previous editions. He provided stability and at times, even momentum. He has got off to starts this season but has failed to convert most of them. The previous game witnessed a turnaround. Can he carry on? This Rajasthan team needs him even more than Bangalore; they need someone who can allow Watson and Taylor to express themselves. It has to be the job of Dravid who can allow them to do it.

Prime numbers

• With an average of 54.70, Michael Hussey has the highest batting average in IPL history, ahead of Shaun Marsh’s 52.20. Johan Botha is a surprise third with 48.80, albeit he has played just 10 games
• Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma are at the top of the catches list in the IPL with 28 apiece.

The chatter

“We knew it was coming. He had to work very hard during off season to be in shape for IPL and has bowled really well. We will take his decision as positive and as a challenge.”

The fast bowler Andy McKay is itching to get back in to international cricket during New Zealand’s series in Florida after a three-month lay-off due to a foot injury

Cricinfo staff19-May-2010The fast bowler Andy McKay is itching to get back in to international cricket during New Zealand’s series in Florida after a three-month lay-off due to a foot injury. McKay had just burst on to the scene with three strong one-day performances against Bangladesh in February when he suffered a stress fracture that ended his immediate hopes of a Test debut.He is keen to play his first Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka in Lauderhill and a place has opened up in the side after the retirement of Shane Bond. McKay, a left-armer who approaches 150kph, could be the ideal replacement for Bond and it would be a welcome return to the international scene for a man who waited until the age of 29 for his first call-up.”It was obviously very disappointing,” McKay said in Florida. “I’d only had a taste of what was on offer and I felt I’d put in a couple of good performances and with the Aussies around the corner it was a good opportunity to test myself against those guys. It was an injury that took a bit longer than I thought to get right.”But now that it’s fine, it’s great to get the recall. It will be great to get the opportunity to play. I got a taste of it against Bangladesh a couple of months ago. To play against Sri Lanka I think will definitely raise the bar a little bit and it will be a good test.”The series has been cut down from three games to two, with the first scheduled for Saturday. In the lead-up the New Zealanders have spent some time training with the Florida Marlins baseball team and McKay said it was an enjoyable learning experience.”It was a superb day,” McKay said. “We were able to get on the field and do a few drills with the guys. A few of the guys had a hit. We were able to talk to some of the pitchers and talk about the way they go about things, especially throwing techniques, and worked out a few ideas on how to hit the ball out of the park a little bit further as well.”

White Ferns mums unite as batter prepares to tour England five months after giving birth

Valkerie Baynes06-Jun-2024Lauren Down always planned to return to cricket after becoming a first-time mother and now, just five months after giving birth, she intends to cement a place in New Zealand’s top order, starting with the upcoming ODI series in England.Down, 29, welcomed daughter Ruby into the world in early January. She last travelled with New Zealand as part of their T20 World Cup squad in South Africa nearly a year earlier and this week returned to the ODI squad for three matches against England starting in Durham on June 26 saying that a cricket comeback was “always in the back of my mind”.”I knew that, one, I wanted to be a mum and have a family but, two, that I still wanted to give cricket a good crack and I was hoping that if everything went well with giving birth and through the pregnancy that I would be able to return,” Down said. “Fortunately the comeback has gone pretty well so far. It’s been tough at times and physically a bit draining, but it’s been really good and it’s nice being a mum and still being able to play cricket as well.”My partner, I’m very fortunate with him that he can stay at home and help look after Ruby while I’m training and it makes this whole journey a lot easier. There’s been some sleepless nights and then getting up and trying to do a little bit of training, which is a little bit harder than normal, but when you come home at the end of the day and see a little smiling face, it all feels worth it.”Related

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• Lauren Down back from maternity leave for New Zealand tour of England

Down said she also felt blessed to have two other mums to lean on for advice, the now-retired Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu, who are expecting their second child before Tahuhu links up with New Zealand for the T20I leg of the England tour, starting on July 6.”I’m obviously really fortunate with Amy and Lea having little Grace and they’ve been through this journey already, so I’ve definitely lent on them a lot during my pregnancy and also now coming back and talking to them about what worked for them and what challenges they faced,” Down said. “I’m very lucky to have Lea around the group still as well.”Your body goes through a whole lot of change through the pregnancy and then slowly trying to work back into things and get back to the fitness I was at beforehand, it’s been a bit tough being at the bottom of the pack in the running sessions with the White Ferns girls, but I know I’ll get back there and it’s been nice just to be back with the group and training again.”While Down has had to work hard to regain her fitness levels in a relatively short period of time, she is well versed in managing a comeback.She missed the home ODI World Cup in early 2022 after fracturing her thumb while fielding in a bilateral series against India just before the tournament. She had only been back training for about a month following that injury when she was selected in New Zealand’s squad for the Commonwealth Games but pulled out to prioritise her wellbeing, later saying she had put too much pressure on herself to be back in time, hoping not to miss a second big tournament that year.This time, Down is ready to return, and she will only play the ODIs in England.”Time away from the game was actually quite nice, it was refreshing and then it just sort of made me hungry to get back and just want to get back into the fold as soon as I could,” she said. “I knew it was going to be tight in terms of timeframes getting back for this England series, but I just wanted to give myself the best chance that I could to put my hand up and fortunately I’m able to get on the plane next week.”I missed the girls a lot. I think I probably watched every ball of every game when I was on leave and it was great to sit back and watch the girls as a fan, but I definitely missed everyone and I’m really glad to be back now.”In her 28 ODIs to date, Down has batted between No.1 and No.7, the majority in the top three and she is keen to stay up the order in both formats going forward, having largely batted at No.5 and No. 6 in her 13 T20Is so far.”I’ve floated a little bit up and down the order throughout my career so far but, coming back into the fold, I’m hoping to sort of bat around the top order and try and cement a spot up there in both formats would be ideal,” she said.”One thing I’ve been working on is trying to open up that 360-degree game and try and access different areas to help score and that sort of thing. It’s definitely something the team and then myself as well have been working on.”Earlier this year, New Zealand lost a home T20I series to England 4-1 and won just one of their three ODIs. Immediately afterwards, captain Sophie Devine said she expected her squad to be “absolutely flogged” during a set of training camps ahead of the return tour as they looked to build on the gains she saw in that series.Three training camps later, head coach Ben Sawyer said his players had worked hard on their fitness and effort in the field with “numerous PBs” achieved in the gym.On Down’s return, he said: “She spoke to us after having the bub and wanted to get back into it and be considered for selection so we’ve looked at her these last couple of camps and she’s going really, really well. She’s earned a spot back up there at the top of the order and I think especially in ODI cricket, she’ll be a real force for us up there. I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do on the UK tour.”

Starc is set to return to action in place of Cummins; India are likely to replace Rahul with Gill

Vishal Dikshit28-Feb-20232:07

Chopra: India will be better off opening with Gill than Rahul

Big picture: What next for Australia?

So where do Australia go from here? Indore, of course, but in a more philosophical, soul-searching and series situation kind of way. Not surprisingly, 32 of their 40 wickets have fallen to spin so far, and 21 out of those 32 were either bowled or lbw. “Use your feet against the spinners,” they were told, and they went on the back foot a bit too much to be trapped in front or bowled. “Sweep the spinners,” they were told, and they swept a bit too much in Delhi, especially down the wrong line when the balls were straighter, according to Matthew Hayden. Where do they go now?Ian Chappell, while admitting he last played in India over 50 years ago, says employ good footwork, trust your defence (which Australia aren’t right now), follow Rohit Sharma’s blueprint and try to pick gaps. Easy, eh?Apart from bad luck in the form of injuries to Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green – who both should play the third Test – Australia also made things worse for themselves with their selection calls. The decision to leave out an in-form Travis Head for the first Test led to much debate, and the way they brought Ashton Agar over as their second best spinner after a wicketless Sydney Test, only to send him back from Delhi was nothing less than bizarre.Related

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• India almost through to WTC final after 2-0 lead

They can’t get their hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but they can still level the series, although the last stop is Ahmedabad, which could dish out the most spin-friendly track of the series. Remember the last Test there in 2021, when England lasted about 130 overs there combined in an innings defat? Focusing on Indore for now, with a boost in the form of Starc’s return – he averages nearly 33 in India with the bat – would be Australia’s mantra.Their bowlers, especially spinners, haven’t had as many issues. Todd Murphy grabbed seven on debut in Nagpur and Matthew Kuhnemann impressed in phases in Delhi while trapping local man Virat Kohli with an arm ball. Pat Cummins is still in Australia for family reasons, but Starc taking his place and Steven Smith leading the side won’t be much of an issue for them. Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and even Peter Handscomb, after his promising 72* in Delhi, will lead the batting line-up for the face-off against India’s spin trio.India have to neither worry about injuries nor their tactics. With the pitch likely to behave like the Nagpur and Delhi tracks with grass in the middle and bald patches at the ends, India just need to make sure their batters score well more than the counterparts and the spinners do the rest. In terms of form, all signs for now indicate that Shubman Gill will come in for KL Rahul, who didn’t turn out in the Indore nets in the optional nets session.For the WTC qualifications, India have more than a foot in the final but can still technically lose out if they don’t win the last two Tests and Sri Lanka manage to beat New Zealand 2-0. Similarly for Australia, they won’t make the final if they lose 4-0 and Sri Lanka win 2-0.

Form guide

India WWWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Australia LLDWW2:26

What improvements can we expect from Australia?

In the spotlight: Mitchell Starc and India’s search for top-order stability

There were talks that Mitchell Starc could have played in Delhi too, but without looking back now, he’ll be pumped to take the ball in Indore, even if he’s not 100%. The finger injury on his bowling hand hasn’t healed yet, he said on Monday, yet he’s ready to go at “full tilt” having been in such situations before. His footmarks could also come in handy for Nathan Lyon, and for the Indian spinners as well. Despite an unimpressive bowling record in India, averaging over 50, he is hoping his pace and angles will trouble the India batters and his presence in the XI in his first game this year will surely bolster the team morale, with both bat and ball, in a bid to keep the series alive.India’s last century partnership for the opening stand was way back in December 2021 in Centurion when Karnataka team-mates KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal had put on 117. While the pitches in subsequent series for India may not all have been batting friendly, India do need a stable pair at the top given their average for opening pairs is among the worst since the beginning of 2022. Assuming Shubman Gill opens in Indore, India will hope he and now-fit and in-form captain Rohit Sharma can provide the consistency and stability India need at the top for the WTC final India are likely to make, and the away Tests in the West Indies and South Africa later in the year.KL Rahul and Shubman Gill bat in adjacent nets in Indore•PTI

Team news: KL Rahul out?

India could bring in Shubman Gill in place of KL Rahul, who has also lost his vice-captaincy for the rest of the series. While Gill is in red-hot form after three centuries and a double-century in his last seven white-ball games, Rahul has scored just 38 from three innings this series. Otherwise India have no reasons to change the XI.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul/Shubman Gill, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 KS Bharat (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Axar Patel, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohammed SirajDavid Warner is back home. Josh Hazlewood has gone home. Cummins is yet to come back. Australia do have reinforcements for them, and stand-in captain Smith said on Tuesday they could play an extra batter, with Green as one of the four bowlers, or even another quick bowler in Scott Boland or Lance Morris by possibly leaving out Matthew Kuhnemann. They’re keeping their options open until Wednesday morning.Australia (possible): 1 Travis Head, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Todd Murphy, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Matthew Kuhnemann/Scott Boland/Lance Morris

Pitch and conditions

Even though the two Tests that have been played in Indore – against New Zealand in 2016 and Bangladesh in 2019 – had something for the seamers on the first couple of days before taking some turn, Wednesday morning will probably serve up another turner, perhaps not a rank turner. The pitch had grass only in the middle, and some of it had been trimmed as compared to Monday. The bald ends were dry according to Smith, around the six-metre mark. The temperatures are expected to stay in the early 30s in the afternoon, and will be more pleasant before and after.

Stats and trivia

• Australia’s left-hand batters have fared far worse than India’s so far in the series. Their 242 runs have come at an average of 11.52 with 21 dismissals, while India’s left-hand batters have scored 254 while averaging 63.50 with four dismissals.
• India’s right-had batters, on the other hand, have done much worse than their own left-hand batters. The right-hand batters have scored 497 runs, averaging 24.85.
• While Australia’s spinners have impressed in different phases across the two Tests to average a tad above 30 for their 20 wickets, their quicks Cummins and Boland haven’t lived up to their expectations at all. They average 51 for their three wickets compared to India’s quicks’ average of 20.12.

Quotes

“It can happen to us as well, not just them. I was talking to Rahul [Dravid] the other day, and I said, in Nagpur I played close to 200 balls, and I never felt that I was set, because when you’re playing on pitches like that, it just takes one ball to probably grip a little more than you expect, or just one ball to keep low, and you’re out. On pitches like this, you’re never in, and it’s the same for us as well. What happened to them can happen to us as well.”
“I think starting your innings is as tough as anywhere in the world here in India. We know if you get in, you’ve got to make it count.”
With stats inputs from S Rajesh