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Sydney Thunder will play their BBL 2015 home games at the recently renovated Spotless Stadium in Sydney, they will carry three drop-in pitches from their previous home ground

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2015Big Bash League team Sydney Thunder will play their BBL 2015 home games at the recently renovated Spotless Stadium in Sydney, but they will be taking an important part of their previous home ground.The Thunder will carry three drop-in pitches from the ANZ Stadium. The Thunder’s latest signing Shane Watson lauded the decision and said it would provide them a good home advantage.”It’s a great acquisition for the Thunder to make sure we have a bit of a home-town advantage, knowing what the wickets are going to do,” Watson told Cricket Australia.”In previous years the wickets had been a little slow at ANZ, but the last couple of years they have been world class. Being able to take them over to Spotless will make sure the really intimate setting at the stadium is combined with really good wickets that are going to provide a lot of entertainment as well,” Watson added.The average innings score on the centre wicket of the ANZ Stadium was 176, in the two matches played at the venue last season – the highest average for any ground in the BBL. Jaques Kallis and Michael Hussey put on a record 160-run opening stand in last season’s first game against Brisbane Heat.

The quick bowler was charged under CA’s code of conduct and because of previous sanctions is now suspended for a match

Daniel Brettig and Alex Malcolm17-Nov-2019James Pattinson is out of the first Test against Pakistan at the Gabba after being suspended by Cricket Australia for delivering a volley of obscene personal abuse at Queensland’s Cameron Gannon during Victoria’s Sheffield Shield match that concluded on Friday.He has been found guilty of a level two breach of Article 2.13 of Cricket Australia’s code of conduct for personal abuse of a player. The charge was driven by umpires John Ward and Shawn Craig who felt that Pattinson overstepped the mark with his language towards Gannon, with whom Pattinson has been a BBL team-mate at both the Melbourne Renegades and Brisbane Heat.The alleged abuse is believed to have been of a homophobic nature, although Gannon and the Queensland players are understood not to have taken offence. However, Pattinson’s choice of words was immediately noted by Ward and Craig, who took the charge to the match referee David Talalla.”I made a mistake in the heat of the moment,” Pattinson said. “Straight away I realised I was in the wrong, and I apologised immediately, both to the opponent and to the umpires. I have done the wrong thing and accept the penalty. I’m gutted to miss a Test match, but the standards are there for a reason and the fault is mine.”Pattinson and Victoria were visibly frustrated throughout the match with some of the umpiring decisions, including his own lbw in the first innings on day two when he was part of Mitchell Swepson’s hat-trick. Pattinson had previously been found guilty of two level one code of conduct breaches over the past year for which he received a reprimand and a 100% match fee fine, the latter for showing dissent at the umpire’s decision in a Shield game against South Australia. Australia’s captain Tim Paine did not hide his disappointment.”It’s unfortunate, it doesn’t sit certainly with our values what James has done, he knows that and understands that and he’ll learn from it,” Paine said. “Missing a Test match potentially is a hard thing to deal with, but he’ll learn from that and come back better.”I don’t know the exact details of the situation, there’s been hearings and it’s been dealt with by the appropriate people. James understands he’s let himself down, he’s let our group down and we expect him to bounce back.”The vice-captain Pat Cummins said that he was hopeful Pattinson would learn from events, the second occasion in which he has been suspended from playing a Test match: he also missed the 2013 Mohali Test against India when he was suspended alongside Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson in the “homeworkgate” saga.”Not ideal, especially over the last couple of years we’ve been pretty clear on our values and what we stand for as a team. Hopefully Patto learns from what he’s done,” Cummins said. “We absolutely love playing with him, love having him around. For me when I’m out there, I’ll try and stay conscious of what I’m trying to do. It’s pretty hard sometimes, the heat of the moment, concentrating on bowling and trying to take wickets, you can slip up every now and then, but I won’t be changing too much from what I try to do.”Mitchell Starc, a fellow member of the pace battery, said that while he did not want to see Pattinson lose his expressive, aggressive streak, it was critical that all members of the team were aware of their very privileged, public place as role models for Australian cricket and wider society.”I did not see the incident but Patto is very much that huff and puff type and that is what we love about him,” Starc said. “He is in your face. He is someone you love to have on your team and not play against. Apart from his bowling skills he is that old school Australian fast bowler. I don’t say or do much these days. I try and stay pretty level off the field. It is the day and age where there are cameras everywhere. Players are role models. You have to be aware of not crossing that line but there will be times when players do.”Sean Carroll, Cricket Australia’s head of integrity and security, said: “We have a duty to uphold the highest standards of behaviour and the action taken in this matter demonstrates that. On this occasion, James acknowledges he fell short of that expectation.”It appears highly likely now that Mitchell Starc will be the third fast bowler chosen alongside Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood although Pattinson did not think he would be selected in any case. Australia have not added a replacement to the squad with Michael Neser the other quick bowler available.

“There are no issues whatsoever.” That is the no-nonsense response of the India captain Virat Kohli to reports that he is at the centre of a rift with coach Anil Kumble

Nagraj Gollapudi at Edgbaston03-Jun-2017″There are no issues whatsoever.” That was the no-nonsense response of the India captain Virat Kohli to reports swirling around the team that he is at the centre of a rift with coach Anil Kumble.The story has dominated India’s build-up to their defense of the Champions Trophy, which begins on Sunday with the small matter of a game against Pakistan at Edgbaston. Kohli swatted away any notion, however, that there were differences beyond the ordinary between team members and Kumble.”See, there has been a lot of speculation, and a lot of things being written by people without actually being a part of the changing room, which is very strange. There are no problems whatsoever. The team is totally focused on the Champions Trophy.”Kohli stressed that his relationship with Kumble had been a good one, in a period when India have won every series they have played, apart from one T20I series against West Indies in the USA. “It’s been really good. The whole journey has been good.”He did acknowledge that differences and disagreements could exist in cricket, but said that they were a sign of progress. “In any walk of life there are agreements and disagreements always. If you don’t have knowledge of something, unless I am there myself in a particular situation and I am aware of what is happening, I will not pass any comment. I will not pass any judgment.”I think in India there is a lack of patience. People speculate from a distance. They apply their own idea. And when that thing does not happen nobody admits his mistake. That is why I do not focus on these issues. If you write something you should take the ownership that I was wrong.”These are normal things. Even at home you do not agree on everything with your family. The people who speculate should also think do you agree on everything in every situation. It is not possible. All I can say is if you do not have the knowledge about something do not spread rumours, do not speculate and focus on the cricket.”Reports of a divide between Kohli and Kumble emerged after the BCCI advertised for the coach’s position on May 25, the same day that India landed in England. Then, Kohli had said that he had no problem with the BCCI inviting applications, because Kumble’s one-year term was to end after the Champions Trophy. He had, however, been less than unequivocal in his response to a question about Kumble’s contribution to India’s recent success.Kohli had given feedback to the BCCI expressing concerns about Kumble’s style of coaching, which one board official said had been described as “intimidating”.”As I mentioned before, if something is put in place as a process, I mean, I don’t see why people are creating so many speculations about it,” Kohli said.”It has been followed last time as well, and I didn’t see any issues being created last time. So it is the same process. It is just happening after 12 months. People who even try to tell me about this, I don’t even want to know anything of this sort, because in a tournament that is in focus so much, and it’s such a big stage, a lot of people like to find a lot of rumours flying around, especially before the start of the tournament.”The BCCI, under former president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke had given Kumble a one-year contract. The Committee of Administrators, along with BCCI office bearers and the board chief executive officer Rahul Johri have now advertised for the job with a longer tenure.

Will they bring in Ngidi or Hazlewood instead of Bravo to handle the KKR allrounder?

Karthik Krishnaswamy06-Oct-20206:43

How should Kolkata utilise Sunil Narine?

Big picture

Their batting looked short of power and inspiration through their first four matches of the season, but something clicked into place for the Chennai Super Kings against Kings XI Punjab on Sunday. Yes, nothing masks problems like a 181-run opening stand, but that wasn’t the only encouragement the Super Kings took out of that game. With Ambati Rayudu and Dwayne Bravo back from injury, their line-up just looks a whole lot healthier, and with three No. 8s at Nos. 9, 10, and 11 – in Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Piyush Chawla – they have the sort of depth few other sides in the IPL can match.This isn’t to say the Super Kings have turned into a world-beating outfit overnight, or even that they can consistently beat the IPL’s heavyweights. Kings XI didn’t aim high enough with the bat, and their bowling attack is one of the weakest in the tournament. The Kolkata Knight Riders are likely to present the Super Kings a far stiffer challenge.The Knight Riders haven’t quite found their groove yet this season, with Sunil Narine and Dinesh Karthik looking off-colour and with Andre Russell and Pat Cummins not quite hitting peak form just yet. The law of averages, however, suggests at least one of them will come roaring back into form in the very near future, and the Super Kings will hope they aren’t at the receiving end when that happens.

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Ambati Rayudu, 4 Kedar Jadhav, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Piyush ChawlaKolkata Knight Riders: 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Dinesh Karthik (capt & wk), 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Rahul Tripathi, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 10 Shivam Mavi, 11 Varun ChakravarthyMS Dhoni has a discussion with Andre Russell and Sunil Narine•BCCI

Strategy punt

• The one thing that makes all three of the Knight Riders’ big overseas hitters – Narine at the top of the order, and Russell and Eoin Morgan lower down – uncomfortable, to varying extents, is fast, short-pitched bowling. Unlike the Mumbai Indians or the Delhi Capitals, however, the Super Kings don’t have anyone in their first-choice attack who can bowl in that manner. Just for this reason, they might think of bringing back either Lungi Ngidi or Josh Hazlewood, in place of Dwayne Bravo. It wouldn’t be an easy change to make, given that Bravo, apart from his death-bowling skills, adds real heft to their lower order, and just his presence helps free up the batsmen playing above him. But if there’s one opposition that calls out for including at least one out-and-out fast bowler in your attack, it’s the Knight Riders.
• This becomes even more imperative when you consider how destructive Russell has been against the Super Kings in recent seasons. Since 2018, he’s scored 98 runs in the slog overs (16-20) against the Super Kings without being dismissed. And why leave out Bravo? Maybe because Russell has hit him for 78 runs in 30 balls across four innings in the IPL, without being dismissed.
• Why bowl fast and short to Russell? Well, since the 2018 season, fast bowlers have dismissed him significantly more times while bowling short (9) than any other length, according to ESPNcricinfo’s data, with the traditional good length (4) a distant second. His control percentage against short balls (53.25) is his lowest against any length, and his strike rate against short balls (170.13) is the second-lowest behind yorkers (110.53). Yorkers come with very little margin for error, though, with Russell striking at 228.95 against full-tosses and 337.50 against full balls. Short balls have a greater margin for error, with Russell striking at 175.32 against short-of-good-length balls.
• The key wicket for the Knight Riders, meanwhile, could be Shane Watson. The Australian opener has made ten 40-plus scores for the Super Kings, and nine of them have come in wins. How can the Knight Riders rein Watson in? Narine hasn’t been the force he used to be with the ball, but he has excellent numbers against Watson: 28 balls over six innings, conceding just 29 runs and dismissing him four times. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to hand Narine the new ball.

Stats that matter

• In Sam Curran, the Super Kings have a genuine lower-order asset they could look to promote more often. Of all batsmen who’ve faced at least 60 balls in the IPL since the 2019 season, Curran’s strike rate of 197.29 is the third-highest behind Jofra Archer (198.46) and Russell (197.87). Even more impressively, Curran’s strike rate of 177 over the first 10 balls of his innings is better than anyone else in IPL history.
• MS Dhoni has famously never hit a boundary off Narine in the IPL. That run of no fours and sixes extends to 12 meetings, which have produced 29 runs off 59 balls, and one dismissal.
• Dhoni needs one six to reach 300 in T20 cricket.
• Russell needs two wickets to reach 300 in T20s.
• Pat Cummins needs one wicket to reach 100 in T20s.

There had been melee between the fans outside the stadium before the match began, and it also carried on outside after the eviction

Sidharth Monga at Headingley29-Jun-2019One of the ugliest cricket matches at an ICC event ended with words of grace from each side, something that could not be said of the fans who threw punches at each other while in the stands, chucked rubbish, bottles and even a rubbish bin and finally invaded the pitch as soon as the match finished. Those outside used steel barriers on the streets as weapons. Fighting among fans – to this degree – is unheard of at modern ICC events.It would appear, though, that the authorities either were unaware of or underestimated the animosity between the two countries and their fans. The action from on-site security and stewards was not swift or decisive enough to prevent clashes from breaking out in the stands or to stop people from entering the field of play at the end of the match. Security lapses were visible even at the start of the match as quite a few fans were seen jumping the boundary walls of the stadium to gain illegal entrance.ALSO READ – Monga: An opportunity to keep the Afghanistan-Pakistan rivalry dignifiedThe pitch invasion finally raised the biggest alarm for the players. Mohammad Nabi was almost tackled accidentally by a security officer as he went after a pitch invader. This raises serious question marks over the security of the players and the fans in the ongoing World Cup.”We are aware of some scuffles among a minority of fans and are currently working with the venue security team and the local police force, West Yorkshire Police, to ensure there are no further incidents,” an ICC spokesperson said after the first incident, which took place an hour into the match. “We do not condone this type of behaviour, and will take appropriate action against any anti-social behaviour that spoils the enjoyment for the majority of fans.”At least two fans were evicted early in the match, but whatever action was taken was evidently not enough as rioting resumed in the dying moments.
Geopolitical tensions have been high between Kabul and Islamabad. The two countries are divided by a porous border, the Durand Line, which was drawn up in 1893 between Afghanistan and British India. Refugees, drugs and terror and American influence moved through this border freely for about 40 years before it was closed temporarily in 2017. Cross-border movements are much more difficult now.These tensions manifest themselves in cricket all the more because Afghanistan learnt their cricket in Pakistan but are now beholden to India for the BCCI’s help in giving their national team an adopted home ground and helping them with infrastructure.A pitch invader is tackled by a security official•Getty Images

On the field, though, the match was played in good spirit, and both teams were full of praise for each other. Representatives from both sides who spoke to the press after the game said they were not aware of what went on in the stands. Both parties asked for calm and better behaviour when informed. Pakistan’s Imad Wasim urged the fans to stop fighting because they are all Muslims, and thus brothers. Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib reminded his countrymen they represent their country wherever they go.However, it is unfair to expect them to react accurately when they didn’t know what exactly had happened. What they were fully aware of was the contest they were in. Pakistan came within one mistake of getting beaten and practically bowing out of the tournament, and they knew a lot of it was down to the quality of bowling they faced.”Look, their spinners, they’re world class,” Imad said. “If they score consistently over 250 or 260 on any track, they can cause trouble to any team. So credit goes to Afghanistan. I think last five years they rose up. And look at that, they’re giving a tough time to every team. They gave India a tough time. They gave us a tough time. And there are a lot of teams, you know. So Afghanistan, I think, is a force to reckon with in a couple of years’ time.”Wahab Riaz, who broke the game open with a six in the 49th over, knew they had been stretched to their limits. He said if Afghanistan’s batting can improve they can threaten any team. Naib gave all the credit to Imad’s innings of 49 for closing out the game when intense pressure was on. A few Pakistan fans waited near the Afghanistan team bus to console them and tell them that they played well and were unlucky to lose. Rashid Khan obliged them with selfies.

The former Pakistan legspinner said he had owned up because he could not “live a life with lies” anymore

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-20185:16

Danish Kaneria confesses guilt in spot-fixing case

Former Pakistan legspinner Danish Kaneria has admitted his guilt in the spot-fixing case involving former Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield, more than six years after he was banned for life by the ECB.”My name is Danish Kaneria and I admit that I was guilty of the two charges brought against me by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2012,” Kaneria, 37, told . “I have become strong enough to make this decision, because you cannot live a life with lies.”Westfield, 23 at the time, had admitted to accepting £6000 in return for conceding a set number of runs off an over in a Pro40 match against Durham in September 2009. He was jailed after pleading guilty to the charge of accepting or obtaining corrupt payments. Kaneria, who was arrested along with Westfield in 2010 only for charges to be dropped due to a lack of evidence, was alleged to have been the go-between between Westfield and Anu Bhatt, who was on the ICC radar for being a person involved in illegal betting.Kaneria had protested his innocence in the matter several times over the years and appealed repeatedly – and unsuccessfully – to have his life ban revoked. Though he was banned by the ECB, the ICC’s anti-corruption code states that decisions based on a board’s regulations should be upheld by boards around the world.In the Al Jazeera interview, Kaneria said he had met Bhatt four years before the Essex game for which he and Westfield came under scrutiny. “In 2005 on a West Indies tour, my assistant manager introduced me to Anu Bhatt, because he was a Hindu and he was a cricket fan,” Kaneria, who was the only Hindu in the Pakistan team at the time, said. “Then we were on a India tour and over there, 2008 it was I think, Anu Bhatt invited the whole team for dinner, so me and my wife and other cricketers went to his house for the dinner.”Kaneria admitted to ignoring warnings from the ICC’s ACU that Bhatt was a “suspicious guy”. “[ACU] Came to Pakistan and told several cricketers and me that he is a suspicious guy and is involved in doing fixing,” he said. “I regret very much, I didn’t complain to the higher authorities, like English Cricket Board or ICC unit. I didn’t inform or didn’t tell them this guy is over here [in the UK].”Mervyn used to tell me that he wants to become a rich cricketer. I was highly paid in Essex, and I was an international player at that time. And I was living a life, a very lavish life, so he also wanted to make money. I think he was targeted by Anu Bhatt and I think he fell into that temptation. Being an international cricketer and a senior cricketer, I should have taken it one step higher of telling Mervyn that this guy is suspicious.”I want to apologise to Mervyn Westfield, my Essex team-mates, my Essex cricket club, my Essex cricket fans. I say sorry to Pakistan. If the ECB and ICC and other bodies would give me a second chance I can help to educate young people in cricket, teach them that if you do wrong you are finished like me.”Kaneria said that part of the reason he maintained his innocence at the time was that his father – who died of cancer in 2013 – had been in poor health. “His health was getting worse and worse,” Kaneria said. “I didn’t have the courage to face him and tell him that I was wrong. He was a very, very proud guy. Very, very proud of me and what I did, representing Pakistan, representing my country.”Kaneria played 61 Tests for Pakistan between 2000 and 2010 and took 261 wickets at an average of 34.79. He is still Pakistan’s most successful spin bowler.

Olly Stone’s four wickets gave Warwickshire hope but Durham’s ninth-wicket pair refused to budge

ECB Reporters Network07-Sep-20181:22

Warwickshire’s lead cut as Division Two heats up

Warwickshire 310 (Trott 79, McCarthy 4-58) and 199 (Hain 58*, Patel 7-54) drew with Durham 292 (Stone 7-59) and 115 for 8 (Stone 4-37)
ScorecardDurham’s tail dug deep to earn a draw and dent Warwickshire’s promotion hopes on day four of their captivating Specsavers County Championship match at Edgbaston.Set 218 to win from 41 overs, Durham were fancying their chances but four wickets from Olly Stone helped reduce the visitors to 102 for eight with six overs remaining.The Bears intensified their efforts, missing the edge many times, but wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter (9*) and number ten Matt Salisbury (5*) put on a resolute ninth-wicket partnership of 13 runs from 35 balls.It was heartbreak for a home side that remains top but sees their lead reduced to seven points to second placed Kent who beat Northants earlier in the afternoon.With 70 overs lost in the match and Warwickshire’s promotion rivals Sussex and Kent closing in on top spot, there was plenty of urgency from the hosts to engineer a winning opportunity.Starting the day on 28 for one, Ian Bell was the first to go, caught by Graham Clark after wafting at Axar Patel’s first ball for 10, with Dominic Sibley following him shortly after, bowled by Patel for 27 trying to sweep.Jonathan Trott then fell four balls later, edging to Paul Collingwood for 13 off Barry McCarthy, leaving the Bears struggling on 68 for four.A valuable partnership of 89 from 202 balls between Sam Hain and Tim Ambrose who was dropped twice on 10 and 14, edged Warwickshire ahead in the game.But once Ambrose was trapped LBW by Patel, wickets fell at an alarming rate – five in nine overs – as the spinner bulldozed through the tail, once Barry McCarthy removed Keith Barker for five, to chalk up a career-best of 27.4-12-54-7.The 24 year-old bowled his namesake for seven, before getting Chris Wright (15), Stone (0) and Ryan Sidebottom to hole out with the latter dismissal coming via the head of Will Smith at short leg.Durham needed to go at 5.31 an over to reach their target, but they were immediately put on the back foot.Barker trapped Alex Lees lbw for nine, before Wright got Cameron Steel to edge behind for 21, whilst Stone dismissed Smith for eight an over later. Both wickets had come following a bowling change.Stone struck again, Richardson given lbw, putting the visitors on 54 for four and needing another 164 to win from 22.4 overs.An away win now looked heavily unlikely and Warwickshire, who were rotating the seam attack, struck with 21 overs remaining when Stone got Clark to find Hain at deep square for 23.Patel, who was going at a run a ball, was the next to fall trapped LBW by Barker for 22 leaving the experienced Collingwood and Stuart Poynter to see out the final the thirteen overs.But Collingwood was caught by Ambrose for 13 off the bowling of Wright and McCarthy followed when Stone trapped him lbw for two.Warwickshire’s tails were up but Durham’s were a match, defending seven intense overs of pace which saw five slips and no fielder more than 15 yards away from the bat.There’s little time for either side to dust themselves down with Warwickshire heading to Grace Road to face Leicestershire on Monday, whilst Durham return to Chester-le-Street to face third placed Sussex.

South Africa appear to be more interested in testing their bench strength than winning the series, but that mindset may change in the deciding ODI in Cape Town

The Preview by Danyal Rasool29-Jan-2019

Big Picture

While South Africa have been open about their intention to use this series for experimenting ahead of the World Cup, Pakistan were decidedly more conservative in their selection. The hosts rested key players like Quinton de Kock and Dale Steyn for the first two ODIs and the on-fire Duanne Olivier for the last three. That afforded debuts to Beuran Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen, in addition to providing games to irregulars such as Dane Paterson and Dwaine Pretorius. Pakistan, meanwhile, stuck with the squad that, more or less, will go to the World Cup in England, making the odd change dependent on the conditions each particular pitch threw up.The first truly radical alteration in Johannesburg ended up being forced on them, with Sarfraz Ahmed’s ban seeing him out of the tour altogether. Under Shoaib Malik’s stewardship, they turned in the most complete performance of the tour, trouncing South Africa by eight wickets on Pink Day, putting paid to the hosts’ unbeaten record when clad in that resplendent hue. It seemed like the team was bubbling with a fresher energy in the absence of a hands-on captain like Sarfraz, with Malik evidently more laissez-faire in handling his men.The stakes in the deciding game are higher now, with Pakistan looking to come away with a series win against South Africa that seemed a long shot given the side’s ordinary year in ODIs in 2018. They are, despite their regular captain’s absence, significantly more settled than their South African counterparts, with both batting and bowling departments beginning to click as the series has progressed.South Africa’s batsmen have, in patches, looked good without quite appearing the world-class force Faf du Plessis will want them to be, while the numerous personnel changes almost every game give the impression of a side in flux rather than one showcasing its bench strength. It has been difficult to assess the hosts this series, with their objectives going into it a little hazier than Pakistan’s. It’s fair to question whether South Africa consider winning this series an important goal in itself as opposed to viewing it as a warm-up ahead of the World Cup, with both coach Ottis Gibson and captain du Plessis looking ahead to it in nearly every press conference. In any case, a home series loss is unlikely to go down as good preparation, so the final ODI in Cape Town may produce a contest with greater intensity than any of the previous four so far.

Form guide

South Africa LWWLW
Pakistan WLLWW

In the spotlight

Having started his career at No. 7, David Miller has, for good reason, nailed down the No. 5 slot in the ODI side. He came into this series in form, smashing a barnstorming 139 against Australia in November. He is an amalgamation of a number of attractive qualities all rolled into one. But his signature trait – the sheer devastation he can wreak with bat in hand without seeming to take on the risks associated with big hitters of similar reputation – has not been on show. Pakistan are an opponent he’s found difficult to handle for much of his ODI career, his average against them dropping from a career 38.25 to just over 25, with his strike-rate taking a similar hit – 101.76 to 77.36. Whether Pakistan can continue to maintain that hold on one of the world’s most explosive batsmen may contain the key to the outcome of the series.David Miller plundered a magnificent century•Getty Images

Mohammad Rizwan finally got an international game after two years in Johannesburg, thanks to Sarfraz’s absence. While he didn’t get much of a chance to show his abilities with the bat, his glovework did come in for praise from several quarters. He was reliably secure behind the stumps to both spinners and quicks, and as blemish free as he might have hoped. A brilliant diving catch down legside to remove Reeza Hendricks was perhaps the highlight of his day, though a boundary dispatched through point off the only ball he faced to seal Pakistan’s victory might have come close. With Rizwan in famously good form ahead of this tour, he has this narrow window of opportunity over the next four games to push his case. Who knows when he might get to play another ODI, so why not make the series decider a memorable one?

Team news

South Africa have called up Wiaan Mulder, who scored 146 in a Man-of-the-Match winning display for the Lions against the Knights in Bloemfontein, to the squad for the fifth ODI. The 20-year old allrounder has also recently enjoyed good form with the ball, and will be looking for a more successful international outing than he enjoyed against Sri Lanka last year.South Africa (possible): Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis (capt), David Miller, Reeza Hendricks, Andile Phehlukwayo/Wiaan Mulder, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Beuran Hendricks, Imran TahirAfter the performance in Johannesburg, it would be tempting to let the same bunch of players go out again. Form continues to elude Fakhar Zaman, but Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur a big fan of his talents, he is expected to start once more.Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Babar Azam, 5 Shoaib Malik (capt) 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Shadab Khan 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Usman Shinwari, 11 Shaheen Afridi

Pitch and conditions

This won’t be the kind of surface that allowed South Africa to play an all-seam attack in the Test earlier this month, with both captains confident of batting-friendly conditions. Newlands has traditionally had something in it for the spinners, and with the last few days seeing unusually high temperatures, the extra aridity could give the slower bowlers an added layer of menace.

Stats and trivia

• There are a number of imminent milestones for South Africa’s bowlers. Dale Steyn sits just wickets short of 200, Kagiso Rabada is three shy of 100, while one more scalp for Andile Phehlukwayo would take him to 50.
• Sarfraz Ahmed played every single match across all formats since 26 January 2017, when he sat out of the fifth ODI in a bilateral series against Australia. His next absence, the fourth ODI in Johannesburg, came two years and a day later, on 27 January 2019.
• Mohammad Amir last bowled a full ten overs in ODI cricket against Sri Lanka in Cardiff in the group stages of the 2017 Champions Trophy. In the 13 matches he’s played since, he has bowled nine overs just twice.

Quotes

“It’s a big game but it’s important we don’t make it bigger than it already is. When we make it a big thing, we possibly don’t bring the best out of ourselves as a team”
Faf du Plessis believes South Africa don’t need to put any extra pressure on themselves”We’re trying to give opportunities to those players who we think are going to participate in the World Cup. Playing some cricket in South Africa against a good side is a great opportunities”
Shoaib Malik reveals the World Cup isn’t far from anyone’s mind as they approach the final