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Performance in Ireland tri-series has given everyone a lot of confidence, says chief selector Minhajul Abedin

Mohammad Isam21-May-2019There will be no changes to the 15-man provisional World Cup squad Bangladesh had announced over a month ago, with Minhajul Abedin, the chief selector, saying that the performances in the Ireland tri-series, which Bangladesh won, had convinced the selectors that the squad was the right one.”There is much confidence on and within the 15-member squad currently in England,” Abedin, who was also the team manager during the tri-series, told ESPNcricinfo. “Everyone in the squad has shown that they are capable of performing at the highest stage, which is why we selected them in the first place.”The question marks were mainly over Abu Jayed and Mosaddek Hossain, but both passed with flying colours. Mosaddek’s quickfire half-century against West Indies in the final helped Bangladesh clinch their first multi-team ODI trophy, while Jayed took 5 for 58 against Ireland in an earlier game.Liton Das and Rubel Hossain, also not considered automatic starters at the World Cup, also did enough in their limited opportunities during the tri-series to stay in the squad. Liton hit a 67-ball 76 against Ireland in his only outing, while Rubel picked up 1 for 41 in the same game.Four reserve players – Taskin Ahmed, Farhad Reza, Nayeem Hasan and Yasir Ali – had travelled to Ireland for the tri-series, but will now continue training in Dhaka along with the two other standby players – Imrul Kayes and Taijul Islam – in preparation for the July series against Afghanistan A, who will play two four-day and five one-day games.Most of Bangladesh’s World Cup squad is now training in Leicester before the squad – including captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal, who were given a break – head to Cardiff for their two warm-up games against Pakistan and India on May 26 and 28 respectively.Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Liton Das, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Saifuddin, Abu Jayed, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain

Pakistan climbed to the top half of the ICC Women’s Championship table with a resounding win against Sri Lanka in Dambulla, on the back of a half-century from captain Bismah Maroof and a four-for from offspinner Sana Mir

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-2018Getty Images/ICC

Pakistan climbed to the top half of the ICC Women’s Championship table with a resounding 94-run win against Sri Lanka in Dambulla, on the back of a half-century from captain Bismah Maroof and a four-for from offspinner Sana Mir. Once Pakistan posted 250 for 6, the hosts were bowled out for 156 to give the visitors an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.Opting to bat, Pakistan saw slow starts from openers Nahida Khan (29) and Muneeba Ai (31) before they were sent back by medium-pacers Ama Kanchana and Sripali Weerakkoddy, respectively, by the 20th over. The innings was then steered by Maroof, who struck nine fours and a six to register her 12th ODI half-century. Her 89 off 90 balls lifted the run rate along with lower-order contributions from Nida Dar and Sana Mir’s 25-ball 27. Weerakkoddy finished with 2 for 46 from her ten overs.Sri Lanka’s chase wobbled as early as the fifth over when Nipuni Hansika was run-out by Muneeba for 5 off 16. Captain Chamari Atapattu scored a brisk 24 off 23 but she fell to Nashra Sandhu’s left-arm spin in the ninth over and four wickets from Mir had them in serious trouble at 67 for 6. Chamari Polgampola, Kanchana and Weerakkoddy steered the score past 100 before a last-wicket stand of 50 runs helped them to 156 but they were bowled out in 37 overs. Mir finished with impressive figures of 10-3-32-4 and Nahida Khan took four catches in the match.The third ODI will be played on Saturday in Dambulla.

Stuart Broad has reportedly been interviewed for the England Test captaincy, along with Joe Root and Ben Stokes

Andrew Miller10-Feb-2017Stuart Broad confirmed that he has held talks with the ECB, as the board launched its search for Alastair Cook’s successor as Test captain, but insisted he has “not specifically” thrown his hat into the ring for the role.Speaking to reporters at Buckingham Palace after receiving an MBE from Prince Charles, Broad said that he backed Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, to make the right appointment, after it emerged that the frontrunners for the role – Broad, Joe Root and Ben Stokes – had all held meetings with Strauss and James Whitaker, the chairman of selectors, on Thursday.”I’ve played for England for a long time, over ten years, so as a senior player you are going to share views and talk to coaches and hierarchies about how the team moves forward,” said Broad.”It’s important that players who’ve been involved, and who you see leading the team forward in the next few years, are consulted.”When he was captain, Andrew Strauss was one of the best decision-makers I’ve ever played with and, now he’s moved into the top of English cricket, I’m sure he’ll consider all options and malke a very sensible and good decision.”While Root remains the overwhelming favourite to lead England in their next Test series, against South Africa in July, there are legitimate concerns about the workload on both him and Stokes, two players who are deemed indispensable to England in all three formats.And that could yet be a reason to hand the Test captaincy to Broad, 30, a senior player with established leadership qualities (he was England T20 captain for three years until Eoin Morgan succeeded him in 2015), but who has played only two limited-overs matches since the 2015 World Cup.Moreover, with England’s defence of the Ashes fast approaching in November, Broad’s proven appetite for the heat of battle in Australia – where he has recently completed a successful stint with Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash – could be another reason to entrust him with the captaincy.

Broad sympathy for de Villiers

Stuart Broad believes that AB de Villiers has made a wise decision to postpone his return to Test cricket until after this summer’s England tour, as he seeks to regain full fitness after a long-term injury lay-off.
Broad, who has dismissed de Villiers ten times in Test cricket, more than any other bowler, admitted he would miss “testing himself against the best”, but said that de Villiers had to do what was right for his long-term career.
“He needs to get it right, because what people don’t realise when cricketers get injured, it’s not just the physical pain that it can cause you, it’s the mental strain of actually getting up every day and playing through pain.
“It’s like playing with a headache every day, and it wears you down over a period of time. I’d always encourage any cricketer who has had long-term niggles to make sure the body gets right, so it would certainly be wrong of me to encourage AB to come over and play through an injury that has hampered him for a little while.
“But if he does have a change of heart come July it’d be lovely to see him at Lord’s. The lunches are still as good.”

Not only has he produced series-winning spells in each of England’s last three home Ashes series, most memorably with his 8 for 15 at Trent Bridge in 2015, he was also one of the few players to emerge with his reputation enhanced on the disastrous whitewash tour Down Under in 2013-14, finishing as England’s highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Broad recalled how the events of that tour helped to “make him as a cricketer”, most notably during the opening exchanges of the first Test in Brisbane, where a local newspaper, the Courier-Mail, instigated a vendetta against him as a consequence of his refusal to walk for a catch at slip during the Trent Bridge Test in 2013.Throughout the contest, the paper referred to him only as “the 27-year-old medium-pacer”, and encouraged the crowds to let him know what they thought of him, but after claiming first-innings figures of 6 for 81, Broad walked into that evening’s press conference with a copy of the paper under his arm.”That really helped make me as a cricketer,” Broad told ESPNcricinfo. “It made me quite a steely character, made me know how to deal with crowd pressure, put it to one side and work on your performance.”It was an experience for sure, I played there in the Big Bash against Brisbane, and got a bit of crowd interaction but certainly not as much as in an England shirt. To walk away with that sort of reaction but with a six-for was a pleasing feeling. I told myself I can deal with everything that’s thrown at me externally and still deliver a good performance.”Obviously the Test didn’t go our way but I know I am a competitive bloke, I thrive in competitive situations, and there’s no better situation than an Ashes series away from home, and it’s a hugely exciting challenge for us.”We’ve got a lot to get through but we are building a team that can challenge Australia in Australia. I spent some time there and there’s no doubt they are formidable in their own conditions, but we have players of the likes of Root and Stokes, Jos Buttler’s such a dangerous talent with the bat, and Moeen Ali too.”These are guys who are delivering on the big stage, plus a few senior guys who’ve been there and done that. We are growing as a team and this will be an exciting Test team to follow over the next few years.”Stuart Broad had to endure hostility from the fans and the media during the Brisbane Test in 2013•Getty Images

Despite speculation that he might be in line for a return to the ODI squad for the forthcoming tour of the Caribbean, Broad was last week overlooked in an unchanged squad, and appears to recognise that county cricket will be his priority for the foreseeable future, as he readies himself to face South Africa, Test opponents that England have not beaten on home soil since 1998.”I’ve got a great period now with no Test cricket until July,” Broad said. “I haven’t had that for about eight or nine years, so I’m looking forward to the next period of time, doing my pre-season with Notts, heading over to Barbados, and setting high standards for myself come July.””South Africa are always a tough team, that’s what made winning in South Africa so special,” he added. “I’ve played in two series against them at home, they beat us in 2008, when I got dropped towards the end of the series, then Hashim Amla got a triple at The Oval [in 2012] and they beat us in that series too.”They are always great competitors, very skillful in our conditions, and that makes this summer a huge one. It’s important for us to get back to winning ways after a tough tour of India. Everyone expected that – five back-to-back with no warm-ups was going to be tricky – but England in our own conditions, at grounds that we are used to and where we have very good records, should encourage us to really take South Africa on.”

A round-up of the matches that ended on November 15, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2015
ScorecardNikita Miller’s match haul of 9 for 113 and an important knock of 39 in the second innings led Jamaica to a 30-run win over Windward Islands at Sabina Park. Miller, who took five wickets in the second innings, bowled Windward out for 145 in a chase of 176 and added to his first-innings returns of 4 for 67.With the bat, Miller rescued Jamaica from a score of 25 for 7, sharing a 76-run partnership with Damion Jacobs for the seventh wicket after Shane Shillingford and Mervin Matthew had cut through the batting. Both Shillingford and Matthew finished with five-fors. The partnership between Miller and Jacobs helped stretch Jamaica’s first-innings lead of 47 to 175, which proved too much for Windward.Jamaica posted 259 in their first innings, building around Andre McCarthy’s 92, while John Campbell and David Bernard chipped in with 43. Liam Sebastien was the pick of Windward bowlers with figures of 7 for 58. Windward managed 212 in response, the only noteable score being Sunil Ambris’ 89. Apart from Miller, Jacobs was also among the wickets in the first innings, taking 3 for 76.

Gary Wilson gave Ricky Ponting some act to follow with a century that propped up Surrey’s batting on the first day against Sussex

Alex Winter at The Oval24-Apr-2013
ScorecardGary Wilson played fluently after being promoted up the order•Getty Images

Gary Wilson went out to bat at No. 3 for the first time in his first-class career on the opening day against Sussex. It could also be the last time he fills the slot. But he gave Ricky Ponting some act to follow with a century that propped up Surrey’s batting.Wilson was hurried up the order at the request of Surrey’s captain, Graeme Smith, after Arun Harinath was ruled out of the match having taken a blow to the hand in the nets before the start of play. After Smith failed again in a 12 ball stay, Wilson deputised to great effect with his second century for Surrey.It is easy to become blinded in an assessment of Surrey by their big-name signings but their real strength lies in those players they have nurtured themselves. The contrasting innings of Smith and Wilson provided a perfect demonstration.Wilson was brought to Surrey by the previous head coach, Alan Butcher, as a 20-year-old and has grown from his initial role as back-up wicketkeeper to feature regularly in Surrey’s one-day side. Last year’s tragic circumstances gave him a chance in the Championship. He played three matches and scored 182 runs at 60.66.Here he was handed another opportunity to show his worth in red-ball cricket and responded by working hard in the morning session to set up an afternoon where he pushed on to a hundred in 207 balls with 12 fours.Last season it was lesser-known players, Harinath, Rory Burns and Zafar Ansari among them, that began the club’s revival. Surrey fell to pieces after Tom Maynard’s death and relegation was a distinct possibility but their young batsman found form and a recovery was conjured. Names that few noticed in among the swaggering stars.Wilson was one of those and he was dealing with a double bereavement, having lost his mother to lung cancer shortly before the start of last season. His celebration here reflected someone who had gone through so much: a big punch of the air, raise of the arms and generous embrace from his batting partner, Zander de Bruyn.But Wilson denied the celebration contained any overt emotion, saying his reaction on pushing Chris Nash through the covers to reach three figures reflected only the joy of doing the job he was asked to do.”I battled really hard this morning to get into a good position and it was a case of pure relief, I knew I had done the hard work,” Wilson said. “I knew I had a job to do for the team and it was a case of going in and enjoying batting up the order. I can’t imagine it will continue but it was nice to get a few while it lasted.”Hard work was necessary in a morning that yielded only 58 runs in 32 overs. James Anyon and Steve Magoffin did all they could with the new ball, with Chris Jordan – returning to the county he spent six years with – proving an excellent first change. Anyon found a little dent on the wicket to get one to lift on Smith who edged behind but there was precious other help. In the face of such conditions, having been asked to bowl first, the Sussex attack were admirably disciplined.Runs flowed more freely as the ball got older – with Anyon and Jordan suffering – but the attack as a whole, with Monty Panesar bowling 25 cheap overs, deserved their four wickets with the second new ball that left Surrey grateful for their makeshift No. 3.

A century from Riki Wessels and a solid opening stand between Alex Hales and Neil Edwards put Nottinghamshire in a strong position after two days

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge07-Apr-2012
ScorecardJust when it seemed Worcestershire were in position to pull off an improbable victory at Trent Bridge, a late burst of destructive bowling tipped the balance back in favour of Nottinghamshire. Worcestershire had been favourites to win before the second new ball became available but they enter the final day suddenly facing a tall order to avoid defeat. They are 134 behind, with only four wickets in hand and the new ball has had only five overs of wear.Yet, even if the final day has defeat in store for them, they can console themselves with the knowledge that the competitive spirit that enabled them to defy their status as relegation favourites last season remains intact. Chasing what seemed likely to be no more than a nominal target of 392 to win, they managed to reduced it to 157 while losing only Michael Klinger and Vikram Solanki. At that stage, with the pitch behaving as well as it had throughout the match, you would not have bet against them pulling it off.But a partnership of 174 between their captain, Daryl Mitchell, and the allrounder Moeen Ali, ended when Ali, six short of a century, was caught behind off a slightly weary drive against Andre Adams. Then what had been such a promising position unravelled rather dramatically.Nottinghamshire, by then a little ragged in the field and getting scant help from the pitch, were toiling. Once Moeen had departed, with the new ball imminent, responsibility rested on the shoulders of Mitchell to hold things together. Mitchell’s task became more onerous when Ben Phillips, the right-arm seamer who has bowled well throughout this match, needed only six deliveries with the new ball to deal Worcestershire another blow, bowling Alexei Kervezee off his padsMitchell had played superbly, anchoring the innings for more than five hours. He had been granted an unusual reprieve during the morning, allowed to continue on 9 despite being apparently given out leg before by umpire George Sharp, who then reversed the decision when Adams, the bowler, declined to appeal.He completed a fine century off 237 balls with his 12th boundary but faced only one more before Luke Fletcher bowled him. The ball was swinging for the broadly-built seamer and he struck again with his next delivery, badly misjudged by new batsman Ben Scott, who did not offer a shot.  Now the Worcestershire target suddenly looked a considerable one.In the morning, Nottinghamshire had added 48 runs to their overnight total, 25 of them coming in a typically violent assault by Adams. Riki Wessels stretched the century he had completed on Friday evening to 113 before he was leg before playing across one from Alan Richardson, whose five-wicket haul was just reward for carrying the heaviest workload among the Worcestershire bowlers, at 36, and as unselfishly as ever.Substantial though it is, Worcestershire’s target does not require them to break any records. In June 1996, at Bath, they chased down 446 to beat Somerset by one wicket with three balls to spare. Steve Rhodes, then wicketkeeper, now director of cricket, scored 92 not out. Solanki, aged 20 and in only his eighth first-class match, made 71.He looked as if he might do something similar, if not better, for a while yesterday, but having been dropped at first slip on 20 he aimed a loose drive at Adams to be caught at backward point. He was annoyed with himself, with just cause.  Another 50 or so from him and Worcestershire might still be favourites.Instead, Nottinghamshire can anticipate a winning start to the season, having already had one piece of good news in the shape of an England Performance Squad that includes neither Alex Hales, who has appeared in four Twenty20 internationals, nor James Taylor, the England Lions captain who joined them from Leicestershire during the winter.Having seen Samit Patel make his Test debut in Sri Lanka, Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, had been worried his side’s prospects might be seriously compromised should England see fit to fast-forward Hales and Taylor in their international development. To his relief, Jonathan Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes appear to be ahead in the pecking order.Edited by David Hopps

Hamish Bennett, the New Zealand fast bowler, has been ruled out of the World Cup due to an injury to his ankle and Achilles tendon

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2011Hamish Bennett, the New Zealand fast bowler, has been ruled out of the World Cup due to an injury to his ankle and Achilles tendon. Seamer Daryl Tuffey, who had been called up as a standby for an injured Kyle Mills, will take Bennett’s place in the XV.Bennett injured himself during New Zealand’s previous game against Sri Lanka in Mumbai after bowling just 4.1 overs, and limped off the field. He played four games this tournament, picking up six wickets including a four-for in his team’s opening game against Kenya.New Zealand have been plagued by injuries in this World Cup with Mills suffering from a quad strain after bowling a couple of overs against Canada, and captain Daniel Vettori hurting his knee while attempting a catch in the game against Pakistan. Both missed the clash against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, where New Zealand were comprehensively beaten.Tuffey, who had arrived in India on Friday, had been playing for Auckland in the Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s domestic first-class competition. He’s played 94 ODIs, claiming 110 wickets at 32.12.

Durham continued to dominate the county curtain-raiser against MCC at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, setting their opponents an improbable target of 526 for victory on day three

31-Mar-2010Close MCC 156 for 7 (Murtagh 27*, Lewis 32*, Blackwell 3-39) and 162 (Malan 41, Borthwick 4-27) require 370 runs to beat Durham 228 for 6 dec (Thorp 79*, Coetzer 52*, Kirby 2-10) and 459 for 9 dec (Coetzer 172, Di Venuto 131, Malan 4-20) with three wickets remaining
ScorecardKyle Coetzer followed up his first innings hundred with an unbeaten fifty in the second innings•PA Photos

Durham ripped through MCC’s batting line-up for the second day in a row to move within three wickets of a resounding victory on day three of the county curtain-raiser at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.If MCC’s labours in the field on Monday suggested the pink ball being trialled in this fixture offers little for the bowlers, Durham have gone about proving the opposite ever since, rolling their opponents for 162 yesterday and leaving them 156 for seven at stumps.That left MCC 370 runs adrift of a nominal target of 526, with Scott Borthwick and Ian Blackwell sharing six wickets in the final session.Steve Kirby, who took two late wickets last night to leave Durham seven for two, started with another fiery spell this morning. First he beat Blackwell with a bouncer and then clattered Will Smith on the helmet with another short-pitched delivery.Jon Lewis, who has been struggling with a thigh problem for much of the match, came on first change and proceeded to bowl Smith via the bottom edge with his first ball of the innings. Dean Cosker matched that feat, snaring Blackwell’s outside edge with his loosener. Phil Mustard was in at five in a changed Durham order and quickly opened up with a handful of crisp attacking strokes.But debutant Ben Stokes could only add seven before he was pinned lbw by MCC skipper Alex Gidman as Durham stumbled to 74 for five. Mustard dashed a single just before the break to bring up his 50, which included eight fours, but fell two balls into the second session, carving James Middlebrook into the hands of James Taylor.That brought day one centurion Kyle Coetzer and Callum Thorp together and the pair were offered some fairly easy pickings as the frontline bowlers were withdrawn from the action in favour part-time spin from Taylor and Malan.Thorp took full advantage, helping himself to a rare half-century before moving up the gears to pass his previous first-class best of 75 with two thrashed boundaries off Taylor. Coetzer, meanwhile, followed up his career-best 172 in the first innings with an organised but low-key 52 not out. Despite the awkward twilight period closing in, Smith delayed the inevitable declaration by a handful of overs before calling his men in at 228 for six.Just seven of those had been scored when Steve Harmison struck in his third over, Scott Newman playing on for a second failure of the match. MCC soon set about replicating their implosion on day two, with David Sales (2) trapped lbw by Blackwell and Malan (13) lifting the same bowler to substitute fielder Mark Stoneman. Blackwell’s left-arm spin continued to trouble the batsmen, with Gidman bowled for a breezy 17 after missing a paddle sweep.At 44 for four, MCC were in deep trouble. They struggled to 74 before James Foster went lbw for six, Borthwick striking with his first ball of the day. That was his fifth scalp of the match and a sixth could have followed from the next ball when Middlebrook survived another strong shout.Yet he could not capitalise on his reprieve, making just nine before picking out Smith to give Borthwick a second success. Taylor, the 2009 Young Cricketer of the Year made a composed 39 before he too capitulated to Borthwick, pulling a shorter one to Coetzer, who held a smart
catch. By now the result was a formality but Lewis (32 not out) and Murtagh (27 not out)
forged a solid eighth-wicket stand to ensure the match would reach a fourth day.Even Harmison, who had puzzlingly contributed just three overs with the new ball, was tempted into a second spell without joy.

He has been fined 100% of his match fee for a Level 1 breach of the IPL’s Code of Conduct during the game against Delhi Capitals

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2024Harshit Rana, the Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler, has been fined 100% of his match fee and suspended for a game, for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team’s match against Delhi Capitals. Rana will now miss KKR’s game against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, on May 3.Though the IPL release did not specify the reason for Rana’s fine, he could’ve been pulled up due to the animated celebrations from him towards DC batter Abishek Porel. Rana, who picked up 2 for 28 during KKR’s seven-wicket win, dismissed Porel in the seventh over of DC’s innings, giving the batter a bit of a send-off as he walked back. Rana was subsequently charged with a Level 1 breach under Article 2.5 of the tournament rules. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding.This was Rana’s second offence of the season, having also been penalised last month during the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. During that match, Rana gave SRH batter Mayank Agarwal a sharp stare after dismissing him, and was fined 60% of his match fee.KKR are currently second in the table with 12 points, and an NRR of 1.096, the best of all teams in the competition.

Giants have just two points from three games but a win on Saturday will put them back in contention for playoffs

Shashank Kishore11-Mar-2023

Big picture: Giants eye back-to-back wins

Gujarat Giants were in the news for all the wrong reasons at the start of the WPL.First the mystery around Deandra Dottin’s “medical condition”, which was followed by her rebuff on social media. Then Beth Mooney’s injury in their tournament opener, followed by long suspense over her availability.Then, Sneh Rana was named stand-in captain before a social-media gaffe that suggested Harleen Deol might be the new captain sent tongues wagging. Some teams go through that much drama over an entire season. But, that’s all in the past.Rana has been firmly handed the reins, Laura Wolvaardt has come in as Mooney’s replacement, and there seems to be a settled look about the team that an emphatic victory can bring about.Sophia Dunkley, who may have not played had Mooney been fit, set the stage alight with an 18-ball half-century in their previous game, while Harleen and D Hemalatha have shown spark in each of the three games they’ve played. If S Meghana can fire at the top of the order, the collective batting might they have could challenge Delhi Capitals as they aim for back-to-back wins.Royal Challengers Bangalore losing a fourth straight game has meant the gulf between them and the other four teams has become bigger. If Giants win on Saturday, they will firmly be back in contention for the playoffs.Capitals have one of the most well-rounded units in the competition, but they were given a massive reality check by Mumbai Indians. Meg Lanning battled hard, but the rest of the batting unit collapsed around her. That said, they would rather have that one off game out of the way now than during the knockouts.Shafali Verma’s approach has largely been refreshing, far different to the diffidence we saw at the T20 World Cup. Jemimah Rodrigues, who helped deliver their opening win, has been putting together key contributions. But there is a soft underbelly to their lower middle order. In Minnu Mani, Taniya Bhatia and Radha Yadav, there’s not much batting depth beyond the superstars. There in lies a chance for Giants.

Players to watch: Pandey and Meghana

Remember that devious inswinger to clean bowl Alyssa Healy from a couple of years ago? That’s the version of Shikha Pandey the Capitals would love to see with the new ball. So far, there has been little swing and movement on offer for her. And without those two elements, Pandey has struggled a bit. She takes great pride in reinventing herself every time she is challenged, so how she bounces back against Giants could be worth watching.S Meghana has the reputation of being an explosive batter in Indian domestic cricket. So far, opportunities to exhibit that with the Indian team have been rare, because of the presence of an established top order in Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues. That has meant she has mostly been in the reserves. Now is her opportunity to bring that explosive game to the fore and show the selectors what she can potentially offer going forward.

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Alice Capsey, 6 Jess Jonassen, 7 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 8 Shikha Pandey, 9 Radha Yadav, 10 Tara Norris, 11 Titas Sadhu/Minnu ManiGujarat Giants: 1 Sophia Dunkley, 2 S Meghana, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Ash Gardner, 5 D Hemalatha, 6 Annabel Sutherland, 7 Sneh Rana (capt), 8 Kim Garth, 9 Sushma Verma (wk), 10 Tanuja Kanwar, 11 Mansi Joshi

Quotes

“You can’t go out there and look at 180 right from the start. You get yourself into a bit of trouble if you do that.”
“Sneh Rana has had very good support from her vice-captain, her deputy Ash Gardner – both of them worked together. Sneh has done well because she also has the experience of leading Indian Railways in the domestic season.”