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Big Picture

The thrill of a fast start. The chaos of a collapse. A fast bowler breathing fire. A T20 maverick standing tall. There were so many good things about the first T20I in Auckland – not least the return of people in the stands and the death of the artificial crowd noise machine, which couldn’t have happened soon enough.But there was also room for improvement. Lockie Ferguson made a point of it in the post-match press conference several times. Barring his vicious spell of 4-0-21-5, the rest of the bowlers took a little while to come to grips with international cricket again. Even someone as skilled as Tim Southee – who’s also the stand-in captain for the first two games – began the day with two wides.

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West Indies were rusty too. Yorkers that turned into beamers were a major cause for their defeat on Friday and Kieron Pollard will be eager to restore his team’s discipline and push the series into a decider.For all the excitement at Eden Park, there may well be something even better at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, as both sets of players work their way back towards peak performance levels. Pollard is there. So is Ferguson. And the rest won’t be far behind.

Form guide

New Zealand WLLLL (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LWWWL

In the spotlight

It wasn’t so long ago that Jimmy Neesham was about to walk away from the game. He batted slowly and bowled too predictably. As a result, he lost his place in the side and was forced on a journey of self-rediscovery. Friends and family and the Wellington players and staff helped him locate his love for cricket again, and now he’s out there making a case to be a limited-overs finisher. New Zealand have often missed that, with senior top-order batsmen like Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor forced to both carry an innings as well as close it out, but now things are changing.Nicholas Pooran fell cheaply to a full toss on leg stump. Sure, it arrived at 150 kph, but he’s supposed to be the crown jewel among the next generation of West Indies batsmen. And those guys are supposed to belt bad balls like that out of the ground. Pooran is no fluke. He is good against pace and spin. He is already a batsman capable of seeing two overs ahead in the game and batting accordingly. And he has all the shots and flair to spare. Sooner or later, class will show.Jimmy Neesham in full flow•Getty Images

Team news

Now that they don’t have to worry about the tiny boundaries at Eden Park, New Zealand may think about bringing Ish Sodhi back into the XI. Glenn Phillips’ kneecap had popped out, and then popped back in, while he was batting last night. He should be available for the second T20I.New Zealand (possible): 1 Tim Seifert (wk), 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Glenn Phillips, 4 Devon Conway, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 James Neesham, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Tim Southee (capt), 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Ish SodhiWest Indies were concerned about their batting losing wickets in clumps, but given that clump was made up of near-blinding talent, they’ll probably persist with the same line-up and just ask them to be a little more – well – like themselves.West Indies (possible): 1 Andre Fletcher, 2 Brandon King, 3 Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Kieron Pollard (capt), 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Fabian Allen, 8 Keemo Paul/Kyle Mayers, 9 Oshane Thomas, 10 Kesrick Williams, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Pitch and conditions

Another run-fest is likely given the average run-rate across seven matches played at the Bay Oval is a very healthy 9.01. Fast bowlers tend to leak most of those runs – they have gone at 9.60 runs an over – so both captains may try to control the game with spin, which has cost a much better 7.80.Sunday’s weather forecast suggests brief afternoon showers in Mount Maunganui.

Stats and Trivia

• Neesham has played four T20Is since the end of his two-year hiatus in January 2019. He’s made 111 runs In them, facing only 62 balls, at a strike rate of 179.
• Pollard’s numbers in T20 cricket this year read: 615 runs in 308 balls at an average of 55.90 and strike rate of 199.87.

Sri Lanka were in such a good situation in the early stages of the first Test they could even have dominated had multiple injuries not hit. This, at least, was the view of Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne, whose dressing room was decimated by injury through the course of the four days at Centurion.Sri Lanka made 396 in the first innings – their highest ever score in South Africa – but lost Dhananjaya de Silva to a thigh strain during what was arguably their most fluent innings of the Test. In subsequent days Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara withdrew from the attack due to injuries, meaning Karunaratne had only three good bowling options remaining.Despite the good first-innings total, they went on to lose by an innings and 45 runs, after South Africa racked up a total of 621 against a substantially depleted attack.”I’ve never faced a situation like this and maybe no one has, where in one match you lose three bowlers,” Karunaratne said. “When we started we had a balanced attack, with bowlers I could use for various roles. But in the first innings we lost that. We had been in a position where we could have even dominated the game. We had been in worse situations than this on our last tour to South Africa when we won those games. Losing this [game] by an innings is a huge disappointment.”We had scored the most we’d ever scored [in South Africa] in the first innings. We knew after making that total that it’s going to get harder to bat on later in the game as well. If our bowlers had stayed fit we would have been able to do something. Our batsmen did a good job in this match.”Karunaratne was unwilling to be too severe on the second-innings batting effort either. Sri Lanka conceded a first-innings lead of 225, but aside from the absence of de Silva, they also had to contend with a niggle that Dinesh Chandimal picked up, as well as Rajitha and Kumara’s inability to do anything but hobble between the wickets. Wanindu Hasaranga was also struggling to run after injuring his thigh diving on the ball on day three.Related

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Karunaratne suggested that Sri Lanka’s collapse to 180 all out in the second innings was at least partly due to injuries having wiped out their prospects of victory.”We were 200 runs behind and if we’d chased that down and set a target, we still wouldn’t have had any bowlers to defend it,” he said. “We had two wicket-taking bowlers, and once their spells finish, the next bowlers we had available are myself, Kusal Mendis and Dasun Shanaka.”We have three wicketkeepers in the XI, so we don’t have a lot of part-time bowlers. I think that must have been in the batsmen’s minds in the second innings, because no matter how well we set up a target, it’s still not going to be easy. And when batsmen can’t run, that makes it tough because then you can only score with fours or sixes. Sticking around for two and a half days on this wicket would have been tough. It was still seaming and the bounce was inconsistent.”Sri Lanka hope to have senior seamer Suranga Lakmal back for the second Test, but he is battling against time to recover from a hamstring niggle by Sunday. Chandimal is also doubtful with what seemed to be groin problem sustained while batting. Top-order batsman Oshada Fernando is expected to be fit for the second game, however. Sri Lanka also have fast bowlers Dushmantha Chameera and Asitha Fernando in reserve, while Vishwa Fernando got through the first Test unscathed – the only frontline quick to do so.”We’re not sure about Suranga’s fitness. We hope he’ll be fit, but we’ll have to watch a few more days. Chandimal’s injury also needs to be observed. We don’t know yet whether he’ll be able to play, but I suspect he’ll be able to. We’ll need to replace Dhananjaya de Silva. The big loss going to Wanderers is that we don’t have our best attack anymore. We’ll do what we can with the players we have left.”In the dressing room, it’s not easy to handle this kind of situation. As a captain I need to work out how to keep my head up and keep the players together. There’s a lot of disappointment because we arrived on this tour with a lot of hopes. We’d been in a positive mindset. But the series isn’t over yet. I’m sure the replacement players will do well in the second Test.”

Bruce Carnegie-Brown, the chairman of Lloyd’s of London and vice-chairman of Santander Banking Group, will become the sixth chairman of MCC next year, when he succeeds the current incumbent, Gerald Corbett.Carnegie-Brown has been a Full Member of MCC since 1997 and joined the club’s Finance committee in October 2019. His appointment is subject to approval by MCC Members at the 2021 Annual General Meeting, whereupon he will take office in September 2021, at the end of Corbett’s six-year term.He is set to take over at a tricky period of MCC’s 233-year history, with the club undergoing a multi-million pound refurbishment of the Compton and Edrich Stands at Lord’s, and navigating its way through the Covid-19 pandemic that allowed for just one first-class fixture in 2020, the Bob Willis Trophy Final in September.Although MCC’s pockets are sufficiently deep to withstand the short-term implications of this year’s £30 million loss of earnings, there was some disquiet in the ranks at the decision to offset this by offering 350 life memberships to members of the public who wished to jump the club’s infamous two-decade-long waiting list.According to a report in the Daily Mail, the home secretary Priti Patel is one of those who took up the opportunity, and Corbett faced a protest from some members this summer who felt that the club’s traditions had been sacrificed for short-term gain.”It is a huge privilege to be proposed to Members as the next Club Chairman,” Carnegie-Brown said. “Notwithstanding the extraordinary challenges of this year, our Club has proven to be very resilient and is well placed for the return of Members and visitors to Lord’s as soon as this is permitted. I look forward to meeting Members of the Club and to earning their trust and support”.As chairman, Carnegie-Brown is set to work closely with Chief Executive & Secretary Guy Lavender to help steer the club through what it described as an “unprecedented and uncertain 18 months”. In addition to his current roles, he has previously held senior positions at 3i Group plc, Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc, J.P. Morgan & Company and Bank of America.Robert Leigh, MCC Trustee and former Treasurer, who led the selection process said: “We conducted a thorough assessment and interview process with the help of executive search consulting firm, Spencer Stuart, and involving the Trustees, the Treasurer, Chairs of Principal Committees and elected members of the MCC Committee.”From the many excellent applicants, it became clear to all of us that Mr Carnegie-Brown will be an outstanding Club Chairman. He brings a wealth of board-level experience from various organisations across banking, finance, arts and the charity sector that will be of great benefit to us all. We look forward to welcoming him to the position in 2021”.Current MCC Chairman, Gerald Corbett, said: “I think Bruce will be a fantastic Chairman and I’m looking forward to working closely with him to ensure an orderly handover at the end of the committee year in September”.He will become the sixth person to hold the post following its creation in 2000. Sir Michael Jenkins (2000-2001), Lord Alexander of Weedon (2001-2004), Charles Fry (2004-2009), Oliver Stocken (2009-2015) and Corbett (2015-2021) are his predecessors. The club’s rules stipulate that a chairman may serve a maximum of two three-year terms, and as with all non-executive roles at MCC, the position is not remunerated.

Hasan Mahmud led the way with a four-wicket haul in Mahmudullah XI’s five-wicket win over Tamim Iqbal XI in Bangladesh’s first inter-squad practice match at the BKSP on Thursday.Tamim’s side were bundled out for 161 runs in 37.2 overs in the 40-overs-per-side encounter. Mahmud took 4-21 while Al-Amin Hossain and left-arm quick Shoriful Islam took two wickets each. Afif Hossain top scored with 35, while captain Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Soumya Sarkar all got out in the twenties..In reply, the Mahmudullah-led side reached the target in 36.5 overs with the captain top scoring with an unbeaten 51. He struck four boundaries in his 64-ball stay. Opener Mohammad Naim made 43 off 52 balls with seven fours.”The bowlers did well from both sides,” Mahmudullah said after the match. “There was a bit of movement early on, but it got better in the second half. Overall, it was good practice. Our new-ball bowlers bowled in the right areas. We took the early wickets. I think it was bowlers’ day today.”I had a good time in the middle. We are preparing well. We are positive about the series, and I hope we can win the series, .Bangladesh’s next practice match is on Saturday, while the touring West Indies side have their warm-up game scheduled on Monday at the BKSP ground in Savar. The series begins with the first ODI on January 20 in Dhaka .

Fabian Allen shone with both bat and ball, affecting the game at the start and finish, as the West Indies secured a hard-fought three-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the deciding third T20I in Antigua and clinched the series 2-1.After registering figures of 1 for 13 from his four overs – three of which had come in a powerplay period that saw Sri Lanka score 27 runs for the loss of three wickets – Allen applied the finishing touches with the bat to seal the game for West Indies.His unbeaten six-ball 21, inclusive of three sixes off Akila Dananjaya in the 19th over, came when Sri Lanka sniffed a chance, created once again by their bevvy of spinners.Chasing a modest 132, the home side looked to have got off to the ideal start, registering 53 for 1 in the powerplay. But the Sri Lanka spinners once again proved a handful and pegged West Indies back.Wanindu Hasaranga was once again the main threat and dismissed Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons to finish with figures of 2 for 13. Lakshan Sandakan (3 for 29) and Dushmantha Chameera (2 for 23) also reaped the benefits of the pressure created by Hasaranga but with a target that low, the West Indies batsman knew they just needed one bowler they could target, and they found that in Dananjaya.After his redemption in the second T20I following his mauling at the hands of Kieron Pollard in the opening game, Dananjaya struggled with his control this time around as he went wicketless in his four overs and gave away 53 runs.Earlier, an unbeaten stand of 85 – Sri Lanka’s highest in T20Is for the fifth wicket – between Dinesh Chandimal and Ashen Bandara had dragged the visitors to a respectable, if not quite competitive, 131 for 4.After the spin of Allen and Kevin Sinclair had limited Sri Lanka inside the powerplay, the West Indian seamers took over. On a surface that was even slower than those in the first two games, the hosts almost exclusively dealt in slower deliveries, forcing the Sri Lanka batsmen to grind out for runs.It was only because of some late hitting from Bandara that ensured the visitors scored as much as they did, but despite the best efforts of their spinners, it was always unlikely to be enough – especially with the number of match-winners the West Indies have in their ranks.West Indies out-gamble Sri Lanka
In the last game, Sri Lanka had bowled out their main bowlers by the 16th over, but it paid off in spades as by that point the game was as good as won, with all of the West Indies big-hitters back in the pavilion.Dinesh Chandimal’s half-century went in vain•AFP

This time around West Indies were a little more calculated in their approach; first they brought in an extra batsman in Rovman Powell in place of Fidel Edwards, then, aided by virtue of having a modest target to chase, they bided their time, playing out dot balls when necessary, safe in the knowledge that a few big hits were enough the turn the game in their favour.And so it panned out, with no less than six West Indies batsman hitting at least a six in their innings – a stark contrast from the two sixes hit by Sri Lanka, both by Bandara.For Sri Lanka, by the time the 19th over rolled around, they were left with having to either throw the ball to part-timer Danushka Gunathilaka, who despite conceding only 11 from his three overs could not be relied on at the death, or Thisara Perera, who was woeful in that last game, or Dananjaya, who can be effective but was off his game. In the end, they went with Dananaya – though it’s unlikely any of the other choices would have been any more effective.Chandimal and Bandara adapt to the pitch
While Sri Lanka’s top order failed to come to terms with a sluggish pitch, thankfully for them Dinesh Chandimal and Bandara were around to bring some sense back into proceedings.But aside from the odd boundary, neither batsman looked particularly fluent. As such it very much a case of getting runs however possible, especially with the West Indies bowlers taking the pace off the ball at every opportunity. The fact that Chandimal’s most productive shot was the flick, with 22 runs coming off it, speaks volumes.Their unbroken partnership of 85 from 63 deliveries took on even more importance, considering when it began Sri Lanka were teetering at 46 for 4 midway through the tenth over.Hasaranga’s reputation keeps growing
Sri Lanka’s spinners usually burst on to the scene, either with an aura of mystery radiating off them, or an unusual action in tow – or in the case of Rangana Herath, they remain hidden away in the shadow of an all-time great before a late-career renaissance. But rarely does a player improve on the job as much as Hasaranga has.Yes, he has picked up wickets in nearly every T20I game he has played, but the degree of improvement his game has seen in the past year cannot be understated. The main upgrade has been the control with which he now bowls his googly, which has accounted for a large portion of his recent wickets. In this game, it was the googly once again that brought him early success, trapping the dangerous Evin Lewis lbw.Hasaranga also showcased his adaptability, called into bowl inside the powerplay after Dananjaya failed to have the same impact as he had in the previous game. As is now almost expected, he delivered immediately. After a chance of his first ball – a low full toss to Simmons – was dropped by Danushka Gunathilaka at long-on, he dismissed Lewis three balls later. In his next over, he was the recipient of a brain-fade from Simmons, who found himself stranded down the wicket as Dickwella completed an easy stumping. But Sri Lanka simply didn’t have enough runs in the bank.

Jofra Archer’s decision to miss the early stages of the IPL season in order to ensure his long-term fitness ahead of the T20 World Cup and the Ashes is a “very satisfying” one, in the eyes of England’s head coach Chris Silverwood.England confirmed on Sunday that Archer would miss the ODI series in India and at least the start of the IPL in order to receive specialist medical attention, after the condition of his elbow injury worsened over the course of the T20I series.Speaking after England’s journey from Ahmedabad to Pune on Sunday, Silverwood stressed that the decision for Archer to miss the start of the IPL had been a mutual one.Related

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“It was a joint decision,” Silverwood said. “Both parties have put England first, basically. He needs to get this right. He needs some time to do that so we’ve made space to make sure that we gave him the best chance of being successful for England.”All parties agreed on that, and obviously Jofra was very keen on that as well. He wants to be at the World Cup and he wants to be at the Ashes. It wasn’t a difficult decision by either side to be honest – I think it was a sensible decision.”It is very satisfying and it shows how passionate Jofra is about playing for England and how much he enjoys playing for England. Equally we respect that, and we enjoy having him around, so whatever we can do to help him, we will.”Silverwood said that as things stand, he is “chilled out” about Archer’s injury situation, and that he does not expect him to require surgery on his elbow. He will be given an injection when he returns to the UK, and visit a specialist to diagnose the specifics of the problem.”Obviously it’s disappointing for Jofra and it’s disappointing for us, but it’s clearly something that we need to get to the bottom of,” Silverwood said. “We’ll make sure that he’s got every resource around him that we can and get to the bottom of what’s going on, and hopefully get him back fighting fit for the future for England.”He’s going to miss the early stages of the IPL but we’ll be led by the medics on where we go from there, really. The important thing is that we get it cleared up. We’ll get him to see the specialist and make sure that we put everything in place for Jofra to have a long, successful international career for England in all formats.”Obviously I want Jofra at the World Cup and the Ashes. From my point of view he’s a great performer, and I want him there, and yes, I have every confidence in my medics to make sure that they put the best treatment around him and give him the best chance.”Silverwood was due to discuss England’s plans for the ODI series with Eoin Morgan on Sunday night, and was not drawn on the specifics of which players would be given the chance to impress in the absence of a handful of first-choice players.He also defended the absence of Moeen Ali from England’s side for the duration of the T20I series, suggesting that the decision had been made solely because of the pitches that had been prepared in Ahmedabad, rather than any problem with Ali himself.”We turned up expecting the wickets to potentially offer a bit more spin than they did, and they just didn’t,” Silverwood said. “The wickets that we played on were firm, so we picked the team that would benefit from playing on that wicket. It’s as simple as that.”To be clear, it’s not [that he will never be picked] in Indian conditions, it was on those pitches in Ahmedabad that we didn’t pick him – we went down a different avenue on that. It’s not all conditions in India we’re talking about here: we looked at the pitches and we picked the attack that we believed would be successful or effective on those pitches in Ahmedabad.”Mo is a very important member of our squad, and I’m sure he’s got a big role to play in the future. He’s training hard, he’s doing everything right – it was just down to a selection issue on those wickets. I really wouldn’t read anything more into it than that.”

KL Rahul, the Punjab Kings captain, feels there should be a provision to change a wet ball during the second innings of a T20 game, especially in dewy conditions else the bowling team faces a “huge disadvantage”.Defending 195 against the Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, the Kings’ bowlers struggled with the dew, forcing Rahul to even check with the umpires if the ball could be changed. The playing conditions didn’t allow that and the Capitals went on to win the game with ten balls to spare.”I think that [the ball change] will really be fair to the team bowling second, and I am not just saying that because I am on the losing side,” Rahul told Star Sports at the post-match presentation. “I think that’s only fair that the team bowling second doesn’t have such a huge disadvantage. Our bowlers try and practice their skills with the wet ball, but when you go out in the middle with the pressure it’s always difficult. I did ask the umpires to change the ball a couple of times, but again, it’s not in the rulebook, so that’s how the game goes, we’ve got to take it.”Related

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The dew has been a big factor at the Wankhede, making it easier to chase totals in night games as the ball comes better on to the bat in the second innings. Moreover, spinners too struggle to grip the wet ball and find it hard to get any purchase from the surface, as was seen on Sunday when the ball slipped from Jalaj Saxena’s hand during his delivery stride and landed behind him. Rahul said his side expected those challenges but it’s not easy to overcome them.”It was not something that was unexpected. When we come to Wankhede, we know that bowling second is always a challenge. We, as a bowling unit, tried to prepare for such conditions as well, but, again, it does get a bit difficult in a game situation, and especially when you are bowling against quality batters.”Mayank Agarwal, who scored a brilliant 36-ball 69 for the Kings, also said that dew made batting easier in the second innings.”It wasn’t as easy [in the first innings] as it looked in the second innings,” Agarwal said at the press conference after the game. “I thought the Delhi Capitals batted exceedingly well and also there was as dew factor. We cannot do much about it as players. It just boils down to execution under pressure and practising that. That’s as much as you can do as a player. Those are the things that are in our control. Obviously, we cannot do much apart from that.”In the five games played so far at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL 2021, the side winning the toss has opted to chase every single time. On four occasions, they ended up winning the game. The Rajasthan Royals, the only side to lose after winning the toss, came within a shot of chasing down 222 against the Kings.The Kings have played their three games at the Wankhede so far and were asked to bat first on all three occasions after losing the toss.After the Chennai Super Kings’ first game this season, their captain MS Dhoni had also stated that 7.30pm IST starts were giving an advantage to the team bowling first. His reason: when you start at 8pm, the dew has already set in, thus not giving the chasing side any real advantage.

It little mattered that the easterly wind down Talbot Road retained something of its winter cut this morning or that the sun over Salford Quays was as watery as a Methodist minister’s Christmas tipple. Large portions of the County Championship may have been barged into spring and autumn but the season was still beginning and most players know these are the games by which they will be judged. By late September careers will have a different shape. The anticipation was keen as the breeze and cricketers have known that feeling for a hundred and more years. “Some do sing as though the summer’s coming,” wrote the marvellous Nancy Kerr.So much was the same. That was clear in the particular enthusiasm the bobble-hatted gaggles of players devoted to their morning warm-ups. Among those groups were the Lancashire seamers, whose efforts dominated the first exchanges of our day’s cricket; also running like fury – as much to keep warm as anything? – was Tom Haines, whose career-best 155 was the innings by which this day will be remembered. Haines scored the first century of his career on a blissful midsummer’s afternoon at Arundel when the world was very different and the runs came with a freshman’s ease. This was a very different affair: the 22-year-old was dropped three times before he departed with a tired swish and edge to the keeper deep in the evening session. But Haines’ understanding that he needed to give the Lancashire seamers the morning before claiming the rest of the day for his own revealed a new-found maturity. To an extent he batted better here than he had at Arundel.Related

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• Fast start from Norwell leaves Derbyshire struggling to keep up

And yes, other things were different, too The absence of spectators was noticeable on this, above all days; crowds will not return until May 17 at the earliest and our game will not be anything like complete until they do. And even members of the media had to complete a questionnaire before being allowed entry to Old Trafford. Very necessary, of course, yet in doing so the hacks and broadcasters vouchsafed themselves in ruder health than they had known since spotty adolescence and some of the details required reminded one vaguely of a -obsessed French province. The desk at which we fill in these forms has been christened Checkpoint Chappie.Extreme vigilance was also needed from Sussex’s batsmen after Ben Brown had chosen to bat but only Haines was sufficiently watchful and even he was dropped twice by Steven Croft at second slip before getting to double figures. For it was a session that could have been plucked from the 1960s with the seamers in the ascendant and runs squeezed like straight answers from a government minister. The pattern was set in only for the fourth over when Aaron Thomason shouldered arms to Saqib Mahmood and lost his off stump. In fairness, Thomason is a makeshift opener and is deputising for Phil Salt, who has followed Jed Bartlet’s example and shown how easy it is to fall off a bike. This first session suggested that neither Salt’s recovery from injury nor Travis Head’s arrival from Australia can come too soon for Sussex.Lancashire’s seamers, on t’other hand, looked a formidable cadre, even without the resting James Anderson and the injured George Balderson. Tom Bailey had Stiaan van Zyl leg before for a duck and returned to have Ben Brown caught at slip by the previously porous Croft. (That’s somewhat hard on one of Lancashire’s finest fielders: he should have taken his first chance but the second was an athletic parry to a scrambling Rob Jones in the gully.) Bailey’s successes sandwiched Lancashire’s other wicket, which was rather presented to Luke Wood by Tom Clark when he hooked the seamer straight to Danny Lamb at long leg.Sussex were 40 for 4 when Brown was out and that was perhaps as pleasant as the day was going to be for Dane Vilas’s bowlers. Some portent of the afternoon and evening’s cricket was offered when Haines was struck a painful blow on the hand by Lamb in the over before lunch but responded by taking 12 runs off the next four deliveries, thus reaching his fifty off 94 balls. In the hour or so after lunch Delray Rawlins fell leg before wicket for 18 when playing no shot to Wood and George Garton was taken at slip by Croft off Lamb for 10 but the arrival of Ollie Robinson and the ageing of the ball changed the terms of the engagement. Not content with being in the minds of the England selectors for the Test matches against New Zealand in June, Sussex’s No. 8 probably sees himself as something of a bowling allrounder and he justified that description with an innings marked with shrewd aggression.In the morning we had thought that Tom Hartley’s presence in Lancashire’s side on this first day was purely decorative but the Lancashire spinner was summoned in mid-afternoon and was almost immediately lifted for a straight six by Robinson. Batting gradually appeared a tolerably straightforward undertaking, at no time more so than when Haines forced Tom Bailey through point to reach his hundred off 177 balls. During the evening session Robinson reached his own fifty and the pair had come within a run of doubling the score when he fell to the new ball when fencing at Mahmood. He and Haines’ 126-run stand set a new seventh-wicket record for Sussex against Lancashire but they will be happier with having changed the course of this encounter. Late wickets for the Lancashire seamers did nothing to mar that achievement.And in the morning we shall gather to see what sort of reply Lancashire can muster on a good pitch that repays vigilance. The photographers will dress like polar explorers and the players’ shadows may be even sharper in the floodlights than they were on this cold April evening. None of which will bother Haines as he enjoys the sleep of the just and nor should it trouble us overmuch. Our season has begun and it is not too fanciful in these troubled days to think it something of a fragile deliverance.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam offered a glimmer of hope for Mohammad Amir’s potential return to the national team, saying he will “talk to him about his issues”. In an interview with , Azam said he hadn’t yet spoken to his Karachi Kings teammate on the matter, but acknowledged he was “one of Pakistan’s best bowlers”.This is the first time the Pakistan captain has publicly addressed Amir’s departure from international cricket last year citing “mental torture he could not bear”. At the time, he had accused the coaching staff of “saying things against me”. The bitter nature of the departure, and subsequent statements by Amir of a similar non-conciliatory nature, meant the prospect of the two sides coming to a resolution have looked more remote than ever.”When we talk, we’ll discuss what his issues [with the national side] are,” Azam said. “He’s one of the best left-arm bowlers and I really admire him. The way he’s performed in the PSL so far, I just hope he performs the same way again, and that’s what we are focused on so far.”Amir had focused his criticisms on the current coaching staff when he retired, singling out Waqar Younis, the bowling coach. Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq hit back a few days later, accusing Amir of “making up” the circumstances that prompted his retirement.That, coupled with Amir’s repeated praise of former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur and previous PCB chairman Najam Sethi might make a return to the fold under present circumstances unlikely; Amir has gone as far as saying he would “only return once this management leaves”. That means in the event of a change at the top of the PCB, either cricketing or administrative, the chances of Amir being welcomed back are less distant.Amir’s decision to retire was immediately accepted by CEO Wasim Khan, and further remarks by Amir have yielded no comment from the PCB.

Mohammad Rizwan’s adjective-defying T20 run shows no signs of abating. On Sunday night, he produced another masterclass as the Multan Sultans coasted to an eight-wicket win over Peshawar Zalmi with 21 balls to spare.Chasing 167, Rizwan never once looked remotely under pressure as he caressed a classy 56-ball 82 without once appearing to take any risks. The flawless chase was merely following on from a fairly error-free effort from the Sultans’ bowlers, who had the wood over the Zalmi batters for much of the innings. Only Sherfane Rutherford’s breezy half-century briefly threatened to leave them with a bigger target.Batting first, Zalmi got themselves into a strong position thanks to evergreen opener Kamran Akmal, but the Sultans bowled well enough to ensured Zalmi never really succeeded in pulling clear. While speeding along to 70 inside the ninth over looked imperious, uncapped Shahnawaz Dhani’s devastating second spell ripped the heart out of the top and middle order.Imran Tahir, operating from the other end, while wicketless, rarely allows too many runs, and with the wickets falling and run-scoring spluttering, Zalmi were visibly fading in the game. A handful of clubbed sixes from Rutherford at the death threatened to rob the Sultans of momentum at the changeover, but a shoddy powerplay from the Zalmi bowlers meant all that advantage was swiftly squandered.Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Irfan operated too often along a leg-stump line Rizwan was working away to a vacant boundary for fun, and with wides and misfields thrown into the mix, it was little surprise to see the 50 brought up in the fifth over.Once Sohaib Maqsood got together with Rizwan, the contrast of styles proved a devastating combination, much too hot for Riaz’s side to handle. If Rizwan was painting his way through his innings, Maqsood was hammering away during his. A whirlwind 31-ball 61 guaranteed this was never going to be allowed to go too deep, and when Rizwan helped a Riaz delivery over fine leg with six to go, it seemed a fitting way to end.The Rutherford Revival
With eight overs to go and Dhani’s four-wicket burst leaving Zalmi reeling, it was Rutherford who ensured what looked set to be a below-par total would end up a somewhat competitive one. Having taken a few balls to bed in, he was content to play second fiddle to David Miller initially. But when Miller holed out thanks to a spectacular catch from Rizwan, Zalmi were running out of batters, and the time for caution was over.A six clubbed back over Blessing Muzarabani’s head began a momentum shift, but the left-hander was only getting started. He would follow it up with a monster hit over square leg the same over, and two more off Sohail Tanvir brought up a 34-ball half-century. Where Zalmi looked like they might meander to 140, 45 runs off the final three overs got them to 166.Dhani’s fluctuating fortunes
Nothing about the way this game began suggested it might be Dhani’s day. He put down a sitter to reprieve Haider Ali in the third over, and went on to leak 15 the first time he came on in the fifth. It was a curious over that involved the veteran Kamran Akmal placing him across the park for three successive boundaries, followed by Rizwan spilling an easy chance to deny Dhani his wicket.Dhani followed it up with a beamer that struck his captain on the shin in an all-round horror show. When he came back for his second spell, Ali greeted him with a swiped six off the first ball. From that nadir, Dhani would turn things around to somehow become the pick of the Sultans bowlers.Akmal and Shoaib Malik were removed off successive deliveries, and Dhani would take two more in a brilliant follow-up over. Ali holed out to mid-off before the dangerous Rovman Powell top-edged a pull thanks to a canny change of pace, leaving Zalmi reeling after a strong start. It helped keep the target manageable and Rizwan, who took a phenomenal catch running backwards to remove Powell, ensured with the bat Dhani’s efforts would not be in vain.Where they stand Multan bolster their chances of finishing in the top four, and are tied with fourth-placed Karachi on six points. Peshawar remain third with eight.