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Two matches down and two matches the team batting first has scored over 300. This isn’t common in Sri Lanka, and for it to happen in consecutive games is even rarer – in fact, there have been only 10 instances across 358 ODIs in Sri Lanka, prior to this series, where two consecutive games have seen a score of 300 or more.In terms of games where 350 or more runs have been scored by the team batting first, Sri Lanka’s 381 in the first ODI was the first such score since 2018 – in total there have been just nine such scores on Lankan soil, and only four of those belong to Sri Lanka.By contrast, last year’s World Cup alone saw 13 totals of 350-plus – there were 24 such totals in every other World Cup combined. Suffice to say, this is clear indicator in which direction the game is heading, at least in terms of what batters are increasingly capable of.Related

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And now, finally, Sri Lanka seems to be catching up – or at least that’s the hope, after the first two high-scoring surfaces offered up at Pallekele.”After we came back from the World Cup, the first thing we spoke about was the pitches,” said Charith Asalanka, whose 74-ball 97* had played a large part in their 155-run win in the second ODI.”We were generally used to pitches where scoring more than 300 was a challenge. But if we take the pitches we’ve played on [in] this series so far, those concerns seem to have been addressed to a large extent.”And indeed they have. While the surfaces in Colombo for last month’s series against Zimbabwe were still of the slower variety, the home crowds in Pallekele have been witness to rare high-scoring affairs. And after Afghanistan’s stirring chase in the first ODI – where they fell short by 42 runs, but still managed to record their highest ever ODI total – they might have been in line for another on Sunday night but were denied by a collapse of epic proportions in which they went from 128 for 1 to 153 all out.That was down to a disciplined effort by the Sri Lankan bowlers, who stuck to their plans of keeping things tight, letting the required rate rise, and then picking up wickets when Afghanistan were forced to accelerate. And Asalanka is acutely aware that bowling more on such pitches is a boon not just for their batters, but for the bowlers as well.”Even today, they [Afghanistan] were in a good place in terms of their batting but as they were trying to accelerate I think we bowled well to get them out. But this is how pitches need to be, because when we go to play international tournament[s] we’re generally going to get wickets where you need to score more than 300.”So to be able to do that we need to have practised in our home conditions. If we do more of that then it’s going to be easier for us to compete in ICC tournaments. More than that I think even our bowlers are starting to learn how to bowl on good batting wickets.”

India 135 for 1 (Jaiswal 57, Rohit 52*, Gill 26*) trail England 218 (Crawley 79, Kuldeep 5-72, Ashwin 4-51) by 83 runsIf, in a nutshell, England’s batting approach on this India tour has been to rack up their runs before they get a ball with their name on it, then in Kuldeep Yadav, they have encountered an opponent whose methods could not be more perfectly tailored to confound them.Few spin bowlers in history have served up a greater frequency of wicket-taking deliveries than Kuldeep has now managed, for in rushing through to his first five-wicket haul of a quietly devastating campaign, he brought up his 50th Test wicket from just 1871 deliveries – faster than any spinner since Jonny Briggs in the 19th Century, and more than 55 overs more brisk than India’s next quickest to the mark, Axar Patel, the man who tormented England on their last tour in 2021.He has 17 wickets from exactly 100 overs in the series now, but nine of those have come in his last 30. Just as he had unpicked England’s batting in the crucial third innings in Ranchi, so it was on his watch that they disintegrated yet again, in tough but tenable batting conditions.After winning what ought to have been a crucial toss, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett endured a tough first hour in swinging conditions to lift England to 64 for 0 with their seventh 45-plus stand in nine partnerships in this series. That scoreline, however, was 175 for 6 by the time Ben Stokes had become Kuldeep’s fifth and final scalp, and ultimately 218 all out, once R Ashwin had marked his 100th Test with a four-wicket docking of the tail.By the close, England’s sense of a missed opportunity had been comprehensively rubbed in by another free-wheeling century stand between India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, who endured to the close on 52 not out, and the Boy Wonder, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who charmed his way to a 56-ball fifty, including three sixes in four balls off Shoaib Bashir to lift his series tally to a scarcely credible 26.Fewest innings to reach 1000 Test runs for India•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the course of his innings, Jaiswal rushed past Virat Kohli’s previous record for most runs in a Test series against England (655). Having crossed the 700-mark en route to his fifty, he had Sunil Gavaskar’s legendary tally of 774 in the Caribbean in 1970-71, the most by an India batter in any series, very much in sight too. But then, in a rush of blood, he charged past a wide one from Bashir, having slapped his previous two deliveries for four, to be stumped for 57, and with a third century of the series at his mercy.Mercy, however, was in broadly short supply on a dismal day for England. The tale of the tape was a sorry one, no matter how thinly you sliced their latest batting collapse. They lost all ten wickets for 154 after Kuldeep’s first-over googly had foxed a free-flowing Duckett; they lost their last nine for 118 after a skittish Ollie Pope had run past another googly to be stumped, rather gruesomely, on the stroke of lunch.Worst of all, however, was their mid-afternoon meltdown – five wickets for eight runs between overs 44 and 50, including – surely uniquely – three elite batters with a century of caps each, and not a run added between them in the space of ten balls, as Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Ben Stokes came and went with the sort of whimper that England’s no-consequences mindset had been intended to banish.Bairstow, in his 100th Test, at least produced the innings of raw emotion that his pre-match comments had telegraphed – but, as has been the case throughout a frustratingly unfulfilled campaign, his blazing start gave way to a limp departure. After resolving to climb through anything in his arc, and mixing two sixes off Kuldeep with a fierce caught-and-bowled opportunity in a wild knock of 29 from 18, he stepped into a loose drive with the ball just outside his eyeline, and burnt a review as Dhruv Jurel snaffled the thin edge.Root, by this stage, had quietly nudged along to 26 not out – precisely the sort of stealthy progress that has habitually been his calling card. But his equilibrium hasn’t been all that on this tour, the Ranchi century notwithstanding, and in Ravindra Jadeja’s subsequent over, he was nobbled by a classic two-card trick – a bit ripper to beat his outside edge, followed by the slider into the middle of his knee-roll.Root too decided, belatedly and a touch desperately, to seek a second opinion before HawkEye gave him the bad news, and if that was further evidence of England’s scrambled minds, then Stokes confirmed it by the time Kuldeep’s next over was done. England’s captain has cut a subdued figure with the bat all series long – his tendency to hang back in the crease to gauge the challenge before taking it on has, inadvertently, come to epitomise precisely the sort of fatalistic batting that his team would otherwise profess to avoid.2:31

Manjrekar: This is Kuldeep’s pinnacle till now

And so, just as he was attracting Jasprit Bumrah magic balls at the top end of the series, so he invited Kuldeep to attack him on his own terms here. A huge ripping legbreak past his outside edge was followed by an inch-perfect googly, which pinned Stokes on the crease as he flapped reactively across the line. A six-ball duck, and his third single-figure score in quick succession, left England too deep in the mire for salvation.Ben Foakes at least learned the lessons of his purposeless graft at Ranchi, as he resolved with Shoaib Bashir to counterattack briefly after tea, but as Ashwin picked apart the remainder of the innings – before indulging in a cute game of “you first, no you first” as he handed Kuldeep the honour of leading the team off the field – it was self-evident that England had blown their best chance of retreating from this tough tour with pride intact.Once again, England’s best performer was Crawley at the very top of the order. For the ninth time out of nine, he reached double-figures with more composure than the early-morning conditions might have warranted, with his sublime reach on the cover drive yet again the stand-out feature of his innings. But, once again, he failed to convert a formidable start – falling this time for a series-best 79, his fourth half-century and the highest of three 70-plus scores.Kuldeep, inevitably, was the man who prised him out, and it was a magnificent delivery to be fair – a tossed-up legbreak, high above the eyeline, that dipped, ripped and took out the leg stump as Crawley was lured into yet another of his cover drives, only to be carved open in the process.But he had already ridden a fair bit of luck by that stage – including a tough caught-and-bowled chance in Jadeja’s first over, and a strangle down the leg side off Kuldeep moments after lunch that Sarfaraz Khan at short leg was rightly adamant should have been reviewed. He also survived, on 29, a leg-stump umpire’s call lbw shout off Mohammad Siraj, precisely the sort of dismissal that had been going against him earlier in the series.At that stage, India’s quicks had been extracting 2.4 degrees of swing, compared to less than a degree in the previous four Tests. In short, England had weathered the storm, and should have been capable of cashing in on a surface that India have subsequently proven to be full of runs. Kuldeep’s methods, however, don’t allow for such bedding-down. You don’t imagine there’ll be any let-up from hereon in.

Jonathan Trott first kicked a bag in the dressing room. He then signaled to Afghanistan to slow the game down when rain was around. Rashid Khan had his hands on his head at various moments in the chase. Mohammad Nabi had a constant smile on his face. Dwayne Bravo wasn’t able to watch it.But the one moment that encapsulated the emotionally-charged night in Kingstown was Naveen-ul-Haq taking off after taking the final Bangladesh wicket. That sealed Afghanistan’s maiden spot in the semi-final of any men’s senior World Cup.In a match that had a start-stop nature owing to multiple rain interventions, Afghanistan – led by four-fors from Naveen and Rashid – edged out Bangladesh by a mere eight runs, and in the process, also knocked Australia out of the T20 World Cup 2024.Related

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Both teams, along with Australia, were in contention for one semi-final spot from Group 1 of Super Eight, and the rain only added to the drama. For the best part of the last hour, a cat-and-mouse game ensued. There were moments when Bangladesh edged Afghanistan out on the DLS par score, only for the latter to come back to snatch back the advantage by picking up wickets.Litton Das, with a best of 36 before Monday in the tournament, stayed through it all, but couldn’t take Bangladesh over the line. Rashid and Co. danced their hearts out after knocking two teams with a single blow, and the celebrations are only likely to go on for longer.

The drama after the second rain interval

Bangladesh had to chase their original target of 116 down in 12.1 overs to pip both Australia and Afghanistan to the semi-final. Their chase was delayed by half an hour, thanks to a 20-minute downpour. A shorter game, therefore, was disadvantageous to Bangladesh.After the second rain break, though, Bangladesh sent out mixed signals. Litton attacked Naveen but Soumya Sarkar fell in a bid to do so against Rashid. Towhid Hridoy’s risks against Mohammad Nabi, which included a dropped catch, came off but he, too, holed out off Rashid. But with Litton hitting Rashid for successive fours – first over mid-off and then just past slip – Bangladesh looked on track to hunt the target down to qualify.But soon, Mahmudullah’s indecisiveness and Rishad Hossain’s adventurousness meant they slipped to 80 for 7 after 11 overs. Which is when the rainy clouds returned to continuously hover around the stadium, and constantly brought the DLS par scores into picture for the rest of the night.In the face of increasing pressure, Litton seemingly kept his calm. He has had a forgettable 2024 in T20Is, striking at under 100 and his place in the Bangladesh set-up under scanner. But he started off with intent and kept up their hopes of signing off from the T20 World Cup with a win. But it was not meant to be.

Naveen’s new-ball burst bursts Bangladesh

Fazalhaq Farooqi, Afghanistan’s weapon with the new ball, trapped Tanzid Hasan lbw with his third ball, making it his 16th wicket, which drew him equal with Wanindu Hasaranga for most wickets in a men’s T20 World Cup.Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq got three early wickets between them•ICC/Getty Images

Naveen’s first over was expensive, with Litton hitting him for a four and a six. Then Najmul Hossain Shanto heaved one over midwicket in his second over. But with a deep midwicket in place, Naveen once again bowled a length ball angling into Shanto, who picked out the fielder there. Naveen then got the next ball to straighten just enough to catch Shakib Al Hasan’s leading edge for a return catch and Bangladesh were 23 for 3.

Afghanistan steady but slow

One of the methods that has worked for Afghanistan, and their openers, in this World Cup is a non-enterprising start. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran stayed true to form, taking very few chances inside the powerplay as well as in the first ten overs. They finished the powerplay on 27 for 0 and at the ten-over mark were 58 for 0.It was Gurbaz and Ibrahim’s fourth fifty partnership, the most by any pair in a T20 World Cup. In the first ten overs, there were only 15 attempts of attacking shots, that too on a surface that was slowing down and was going to see dew later on.

Rishad leads Bangladesh squeeze

When Rishad was brought on in the ninth over, the wind was blowing diagonally from right to left, in the direction of his natural spin. He immediately beat Ibrahim’s outside edge, and in his second over used the bounce on offer to get the same batter’s leading edge caught at long-off.Gurbaz then took the attack to Rishad in his third over. He first slapped one over cover point to end a phase of 38 legal balls without a four, and then used the sweep for another four through backward-square-leg region. However, Rishad had the last laugh when he had Gurbaz holing out to deep cover in his last over. A couple of balls later, he also had Gulbadin Naib miscue a slice towards cover point. Naib could have gotten away if not for Sarkar, who sprinted in from the deep and dived forward almost near the 30-metre circle. And just like that, Afghanistan had ceded early advantage to slip from 59 for 0 to 89 for 4.

The Rashid intervention

Rashid walked in at 93 for 5 with just 14 balls left. He faced ten of those, attempted attacking shots on nine of those, and finished on 19 not out. He struck three sixes, two of those in the last over bowled by Tanzim Hasan Sakib. He used good use of the willow generally, except on one occasion when he flung it towards his partner, Karim Janat. It was the last over of the innings and Rashid wanted a second run to retain strike but Janat refused it. Still, he helped Afghanistan score 22 in the last 14 balls that helped them to a total they could fight with, just as the heavens in Kingstown opened up.Afghanistan faced 66 dot balls in their innings, which was the third-most by a team with five or fewer wickets lost in men’s T20I where ball-by-ball records are available with ESPNcricinfo. But it did not come back to haunt Afghanistan, who kept a clean slate of successfully defending totals in St Vincent.

The WBBL faces a potential squeeze on overseas player availability with the tenth season of the tournament starting just seven days after the T20 World Cup finishes in Bangladesh, but the reduced length of the competition will see a higher proportion of games in the evenings at primetime with greater use of technology.Nominations are currently open for the overseas draft which is expected to take place in early September – some clubs have already taken advantage of the new option to sign a player on a multi-year deal before the draft – and CA remains confident it will have a strong hand of overseas names, but the increasingly busy schedule may yet see some top stars consider their options.England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt, who made a late entry into last season’s competition with Perth Scorchers, told the BBC she won’t be making herself available this year.The WBBL has been trimmed to a 40-game regular season with three finals in a bid to manage the workload of the game’s leading players, but this season it has faced schedule pressure at both ends. Australia and India start a three-match ODI series four days after the final on December 1 while England face South Africa from November 24 which overlaps with the finals although Marizanne Kapp and Nadine de Klerk have committed to full seasons with Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat.”Clubs are working really hard in the market at the moment with players and agents,” Alistair Dobson, the head of the BBL, told ESPNcricinfo as the WBBL fixture list was unveiled. “Obviously the calendar for players in the women’s game is really busy at that time of the year, particularly this year.”We are excited about the players who have signed and think over the next month or two we’ll get a sense from players as to how they are preparing for the World Cup and their appetite to come quickly to Australia, whether that’s at the start of our competition, or perhaps a couple of games in which is certainly possible as well. We know the competition is still one of, if not the, most appealing for players around the world and we are expecting big names to be there again.”

Gabba joins stadium series

The tournament’s stadium series has been expanded and brought forward as Cricket Australia looks to replicate the crowd growth experienced in the WPL and the Hundred.A standalone match will be played at the Gabba for the first time – the WBBL was last played there in 2019 as part of a double-header with the BBL – while there will again be two games at the MCG and SCG. Adelaide Oval will also stage its third game of the season having hosted an opening-day double-header on October 27, which includes defending champions Adelaide Strikers launching the tournament with a rematch of last year’s final against Brisbane Heat.Ellyse Perry starred at the SCG last season•Getty Images

The WBBL returned to major stadiums last season and the final at Adelaide Oval saw 12,379 attend although crowd growth still lags behind what has been achieved in England and India.The stadium series fixtures will include a Sydney derby between Sixers and Thunder on November 10 and a Melbourne head-to-head between Stars and Renegades on November 15.”The introduction of the stadium series to the WBBL last year was a great success,” Dobson said. “Think it showed when we put the best cricket league in the world for women in the best cricket stadiums in the world we get a great product. The crowds loved it, the players loved it and our broadcasters loved it.”We took a lot from that, we’ve added a big game at the Gabba; Brisbane Heat at the Gabba is iconic. We’ve brought them a week or so earlier than last year which means the games are even more likely to be live and the way we promote those games will be a big focus for us.”The final three days of the regular season will overlap with the Australia-India Test in Perth, including a game at the WACA immediately after the second day’s play at nearby Optus Stadium. CA sees this as an opportunity to cross-promote and feed off the audience of the Test.The reduced length of the competition also means significantly fewer games in the tougher-to-sell weekday afternoon timeslot.

Third umpire at every game

The inconsistent availability of TV umpires was in the spotlight last season with several incorrect decisions that were visible to viewers but not able to be checked on the field. With the reduction in matches there will be an enhancement in the broadcast facilities with a third umpire in operation at every game for line calls such as run-outs and stumpings. ESPNcricinfo understands that there will also be an increase in matches with the DRS available although it won’t cover every fixture.

Full WBBL 2024-25 fixture list

October 27: Adelaide Strikersvs Brisbane Heat, Adelaide Oval (1.10pm)
October 27: Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers, Adelaide Oval (4.40pm)
October 27: Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars, WACA (5.30pm)
October 28: Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder, Blundstone Arena (6.10pm)
October 29: Sydney Sixers vs Adelaide Strikers, North Sydney Oval (6.10pm)
October 30: Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Renegades, Allan Border Field (6.10pm)
October 31: Sydney Thunder vs Hobart Hurricanes, North Sydney Oval (7.15pm)
November 1: Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Thunder, North Sydney Oval (3.45pm)
November 1: Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars, North Sydney Oval (7.15pm)
November 2: Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes, CitiPower Centre (11.30am)
November 2: Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers, CitiPower Centre (3.00pm)
November 3: Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes, CitiPower Centre (10.10am)
November 3: Melbourne Renegades vs Adelaide Strikers, CitiPower Centre (1.40pm)
November 5: Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat, WACA (5.10pm)
November 6: Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Sixers. Blundstone Arena (6.10pm)
November 7: Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat, WACA (2.05pm)
November 7: Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Renegades. WACA (5.35pm)
November 8: Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers, CitiPower Centre (11.00am)
November 9: Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars, CitiPower Centre (3.00pm)
November 9: Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers, Gabba (6.15pm)
November 10: Hobart Hurricanes vs Perth Scorchers, SCG (10.10am)
November 10: Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder, SCG (1.40pm)
November 11: Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Renegades, Karen Rolton Oval (5.40pm)
November 12: Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers, Drummoyne Oval (6.10pm)
November 13: Hobart Hurricanes vs Adelaide Strikers, Blundstone Arena (6.10pm)
November 14: Sydney Sixers vs Brisbane Heat, North Sydney Oval (3.30pm)
November 15: Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder, MCG (3.45pm)
November 15: Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades, MCG (7.15pm)
November 16: Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes, Adelaide Oval (3.00pm)
November 17: Melbourne Stars vs Brisbane Heat, Drummoyne Oval (1.55pm)
November 17: Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers, Drummoyne Oval (5.25pm)
November 19: Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers, Karen Rolton Oval (5.40pm)
November 20: Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars, Drummoyne Oval (6.10pm)
November 21: Sydney Sixers vs Perth Scorchers, Blundstone Arena (3.45pm)
November 21: Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades, Blundstone Arena (7.15pm)
November 22: Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Stars, Allan Border Field (7.10pm)
November 23: Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Thunder, CitiPower Centre (10.00am)
November 23: Perth Scorchers vs Hobart Hurricanes, WACA (5.30pm)
November 24: Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers, CitiPower Centre (10.00am)
November 24: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers, Allan Border Field (7.05pm)
November 27: The Knockout
November 29: The Challenger
December 1: The Final (Reserve day December 2)

The day might have ended with covers spreadeagled across the Rawalpindi Stadium as monsoon rains lashed the ground, but Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie has been through a baptism of fire in his new role. With one day to go in a Test Pakistan must win to ward off a first ever series loss against Bangladesh, Gillespie acknowledged the visitors were favourites, calling for more discipline from his bowlers, and application from the batters.”Admittedly, the odds are probably in favour of Bangladesh,” he said at the press conference once play had been suspended. “We don’t shy away from that, but we’ve already lost if we walk out there expecting to lose. We took 6 for 26 in the first innings so we know that we can have an impact with the ball if we bowl really well.”That situation arose a little more than 24 hours earlier, but in the way the Test has gone, might easily have happened a lifetime ago. Since then, Bangladesh dug in with a 165-run seventh-wicket stand to eventually finish at near-parity; the 262 they posted was the highest score in Test history for a side that lost their first six wickets under 50. Gillespie said Pakistan’s bowlers needed to understand how to manage those situations more effectively than was on evidence on Sunday.Related

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• Mahmud burns brightest on a historic day for Bangladesh's quicks

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On the fourth morning, Bangladesh replicated the success Pakistan had enjoyed the previous day, skittling the hosts out for 172, with all ten wickets falling to the quicks. Under dark clouds, with conditions as helpful to the quicks as Rawalpindi will ever provide, Zakir Hasan flayed Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers, helping the team to 42 without loss in seven overs before bad light suspended play.”We’ve spoken to our bowlers about being ruthless, being disciplined and bowling with intent,” Gillespie said. “And we just went away from our game plan and I’ve challenged the bowlers pretty strongly on that. We need to make sure that we’re on each and every time, because Test cricket can get away from you. The opposition is very good and I’m not going to shy away from saying Bangladesh played well. No question. But I know that our bowlers can do better in that situation than what they showed and we just need to make sure that execution is absolutely bang on each and every time.”On reflection, and I spoke to the bowlers about it this morning, we’ve got to identify those periods where maybe the ball’s got a little bit older and maybe the surface settles down. We’ve just got to really hang in. And not try to search for wickets, because you can fall into that trap. And I think that’s probably what we did a little bit.”The tale of this series, though, has been Pakistan’s off-field decision making, where they can’t seem to do right for doing wrong. In the first Test, the hosts, anticipating a bouncy, seaming surface, went all pace, dropping Abrar Ahmed, a decision whose optics aged poorly when Bangladesh’s slow bowlers took seven wickets on the final day to bundle Pakistan out cheaply and race to a 10-wicket win. This time around, having prepared a pitch so seam-friendly, all of their second innings wickets fell to Bangladesh’s pace bowlers – a first – Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were out omitted from the playing XI, a call that left Pakistan without genuine pace or old-ball threat.Naseem is Pakistan’s most effective bowler at cleaning up the tail, taking a wicket every 16 balls with the opposition seven down. It is a better strike rate than any current Pakistan bowler, or even Yasir Shah, and a quality sorely needed when Bangladesh’s ninth-wicket stand put on 69 runs and batted nearly 25 overs.Gillespie has stuck with a “horses-for-courses” mantra, and struck a similar note this time. “We looked at conditions and surfaces, what we thought the best combination was,” he explained. “We took into account what we saw before the game, reflected on the previous game, and this is where we landed. In the first innings we had Bangladesh in a bit of strife at one point and we bowled quite well. Our lines, our lengths, were excellent.”But on that decision, obviously, there’s a few things we’re hoping [those two] can work on. Shaheen’s obviously had a pretty eventful time in his personal life as well. Naseem’s fine. I think what we’ve got to understand is we’re trying to build a squad mentality and not just rely on a few players here and there. We want to create an environment and a squad where we can look at conditions, look at surfaces, look at what holistically what is coming up and make the best decisions.”Gillespie said he had no issues with the surface or conditions, but also pointed to Mohammad Ali’s absence for the second half of the third day as a factor in Pakistan’s struggles. “That was a bit of a blow. But obviously his health was the most important. He was just struggling out there a little for a while. So we needed to get him off and get him assessed, and thankfully, he’s okay.”And while the odds don’t suggest Pakistan’s bowlers will prevent Bangladesh from securing a clean sweep, Rawalpindi’s weather well might. Steady rain peppered the ground for the best part of three hours after the players walked off the pitch, with plenty more forecast overnight and on the morning of the final day. Failure to get on would still secure Bangladesh their most famous series win, and Gillespie was keen for his side to get an outside shot at preventing that.”I hope we get on tomorrow so we can try and win a Test match,” he said. “We’ve got to have that mindset. Because if we we walk out there expecting to lose, well, I guarantee you will lose. But if we walk out there with the mindset and the belief that we can try and shake this game up, then there’s hope. Sometimes, you need those 50-50 things to go your way but we’ve got to have that attitude and mindset that we’re going to go there to win the Test match for Pakistan.”We need to take our catches, take any opportunity that comes our way and you never know. This game can create all sorts of drama. So I’m hoping that we can create some theatre and put a smile on a few people’s faces here in Pakistan tomorrow.”It would require Pakistan needing to do many things of the final day they haven’t in the first nine, but as Gillespie said, Test cricket can create lots of drama.

Luke Fletcher, Nottinghamshire’s veteran seam bowler, is to leave the club at the end of the 2024 season after a 17-year career at Trent Bridge.Fletcher, who turns 36 on Wednesday, has taken 442 first-class wickets since making his Nottinghamshire debut in 2008, as well as 93 List A, and 108 T20 wickets. After working his way through the age-group system at Trent Bridge, he was released back to club cricket at Papplewick and Linby – and even worked on the gates at the club – before earning a consistent starting spot in 2009.He became a cult hero at Trent Bridge for his wholehearted approach to the game, and played a role in six title-winning campaigns, including their County Championship triumph in 2010 and two T20 Blast titles in 2017 and 2020.”For a local lad to represent this club is an honour, and I never could have expected the career I’ve had,” Fletcher said. “My overwhelming feeling now is how grateful I am for all the years I’ve spent with Notts and the memories I have made along the way.”A place is only as good as the people within it, and I’ve had the pleasure of sharing a dressing room with so many great people, and creating relationships that I will cherish forever.”But it’s also everyone around the club – from the ticket office to the chefs, community teams, ground staff, dressing room attendants and so many more. I’ve been here for such a long time and it has all meant a great deal to me.”Whilst I am sad that my time at the club is done, I couldn’t be happier with everything I have achieved. Trent Bridge feels like home, it always has done, and it always will do.”Fletcher’s finest year at the club came in 2021, when he was named PCA County Championship Player of the Year after taking 66 wickets at an average of 14.9. That came four years after a career-threatening injury in 2017, when he was struck on the head by a Sam Hain drive in a T20 clash against Birmingham Bears – an incident from which he made a full recovery.He is one of only five men to have taken 100 T20 wickets for Nottinghamshire, while his eight fifties for the club include two career-best scores of 92.”Luke is a hugely popular character, and with good reason,” Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, said. “He has given his heart and soul to this club, forged so many friendships and played with a smile on his face.”It says a great deal that Stuart Broad – who played with some of the greatest players of his generation – deems Fletch one of ‘the best team-mates you could ever have’.”It means so much to him to have represented his home county for nearly two decades, and that loyalty has been reciprocated by members and supporters who show him great affection.”His stats and success deserve mention too – he has worked tremendously hard at his craft to be the best he can be, and that has paid dividends.”We wish him all the best wherever he goes, and whatever he does – he will always get a warm welcome and special reception at Trent Bridge.”

Lizelle Lee set a new record for the highest score in the WBBL with a monstrous 150 not out off 75 balls against Perth Scorchers at the SCG.Lee’s innings, which included a 51-ball century, contributed an astonishing 73% of Hurricanes’ total and also included a world record 12 sixes. Both Lee’s score and sixes tally eclipsed the previous marks set by Grace Harris with her 136 not out last season. Overall, it was the fifth-highest score in all women’s T20s and the highest in a Full Member nation.Coming into the match, Lee had a high score of 38 in five WBBL innings this season. “It’s one of those days, I won’t say everything came off the middle because it didn’t, but things just went my way,” she said. “Coming through a little dip like that, having the support of the group and family was incredible.”To further emphasise Lee’s dominance, a stand of 114 off 65 balls for the third wicket included just 14 off 19 balls from partner Elyse Villani. The innings was rounded out by an unbroken partnership of 73 off 39 balls alongside Heather Graham. It all came after Hurricanes had lost two wickets in consecutive deliveries against Chloe Ainsworth to leave them 16 for 2 in the third over.Lee was given a life on 63 when spilled at backward point as Ainsworth returned to the attack. The figures of the Scorchers quick, who had got through two overs before Lee hit turbo charge, stood out amid the carnage as she finished with 2 for 17.Lee opened her sixes count with back-to-back blows off Ebony Hoskin in the fourth over and broke the record by sending the same bowler for further consecutive sixes in the last. For Hoskin, who finished with 0 for 53 from four overs, it was a quick comedown after her final-over heroics against Melbourne Renegades.Hurricanes’ 203 was their second-highest total in the WBBL. Scorchers never threatened to get close after an awful start where they lost Sophie Devine first ball and also saw Chloe Piparo run out in the opening over.

Temba Bavuma has been ruled out of the second Test against Bangladesh, which starts next Tuesday, as he has not sufficiently recovered from an elbow injury. Aiden Markram will lead the side in his absence, with a view to Bavuma being available for the home Tests against Sri Lanka next month.”We just feel medically he’s not going to be ready for the second Test,” South Africa’s Test coach Shukri Conrad said from Dhaka. “We will tone down the [rehabilitation] programme so that he can be ready for the Sri Lankan series.”It has not yet been decided if Bavuma will stay with the squad in Bangladesh or return home to continue his recovery and play domestic red-ball cricket. The first-class competition begins next week, and Bavuma’s team, Lions, will play three matches before the first Test against Sri Lanka begins.”I’d like him to stay [in Bangladesh], and I’ve communicated that with him,” Conrad said. “But I also know that he’s got a young family. But yes, I’d like him to stay. He still plays a valuable role. It’s still his team. We’ll see how it unfolds.”Bavuma sustained the injury earlier this month in an ODI against Ireland when he fell awkwardly as he made his ground to complete a run. He retired hurt on 35 in that game, and was unable to field. The injury is on the same elbow which Bavuma had hurt in 2022 on a T20I tour of India. It ruled him out of South Africa’s tour of England later that year.In Bavuma’s absence, Matthew Breetzke, who debuted in the first Test against Bangladesh, in Mirpur, could be retained at No. 6 unless South Africa opt for an extra allrounder or a bowler in their XI. Left-hander Senuran Muthusamy is a possible replacement, as he also bowls left-arm spin.South Africa won the Mirpur Test after dismissing Bangladesh for 106 in the first innings with a four-bowler attack comprising two seamers and two spinners. Conrad paid special tribute to the player he called “our superstar Rolls Royce fast bowler,” Kagiso Rabada, who took nine wickets in the match including his 300th and his first five-for in the subcontinent. “We are an inexperienced side but we still need our leaders,” Conrad said. “KB led from the front there with the ball. He carried this attack, as he has done for quite a while now. And then backed up by some really valuable contributions by others with the ball, and then guys with the bat as well.”Kagiso Rabada picked up his 300th Test wicket and took 9 for 72 in the Mirpur Test•AFP/Getty Images

Kyle Verreynne, playing his first Test in the subcontinent, scored his second century in the format and Tristan Stubbs, newly promoted to No.3, oversaw the end of the chase . “The most pleasing thing for me was just the calmness that we showed throughout. There was nothing frantic about it, even when things were going against us. I was really pleased with the manner in which we went about our business. We were very calm and clear in terms of what our game plans were as a team and as individuals. That, for me, was really the stand out.”South Africa’s win in Mirpur has kept them in the hunt for a place in the World Test Championship final. They have five Tests remaining in this cycle, starting with the Chattogram Test before two each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home. On paper and historical form, South Africa will go into all of those matches as favourites but Conrad is being careful not to get too carried away.”We know that there’s some hard graft that’s going to have to be done along the way. That first Test match was the first one that we needed to put in the hard graft. We’re certainly not going to be looking to sit on our lead and we’re certainly not going to bask in the glory of that victory too much. Tomorrow, we go to Chattogram and we know that’s going to be really tough, and we’re going to have to play particularly good cricket. If we get a great result there, then great, and then we move on to Sri Lanka.”The World Test Championship is our World Cup but we are not going to be building any sandcastles, we’re certainly not going to have any pie in the sky but you’ve got to allow yourself to dream as well. And then give yourself the chance of realising that dream. But it’s going to take a lot of graft, and we’re a long way away from that still.”South Africa are currently fourth on the WTC points table and must win at least four of their remaining five Tests to have a chance of making the final.

South Africa Test squad

Aiden Markram (capt), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton and Kyle Verreynne

West Indies will be without veteran allrounder Stafanie Taylor for their upcoming white-ball tour of India. The 33-year-old is currently rehabilitating from an injury, according to a CWI release, and will not be available for the three T20Is and three ODIs in India.Deandra Dottin, who returned to West Indies’ squad for the T20 World Cup earlier this year in the UAE, two years after announcing her international retirement, is set to make her ODI comeback during this tour.Dottin had last played an ODI in March 2022 but her recent white-ball form is encouraging. According to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, she was among the most impactful players in the 2024 T20 World Cup and in the WBBL earlier this month, she had smashed an unbeaten 46 off 18 balls at a strike rate of 255.55 to secure Melbourne Renegades’ win against Adelaide Strikers in Adelaide.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Seamer Shabika Gajnabi and wicketkeeper-batter Rashada Williams are back for both the ODI and T20Is after having missed out on the T20 World Cup squad. This is a chance for them and other players to impress the Women’s Premier League scouts.”We want to get more girls involved with franchise cricket moving forward and looking toward India, it’s always good to play in front of the Indian IPL teams,” Shane Deitz, the West Indies coach, said. “It is good for our ladies to start getting their names in front of those people, to hopefully open some opportunities in the future.” ​Deitz also drew confidence from the T20 World Cup where West Indies qualified for the semi-finals. “We want to take the good momentum we gained at the T20 World Cup into this series,” he said. “We showed that we can compete against the top teams, which was pleasing.” ​Mumbai will host the three T20Is before the series ends with three ODIs in Vadodara. West Indies will arrive early in India and will tune up with a ten-day acclimatisation camp. The ODI leg carries crucial points for the ICC Women’s Championship. ​West Indies last played a white-ball series in India in 2016. They won the T20Is 3-0 and lost the ODIs 0-3.

West Indies ODI and T20I squad

Hayley Matthews (capt), Shemaine Campbelle (vice-capt), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Nerissa Crafton, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Shabika Gajnabi, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Rashada Williams

Khulna Tigers roared to a nine-wicket win against the star-studded Rangpur Riders in the BPL’s eliminator match. The victory puts them in the second qualifier to face the losing side from the first qualifier later on Monday. Khulna’s spinners helped bowl out Rangpur for 85, before needing just 10.1 overs to knock off the target.Rangpur, who decided to bat first, couldn’t get going despite a stronger batting line-up than their previous outings. Khulna’s captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nasum Ahmed took three wickets each, opening the bowling quite successfully. Rangpur were in danger of posting an even lower total after being 52 for 9 at one stage.

Rangpur’s big guns misfire

The image of Andre Russell, James Vince and Tim David walking through the Dhaka airport on Monday morning was a sight for sore eyes in the Rangpur camp. They had lost their way in the latter part of the BPL, falling to four defeats after winning eight in a row. Rangpur needed this boost from their big guns coming in after their stints in the ILT20. But it didn’t quite pan out the way they would have hoped.Vince got into a mix-up with his opening partner Soumya Sarkar off the second ball of the match, resulting in the latter being run out for a duck. Vince himself got caught and bowled in the second over. David was the next one to go, falling to a catch in the deep for 7 off 9 balls. Mohammad Nawaz clean bowled a slogging Russell in the 12th over, the last nail in the coffin for Rangpur.

Khulna spinners shut down the locals too

Having handled the recently arrived big-hitters very well, Khulna were also relentless against the Rangpur locals. After Soumya and Vince departed, Nasum removed Mahedi Hasan before Saif Hassan slogged Mehidy to no avail. When Mehidy removed his opposite number Nurul Hasan for 23, Rangpur were reduced to 52 for 9. It was only thanks to Aakif Javed’s intervention from No. 10 that they scored a few more runs.

Khulna glide in smooth chase

Mehidy’s wicket in the first over was the only blip in Khulna’s reply. Mohammad Naim continued his great form of the last two months, striking three fours and four sixes in his 33-ball 48 not out. It took him top of the BPL run-getters’ chart. Alex Ross added 29 runs off 27 balls, hitting four boundaries.Khulna have returned to form in the right time in the tournament, having won three matches in a row. They finished fourth in the league stage, equal on points with Durbar Rajshahi, qualifying only through a better net run-rate. Now, they have a chance to reach the BPL final. It is however the end of the road for Rangpur this season, having come into the BPL with the Global Super League title under their belt.