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Barry O’Brien, former Glamorgan chairman, asked to head up panel looking into circumstances

George Dobell22-Apr-2020The ECB have asked Barry O’Brien, the former Glamorgan chairman, to lead a review into the circumstances around Ian Watmore’s appointment as chairman.The review comes after thereported that Watmore left his role as chief executive of the Football League following allegations of misconduct. Specifically, the paper suggests Watmore could have jeopardised the league’s broadcast deal with Sky – who are also the ECB’s key broadcast partner – by engaging in unauthorised talks about the possibility of a breakaway league.While O’Brien, currently a non-executive director on the ECB board, is respected for his career as a successful corporate lawyer, his appointment for this specific task is something of a surprise. He was on the ECB’s nominations committee which recommended Watmore’s appointment. As a result, O’Brien is, in the words of one county chairman, “marking his own homework”.If O’Brien’s review – the ECB are keen to avoid use of the word investigation – concludes that Watmore was less than forthcoming with necessary information during the recruitment process, or that his appointment could bring unnecessary baggage to the game, it could recommend the board reverse the appointment. At present, however, it seems the incident is seen more as one of the inevitable bruises sustained during a long career in the civil service and in sports administration.O’Brien is not a complete stranger to such slings and arrows himself. In 2007, he was fined by the Law Society for breaching his duty to a client and bringing his profession into disrepute. It emerged he had advised a consortium run by Philip Green over a proposed takeover of Marks & Spencer who had been a longstanding client of his employer, Freshfields. The episode did not prevent him becoming chair of Glamorgan CCC or joining the ECB board.Perhaps the crucial factor for O’Brien to resolve is when Watmore knew of any misconduct probe relating to his time at the Football League. It does not seem to be disputed that Watmore met representatives of football league clubs who advocated a breakaway, but it is far from certain that he was advocating such a move himself.ALSO READ: ECB to investigate claims of misconduct against Watmore“It sounds to me as if he walked into a divided situation at the Football League, sought to build consensus and reached a solution,” another county chair told ESPNcricinfo. “He sounds exactly the sort of person the ECB need.”It is understood the Football League have declined to provide the report to Watmore or the ECB. This has frustrated the ECB as extracts of it have been leaked to the . The review is unlikely to be completed ahead of the ECB board meeting on Thursday, but could be ready by the end of the month. Watmore, who denies any wrongdoing, has given no indication that he is considering standing aside.All things considered, it would be a surprise if the ECB’s decision to appointment Watmore was reversed. There is little evidence that either Sky, the key broadcast partner, or the counties, who are required to ratify Watmore’s appointment at the ECB’s AGM in May, are especially concerned by anything that has emerged so far. Crucially, there is little appetite among the counties for Colin Graves, the current ECB chair, to use the impasse to extend his tenure.There is a wider context to all this. As a maths graduate of Cambridge University and with a long career in the civil service behind him, Watmore is understood to be a calm, data-led pragmatist. And while the previous two chairs of the ECB have been entrepreneurs – self-starters with admirable levels of determination and self-assurance – Watmore has a reputation as a collaborative builder of consensus. After years of fairly robust leadership, many counties are crying out for such change.

Seamer suffered injury during T20I series against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2020Kagiso Rabada has sustained a groin strain and will take no further part in the Australia tour to South Africa. He has been further ruled out of the team’s subsequent tour to India starting early next month, and faces a race to get fit in time for Delhi Capitals’ IPL opener on March 30.Rabada suffered the injury during the recent T20I series against Australia, according to a Cricket South Africa press release. He played all three games, bowling 11 overs and conceding 114 runs, while taking two wickets. He is expected to be ruled out for around four weeks.While this is Rabada’s first significant groin injury, he has regularly suffered with back problems throughout his career to date. In 2018, he missed the IPL with a stress injury, and last year he left the tournament early after a niggle. Faf du Plessis would later bemoan Rabada’s presence at that tournament during the World Cup, suggesting his pace was down following his knock.”Kagiso sustained a groin muscle strain in the T20 series against Australia,” said Dr Shuaib Manjra, CSA’s chief medical officer. “He was assessed by the medical staff, assisted by an MRI scan.”The significant injury means that he will take approximately four weeks to heal, which effectively rules him out of both the Australia and India ODI series. The CSA medical staff will ensure his effective and expeditious recovery.”Delhi’s opening game in this year’s IPL is at home to Kings XI Punjab, and takes place on Monday, March 30. According to the suggested timeframe, his groin will likely have healed by that time, though it is by no means certain that he will have returned to match fitness in time to play. Last year, Rabada was the side’s leading wicket-taker with 25.Rabada’s replacement has yet to be named. South Africa’s three-match ODI series against Australia begins in Paarl on Saturday, while the series in India starts on March 12.

The player has challenged the length of the sanction, maintaining that it was unprecedented

Umar Farooq19-May-2020Umar Akmal has filed an official appeal against the three-year ban imposed on him by the PCB, challenging the length of the sanction and hoping to get it reduced. Akmal was expelled from all representative cricket after he he failed to report details of corrupt approaches made to him ahead of this year’s PSL.The PCB confirmed the receipt of Akmal’s appeal and will form a panel of independent adjudicators to hear the case. According to the PCB’s code, the panel will not conduct a (fresh) hearing, but instead limit itself to “a consideration of whether the decision being appealed was erroneous.”Akmal was charged by the PCB on two counts of breaching its anti-corruption code, and while each charge carries a three-year ban, they are being run concurrently.It is understood that Akmal maintained in his appeal that the three-year ban was unprecedented, and that other players committing similar offences had been let off with lesser punishments – Mohammad Irfan was banned for six months (reduced from one year for cooperating with the PCB’s investigation in 2017, while Mohammad Nawaz picked up a two-month ban soon afterwards. In a recent example from outside Pakistan, Shakib Al Hasan – among the senior-most players in Bangladesh cricket – was banned for two years with one year of that sentence suspended.In the Akmal case, the judge observed that the player had failed to give any plausible explanation for not reporting the matter to the PCB’s vigilance and anti-corruption departments and was in breach of article 2.4.4, and he would be deemed to be engaged in corrupt conduct under the anti-corruption code of the PCB. It was also recorded that Akmal didn’t show any remorse and hadn’t cooperated with investigating authorities.In other previous cases, players got lesser punishments as a result of admitting to their mistakes and agreeing to the imposed sanctions.

Opener’s 319-ball innings leads Pakistan to 326 before Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Abbas strike

The Report by Valkerie Baynes06-Aug-2020A career-best innings from Shan Masood answered every question England had asked of Pakistan on the first two days of this opening Test.Masood batted for nearly eight hours and faced 319 deliveries for his 156, which highlighted an ability to adapt throughout the course of an innings and effectively told the story of his cricketing life so far.Not long into the evening session, it was Pakistan asking all the questions when Shaheen Shah Afridi trapped Rory Burns lbw with the fourth ball of England’s innings and Mohammad Abbas accounted for Dom Sibley and Ben Stokes to put the hosts under pressure at 12 for 3.By the close, Ollie Pope had played a steadying hand with an unbeaten 46, but it was going to take much more from him and Jos Buttler, who was not out 15, come the third day after Joe Root was dismissed by Yasir Shah for a battling 14.Masood resumed on 46 having played a supporting role to Babar Azam the previous day. As opener, Masood had navigated a tricky start in which Stuart Broad and James Anderson bowled tight opening spells.But England’s bowling attack had lost all potency post-lunch on the first day and Masood and Azam cashed in where possible without taking too many unnecessary risks, save for Masood’s ill-advised charge at Dom Bess which ended in a missed stumping by Buttler. Masood had earlier survived a dropped catch by the wicketkeeper off the same bowler.When Azam failed to add to his overnight score of 69 in the face of some improved England bowling on the second morning, Masood took the lead role, although he could have been upstaged had Shadab Khan not got too flashy and skied Bess straight to Root at mid-on after a knock of 45 from 76 balls that was, until that moment, very sharp.Most impressive from Masood has been his ability to show how far he has come after past disappointments against England – and particularly Anderson – learning from experience and changing for the better.Masood left balls on the fourth-stump line that he would prevoiusly have nicked off to and played with soft hands when he had to so as to avoid offering chances to the slips.So when Anderson struck with his sixth ball of the day, luring Azam into an attempted drive that ended up in the hands of Root at first slip, Masood didn’t panic.When Anderson and Broad bowled six maidens on the trot between them, Masood maintained the patient approach that had got him this far. Indeed, it was Asad Shafiq who scored Pakistan’s solitary run from eight overs bowled by Broad and Anderson in that period.Shafiq fell for to Broad for 7, caught by Stokes at second slip, followed by Mohammad Rizwan, caught behind off Chris Woakes, to leave Pakistan 176 for 5. That brought Shadab to the crease and, having negotiated their way to lunch, Masood adapted after the break. The pair fell into a lovely rhythm of shot-making and nabbing quick singles that frustrated England’s bowlers throughout a sixth-wicket partnership worth 105.England had only conceded 48 runs during the morning session but saw Pakistan regain the momentum immediately after lunch, as Bess and Root bowled ahead of the arrival of the second new ball. Masood then stroked his way through the 90s in half-a-dozen balls to bring up his hundred, loudly celebrated on the Pakistan balcony.The partnership should have been more but Shadab’s wild swing at Bess ended things, although it sparked another change in gears from Masood. What looked like being a rebuilding job, became something else when Jofra Archer dismissed Yasir and Abbas with consecutive balls, the former without adding to his score of 5 when he was dropped by Buttler off the bowling of Bess.Masood flicked the switch, seeking as many runs as he could get before he ran out of partners. He took 16 off one Bess over, including two sixes in three balls, was keen to run a second to bring up his 150 and did when Buttler’s relay shy at the stumps went wide and he wore a Broad short ball painfully on the elbow, all before tea.Masood didn’t last long after the break, falling lbw to a Broad delivery that nipped back and struck the back pad on line with leg stump. But by then he had more than done his job, racking up his third consecutive Test century after tons against Sri Lanka in December and Bangladesh in February, the fourth of his career overall.Pakistan’s bowlers kept up the good work with Abbas particularly damaging in picking up the wickets of Sibley and Stokes for nought in the space of eight balls. The delivery that bowled Stokes was an absolute diamond that found just enough late movement to beat the bat and kiss the top of off stump.Naseem Shah showed his pace with no reward and when Yasir chimed in with a faint edge off Root which went through to the keeper, England were left looking to Pope and Buttler to erase a deficit still north of 250.

Club confirm departure of Jared Warner to Gloucestershire on damp second day

ECB Reporters Network07-Sep-2020The second day of Yorkshire’s final-round Bob Willis Trophy clash between against Leicestershire was washed out without a ball bowled at Headingley, damaging their hopes of reaching the competition’s five-day Lord’s final.Second in the North Group and five points behind Derbyshire prior to this fixture, Yorkshire need to finish top of the group and then as one of the best two group winners to advance to the showpiece final on September 23.Heavy morning rain forced an early lunch at 12.15pm before another burst meant the postponement of a planned 2pm start. Umpires Peter Hartley and James Middlebrook later inspected in dry but gloomy conditions shortly after 4pm and deemed the outfield unplayable.Only 60.3 overs have been bowled across the two days, with Yorkshire 36 for 2 in reply to Leicestershire’s first-innings 124.That means that so far across the White Rose county’s three home games in the North Group, they have lost a little over 450 overs combined.”It’s been frustrating for the last three games if we’re being honest,” Richard Pyrah, Yorkshire’s bowling coach, said. “We won the first two games away with the next three at home, where we play well. But we’ve not played more than two days in either of the last two games added to the rain this week.”We’ve had a good start in this game and wanted to drive it home. We’ve still got time, fingers crossed, so we’ll see what happens. With the way the league tables are, we’ll have to bat well tomorrow to give ourselves a chance. If we do bat well, we’ll still be in a really good position to win the game on day four.”There’s a little bit in the pitch, and it’s been under cover all day today, so we’ll have to work hard tomorrow morning to set it up.”Meanwhile, Yorkshire have confirmed the departure of young seamer Jared Warner, who has joined Gloucestershire, following the switch made by Josh Shaw last year.”It feels amazing to have signed for Gloucestershire and I can’t wait to get started,” Warner said. “As a bowler my main strength is my pace, and I’d like to think this can complement the current Gloucestershire bowling attack nicely.”It wasn’t an easy decision to leave Yorkshire, but I feel the opportunity to go to Gloucestershire and hopefully play regular first-team cricket there is the best decision for myself and the development of my career going forward.”

KKR have several bowling options, but Kuldeep’s form may be a cause for concern

Shashank Kishore29-Sep-20206:38

Spotlight on Kuldeep Yadav, should KKR change their winning combination?

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It was last in 2015, the year before their two-year ban, that Rajasthan Royals won their first three games in a season. Having started the 2020 season with two wins, including a record-breaking highest successful IPL chase on Sunday courtesy Rahul Tewatia and Sanju Samson, they go in to Wednesday’s clash with a chance to emulate this.Having played their opening two games in Sharjah, where they made scores of 216 and 226, they will now play on a bigger ground and on perhaps a more challenging surface in Dubai. This could mean a slight recaliberation of their plans. Their spinners will come into play a lot more and their batsmen may not find hitting through the line as effortless as they may have in Sharjah.Royals, however, have concerns in their bowling even though Sharjah may not be an ideal barometer to base their performance on. Jaydev Unadkat, their lead Indian bowler, has proved expensive in both his outings. The highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy season is yet to strike. He also didn’t complete his quota of overs against Kings XI Punjab. His potential replacement Varun Aaron has also been expensive in the past. They have two rookies in Kartik Tyagi and Akash Singh waiting on the bench. Should they call up one of them on a bigger ground?Knight Riders, meanwhile, rebounded strongly after a pounding at the hands of Mumbai Indians in their opener. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Eoin Morgan, their finisher, sewed up a regulation chase. Shubman Gill, who they see as a future star, set it up for them upfront along with Nitish Rana, another talent they’ve invested heavily in. Questions over Sunil Narine’s form and his effectiveness against the short ball continue to persist, but the upside to his patchy form is that he doesn’t eat up too many balls in the powerplay.Kuldeep Yadav’s form, however, continues to be a real concern. The team’s strike bowler until 2018, Kuldeep averages a wicket every 55 balls since IPL 2018. Last season, nine games yielded a mere four wickets. In their second game, after going for 39 runs in four wicketless overs, he didn’t even bowl his full quota of overs.Varun Chakravarthy, their second spinner – more in the Narine mould – helped get through the middle overs economically on his debut for the franchise. Over the years, Knight Riders have had the reputation of backing their players – both Indian and overseas. Russell, who had to serve a year-long doping ban, and Narine, whose action had been under scrutiny on and off, being prime examples. Can Kuldeep repay that faith?

In the news

• Royals don’t yet have the services of Ben Stokes, who is with family in New Zealand. However, he has started training and could return from compassionate leave early October.
• Over the last couple of seasons, Knight Riders have had to furiously seek replacements in the first half of the tournament because of injuries. This year, they look settled on that count and have all players available for selection.

BCCI

Likely XIs

Rajasthan Royals: 1 Jos Buttler (wk), 2 Steven Smith (capt), 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Robin Uthappa, 5 Riyan Parag, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Shreyas Gopal, 8 Tom Curran, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Ankit Rajpoot/Varun Aaron, 11 Jaydev Unadkat Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Dinesh Karthik (capt & wk), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Shivam Mavi, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

Strategy punts

• Sunil Narine has an excellent record against the Royals’ top three – Jos Buttler, Steven Smith and Sanju Samson. Narine has dismissed Samson thrice while ensuring he has only managed to strike at 87 off the 45 deliveries he has bowled. Smith, who has been out twice to Narine, only strikes at 115. Perhaps, there’s a case for Narine to bowl out with the new ball, given Knight Riders’ bowling depth.
• Dinesh Karthik has opted to bat at No. 3 in the first two games. Since IPL 2019, he’s been dismissed thrice by googlies, the most for a batsman. He’s been out to the delivery in each of his two previous knocks this season too – lbw to Rahul Chahar and Rashid Khan respectively. Royals could perhaps look to attack him with Shreyas Gopal, who has an excellent googly, and Rahul Tewatia.

Stats that matter

• Pat Cummins is two short of 100 T20 wickets.
• The last time these two sides played in the UAE, Royals beat Knight Riders on boundary count after the Super Over also ended in a tie. It was the second tied game between the two sides in IPL history. The first one happened at Cape Town in 2009, when Yusuf Pathan won the Super Over for the Royals.
• Buttler averages 57.2 as an opener since IPL 2018, the third best after David Warner and KL Rahul among all batsmen with 200-plus runs. In the 16 innings he has opened, he has just dismissed five times inside the powerplay. His strike rate of 160 in this period is second best in the IPL in this qualifying period.
• Prior to this season, Samson had managed just four half-centuries in 27 IPL innings; his form tailing away after strong starts somewhat becoming a trend. He’s so far managed 159 runs, including two half-centuries in his first two outings. Can he sustain his good run of form?

Her alert catch to remove Lauren Down was her 92nd T20I wicketkeeping dismissal

Andrew McGlashan27-Sep-2020Alyssa Healy was caught unaware when TV commentator Mel Jones started asking her about MS Dhoni towards the end of New Zealand’s innings in the second T20I.Her alert catch to remove Lauren Down was her 92nd T20I wicketkeeping dismissal, making her the most prolific keeper in the format. Fittingly, too, she had equalled Dhoni’s tally with another brilliant piece of glovework to stump Amy Satterthwaite; the decision, which took nearly five minutes to make, can be debated but as with the leg-side stumping to remove Sophie Devine the day before it was a wonderful piece of wicketkeeping.Not one to dwell over individual statistics, Healy said it was a “very nice accolade” but shifted the praise towards her bowlers. She even conceded she did not believe she had a great day with the gloves with a stumping chance going down against Katie Perkins and a few byes slipping through.”I had no idea about it, I wondered why Mel Jones was asking me about MS Dhoni, I thought it was a very strange discussion we were about to have,” she said. “It’s obviously a very nice individual accolade but it reflects better on our bowling attack than myself.”It just shows the strength of our bowling attack we’ve had throughout my career that they are giving these opportunities. Makes me think about all the ones I’ve missed but at the same it is nice, but it’s more credit to the bowlers.”There’s a lot of stuff you do as a wicketkeeper, so for me I’m always really content when I come off the field and I’ve had a good day behind the stumps. Didn’t feel like I had a great day today so it’s sort of a weird feeling. I love wicketkeeping, have done it my whole life – much as I wanted to be a bowler I love my keeping – so if I come off the ground and I’ve done my job for the bowlers and team, more often than not I’m pretty happy.”The stumping to remove Satterthwaite was also her 50th in T20Is and she has more than catches which is a testament to her alertness up to the stumps where she will spend most of an innings. While the borderline decisions have gone Australia’s way in the first two matches of this series, all Healy can do is be ready for a batter’s error and force a decision from the umpires. “Being a wicketkeeper you’ve sometimes got to create opportunities for your side,” she said. “It’s not something I pride myself on or anything like, it’s just how I can swing the momentum back in our favour, whether that’s driving our fielding standards or taking a half chance that could change the game.”On the Satterthwaite dismissal specifically, Healy said: “From my point of view I could see a lot of the line so that’s probably why I seemed a bit more confident than not. I thought it was out, but I haven’t seen a replay and it taking so long it must have been incredibly tight. It’s not every day you get the benefit of the doubt going to the fielding side so I’ve got two in a row now, so hopefully it continues.””It was a big play, we wanted the wicket, but either way being so tight one side would have been unhappy. If it had been not out, I think people would have been happy with that as well.”Healy, who would have been a worthy Player of the Match, then contributed a blistering 33 off 17 balls which virtually sealed the match inside Australia’s Powerplay and secured them a tenth T20 prize in a row dating back to 2018 which has included two World Cups along the way.”There’s probably a little bit of rust floating around with my bat in hand but in saying that when we are chasing down totals like it’s my job to take it to the opposition, see if I can get that run rate down as low as possible for our middle order to get the job done,” Healy said. “Pleasing it came off today and puts me in good stead for the one-day format.”The final T20I takes place on Wednesday before the three-match ODI series begins on October 3.

Chief executive has year to run on contract but may put family first after pressures in role

George Dobell and Umar Farooq30-Oct-2020Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive, has admitted he is undecided about his future in the position beyond his initial term.While there is more than a year to run on Wasim’s original three-year contract – it is due to expire in February 2022 – and talks have begun on a new deal, he has asked for time before committing.PCB chairman Ehsan Mani is understood to have suggested another three-year deal, but Wasim has said he is considering all term options. He will provide an answer in February 2021.Taking on the role at a turbulent time, Wasim has enjoyed some success in improving Pakistan’s status as a venue that is safe and welcoming for touring teams.On his watch, this year’s PSL has been played at home in its entirety for the first time, while Test cricket has also returned to the country. His personal relationship with key figures at other boards is understood to have been instrumental in this progress, with South Africa due to tour in January 2021 and Australia and England due to follow in 2022.Hopes also remain high of a short T20 tour by England to Karachi in January 2021, with a couple of first-class counties – Warwickshire and Leicestershire – exploring the possibility of pre-season tours to the country in the coming years. Zimbabwe are currently in Pakistan playing six limited-overs games.ALSO READ: Azhar Ali set to lose Pakistan Test captaincyBut there has also been controversy. There have, for example, been radical changes to the domestic structure – changes foisted upon the administration by the Prime Minister and board patron, Imran Khan – which has reduced the number of teams and resulted in the unemployment of a considerable number of players and coaches.The cull has proven unpopular with players who have, in many cases, seen reductions in their earnings. Recently, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali met with the Prime Minister to ask for a change, a request that was summarily dismissed.That, as well as a few other board decisions – coupled with a transitionary period in terms of results off the field – has led to some very vocal criticism, focused on Wasim. Plenty of it has revolved around him being an “outsider” with no knowledge of Pakistan culture, as well as his salary.Wasim was born in the UK – he became the first UK-born Muslim of Pakistan origin to play county cricket – to a father who had been born in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.While Wasim describes himself as “relaxed” about such criticism from a personal perspective, he is sensitive to the impact it has had on his family. In particular, he was concerned by the derogatory comments about him that his children have had to hear, partly as a result of which his family have moved back to the their home in Birmingham.”It’s been an eye-opening experience,” Wasim told ESPNcricinfo. “The encouraging thing is that the overwhelming majority of people have been very supportive and understand what we are trying to achieve and that there had to be change.”But there has been a vocal minority that have made life more difficult than it needed to be. Clearly, I have to make a decision that is right for Pakistan cricket but also my family. But it does feel as if we’ve made great progress and I would like to see the job through.”With a year remaining on my contract, the chairman has spoken with me and begun a discussion offering me an extension up to three years. I haven’t decided yet about anything. This is a big decision, I don’t have a straight answer to this. I have to think through and have to speak to my family about it.”I am thoroughly enjoying my job and have achieved a lot,” he added. “There is a five-year strategic plan and Mani saab wants me to execute it. There is a lot of work we have started that needs to be executed. We are about to start working on our 2023 FTP cycle and that will be a major task going forward. We are also going to bid for ICC events so there is an exciting time ahead and I want to consider an extension, but I am not sure about how many years.”The situation is complicated by uncertainty over the future of Mani. The PCB chairman’s tenure is due to end in September 2021 and though he could be appointed for another term, it isn’t certain that he wants to, although he has not confirmed this.There’s been talk of Wasim Akram, who remains close to Imran Khan, as one potential option – Akram is a member of the board’s cricket committee but is also generally busy with a number of broadcast and commercial commitments. With chief executive and chairman required to work together closely, the identify of Mani’s replacement – if one is required – may colour Wasim Khan’s decision.

Kohli’s quickfire 40 also proved vital as Australia failed to defend 194 under stand-in captain Matthew Wade

Daniel Brettig06-Dec-2020Hardik Pandya’s heavy hitting delivered India a T20I series victory over Australia and their third consecutive win of the tour to give the captain Virat Kohli something to show for his trip down under in an undulating encounter at the SCG.ALSO WATCH: Match highlights – Natarajan, Hardik seal series for India (India subcontinent only)The Australians were led by Matthew Wade in the absence of Aaron Finch due to injury, and he led from the front with a swift half-century at the top of the order. But the remainder of the Australian innings was spasmodic, and without any of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood or Mitchell Starc, the bowling attack was well and truly below the usual level of expertise.Kohli, KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan ensured India would be in the contest until its closing passages, whereupon Pandya lined up his scoring zones with brutal efficiency. Daniel Sams was defending 14 from the final over, but with a pair of towering blows beyond the straight midwicket boundary, India claimed the series with two balls to spare.T Natarajan celebrates a wicket with his captain Virat Kohli•Getty Images

Wade bats where he wantsIn 31 previous T20Is, Wade had opened just four times. Handed the keys to the car on Sunday as stand-in captain, Wade made the most obvious captain’s call available to him – promoting himself to the top of the order and the role in which he had been so dominant for the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL. There was an international basis for the decision – Wade’s only score beyond 50 had been as an opener against India as far back as 2012, also at the SCG.In Canberra on Friday, Wade had looked somewhat lost in the middle order, an experience not uncommon to his T20I career. But at the top he was able to dictate terms, and the boundaries followed almost as if by clockwork through a more tightly packed new-ball field. Wade’s crisp striking to kick off the innings gave the Australians a supercharged start, and his progress to 58 gave him some truly striking numbers as a T20I opener. How much more often he gets the chance remains to be seen.Wade, followed by fadeIt was a surprise when Wade found a fielder – Kohli no less – when he tried to find or clear the boundary a 12th time, and a still greater surprise when Kohli dropped it. Certainly Wade registered who he had hit the ball towards and then immediately turned on his heels as if already dismissed. This was a mistake, since the direction of the dressing rooms meant Wade took his eye off the ball, and then found himself run out by Kohli’s return.Australia’s loss of early momentum was also down to T Natarajan, who in two games has shown himself to not only be at ease in international company, but a valuable point of difference among so may right-armers. Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah’s absence was felt, but nowhere near as keenly as that of their Australian counterpartsThe remainder of the innings was overall a failure to fulfill Wade’s early promise, as Steven Smith could not quite find his timing, Glenn Maxwell did not hang around long enough to do genuine damage, and the late contributions of Moises Henriques and Sams were cameos rather than definitive exclamation points on the innings. All the while, the hosts and the visitors knew that Australia had a severely weakened bowling attack with which to defend their tally.ALSO WATCH: Video highlights – Kohli falls while chasing a wide one (India subcontinent only)Hardik Pandya produced a stunning innings to win India the series•Getty Images

Legspin excelsMitchell Swepson had struggled to drop onto the right length at Manuka Oval, having been called up at short notice, and dragged short of where he wanted to be as a result. He appeared far better adjusted to the T20I format this time around, and in combination with Adam Zampa seemed to have bowled the overs that were going to keep the touring side short of their target. Notable was the appearance of a wrong’un to deceive the otherwise fluent Sanju Samson, on a pitch that offered just enough grip to the slow bowlers.Zampa, too, had his moments, albeit somewhat more expensive. His dismissal of Dhawan arrived through a fraction of extra bounce from an overspun delivery, and Kohli’s respect for Zampa’s offerings was evident throughout their duel. The disappearance of Maxwell for 19 from his first and only over, however, hinted at some of the punishment being meted out elsewhere, to a decisive effect as far as the game was concerned.Pace is vanquishedIf Mitchell Starc had struggled to contain India’s batsmen on a similar SCG surface before the tour caravan moved to Canberra, there was always a question to be asked of how the likes of Sams, Andrew Tye and Sean Abbott – equivalent to a middling BBL pace attack – were going to fare against a line-up lacking only Ravindra Jadeja. Sams and Tye both had their moments, the former offering handy changes of pace including the change-up that found Kohli’s outside edge, and the latter impressing with an extra turn of pace that might easily have won at least one lbw verdict.However, as the chase evolved and India’s batsmen found their range, the bowlers looked increasingly defenceless. Wade elected not to return to Abbott after his first two overs went for 17, a curious call given the fact that the SCG is his home ground, and relied upon Tye and Sams for the final two overs. Defending 25, they gave up the runs from 10 of the 12 balls required. Australia’s depth has been well and truly tested over these two series and, while balanced against the need to prepare for a Test series, been found wanting.

Rohit Sharma will open for India, while Will Pucovski is expected to make a highly anticipated debut for Australia

Karthik Krishnaswamy06-Jan-202110:48

Can Warner and Rohit hit the ground running?

Big Picture

They lost key players before the series, they’ve lost a few more since its start, and they’ve been rolled over for their lowest-ever total. It’s a wonder that India are still holding themselves together, never mind level in the series and looking, by some measures, a better side than Australia in their own conditions.They’ve done this not by becoming more Australian in their approach but by trusting methods that work for them at home: bowling at the stumps rather than in the corridor outside off, and giving themselves insurance by setting strong leg-side fields. Oh, and spin has played as important a role as pace.But for how long can they keep this run going while losing fast bowlers, one after another, to injury? They played the first Test without Ishant Sharma, played the second without Ishant or Mohammed Shami, and now, at the SCG, will be without Ishant, Shami and Umesh Yadav. This would be like Australia losing Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson to injury and being left with Pat Cummins partnering a pair of rookies.In Test cricket, a team is as good as the weakest link in its bowling attack. At the MCG, Mohammed Siraj showed more control and skill than any fast-bowling debutant could reasonably have been expected to, especially away from home, ensuring India didn’t have a weak link that stretched the other bowlers and gave their opposition a pressure-release valve. They will hope Navdeep Saini can pull off something similar at the SCG, even if Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin continue to perform at absurdly high standards.India will need all their parts to work smoothly together, because Australia, for all their flaws, remain a formidable side at home. Thirty-six all out may have been one of the game’s mysterious outliers, a result of the conditions and the planets aligning to turn every error into a dismissal, but it happened primarily because Australia turned in a fast-bowling performance of the highest quality. Their quicks, Cummins in particular, were perhaps just as good with the new ball at the MCG, even if the scorecard didn’t reveal it.Both teams will have rejigged top orders, with David Warner and Rohit Sharma set to return from injury and Will Pucovski making a highly anticipated debut. Both attacks will have new problems to solve, and if either opening combination can survive the first hour-and-a-half, the tone of the series could be transformed. What Steven Smith and Cheteshwar Pujara would give to start their innings against an older ball, against bowlers in their second spells, and with one or two fewer catchers around the bat.Who’ll be the happier captain after the SCG Test?•Getty Images

Form guide

Australia: LWWWW (last five Tests, most recent first)
India WLLLW

In the spotlight

Australia have endured their slowest-scoring home series of the century, and couldn’t be happier to see David Warner back in their side. Warner has a formidable record in home Tests, averaging nearly 66, but Australia are taking a risk by playing him because he hasn’t fully recovered yet from the groin injury he suffered during the ODI series. There’s also the small matter of Jasprit Bumrah to negotiate for the first time in Tests, as well as R Ashwin, who has dismissed Warner more often in Tests than any other bowler bar Stuart Broad.India have an opening batsman to welcome back as well. Rohit Sharma has batted at the top of the order in only five Tests so far, but averages 92.66 there. He hasn’t played Test cricket since November 2019, though, and he’s never opened overseas. If he can see off the first spells of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, though, he could make a huge difference to a side that has only managed opening partnerships of 7, 0, 16 and 0 through the series so far.

Team news

Australia have not announced their XI yet, but the indications are that David Warner and Will Pucovski will open the batting, with Joe Burns and Travis Head dropping out of the side.Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Will Pucovski, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Matthew Wade, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Tim Paine (capt & wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood.The two main questions facing India were where Rohit Sharma bats, and who comes in for Umesh Yadav. The answers are: at the top of the order, in place of Mayank Agarwal; and Navdeep Saini.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 5 Hanuma Vihari, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Navdeep Saini, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.Related

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Pitch and conditions

Persistent rain in the lead-up to the Test match – and the uncertainty over whether Sydney would host it at all, following a Covid-19 outbreak in the city’s Northern Beaches area – have hampered preparations at the SCG, but its curator Adam Lewis has promised a hard pitch with plenty of grass on it. The traditional turning track at the SCG is now largely a thing of the past, but India’s two spinners will be encouraged by the fact that Kuldeep Yadav picked up a five-for here two years ago, and that Nathan Lyon bagged a ten-wicket match haul against New Zealand last year.Rain has lately bedeviled the SCG at this time of the year, contributing to three draws in the last six Tests at the venue, but the forecast is reasonably encouraging, with mild showers predicted on the first two days and mostly dry weather thereafter.

Stats and trivia

• India have won only one of their 12 Tests in Sydney – an innings win engineered by Bedi, Chandrasekhar and Prasanna over a Packer-depleted Australia side in January 1978 – but they have come close on numerous other occasions, with resolute Australian batting, a lack of penetration in their bowling, and/or rain preventing them from pulling off big New Year’s wins in 1986, 1992, 2004 and 2019.
• India have often looked uncomfortable against Nathan Lyon’s dip, turn and bounce over their last two tours of Australia, but the numbers show their own spinners may have outbowled him. Lyon has taken 25 wickets in six Border-Gavaskar Tests in this period, at an average of 31.36. R Ashwin (20.37), Ravindra Jadeja (24.30) and Kuldeep Yadav (19.80) all have better averages in these games, and Ashwin and Jadeja have achieved better economy rates than Lyon’s 2.67 too.
• Lyon needs six wickets to reach the 400 mark in Test cricket.
• Cheteshwar Pujara is 97 runs short of the 6000 mark in Tests, and Ravindra Jadeja 74 short of 2000.

Quotes

“We’ve got a great record here and for a lot of our guys it’s their home ground so they certainly love playing here, they love being at home and they enjoy the conditions. All of our bowlers are New South Welshmen so they know the wicket very well, they exploit the conditions very well and they bowl really well as a group here. The same with our batting. Our two best batsmen – this is their home ground, this is where they do their best.”
“As a team you have three-four plans and you have to see which plan works on a given day. You have to see the wicket as well. But yes we have got three-four plans. We know if plan A doesn’t work for us, we go to plan B and C. It is important to plan well especially when you come to Australia. We know they are a very good team, a very dangerous team. Depending on the situation, depending on the wicket, conditions, also bounce off the wicket, we plan accordingly.”