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Identified as a natural talent by Viv Richards, Jermaine Blackwood showed his attacking instincts during a fighting, maiden Test hundred

George Dobell at North Sound15-Apr-2015Twenty-nine years to the day since Viv Richards thrilled Antigua with one of the greatest – and certainly the fastest – centuries in Test history, his latest protégé announced himself to the world with a maiden Test hundred.Jermaine Blackwood is, in many ways, an old-fashioned West Indies player. In an age where most young players are taught to defend and leave and take their time, he likes to give the ball a whack.Coming to the crease with his side in some trouble, he responded in bold style. From the second ball of his innings, with West Indies teetering on 99 for 4, he skipped down the pitch and carved James Tredwell for six over extra cover.A few minutes later he played a similar stroke off James Anderson. While he was only able to slice the ball over the in-field for a single, the message was clear: here was a young man who was not going to be intimidated by situation or reputation. Later he lofted Ben Stokes, bowling with pace and aggression, for another six over long-off. It was a shot of which even Sir Viv would have been proud.We probably shouldn’t have been surprised. His second scoring shot in Test cricket was a lofted drive for six over long-on off Trent Boult. Blackwood plays Test cricket like West Indies’ players used to play Test cricket.It was a point made by Richards, who first came across Blackwood when asked to cast his eye across the batting talent in the Sagicor High Performance Centre in Barbados, and he admits to being “very impressed” at first glance.”I love his confidence,” Richards told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s not often you see a young man who has the confidence to take on these well-known fast bowlers as soon as they come into the game.”He has that Caribbean style. He’s a bit like Collis King; he can tear an attack apart on his day. Any attack.”Sure, there are some rough edges. But I would rather have a guy who can play the shots and teach him the defence than a guy who doesn’t have any shots. He’s a natural. It’s all natural instinct. And that’s the way it is with most of the best players.”Blackwood hails from St Elizabeth, the same parish in Jamaica as Andre Russell and Jerome Taylor. Russell has been an especially significant figure in his development: he took in him as a teenager and ensured that, while other young men strayed and faltered, Blackwood kept his head down, worked hard and did not squander his natural talent. The pair have lived and trained together for a couple of years.”Andre is like my big brother,” Blackwood said. “I’ve known him for about 10 years and I’m staying with him in Jamaica. We live under the same roof. We train at home and we talk a lot about cricket. Even this morning he sent me advice on my phone. He said stay focused, stay positive, bat for long and make sure I score a century for him.”I met Viv at the HPC last year. He’s been a very important person. He’s taught me a lot. He talks to me always about staying positive. He tells me to play the way I play, but be patient. He was always telling me to be patent but positive at the same time.”With such a range of strokes, Blackwood could become the latest West Indian talent to be lost to the IPL. For now, though, his priorities are representing the West Indies. “I can play all formats, but I really love Test cricket,” he said. “I really want to play Test cricket for a long time, so right now my main focus is Test cricket and making as many runs as possible.”He has long been seen as a highly promising player. He scored a double-century in an otherwise low-scoring game against Guyana in U-19s regional cricket – a rare achievement in a format that tends to be played at a fast and furious pace – and was taken into the Sagicor High Performance Centre.While his scores in domestic cricket this year have been modest – a reflection, perhaps, of Caribbean pitches more than anything – he has now passed 50 four times in nine Test innings. Twice he has been unbeaten.”They have to stick with him,” Richards said. “He is still learning and there will be bad days along the way. But he can damage teams. He can make a difference.”When you hit the ball like that, and when you have a passion to hit a ball like that, you don’t try and curb it. You may channel it. But it’s a natural talent and it is to be encouraged and celebrated.”He enjoyed some fortune. Once he was caught at slip off a no-ball, once he was dropped in the gully and once he edged through the vacant second slip position. On several occasions, after being beaten outside off stump, he forced himself into exaggerated forward defensive practice shots. They do not come entirely naturally. There will be times, no doubt, on green pitches in England or bouncy tracks in Australia, where the technique looks a little loose.On other occasions, he was troubled by the short ball. Stuart Broad, at his bullying best, struck him on the arm with one delivery and Stokes also made him uncomfortable in a particularly good, hostile spell. “It’s Test cricket. I’m used to it,” Blackwood said. “I’m from Jamaica. We have a lot of fast bowlers. I’m not afraid of any short balls. The bowlers will get tired and that is when I will damage them.”Indeed, he never took a backward step and, when Stokes overpitched he leaned into a perfect on drive that might just have been the stroke of the Test”He corrected himself,” Richards said. “He stopped following the ball outside off stump and he showed some restraint. It shows it can be done. And it’s better to brush up on these things than try to look for something that isn’t there.”It’s hard, you know. The breeze was strong and taking the ball away from him. But he worked out how to combat everything that was thrown at him – the short ball – whatever. That’s how he will learn. That’s how all batsmen learn.”This innings will give him a lot of belief. It’s like a golfer winning their first tournament; they feel they can win them all after that. He’ll have days when he doesn’t win, but West Indies need players like Jermaine Blackwood.”

For Rangana Herath, wicket-taking is about plotting for every batsman and laying a trap with every ball, as was demonstrated on day one in Colombo

Andrew Fidel Fernando at the Premadasa16-Mar-2013Luck. villain Two Face makes his own. Poet Emily Dickinson believed it synonymous with toil. Playwright Tennessee Williams thought luck came from simply believing you’re lucky.Luck was what Rangana Herath put his five-wicket haul down to, on a Premadasa surface that prompted both teams to field three seamers and spurred Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews to bowl first. “We also thought that the wicket will be good for the seamers,” Herath said, “but at the end of the day, we could see that the Bangladesh batsmen batted well against them. Shaminda Eranga, Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Kulasekara bowled well, but I was lucky that I got the wickets.”Sadly, Herath failed to lay out his own philosophy on luck, and in the absence of a personal definition, any one of the above might explain Herath’s deeds nicely. Only, it was evident that good fortune had very little to do with the way he carried Sri Lanka to a dominant position at the end of the first day.There was modest turn in the third session – more already than on the last day in Galle – but the assistance was hardly extravagant enough to do Herath’s work for him. Each over was a trap delicately being placed in position. As unassuming as his cricket is, Herath has become one of the most watchable purveyors of his art, but only if you’re watching closely – giving it your full attention, as the batsman must.This one is tossed up from wide of the stumps. That one pushed through straight. Another darted in on the toes. One more, on off stump, flighted, dipping , spitting. What is Herath doing, you wonder. But every ball is another stroke of the brush, and only at the end does the picture become clear. When it does, you wonder why you hadn’t seen it all along. Each over means something, however humdrum on the surface.His spell to remove Mahmudullah was largely populated with flighted deliveries, pitched on off stump, turning away. Still new at the crease, the batsman refused to be enticed into a loose drive, coming forward to smother the spin safely, or staying back to defend the turning ball from the crease. But having laid down the bait, Herath soon sprung the trap – a full delivery, seemingly overpitched, and close enough to the stumps so the batsman did not have to drive dangerously away from the body. Spotting that line and length, Mahmudullah stepped forward to drill the ball down the ground.Only, this was not like all the other balls Herath had tossed up to Mahmudullah. This was quicker, and spun harder. It did not float as far as the batsman expected, and when it pitched, it gripped, despite its speed. The result was a thick edge that flew too quickly for the wicketkeeper, but took a deflection off his pads for Angelo Mathews to hold on to, running sideways from slip. Sri Lanka may have had some luck after the ball took the edge, but fortune cannot take the credit for the edge itself. Herath had laid a 16-ball foundation to claim that wicket.

Every ball from Rangana Herath is another stroke of the brush, and only at the end does the picture become clear. When it does, you wonder why you hadn’t seen it all along. Each over means something, however humdrum

Herath tuned his strategy to suit the batsman too. Sohag Gazi was happy to attack Herath, hitting two fours and 20 of his 32 runs off him, but Herath was happy to continue throwing it up, believing he’d have the better of Gazi’s risky game in the end. Eventually, the batsman danced down the pitch and was beaten by one that dipped and gripped past the blade.Mushfiqur Rahim, meanwhile, was tentative against the quick slider. Twice in the 53rd over, he was pinned on the crease by the shorter quicker one, and Herath allowed him his discomfort for a few more deliveries. In the next over, another fast ball, but this one slightly fuller, caught Mushfiqur on the crease again, and he was beaten by the turn he should have come forward to negate. He had his off stump rattled instead.Herath suggested he had hoped to dismiss Mushfiqur in that fashion all along: “After the Galle Test we had a long chat on how we’re going to bowl at Bangladesh, especially to Mohammad Ashraful and Mushfiqur Rahim. I think we carried out our plans up to 80 to 90%.”Perhaps among Herath’s wickets, only the dismissal of Mominul Haque was truly lucky. The batsman left the field shaking his head, and replays did not conclusively reveal an edge. But when a bowler plots so meticulously to bring about an opponent’s demise, it is difficult to begrudge him the ones that come easy.

Stats highlights from another day that belonged completely to Australia

S Rajesh05-Jan-2012Michael Clarke became only the second batsman, after Don Bradman, to score a Test triple-century from the No.5 position•Getty Images Michael Clarke’s 329 not out is the 25th triple-century in Test history, of which ten have been scored since 2000. It’s the seventh by an Australian, and also the seventh by a Test captain, four of which have come since 2004. Clarke’s hundred came at No.5, which makes it the second by a batsman not in the top four. The only other such instance was by Don Bradman, who scored 304 at Headingley in 1934 from No.5. India conceded a first-innings lead of 468, which is their fourth-highest in Tests. Three of those have come when they’ve batted first and got bowled out cheaply, and all have been in the last 13 months – at Edgbaston last year they conceded a lead of 486 after getting bowled out for 224, while in Centurion in December 2010 they conceded a lead of 484 after scoring 136. On all of those instances, the lead could have been even higher had the opposition not declared their innings. The 334-run stand between Clarke and Michael Hussey is Australia’s third-highest for the fifth wicket in Tests, and their highest against India. It’s also the highest by any team against India for that wicket, surpassing the 293-run stand between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Carl Hooper in Georgetown in 2002. There were two 250-plus partnerships in the Australian innings, the first time this has ever happened in Test cricket. There have been 20 instances of two 200-plus stands, of which Australia have contributed five, but this was the first time they’d managed two consecutive 200-plus partnerships. India have been at the receiving end five times. The previous such instance in Test cricket also involved India, in Centurion in 2010, when there were double-century stands by South Africa for the third and fourth wickets. Michael Hussey notched up his 16th Test hundred, but this was only his third score of 150 or more. This was also his highest against India. Clarke’s knock means the SCG has become the 19th venue to witness a Test triple-century. Antigua and Headingley are the only grounds where three triples have been scored. Rahul Dravid has been bowled 52 times in Test cricket, which is only one short of Allan Border’s record. In his last nine Test innings, Dravid has been bowled six times.

Australia’s former World Cup-winning captain will keep an eye on the next generation during the tournament

Peter English07-Mar-2009
Belinda Clark enjoys her prize from 2005 © Getty Images
In her playing days Belinda Clark spent years as the world’s best batsman and the captain of the strongest side, but she had the misfortune of never appearing in a home World Cup. Clark led her side to victory in the 2005 tournament in South Africa, the second time she was in charge of a global triumph, and by the end of that year had retired as one of the most celebrated figures in women’s cricket.The tournament began today in her home state of New South Wales, and though Clark won’t have an on-field role she will be busy. “I remember watching the 1988 World Cup final on the TV, but it’s been a while since then,” she says. “I managed to squeeze my career in between the two home World Cups. On the one hand I will miss not being on the field, but on the other hand I’ll be involved in other ways. This tournament is going to be fantastic.”Clark, who played 15 Tests and 118 ODIs, is the manager of Australia’s Centre of Excellence (formerly the Academy) and runs a close eye over the men’s and women’s squads as part of her administrative duties at the complex in Brisbane. So even though the outfit is no longer her side, she has tracked it since planning began for March 2009 shortly after Australia beat India by 98 runs in Centurion four years ago. She was involved in the early re-setting of goals for the team, then part of the exit of senior players, before watching the regeneration of the side.Over the past 12 months the team has increased its matchplay, including series against New Zealand and India in the Australian summer, and during the off-season five representatives spent extended periods at the Centre of Excellence to fine-tune for the World Cup. Clark was there when Karen Rolton, the captain and experienced batsman, spent 11 weeks at the facility. The stints of Ellyse Perry, Kate Blackwell, Emma Sampson and Shelley Nitschke varied between a fortnight and a month.”Karen’s 11 weeks were to get her physically ready to embark on the season and we did that for a specific reason,” Clark says. “We were really pleased to have had them here.” All of it was geared towards the World Cup, which kicks off an A-list winter that includes the World Twenty20 and the Ashes in England.The entire squad also goes to Brisbane a few times a year under the direction of the head coach, Richard McInnes. While the men’s Centre of Excellence intake gets months to focus on positioning front elbows and back legs, the women don’t have the luxury of a major overhaul in the few days they spend at Allan Border Field.Clark, who played 15 Tests and 118 ODIs, is the manager of Australia’s Centre of Excellence and runs a close eye over the men’s and women’s squads as part of her administrative duties at the complex in Brisbane. Even though the outfit is no longer her side, she has tracked it since planning began for March 2009, four years ago “The work they do here has to be quite specific and it has to be tangible because there’s no point trying to change the world in five minutes when you have them for three or four days,” Clark says. “Then they go back to their states for three or four months, then you have them back for three or four days again. Because of the difference in attendance time, you have to hit the mark pretty quickly, so the girls have been doing a lot of that type of work for the past 12 months.”McInnes, who was the Australian men’s team’s performance analyst until the 2008 tour of the West Indies, has relied heavily on being games-focussed when the squad is together, developing the players’ ability to perform their skills under the highest pressure. That way they know that if they are needed in the final on March 22 to strike a last-ball four over point, or deliver an off-stump yorker, they are ready.During a Centre of Excellence camp the attendees will also undergo series of tests to measure their bodies and performances. There will be medical and physiotherapy examinations along with fitness and skill analysis. Batsmen will learn how many places they can hit the same sort of delivery, while fast bowlers will discover their speed and accuracy. Spinners will see to the centimetre how much they turn the ball.”We get in all the experts from the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra,” Clark says. “All the high-speed cameras come up here and we go from there. It’s part of the picture, not the full picture. We also do psychological profiling. We gather information and find ways to determine whether they are moving forward, as well as identifying strengths and weaknesses.” Those attributes will be tested over the next three weeks.Clark, who will be doing television commentary and radio stints during the World Cup, will remain involved throughout the tournament. “I’ll be working closely with the coach,” she says, “and overseeing the strategies we have in place for high-performance cricket.”

Chloe Kelly was bizarrely labelled "cocky" by the Spanish media for a supposedly "unnecessary gesture" after firing England to Euro 2025 glory.

Absorbing contest finished 1-1 after extra-timeEngland held their nerve to prevail on penaltiesKelly sparked wild celebrations for the LionessesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Arsenal forward held her nerve to convert the decisive penalty in a final shootout that saw the Lionesses make history by becoming the first England team to win a major international title on foreign soil.

They have gone back-to-back on the European Championship front, with Kelly having also been the hero when netting an extra-time winner against Germany at Wembley Stadium back in 2022.

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After firing home against Spain, Kelly made a point of heading towards the England fans housed behind the net that she just hit. She had to make her way past La Roja goalkeeper Cata Coll, with the pair briefly coming face to face.

WHAT AS SAID

Despite Kelly’s eyes being locked firmly on celebrating supporters, Spanish outlet claims that the Lionesses star "unnecessarily" diverted her path towards her rival. They said: “This is unnecessary, my friend: Kelly’s cocky gesture to Cata Coll after scoring the decisive penalty. The England specialist changed her run during her penalty celebration to get past the goalkeeper she had just beaten.”

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went on to suggest that World Cup winners Spain were “robbed” by the Lionesses after dominating much of the 120 minutes prior to an epic shootout. They added: “The dream ends in a nightmare. Spain lost the European Championship on penalties. England tied a match that Spain largely dominated.

“History is made by victories, and also by defeats. Spain fell in the Euro Cup final but left its name sealed in gold. England robbed them of their dream; the world champions couldn’t close the circle they began to write two years ago in Sydney. They couldn’t have been crueler in the penalty shootout, tossing a few dice in the air.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O relatório do Conselho Fiscal, aprovado na última quarta-feira, e que avalia as contas do Santos, apresentou uma série de sugestões e questionamentos à gestão do presidente Andrés Rueda. As críticas mais fortes foram direcionadas ao marketing do clube, especialmente à campanha ‘Santos do Mundo’, que rendeu prejuízo de mais de R$ 26 mil aos cofres do Peixe.

A campanha consiste em explorar a marca do clube no exterior através do reconhecimento obtido pelos feitos de Pelé, pelas excursões internacionais ou graças aos títulos internacionais conquistados, como o bicampeonato Mundial (1962-1963).

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSantosCBF define local da estreia do Santos no Brasileirão, diante do GrêmioSantos07/04/2023Futebol InternacionalAlvo de Santos e Palmeiras, Jean Lucas desperta o interesse do SportingFutebol Internacional07/04/2023SantosSoteldo e Mendoza treinam no campo, e lesionados se aproximam de retornoSantos07/04/2023

+Guia Santos: veja a análise dos adversários, onde assistir e tudo sobre o Peixe na Sul-Americana

+Coudet ameaça deixar o Atlético-MG: veja os treinadores há mais tempo no comando dos clubes brasileiros

Entretanto, as ações realizadas pelo clube foram consideradas ‘aquém das expectivas’. Segundo o relatório, o Santos realizou ativações em 4 países diferentes – Portugal, Estados Unidos, Nigéria e Espanha – e obteve patrocínios no valor de R$ 540.371,45, com prejuízo de R$ 26.240,07.

O relatório relata que, pelas imagens de vídeos divulgados pelo clube, as ações realizadas – mais especificamente o de lançamento das camisas em Portugal, no estádio do Benfica – ‘passaram uma imagem amadora’.

+Santos teve aumento de 427% no gasto com contratações, aponta relatório

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Outra crítica ficou por conta das ativações realizadas na Nigéria. Já que o país anfitrião custeou hospedagem, transporte e parte da alimentação dos participantes, o CF alega que o Santos poderia ter convidado grandes veículos de imprensa, inclusive do exterior, para registrar o evento e fortalecer a campanha.

Por fim, o Conselho recomendou a contratação de uma ‘big-one’ para assessorar o clube no marketing. Na visão do CF, é imensurável o quanto que o Santos pode faturar com com exposição da marca no exterior e, embora todas as administrações recentes tenham prometido revolucionar a área, o clube sempre obtém resultados abaixo do que poderia.

Jude Bellingham FaceTimed England team-mate James Maddison after the Tottenham forward underwent surgery on his ACL injury. In a touching moment away from the pitch, the Real Madrid star checked in on his compatriot through video calling, delivering a message of strength and support.

• Bellingham FaceTimes Maddison after ACL surgery
• Spurs eye replacement for sidelined midfielder
• Both stars are facing lengthy injury lay-offs

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  What began as a routine pre-season outing against Newcastle last week quickly turned sour for Tottenham as Maddison went down with what was later confirmed as an anterior cruciate ligament injury. It’s a crushing setback for Thomas Frank’s side, who had been counting on the 28-year-old to be a key creative force in their new campaign.

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  While Maddison begins his long road to recovery, one of the first calls he received was from Bellingham. The Madrid midfielder, who is also sidelined with an injury, reached out over FaceTime to check in on his fellow England international after his operation.

• WHAT BELLINGHAM SAID

  Maddison shared a screenshot of their chat on social media with the caption: “Some fella for one fella, the sheriff @judebellingham.” Bellingham reposted the image to his own account, adding: “My sheriff. Back even better! 0 doubt.”

  @judebellingham Instagram

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Tottenham’s response to Maddison’s absence has been swift. With the Premier League season fast approaching, the club have already tested the waters in the transfer market. Their first move was a €40 million (£35m/$47m) bid for Como’s Nico Paz, but the Italian side swiftly rejected it. Spurs also remain strongly linked with Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze. The 26-year-old has a release clause of £68m ($91.9m/€78.6m), but it will only remain active until August 15, leaving the north London club in a race against the clock to seal a deal.

يستعد ريال مدريد لمواجهة ريال أوفييدو الصاعد حديثاً إلى الدوري الإسباني مساء غد الأحد، في الجولة الثانية ضمن منافسات المسابقة.

وكان ريال مدريد قد افتتح مشواره بالفوز بهدف نظيف على أوساسونا يوم الثلاثاء الماضي، ويسعى الفريق جاهداً لتحقيق ثاني انتصار على التوالي تحت قيادة تشابي ألونسو.

أقرأ أيضاً.. حكم مباراة ريال مدريد وأوفييدو في الدوري الإسباني

وقد أعلن مدرب ريال مدريد تشابي ألونسو قائمة الفريق قبل السفر إلى أوفييدو، وشهدت القائمة عودة أنطونيو روديجر إلى الفريق بعد غيابه عن المباراة الافتتاحية ضد أوساسونا بسبب إيقافه لست مباريات من الموسم الماضي.

ويغيب عن قائمة ريال مدريد كل من جود بيلينجهام وإندريك وإدواردو كامافينجا وفيرلاند ميندي الذين لم يتم استدعائهم بسبب الإصابة.

📋✅ ¡Nuestros convocados!
🆚 @RealOviedo pic.twitter.com/ke8JtQ60dl — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) August 23, 2025

وضمت قائمة ريال مدريد:

في حراسة المرمى: تيبو كورتوا – لونين – سيرجي ميستري

خط الدفاع: داني كارفاخال – إيدر ميليتاو – دافيد ألابا – ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد – راؤول أسينسيو – ألفارو كاريراس – فران جارسيا – أنطونيو روديجر – دين هويسن

خط الوسط: فيديريكو فالفيردي – تشواميني – أردا جولر – داني سيبايوس – تياجو

خط الهجوم: فينيسيوس جونيور – كيليان مبابي – رودريجو – جونزالو جارسيا – إبراهيم دياز – فرانكو ماستانتونو

Australia have World Cup winners Head, Maxwell and Zampa waiting in the wings, while India have all-round options in Dube and Washington to pick from

Vishal Dikshit25-Nov-20230:59

Tilak Varma: I am learning from Rinku Singh how to finish games

Big picture: Expect swing in ThiruvananthapuramWhat did the ODI World Cup not give you? Enough last-ball thrillers? Runs from Suryakumar Yadav and Josh Inglis? Wristspinners being carted around? Well, that’s why we have bilaterals…A mere four days after Australia’s World Cup triumph, a bunch of their players stayed back – and others joined them – for a five-match T20I series, which started with a nail-biting game that ended with a last-ball six that didn’t even find a place in the scoreboard. Line-ups and fortunes changed so much that Steven Smith opened the batting, Ishan Kishan walked in at No. 3, and Inglis hammered Australia’s joint-fastest men’s T20I century. But some other things remained the same. Suryakumar’s domination was back as the format changed, India still had just seven batters, runs continued to flow on an Indian ground, and even though Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins flew home, Australia’s bowlers found a way to bounce back and nearly win after India needed just 14 from 12 and seven from the last over.Related

Tilak wants to finish games for India without 'any pressure or expectations'

Suryakumar Yadav finds peace in the chaos of T20

Inglis hits the ignition as race for T20 World Cup begins

The action now moves further south to Thiruvananthapuram, where the last T20I, in September 2022, saw South Africa collapse to 9 for 5 in overcast conditions. It could be overcast again, given it rained on Saturday, and could force the teams to change their plans.If the ball does swing, Smith’s technical expertise will be handy for Australia before the more hard-hitting batters take over. They would, however, want some more runs beyond Smith and Inglis. The pair accounted for over 80% of the runs that were scored by Australia in the series opener, though they faced 91 balls between them. Marcus Stoinis faced just six balls and he will be itching to smash the ball after managing just 87 runs in five World Cup innings. Australia will also rue not scoring more than 208 on a batting track after being 179 for 2 with three overs to go. That had to do with India’s quicks, especially Mukesh Kumar, who sent down a mixed bag of slower ones, bouncers, yorkers and hard lengths to stem the flow of runs, capped by a stunning five-run last over.India were in some trouble at both ends of their chase, especially where they nearly fluffed their lines by slipping from 194 for 4 to 208 for 8 before Rinku Singh’s last-ball six gave the packed house a smile to go back with, even though Sean Abbott’s no-ball robbed Rinku off that six. It is this brittleness in the lower-middle order that India will again be wary of, especially given their batting ends at No. 7, unless they change their combination. Will they bring in an allrounder like Washington Sundar or Shivam Dube (in swinging conditions) for legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, who leaked 54 in four overs, after just one game?Australia have World Cup winners Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa – as well as Travis Head – to pick from•ICC/Getty Images

Form guideIndia WWWWW
Australia LWWWWIn the spotlight – Ravi Bishnoi and Marcus StoinisRavi Bishnoi took 13 wickets in eight games and gave away just 6.09 runs an over for Gujarat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy while the World Cup was on. Among his highlights this year was the four wickets in Ireland in two games. He got just one T20I in the Caribbean, in which he went wicketless. He could, however, draw confidence from the 16 wickets he got in the IPL that played a crucial role in Lucknow Super Giants’ third-place finish. But there, too, he leaked 7.74 runs an over, and how he responds in the second T20I, keeping in mind the race for spots for the 2024 T20 World Cup in June, will be worth watching.A batting average of 21.75 and a bowling average of 35.75 in six World Cup games must have made Marcus Stoinis desperate to show his A game in this series. He struck an unbeaten 37 off 21 to lead Australia’s chase of 191 to whitewash South Africa before the World Cup, but the main tournament saw him getting out in the back end of the innings when the team expected more runs from him than he scored, with a highest of 35 from five innings. The shorter format could free him up, like it did for Suryakumar, and helping the team level the series could give him the lift he needs.Team newsIndia may not make many changes since it’s a five-match series. What was a surprise, though, in the first game was slotting Kishan in at No. 3 when it was assumed he would be in a race for the opening slot with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal. The possibility of swing could make India change their combination, and bringing in Dube for a spinner could be an option, but leaving out Axar Patel would be unfair and replacing Bishnoi with Dube would seriously undermine India’s bowling options. India’s other options outside the XI of the first T20I are Jitesh Sharma, Washington and Avesh Khan.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Mukesh KumarThere was rain on Saturday, and there is rain forecast for match day too•AFP/Getty Images

Australia don’t have a big reason to tinker with their XI but their World Cup winners Glenn Maxwell, Travis Head and Adam Zampa have stayed back and will be slotted back at some point. Whether Head slots it for Smith or Matthew Short will be the question – whenever it comes up – and Tanveer Sangha’s expensive spell – 47 runs in four overs – wasn’t great for him or the team. The other players in their squad are Aaron Hardie and Kane Richardson.Australia (probable): 1 Steven Smith, 2 Matthew Short, 3 Josh Inglis, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Tim David, 6 Aaron Hardie, 7 Matthew Wade (capt, wk), 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Jason Behrendorff, 11 Tanveer SanghaPitch and conditionsThiruvananthapuram has hosted just three T20I, and it hasn’t been easy for teams batting first, as the scores reflect: 67 for 5 (eight-over game), 170 for 7 on a slow pitch, and 106 for 8. Barring the rain-truncated first game, teams chasing have won and that might be the better option on Sunday too, with rain around. It will be humid and temperatures will be in the late 20s and early 30s.Stats and trivia The last time Australia beat India in a T20I was in September 2022, just before the T20 World Cup Suryakumar and Maxwell are one century away from joining Rohit Sharma at the top for most centuries in T20Is (four) Inglis’ 110 was the second time an Australia batter’s T20I century ended on the losing side. Shane Watson’s unbeaten 124 off 71 in Sydney in early 2016 was the first such instance – India were the opponents then too. Inglis has smashed three T20 centuries in his career, and all of them have come outside Australia. The other two were for Leicestershire in the Vitality Blast in 2021. All his other five hundreds – four in first-class cricket and one in one-dayers – were scored in AustraliaQuotes”I have played under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy in the IPL, when he captained Mumbai Indians for one match. He is very calm and clear in his thoughts. He is a very good captain. In the last match also he played really well in a tough situation and he managed [the players] well.”
“They are all pretty good players and may be try to keep them guessing, just to stay one step ahead which is hard to do at times. Maybe do what we can in terms of change in pace, line and length.”

Kent escaped with a draw in their LV= Insurance County Championship game with Nottinghamshire after nearly imploding in pursuit of a target of 168. The hosts were grateful for former Notts players Joey Evison and Ben Compton, who blocked for nearly 20 overs after Asitha Fernando took three quick wickets to help reduce them to 59 for five. Kent were 86 for six when the captains shook hands.On a final day at Canterbury that veered between tedium and extreme tension, Notts were bowled out for 348 in their second innings, after being forced to follow on. A game that Kent looked likely to win and then seemed to be heading for a draw ignited in the final session. When Joe Clarke and Brett Hutton came together in the day’s seventh over, Notts were still trailing Kent’s first innings score of 446 by one, with just three second innings wickets remaining.Clarke batted for 277 balls to make 141, and he put 148 for the eighth wicket with Hutton, who made a career-best knock of 84. By the time their partnership was broken Notts were 147 ahead and when Yuzvendra Chahal then took two wickets in as many balls it set up a fraught finale. Having dominated for most of the first three days, Kent couldn’t resist the target and ended up enduring a nerve-shredding final hour.Nottinghamshire began the day on 177 for 5 in their second innings and looked like they might not survive the first hour. After a start delayed till 11:20am by rain, Kent took the new ball as soon as it became available and Michael Hogan used it to take two wickets from as many balls. His fourth delivery got rid of Lyndon James for 39 after he edged him to Jack Leaning at second slip, ending a stand of 102 and Calvin Harrison went lbw to the next delivery.Hutton took a single from the hat-trick ball to bring the scores level and played like he was determined to set Kent a target, advancing to 48 not out at lunch, at which point it was 235 for 7, a lead of 54. He reached 50 with a single from Nathan Gilchrist and as the game began to drift away from Kent, Clarke drove Hogan for four to reach three figures.There were few chances but the game sparked to life when Hutton blocked a delivery from Nijjar and Clarke hared halfway down the wicket before he realised his partner hadn’t moved. Chahal ran him out out by a yard.Still bruised by their defeat at Middlesex, Nottinghamshire looked unlikely to declare and seemed comfortable enough at 348 for eight at tea, but Chahal had Paterson caught by Daniel Bell-Drummond for five with the fourth ball of the evening session and he wrapped up the innings two balls later when Zak Crawley caught Asitha Fernando for a duck.Kent were scenting what would have been only their third red-ball win of the season, but they approached the chase as if they were playing Blast cricket instead of a modest five-an-over. Crawley was sent out to open alongside Tawanda Muyeye instead of his regular partner Ben Compton, but after crunching Paterson for four he hit the next delivery straight to James at deep square leg.Fernando then had Bell-Drummond caught for four by Harrison at slip, Jack Leaning was run out for six chasing a single that existed only in his head and Muyeye tried to hook Fernando and fell to an acrobatic Tom Moores grab.With Kent reeling on 52 for 4, Compton was sent out to drop anchor, but Fernando produced a jaffa to send Harry Finch’s off stump flying for seven. When Joey Evison joined Compton, with a minimum 19.1 overs remaining, they made no attempt to chase the runs.After an hour’s resistance, Ben Slater caught the latter off Matt Montgomery, but Nijjar and Evison just about clung on. Kent take 12 points and Nottinghamshire eight.