Category Uncategorized

South Africa didn’t find any more answers to their batting woes in the final group game, but they found a relatively big win to close their tournament

The Report by Varun Shetty19-Nov-2018It was the same old story for Bangladesh as their bowlers strangled South Africa and restricted them to 109, but their batting couldn’t stretch the score past 80 for the fourth time this tournament. Thirty runs was a relatively huge win for South Africa, who didn’t leave the tournament with any more answers about their struggles with the bat than they had before the game began.

South Africa’s Dane van Niekerk on…

The atmosphere in St Lucia on Sunday: “I think it was brilliant. And I heard the game [between West Indies and England] was sold out. To get in there and see the atmosphere… 10,000 really excited fans, each and every person has rhythm, it’s quite exciting to see. The women’s game deserves a fan base like that. I hope the whole world saw how much fun the fans had tonight, and all credit to two very good sides that put up a very good show for them.”
On having a standalone Women’s World T20: “I think we need to create our own brand. As women cricketers, we can’t shy behind the men anymore because I think that’s where people make the mistake of comparing women’s cricket to men’s cricket. And our skill is just as good in our own right. So we need to shy away from being labelled, I guess, the same as the men, because I think that’s when people get their expectations all mixed up. I think it’s the way to go and hopefully it will stay.”

South Africa left out Laura Wolvaardt in favour of Sune Luus, which meant Dane van Niekerk was pushed up to a more natural role as opener. She joined Lizelle Lee who had her best outing of the tournament, hitting three fours as the new opening pair struck at more than eight per over. That was until she called for a single at short-third man and was run out sliding the back of the bat into the floor with a dive. This meant that despite having crossed the crease, the curve of the bat meant it wasn’t grounded. It was somewhat unfortunate, but it was yet another run-out for South Africa in a tournament marked by them. This was further emphasised later on with Mignon du Preez’s run-out in the 18th over, which was purely her own doing and cost South Africa runs at the end of the innings.In the middle, they were kept quiet by a very disciplined spin attack that pulled Bangladesh back from a Powerplay in which they had conceded 48. Van Niekerk was forced into a shell, and Marizanne Kapp was stunningly caught at deep midwicket by Fargana Hoque, diving to her left. From there, a series of ordinary shots against straight balls translated into a massive collapse and slowdown. Niekerk, Luus, Chloe Tryon, and Masabata Klaas were all bowled with the ball sneaking between bat and pad. Salma Khatun and Khadija Kubra were often the bowlers inflicting such damage.Dane van Niekerk clobbers one into the leg side•Getty Images

Neither team had incentive as far as progressing in the tournament was concerned, but at the halfway stage, Bangladesh had opened up one prospect – if they had chased 110 down in about 13 overs, they would have finished above South Africa on the table and sealed direct qualification to the next edition of the tournament.But that was never in the plan, it turned out, as they prodded through another unproductive batting Powerplay, making 13 for 1 in the first six overs. The boundary shots, it seemed, was limited to the sweep, which meant they had to wait till the eighth over to pick up their first four. But even with a largely spin-heavy attack through the middle overs, South Africa didn’t face too much by way of aggression. Bangladesh seemed resigned to the fate that they didn’t have sufficient big-hitters in the squad and the required rate had seemed too steep for them before even the halfway mark. Hoque and Rumana Ahmed batted nearly eight overs for their fourth-wicket stand of 27. It was the most significant one of the innings, and the underlying theme of the chase.

A year ago there were tears in the pavilion for Middlesex’s title win. This year the need is only for survival and the most valuable fizz is on the field

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Lord's20-Sep-20171:18

Kumar Sangakkara’s staggering record leads our Championship round-up

There is something oddly beautiful about a relegation scrap, even here, with only Middlesex in danger. Lancashire, safe, dismayed the race to the top was settled so soon, with a million excuses to have mentally checked out of the 2017 season, are playing their part in a back-and-forth tussle that started with brass knuckles and will be settled by brass balls. That this match, on an unpredictable pitch which has created more errors than excellence, is being played at Lord’s is a quirky filter that provides a wonderfully distorted picture.Oh, the wonders this ground has seen. You only need to go back to the end of last summer when the 2016 season was brought to such a thrilling conclusion for Middlesex’s title win. There were tears in the Pavilion, champagne on the outfield and, after 23 years, a trophy in the cabinet.A year on, barring a handful of interruptions for bad light, the sun shone brightly and the members ensured the best seats in the house didn’t go to waste for the last match of the season. And while the fizz still flowed, the cricket on show was gritty rather than golden. It had to be.No batsman has come in and looked comfortable. Sam Robson was the most at ease with a battling half-century brought up off 96 balls in a Middlesex’s second innings in which his 56 was top score, one of three in double figures, was the top scorer.Luckily for Middlesex, they went into the second innings with the benefit of a 68-run lead, having taken the final five Lancashire first innings wickets for just 52 runs. To do so with a bowler light – Toby Roland-Jones, unable to take to the field with a stiff back, will play no more part in this match after an inconclusive back scan today – spoke volumes of the dirty work that needs to be done.Middlesex fans would rather it did not have to be this way, but they should be proud that their side have rediscovered the grimy qualities that sometimes four-day cricket requires. Traditionalists might see the defending Champions embroiled in a dog fight at Lord’s to stay in the division as unbecoming. And sure: you wouldn’t fork out £1,615-a-night for the Piccadilly Suite at the Ritz only to raid the discount aisle at Tesco for your dinner.But needs must and Middlesex discarded whatever baggage that might have been holding them back this summer – selfish goals, England ambitions and whatever else – to fight together as they did last summer.After 15 wickets fell on day one, 15 more fell to leave Lancashire a target of 221. By stumps, they had made it to 46 for the loss of Alex Davies. They need 175 tomorrow but rather less than Middlesex need those nine wickets.Sam Robson compiled a vital half-century•Getty Images

The day’s end came just as the hosts were starting to lose focus. Tim Murtagh, excellent in the morning to remove a dangerous-looking Steven Croft and Jordan Clark (his third and fourth of the innings), lost his usually unerring accuracy to give Haseeb Hameed the four boundaries that currently make up his unbeaten 22.Whatever bruises Lancashire took in the morning in being dismissed for 165 were avenged by Tom Bailey, who collected his second five-wicket haul of the match. His match figures of 10 for 98 are a new career best. He profited most from bounce: pushing Nick Compton back before finding his edge with a fuller delivery and then pinning Stevie Eskinazi on the hand in a set-up that finished with knocking over the right-hander’s off stump. His third kept Lancashire in the match when Robson felt compelled to hook out to deep square leg, where Kyle Jarvis leapt superbly to his right to take one of the catches of the season. The same combination of bowler, fielder and athleticism did for John Simpson, this time at cover, allowing Bailey to claim his maiden ten-for in a match when he trapped Ollie Rayner in front for five.Neither Rayner, nor Roland-Jones, who was able to bat but walked like a man who had forgot to take the hanger out of his shirt, were able to recreate their opening-day blitz of 102 in 20.5 overs.Lancashire will entertain a similar approach when they arrive for the third day. Liam Livingstone is timing the ball nicely. Never mind that a match winning turn on this pitch could grant him a seat on that plane to Australia next month – tomorrow brings a battle and Livingstone is not one to retreat.

Cricket Australia has named an 18-man National Performance Squad for the upcoming quadrangular one-day series in Queensland, featuring teenage carrom-ball spinner Arjun Nair

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2016Cricket Australia has named an 18-man National Performance Squad for the upcoming quadrangular one-day series in Queensland, featuring teenage carrom-ball spinner Arjun Nair.New South Wales allrounder Sean Abbott is the most experienced member of the group, which will take on Australia A, India A and South Africa A in a tournament in Townsville and Mackay during August.Nair, 18, is an emerging spinner who played two matches for New South Wales last summer but is particularly notable in Australia for his varieties. Although yet to make his List A debut, he will have the chance to show off his short-form talent in the four-team series.In May, a 24-man Australia A squad was named for a winter campaign set to include four first-class games against South Africa A and India A as well as the one-day series, although specific groups for the one-day and four-day matches were to be confirmed closer to the games. Three men named in that squad – Matthew Renshaw, Sam Heazlett and Mitch Swepson – will play for Australia A in the first-class games and for the NPS in the one-day series.”All of these players have some degree of state experience as part of the Australian Cricket Pathway and this is just another step up in their development,” Greg Chappell, CA’s national talent manager, said of the NPS group. “Selection in this squad pays tribute to the hard work that these players have put in and acknowledges that performances are noted and rewarded in the current Pathway system.”The squad will be coached by Graeme Hick and Ryan Harris. Hick said the quadrangular series would provide valuable experience for the players, many of whom have had just a taste of state cricket.”Although the team’s success won’t be measured by win-loss ratio, we still expect this side to be competitive and with the talent in the team, a victory along the way isn’t out of the question,” Hick said. “Alongside the Australia A squad, these players are the future of Australian cricket and we are excited to see the progress they make in this important tournament.”National Performance Squad Sean Abbott, Hilton Cartwright, Kyle Gardiner, David Grant, Sam Grimwade, Sam Harper, Sam Heazlett, Clint Hinchliffe, Josh Inglis, Caleb Jewell, David Moody, Arjun Nair, Tom O’Donnell, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Swepson.

Sri Lanka felt their commanding lead of 376 should provide a straightforward victory, but a combination of the pitch flattening out, an inexperienced spin bowler and Younis Khan pulled the rug from under their feet

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele07-Jul-2015Sri Lanka did not imagine they could lose the match at lunch on day four, Angelo Mathews admitted after Pakistan strode to a seven-wicket win in Pallekele, to complete a 2-1 series victory. Mathews had been instrumental in Sri Lanka’s third-innings 313, which set up a lead of 376. However, Pakistan chased down this target with ease, inside four sessions of batting.Sri Lanka’s seamers had claimed two early wickets in the Pakistan chase, but could not separate Younis Khan and Shan Masood for 66.4 overs, during which the pair added 242. Offspinner Tharindu Kaushal’s waywardness fetched him figures of 1 for 153 from 31 overs.”I actually thought after we made 376 that we were sitting pretty,” Mathews said. “This will definitely take a lot of time to digest, this defeat. We never expected this sort of performance from our team as well as the Pakistanis. We obviously played three seamers because there was a little grass in the pitch and we had to go with three [of them]. But then on the fourth and fifth day in Sri Lanka, you can’t expect a lot of help from the wicket for the seamers. Unfortunately, Tharindu Kaushal didn’t bowl that well and we couldn’t put the pressure on them. We fought really hard to get to 376 and we never thought we would lose from there.”Pakistan, having made only 215 in the first innings, made the game’s highest total of 382 in their chase. Mathews said the pitch had flattened out by the fourth and fifth day, but added that his attack’s indiscipline remained a key cause for the loss.”The ball didn’t turn that much in the last couple of days,” Mathews said. “It turned a little bit in patches. It turned in the third session yesterday and then settled down. In the first couple of sessions of their innings, it barely turned. For the seamers, there was no hope at all. They bowled their hearts out. Hats off to them, they’ve been brilliant throughout the series. I thought Dhammika Prasad was brilliant, as were Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal. Even Dushmantha Chameera was excellent in the last game. I thought there was no help from the wicket.”But you can’t really blame that when you’ve got 376 to get them all out. Kaushal has played a lot of matches in A team cricket, which is why we chose him. But we need to think about the pressure of being the only spinner. He’s not an experienced Test bowler.”In the fourth innings, Sri Lanka appeared to miss the control usually provided by Rangana Herath, who was dropped from the side for the first time since 2010. Herath had taken only two wickets in three innings in the first two Tests and Mathews described his omission as a ‘tactical decision’.”It was a tough call to leave him out and it was just a tactical decision because he is our No. 1 bowler. Unfortunately, we had to leave him out because they [Pakistan] were playing Rangana really well in the first couple of matches and Kaushal was troubling them in the second Test. We thought that’s the way to go in this particular Test. Rangana is our top spinner still.”The third Test also marked the return of two older batsmen for Sri Lanka. Upul Tharanga returned to the Test side after almost a year’s hiatus, and Jehan Mubarak played his first Test since 2007. While neither of them managed a substantial score, Mathews suggested they had both done enough to retain their place in the side.”Upul and Jehan are older cricketers with a bit of experience. Even if they haven’t played many Tests, they have played a lot of domestic cricket. In the second innings they dealt with the pressure they [Pakistan] put us under well. They didn’t go past 50, but the partnerships they put up helped us get to 376. Both of them are playing a Test after a long time. They gave their best to the team according to the context of the game.”Lahiru Thirimanne, meanwhile, had a wretched series with the bat. He had a high-score of 44 not out from six innings at an average of 18.”It does happen as a cricketer. You do run into poor form,” Mathews said. “We are backing Thirimanne because we know that he is a very good player. We can’t really expect the guys to be Kumar Sangakkaras and Mahela Jayawardenes right now because the guys are still finding their way in Test cricket. A lot of them haven’t played much Test cricket. When a batsman is having a rough time you’ve got to deal with it carefully. You can’t blame it on him. But I think he will definitely take responsibility in the future.”Over 15 years we’ve seen Mahela and Kumar play, but we can’t measure the young players on their scale. In the past years, if one misses out, the other scores a hundred most of the time. We have to be patient with this side. We’re all learning.”

Ricky Ponting reflects on his 17-year career after playing his final Test, against South Africa in Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2012.Ricky Ponting: “Even out of today, just being at the crease for 20-odd balls, it’s a pretty special time, and anyone who’s retired has felt that as well.”•AFP

The finality sinking in: That it’s [career] over has sunk in. It’s been a pretty long, tough week I guess, I know I’ve been more nervous this game than any other game that I’ve played. Just for the reason how much it means for me to play for Australia and wanting to finish the right way. So it has been a hard week and we haven’t got the result we were after and I haven’t got the result I was after. Looking back it’s been a special week as well, having my whole family here’s been great, unbelievable support from them, and great support from the fans and from my team-mates, so it’s been a special week.Why it was time to finish: Excluding Brisbane and the start of Adelaide, when I got a pretty good ball, I just think I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to perform knowing that I had to, or feeling within myself that I had to. Also knowing where the series was at, it’s always been about big games and big series for me, and getting off the start I did with those two innings just had me under pressure again, and I haven’t been able to deal with it as well of late as I’d have liked to. Normally for me when those big moments come around, I’ve been able to find something within and go out and score runs and make it all go away, but I haven’t been able to do that for a while now, and that was when the alarm bells started to ring.The guard of honour and the final ovation: I got my big ovation today, but Graeme’s gesture and the South African team’s gesture, that sort of stuff will remain with me forever, and I told him that on the field today. So that was special. I was pretty pumped up for the moment, I just felt there was one last big push from me, and the game and the day was set up for it, and it didn’t last long enough. Even out of today, just being at the crease for 20-odd balls, it’s a pretty special time, and anyone who’s retired has felt that as well. It just would’ve been nice to have a few next to my name coming off.On the supreme batsmen of his era: I felt Sachin was the best player I played against, and that’s coming from more of a captain’s point of view as well, knowing he had so much success against us in our conditions and their conditions. But the other way to look at it is, I probably lost more sleep on the eve of games against Lara, because I knew he could singlehandedly win games for his team. The way I judge players has always been on their ability to win games, and win games by themselves. Lara could certainly do that and he did it probably more than what Sachin’s done for India. It’s hard to separate the class of player – you’ve got to put Kallis in that bracket as well. You put his wickets on top of what he’s done with the bat. He came out the other day to bat and I looked at the board and he was averaging 57 in Test cricket. That’s remarkable considering the amount he’s had to bowl and all that sort of stuff. I’ve been pretty blessed to play in the era I’ve played with so many great batsmen, and if my name gets mentioned among them, then that’s great.On the best bowlers he faced: I think Curtly Ambrose and Wasim Akram were probably the two outstanding quicks that I faced, and for different reasons. Ambrose for his ability to just make you feel like you couldn’t score off him for long periods of time, never felt like he was going to bowl you a bad ball. Akram for the exact opposite, you could get a few runs off him, but you just knew there was an unplayable ball around the corner, be it with an old ball or with a new ball. And thankfully for me I probably got both of those guys towards the end of their careers as well. Those two, and Harbhajan’s probably the other one who caused me as much grief as anything. He got me out a lot of times, and caused me a lot of grief. Those guys through their careers can all put their hand up and say they had my measure.On what he’ll miss: I’ll miss the mateship, I’ll miss the dressing room. That’s the stuff that’s irreplaceable in your life I guess. There’s a lot of guys in there I’m very close to, and a lot of the guys I’ve been closest to over the years are no longer around the dressing room either. I guess that’s the upside, I’ll probably get to spend a bit more time with those guys who I’ve played most of my cricket with, but the get-up attitude and find a way to make yourself better and try to find a way to make your team-mates better is what I’ll miss.

Bangladesh A took a slender first-innings lead after bowling West Indies A out for 129 on a rain-shortened day in St Lucia

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2011
ScorecardPlayed was delayed until 2:30 p.m. in St Lucia and only 34.3 overs were possible on the second day, but that was enough time for Bangladesh A to bowl West Indies A out for 129, giving them a lead of 26, which their openers then extended to 66 by the close of play.The No. 9, Sunil Narine provided the main resistance, adding 38 with opener Rajindra Chandrika, who was only able to add 10 to his overnight score of 30 before falling lbw to Robiul Islam. Narine then added another 31 with Shannon Gabriel (14) for the tenth wicket to at least ensure West Indies A reached triple figures after the hosts had slumped to 60 for 7 on the first day. Narine was left stranded on 40 when Sohail Gazi bowled Nelon Pascal first ball to wrap up the innings.The Bangladesh A openers began steadily, in stark contrast to the procession of wickets on day one. They successfully negotiated 15 overs without losing a wicket. Jahurul Islam, on 24, and Nasiruddin Faruque, on 14, will look to extend Bangladesh A’s advantage on the third day.

Rusty Theron, the South Africa pace bowler, has been added to the squad for the one-day series against Pakistan in UAE following his recent impressive performances

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2010Rusty Theron, the South Africa pace bowler, has been added to the squad for the one-day series against Pakistan in UAE following his recent impressive performances.Theron, 25, was originally only part of the squad for the two Twenty20 internationals but the selectors have decided to bolster their fast-bowling options after he claimed a Man-of-the-Match 4 for 27 in the second game in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. It continued the promising start to Theron’s international career after he bagged 11 wickets in his first three one-day internationals against Zimbabwe earlier this month.”His selection is actually a combination of several things,” said selection convener Andrew Hudson. “With the injuries suffered by Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis we feel it is prudent to have adequate cover in the fast bowling department.”Rusty’s form also deserves to be rewarded. He has performed exceptionally well against Zimbabwe and during the two Pro20s against Pakistan and he will bolster the squad ahead of the congested five ODIs against Pakistan.”Kallis and Steyn sat out both the Twenty20 matches against Pakistan. Steyn is unlikely to be fit for the opening one-day international in Abu Dhabi on Sunday but South Africa are hopeful about being able to include Kallis who has been struggling with a back problem. “We are going to have to make some difficult choices when everybody is fit and available and it is a nice problem to have,” Hudson added.

Pakistan’s players have been cleared to participate in the 2010 season of the IPL after receiving clearance from their country’s interior ministry

Cricinfo staff02-Dec-2009Pakistan’s players have been cleared to participate in the 2010 season of the IPL after receiving the final government clearance they needed, from their country’s interior ministry.Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry cleared the players’ involvement in the Indian league and the interior ministry’s clearance means the PCB can now issue the no-objection certificates (NOCS) that would allow them to play in the tournament.”The sports and foreign ministries had already given their clearance … we were awaiting security clearance from the interior ministry, which we have got now,” PCB media manager Nadeem Sarwar told . “We have been told we can issue NOCs to the players now.”The deadline for the submission of the NOCs to the IPL was extended to December 7.Eleven Pakistani players – including Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul, the stars of Pakistan’s 2009 World Twenty20 campaign – were recruited by the Kolkata, Rajasthan, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore franchises before the inaugural IPL.However, Pakistan’s players were absent from the second IPL, held earlier this year in South Africa, after their government did not allow them to travel to India – where the tournament was originally to be held – for security reasons. The franchises then opted to retain the contracts of only four of them – Kamran Akmal and Sohail Tanvir (Rajasthan), Misbah-ul-Haq (Bangalore) and Gul (Kolkata) .Most franchises will, however, seek their return in the league’s 2010 edition after Pakistan’s success in the ICC World Twenty20 in June.The third season of the IPL will be held in India and it begins on March 12, 2010.

Seamer recruited after a change in the availability of Indian left-armer Jaydev Unadkat

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2025Sussex have announced the additional overseas signing of Gurinder Sandhu for the 2025 season.Sandhu, who has represented Australia in two ODIs, will join the squad for June and July, and will be available for four games in the County Championship as well as the T20 Vitality Blast if required.The 31-year-old has not played first class cricket since March 2024 for Queensland against Western Australia but will plug a gap for the county following a change to the availability of Jaydev Unadkat. The India left-armer had signed a two-year deal with Sussex in October, but will now only be available for the final three red ball fixtures in September.Sandhu has 151 dismissals across 55 first-class matches, and recently turned out for Melbourne Renegades at the end of their Big Bash League campaign. He will join fellow Australians Daniel Hughes and Nathan McAndrew, who will both return to Hove this summer.”We are delighted that Gurinder has decided to join us for the four County Championship matches in June and July,” head coach Paul Farbrace told the club website. “He will add real skill and experience to our bowling attack for those games.”He is a vastly experienced performer and is very skillful with the ball. The fact that all four games are being played with a Kookaburra ball means he will be very comfortable with that type of ball.Sandhu added: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining Sussex Cricket Club and can’t wait to step out onto the field at Hove.”I’m looking forward to contributing to the team in both the red and white ball formats and experiencing the rich cricketing traditions Sussex is known for.”

Steven Smith is likely to return after missing the Afghanistan game, whereas Bangladesh will be without Shakib Al Hasan

Tristan Lavalette10-Nov-2023

Big picture: Australia look to fine-tune against Bangladesh ahead of semi-final

Before Glenn Maxwell unleashed the most surreal batting imaginable, Australia appeared headed for a hefty defeat against Afghanistan and almost getting into must-win territory against Bangladesh. That nervy scenario was alleviated by Maxwell, who powered Australia into a semi-final against South Africa. But Australia won’t be treating this as a dead rubber and will field their strongest available line-up for the clash in Pune.Even though Australia have won six consecutive matches, after such a rocky start, their form has been patchy at times. They’ve been relying on individual brilliance – none more so than Maxwell’s tour de force – rather than a collective.Australia still face selection issues in a bid to find the right balance. They have several players struggling for consistency as Australia look to produce a more complete performance against an opponent out of semi-final contention.But Bangladesh are in a fight to be among the top eight teams to qualify for the Champions Trophy. An upset will go a long way towards this and notching consecutive victories will also ensure a strong finish for Bangladesh, whose tournament hopes nosedived after beating Afghanistan in their opener.But there is a feeling that this is more than the end of their campaign amid off-field rumblings. Bangladesh are dealing with several exits from their dressing room. Fast-bowling coach Allan Donald and computer analyst Shrinivas Chandrasekaran have announced that they won’t be renewing their contracts. In Donald’s case, there is controversy as the BCB sought an explanation from him after he criticised captain Shakib Al Hasan’s appeal in the drama over Angelo Mathews’ timed out dismissal.More coaching staff changes are likely, but Bangladesh will be hoping the off-field turmoil does not affect them in their bid to finish a disappointing World Cup campaign on a bright note.

Form guide

Australia WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Bangladesh WLLLL

In the spotlight: Mitchell Starc and Taskin Ahmed

Only Glenn McGrath and Muthiah Muralidaran have taken more World Cup wickets than left-arm quick Mitchell Starc, who starred in the 2015 and 2019 editions. But Starc has struggled to find his top form in this tournament with 10 wickets at 43.90 and an economy rate of 6.55. He has taken just five wickets in his last five games culminating with 1 for 70 from nine overs against Afghanistan, where Starc couldn’t trouble the batters early and he was torn apart at the death in a ragged display. If Australia are to win a sixth title, Starc will have to rediscover his best and he has a golden opportunity to turn around his form against a Bangladesh batting order susceptible to left-arm pace.Taskin Ahmed has bounced back in the last few games•Associated Press

Quick Taskin Ahmed finally bowled well in the World Cup after several ordinary outings. Even though he finished wicketless for the second straight match, his pace was up and his wobble seam delivery was on show against Sri Lanka. He bowled a strong opening spell, and then delivered tight bowling in the middle and at the end. He conceded just 39 runs in 10 overs to be clearly his team’s most economical bowler. Taskin is known as the bowling pack leader, so it was important that he bounced back after indifferent performances.

Team news: Smith set to return from vertigo, Shakib ruled out

Steven Smith is likely to return after missing the match against Afghanistan due to vertigo, while Maxwell faces a fitness test after severely cramping during his herculean innings. If they are available to play, Australia will have a fully fit squad to choose from for the first time this tournament. Marnus Labuschagne or Marcus Stoinis will likely make way for Smith depending on what type of balance the team management leans towards. Labuschagne is a similar type of batter to Smith and has been a consistent scorer in the tournament although he is striking sedately at 77. Stoinis has generally struggled, but provides alluring big-hitting and all-round skills much like Maxwell. Sean Abbott could also come into the mix if one of the big three quicks is given a break before the semi-final.Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis/Marnus Labuschagne, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodCaptain Shakib Al Hasan will miss this game with a fractured left index finger and he is likely to be replaced by allrounder Mahedi Hasan or left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed. Anamul Haque, Shakib’s replacement in the squad, might be in line to replace opener Tanzid Hasan, who has made just one half-century from eight innings in the tournament.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Litton Das, 2 Tanzid Hasan/Anamul Haque, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 7 Nasum Ahmed/Mahedi Hasan, 8 Towhid Hridoy, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Shoriful Islam

Pitch and conditions

The Maharashtra Cricket Association surface has been batting-friendly with South Africa and England posting scores over 330 after batting first in the last two matches at the ground. But seamers have also done well on a pitch offering bounce and carry.Warm and sunny conditions are expected on Saturday with a maximum temperature of 32 degrees Celsius forecast.

Stats and trivia

• Australia and Bangladesh have not played against each other in ODIs since the 2019 World Cup.
• Australia have won 19 of 20 completed ODIs against Bangladesh and all three contested in World Cups.
• Glenn Maxwell is 108 runs away from becoming the 19th Australian to reach 4000 ODI runs.
  

  Quotes

  “It will be based on the surface. If we think that we have a surface that is challenging in a certain area then we can shift in one direction. The more bowling options that we have we feel we can cover in terms of the opposition batting.”
  “We [are] actually spoiled. We had him for a long, long time and I mean when you have someone like Shakib’s calibre, [the] No. 1 all-rounder, it’s two players in one so it’s hard to do much with the combination. So, we will definitely want to fill his bowling vacuum with another spinner or a fast bowler. It’s batting we’re going to miss and his leadership. So, it’s hard.”