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Big picture: CSK vs RCB, a one-sided but high-voltage rivalry

This should be a dream match for the hype machine. Two of the three teams that have created a ferociously loyal fanbase at the grounds and on the internet. They represent capital cities of neighbouring states that share a river, often acrimoniously; whose rulers traversed boundaries repeatedly before the borders as we know them came to exist; whose people now build their lives in each other’s states. Both states are given to hero-worshipping their film stars and politicians. Now they have accepted MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli for worship even though they are neither from there nor live there.It might still not matter to the ratings, but as cricket rivalry it needs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to catch up. They are 11-22 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) overall, and 1-8 in Chennai. The last time RCB beat CSK in Chennai was in 2008, the IPL’s first year. The last time these two sides faced each other, RCB were so ecstatic at winning and making it to the playoffs that they didn’t shake hands with the opposition. Cue more storylines.Related

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You see, the lack of cricketing closeness doesn’t really matter to the ratings when it comes to CSK and RCB. You expect CSK to start as overwhelming favourites in home conditions, which are ignoring the memo that asks for even higher scoring rates than the last year.CSK have put together Noor Ahmad, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin; it is no surprise they put together a game where they completed a chase of 156 in the last over. RCB have built themselves up for higher scores, which showed in their emphatic chase of 175 in the tournament opener. But the Chennai conditions are going to be as big a challenge for them in IPL 2025 as any.

New loyalties

Josh Hazlewood’s last team in the IPL before the break last year was RCB, but for some reason, you picture him in yellow when you think of the IPL. Possibly because his reinvention as a limited-overs bowler began at CSK in 2020 and 2021. He has made a great start for RCB this year with figures of 4-0-22-2.2:56

Cricinformed: Kohli, Patidar and who? Spin trial awaits RCB at Chepauk

Team news and likely XIIs

CSK love their allrounders, but it won’t take long for question marks to appear over Sam Curran if he doesn’t improve drastically from his start this year where he could bowl just one over and scored 4 off 9. This is in keeping with the dip in his form overall, which has resulted in his exit from the England team. As an overseas player, he keeps out Matheesha Pathirana, although a direct switch means Dhoni has to bat at No. 7, which CSK or Dhoni don’t quite fancy.Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 Rachin Ravindra, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (wk), 9 R Ashwin, 10 Nathan Ellis, 11 Noor Ahmad, 12 Khaleel AhmedBhuvneshwar Kumar missed the previous game with a reported niggle. RCB will want him in if he is fit. They could think about legspinning allrounder Mohit Rathee or left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh if the pitch is expected to be heavily spin-friendly.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Rajat Patidar (capt), 4 Devdutt Padikkal/Mohit Rathee, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Tim David, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Rasikh Salam/Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Swapnil Singh, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal, 12 Suyash Sharma

Big question

How do RCB handle the possible 12 overs of Noor, Ashwin and Jadeja? Mumbai Indians (MI) went 5 for 70 in 11 overs against them. Captain Rajat Patidar will be the key because around him are batters that can be shut down by slow bowlers.

In the spotlight: Noor Ahmad vs Rajat Patidar

This is the contest that could direct the whole match. Noor Ahmad has started off beautifully for CSK with figures of 4-0-18-4 against MI. RCB are a team of pace-hitters. If Rajat Patidar can attack Noor, he can set the cat among the pigeons, which could even result in Jadeja not bowling out. If Patidar gets out early, CSK could choke RCB.

Pitch and conditions

Chennai is one of the venues that works in synergy with the franchise. So expect the conditions to continue helping the slower bowlers.1:12

Cricinformed: Patidar, a menace for spinners

Key stats

• Ashwin vs Kohli is a fascinating contest between two alphas of Indian cricket. You can see neither wants to lose: only one dismissal in 147 balls but a strike rate of only 123.12.
• Despite being a left-hand batter, Rachin Ravindra averages 11.63 and strikes at 120.75 against orthodox left-arm spin. That makes Krunal Pandya important.

Next three fixtures

CSK will travel to Guwahati on Saturday and play Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday before they return home for Delhi Capitals (DC) and then travel to Mullanpur to play Punjab Kings (PBKS).RCB’s next match will be their first of the season at home, against Gujarat Titans (GT). Then MI at Wankhede Stadium and DC at home. Three high-voltage and potentially high-scoring matches to follow.

Toss Shubman Gill called correctly and had no hesitation in bowling first in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s first home game of the season at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.GT, who are playing their first away game of the season, have won and lost one match each so far. They brought in left-arm fast bowler Arshad Khan in place of Kagiso Rabada, who missed out due to personal reasons. That left GT with only two overseas players in their bowling XI, with Sherfane Rutherford likely to come in while batting.”It looks like a good wicket. The conditions don’t change much, so we are looking to bowl first,” Gill said at the toss.”We are all about reducing our unforced errors, and we will try and fine-tune the areas that need some fine-tuning.”Rajat Patidar, the RCB captain, said that he would have bowled first as well, while confirming that RCB are going with an unchanged XI.”We wanted to bowl first as well,” he said. “The surface is pretty hard, [and] will not change much. We will try and keep them under pressure. The way everybody is chipping in gives me confidence. Everyone is looking in a good frame of mind.”RCB are coming into the game with two stellar wins. They began their season with a seven-wicket victory against Kolkata Knight Riders in the tournament opener. Six days later, they did something that they hadn’t since 2008 – defeated Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk by a huge 50-run margin. That means RCB are in their hometown while being top of the points table with a superb NRR of +2.266.GT, on the other hand, lost their opening match of the season to Punjab Kings by 11 runs, but made up for it by beating Mumbai Indians by 36 runs at home.Gujarat Titans: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Sai Sudharsan, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Shahrukh Khan, 5 Rahul Tewatia, 6 Arshad Khan, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 R Sai Kishore, 9 Mohammed Siraj, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Ishant SharmaRoyal Challengers Bengaluru: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Tim David, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal

The uncontracted trio of James Neesham, Finn Allen and Tim Seifert are in New Zealand’s plans for the 2026 T20 World Cup after they made themselves available for all of New Zealand’s T20I series in the lead-up to the next ICC tournament, selection manager Sam Wells has said.The three were in action in the 50-overs Ford Trophy before being reintroduced to New Zealand’s T20I side for the upcoming five-match series at home against Pakistan.”Yeah, look, we’ve had some discussions with these guys and New Zealand Cricket has really emphasised preparing well for these pinnacle events and the guys have committed to being available for all of our T20 campaigns moving forward, if selected,” Wells said. “So that’s a real positive. And credit to those guys, they’ve come back and played domestic cricket, played Ford Trophy and performed well.”So, these guys are still really hungry and made it very clear they’re still very hungry to play for their country.”Related

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Neesham, who last played for New Zealand in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, reminded everyone of his all-round skills when he clattered a career-best 128 not out off 82 balls and followed it up with figures of 3 for 53 to propel Auckland into the Ford Trophy final.Allen returned to captain Auckland in the Ford Trophy after finishing his BBL stint across the Tasman Sea with Perth Scorchers.Seifert also returned to play for Northern Districts in both the Ford Trophy and the Plunket Shield despite having turned down a domestic contract. Against a strong Canterbury attack comprising Kyle Jamieson, Zak Foulkes, Henry Shipley and Ish Sodhi, Seifert hit an unbeaten 109 off 71 balls from No. 3 in the Ford Trophy.”That [the hunger to play for the country] is why they come back and play domestic cricket to stake their claim,” Wells said. “And they’ve done well as well as performing in the various franchise leagues they play around the world. But it is really helpful from a selection perspective to see them competing in domestic cricket against the guys and see them in the flesh. So, look, we’re really happy with where they’re at.”Legspinner Sodhi, who was not picked for the 2025 Champions Trophy, has also returned to the white-ball team with an eye on the spin-friendly surfaces in India at the next T20 World Cup. In the absence of captain Mitchell Santner, who will miss the home series against Pakistan owing to his IPL commitments, Sodhi is the only frontline spin-bowling option in the squad apart from stand-in captain Michael Bracewell.In a glance: New Zealand’s T20I squad for home series against Pakistan•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Sodhi’s recent form is also encouraging: he picked up nine wickets in 12 Super Smash matches at an economy rate of 7.00, which was second only to Jamieson among all bowlers who had bowled at least 20 overs in the competition.”Look, I think in India, you’re going to be playing two or three spinners,” Wells said. “And you see Ish come back into it. I think most teams are playing a wristspinner in both forms. So, we’re giving Ish an opportunity. He’s been a great performer in the T20 format. I thought he had a really strong Super Smash. But obviously, missing Mitch, who’s a bit of a linchpin in the bowling attacks.”So, that’ll be a challenge for Ish and Michael to really step up and take those roles if given a chance. But obviously, the boundaries are pretty small in New Zealand grounds and not taking as much turn. So, we might see an additional seamer playing where we think that’s appropriate. But it’s just about having that balance where we can.”Wells also delivered a glowing appraisal of Bracewell’s abilities as an allrounder and leader.”Michael led the T20 side over in Pakistan last year in the series we had over there and it was quite a young and experienced side and we were really impressed with the way he led that group,” Wells said. “He sort of cemented himself in both white-ball teams as a really pivotal cog. He’s experienced at domestic level, having been a captain in the side, and is well respected and knows how to run the cutter really well. So, look, he’s ticked a lot of boxes. He hasn’t got a huge amount of international experience but is an experienced cricketer and has done well when given opportunities in a leadership role.”

Shubman Gill has confirmed his availability for Punjab for their sixth-round Ranji Trophy fixture against Karnataka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru starting January 23. The squad hasn’t been announced yet.Gill’s possible return to the Punjab fold gives him an opportunity to work with Wasim Jaffer, the highest run-getter in Ranji history who is now the Punjab coach. It comes at a time when his poor returns outside Asia – he averages 17.64 in 18 innings since June 2021 – have come in for sharp scrutiny, especially with India slated to tour England for five Tests in the summer.His return will shore up a squad that will be without senior players Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh, who have both been picked in India’s T20I squad for the five-match series against England starting January 22 in Kolkata.Gill’s last Ranji Trophy appearance for Punjab came in 2022, when he played against Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-finals in Alur. His return coincides with the Indian team management having laid down strict protocols for national players in the wake of India’s 3-1 Test series loss in Australia.1:47

Pujara: Gill’s hard hands and lack of footwork causing trouble in Australia

Head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have spoken of the need for top players to make themselves available to play for their respective state teams when free of international commitments.Gill was among those who endured a disappointing run in Australia, where he managed a highest of 31 in five innings following a return from a finger injury that kept him out of the series opener in Perth. He averaged 18.60 for the series. He was also left out of India’s XI for the Boxing Day Test, with the team management slotting in KL Rahul at No. 3 after Rohit Sharma reverted to his opening position having initially started the series, in the second Test, in the middle order.At the time, though, the team management said that Gill hadn’t been dropped and was merely “unfortunate” to miss out owing to team combination, as India went in with two spin-bowling allrounders in Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.Punjab’s hopes of qualifying for the Ranji Trophy playoffs hangs by a thread; they are currently fifth in Group A with a solitary win in five games.

The PCB is yet to hear from the ICC about the questions regarding India’s unwillingness to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy next February.The PCB wrote to the ICC a week ago, asking the governing body for details and clarity on the BCCI’s decision, which was conveyed to the ICC. The PCB has asked for a written response from the BCCI as well as the date when it informed the ICC about its stance.Despite the lack of a response, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday that he retained “positive expectations” about the tournament, the first ICC event Pakistan will host since 1996.Related

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“We have sent them [ICC] the questions we had,” Naqvi said at a press interaction at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. “We are still waiting for their response. I believe that sports and politics are separate and no country should mix the two. Even now I still have positive expectations about the Champions Trophy.”Naqvi also said that the PCB intended to stick to its stance – of not using a hybrid model for the tournament – and will not shift from it. But he did say he was willing to talk to the BCCI about the situation in a bid to break the deadlock.”At this moment, every team that has qualified for the Champions Trophy is ready to come,” he said. “Nobody has any issues. I will say today also, if India has any concerns, speak to us about them, we can ease those concerns. I don’t think there is any reason for them not to visit.”When asked whether the PCB would consider the option of boycotting the event should hosting rights be taken away from it, Naqvi said: “Pakistan’s pride is of primary importance.”Naqvi was asked about the event’s trophy tour, which began on Saturday in Islamabad but with an altered route after the BCCI had raised objections with the ICC.The PCB had announced the original route last week, which would have taken in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan Administered Kashmir. That destination was taken off after the BCCI’s complaint but has not yet been cancelled. The trophy tour returns to Pakistan in January, after visiting the other seven participants in the Champions Trophy.”My feeling is that the ICC will have to think about its credibility, that are they an organisation for all the world’s bodies,” Naqvi said. “And that route has been rescheduled, we haven’t been told about any cancellation.”Naqvi said he hoped the ICC would announce the tournament schedule soon so that the PCB can continue its preparations for the event.

Before Monday evening, Rahmanullah Gurbaz averaged 16.73 in 20 innings in run chases in ODIs. But against Bangladesh in Sharjah, he hit 101 – his second century while batting second – with 42 of those runs coming in sixes alone. That took Afghanistan to victory in their pursuit of 245, and gave them their third successive series win.It was also the first instance of a score getting successfully chased in this series, after totals of 235 and 252 were defended in the previous two games.But it didn’t come all that smoothly for Afghanistan. When Gurbaz was caught off Bangladesh’s stand-in captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the 39th over, and Gulbadin Naib departed in the 41st, Bangladesh sniffed a comeback. Afghanistan were another 57 runs away from victory, with 58 balls and five wickets remaining. However, Azmatullah Omarzai, who had fallen without scoring in both matches this series, got an unbeaten 70 off 77 deliveries to calmly lead Afghanistan to a five-wicket win in the company of Mohammad Nabi, who smashed a quick 34*.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Omarzai clubbed five sixes, the last of which went over long-on to seal the win for his side. The victory was set up by Gurbaz’s eighth ODI hundred, and his fourth-wicket partnership of 100 with Omarzai, after Afghanistan were 84 for 3 in the 21st over. Such had been Gurbaz’s dominance that he had already reached his half-century by that point. All four of his sixes until then had been flung over the leg side, although he did have his share of luck.When on 24, Gurbaz was dropped by substitute fielder Rishad Hossain at point, and on 48, Towhid Hridoy’s throw from mid-off went wide of the stumps at the non-striker’s end despite Gurbaz having given up after a mix-up with Hashmatullah Shahidi.Gurbaz kept himself busy by ticking the singles and finding the boundary, and when on 56, Jaker Ali missed stumping him out off Mehidy, when one turned down the leg side – although Jaker might have been blinded by Gurbaz skipping down the pitch. Those bits of fortune taken into account, the ball seemed to fly off Gurbaz’s bat, with the most impressive shot being a hard and flat six over deep backward square leg off Mustafizur Rahman.Gurbaz and Omarzai ensured the chase remained in Afghanistan’s control for much of the innings. The century came up for Gurbaz in the 38th over, by the end of which, Afghanistan required only another 63 runs off the remaining 72 balls. That was when Afghanistan lost Gurbaz and Naib back-to-back, but Omarzai brought up his half-century just after that, following up a haul of 4 for 37 with the ball to earn himself the Player-of-the-Match award.Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mahmudullah put on a huge stand to lift Bangladesh•ACB

Afghanistan had started the game erratically, dropping Tanzid Hasan twice and giving away extras with the ball. But bowling his second over – and the ninth of the innings – Omarzai had Soumya Sarkar chopping on for 24 at just better than a run a ball to break a 53-run opening stand.That seemed to flick a switch. Nabi, bowling the tenth over, had Tanzid slicing to cover point for 19 off a slow and dipping ball; Mehidy, in the 11th, sent Zakir Hasan back after calling for a run, only to result in Zakir’s dismissal on 4; and Rashid Khan, in the 15th, had Hridoy caught at slip for 7. Bangladesh lost 4 for 19 in a period of six overs, when Mehidy, who scored a patient 66, and Mahmudullah, who got a run-a-ball 98, joined hands to add 145 runs for the fifth wicket.But they took their time to settle, as they managed to add only 49 runs off the first 74 balls of their partnership. Three boundaries came during that period, with two off the outside edge of Mehidy’s bat.While Mehidy struggled to get even the singles or find the gap, Mahmudullah looked a lot steadier. With Afghanistan keeping a lid on Bangladesh, Mahmudullah hit the first six of the innings when he deposited Nabi over midwicket to end the 35th over. Those hits remained sporadic as Nabi even bowled a maiden over in the 39th.The last ten overs, however, brought Bangladesh 78 runs. It all started when Mahmudullah ended Nabi’s spell ended with another six. In the next over, the 42nd, Mahmudullah carved AM Ghazanfar for four through extra cover. He started the 44th with another boundary – this time over Ghazanfar’s head – before nailing a sweep off Rashid to propel Bangladesh forward.Seeing that, Mehidy had a change of heart too. With five overs left, he lapped and reverse scooped Omarzai for consecutive boundaries, although perished in the same over when he skied one to extra cover. With Bangladesh at 217 and only 24 balls left, it was down to Mahmudullah to provide the finishing touches; and the double dose of fortune he enjoyed in the 47th over was just what Bangladesh needed for a competitive total.Mahmudullah was given out lbw off Rashid to start the over, but used DRS to overturn the decision. Two legal balls later, he drove back hard at Rashid, who dropped a difficult catch, his hands stung by the blow. Mahmudullah ended with another six over midwicket – this one off Farooqi. He was on 97 with one ball remaining. Omarzai swung one into off, which Mahmudullah could only clip behind square to be run-out while attempting a second.

Cricket has concluded one of the biggest social media moderation trials in sport and found that almost a fifth of comments made on player or team social media pages are either harmful or generated by bots.The programme, which ran over the course of the recently completed Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, saw the ICC employ an AI tool created by tech company GoBubble to weed out online bullying. It analysed 1,495,149 social media comments across 60 player and eight team accounts and 271,100 of them, contained racism, sexism, homophobia and other kinds of abuse.All the monitored accounts were from players or teams who opted into the service, offered by the ICC as a way of making the game safer for players, especially in light of the increased attention on the women’s game.Earlier this year, ESPNcricinfo published a deep dive into social media harassment and found that abuse directed at female players, or the female partners of players is rampant, which makes the focus on women pertinent. And on Monday, the ICC’s next women’s FTP sees an expansion to 11 teams, from ten, more than 100 additional fixtures and dedicated windows for three leagues which will only increase attention and growth on the women’s game.Related

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“One of the objectives of the ICC is to look at ways in which we can inspire as many women and girls to play cricket as possible,” Finn Bradshaw, the ICC’s Head of Digital told ESPNcricinfo. “We heard the stories from a lot of women and girls, unfortunately, once they become a bit more public, the abuse that they get online can be really inhibiting.”The last thing you want is a teenage girl who’s got some talent and ability and then she sees what one of her heroes goes through on social media and thinks, ‘I can’t face that’. We know mental health is such a big thing across the world and social media can be terrible for mental health and so anything we can do to make that girl’s decision to play cricket easier, we want to do that.”The GoBubble tool works in two ways: by picking up words which are abusive, both in English and other languages, and also be personalised for particular players or teams, and by scanning for bots who are advertising unrelated content on pages.”There’s a whole range of words: swear words, slurs or insults but the best part about this software is that you can individualise it. If, for example, a player has had an unfortunate incident that’s specific to them in the past and people keep bringing it up, we can then make sure that those comments are hidden for them as well,” Bradshaw said. “There are a lot of bots selling things players or teams don’t want on your account, for example, cryptocurrency. It blocks that as well and cleans it all up which just means for the average fan, the social media experience is better.”Sinalo Jafta, the South Africa wicketkeeper-batter, was one of the players who revealed her struggles with online abuse and has been the face of the ICC’s initiative. Before the introduction of this service, Jafta entrusted a friend or family member with the task of going through her social media accounts and deleting any abusive comments or messages.She recognised that not all players would do the same but now that they can rely on an AI tool, she hopes they will be more comfortable sharing content. “That protection for me is very big because players get to share their life with the world without the fear of being judged or criticised,” she said in an ICC release. “I am looking forward to seeing the changes, people just being free and players can just show the world who they really are.”Ultimately, both Jafta and the ICC want to encourage positive social media use to inspire the next generation of players. “For players who are comfortable with social media, we love to work with them and find ways to showcase their personality to the fans because fandom starts with the player,” Bradshaw said. “A young kid falls in love with a player and it’s usually not just about whether they can hit a six, it’s about their personality and something the child sees reflected in that player.”Social media is amazing for that and for the players who are comfortable doing that, it’s an amazing tool. And we want to make sure that experience is as enjoyable for the player as it can be.”Currently, women’s players can sign up for the service until the end of 2025 and the ICC is looking at making it available for male players as well. “We wanted to do a trial and to see how it goes and we will produce a report,” Bradshaw said. “Then we’ll see if there’s demand for this from the male players.”

Prabath Jayasuriya was made to work hard for his wickets in the first Test. Even when he ended up with figures of 4 for 136 in the first innings there, they had at one point been ingloriously perched at 1 for 99. Second time out he got his customary Galle five-for, and that was down to a better showing from his spin colleagues at the other end, who offered much more control than they had in the first innings.But Sri Lanka, acknowledging that Jayasuriya needed more consistent support, made the bold call of replacing the sometimes-wayward Ramesh Mendis, with debutant Nishan Peiris. And on day three of the second Test, Peiris proved that he is a more-than-able foil to Jayasuriya’s sustained excellence.Thirteen New Zealand wickets fell on day three, with Jayasuriya responsible for six of them – five in the first innings, one in the second – while Peiris grabbed six himself. Only Dhananjaya de Silva could separate the pair with his solitary scalp.”When you bowl with him it is very easy,” Jayasuriya said of his younger team-mate at the end of the day’s play. “I didn’t feel he was on debut. He bowled with lot of confidence and he showed his potential in Test match cricket.”Related

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The old adage ‘bowlers work in pairs’ is true in most cases, but on tracks such as Galle, where despite the turn on offer, the first and most important quality for any player – batter or bowler – is patience. Applying pressure from both ends is vital.For New Zealand this meant that during a suffocating morning, replete with oppressing heat, there was little to no respite. While Jayasuriya peppered on nagging lines and lengths at one end, Peiris used the cross-breeze to great effect, getting the ball to drift, dip and turn away sharply from the left-handers in particular.This afforded him a variety of wickets, most notably of Rachin Ravindra, whom he bagged in both innings. The first was a ball that drifted in full, past Ravindra’s attempted sweep, to bowl him around his legs. Then in the second, he got one to grip and turn sharply off a good length as Ravindra could do nothing but watch as the ball zipped past his back-foot defence to clatter into the stumps.Peiris’ consistency provided a foil for Jayasuriya’s excellence•AFP/Getty Images

“He gave me lot of support,” added Jayasuriya. “One bowler usually has to do the holding job, while the other attacks.”In the first innings he kept one end tight, and in the second he was the one that got the wickets. I guess we did our roles right, we’ll have to wait and see how the day turns out tomorrow.”Looking ahead to day four, despite Sri Lanka’s hefty advantage, Jayasuriya isn’t taking anything for granted. He’s aware that New Zealand’s batters are better than what they showcased in the first innings, where they were bowled out for 88.”They were on the field for 600 runs and perhaps they were a bit tired. But I think they are a good side. Their top order has some experienced players, but they tried to defend too much [in the first innings]. We were able to dominate then, but in the second innings their approach was more attacking.”[But] I like if they are attacking. Yes, you will give away a few runs, but you also have a chance of taking wickets.”We cannot take things lightly. What we do in the first hour will be crucial. We just need to bowl good deliveries. They were attacking us towards the end of the day, so need to get the plans right and execute things as well.”

Bangladesh’s political and social upheaval has touched its cricketers in several ways. Wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan was directly involved in the protests, even at times chased by the police in Dhaka. Others like Akbar Ali and Kamrul Islam Rabbi have openly supported the students right from the early days of the protests. Anamul Haque, the Bangladesh batter, suffered a more direct loss. His close friend Akram died in the student protest in Dhaka on July 25.Anamul, who will lead Bangladesh A in two four-day games against Pakistan A in Islamabad, spoke to reporters at the Shere Bangla National Stadium ahead of the team’s departure on Friday. He explained how traumatising it was to lose contact with his family during the protests, particularly after his friend died.”I think you have heard that a friend, who was like a brother to me, died in the protests,” Anamul said. “We were very close. I get emotional when I think about him. I wish this tragedy and trauma doesn’t happen to anyone. I was in Chattogram, so I couldn’t reach my family in Dhaka. Everyone was touched by this tragedy in some capacity.”Related

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• Mushfiqur, Mominul to play for Bangladesh A in Pakistan

Like most others in Dhaka, Anamul also spent sleepless nights after the fall of the Awami League government, as uncertainty and disorder gripped the capital. “I was up from 2am to 5am. I was taking care of my child,” he said. “I went down to see what was going on. I saw many people in the streets, guarding their property. I don’t know what these people want. We don’t want to live like this. We want to live in peace. Everyone deserves their fundamental rights. I think we all work honestly.”He also praised the students for handling Dhaka’s traffic in the absence of the police force, which has gone missing for at least three days. “The students are doing extraordinary work in trying to control the traffic. They are maintaining discipline. This is the country that we have always wanted,” he said.Anti-government protestors display Bangladesh’s national flag after storming prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s residence•AFP/Getty Images

Anamul was diplomatic when asked about the silence from Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza, two of Bangladesh’s biggest icons and Awami League MPs, regarding the protests. One could sense his unease in talking about such a sensitive topic.”I think it is up to the individual, whether they want to talk about it or give a Facebook status. I had a traumatic time. I was concerned about my family, and the family of my friend who died. I spent my time thinking about him,” Anamul said. “I couldn’t meet my family, I couldn’t visit his family. I wrote about him on social media. Someone else probably thought differently. I think they can tell you better. They did what was best for them.”Anamul hopes Bangladesh A’s tour of Pakistan gives the players good preparation ahead of the senior team’s Test series, which gets underway later in the month. He also hopes the cricketers can bring positive news to Bangladesh’s fans in a trying time for many of them.”Cricket is a place of emotion. It unites us,” he said. “This tour will really help us, especially the Test tour that follows in Pakistan. There will be batting-friendly conditions there generally. It gives chance to both sides. We are playing Tests after a long time too. I think we could give everyone something to cheer about.”Bangladesh A will play two four-day and three one-day games against Pakistan A in Islamabad. The senior side will then play a two-Test series which begins on August 21 in Rawalpindi.

No result A potentially engaging contest was robbed of its conclusion as the second T20I between India and South Africa was abandoned halfway through courtesy a steady evening drizzle in Chennai.It was the kind of rain that wouldn’t take players off most times. However, the sharpest spell of the evening – a steady five-minute drizzle – coincided with the innings break – forced the ground staff to cover the playing surface. But it continued to mizzle on and off for the next hour, forcing the umpires to pull the plug.It left India, who made as many as four changes to their XI, with more questions than answers, while South Africa could be fairly satisfied after a second good workout with the bat, having followed their 189 for 6 two nights ago with a compelling 177 for 6 on Sunday evening.They go into the series finale on Tuesday with an opportunity to seal the series, a significant result if it comes to fruition given this is their last assignment before the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September.Hello, Uma ChetryAssam played their first domestic tournament in 1948-49. It took them nearly 76 years to produce the first India player (Riyan Parag), but on Sunday, they doubled that tally as Uma Chetry, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper, was handed a cap in Richa Ghosh’s absence due to concussion.Chetry was in action almost immediately. Everyone thought she had effected a smart stumping when Tazmin Brits, the top scorer from two nights ago, ran down to a Sajana Sajeevan slider. Even as an ecstatic Chetry celebrated her first dismissal, the third umpire brought her some agony.A tiny fraction of Chetry’s glove was in front of the stumps when she collected the ball, which meant Brits wasn’t just not out but also had a free hit. On 5 then, Brits built on to make a 36-ball half-century, looking in sparkling touch for most parts.It was in sharp contrast to her struggles in the series opener, where she took nine balls to get off the mark and had limped to a run-a-ball 25 after 10 overs, before a sensational late acceleration brought her 81 off 56 balls.Wolvaardt’s blazing startSouth Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt offset any early pressure there may have been on the team with three back-to-back boundaries off the third over. Each of them was high on aesthetic appeal, her timing and placement precise enough to thread the tiniest of gaps on the off-side ring.She would also be lucky to survive a leading edge that nearly popped to point as Arundhati Reddy, who replaced Renuka Singh in the XI, had a tough beginning.But Wolvaardt’s innings was cut short soon enough, when she found the safe hands of Radha Yadav at backward point as Pooja Vastrakar struck in the fifth over to break a dangerous opening partnership. Wolvaardt’s contribution to the 43-run stand was a robust 12-ball 22.Deepti Sharma picked up the key wicket of Marizanne Kapp•BCCI

Deepti leads India’s spin chargeMarizanne Kapp didn’t take long to settle in like she did the other night. She welcomed Delhi Capitals team-mate Yadav by muscling two hits down the ground in her opening over as South Africa ended the powerplay on 66 for 1. But India weren’t throwing in the towel, ably hitting back courtesy their spinners, especially Deepti Sharma.Deepti did what the other spinners couldn’t – get balls to bounce off a length while also cleverly varying her pace – and Kapp fell in trying to step out and hit through the line to one such delivery, only to find Sajana at mid-off. Then India slipped in a few tight overs with Shreyanka Patil, who replaced legspinner Asha Sobhana, joining in.Anneke Bosch took a while to adjust to the pace of the surface, but it helped that South Africa had Brits bring up a half-century. Then, Chetry redeemed herself with a stumping to dismiss Bosch as she charged Deepti, only to be beaten by sharp turn. To Chetry’s credit, she stayed low and collected the ball at shin-height to effect the stumping.It was a near double-strike as India then prised out the dangerous Chloe Tryon as she tamely lobbed a return catch to Radha. At 131 for 4 in 15 overs, South Africa needed a big finish to get near the 189 they made on Friday. It wasn’t until the 19th that they got that, when Shreyanka was hit for four fours in a 20-run over by Bosch, who more than made up for a sluggish start to finish with a 32-ball 40.Annerie Dercksen then finished the innings off in a blaze of boundaries, three of them off Vastrakar, to take South Africa to 177 before the rain came down and killed what could’ve been an exciting chase.