Shakib joins a line-up that also has Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Jason Roy and Spencer Johnson, among others

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2024Shakib Al Hasan has been signed by Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) for the upcoming (second) season of Major League Cricket (MLC), the American franchise-run T20 league.”Shakib, of course, has a long-standing relationship with the Knight Riders family, having represented KKR in various phases – including our two championship [winning] seasons in 2012 and 2014,” a statement from the Knight Riders group said. “We can’t wait to see him turn up in Purple and Gold for LA Knight Riders this July.”LAKR, owned by the group that owns Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and Trinbago Knight Riders men and women in the CPL as well as Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 in the UAE, finished last in the inaugural season of the MLC in 2023.Related

• Texas Super Kings snap up Mitchell for MLC 2024, Shepherd goes to MI New York

• CPL's CEO asks T20 leagues to collaborate on scheduling

From that squad, they have retained Sunil Narine, the star of KKR’s table-topping run in the league stage of the ongoing IPL 2024, Andre Russell, Jason Roy, Spencer Johnson, Unmukt Chand, Ali Khan, Saif Badar, Nitish Kumar and Shadley van Schalkwyk, and drafted in local players Derone Davis, Matthew Tromp, Cirne Dry and Adithya Ganesh for the upcoming season.The MLC player draft was held on March 21 this year, and an additional draft will be held on June 16 for the six teams to complete their squads.The second edition of the tournament will start on July 5 with a fixture between MI New York and Seattle Orcas, the winners and runners-up of the inaugural edition. The final will be played on July 29.

The Australia captain has not had the ball since the IPL but could feature during the Super Eight stage if conditions require it

Andrew McGlashan19-Jun-20241:33

Maxwell: Marsh has been ‘unbelievable’

Mitchell Marsh has declared himself ready to bowl in the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup 2024 to hand Australia another option ahead of their game against Bangladesh in Antigua, while Glenn Maxwell believes the captain is close to making a big impact with the bat.Marsh has not bowled since leaving the IPL with a hamstring injury and a cautious approach has been taken to his return with the initial rehab requiring a little longer than expected.”I’ll be available to bowl,” he said. “With the line-up that we’ve got, I don’t really necessarily see a need for me to bowl, but I think it’s really important in this format to have options and we’re blessed with plenty of those.”Related

• Head: Anything possible in the last seven or eight overs

• Tim David 'working really hard' on his legspin

Australia have not been found short due to Marsh being held back from bowling duties with Marcus Stoinis playing an important role, while against Scotland they used 12 overs of spin with an eye on potential conditions in the Super Eight.Marsh having a role with the ball would become a more likely scenario if Australia fielded Ashton Agar as a second frontline spinner again then decided they needed some extra overs of seam.”Physically feel good,” Marsh said. “It’s always nice to have a bit of break from bowling and I often joke about that. But Stoin and I often talk about it as allrounders, we love being in the game.”Mitchell Marsh hasn’t quite hit his stride with the bat since returning from injury•ICC/Getty Images

Marsh wouldn’t divulge whether Australia will return to three specialist quicks against Bangladesh or retain the balance of attack they used against Scotland. The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium has not offered huge assistance for the spinners so far – the numbers at the venue are skewed somewhat by four-wicket hauls for Adam Zampa and Adil Rashid against Oman and Namibia – but Australia are on alert for sharply-spinning conditions in St Vincent where they face Afghanistan.Should Australia bring both Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood back into their XI after they were rested against Scotland then Maxwell can take on the role of the second spinner.Marsh and Maxwell are the two parts of Australia’s batting order that have yet to fire at the World Cup with 63 runs between them in seven innings, but Maxwell was confident he and the captain were close to making a big impact.”For me and Mitch, we got a lot of confidence out of that England game for the role we played,” Maxwell told ESPN’s . “Even though it’s a small sample size we still feel like we played out role; we set the innings up for the lower order to then go nuts. The opening batters going out and scoring at 12, 13 an over can be bit misleading to how conditions are and if we try to go at that rate for the rest of the innings thinking that’s what it’s like we could throw our wickets away.”Mitch has been unbelievable over the last couple of years, since he’s come back into all three formats, especially the Test stuff, [and] I think that’s probably filtered into the confidence in the other two formats. Watching him go about his work, you always know he’s only one or two shots away from basically ruining a game and we are looking forward to seeing that.”On his own form, which stems back to a poor IPL, Maxwell said: “Still feeling really good. I’ve been hitting the ball pretty well, but…it’s just been really hard to, I suppose, get that rhythm and momentum. You’ve seen our openers go out there and pump it all over the place then in the middle order it’s been quite difficult to adjust.”The only one throughout the tournament who has consistently smashing them is Stoin – he’s been outstanding. To have those guys below me gives me a lot of confidence and actually knowing I have a bit of time to get myself into the tournament and we’ve got some real quality below us. It’s a nice position to be in that I don’t feel like I’ve fully hit my straps, played pretty well against England…but I know it’s not far away.”

Says he will take a call on whether he plays IPL 2025 after the rules and regulations around retention – which are currently up for review – are firmed up

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2024MS Dhoni has resorted to a wait-and-watch approach before deciding on his IPL future. As the IPL chalks out the auction and retention plans ahead of the 2025 season, Dhoni wants to see what rule changes come into effect, especially with regard to player retention, before he makes a decision on whether to play another season or not.”There is a lot of time for it,” Dhoni, who turned 43 in July, said at an event in Hyderabad. “We have to see what decision they take on player retention etc. Right now, the ball is not in our court.”So, once the rules and regulations get formalised, I will take a call, but needs to be in the best interest of the team.”Related

• Decks cleared for 'uncapped' Dhoni to be retained

• IPL 2025: Zaheer Khan joins LSG as mentor

• Zaheer Khan in talks with LSG to take over as mentor

• Retired players in uncapped category? IPL mulls retention rule change

• DC want Impact Player scrapped, SRH say retain seven players

The BCCI met franchise owners and officials on Wednesday evening in Mumbai, to discuss a host of rules. On the meeting’s agenda was the Impact Player rule, how many players are to be retained, and the existence and frequency of the mega auction (one is due before next season) among other points.Questions on Dhoni’s future at the IPL have cropped up at the end of and between seasons for the previous few years now, and one part of those questions – regarding the succession plan at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – was answered earlier this year when he handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad days before the season started.CSK narrowly lost out on a playoffs berth under Gaikwad when they finished fifth on the table with 14 points, the same as RCB on fourth spot but behind on net run rate.Dhoni played the role of six-hitting specialist in the death overs last season. He mostly walked out in the dying moments of the CSK innings and smoked 13 sixes and 14 fours in the 73 balls he faced across the season, translating to roughly three balls per boundary. His strike rate was a whopping 220.54 – the first season where he struck at over 200 – and he finished unbeaten in eight of his 11 innings.

The New Zealand captain is Scorchers’ third-highest run-scorer and has made three centuries for them

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2024Sophie Devine will remain with Perth Scorchers in the WBBL for at least another two seasons after completing a pre-draft signing.Devine was retained by Scorchers in last season’s draft, ahead of Marizanne Kapp, when Melbourne Renegades had attempted to secure the New Zealand captain.Related

• Shamar Joseph nominates for BBL draft; Harmanpreet confirmed for WBBL draft

• T20 World Cup puts squeeze on WBBL overseas stars

• 'The older I get, I'm getting better' – Kapp glad she was talked out of retiring

• Chamari Athapaththu signs three-season WBBL deal with Sydney Thunder

She had another productive campaign with 489 runs at 37.61, including a century against Brisbane Heat, alongside collecting 14 wickets as Scorchers reached the Challenger final where they were beaten by Heat.Overall Devine is Scorchers’ third-highest run-scorer in WBBL history behind Beth Mooney and Elyse Villani.”For me, coming back to Perth was a no brainer,” Devine said. “I have built such a special connection with the players and staff over the past four seasons, and I couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else.”Scorchers have yet to announce a new contract for Mooney but the Australia opener is expected to remain with the club. They have also brought in Mikayla Hinkley from Brisbane Heat during the off-season.Last season Scorchers also had English trio Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Lauren Winfield-Hill as overseas players. Sciver-Brunt has previously told the BBC she won’t be nominating for the tournament this season due to the hectic international schedule.The WBBL starts seven days after the T20 World Cup is due to finish while England have a tour of South Africa which overlaps with the end of the tournament in late November.Confirmation of Devine’s return to Scorchers follows Chamari Athapaththu signing a three-year deal with Sydney Thunder. In the WBBL only Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes have yet to announce a pre-draft signing.

Rocky Flintoff hits maiden fifty for Lancashire in vain

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2024Rocky Flintoff hit his maiden fifty for Lancashire in their Metro Bank One-Day Cup match against Middlesex at Emirates Old Trafford but his 115-ball 88 could not prevent the visitors securing a vital five-wicket victory in their bid to qualify for the knockout stages of the competitionThe 16-year-old’s polished contribution helped his side post 233 for 9 in what had become a 48-overs-a side match. But that total was overhauled by Middlesex for whom Joe Cracknell made 98 before he was stumped off Jack Morley when only 24 runs were needed for victoryFlintoff had been caught off the last ball of his side’s final over, having hit six fours and two sixes in his fifth innings for the county his father, Andrew, represented with distinction. However, his effort was eclipsed by Cracknell and Sam Robson, who put on 175 for Middlesex’s second wicket.The visitors then lost four wickets late in their innings to spark a few nerves in the away dressing-room but Robson was unbeaten on 87 when the victory was sealed with eight balls to spare.Lancashire’s innings began poorly when George Bell was caught at backward point by Luke Hollman off Ethan Bamber for four. Three overs later, Henry Brookes had Josh Bohannon leg before wicket for five when the home skipper was looking to work the ball to leg.Bohannon was replaced by Flintoff, whose 58-run stand with the debutant Kesh Fonseka offered clear signs of promise to Lancashire supporters. However, Fonseka was caught and bowled by Hollman for 42 when he top-edged an attempted sweep and Venkatesh Iyer perished in similar fashion for nine, when he drove a short ball low and hard to Hollman’s left and the bowler dived to a take a fine-one handed catch.Undaunted by these reverses, Flintoff continued to bat with good judgement and reached his fifty off 77 balls with four fours and a six. Other partners succumbed to the patient Middlesex attack. Having made nine, Chris Green top-edged a hook off Brookes and was caught at long-leg by Noah Cornwell, and George Balderson was caught and bowled by Josh de Caires for 18.Harry Singh was caught at mid-off by Cornwell off Bamber for 19 but after a short break for rain that reduced the game to a 48-overs-a-side contest, Flintoff and Bailey went on to the attack, putting on 60 runs in 52 balls before Bailey was caught at long-off by de Caires off Brookes for 30.Three balls later the same combination took Flintoff’s wicket but the 16-year-old received a standing ovation from the crowd, some of whom will probably have applauded his father in similar circumstances. Brookes was the pick of the Middlesex attack, taking four for 43 from his ten overs, but he shared the laurels with Bamber, who finished with two for 31 off nine.With rain falling not far from Old Trafford, Middlesex’s batters had to keep an eye on the total required by Duckworth-Lewis-Stern should the game have been interrupted. With that in mind, Joe Cracknell and Nathan Fernandes put on 45 in 61 balls before Fernandes was caught down the leg side by Bell for 11, thus giving Josh Boyden his first wicket for Lancashire.The steady tempo of the Middlesex innings was maintained by Cracknell and Sam Robson and run-scoring became easier against spinners who found it difficult to grip the ball in the thin drizzle.Cracknell reached his fifty off 71 balls and the visitors were 104 for one at the midpoint of their innings. That, however, was only the signal for further acceleration and Lancashire bowling and fielding flagged as the second-wicket pair seized control of the game.Robson reached his half-century off 64 balls and it was fitting that he struck the winning runs. Boyden finished with 2 for 35 and Morley, who had caused the late jitters, took 3 for 48.

India’s T20I captain expected the Gwalior pitch for the first T20I to be conducive to run-scoring

Hemant Brar05-Oct-20242:03

Suryakumar Yadav ‘enjoying’ his role as captain

India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is aware of the impact Mayank Yadav can create with his express pace but he says it is important to “manage him well”.Mayank took everyone by storm with his 155kph pace during IPL 2024. Playing for Lucknow Super Giants, he picked up the Player-of-the-Match award in his first two games but was ruled out of the tournament soon after with an abdominal injury. He has not played any cricket since then but Suryakumar said he was back to full fitness.”He definitely has the X factor – it was evident when he played franchise cricket,” Suryakumar said ahead of the first T20I against Bangladesh in Gwalior. “He has that extra pace. I didn’t face him in the nets; our net plan was such that someone else faced him. But I have seen what potential he has and what difference he can make for the team. From that point of view, I feel he is a good addition to the Indian team and I am hoping he will do well.Related

• Mayank's fitness, Jadeja's replacement among India's priorities in Bangladesh T20Is

• Gwalior takes centre stage as youthful India prepare for experienced Bangladesh

• International cricket returns to Gwalior after 14 years, at a brand new venue

“It’s important to manage him well because of the amount of cricket being played. Everyone is playing for their state too. There was the Duleep Trophy recently. So it is important to pay proper attention and the BCCI is doing that.”Sunday’s match will be the first international at the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium. In fact, the venue has not hosted any domestic cricket either. So there is an element of surprise about the conditions.While Bangladesh batter Towhid Hridoy expected the pitch to be “slow and low” with not much chances of a high-scoring game, Suryakumar Yadav had different views.”As you saw in Sri Lanka, Riyan [Parag] bowled four overs. If someone says he can bowl in the pressure situation, then why not”•Associated Press

“The pitch looks good,” he said. “We practised on the centre wicket, just two pitches away. We didn’t find it that low and slow – we practised all three days. So it [the match pitch] should not be much different.”For T20 cricket, these are good wickets. There will be good competition [between the bat and ball] but at the same time it looks good [for run-scoring]. The rest we will get to know tomorrow.”Yes, it’s a new ground but having practised here for three days, we know what the conditions are, how the pitch is, how the outfield is, what the wind factor is like, whether the dew settles in or not. We will like to play the way we did in the last T20I series. And if everyone does their job, you will get the desired results.”Until recently, India had the problem of their batters not chipping in with the ball in white-ball cricket. But that seems to be changing now, with India’s T20I squad including a plethora of allrounders and part-time bowling options.”It’s good if your batters can bowl an over or two,” Suryakumar said. “I think there is hardly anyone in this squad who doesn’t bowl. That gives you more bowling options on the ground. As you saw in Sri Lanka, Riyan [Parag] bowled four overs. If someone says he can bowl in the pressure situation, then why not.”

Steyn will be part of Andrew Flintoff’s coaching staff when England Lions tour South Africa next month

Matt Roller23-Oct-2024Dale Steyn will work with some of England’s most promising young fast bowlers in South Africa next month, ESPNcricinfo can reveal. Steyn will be part of Andrew Flintoff’s coaching staff in his first tour as England Lions head coach, along with his former international team-mate Neil McKenzie.Steyn, who took 439 wickets in his stellar Test career for South Africa, will work with the Lions on a short-term basis. The ECB named a 19-man training squad at the start of the month, with the tour due to run from November 20 until December 14. It will largely consist of a training camp but will conclude with a four-day match against South Africa A in Western Province.The squad is packed with ten seamers, including two players with full international caps in Pat Brown and Josh Hull, and two others who were unused squad members this summer in Dillon Pennington and John Turner. The other six fast bowlers are Zaman Akhtar, Kasey Aldridge, Henry Crocombe, Tom Lawes, Harry Moore and Mitchell Stanley.Related

• Chohan named in England Lions squad to South Africa as Flintoff takes reins

Ed Barney, who replaced Mo Bobat as the ECB’s performance director earlier this year, said the seam-dominated squad reflected “England’s short and long-term needs” across formats. “Over half the squad consists of seamers, reflecting our continued focus on supporting these players to achieve their potential,” Barney said.McKenzie, the former South Africa batter, will oversee a group of batters which three recent members of the England Under-19s set-up in Freddie McCann, Ben McKinney and Hamza Sheikh. Dan Mousley will join the Lions tour after travelling to the Caribbean for England’s white-ball series, while James Coles, Matty Hurst and James Rew also feature.McKenzie was part of Flintoff’s coaching staff in his first role as head coach earlier this year, when he took charge of Northern Superchargers in the Hundred. He has also worked with South Africa’s national team and Desert Vipers, and was recently replaced as Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s batting coach by Dinesh Karthik.Karthik was another coach briefly brought into the Lions set-up on a short-term basis in India earlier this year, with the ECB seeking to harness local knowledge on development tours. It is understood that Jacques Kallis was also scoped out as an option for the South Africa camp, though is not expected to feature when a full list of coaching staff is announced later this week.

Rasooli has also returned to Afghanistan T20I’s squad while Zadran is still recovering from ankle surgery

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2024Offspinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who has not played for Afghanistan since June because of injury, has made a return to their white-ball squads for the tour of Zimbabwe this month. Mujeeb was sidelined by a right phalanx (hand) sprain, and only returned to competitive cricket for the first time in five months at the Abu Dhabi T10 on November 21.Top-order batter Zubaid Akbari earned his maiden call-up to Afghanistan’s T20I squad for the Zimbabwe tour, while another top-order batter Darwish Rasooli also returned to the shortest format.Afghanistan will continue to miss the services of top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran, who is still recovering from the ankle surgery he had recently undergone in England.Akbari is coming off an impressive Emerging Teams Asia Cup T20 tournament where he was the fourth-highest run-getter and the second-highest for Afghanistan A with 137 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 131.73. It was under Rasooli – who has played seven T20Is – that Afghanistan A clinched their maiden Emerging Teams Asia Cup T20 in Oman earlier this year. Rasooli’s last T20I was against UAE in Sharjah in January this year.Noor Ahmad has been named only in the T20I squad and Riaz Hassan has also been left out of the ODI squad.ACB interim chief selector Ahmad Shah said: “It’s a great feeling to see our frontline spinner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, recover from his injury and be available for selection. He is an essential member of our squad, and we hope he continues to shine brightly for Afghanistan. Additionally, Zubaid Akbari and Darwish Rasooli have been consistent performers, not only in domestic cricket but also in the recently concluded ACC Emerging Teams Cup, where Afghanistan claimed the title. We have included both players in the T20I squad and wish them the very best for the upcoming series.”The white-ball leg of the Zimbabwe tour consists of three T20Is and as many ODIs, following which the teams will play two Tests between December 26 and January 6, 2025. Afghanistan are yet to name their Test squad.Change in datesThe limited overs leg of the tour has seen a slight shift in dates and according to ACB, this is “to help the spectators attend the key games during weekends”. As per the revised schedule, the three T20Is, which were originally slotted to be played on December 9, 11 and 12, have now been pushed to December 11, 13 and 14. These adjustments have also affected the ODIs, with the first game now scheduled for December 17 and the second and third ODIs on December 19 and 21, respectively. All these matches will be played at the Harare Sports Club.

Afghanistan squad for Zimbabwe ODIs

Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Abdul Malik, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik

Afghanistan squad for Zimbabwe T20Is

Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli, Zubaid Akbari, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad and Naveen Ul Haq

SL were bowled out for 42, their lowest Test total, as SA gained a 149-run first-innings lead

Firdose Moonda28-Nov-2024South Africa are in control at Kingsmead after a fast-forward second day in which 19 wickets fell, and records tumbled. Sri Lanka were dismissed for 42, their lowest Test total, which was also the lowest Test score against South Africa, and the second-shortest in terms of number of balls faced: 83.Marco Jansen’s 7 for 13 headlined South Africa’s pace pack. He bowled 41 balls in the innings – the joint-fewest in history to take seven wickets – and gave South Africa a 149-run first-innings lead. By the end of the day, that had grown to 281, and the partnership between Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs to 43, the second-highest of the match.Under blue skies and in sunshine, there was still significant movement on offer, and batting conditions remained tough. South Africa had started day two by resuming their first innings on 80 for 4, and found themselves in trouble 15 overs into the day on 117 for 7. They were in danger of being shot out for their lowest score against Sri Lanka – 128 – but three handy lower-order partnerships, and Bavuma’s knock of 70 took them to 191, their third-lowest against Sri Lanka. And it was made to look like a much bigger total when South Africa got the ball in hand.Only two Sri Lanka batters got into double figures, and their misfortunes were a combination of incisive bowling and poor shot selection. Of the top seven, Pathum Nissanka, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva all played at deliveries they could have left.Kagiso Rabada started the slide when Dimuth Karunatratne hung his bat out to a length ball outside off. and edged to David Bedingham at first slip. Four balls later, Jansen drew Nissanka forward, as the latter reached out for a wide-ish ball. As a result, he was caught at third slip.Dinesh Chandimal left a gap between bat and pad, and a delivery from Jansen nipped through him•AFP/Getty Images

Two overs after that, Dinesh Chandimal displayed questionable defence when he left a gap between bat and pad, as a delivery from Jansen nipped through to bowl him. Mathews’ experience also let him down when he wafted at a ball that angled away, and edged to Bedingham. Sri Lanka were 16 for 4 in the eighth over.South Africa’s first, and as it turned out only, bowling change was to bring on Gerald Coetzee in place of Rabada. He started with a full toss that Kamindu drove for four. Coetzee soon had reward when Kamindu played a big shot, attempting to whack him through the covers, but edged to first slip.Jansen’s two wickets in his sixth over brought him his second Test five-for. The first of those two wickets was came when Dhananjaya missed an attempted drive and was bowled. The second wicket in the over was of Prabath Jayasuriya’s, as he was kept on the back foot and prodded to Stubbs in the slips.Coetzee took the eighth off the next ball, an lbw that was confirmed on review, before Jansen did another double in his last over to end Sri Lanka’s innings 78 minutes after it began.Their bowling effort eclipsed a strong Sri Lanka performance earlier in the day, led by good pace from Lahiru Kumara, and well supported by Asitha and Vishwa Fernando. They shared five wickets between them, seamed and swung the ball, and enjoyed operating on a surface with good bounce and carry. Add to that Sri Lanka’s good catching in breezy conditions, and they would have been fairly satisfied with their first session’s work.Wiaan Mulder was hit on the middle finger of his right hand by a delivery from Lahiru Kumara•AFP/Getty Images

Vishwa appealed for an lbw against Kyle Verreynne second ball, but replays showed an inside edge. Verreynne only faced three more deliveries, before Kumara fired in a 141kph ball that beat him and rapped him on the front pad.Three balls later, Sri Lanka wasted a review as Wiaan Mulder inside-edged onto his pad, but Mulder’s troubles were only just beginning. In Kumara’s next over, he was hit on the middle finger of his right hand as he tried to defend a ball that nipped back in. He received treatment on field and tried to continue despite struggling to grip the bat.Mulder kept out the next ball he faced and immediately wrung his hand in pain, left the last ball of the over, and then retired hurt. He returned to bat for the final partnership and also in the second innings, though X-rays confirmed he had fractured the finger and would not be able to bowl or field in the match.After Kumara’s opening spell, which had started on day one, ended with an analysis of 8-1-51-3, Sri Lanka went for a double change. Asitha replaced Kumara, while Jayasuriya’s spin came on for Vishwa. Jayasuriya had success with his tenth ball, when Jansen missed a tossed-up delivery, and was rapped on the pads.Coetzee was also drawn in by one that was tossed up, and recklessly hit Jayasuriya to deep midwicket, where Kamindu ran forward to take a good catch. South Africa had lost 3 for 34 in 9.1 overs at that stage, with no real batting to come.Temba Bavuma ramped one for six during his knock of 70•Gallo Images/Getty Images

Keshav Maharaj joined Bavuma on the back of four successive Test ducks, and made his highest Test score in nine innings. He showed some fight against Jayasuriya, whose fourth over he hit for 15 runs, including a stunning six straight down the ground. When Jayasuriya was replaced by Vishwa, Maharaj did not rein his instincts in, and reached for a wide ball to drive it aerially to Dhananjaya at mid-off.Bavuma had only just reached fifty but was running out of partners, and took matters into his own hands. He left his feet to ramp Kumara for six, and drove him through extra cover and then back past him. The fun didn’t last long, and when Kumara was replaced by Asitha, Bavuma swiped across the line and top-edged to midwicket, where Kumara judged the catch well in the wind. That brought the first stanza of Mulder’s bravery, and he ended on 9 not out.Later, Mulder came in at No. 3 in South Africa’s second innings, after Tony de Zorzi and Aiden Markram’s 47-run opening stand ended when de Zorzi skied Jayasuriya to deep-backward square to become his 100th Test wicket. Jayasuriya, in his 17th Test, became the joint-fastest bowler in 74 years to the landmark.Meanwhile, Mulder scored 16 off 31 balls and looked in increasing levels of discomfort before being given out lbw. Markram, whose last five Test innings have not yielded a single half-century, looked convincing until he inside-edged Vishwa on to his stumps. Bavuma and Stubbs bedded in for the rest of the session, and will resume on what is expected to be an easier day for batting on Friday.

Captain Steven Smith confirmed the move on the eve of the opening Test based on Head’s previous success on the subcontinent

AAP28-Jan-2025Travis Head will replace Sam Konstas at the top of Australia’s batting order for the first Sri Lanka Test despite the teenager’s heroics in the triumphant India series.Captain Steven Smith would not rule out finding a place for Konstas elsewhere in the order for the match that begins in Galle on Wednesday, with a vacancy now open at No. 5.Related

• Konstas leaves Sri Lanka to play Sheffield Shield

• Smith says Australia need to 'be proactive' and find ways to score on Sri Lankan pitches

• Australia, Sri Lanka and a touch of the dramatic

• Kuhnemann gets through first training session in bid to beat broken thumb

• 'Be brave': Australia consider mid-match flexibility to batting order

Konstas impressed in his first two Tests to help Australia secure a first series win over India in a decade. But Head’s supreme efforts as an opener on the previous subcontinent tour in 2023 were enough to win him the spot next to Usman Khawaja.Head averaged 55.75 runs across two-and-a-half Tests replacing David Warner on that India tour, two years ago.”He did really nicely in India against the new ball. He put spinners under pressure immediately and we know how well he hits the seam as well if they come with that,” Smith said. “It’s going to be good fun watching him.”Konstas’s inexperience appears to have worked against him in the selection conversation, with the 19-year-old embarking on his first subcontinent tour. Smith said Australia would have to select its XI with the conditions in mind.”Just playing what’s in front of us, it’s quite different to back home on the surfaces we’ve been playing on there where it’s very pace dominant,” he said. “We’d imagine this is going to be quite spin dominant.”Specialist opener Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Cooper Connolly and Josh Inglis appear to be fighting it out for the middle-order vacancy created by Head’s promotion.Travis Head prepares for the Test series in Galle•Getty Images

Inglis is uncapped at Test level but has averaged 72.60 across three matches for Western Australia this summer and would bring a similar positive intent to Head. McSweeney averaged only 14.40 on a tough assignment in his first three Test matches, facing Indian pace ace Jasprit Bumrah out of position as an opener.The South Australia captain batted in the middle order in his 30 Sheffield Shield appearances and made an unbeaten 127 earlier in the summer. Uncapped 21-year-old Connolly appears the longest odds with only four first-class games to his name but is rated highly within the Cricket Australia hierarchy.Connolly and McSweeney each provide part-time off-spin options – advantageous on a Galle wicket that could turn from day one.”We’ll have another look at the wicket and from there we’ll name the team at the toss,” Smith said. “We’ve got all the options available to us. We’ll see how we go.”Australia won’t rule out taking two front-line quicks and two spinners rather than three spinners, despite expectations of a turning wicket. Scott Boland and Sean Abbott are both pace options but Smith is equally confident in medium-pace allrounder Beau Webster taking the new ball alongside veteran quick Starc.”He stands the seam up really nicely, hits good areas. Whether it’s him opening the bowling with Mitchell Starc or a spinner opening, there’s always plenty of options there,” Smith said. “There’s lots of considerations: Two fast-bowlers, one fast-bowler. Couple of spinners, three spinners, two spinners, allrounders.”Left-arm offspinner Matthew Kuhnemann will be available for selection only two weeks after dislocating his thumb of his non-bowling hand in the Big Bash League.”We’re kind of a bit gobsmacked,” Smith said. “Either he’s a tremendous actor or he’s got great pain tolerance.”Smith won’t need strapping on his elbow after a minor BBL injury of his own healed “much better than expected”. But he will be unable to throw in the field.”Fortunately, this part of the world I’ll be parked in the slips for the entire time,” Smith said. “If I have to chase one to the boundary, hopefully one of my mates comes with me.”