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Dale Steyn will not be available for Thursday’s World Cup opener between South Africa and England at The Oval. And he may only be ready in time for South Africa’s third game of the tournament, against India on June 5 – even that coach Ottis Gibson seemed to suggest was not a nailed-on certainty at the moment.Steyn has not yet recovered fully from the shoulder injury which cut short his IPL campaign with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He did train with the squad on Tuesday, but only jogged in to bowl off a very short run-up and with no real pace. He then walked off the field fairly early in the session though he did come out to bat later.”He’s not quite ready yet,” Gibson said. “He’s not far away but not ready yet. We think with a six-week tournament there’s no real need to force the issue.”Steyn has not bowled in a game yet in England. He was in the 15 for the warm-up against West Indies but South Africa batted first before the game was rained off. He wasn’t in the line-up for the game against Sri Lanka.Steyn has not bowled competitively since pulling out of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL campaign in late April, having played only two games there. That was because of an inflammation in his right shoulder, the same one in which he snapped a bone back in November 2016.Steyn’s fitness and availability has been the subject of much scrutiny since he returned from India. He had already been named in South Africa’s World Cup squad at that point, on the back of a successful and uninterrupted home season.But even until the day before the team’s departure for England, there was uncertainty about whether he would be in from the first game. And now, it isn’t entirely clear when he will be back, Gibson admitting that they hadn’t yet identified a date when he could return.”We know that he’s close and he’s getting closer every day,” Gibson said. “We’ll give him as much time as we can to get ready. We’re hoping if not Sunday [when they play Bangladesh at The Oval] then possibly by India.”Will Steyn play at all in the tournament? Gibson believes so. “With Dale we believe he’s going to be ok. We’re not thinking about a replacement yet. As I said, there are 3 or 4 guys working in our performance center to get themselves ready in case anything happens. We’ve got reserve batsmen, bowlers, spinners so all of those things are taken care of back in South Africa.”Steyn’s absence means South Africa will choose a replacement from among the allrounders Chris Morris, Dwayne Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo to support a pace attack spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. The latter pair are, happily for South Africa, fit and ready to play, having overcome injury issues of their own in the run-up to the tournament.”We looked at the pitch today and it’s got a tinge of green to it,” Gibson said. “I suspect over the next two days that might change. At the moment we have three allrounders – Morris, Phehlukwayo and Pretorius – one of those three could come into the equation and we also got [Tabraiz] Shamsi, he could also come in to the equation.”

Though Royal Challengers Bangalore are at the bottom of the table with just eight points, there are still a couple of ways by which they can reach the playoffs.The first condition, of course, is that they win their remaining two games, which gives them 12 points. That would obviously mean a loss each for Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, which will mean Royals reach a maximum of 12 points, that if they beat Delhi Capitals.The second condition is that Sunrisers must lose to Mumbai Indians on May 2, and stay on 12 points.Whoever wins the Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders match must then lose their final game. Kings XI play theirs at home against Chennai Super Kings, while Knight Riders play theirs away, in Mumbai.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The winners of the Kings XI v Knight Riders game will then have 12 points, while the losers will have either 10 or 12 points depending on the result of their final game.So, basically, if Royal Challengers win their final two games, Sunrisers lose theirs, Royals beat Capitals, the Kings XI v Knight Riders winners lose their final game and the losers win theirs, then five teams – Royals, Royal Challengers, Kings XI, Sunrisers and Knight Riders – will be on 12 points, leaving net run-rate to decide who qualify for the playoffs.The best-case scenario for Royal Challengers is (a) Royals lose to Capitals, and (b) Kings XI and Knight Riders both lose their final games. That will leave just three teams on 12 points: Sunrisers, Royal Challengers and the winners of Kings XI v Knight Riders, while the other two teams will be on 10.The other part, though, is that Royal Challengers need to get their net run-rate up. It’s currently the lowest (-0.694), so they need to win their remaining two games by big margins and hope the teams around them lose by big margins too. Sunrisers’ net run-rate of +0.709 is a big problem for them. They not only have to beat Sunrisers by a big margin but hope Mumbai do too, so that net run-rate slides. Knight Riders also have a positive net run-rate (+0.1), so ideally Royal Challengers would want Kings XI to beat them and stop them getting to 12 points. If Royal Challengers, Kings XI and Sunrisers are the teams to finish on 12 points, then there’s some hope for Royal Challengers, but again, only if Sunrisers lose their last two emphatically.

Tom Alsop’s smashed his one-day career best to help Hampshire continue their 100% record in the Royal London Cup as they thrashed Glamorgan by seven wickets. Holders Hampshire sailed past Kent earlier in the week and had few worries in seeing off winless Glamorgan with 8.1 overs to spare.Alsop and captain James Vince were the catalysts for the victory with a 161-run stand for the second wicket – with Alsop ending on a classy unbeaten 130 and Vince falling five runs short of three figures.On a good-paced wicket under blue skies, Hampshire lost Aiden Markram in the ninth over when he thumped to Billy Root at deep square leg. But Vince and Alsop put Glamorgan to the sword with their crushing partnership.Vince, on the back of a half-century in the competition opener against Kent on Wednesday, continued his form in a typically attractive style. Instead of his usual off-side bias, Vince hit eight of his 11 fours through the leg side, with some powerful, yet perfectly placed, shots clubbed between midwicket and square leg.The skipper reached his fifty in 43 balls and looked set for a ninth List A ton, but picked out Craig Meschede at point on 95.But it was Alsop who sparkled. He was the more watchful early on, not scared to soak up pressure but relieving it by dispatching boundaries when needed, including two huge sixes.The former England Lions batsman scored 72 in last summer’s final and picked up where he left off as he collected his second century in the format, and his first for two years, in 93 balls. Sam Northeast fell for 14 when he was lbw to Marnus Labuschagne but Alsop continued his raid with another six fours and a maximum to take Hampshire home.Glamorgan’s innings was a curious one, having won the toss and elected to bat, with two collapses but managing to reach a creditable total.Kyle Abbott was the instigator of the first wobble of the innings as he restricted the visitors to 28 for 3 in the first eight overs with high-quality line-and-length bowling.Meschede was the first to depart when his attempted hook was top-edged into the gloves of Alsop. Charles Hemphrey and Labuschagne were also early victims – both caught off edges, the former to Liam Dawson at first slip, the latter to Alsop.Just as Glamorgan appeared to be faltering towards a low total David Lloyd and Billy Root steadied things by adding 100 for the fourth wicket – helped by Abbott and the equally efficient Chris Wood being withdrawn from the attack.Lloyd was the more attacking of the duo and reached his fourth List A half-century with a six to the longest square boundary off James Fuller. But another dip saw them fall to 140 for 6.Root reached 39 before he was bowled by part-time spinner Markram and Lloyd’s entertaining knock was ended by a run out. Kiran Carlson was then lbw to Mason Crane but Glamorgan’s tail wagged, through Graham Wagg.Veteran Wagg took control, carting Dawson for a pair of maximums in an over on his way to a 47-ball fifty. Chris Cooke was given a life when he was dropped by Fuller at point and added 95 with Wagg to take their side over 200.Cooke, run out by a stunning swoop by Vince at cover, and Wagg, caught for a career-best 68 slapping to Vince off Dawson, departed within an over of each other, before Marchant de Lange was stumped.

The former England batsman Tom Graveney will be MCC’s president in 2004-05. His appointment was announced on Wednesday afternoon by the current president, Charles Fry, at MCC’s annual general meeting at Lord’s. Graveney, who is 77 in June, will become the first former professional cricketer to hold the honorary post.Graveney started his first-class career with Gloucestershire in 1948, and moved to Worcestershire in 1961. He retired from county cricket in 1970, but played a few more matches for Queensland, as their player/coach, until 1971-72. In all he scored 47,793 runs – a number exceeded by only eight other players – at an average of 44.91, and hit 122 centuries.An elegant batsman who played largely off the front foot, Graveney won 79 Test caps for England between 1951-52 and 1969, scoring 4882 runs at 44.38, with 11 centuries. His highest score (in both Tests and first-class cricket) was 258 against West Indies at Trent Bridge in 1957. He captained England once, against Australia at Headingley in 1968 when Colin Cowdrey was injured, but his Test career ended in some controversy the following year, when he was banned after playing in his own benefit match on the Sunday – a rest day – in the middle of the first Test against West Indies. Already 42, he was never chosen again. He was a TV commentator for several years after his eventual retirement.Graveney, who takes office at Lord’s on October 1, was one of Wisden‘s Five Cricketers of the Year in 1953. He is the uncle of David Graveney, England’s current chairman of selectors.

If Sri Lanka didn’t have enough problems to deal with, concerns have emerged over the fitness of Suranga Lakmal, their leading seam bowler, on the eve of the second Test in Canberra with him suffering from a stiff back.Already stripped of three pace bowlers originally in the squad – Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara (both hamstring injuries) and Dushmantha Chameera (ankle) – they now face making a late call on Lakmal who was a shining light for Sri Lanka in Brisbane as he claimed 5 for 75.That followed a five-wicket haul in his previous Test in Christchurch as he shoulders the burden of leading the pace attack. Sri Lanka desperately need him to be fit if they are to compete in Canberra, but will also need to be mindful that there is the tour of South Africa to follow.”We are monitoring his situation,” captain Dinesh Chandimal said. “No decision as yet whether he will be available.”Chandimal confirmed that Sri Lanka would retain the same balance to their side with seven batsmen including wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella, who was one of the few players to stand up in Brisbane, and a four-man attack of which three would be pace bowlers.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

If Lakmal was ruled out that would open up a debut for the uncapped Chamika Karunaratne who only arrived in Australia yesterday with Kasun Rajitha and Vishwa Fernando already earmarked to come into the side.”It’s disappoitning that we lost Lahiru Kumara and Dushmantha Chameera after the first game. We had big hopes on them,” Chandimal said. “Chamika Karunaratne turned up yesterday and we hope to play three of the four seamers on tour.”We are playing seven batters and four bowlers. We have to play positive and we need four bowlers to win a game. We have to take more responsibility as a team. We have to score 300 runs batting first if we were to win a Test match. This Test match I hope all the players will focus on what is required.”There are a host of off-field issues in Sri Lankan cricket at the moment ranging from the ongoing corruption investigation to coach Chandika Hathurusingha being removed as a selector-on-tour and Thisara Perera’s arguments with SLC following a social-media spat with the wife of Lasith Malinga.”It’s a big challenge for us as players,” Chandimal said. “Whatever happens off the field we need to keep aside and control what we can control. We know that quite a few things are taking place and we are discussing how to sort these issues and play our best.”

Ankit Bawne will lead India A in their first four-day game against England Lions, which is scheduled to begin on February 7 in Wayanad. Bawne led India in the fourth unofficial ODI against Lions in Ajinkya Rahane’s absence on Tuesday. KL Rahul finds a place in the squad, as does long-time domestic performer Jalaj Saxena, who gets into an India A squad for the first time since 2013. The Kerala allrounder averages 44.00 with the bat and 20.41 with the ball over his last two first-class seasons, with 73 wickets in 17 matches.Gujarat’s Priyank Panchal (898 runs in nine matches) and Bengal’s Abhimanyu Easwaran (861 runs in six matches) are the two openers besides Rahul, and are the batsmen in the squad with most runs in the ongoing Ranji season.Other players rewarded for their Ranji form are Andhra’s Ricky Bhui (775 runs in eight matches), Madhya Pradesh fast bowler Avesh Khan (35 wickets in seven matches), and Punjab legspinner Mayank Markande (29 wickets in six matches). This is the first India A call-up for all three of them.Karun Nair, who captained India A in their last red-ball series in New Zealand, has been dropped from the squad, as have his Karnataka team-mates R Samarth and K Gowtham, who were among the top performers on that tour. The trio endured poor bouts of form after returning to the Ranji Trophy. Other notable names not in the squad are Vijay Shankar and Shubman Gill, who are currently with India’s ODI squad in New Zealand.India A squad for first four-day game: Ankit Bawne (capt), KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Priyank Panchal, Ricky Bhui, Siddhesh Lad, KS Bharat (wk), Jalaj Saxena, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mayank Markande, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Varun Aaron

Australia’s opening batsman Aaron Finch has rarely felt more pain on the cricket field than in the moments after his battered right index finger was jammed by Mohammed Shami in Perth, to the point that it felt like the digit was “going to explode” from a blow that left bone visible from a deep cut.However, Finch is adamant he will be fit to play on Boxing Day for his first Test in front of an MCG home crowd, for what looms as the pivotal match of the entire Border-Gavaskar series.Given the captain Tim Paine’s lengthy history of breaks, surgeries and problems with his right index finger, Finch’s own saga of finger troubles seems minor, but is typical of the many issues that batsmen tend to have to manage over the course of summers and careers. He first broke it in Sri Lanka in 2016, and this summer had it twice struck by Mitchell Starc in the nets in Perth and Adelaide before Shami dealt the most painful blow during the second Test, forcing Finch to retire hurt.”It was a bit of a shock, just the initial pain was the thing that got me. It felt like it was going to explode, which was quite funny,” Finch said in Melbourne. “I think just being hit a few times in the last month, a couple times by Starcy at training then Shami out in the game, but it’s also an old break.”I broke the same finger in Sri Lanka a couple of years ago, so I’ve got to start either catching them or use my bat instead of my gloves. It was up there [as the most painful]. I think snapping my hamstring tendon [in April 2015] was probably the most over the last few years.”For all of Finch’s considerable discomfort and the disruption to Australia’s batting order, he was able to feel considerable improvement even within the Perth Test, though he did not really get much opportunity to assess his own batting after falling first ball, glancing down the leg side into Rishabh Pant’s gloves, when he resumed his second innings.”Even batting in the warm-up before the second innings in Perth I still felt pretty good. Catching might be a bit of a different issue, at training I always tape my finger up anyway, but this’ll just be a bit of extra padding,” Finch said. “With a Boxing Day Test and being from Victoria it’s going to have to be cut off I think.”I’m going to catch in slips at training and do my normal preparation. If anything changes in the next couple days I’m sure we’ll have to sit down and chat about that, but at this stage it’s still business as usual and I plan to field at slip and whatever else is needed. It feels like it’s improved 100% over the last couple of days.”Asked whether Paine had any advice in the area of managing a problematic finger, Finch remarked admiringly of the captain’s ability to withstand obvious discomfort. “He’s got about 15 screws and a couple metal plates in his so a little bit different, he’s carried that for a lot longer than what I have,” Finch said. “He’s got a high pain threshold.”At the end of a year in which he has gone from being a white ball-only cricketer for Australia to now having a critical role in the Test team and a vastly expanded international workload, Finch was happy to have spent several days at home after Perth – even if he and his wife Amy used the rare time in Melbourne to move house.”I do feel refreshed, but at the same time I had to move house during that period so my wife had to do a bit of extra heavy lifting which is unfortunate for her, but it’s just great to be home,” Finch said. “Whether going for a coffee at the local cafe or going out for breakfast or lunch or whatever it is, just a bit of familiarity with being home is always nice.”Nevertheless, Finch did find time to grip a cricket bat in between national team duties, giving him some sense of how the finger may feel on Boxing Day. “I got sent some new bats,” he said, “so I’ve been walking around the loungeroom waving them around and it feels okay.”

Big Picture

The last time India played an international match without either Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni, with neither injured, was during the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka in March, that ended memorably with Dinesh Karthik’s escape to victory against Bangladesh. Before that, you have to go as far back as the tour of Zimbabwe in July 2015. While it would be too much to say that India haven’t learned to survive without Kohli or Dhoni, their absence will leave an experience void in India, but as they showed in March, it is a void that can be overcome.West Indies, on the other hand, were supposed to have been fortified with the returns of Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard and Darren Bravo, but Russell it turns out, has been a late withdrawal from the squad. Courtney Browne, the chairman of selectors, said Russell was “injured” and his name has been withdrawn from the T20I series. With or without Russell, the 20-overs game has seemed like West Indies’ natural habitat in the past few years, and with several match-winners in the team, they will begin the three-match T20I series on at least equal footing with India. They had promised much in the ODIs before crumbling, and this is their last shot at redemption on tour, having handily lost the Test series too. Another casualty from their ODI series is Ashley Nurse, and the injury he picked up then has ruled him out.

Form guide

India WLWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LLWWL

In the spotlight

Rohit Sharma has been in a rich vein of form in the white-ball cricket he has played recently, in the Asia Cup and the five-match ODI series against West Indies. As captain, he has delivered results consistently, whether on a regular basis with Mumbai Indians or in the stray opportunities he has got to lead India. Recently named in India’s Test squad to Australia too, everything is suddenly looking rosy for Rohit, a few short months since he was axed from the Test squad. Moreover, he is returning to his favourite venue, the scene of his Test debut and his world-record 264 against Sri Lanka in an ODI. And this will be the first time he’d leading India at the venue.Kieron Pollard first gained fame via his T20 exploits in the inaugural edition of the Champions League T20, and it’s the T20 format that has heralded his comeback to the team. Once among the most valuable players for any T20 side, Pollard has lost some of his lustre of late. He last played for West Indies more than a year ago, in September 2017. Differences with the West Indies board meant he, along with several others, didn’t play for a long time. A combative character in the middle, Pollard will be keen to show that his return makes a difference to the side.

Team news

For India, the series is a good opportunity to test young blood. They named their 12 on match eve, and indications are that Krunal Pandya is set to make his international debut, slotting in as the allrounder. It looks likely that one of Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal will sit out, given that the Eden Gardens pitch has helped pacers of late. That means India should go in with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Khaleel Ahmed. If both Chahal and Kuldeep play, it could make for a long tail, which makes Krunal’s inclusion more likely. Between the wristspinning twins, if such things hold weight, Kuldeep might have the edge given his familiarity with the ground that is his home venue in the IPL.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 KL Rahul, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Khaleel AhmedThe unavailability of Russell will leave West Indies with a hole. One of the best T20 cricketers, Russell’s addition to any team immediately adds depth because it’s almost like having two cricketers rolled into one. Without him, West Indies will need the others to step up. Shimron Hetmyer thrilled watchers with his audacious hitting during the ODIs, and he comes with a reputation as a hard-hitter in T20s too. Importantly, this series will serve as a showcase to IPL talent scouts, and someone who does well could fetch handsome contracts come auction time.West Indies (possible): 1 Rovman Powell, 2 Darren Bravo, 3 Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Carlos Brathwaite (capt), 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Khary Pierre , 10 Oshane Thomas, 11 Obed McCoy

Pitch and conditions

Ever since the Eden Gardens pitch was relaid a couple of seasons ago, it has had good bounce and carry for the pacers. Under lights, the ball tends to move a bit too. As it is in all T20 matches though, the batsmen shouldn’t have too difficult a time.The weather has taken a turn for the more pleasant, and the rain is expected to stay away on Sunday.

Stats and trivia

• 76.06 – Rohit Sharma’s batting average at the Eden Gardens, across formats. In 20 innings here, he has crossed 50 eight times, going on to a century four times – including on Test debut.
• 17.1 – the strike rate for pacers in T20 games at the Eden Gardens. It’s considerably higher than the 19.7 for spinners, giving more weight to the ‘pace at Eden’ theory.

Quotes

“Not just Russell and Pollard, but the rest of their team has also played a lot of T20 cricket, just like our team. They have their own league, and have more experience and it’s a format they enjoy the most. At the same time, they’ve found T20 success as well. We have to play good cricket to beat them, it won’t be that easy.”
“We’d like that to read 8-2 after the T20Is, but India start off as favourites.”

Big Picture

South Africa have gained significant insights into their bench strength in the last two weeks of white-ball experimentation. They have had a look at 22 players, four opening pairs, umpteen seam options and both of their frontline wristspinners, while also managing to win every match.That they have done so even when several of the pitches played on have been unsuitable for South Africa’s push towards increased aggression with the bat in limited-overs cricket, speaks to the gulf between these two teams. Zimbabwe have been good enough to put themselves in strong positions, but have lacked the ability to land the killer blow with the ball, or counterattack effectively with the bat.That might not have been the case had Zimbabwe been able to draw fully from the reserves of talent that the country has produced. How would South Africa have dealt with Blessing Muzarabani’s height and pace on capricious early season pitches? Might Sikandar Raza have added a little more backbone to the middle order?Those questions are, perhaps, academic. This is the hand Zimbabwe have been dealt, and while Raza will be back in action in their next tour to Bangladesh later this month, it will be years before Muzarabani plays international cricket again, if ever, having signed a three-year deal with Northamptonshire.That’s not to say there have been no positives for the visitors on this tour in the absence of those two. Brandon Mavuta has emerged as a player of great promise, and the bowling has generally been good throughout. But it’s never all clicked at once, and Zimbabwe’s batting has repeatedly let the team down.South Africa will face sterner challenges from Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka this summer, but this series has given them the freedom to chop and change, and by then they will have a better idea of which combinations suit them. Zimbabwe, too, have learned a little about their own strengths and weaknesses, and they have one more chance to get it right.

Form guide

South Africa: WWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)Zimbabwe: LLLLL

In the spotlight

Quinton de Kock‘s keeping over the last two games has been virtually flawless, but his batting has been a little off, with scores of 5 and 26. While he remains South Africa’s first-choice keeper, there will inevitably be a little pressure on him with Heinrich Klaasen in the squad and hitting the ball cleanly in the middle order. A commanding knock in the final T20I would certainly help de Kock cement his place ahead of South Africa’s trip to Australia at the end of the month.Hamilton Masakadza has made four scores in the 20s on this tour, repeatedly getting himself in and then getting himself out before he can make the sort of contribution that his team so sorely needs. He admitted as such in his post-match interview on Friday, and as Zimbabwe’s leading run-scorer in this format, the team needs more from their captain.

Team news

South Africa’s plan was to give every player in their squad at least two matches over this series, and after the last match captain Faf du Plessis suggested that he might be the player to miss out in the final game to ensure they’re able to do that. Without du Plessis, JP Duminy will captain and South Africa will have a little more space to tinker with their middle order.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Gihahn Cloete, 3 Heinrich Klaasen, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 JP Duminy (capt), 6 Christiaan Jonker, 7 Robbie Frylinck, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Junior Dala, 10 Dane Paterson, 11 Tabraiz ShamsiNeville Madziva is the only member of Zimbabwe’s T20I squad not to have got a game on this tour, and he could slot into their lower middle order in place of Elton Chigumbura, who seems horribly out of form with the bat. Zimbabwe may also look to swap Wellington Masakadza for Tendai Chisoro, who failed to take a wicket in either of the first two games.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Solomon Mire, 2 Hamilton Masakadza (capt), 3 Brendan Taylor (wk), 4 Tarisai Musakanda, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Peter Moor, 7 Neville Madziva, 8 Wellington Masakadza, 9 Brandon Mavuta, 10 Kyle Jarvis, 11 Chris Mpofu

Pitch and conditions

It’s very early in the season, and while this ground is traditionally thought of as one where plenty of runs can be scored, the two provincial games played here last week suggest that there could be a good battle between bat and ball. Both Easterns and Boland were bowled out in the 50-over game, while neither side reached 300 in the three-day match. Come Sunday, there should be something in it for the bowlers.The weather may also have an impact. It’s expected to be cloudy and cool, with the possibility of a thunderstorm in the afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• This will be the first T20I between Full Members to be played at Willowmoore Park.
• The last time South Africa and Zimbabwe played here, in an ODI in 2010, South Africa soared to 399 for 6 and then bowled Zimbabwe out for 127 to secure their biggest ever win in the format.
• Hamilton Masakadza became the first Zimbabwean to score 1,500 runs in T20I cricket on Friday. No other Zimbabwean has yet reached 1000 T20I runs, and Masakadza also has the most fifties for his country in this format.

Quotes

“Guys are getting starts, but it’s about building on those starts. We’ve continued to lose wickets at the wrong times.”
“If you look at the all round batting unit, there are seven or eight batters in the mix for the World Cup and all the guys have done well at different times.”

Big Picture

Context is a vital ingredient in any Test match, but the circumstances of the Test series between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe present a set-up where the focus of both teams is on cricket’s other formats.Bangladesh’s preoccupation with the World Cup has been compounded by an indifferent year in cricket’s longest format. They began the year with a 1-0 loss to Sri Lanka, and in July lost both Tests against West Indies – the first by an innings and 219 runs after being bowled out for 43 in the horror show at North Sound, and the second by 166 runs after Jason Holder picked up an 11-wicket match haul in a capitulation at Sabina Park.A change in format brought a change of fortunes and Bangladesh won both their ODI and T20I series against West Indies before reaching the final of the Asia Cup, and then thrashing Zimbabwe 3-0 in the ODIs leading up to this game. As they hunt for their first Test win of 2018, it’s hard to imagine an easier target than Zimbabwe, for whom Test cricket has long been something of an afterthought. The visitors have played just eight Tests since their last tour to Bangladesh four years ago, and the Sylhet Test will be their first of the year.While it’s impossible to decipher form from such a frugal sample, the two teams do at least have a rich shared cricketing history to draw from, and they have engaged in some fascinating battles over the years – though usually in Zimbabwe, as the visitors have fallen well short more often than not in recent contests hosted in Bangladesh. The last time Zimbabwe won a Test in Bangladesh, Naimur Rahman was captain and the hosts were playing their seventh game ever in the format. That remains Zimbabwe’s only Test win here.The home spin attack ran riot in tailor-made conditions during the last Test series between these teams in 2014, with Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam and Jubair Hossain sharing 46 wickets as Bangladesh stormed to a 3-0 win. While they won’t have to content with Shakib this time, Zimbabwe face a daunting challenge heading into the first game, and after Bangladesh’s authoritative victories in the ODIs the hosts will be confident in their pursuit of a first Test victory this year.

Form guide

Bangladesh: LLLDL (Last five matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe: LDLLL

In the spotlight

Mominul Haque must bat like a batsman who has a 40-plus Test average if he is to disregard his worst Test series in the West Indies, when he collected two ducks and managed just 16 runs across four innings, and two iffy Asia Cup outings. Mominul has the confidence of a hundred in his most recent first-class innings in the National Cricket League, and will be looking to re-discover the form that brought him 176 against Sri Lanka in his first Test of 2018.While batting frailties have dogged Zimbabwe’s last two tours, Sean Williams‘ personal form has bucked this trend. Buoyed by his century in the third ODI, Williams is also one of the better players of spin in Zimbabwe’s line-up and he will have a vital counter-attacking role to play in the middle order against Bangladesh’s slow bowlers.

Team news

Bangladesh have to make at least four changes as Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan and Kamrul Islam Rabbi are not in the squad. Current form will put Imrul Kayes and Mohammad Mithun in the XI in place of Tamim and Shakib while Mustafizur Rahman should replace Rabbi. The No. 7 slot therefore could be a toss-up between Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Ariful Haque.Taijul Islam should remain first-choice left-arm spinner ahead of Nazmul Islam while pace bowler Abu Jayed is likely to be chosen ahead of Shafiul Islam and newcomer Khaled Ahmed.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Imrul Kayes, 2 Liton Das, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mohammad Mithun, 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Nazmul Hossain Shanto/Ariful Haque, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Abu JayedPredicting the make-up of a side that plays Tests so rarely is a difficult task, and no doubt Zimbabwe have some questions of their own over exactly what their best side looks like in this format. They have included Regis Chakabva in their squad, and may look to relieve Brendan Taylor of his wicketkeeping role, while Brian Chari and Hamilton Masakadza are the likely opening pair. Conditions will dictate whether they include an extra spinner or a third seamer in their attack.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Hamilton Masakadza (capt), 2 Brian Chari, 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Brendan Taylor, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Regis Chakabva (wk), 8 Brandon Mavuta, 9 Donald Tiripano/Wellington Masakadza, 10 Kyle Jarvis, 11 Chris Mpofu

Pitch and conditions

In first-class matches at this venue this year, sides have either been bowled out for 160 or 180-odd batting first, or they have racked up 400-plus totals. It is known to have something for pace bowlers too, but Bangladesh usually prefer slow, turning surfaces in home Tests. It is likely to be mostly clear with the odd shower in the forecast on the third and fourth days.

Stats and trivia

• Sylhet will become the sixth city, and will provide the eighth venue, to host a Test match in Bangladesh. The others are Dhaka (two stadiums), Chittagong (two stadiums), Bogra, Fatullah and Khulna
• Hamilton Masakadza averages close to 50 with the bat in Tests in Bangladesh, and his 158 in the second Test at Khulna in 2014 remains his highest score in this format
• Bangladesh have lost six of the 14 Tests they’ve played against Zimbabwe, but are increasingly dominant in recent years, and have won four of the last five Tests between the two

Quotes

“Preparation wasn’t ideal. Most of the game was washed out. But we did manage to get on the field for 50 overs on the last day. Just one practice session going into the Test match so the boys are trying to get the most out of it today.”
“I don’t think we will experiment in the first Test. The best XI is likely to be picked. First matches are always important, in every format. We always feel that starting well takes us a long way in contests.”