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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.”

Big picture

It’s been a while since India have played Afghanistan in a limited-overs game. Their last meeting was also at an Asia Cup, in 2014. It was long before Afghanistan had so much as given a hint that they would transform into the exciting force they are these days. India won on that occasion, by eight wickets, in a complete mismatch, but that will hardly be the case this time around, though they will come up against a largely similar batting line-up.Afghanistan’s batsmen have fired in every match this tournament, and on the occasions they’ve won or come close to winning, their spinners have been as menacing as ever. It might not even be a stretch to say that they’ve consistently been the second-best team in the tournament without having the results to show for it.For that reason, India will be somewhat relieved that this fixture comes with their spot in the final already sealed and Afghanistan’s elimination already confirmed. In the short-term, it allows them a day to possibly stretch their roster and get their middle-order batsmen some practice ahead of the final, and in the long term, find more answers ahead of the 2019 World Cup.

Form guide

India WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan LLWWW

In the spotlight

India’s batting order outside the top-three is still not clear. KL Rahul was among the No. 4 aspirants last year, but his non-inclusion in any of the games so far hints that he might now be seen as only a back-up opener. Ostensibly, this would mean that Ambati Rayudu, who is now batting at No. 3 in the absence of Virat Kohli, has pushed ahead of Rahul for the No. 4 race, and will tussle with the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey. Over the last year, India have even occasionally promoted Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni to No. 4, making it even more unclear as to who has most trust from the management. The Afghanistan game will give them another opportunity to scan middle-order candidates.3:00

Manjrekar: India should rest Dhawan and play Rahul

At No. 3, Rahmat Shah has both the technique and the numbers to back up the claim that he is Afghanistan’s best batsman. Shah got a 72 against Sri Lanka in the tournament opener, and his 36 against Pakistan on Friday stopped a potential collapse. But in both those cases, Shah couldn’t carry himself into the final stages of the innings, and when Afghanistan chased for the first time against Bangladesh on Sunday, Shah was run out for 1. In his final shot in the tournament, against one of the best sides in the world, he will look to tighten up and bat long.

Team news

Both teams chose to forego training and press conferences ahead of the game, and there are no indications of team changes as a result. But India could be tempted to shuffle their batting around and bring back Khaleel Ahmed to ease the load on some of their players.India (possible XI): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan/KL Rahul, 3 Ambati Rayudu, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 MS Dhoni/Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Siddarth Kaul, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah/Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalAfghanistan’s seamers haven’t had the best of times, and that could tempt them to make a few changes. Left-arm seamer Sayed Shirzad, and 18-year old right-arm fast bowler Wafadar Momand could both be in line for ODI debuts.Afghanistan (possible XI): 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Ihsanullah/Munir Ahmad, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Asghar Afghan (capt), 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Samiullah Shenwari/Najibullah Zadran, 8 Gulbadin Naib/Sayed Shirzad, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Aftab Alam/Wafadar Momand, 11 Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

This will be Afghanistan’s first match in Dubai this tournament, but they won’t be greeted with conditions that will be too different from Abu Dhabi, both in terms of temperature and the surface. The average temperature is expected to be 37 degrees celsius and no rain is predicted.

Stats and trivia

• MS Dhoni needs 95 more to complete 10,000 runs for India in ODIs, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar needs four wickets to reach 100.
• Among the top three run-scorers this tournament, Hashmatullah Shahidi (263 runs, 17 fours, no sixes) has hit significantly fewer boundaries than Shikhar Dhawan (327 runs, 41 fours, three sixes) and Rohit Sharma (269 runs, 22 fours, 10 sixes)

The Bangladesh senior men’s team is set to arrive in Lahore on August 13, four days before their scheduled arrival, for a two-Test series. The team will train for three days each at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium before the first Test in Rawalpindi from August 21.The players’ preparations had been disrupted as a result of the ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh. The overseas coaching staff of the team also couldn’t join the players at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka last week because of security concerns. BCB is currently following up with the coaches’ respective embassies for security clearances.The departure ahead of schedule came after an invitation from the PCB to the BCB to ensure the visiting players have “adequate and fair training opportunities” ahead of the Tests.Related

• Mushfiqur, Taskin back in Bangladesh Test squad for Pakistan series

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“Sports is not only about winning and losing, it’s also about [camaraderie],” Salman Naseer, PCB chief operating officer, said in a statement. “I remain confident that the extra training sessions in Lahore will allow the players to showcase their best skills and talent on the global stage.”The Bangladesh players have been training individually at the Shere Bangla under coach Shohel Islam for the last three days.”We thank the PCB for giving the Bangladesh cricket team the opportunity to have additional training in Pakistan,” BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said in a statement. “This will certainly help the players to [acclimatise] to the conditions and prepare better for the ICC World Test Championship series.”Bangladesh’s Test cricketers had a training camp in Chattogram that was disrupted because of the anti-government protests across the country last month. There have been political rallies inside the Shere Bangla premises, too.The BCB ended up managing to send the high-performance team to Australia, and the Bangladesh A team to Pakistan. The latter’s departure was delayed by a few days, and the team reached Islamabad on Saturday. Bangladesh A will play two four-day matches and three one-day matches in Pakistan, which will run alongside the senior team’s Test matches in Rawalpindi and Karachi. The Bangladesh squad for the Tests is expected to be announced on Sunday.

David Warner is hopeful that he will able to helicopter in for Sydney Thunder’s BBL derby against Sydney Sixers on Friday so that he can play after attending his brother’s wedding.Exact plans are still being worked through, but flying to the SCG will be Warner’s only option if he is to make the game with the wedding taking place in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney.”I’ve got a couple of aircrafts booked, pending weather,” Warner said after his final Test in Sydney. “It’s a fine line. I might be tight but I’m trying my best to make it work for that day.”Related

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• Warner signs off from Test cricket with a medley of his greatest hits

Thunder are hopeful that Warner will be available for their final three regular-season matches, with games against Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Renegades to follow the Sydney Smash.Warner’s current two-year deal with Thunder concludes this season, but prior to his final Test he said he was keen to continue in the tournament next season if it can fit around his new commentary role.”I definitely am keen to pursue playing Big Bash next year,” he said. “There’s going to be conversations behind the scenes to allow me to do that. Obviously, I’ve joined the Fox commentary team next year during the Test series against India, which I’m looking forward to.”There’s a BBL window that we’re able to play…so I would like to play that in and around the commentary stuff. I’ve just got to make sure that I’m, one, playing to the best of my ability and, two, not hindering the team’s performances or upsetting the balance of the team.”Thunder are currently seventh in the table with a solitary win in six games and unlikely to make this season’s finals, although Warner would probably have been unavailable for them as he is expected to be granted a No Objection Certificate [NOC] to play in the ILT20 for Dubai Capitals.That tournament will mean Warner will also miss the T20I series against West Indies early next month, but the current expectation is that he will be available for the three-match series in New Zealand.Warner added that the T20 World Cup in June would “definitely” mark the end of his international career, although when announcing his ODI retirement last week he kept the door ajar for a comeback at the 2025 Champions Trophy if Australia needed him.”That [the T20 World Cup] was my finishing goal if I wasn’t getting to here [to Sydney],” he said. “That was my last hurrah, the Twenty20s. I started my career in Twenty20 cricket and will finish my career in Twenty20 cricket. Think it’s fitting. I really enjoy the game but most importantly I want to win another World Cup for Australia.”

A fractured finger has ruled Diana Baig out of the entire ODI leg of Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand, while Nida Dar’s participation in the second and third games of the Women’s Championship series is in doubt after she was hit in the face with the ball while bowling and had to be taken off the field in the first ODI, in Queenstown on Tuesday.Dar, Pakistan’s captain, was bowling the second ball of her seventh over (the 44th of the New Zealand innings), with Sophie Devine on strike, when she was struck in the face. She received medical attention on the field before being taken off.”After assessing Nida’s condition, the team physio has determined that Nida will not take any further part in today’s ODI,” the PCB said in a statement. “The decision on Nida’s participation in the remaining matches of the series will be made in due course.”Omaima Sohail completed the over after Dar went off the field.Sadaf Shamas was approved as Dar’s replacement for the game, and was dismissed for 10 in Pakistan’s reply to New Zealand’s mammoth 365 for 4. Fatima Sana led the team in Dar’s absence.In a separate statement, the PCB confirmed that Baig has suffered “a horizontal fracture” in the right index finger.”While fielding in a practice session, [Baig] suffered an injury to the index finger of her bowling arm,” the statement said. “Immediately after the incident, she was taken to a local hospital for a thorough examination, including an X-ray.”The medical reports have confirmed a horizontal fracture in Diana Baig’s index finger, making her unavailable for the ODI series against the White Ferns. The PCB medical team is closely monitoring her condition, and she will undergo further assessments to determine the extent of the injury and the necessary course of action for her recovery.”Pakistan had earlier won the three-match T20I series 2-1.

Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne will play in the Sheffield Shield this week following their return from the 2023 ODI World Cup while Cameron Green will also feature as he begins his push to return to the Test side.Carey, who was dropped from the one-day side after the opening game of the World Cup against India, will hope to find some form ahead of the Test series against Pakistan when he faces Victora in Adelaide.It is unlikely the selectors will make a change to the Test side, but Josh Inglis’ white-ball form is putting some pressure on Carey whose returns faded in the latter part of the 2023 Ashes after the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s, although Carey has previously insisted that incident has not been a factor.Related

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Having made a half-century in the World Test Championship final against India and another vital fifty in the victory against Englandat Edgbaston, Carey finished the Ashes with scores of 8, 5, 20, 10 and 28.”I don’t feel like one-day and Test cricket overlay,” Carey said last week. “So we’ll wait and see when Test selection comes out, but I’m looking forward to getting out there Tuesday and having a hit with the red ball for the Redbacks and then see what happens.”You never want to get dropped in any format, and unfortunately after the first game I didn’t get back out there, but I thought I held myself around the group pretty well.”Green, meanwhile, faces a battle to win back his Test place after being dropped for the final match of the Ashes. Barring injury he still appears behind Mitchell Marsh in the pecking order for the start of the Pakistan series. After playing Queensland in Brisbane, Green will also feature for the Prime Minister’s XI against Pakistan in Canberra but he won’t be part of the BBL which means he may then get a break from the game unless he is carried as part of the Test squads.Alex Carey will hope for some time at the crease before the Test summer•AFP/Getty Images

“I’m obviously still learning as a cricketer. So I’m not too stressed about selection at the moment,” Green told AAP at the start of the summer. “There’s a lot of cricket, a lot of things can happen with injuries or form.”At the same time, I can use it as in a pretty positive way. I can spend more time in the nets, really trying to get that rhythm of red-ball cricket. If you’re not playing the Test match, you might be able to play another Shield game.”There are obviously a few silver linings you can take out of it and try and improve your skills and just be better for it if you get the chance.”But how many opportunities Green gets for red-ball matches in the latter part of the season remains to be seen as he will likely be part of Australia’s one-day and T20 squads in February and New Zealand for the two Tests which stretch into March. He will then embark on another IPL where he will appear for Royal Challengers Bangalore having been traded by Mumbai Indians.Labuschagne, who had a remarkable return to the ODI side after not making the initial cut for the World Cup followed by a run of events that kept him in the team throughout the tournament, will line up against Green for Queensland as he takes the opportunity for a red-ball hit before the Tests.Meanwhile, Nathan Lyon will complete his Test preparations by playing for New South Wales against Tasmania at the SCG. He has had a managed return from his Ashes-ending calf injury having previously faced Victoria and Western Australia.From the rest of Australia’s likely XI for the opening Test in Perth, the three frontline quicks – Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood – along with Marsh are all being rested after the World Cup. Scott Boland, who will likely feature at some point in a season that features seven Tests, has also been rested as has uncapped Western Australia quick Lance Morris.David Warner is also resting ahead of what will be his final Test series. Steven Smith and Travis Head are still currently with the T20I squad in India.Elsewhere in the final round of the Sheffield Shield before it breaks for the BBL there will be a fascinating head-to-head between Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw at the Gabba with both vying to be Warner’s Test replacement in January. Marcus Harris, who has regularly been Australia’s spare batter over the last 18 months, will be in action against South Australia.