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In pursuit of a top-two finish, and thus a place in Qualifier 1, Punjab Kings (PBKS) attacked nearly all through the innings against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Jaipur. They were 60 for 2 after the powerplay, scored 80 for 3 in the next ten overs, and crashed 70 runs in the final four. Eventually, PBKS ended with 206 for 8, led by Shreyas Iyer’s 53 off 34 balls, and a finishing kick from Marcus Stoinis, who bashed an unbeaten 44 off only 16 deliveries.Mustafizur Rahman bagged three wickets for DC, finishing with 3 for 33. All three of his wickets were of batters getting caught by Tristan Stubbs, who was keeping wicket in place of Abishek Porel.Despite Mustafizur getting Priyansh Arya in the second over, Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas continued to attack. PBKS were 44 for 1 after five overs, but then targeted DC’s spinners Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav.They lost two wickets in the next four overs, but also cracked 47 runs off them. But despite wickets falling around him, Shreyas held one end up for PBKS. They were 146 for 5 at the start of the death overs, when Stoinis and Shreyas took Mukesh Kumar for 25 runs in the 17th.Shreyas reached his fifty off 33 balls when he clipped Mukesh off the last ball of he over. Kuldeep Yadav hit back in the 18th over by having the PBKS captain caught at fine leg off a 112kph short ball, and new batter Azmatullah Omarzai at wide long-on.But Stoinis helped PBKS still thump 32 runs off the last two overs, with 6, 4, 4, 6 coming off Mohit in the 19th. Harpreet Brar swung his first ball for six in the final over, and took PBKS past 200, their seventh such score this season.

Delhi Capitals (DC) began their IPL 2025 campaign with four wins in a row. They lost just the one match in their first six outings. But the 59-run loss against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Wednesday was their fifth defeat in last six completed matches. That meant they missed out on the last playoffs spot.Hemang Badani, DC head coach, said that one of the reasons they were knocked out was their opening batting pair. Even in their successful run at the start of the season, DC used three opening pairs: Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk, Fraser-McGurk and KL Rahul, and Abishek Porel and Fraser-McGurk. By the time their campaign ended, they had used a further four new opening combinations. DC’s openers averaged 19.23 in the season, the lowest among all teams.”A settled opening pair is only possible when your opening pair gives you a start,” Badani said in Mumbai. “If you don’t get starts, you are bound to make changes to try and fill that gap, fill that void. While other sides have had great powerplay with the bat, we haven’t had those, unfortunately. Opening at the top was a worry for us.”Related

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Karun Nair was brought in in DC’s fifth match of the season and scored a scintillating 40-ball 89 against MI in Delhi batting at No. 3. That included a stellar takedown of Jasprit Bumrah, whom he hit for 18 in the last over of the powerplay. But in the six games Nair played after that, he had three single-digit scores including two ducks, and a best of only 31. He was also pushed up to open the batting in two of those matches.Similarly, Rahul began the season by batting at No. 4 but was shuffled up and down – from opening spot to No. 3 and back again to No. 4. In bowling coach Munaf Patel’s words, Rahul then “asked for” the opening spot against Gujarat Titans in Delhi, scored an unbeaten 112 and opened again in Mumbai on Wednesday.”You ideally want people to read the game and play. Most players have been around long enough,” Badani said. “Even someone like Karun Nair, even though he’s made a comeback into the IPL after two-three years, he’s a seasoned campaigner. You don’t necessarily have to literally spoon-feed them. With some of the younger boys, you still have to try and make sure that they are given the right information, they are being told and given role clarity.2:13

Aaron: DC have played musical chairs with openers

“But primarily, the guys who’ve been around long enough, you just try and help them with match-ups – who can you take down? What’s an ideal number that we’re looking at in the powerplay? What do you think is a good score in the powerplay on this surface? And how do we go about getting those numbers? That’s primarily the conversation you would have with guys like Faf and KL and Karun and guys who’ve been around long enough. You don’t necessarily teach them how to bat.”On Wednesday, MI scored 27 off Mukesh Kumar’s penultimate over and 21 off Dushmantha Chameera’s last over to set DC 181 to win. It was not a surface that was conducive to strokeplay. Suryakumar Yadav hit three sixes and two fours to finish not out on 73 off 43, while Naman Dhir hit two fours and two sixes in his unbeaten eight-ball 24 in the final two overs of the innings.Badani agreed that that is where DC lost momentum.”Until then, the 18 overs that were bowled by us were consistent, were spot on,” he said. “Our execution wasn’t to our expectation in the end. Those 48 runs in the last two overs were a big difference. [We should] be able to read the game better, be able to understand that the surface was slower. We could have gone to the cutters and wide yorkers. Even if you look to nail yorkers at this level, you would expect bowlers of international level to come and nail those balls. And if you don’t do that, players like Surya who’s been around long enough, will punish you.”Badani also rued DC missing regular captain Axar Patel, who was down with a bad flu for the last few days and did not even travel to the ground. In Axar’s absence, DC played only the two wristspinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam. And their batting line-up had only one left-hander – Porel – in the top eight.”Someone like an Axar Patel would have made a massive difference to us,” Badani said. “Left-arm spinners on this surface, somebody of his calibre, also with his left-hand batting, could have also countered [Mitchell] Santner. But as I said, the better side won, and I wish them well.”Looking back at the season, Badani also lamented on the near-misses that cost them the qualification.”For me, [the IPL is] a marathon,” he said. “We had a great sprint to start with, where we had four [wins] at the top. We had five wins in six games and that is a great place to be. Since then, we’ve just struggled and not found that win.”To some extent, we’ve also had games where we genuinely felt that we could have won, and we just didn’t finish those games. Like for instance, even [against] Mumbai at Delhi, we were cantering along and lost the game from there. Even against KKR, we had to get 60 in six [69 off 41 balls] with seven wickets in hand, two set batters [du Plessis and Axar].”If you want to win this competition, if you want to go to the playoffs, you want to ideally finish those games. And if you don’t, then you have no one else to blame but yourself.”DC’s last league game is against Punjab Kings in Jaipur on May 24.

Nick Hobson again proved a thorn in Brisbane Heat’s attack before Perth Scorchers produced an outstanding effort in the field to claim a pivotal 33-run victory at Optus Stadium.In front of 41,921 fans, Scorchers struggled after being sent in to bat on a fast and bouncy surface before Hobson smashed an unbeaten 47 off 16 balls to lift them to 165 for 6.They carried over the momentum in the field and their disciplined bowling performance was highlighted by rapid bowling from speedster Lance Morris. Heat were never in the hunt after early wickets and were bowled out in the final over.Related

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Scorchers ran out easy winners to convincingly halt a two-match losing streak, while defending champions Heat suffered their first defeat of the season.

Hobson’s late heroics overshadows Allen’s struggles and Hardie’s return

Finn Allen was Scorchers’ big recruit this season and he started the season with a first-ball six against Melbourne Stars but it’s been all downhill since then. In his previous three innings, reaping just 10 runs, Allen has gone for broke from the get go but he started watchfully against left-arm quick Spencer Johnson. After failing to score off his first four deliveries, the pressure built and an edgy Allen then threw his bat hard at a full delivery only to edge Johnson to backward point.Cooper Connolly has been Scorchers’ best batter this season and made 37 off as many balls, but struggled to strike the ball with his usual fluency. Scorchers did regain allrounder Aaron Hardie, who made his season debut as a specialist batter at no.4 – a spot lower than his customary position which has been filled by Connolly.Hardie has been sidelined since the Pakistan white-ball series last month due to a nagging quad injury. He looked understandably rusty until giving himself room and smashing seamer Xavier Bartlett for a huge six over long on. It proved his best shot with Hardie holing out off left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann. He made 24 off 23 balls before Scorchers gained a late flurry from Hobson, who famously provided heroics in the epic BBL12 final between the teams.Hobson, well known for being an accountant in his day job, has been working very hard in recent times to build up his power-hitting and become a specialist finisher. His ever-improving muscular game was on show as he smashed Bartlett in the final over for 24 runs to lift Scorchers to a total that seemed implausible just moments earlier.

Johnson stars, spinners bowl well in tandem

Heat did start well through a superb opening spell from Johnson as Scorchers scored just 18 runs in the powerplay. He enjoyed a successful return in his season debut after missing their opening two matches with a toe injury.Spencer Johnson upped the heat with a four-wicket haul•Getty Images

Skipper Colin Munro turned to spinners Kuhnemann and Mitchell Swepson in the middle overs and they bowled with control to ensure the run-rate didn’t blow out of control. Swepson, particularly, mixed up his speeds well to ensure the batters could never find rhythm. Heat’s bowlers were backed up by slick fielding and catching until being swamped late by Hobson.Kuhnemann dropped a very high ball off Ashton Turner in the penultimate over before a rattled Bartlett lost his radar against Hobson.

Morris fired up, spectacular fielding

Morris had a point to prove. After being dropped from the team following a pummelling at the hands of Hurricanes opener Mitchell Owens, Morris returned to favourable conditions and unleashed on the fast and bouncy surface. He was perhaps fortunate after dismissing Tom Banton on his first delivery with a strangle down the legside. It was the confidence boost Morris needed as he bowled a hostile spell with the new ball and reached speeds of 148 kph.Scorchers were aided by brilliant fielding. Firstly, Ashton Agar produced a moment of magic in the field when he ran out Jimmy Peirson with a direct hit from point after initially pulling off a stop with his right hand before transferring the ball to his favoured left arm for the throw.Allen also spectacularly threw down the stumps from backward point to run out Nathan McSweeney. It was Allen’s most significant contribution this season and might be the tonic he needs for a turnaround with the bat.

Renshaw, Bryant shine briefly

Heat’s batters struggled to handle the conditions with the surface noticeably quicker than the season-opener between Scorchers and Stars. The exceptions were Matthew Renshaw and Max Bryant, who both clubbed the ball sweetly.After he was given an early life when wicketkeeper Matt Hurst dropped a catch off Agar, Renshaw looked in awesome form and smashed quick Matthew Kelly for consecutive sixes.But the task proved too great as Renshaw holed out to Andrew Tye in the 11th over after he smashed 36 off 24 balls. Bryant hit 35 off 20 balls but it was in vain.

A high-scoring entertainer that had more than 47,000 fans in anticipation of a thriller fizzled when West Indies’ middle order imploded to give India the T20I series 2-1. The orchestrators of the win were Smriti Mandhana, who hit her third straight half-century, and Richa Ghosh, who exhibited incredible ball-striking to smash the joint-fastest T20I half-century.India’s 217 for 3, their highest-ever T20I total, came from a vastly different approach from two nights ago, where 160 seemed pedestrian on the face of dew. When West Indies fought back to propel themselves to 123 for 4 on Thursday, needing 95 off 36, they had an outside chance. But Chinelle Henry’s dismissal for a 16-ball 43 led to a meltdown they couldn’t recover from, with left-arm spinner Radha Yadav walking away with four wickets.This was India’s first bilateral T20I series win at home since 2019.Mandhana tees offMandhana unfurled a stunning cocktail of classical strokes and brute force in the power play. She hit seven straight boundaries at one stage, three off Henry and three off Deandra Dottin as India counterpunched after losing Uma Chetry in the first over.Mandhana created boundary-scoring opportunities by messing with the bowler’s lengths. She didn’t allow Henry too many opportunities to swing the new ball by getting to the pitch of it and lofting imperiously through the line. The consequence of that was Henry dropping short, which was met with a ferocious Mandhana cut.It was one of those evenings where every single bowler erred in their lengths or in their planning against Mandhana. When they bowled short, she stayed leg side of the ball to open up the arc between cover and point. When they dragged down, she was quick to help them over, and when they erred on the fuller side, Mandhana cleared her front leg and swung cleanly.This helped Mandhana raise her third straight half-century, off just 27 balls, to set the base. From 61 for 1 at the end of the powerplay, India waltzed their way to 99 for 1 at the 10-over mark.Rodrigues buildsAmid the carnage from Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues was by no means a second fiddle. Having survived a close lbw shout on 6 in the sixth over while looking to nudge across the line, Rodrigues went on the offensive by picking Karishma Ramharack, the mystery spinner, for three boundaries in the sixth over.Rodrigues was her usual busy self, bringing out her trademark sweeps and chips against spinners during the course of a 98-run second-wicket stand with Mandhana before falling in the 11th. Attempting to sweep a full delivery, Rodrigues was trapped lbw for a 28-ball 39.Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues laid the platform with a rapid stand•BCCI

Bist makes an impression, Richa finishesWith the platform set, India could’ve sent in Richa Ghosh at No. 4 but they chose to persist with Raghvi Bist, playing in just her 2nd T20I. On her part, Raghvi made up for her inexperience with excellent game awareness, farming strike and allowing Mandhana first until she fell for 77, and Ghosh later to take centre stage. She did this while also tantalising with some sweetly-timed strokes occasionally, hitting two fours and a six in her unbeaten 22-ball 31.On a night when it didn’t seem like a batter could outmuscle Mandhana, Ghosh arrived and immediately carted a six first ball followed by a back-cut so late that she nearly played it off the keeper’s gloves to bisect backward point and short third. Any relief West Indies may have had having dismissed Mandhana dissipated in a jiffy.That should’ve been the extent of Ghosh’s damage, but for West Indies reprieving her in the 16th when Aaliyah Alleyne and Chinelle Henry nearly ran into each other near the wide long-on fence. Neither called for the ball that landed right between them.On 154 for 3 in 16th over at that point, India blasted 63 more with Ghosh alone accounting for 44 of those. By the time she was out trying to clear long-off, Ghosh had hit three fours and five sixes in her 17-ball half-century, the joint-fastest in T20Is alongside Sophie Devine and Phoebe Litchfield. There was no area in the arc between point and square leg that Ghosh didn’t pepper in front of the wicket.In playing a blinder of the kind she exhibited on Thursday night, Ghosh proved why she’s better off playing a finisher across in white-ball cricket, and not as an opener in ODIs, like she did in two of the three ODIs in Australia where lower-order firepower seemed non-existent.Chinelle Henry took the fight to India with 43 off 16•BCCI

Henry sizzles but West Indies fizzleWest Indies came out swinging, and India offered them two chances almost immediately. Mandhana’s reprieve off Qiana Joseph, running to her left to grab a skier at mid-off, cost them just 10 as she was out top-edging a slog to short fine in the fourth over to S Sajana.Renuka Singh’s chance to Dottin at fine leg when she top-edged a sharp Saima Thakor short ball threatened to prove costlier. But she managed just 25, in which she exhibited traits that has made her a feared batter the world over. Dottin’s dismissal hot on the heels of Mathews left West Indies at 69 for 3 in the ninth over.With the asking rate spiralling with every passing over, Henry, who had a T20I highest of 34 prior to this game, got stuck into Deepti Sharma, slamming her for two fours and a six in the 14th as she raced to 43 off 15 before getting a thick edge off a slog to Bist at short third. That was the last flicker of hope for the West Indies gone right there, and with it the possibility of a series win.

South Africa showed ’em all how it is done – with the papare band blaring at the Dubai International Stadium in front of a sparse crowd.A collective bowling effort was followed by a strong batting show, led by a 96-run partnership between captain Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch. They registered an eight-wicket win in the first semi-final to send Australia packing from Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, thereby ending their run of seven successive finals in the competition.Australia’s first ICC competition after Meg Lanning’s retirement ended in the knockout stages, with the six-time champions also missing Alyssa Healy who suffered a foot injury against Pakistan.South Africa first restricted Australia to 134 for 5 despite a late surge, and then romped home by eight wickets with 16 balls to spare to make a massive statement and enter their second consecutive T20 World Cup final.

Powerplay strangle ft. Kapp and Khaka

The clarity in South Africa’s thinking was evident at the toss, when they inserted Australia in a crunch game. Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka got enough swing with the new ball. In fact, Khaka did not even have to find out about the purchase to pick up a wicket. Her first ball in the game was a length ball that shaped away a touch and Grace Harris slashed into the hands of backward point.Nonkululeko Mlaba and Co celebrate Tahlia McGrath’s wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Kapp had extracted enough movement both ways in the opening over. In her second, she saw a free hit being dispatched through square leg by Georgia Wareham. But she used the outswing to undo the batter, the DRS coming to South Africa’s aid. Kapp bowled one on good length around the fifth stump and Wareham couldn’t resist the slash. The on-field umpire missed the edge but Kapp and wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta knew.Kapp was getting so much assistance that Wolvaardt gave her a third straight over inside the powerplay. Australia managed only 35 for 2 in the first six overs, their lowest in the phase in this T20 World Cup, and ended up facing 19 dots.

A semblance of recovery courtesy Mooney, McGrath

Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath are called “McMooney” by fans for their numerous rescue acts with the bat. They joined forces when Australia were 18 for 2 after three overs. McGrath ended the powerplay with two fours off Nonkululeko Mlaba’s over, but it felt the ball was not coming onto the bat. Wolvaardt exploited that by bringing spin on from both ends and McGrath’s next boundary was only in the 11th over. She fell a couple of overs later, hitting Mlaba straight to cover to end her 50-run stand with Mooney.At that stage, it seemed Australia had the perfect base for take-off. Mooney, on 37 off 38 then, swiped one through square leg in the 16th over to end another boundary-less phase of 29 balls. In the process, she became the ninth woman – third from Australia – to 3000 T20I runs. But in a bid to steal a non-existent run – coupled with a Kapp brilliance – she was run out for 44 off 42 balls.Despite that, Australia managed to get a strong finish, scoring 31 off the last three overs, thanks to Ellyse Perry and Phoebe Litchfield. But given what followed, it was not strong enough.Laura Wolvaardt got off to a solid start•Getty Images

Wolvaardt and Bosch knock out Australia

Like Australia, South Africa also faced 19 dot balls in the first six overs. But they hit five fours and a six in that phase to finish on 43 for 1, the highest by any team against Australia in this T20 World Cup. But while Australia scored 21 in their nine attacking shots in the powerplay, South Africa managed 32 off ten. It began with Tazmin Brits unafraid of using her feet against Ashleigh Gardner and then against Megan Schutt, too. Brits hit Gardner for a six, clearing the leaping Annabel Sutherland at the rope.Sutherland, though, struck with her first ball, getting a length delivery to skid and rattle Brits’ off stump. The time was ripe for Australia to apply the squeeze, but Wolvaardt and Bosch had other ideas. The former first clubbed Sutherland over midwicket before Bosch hit back-to-back boundaries off Sophie Molineux in the sixth over. Wolvaardt also swung her Adelaide Strikers team-mate Darcie Brown over long-on for a massive six.Intent was writ large throughout South Africa’s chase with Bosch attempting a couple of reverse hits and being nimble on her feet against spin. South Africa had hit a four in every over from the third to the eighth. It was followed by three boundary-less over but Bosch broke the shackles by hitting Wareham for a four and six off back-to-back deliveries. She then went 4, 2, 4 against Gardner in the next over to bring up her fifty.Wolvaardt fell – holing out to mid-off – with South Africa only 14 away. Bosch duly finished it off to remain unbeaten on 74, her best T20I score.Only earlier this year, South Africa had defeated Australia for the first time in T20Is. Who knew that would be a precursor to something massive like this, and put them a step closer to their maiden world title?

Mark Wood will find out this week if he has suffered a stress fracture in his right elbow, and whether he needs surgery to rectify the problem.Wood was ruled out for the rest of the year at the start of September after a scan revealed what the ECB described as a “bone-stress injury”.The England quick, who registered in the mid-90s consistently this summer – along with a top speed of 97.1mph against West Indies at Trent Bridge – was originally withdrawn from the Sri Lanka series as a precaution after picking up a right groin strain during the first Test against Sri Lanka. It was only then that a routine check of his elbow, which he had felt was stiff during the West Indies series earlier this summer, eventually led to him being ruled out of this winter’s Test tours of Pakistan and New Zealand.The ECB medical team remain hopeful that surgery will not be required, though this week’s appointment will determine that for sure. An initial scan three weeks ago at King Edward VII’s Hospital in London was promising, with specialists stating at the time that there did not seem to be a fracture, and were optimistic he might not require surgery.Related

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In 2022, Wood had two operations on his right elbow to remove bone fragments and cut a ligament that was trapped in the joint, and returned to action back to his best, bowling some of his fastest spells in the next two summers, including the 2023 Ashes. Whether he must go under the knife again, along with confirmation as to whether he does have a stress fracture, should be determined in the coming days.”It was a bizarre injury,” Wood told during the third ODI between England and Australia at Chester-le-Street. “I had a bit of a groin tweak and went for a scan with a stiff elbow which is not uncommon for a fast bowler.”I was thinking I might need an injection which would give me a perfect time period with having the groin injury. When I was having the scan the doctor looked a little bit concerned and said you better get this checked a little more. They said I have some bone stress in my elbow. I must have been playing with it.”They were worried it would be a stress fracture but I have got to see a specialist in another few days to determine that. A bit of a bizarre one really.”Wood revealed he has also been advised to use his right side less in everyday life – including carrying his kids.”There is nothing I can really do on my right side. I have been told to stop picking my kids up with my right arm. I have to do everything with my left. I am hoping I am going to come back like [Rafael] Nadal with one big left arm and a skinny right arm.”

Perhaps India should have swept the ball more. Or at least employed the sweep more effectively (given several batters were out playing that shot throughout the series).India captain Rohit Sharma thinks that this is what the Sri Lanka batters did better than their counterparts through the course of this 2-0 result. They were better at stretching the India field square of the wicket. In the third ODI, for example, Sri Lanka scored 173 of their 248 runs (roughly 70%) square of the wicket. Only 38 of their runs came down the ground.”They were consistent with sweeps, taking their chances,” Rohit said of Sri Lanka’s batters. “There weren’t a lot of runs scored down the ground. They didn’t use the feet as much as we expected. It was about using sweeps and piercing that deep square leg and midwicket field. That is something we failed to do as a batting unit. We didn’t play enough sweeps, reverse sweeps, or paddle sweeps, and used our feet too much. That was the difference.Related

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“If you look at Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando today [who put on an 82-run stand], they got a lot of runs square of the wicket. They were using the turn, and sweeping, making the fielder move left and right. They were smart with how they batted and we were not.”All in all, we need to admit where we have made mistakes, we didn’t dominate against spin. On such wickets, you need to dominate a bit and the Sri Lankan spinners had consistently kept us under pressure in all three games.”It’s strange to put India’s batting against spin under the microscope, because while India’s international limited-overs tracks have tended to be good for batting in recent years, India’s batters are generally no strangers to turning tracks, which Rohit and others have emphasised through the series.5:05

Rohit breaks down his batting method in the powerplay

The approach for now, seems to be to let each batter figure their own strategy out when playing on big-turning tracks. Some may want to dart forward more often, but others may prefer to go deep into their creases. The thinking is that playing spin well looks different from batter to batter.”It is more to do with individual plans rather than us telling them what to do or what shot to play. All these guys have come here playing so much cricket. All of a sudden to tell them to do things a little different – to play the shot that they are not comfortable with – is not ideal.”That’s where I have said, it’s all about individual plans, how they want to take the bowlers on, what are the shots they want to play. It starts with your training, When you get to your sessions, I can see the guys are working hard in the nets whenever we get the opportunity to train as well. I don’t see there being a lack of effort when we want to try and play different shots.”Although his team was modest with the bat, Rohit was easily the best batter of the series, hitting 157 runs at a strike rate of 141.44 across the three games. As an opener, he did enjoy the best batting conditions. But in games one and two, in which he scored fifties, he had ensured that the required run rate was not a major concern for batters coming after him.”I knew that the runs that will be scored during the powerplay will be critical. I knew that the wickets will get a little slow after that, the ball will turn a bit and even the field is spread out. When there are only two fielders outside the ring, we had to take our chances. I took those chances whenever I felt that I could put the bowler under pressure. All the runs that you score over and above that, it benefits the team to play the remaining 40 overs.”My personal effort was to ensure that I score as many runs as I could. It was not as if I wanted to throw my wicket away after the powerplay. I wanted to continue the momentum and intent, but I unfortunately got dismissed while trying to play a few shots. My batting plan is pretty simple and straightforward.”

Andre Russell will miss West Indies’ upcoming three-match T20I series at home against South Africa as he has “requested a period of rest and recovery,” according to Miles Bascombe, CWI’s director of cricket. Russell, 36, was part of West Indies’ run to the Super Eight during their home World Cup in June and was more recently in action for London Spirit in the Hundred.Russell and Jason Holder, who has also been rested for the T20Is will work closely with the CWI science and medicine team. Alzarri Joseph, who was West Indies’ vice-captain during the T20 World Cup and missed the Tests against South Africa, will continue to take time off.West Indies’ red-ball coach Andre Coley had laid out a long-term outlook with regards to Alzarri’s workload management in a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, “As far as Alzarri is concerned, it always helps to have a period of time away from the game to work on your individual skills, because you could get drawn into moving from one tournament to the next and might actually lose some of your skills.”So it’s building in the right amount of rest time where he does nothing, but then also have little periods where he is not in competition. That way he will be able to create more control around his bowling.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Opening batter Brandon King will also miss this series as he continues to recover from the side strain he had sustained during West Indies’ Super Eight fixture against England in June. King has not played a competitive game since. In his absence, Shai Hope could open the batting with Johnson Charles while rookie Alick Athanaze could also do a job at the top.Shimron Hetmyer, who didn’t feature in a single game at the 2024 T20 World Cup, retained his place in the squad. Hetmyer had last played a T20I for West Indies in December 2023.”Facing a strong South Africa side is an excellent opportunity for our team to reset and refocus with our game plan,” Daren Sammy, West Indies’ white-ball coach, said in a CWI statement. “We have played them recently and had mixed results, so this should be an exciting and important series. I’m confident in the squad we’ve selected, and with eyes already on the next T20 World Cup in 2026, I know the guys will be keen to show their hunger for success.”Along with Athanaze, allrounder Matthew Forde has been picked with an eye on the 2026 T20 World Cup. Forde can swing the new ball and hit sixes lower down the order and has flourished under Sammy at St Lucia Kings in the CPL.Spin-bowling allrounder Fabian Allen returned to the side, having missed the cut for the T20 World Cup. He will bolster a spin attack that already includes Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase. Allen had won the Lanka Premier League (LPL) with Jaffna Kings in July.The Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba will host all three T20Is, and will be part of double-headers with the WCPL.

West Indies squad for SA T20Is

Rovman Powell (capt), Roston Chase (vice-capt), Alick Athanaze, Fabian Allen, Johnson Charles, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Obed McCoy, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd

Vikram Rathour, India’s batting coach till the end of the T20 World Cup 2024, isn’t “too concerned” about the period of transition the team is heading towards, but wants the team management to handle it “in a controlled manner”.India’s next series is in Sri Lanka, where they will play three T20Is and three ODIs, and the T20I team will definitely be a new one, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja having retired after India beat South Africa to win the T20 World Cup trophy in Barbados last month.”It is never going to be easy to replace people of Rohit and Virat’s calibre,” Rathour told PTI. “The recently-concluded [T20I] series against Zimbabwe gave us some glimpse into how the T20 team will look like in future. But we still have a few years in Test and ODI cricket to get to that point.”Related

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India won that series 4-1 with Shubman Gill at the helm and only three members of the World Cup squad – Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal – in the ranks, that too only for the last three games. The team was coached by VVS Laxman, who was in charge in an interim capacity, with Gautam Gambhir, the long-term replacement for Rahul Dravid, set to move into the position starting with the Sri Lanka tour. His team of coaches has not been named yet.”I won’t be too concerned about it [the transition],” Rathour said. “We have a lot of depth in Indian cricket. There are lots of very talented and skilful players who are coming through the system. The only thing we need to make sure is the transition is done in a controlled manner. It needs to be gradual.”Rathour feels that with so many young players coming through, India have the men they need to form the core of the side, across formats, for the next decade.”I am hoping that by then, players like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, to name a few, would establish themselves and will make the transition smooth,” he said. “In ODIs also, we have experienced players like Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya to take over.”There are many exciting players coming through but these two [Gill and Jaiswal] are equipped to play all three formats for a long time. They are going to be the backbone of Indian batting in years to come.”‘I can’t find any technical reasons why Rinku cannot be a successful Test batter’•Gallo Images/Getty Images

Rathour: Rinku Singh ‘can develop into a Test cricketer’

One of the players to have moved up the ladder in the past two seasons is Rinku Singh, who has played two ODIs and 20 T20Is, but can’t be called a regular in the national side yet. He is a fantastic finisher in short-format cricket, but also averages 54.70 after 69 first-class innings.”When I see him bat in nets, I can’t find any technical reasons why Rinku cannot be a successful Test batter,” Rathour said. “I understand he has made his name as a terrific finisher in T20 cricket but if you look at his first-class record, he is averaging in high 50s.”He is also blessed with a very calm temperament. So all these factors indicate that if given an opportunity, he can develop into a Test cricketer.”

Dravid ‘gives you lots of space to work’

Rathour formed a strong partnership with Dravid in the India backroom. Their relationship, in fact, goes back to the mid-1990s, when they made their international debuts around the same time – ditto for Paras Mhambrey, the bowling coach in the Dravid-led set-up.”Rahul is the best coach that I have worked with, who gives you lots of space to work, is open to suggestions and will provide you an honest feedback,” Rathour said. “One of the first discussions we had was about changing the batting template in T20 cricket. We agreed that we needed to bring in more intent and aggression in our batting approach.”Rathour said a case in point was that of Axar Patel, who fixed their problem of a decent batting option at No. 8. “That made a massive difference and gave the batters in top order lot more freedom to bat.”