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In the absence of Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada will lead the bowling attack, which also includes allrounders Wayne Parnell and Andile Phehlukwayo

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2017Faf du Plessis’ first assignment as ODI captain will see him take charge of a squad sans several senior bowlers for three matches against Bangladesh, starting next Sunday. With Morne Morkel joining the list of those unavailable through injury earlier in the week, Dane Paterson earned a maiden call-up after he was also included in the Test squad as Morkel’s replacement.Paterson, a fast bowler from the Cobras, has played four T20Is for South Africa, most recently in England over the winter. He took a career-best 4 for 32 in the final match, but his ability to execute during the end overs impressed the selectors.

Ins and outs

Ins: Temba Bavuma, Dane Paterson
Outs: Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Keshav Maharaj

“Dane did very well in the T20 International Series against England earlier this year, particularly when it came to death bowling. We now want to see if he can do a similar job in the 50 overs format,” Linda Zondi, South Africa’s convener of selectors said.Kagiso Rabada will lead the bowling attack, which also includes allrounders Wayne Parnell and Andile Phehlukwayo. Imran Tahir is the only specialist spinner in the group. Chris Morris, who was part of the Champions Trophy squad, was not available for selection as he continues to recover from a back problem, while Keshav Maharaj was left out.The batting line-up takes on a more familiar look, especially as it sees the return to international action of AB de Villiers, who last played for South Africa during the England tour. De Villiers will make himself available across all three formats from mid-October and is also due to play a four-day first-class match to get himself ready for Tests. He will spend this season as a player only, having stepped down from all forms of leadership.JP Duminy, who recently retired from Tests, will be part of a middle order that also included David Miller and Farhaan Behardien. Temba Bavuma has also been included in the fifty-over side. Bavuma has only played one ODI, last September against Ireland, where he opened the batting and scored a century.South Africa could see this series as the start of their preparations for the 2019 World Cup. South Africa lost the ODI series against Bangladesh the last time they played in the format.ODI squad: Faf du Plessis (capt.), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada

An ICC investigation is underway after he reported the approach, which was made ahead of the first Test against West Indies last month

Firdose Moonda15-Nov-2017Graeme Cremer, the Zimbabwe captain, was the target of a potentially corrupt approach ahead of the first Test against West Indies last month. An ICC investigation is underway after Cremer reported the approach.Zimbabwe’s players were informed before the first Test on October 21 that a team member had been made an offer to engage in corrupt activities but did not act on it. Instead, the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) was informed and they have taken over the process of investigating. Zimbabwe Cricket is co-operating with the inquiry.”The ICC can confirm that there is an ACU ongoing investigation in Zimbabwe and because there is an ongoing investigation, I cannot share any further details,” an ICC spokesperson said. “However, the ICC has urged anyone who has any information to contact the ACU via [email protected].”The two-Test series, which was played in Bulawayo, was won 1-0 by West Indies.This is the second time in two months that a corrupt approach has been made to an international captain around an international match – or at least the second that such an approach has become public. During the ODI series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka last month, Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan captain, also reported an allegedly corrupt approach made to him.Days later, the senior Indian curator, Pandurang Salgaoncar, was dismissed by the BCCI for “malpractice”. Salgaoncar was the target of a sting operation by a TV channel, captured on video talking to reporters allegedly posing as bookies about the pitch, ahead of India’s second ODI against New Zealand in Pune. Like the Sarfraz approach, that is also the subject of an ACU investigation.

St George’s Park underwent a transformation under lights as nine wickets fell for 88 runs in the post-dinner session after an Aiden Markram century had given South Africa a strong batting platform

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy26-Dec-2017Aiden Markram manages a smile after reaching his century•AFP

Four wickets fell for the addition of 251 runs in the first two sessions. Nine wickets fell in the third session, for the addition of 88 runs. Under clear blue skies, St George’s Park was close to being a batting paradise. Under lights, it turned into a seaming monster. It’s hard to say if this was fair and balanced Test cricket, but it provided rich entertainment for the Boxing Day crowd, especially those cheering the home side.At the end of it all, Zimbabwe were stuttering at 30 for 4 in reply to South Africa’s 309 for 9 declared. This being a four-day Test – the first since February 1973 – Zimbabwe will need to get to 160, rather than 110, to avoid the follow-on.South Africa’s heroes on this bizarre and breathless day’s cricket were Aiden Markram, who made his second century in only his fourth Test innings and held an otherwise profligate batting line-up together in the first two sessions, and Morne Morkel, who took three wickets and looked utterly unplayable in the 16 overs Zimbabwe faced before stumps.There was seam and there was bounce, and Morkel nipped one in to trap Hamilton Masakadza lbw off the first ball of the innings. Then he nicked off Chamu Chibhabha and Brendan Taylor to end the day with figures of 3 for 20 in seven overs. Vernon Philander, giving absolutely nothing away, had Craig Ervine lbw – the ball pitching on leg stump and straightening to give him the tightest of umpire’s-call decisions – and ended with 6-3-5-1. In just over an hour of batting, Zimbabwe went from elation to despondency, and may have wondered if they – like Don Bradman’s Australians at the MCG in 1936-37 – should have sent their lower order in first.South Africa’s line-up hadn’t had a great time under lights either. From a solid 272 for 4, they lost five wickets for 37 runs in seven overs before AB de Villiers, deputising for Faf du Plessis who is sitting out this Test with a viral infection, declared.When the post-dinner session began, South Africa were 251 for 4. It was a situation of seeming security, but they had lost Markram, who made his second Test century, off the last ball of the second session, and had Nos. 5 and 6 at the crease.Till that point, Markram had been the only South African batsman dismissed by a genuine wicket-taking delivery, Kyle Jarvis getting one to straighten in the channel and finding the edge after forcing the batsman to play.The other three wickets had all been soft dismissals. All three had something to do with the slowness of the St. George’s Park surface, but also with unwise strokes; Dean Elgar, who had moved attractively to 31, flicked Jarvis uppishly; Hashim Amla failed to keep down a back-foot slash; and de Villiers drove early to offer a return catch to Chris Mpofu.And so it was that South Africa began the post-dinner session four down. Only 14.3 overs remained until the new ball would become available, and they would have hoped Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock would survive until that point. As it happened, their entire innings didn’t get that far.Jarvis sent back Bavuma with a delivery not dissimilar to the one that dismissed Markram, before Graeme Cremer picked up a pair of quick lbws to send back Vernon Philander and de Kock. Kagiso Rabada was run out going for a needless second run, before Mpofu had Keshav Maharaj caught at gully to prompt the declaration.When Zimbabwe came out to bat, de Villiers wore the wicketkeeping gloves, with de Kock off the field with a hamstring injury sustained while running between the wickets.Until Jarvis sent him back with arguably the ball of the day, Zimbabwe had struggled to find a way past Markram. He punished anything he could cut or pull, and looked particularly impregnable in defence when the ball was on off stump or straighter. He was seldom tied down by good-length balls on or around off stump, getting off strike frequently by working the ball wide of mid-on, and anything remotely on his legs ran away to the leg-side boundary.A wider line tested him occasionally, his natural inclination to feel ball on bat leading him to play at deliveries other batsmen may have left, but such indiscretions were few and far between. On one occasion, Zimbabwe wasted a review when Blessing Muzarabani, the stick-thin, 2m-tall debutant, beat his outside edge.Zimbabwe made poor use of their second review as well, failing to spot a de Villiers inside-edge onto pad, and so, when they had an actual case to review a not-out decision against Markram on 70 – Chamu Chibhabha struck him just inside the line of off stump and ball-tracking suggested the ball would have gone on to hit the top of middle – they had none left.By that point, Markram and de Villiers had turned a position of relative parity at tea into one of South African dominance. De Villiers, playing his first Test since January 2016, looked like he had never gone away, playing with freedom and stroking the ball to all parts. He announced his arrival with a straight drive off Mpofu, which arrowed between the non-striker and the umpire, and gave Zimbabwe plenty to worry about with a series of boundaries off the back foot – the pick of them a pull for six off a slower ball from Jarvis – early in the second session.Soon after passing 50, however, de Villiers became the third South African to fall to an avoidable shot. Yet again, South Africa had shown Zimbabwe a chink of light when they should have slammed the door shut on them.

After months of rehabilitation following a stress fracture, the quick claimed his maiden Test wicket at SuperSport Park and asked questions of a world-class batting line-up

Firdose Moonda in Centurion14-Jan-2018From the highest of highs almost a year ago, when he made his T20I debut before his 21st birthday to the lowest of lows, when a stress fracture forced him to be withdrawn from the South Africa A tour of England during the English summer, Lungi Ngidi has finally been able to have his happily ever after at his home ground this weekend.”That [the injury] was one of the biggest challenges I have had in my career, going from such a high to such a low in such a short space of time,” Ngidi said. “It was tough for me because I thought I was doing all the right things but the results just weren’t going my way. I got a lot of time to reflect and get to know myself as a person, and I got through it. I am a lot stronger than I thought I was. It helped me with a lot of confidence going forward.”Instead of spending the months between July and September auditioning for a place alongside Kagiso Rabada, Ngidi was on the physiotherapist’s bed, in conversation with Titans’ coach Mark Boucher and at university picking up extra modules in his Labour Law degree. He committed to his fitness and to getting stronger so he could be faster, when he would eventually make his return.”The whole off-season I was in the gym. I had to lose a lot of weight. That was tough,” Ngidi said. “One of the main things was diet and changing my lifestyle. That was also pretty difficult, but it’s helped me in the long run. And our coach [Boucher] as well – we had to have a few hard chats behind closed doors. Some honest chats as well. But they have helped me in the long run.”The end result is that Ngidi is eight kilograms lighter, more muscular, and trusts his action. He has picked up a few yards of pace and was considered ready to make his Test debut after playing only one first-class game this season. Ngidi took nine wickets at the Wanderers earlier in the summer. He had never been seen by captain Faf du Plessis before Friday but was picked on the evidence of one practice session in which Ngidi impressed Ottis Gibson and du Plessis.It’s easy to see why Ngidi caught their eye. He is quick – and bowled upwards of 150kph – while asking constant questions of world-class line-up. Ngidi’s basic principle was to “stick to my lengths,” and “keep it as basic as possible.” Even though the wicket was not a “typical Centurion pitch,” which usually has a “lot more bounce,” Ngidi hit the wicket hard and challenged Virat Kohli to the max.Ngidi revealed his plan was similar to Vernon Philander’s at Newlands, and he was aiming for the pads. He had an lbw decision reviewed against Kohli and a faint edge denied him his first Test wicket. “In my first spell I hit the pad a few times, so I thought that was a vulnerable area for him,” Ngidi said. “He kept shifting across and getting more into my bowling line, so I thought maybe shoot one into the stumps. I nearly got him. I thought I had him. I thought he had hit the ground. When I saw that edge, I kind of dropped a bit, but I knew I had to get back on the ball.”The maiden Test wicket eventually came when he had Parthiv Patel caught behind. Ngidi put that down to Philander’s advice of bringing the ball into the batsman. “I actually had goosebumps. I was talking to Vernon in terms of gameplans on how to get that wicket. Listening to someone with so much knowledge, and it planning out exactly the way he was telling me, it made me really happy and believe that I can perform at this level.”And that is a height Ngidi has now scaled.

There will be a Trans-Tasman rematch in the tri-series final at Eden Park after the home side did enough to stay ahead of England on net run rate

The Report by Andrew McGlashan18-Feb-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNew Zealand lost, but they won the bigger prize. There will be a Trans-Tasman rematch in the tri-series final at Eden Park after the home side did enough to stay ahead of England on net run rate. Colin Munro’s 18-ball fifty, his third sub 20-ball half-century, gave New Zealand breathing space as they hunted 175 to ensure their progress, although Tom Curran held his nerve in the final over to earn victory as an enjoyable T20 encounter was decided off the final ball.England, pointless coming into this match and needing to win by a margin of at least 20 runs after being put in, had given themselves a chance with a strong batting performance anchored around Eoin Morgan’s most convincing innings of the tour and another half-century from Dawid Malan. However, the early overs with the ball were horrid – feeding Munro’s strength on his pads – and by the end of the Powerplay, New Zealand had 77 on the board. Martin Guptill’s fine form continued with a 47-ball 62 and Mark Chapman helped ensure New Zealand did the minimum they needed, but 21 off the last two overs proved a little too much despite Chapman being dismissed off a no-ball by Chris Jordan.It was New Zealand’s start that mattered. Munro clobbered seven sixes inside the fielding restrictions as David Willey and Curran were especially guilty of getting their lines wrong. The grass banks from deep backward square round to long-on were well peppered, those fans in sponsor shirts trying to earn NZD50,000 with a catch given a few chances. One punter did win, during England’s innings.Having picked two spinners – recalling Liam Dawson in place of Mark Wood – it was a surprise that one of them wasn’t bowled inside the Powerplay after the seamers had been carted early on. When Adil Rashid, now officially a white-ball specialist, was introduced in the seventh over he struck with his third ball when Munro top-edged to deep square leg.Colin Munro was given play to feed off on his pads•Getty Images

Rashid and Dawson made scoring hard work on a pitch that gripped, bowling their combined eight overs for 49 runs, with 18 of those coming off Dawson’s last as Chapman took him for two leg-side sixes. Dawson had removed Kane Williamson, advancing down the pitch to be bowled, during the period where England squeezed but they couldn’t claim back-to-back wickets.Dawson could have removed Guptill on 30 when a ball was drilled back to him but he didn’t see it in his follow through and ended up jumping over the catch. Guptill did not need to bring out the same pyrotechnics as two days ago, batting in Munro’s slipstream before kicking on to nearly close out the first part of the chase. He became Malan’s first international wicket when he missed a sweep, leaving him with a handsome 237 runs in the tournament.England’s innings lurched along, although the end result was their best batting effort of the tri-series. The openers failed; Malan and Morgan forged a dominant 93-run stand; the innings stalled with a 27-ball period without a boundary; then it finished with a flurry of boundaries from Morgan and the allrounders.Both Jason Roy and Alex Hales picked out mid-off as New Zealand quickly realised pace-off and cutters was the best route on this Seddon Park pitch. Malan, who can’t get in England’s one-day side, continued the prolific start to his T20 career to kick-start the innings and reached a 32-ball half-century.By then Morgan had found his range as he took 18 in four deliveries off Mitchell Santner – his most convincing batting since this limited-overs period started in Australia – to carry England over the hundred mark inside 11 overs.However, Malan’s dismissal, picking out deep midwicket, led to a period that – in the final outcome – proved crucial as Colin de Grandhomme, Ish Sodhi and Tim Southee conceded only singles in more than four overs. Within that there was a moment of rare poor judgement from Jos Buttler who charged at Sodhi’s final delivery and was beaten by a sharp legbreak.With four overs to go, Morgan unleashed again, taking four sixes in nine balls off de Grandhomme and Trent Boult. Sam Billings, who has had chances, albeit in taxing circumstances in this tri-series, to show his talent, scooped into his stumps. When England’s absent players return, Billings will find his spot under pressure.Willey, Dawson and Jordan all struck strongly in the closing stages meaning that though Morgan only faced four balls in the last two overs England’s total did not suffer. However, the maths was against England – deservedly so after three defeats – and the poor start with the ball meant the prospect of squeezing into the final disappeared as rapidly as Munro reached fifty.

Continuing their dominance over Zimbabwe, Afghanistan piled up their second-highest ODI total of 333 with Rahmat Shah’s 114 off 110 balls the centerpiece of a resounding victory

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2018Afghanistan 333 for 5 (Rahmat 114, Najibullah 81, Ihsanullah 53) beat Zimbabwe 179 (Mire 34, Rashid 4-26) by 154 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRahmat Shah celebrates his century•Associated Press

Continuing their dominance over Zimbabwe, Afghanistan piled up their second-highest ODI total of 333 with Rahmat Shah’s 114 off 110 balls the centerpiece of a resounding victory. The 24-year old batsman had come in with a sturdy foundation in place but as the score slipped from 90 for 1 to 109 for 3, he felt the need to preserve his wicket and bat long. Rahmat was 37 from 53 balls at the end of the 30th over but picked up the pace towards the end, smashing half of his 12 boundaries in the last 10 overs. He was still no match for a red-hot Najibullah Zadran, who launched five sixes and five fours in an innings of 81 at a strike-rate of 158.82. Only the spinners Graeme Cremer (3-47) and Sikandar Raza (2-58) managed to escape the carnage.Zimbabwe’s chase began brightly enough but they lurched from 50 for 0 to 135 for 8, Rashid Khan once again the wrecker-in-chief, taking four wickets in 5.4 overs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the 16-year old offspinner playing his third ODI, opened the bowling for Afghanistan and picked up two wickets. Even Rahmat chipped in, dismissing Kyle Jarvis to hasten their 154-run victory and walked away with the Man-of-the-Match award.

The Tasmania fast bowler took a career-best haul of 6 for 67 to give his side a comfortable first-innings lead against Victoria

Alex Malcolm15-Mar-2018Getty Images and Cricket Australia

A career-best haul from Tasmania fast bowler Andrew Fekete has put the Tigers on track for their first Sheffield Shield final in five years.Victoria, bidding to reach its fourth Sheffield Shield final in a row, were dismantled by Fekete who took 6 for 67 to hand the Tigers a 162-run first-innings lead. Dan Christian was the only shining light with the bat, making 69.The Bushrangers made inroads in the second innings, reducing the Tigers 4 for 73 at stumps on day two to keep themselves in the game. Still, with the lead at 235 and six wickets in hand, it’s Tasmania who is calling the shots.Earlier in the day Chris Tremain picked up two of the Tigers last three first-innings wickets to finish with 6 for 81. It was his second six-plus wicket haul in three matches, after taking 7 for 82 against Western Australia at the WACA.

Prasidh Krishna, the Karnataka fast bowler, has replaced him in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2018Prasidh Krishna, the Karnataka seamer, has been called up to the Kolkata Knight Riders squad as a replacement for the injured Kamlesh Nagarkoti. The IPL release confirming the news did not specify the nature of Nagarkoti’s injury, but other media reports have suggested he has injured his foot.The 22-year-old Krishna has played 23 matches for Karnataka, only three of which have been in the T20 format. He has been impressive in 50-overs cricket, with 33 wickets in 19 matches at an average of 21.27 and an economy rate of 4.74, his best performances including a match-winning 3 for 37 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Saurashtra in February.Nagarkoti was one of India’s brightest sparks through their victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign earlier this year, picking up nine wickets at 16.33 and clocking speeds in excess of 140kph. His performances enthused Knight Riders enough to spend INR 3.2 crore on him during the IPL player auction.Knight Riders have also brought in Abhishek Nayar as part of their support staff. Franchise CEO Venky Mysore tweeted the news, but did not specify what Nayar’s role would be.
Mumbai allrounder Nayar has mentored Dinesh Karthik, Knight Riders’ captain, in the past.

The ECB has extended deals with two of its current commercial partners after being forced to find a replacement for Investec

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2018The ECB has extended deals with two of its current commercial partners, NatWest and Specsavers, after being forced to find a new sponsor for the Test summer. Investec announced last year it was pulling out of its sponsorship of Test cricket, having initially signed a 10-year deal in 2012.NatWest, the banking group whose logo appears on all England kit, will be the ECB’s title partner for the two-Test series against Pakistan, which starts next week. The arrangement will be encompassed within the “Cricket Has No Boundaries” campaign, aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion within the game.From the India series until the end of 2019, a period including next summer’s Ashes, England’s home Tests will be sponsored by Specsavers. The opticians is currently the title partner for the County Championship, having taken over from LV= in 2016.”These new deals show two key partners developing even deeper relationships with the game,” ECB commercial director Rob Calder said. “It also means that, for the first time, we have specific partners at men’s international and men’s domestic level with Specsavers focusing on red-ball cricket, Royal London owning 50-over cricket, and Vitality driving T20 cricket.”It is great news for our sport that the Pakistan Test series will celebrate cricket’s inclusive nature under the #NoBoundaries campaign – showing that cricket truly is a game for everyone no matter your background, culture or location.”The second Test against Pakistan, beginning at Headingley on June 1, will also feature a focus on diversity. Broadcaster Sky will cover club and community initiatives being spearheaded by the ECB, including the All Stars Cricket programme, the work of Chance to Shine, the board’s new South Asian Action Plan and England’s disability teams.

They played key roles in Sri Lanka not taking the field for two hours on the third day of the St Lucia Test and were hit with a Level 3 charge

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2018Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusingha, and manager Asanka Gurusinha have admitted to breaching the ICC Code that relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game” and could be suspended for two to four Tests, or between four and eight limited-overs internationals.They were charged with a level 3 offence by ICC chief executive David Richardson, after Sri Lanka refused to take the field on the third morning of the second Test against West Indies in St Lucia and delayed the start of play by two hours. Sri Lanka did this after the on-field umpires had informed them ten minutes before the start of play that they were changing the ball because they suspected its condition had been illegally altered.”This action was alleged to amount to a serious breach of the Laws of Cricket and to be contrary to the spirit of the game,” the ICC said.The ICC appointed Michael Beloff QC as the Judicial Commissioner to hear the case against Chandimal, Hathurusingha and Gurusinha to determine the appropriate sanction.Among the points the Sri Lanka camp is likely to make to Beloff is that the entire two-hour delay was not exclusively down to their reluctance to play. It is possible Sri Lanka’s team management believe that roughly midway through the scheduled morning session, they felt they had come to an agreement with the match officials, wherein although Chandimal would still have to face a ball-tampering charge at the end of the Test, the officials would refrain from imposing the five-run penalty and changing the ball. In fact, on the basis that there would be no immediate penalties, the Sri Lanka side did take the field at 10:50 am, an hour and 20 minutes past the scheduled start. However, to Sri Lanka’s surprise, the umpires changed the ball at this stage. It was at this point that the Sri Lanka team dug in its heels again. They left the field, returning only forty minutes later, to actually start play.It must be stressed, however, that there is strong disagreement about this sequence of events. There is another suggestion that no deal was actually struck; such a deal, it is felt, would effectively mean there was no charge to be laid, and that umpires were not following playing conditions. In this version of events, the false start is blamed on a misunderstanding between the match officials and the Sri Lanka team.When play did eventually begin on day three, Sri Lanka Cricket issued a release denying wrongdoing and said they were playing “under protest”. The Sri Lanka captain later pleaded not guilty to the charge of ball-tampering, but video footage suggested he had taken something from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and applied saliva to the ball only a few seconds later.The ICC match referee Javagal Srinath found Chandimal’s explanation unsatisfactory and gave him two suspension points – meaning he would miss the third Test against West Indies – and fined him 100% of his match fees. Chandimal, however, appealed the ball-tampering verdict and his case will be heard by Beloff on June 22.The ICC said Beloff would use Chandimal’s appeal hearing to “establish the procedural schedule on the Level 3 charges.” A person guilty of a level 3 offence could get between four and eight suspension points.