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Najam Sethi, the head of PCB’s executive committee, has said he is looking to invite Indian players to participate in the Pakistan Super League in the UAE

Umar Farooq11-Oct-2015Najam Sethi, the head of PCB’s executive committee, has said he is looking to invite Indian players to participate in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in the UAE. The idea, he said, was to try and convince India to go ahead with the scheduled bilateral series in December and, as the next step, discuss Pakistan players returning to the IPL and Indians playing in the inaugural edition of Pakistan’s T20 league next February.India’s players do not participate in any of the other T20 leagues apart from the IPL, as the BCCI does not provide them with No Objection Certificates for the same.Sethi, who had in August ruled out inviting Indian players to the PSL, now told the : “We are going to try to persuade the Indians to play us in December. If that happens, we will also be talking about a reciprocal arrangement – and I have had preliminary talks with people in Delhi on this – about Pakistani players being allowed to play in IPL and Indian players being allowed to play in PSL.”If the series takes place in December, the ground will be fertile. If you don’t want our players to play in your league, okay, but at least let your players play in ours. It will be difficult for them to refuse that. There will be pressure from the players. If Indian players do come in, then I think PSL will become the biggest thing in cricket after IPL.”Pakistani players featured in the first edition of the IPL in 2008 but then, following the terror attacks in Mumbai that year, the Indian government suspended all bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan. Since then Pakistan players have remained unsold at the IPL auctions. Recently, the PCB, in a letter to the BCCI, had sought clarity on the mooted bilateral series for December, pointing out that it was part of a memorandum of understanding signed last year by the two boards. But political events in the recent past have cast doubts over such a revival, with BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur himself having scotched the possibility of cricket resuming till political equations had stabilised.The PCB has already announced that it has over 100 players ready to be part of the PSL drafting process – including big draws like Kevin Pietersen, Shakib Al Hasan and Dwayne Bravo – which is set to take place between November and December. The PSL is scheduled to take place between February 4 and 24, in Dubai and Sharjah, with franchise-based teams from Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Islamabad competing for prize money of $1 million.

Kent will start the third day of Glamorgan’s final home game of the season with a commanding lead of 358 runs thanks to an unbeaten century from Rob Key as he found late-season form to suggest his career is not yet spent

ECB/PA10-Sep-2015
ScorecardRob Key•PA Photos

Kent will start the third day of Glamorgan’s final home game of the season with a commanding lead of 358 runs thanks to an unbeaten century from Rob Key as the veteran batsman found the late-season form to suggest his career is not yet spent.Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly provided solid support with two fifties as Kent reached 256 for 1 at the SSE Swalec on Thursday.Glamorgan have only themselves to blame for a poor first-innings batting performance where they were all out for 207, a deficit of 102.Only Graham Wagg and Craig Meschede were able to counter a steady, but by no means lethal, Kent attack.The other Glamorgan batsmen contributed to their own downfall with some poor shot selection, and far more application will be needed in the second innings if they are to avoid a heavy defeat.Glamorgan had resumed their first innings on 65 for four, but they lost a wicket to the second ball of the morning when Andrew Salter (nought) had his off stump removed by Darren Stevens, who then bowled Aneurin Donald.When Chris Cooke was caught at the wicket off Matthew Hunn for 31, Glamorgan had slumped to 101 for 7, and required a further 59 runs to avoid the follow on.This was avoided as Wagg (58) and Meschede (33) counter-attacked effectively to share 57 runs for the eighth wicket.Only Jacques Rudolph has scored more LV= County Championship runs than Wagg for Glamorgan this season, and the all-rounder has now passed 800 runs for the first time in his career.Glamorgan’s bowlers were again ineffective at the start of Kent’s second innings as Key and Bell-Drummond set off at a rate of five runs an over.The 50 and 100-run partnerships were quickly passed, and the opening pair had added 114 in 27 overs before Bell-Drummond, who made 54, was caught at slip pushing forward to Salter’s arm ball.Key played every ball on its merit, and reached his century from 167 balls which included eight fours.Denly (66 not out) reached his fifty in the same over as Key (117no) and the second-wicket pair will be ready to resume on the third morning having already shared an unbroken partnership of 142.

Led by Stuart Broad, England kept the pressure on a fragile South Africa batting line-up to leave the opening Test fascinatingly poised after two days in Durban

The Report by Andrew McGlashan27-Dec-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLed by Stuart Broad, England kept the pressure on a fragile South Africa batting line-up to leave the opening Test fascinatingly poised after two days in Durban. Broad’s three wickets, including the kingpins of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, coupled with a valuable scalp for Moeen Ali left South Africa 137 for 4 in reply to England’s hard-fought 303From 247 for 5, England would have envisaged more than what they ended with but Morne Morkel blew a hole in the much-vaunted lower-order strength with three wickets in six balls. A last-wicket stand of 36, with Broad finishing unbeaten on 32, ensured the innings did not completely crumble and the contest was even again when Broad extracted two wickets in his first spell to leave South Africa 14 for 2.Broad later returned to find the edge of a threatening de Villiers, ending a third-wicket stand of 86 with Dean Elgar, and Faf du Plessis paid for an ugly swipe against Moeen. Elgar glued South Africa together with an unbeaten 67, although he would have been lbw on 58 had England reviewed an lbw shout from Ben Stokes, and Temba Bavuma held firm during the closing moments of a day where 11 overs were lost despite an early start.Leading the attack in the absence of James Anderson, it took Broad just two deliveries to make his first mark on the innings when, starting around the wicket in a clear piece of pre-series planning, he angled a delivery back into Stiaan van Zyl, who misjudged the line horribly and had his off stump smashed.The out-of-form Amla was given a working over and fell to arguably the third chance he gave in a difficult 24-ball stay. Evidence suggested that he offered a very thin edge off Broad on 1, which was not given or reviewed, and then he provided a clear chance on 2 when he nicked Chris Woakes but Jonny Bairstow grassed the chance diving in front of first slip. However, Broad produced a beautiful legcutter to nick the edge again and this time Bairstow snaffled a regulation chance.The early wickets meant the ball was still hard when de Villiers entered at No. 4 and he survived a close call on 11 when a leading edge against Steven Finn was ruled not to have carried to Stokes in the gully. Stokes dived forward for the catch and after initially claiming it indicated his uncertainty; the soft signal from the on-field umpires was not out and, as so often in such circumstances, it was not overruled on the TV evidence.De Villiers played himself in either side of tea and there were signs of him starting to dominate when he lofted Moeen straight for six. However, he was outfoxed by a cunning piece of bowling by Broad who rolled his fingers across another legcutter, which moved just enough to find the outside edge.Dean Elgar steadied South Africa in their reply•Getty Images

Broad, though, needed some wicket-taking assistance to chip away at South Africa. Woakes and Finn both bowled excellent spells – Woakes’ pace was eye-catching as he nudged 90mph – but it was Moeen who nipped in when du Plessis, perhaps carrying the residual baggage from India, came down the pitch and missed a swipe across the line. For a moment it appeared Bairstow had missed a stumping chance, but the ball grazed the bail with just enough force to dislodge it although there was the curious sight of a bowled dismissal being referred to the third umpire.As batsmen struggled to play the defining innings, Elgar stood firm. Much like Nick Compton for England he left well outside off, making the bowlers come straighter to him which allowed runs into the leg side, his dominant scoring area. His fifty came from 93 deliveries, brought up with a rare moment of freedom as he followed de Villiers’ lead by depositing Moeen over the boundary, but despite the sun being out conditions did not swing in favour of the batsmen.When England resumed on 179 for 4 following the late dismissal of James Taylor on the opening evening, Stokes was quick out of the blocks before top edging a pull off Morkel from a delivery that was not short enough for the stroke. The new-ball brought an increase in the tempo, firstly as Compton and Bairstow enjoyed the extra hardness of the ball to take their stand to 51 and then when Morkel changed the complexion of the morning.Compton under-edged a pull – a rare occasion in his 236-ball stay where he had not been fully committed to a stroke – then Moeen edged a ball angled across him and Woakes was pinned lbw by a delivery which would have clipped leg stump. With Dale Steyn a little down on pace, and a suggestion he was struggling with an injury, it was a vital interjection from Morkel at a time when Amla would have been pondering how to juggle his three-man pace attack.Bairstow ducked into a short delivery from Morkel and a short while later was well caught at second slip for 41 as he tried to be aggressive against Kyle Abbott – his third score in the 40s in England’s recent overseas Tests – but Broad played smartly. Finn showed a straight bat before missing a full delivery from Steyn who claimed his 50th scalp against England and moved ahead of Curtly Ambrose with 406 wickets in the all-time list.

Brisbane-based Queensland captain said the pull of home was too strong after leaving Sydney Thunder

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2022Australia Test opener Usman Khawaja has signed a four-year deal with Brisbane Heat and will captain his new club in the upcoming season when available after departing Sydney Thunder for family reasons.Khawaja lives in Brisbane with his family and is Queensland’s Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup captain but had remained with Thunder in the BBL up until now. The length of the contract means he will stay with Heat until he is at least 39.Khawaja’s move to Heat had long been touted after he announced he was departing Thunder in February. Khawaja noted at the time it was “the toughest call” he had made as a cricketer having been a foundation member of Sydney Thunder since the BBL started in 2011-12. He was a key figure in Thunder’s lone title in 2015-16 scoring 104 not out in the semi-final against Adelaide Strikers and 70 off 40 in the winning final against Melbourne Stars. He also captained Thunder last season.Related

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“I always thought I would finish off as a Thunder player, but it is funny how things change,” Khawaja said. “I’ve said it for a long time, that Brisbane is home, Queensland is home, and to be here, captain of Queensland, and now joining the Heat – it is really exciting.”I know I will be playing in front of my family, and a home crowd, when I am at the Gabba or Metricon Stadium with the Heat. I love the Thunder and the Thunder Nation, but at the same time, this is a change that comes at the right time.”It wasn’t an easy decision, it was a very tough one, but the timing just feels right. I like to say I used to be an honorary Queensland and now I am one.”I have been loosely tied with the Heat through my Queensland roles for several years, and so I am looking forward to the challenge of trying something new by joining them now. I do love playing in the BBL and now I am with the Heat for the coming years, I am very excited.”Khawaja’s move to Heat fills the void left by Chris Lynn after the clubelected not to re-sign the BBL’s all-time leading runscorer following 11 seasons at the club.Khawaja will be Heat’s captain when he is available but he is set to miss the first part of the upcoming BBL season while on Test duty for Australia. He is set to be available following the completion of the Sydney Test against South Africa on January 8 with the BBL season likely to run until the end of that month. Jimmy Peirson, who captained Heat last season, will lead Heat when Khawaja is unavailable.Khawaja is passionate about the BBL and was vocal about the future direction of the competition stating that Cricket Australia needs to consider private investment in the near term.

Obed McCoy will fly in for short stint after IPL knockout stages

Matt Roller27-May-2022Recruitment in county cricket has never been tougher, as evidenced by Sussex’s decision to sign a fifth overseas player for their T20 Blast campaign in Obed McCoy.The pandemic’s effect on the Future Tours Programme has seen countless postponed tours rearranged at short notice, leaving counties in the dark as to who will be available when. Some players have also faced visa issues due to a Home Office backlog.Counties can register up to three overseas players simultaneously but only field two in a single playing XI and Sussex had initially planned to split their slots for the Blast between Mohammad Rizwan and Rashid Khan.But it became apparent on the day Rizwan’s signing was confirmed that things would not be that straightforward, with Pakistan announcing new dates for their ODI series against West Indies right in the middle of the Blast’s schedule.Related

• Northeast, Labuschagne set Glamorgan campaign off in right direction

• Lloyd: 'The Blast is the best T20 competition in the world'

• Wright captains ESPNcricinfo's all-time T20 Blast XI

• Archer ruled out for summer after suffering back stress fracture

• Tim Seifert signs for Sussex's Blast campaign in wicketkeeper merry-go-round

Sussex initially signed Josh Philippe as a partial replacement but his availability was then limited by an Australia A tour to Sri Lanka. That prompted the recruitment of Tim Seifert as a third keeper-batter for a short stint in the middle of the season.But Rashid’s involvement in the IPL knockout stages – his Gujarat Titans side are in Sunday’s final – and an Afghanistan tour to Zimbabwe means he will only play the final six group games. That means McCoy, the West Indies fast bowler, will join for around four games as a replacement – albeit hardly a like-for-like one.Sussex have remained upbeat publicly with a club statement declaring they were “delighted” to announce McCoy’s arrival. However, the preparation of an infographic outlining which of their five recruits will be available for which match underlines the sense of chaos – not least with an asterisk reminding supporters that their plans were subject to change.”Obed will be a fantastic addition to our team,” James Kirtley, their T20 head coach, said. “He is an up-and-coming world class T20 cricketer. Fresh off a very successful IPL, he can bowl with pace and has great skills at the death.”Sussex started the season with a defeat at home to Glamorgan on Thursday night in front of a crowd of just 2,209 at Hove, suggesting the involvement of big-name overseas players has done little to help ticket sales. They travel to Bristol on Friday night to play Gloucestershire.

Hampshire’s former Kolpak star signs as overseas player after making quite an impression at Taunton in 2017

Matt Roller06-May-2022Somerset hope that the addition of Rilee Rossouw to their core of talented young batters will take them one step further in the T20 Blast this season after losing to Kent in the 2021 final.Rossouw spent three seasons at Hampshire as a Kolpak player from 2017-19 and blitzed 156 off 113 balls against Somerset at Taunton in the Royal London Cup early on in his time with them. “I remember how the members and supporters reacted to that even though I was playing for the opposition,” he said in Somerset’s press release announcing his signing. “That is something that I’ve never forgotten.”Rossouw left Hampshire after the Kolpak loophole ended with the UK’s departure from the European Union and has spent the last two-and-a-half years on the T20 circuit. After a couple of quiet tournaments, he averaged 39.28 at a strike rate of 167.68 in the PSL this season, taking Multan Sultans to the final and providing a reminder of his abilities.Related

• Kieron Pollard in the running for T20 Blast stint following international retirement

• Chris Lynn finalises Northamptonshire deal for T20 Blast

• Jofra Archer targets T20 Blast comeback after injury nightmare

He will add further firepower to a batting lineup featuring Tom Banton, Will Smeed, Tom Abell and Tom Lammonby, and will be available for the entire competition before joining up with Oval Invincibles for the Hundred later in the summer.Andy Hurry, their director of cricket, said: “Having looked at the strengths and the quality that we currently have within the T20 squad, as well as considering the global, domestic and international cricket concurrently being played during the Blast, including England Test and ODI England fixtures, we felt that adding additional explosive firepower to the batting unit would dovetail perfectly with the very strong group of players within the squad and also enhance our ability to go one step further this season.”Rossouw is Somerset’s fourth overseas signing of the season and it remains to be seen which seamer he joins in their side for the Blast. Matt Renshaw is only contracted for the County Championship and the Royal London Cup and will be in Sri Lanka on Australia A’s tour during June, but Peter Siddle and Marchant de Lange are both under contract for the Blast and will effectively be competing for one spot in the side.

Sussex romped to a comfortable 10-wicket victory over Glamorgan in a one-sided game in Cardiff. Ollie Robinson’s three wickets limited the home side to just 115 for 9 – a target that was swept aside by Luke Wright and Chris Nash as they won with 46 balls

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2015
ScorecardLuke Wright completed victory with a six•Getty Images

Sussex romped to a comfortable 10-wicket victory over Glamorgan in a one-sided game in Cardiff. Ollie Robinson’s three wickets limited the home side to just 115 for 9 – a target that was swept aside by Luke Wright and Chris Nash as they won with 46 balls to spare.Having chosen to field, on winning the toss, Sussex soon had Glamorgan in trouble with Robinson accepting a straightforward caught and bowled opportunity off Jacques Rudolph off the second ball of the opening over. Thereafter, it was something of a procession as Glamorgan struggled to establish themselves on a two-paced wicket.Colin Ingram was second out – for 1 – with Somerset loanee Craig Meschede departing at 10 for 3, off the bowling of Chris Liddle. A rush of blood from Ben Wright, in the fifth over, led to his downfall – bowled by Robinson – and though Chris Cooke batted with due care and attention, the damage had been done. Mark Wallace followed shortly after, caught by Craig Cachopa off the bowling of Ashar Zaidi and Glamorgan were 24 for 5 in the seventh over.Graham Wagg, who scored a County Championship double hundred in midweek, provided Cooke with decent support and the pair added 35 off as many balls before the former was brilliantly caught on the boundary by Robinson off Zaidi for 18. Cooke continued to hold up one end, but when he top-edged a pull off the bowling of Liddle in the 17th over, Zaidi took a comfortable catch at long leg. It was a disappointing return from the home batsmen in front of Glamorgan’s biggest crowd of the season.Thankfully, there was a momentary wag in the Glamorgan tail, with Wayne Parnell hitting four boundaries in a 22-ball innings that finally came to an end, off the fourth ball of the final over.
Robinson ended up with the impressive figures of 3 for 16 while Tymal Mills, Liddle and Zaidi all picked up two wickets apiece.Sussex wasted little time in putting Glamorgan to the sword with openers Chris Nash and Luke Wright in prolific form. A modest first over, which yielded just four runs, gave way to a flurry of boundaries with Sussex passing 50 in the fifth over. They progressed at around nine an over thereafter and brought up three figures in the 10th over.Nash passed 50, an over later, off 36 balls and Wright followed suit three balls later. Nash hit six fours and two sixes and Wright, whose half century took 33 balls, struck five fours and a maximum to complete victory.

Live updates from the Cricket Australia press conference explaining the reasons behind Mickey Arthur’s dismissal

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-2013

After watching Mustafizur Rahman make clever use of the cutter in Chittagong, Dale Steyn saw what he needed to do to get the most out of conditions in the second Test

Firdose Moonda30-Jul-20153:49

The game never got away from us – Steyn

You may think that Dale Steyn, an international cricketer of 11 years, 80 Tests and 402 Test wickets, would have something to teach Mustafizur Rahman, an international cricketer of three months, two Test and four wickets. But on this tour, it has happened the other way around. After watching Mustafizur make clever use of the cutter in the Chittagong game, Steyn saw what he needed to do to get the most out of conditions in the second Test.”We really try to seam the ball a lot more, that’s the main thing,” Steyn said. “There hasn’t been a lot of purchase off the deck, but we saw the young left-arm quick that Bangladesh have, he’s used his wrist very well and got a lot of movement off the deck. We took a note from that and realised that could be a strength of ours. If we can get a reverse we can move the ball through the air.”After a first Test in which Steyn found no swing or reverse-swing despite his best efforts – Allan Donald said he noticed Steyn was bowling with a scrambled seam as he would in one-day cricket rather than an upright one – Steyn found substantial reverse swing in the first afternoon of the second. Hashim Amla did not take the second new ball while Steyn reaped the rewards for what he had sown earlier.With the new ball, Steyn created pressure with his usual weapons: pace and aggression. “The new ball has been nice and hard and hasn’t offered a lot of swing. When the ball is really hard it’s nice to rush batters. You get a little bit more bounce, you might splice a guy, you might rush him for pace,” he explained.That was how Steyn snagged Tamim Iqbal – his 400th Test scalp – who was lured by the full length, though Tamim’s lazy shot selection did not help. “Tamim is an attacking batsman a kind of batsman that if you throw it up there he is going to throw his bat at it. There was just a little bit of bounce and I managed to find the edge.”But as the ball reached its mid-life, matters could have meandered. It got softer, so the extra bounce could not come into play and Steyn concentrated on stopping the scoring so that he could bring his second set of skills out later. “We didn’t let them get away with the game. The economy rate never got higher than 2.8 around there in the entire game so the game just never got away from us and they weren’t able to take the initiative and take the game forward.”Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, to a lesser extent, were co-disciplinarians and apart from a brief period when Amla used spinners in tandem, his shrewd captaincy ensured one of them was always on hand to ensure Bangladesh could not get away with too much against Simon Harmer and the part-timers. Among South Africa’s bit-part bowlers, who are now doing well enough to be called all-rounders, Dean Elgar found the most turn, while JP Duminy enjoyed the most success.Their combined effort was an exercise in what happens when you win the waiting game. “Everybody bowled well. Vernon bowled well and Morne toiled really hard and was able to get wickets. The economy rate is going to be the main thing and patience, patience, patience, was the key,” Steyn said.”I think Bangladesh have gotten better over the years, but overall we were probably the more patient side at the end of the day and that’s why our economy rate was where it was and they weren’t able to get away from us. Our spare bowlers managed to maintain that pressure and bags a wicket, because the patience just kind of runs out. Then you bring the quicks back on and it’s bang-bang, like it was at the end. So it’s all-round been a fantastic bowling effort.”But it was not just bang-bang – Steyn got the old ball moving but using “the seam get revs on it and try to get the ball to reverse swing,” and asking questions Bangladesh’s lower-order did not know how to answer. “We always knew that once we get them to six down their lower order batters don’t tend to like hanging around.” It’s not wrapped up yet but that was the initial goal.”South Africa will aim to achieve that early on the second day so that they are batting before conditions become too difficult to do so. If they do, Mustafizur will have the chance to show whether he has learnt anything from Steyn in return.

Unsettled England face back-to-back challenge after losing captain to injury

Andrew Miller28-Jan-2022

Big Picture

Coming into this five-match series, Eoin Morgan had said that the “development of our game is more important than a series win” … and that caveat may be one that England are keen to cling onto as the climax of the campaign approaches.With a glut of Ashes campaigners already absent for this tour, England’s resources in Barbados have been further hit by illness and injury – the latest being a quadriceps niggle that has forced Morgan himself onto the sidelines. As for the action itself, the understudies on parade have frequently been put through their paces, most emphatically on Wednesday, when West Indies surged back into the series lead on the back of Rovman Powell’s 51-ball century.And so England go into this weekend’s back-to-back fixtures needing consecutive victories to swipe the spoils. As recently as November, you’d have backed them to do just that, after West Indies old guard were put out to pasture in a humiliating 55-all-out display at the T20 World Cup. But Powell’s pyrotechnics, coupled with Nicholas Pooran’s power at No. 3 and an enviable depth of hitters that came to the fore in West Indies’ one-run loss on Sunday, suggests that the mood of the hosts may have shifted a touch this past week.Nevertheless, as DJ Bravo noted in an exasperated tweet on Thursday, it’s never easy to rally round West Indies these days without a few political spanners impeding on the works. A curious row about Odean Smith’s “victimisation” has blown up since he was dropped to make way from Powell’s power-packed return, with Phil Simmons, the head coach, being forced to decry such talk as “foolishness” in his pre-match press conference before Ricky Skerritt, the board chairman, weighed in too.The off-field issues have detracted from a genuinely uplifting series of displays from West Indies – a team that lost an ODI series to Ireland only last week, but which has hit upon a potent balance of youth and experience for England’s visit. In particular, some canny bowling from the veterans Jason Holder and Kieron Pollard has offered a steady foil to a batting line-up that is still prone to over-reaching, but which looks better balanced than it had been at the World Cup.Related

• Resilient Powell serves up lethal T20 cocktail to leave England feeling punch-drunk

• Morgan ruled out of T20I series after sustaining quad injury

• Banton's best is bubbling back after struggles with lockdown lifestyle

• Simmons rubbishes 'victimisation' claims after Powell-Smith swap

As for England, they’ve had their moments in between the ignominies. Tom Banton and Phil Salt served up a pair of powerful fifties on Wednesday that fitted the imposing template that England’s absentee World Cup winners have crafted for the white-ball team since 2015, while the spin-twins Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid remain a pre-eminent force as the countdown continues to another T20 World Cup in Australia in barely 10 months’ time.But on the seam-bowling front, there’s obvious room for improvement, particularly at the death, where England’s recent stats make eye-watering reading. Reece Topley has been a notable exception to the theme – his lanky left-arm line and canny variations have confirmed the promise he showed when called up for the 2016 World T20 in India. But Chris Jordan and Saqib Mahmood, at opposite ends of the experience spectrum, have both endured some rough treatment in this series, as have Tymal Mills and the debutant George Garton.As Morgan admitted, it’s better for England’s development to be put under pressure in this build-up period than to experience such setbacks on the main stage in November. But as Moeen prepares to lead England out for these final two games, there are perhaps a few more unknown factors in his ranks that the management would have bargained for at the start of the tour.

Form guide

West Indies WLWLL (most recent first)
England LWLLL

In the spotlight

Consistency has been one of West Indies’ watchwords for this series, and so all eyes will be on Rovman Powell after his startling return to the fray on Wednesday. Expecting him to back up his 51-ball hundred with a similar performance this weekend might be a stretch, but given that West Indies’ top-order collapsed to 65 for 7 in the second match after a serene display in game one, how he resets after that effort could be a microcosm of the team’s mentality at large. Either way, he’s made a phenomenal mark as one of only three West Indies batters to record a men’s T20I century, alongside Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis. It’s illustrious company, and after six years on the team’s periphery, it gives him a golden opportunity to cement that place as his own.It’s been a good problem for England to have down the years, but such has been their glut of explosive white-ball hitters, almost everyone in the line-up has been queuing up for a place in the top three. Phil Salt is a potential exception to that rule, after making his debut at No. 6 on Wednesday, and responding to the challenge with a fine innings of 57 from 24 balls. He prides himself on his ability to strike the ball hard from the get-go, and with Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow among the dead-certs missing this campaign, there’s a more obvious long-term vacancy in the middle-order. Morgan’s absence should guarantee he’ll get the next two games to make his mark, but Moeen has hinted he may get a chance higher up the order in the coming games – much as he did when debuting in the post-Covid ODI line-up last summer.

Team news

There are few reasons for West Indies to make wholesale changes to a line-up that performed so impressively in the third T20I, although one tweak may come at the top of the order, where Shai Hope’s haul of 26 runs from 40 balls shows room for improvement. He may make way for Kyle Mayers, which would also give West Indies a left-right opening alliance. Nicholas Pooran would take over as wicketkeeper in that case. The Odean Smith controversy probably means he’s further from a recall now than he might have been had that issue not become headline news, especially in light of Powell’s blistering reintroduction. But it’s feasible that he might also come in at the expense of Darren Bravo.West Indies (possible): 1 Shai Hope / Kyle Mayers, 2 Brandon King, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Romario Shepherd, 10 Akeal Hosein, 11 Sheldon CottrellThere were so many changes to England’s line-up for the third game that Moeen Ali, the stand-in captain, failed to remember them all – but then, seeing as one of them was the ever-overlooked Liam Dawson (now back on the sidelines after a solitary T20I appearance in four years), perhaps that’s understandable. In theory, there should be fewer changes this time around – assuming Liam Livingstone doesn’t suffer a recurrence of his acid reflux issue, he will be a lock in the middle-order, where Sam Billings may yet rejoin him if he’s got over his understandable jet-lag. Harry Brook, a late inclusion after Eoin Morgan’s quad strain, is the obvious man to make way. Assuming Reece Topley’s fitness holds up, he’s the first-choice quick on the team-sheet. Saqib Mahmood, taken out of the firing line on Wednesday, may be ripe for a return.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Tom Banton, 3 James Vince, 4 Moeen Ali (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Sam Billings (wk), 7 Phil Salt, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Saqib Mahmood / Tymal Mills, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions

There have been a variety of surfaces for this series so far – a bit of a flyer that caught England on the hop in game one, a lop-sided lay-out for Sunday’s second match which played havoc with the quick bowlers’ tactics in particular, then a surprise belter on Wednesday, which served up a total of 428 runs across 40 overs. Another short boundary to the Greenidge-Haynes Stand is in prospect for Saturday, which may once again influence the willingness to bat first.

Stats and trivia

• Kieron Powell needs 22 runs to reach 1500 in his T20I career. This will be his 97th match in the format.
• Nicholas Pooran needs 34 runs to pass 1000 T20I runs. He will be playing in his 53rd match.
• The 428 runs scored in the third match was the third-highest aggregate in a 20-over match involving West Indies. They took part in the highest-scoring T20I ever, a one-run win over India in Lauderhill in 2016, when 487 runs were scored.

Quotes

“If Odean wasn’t in the best team for the day, it is because we thought that Rovman was better suited for yesterday. All those who want to sit out there and preach about victimisation, I think they need to look within themselves.”
“Wednesday happened just before the toss, there were five changes and it just felt there was a lot going on. I didn’t feel like I had time to prepare and think about it too much, which sometimes can help. Hopefully going forward it’ll be a little bit easier and calmer.”