Mayank Agarwal had played four Tests before South Africa met him for the first time. Even if they hadn't spent as much time planning against him as they might have for, say, Cheteshwar Pujara or Virat Kohli, they would have arrived in India with a fair idea of how to bowl to him. During the first two Tests in Visakhapatnam and Pune, some of those plans have been evident, and there have been moments when they have threatened to get his wicket. And yet, here we are, three innings into the series: 330 runs, two hundreds, an average of 110.00. There was a fair amount of grass on the first-day pitch in Pune, and the fast bowlers could extract a bit of seam movement and bounce right through the first session, and sporadically thereafter. South Africa had three quicks in their attack, and each of them tested Agarwal early, homing in on the same technical issue: his tendency to get closed off with his front-and-across trigger movement. It's a good position to get into against the full ball outside off stump, and quite naturally he's an excellent driver through the off side, whether it's the straight-bat punch, where his power comes from his front-foot weight transfer, or that whippy drive with the bottom-hand flourish. It's also a good springboard for the square-cut, helping keep the batsman side-on and in the ideal position to slap away at any width. Agarwal was quick to pounce on any opportunities to play these shots, and 36 of his 63 runs against pace came via the cover drive, the cut and the off drive

The BCCI's electoral officer has upheld the decision taken by the Committee of the Administrators (CoA) to disqualify three key state associations from participating in the BCCI elections, scheduled for October 23. On Thursday, N Gopalswami, the board's electoral officer, removed Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Maharashtra from the final electoral roll, thus taking away their voting rights. In another significant move, Gopalswami disqualified Rajeev Shukla and Rajkumar Imo Singh, the nominated representatives of Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) and Manipur Cricket Association respectively. Shukla had met Gopalswami in person on Wednesday, but the electoral officer disqualified his nomination because he had not undertaken the mandatory three-year cooling off since wrapping up as the IPL chairman in August 2018. Shukla had already served 11 years as an UPCA office bearer before taking up the IPL job in 2016. Imo Singh, meanwhile, is a Member of the Manipur Legislative Assembly and politicians can no longer be administrators or an office bearers thanks to the changes made in the BCCI constitution last year. The draft electoral roll, which was announced on October 4, had 38 members including three government-funded institutions: Services, Indian Railways and Association of Indian Universities. All three institutions had originally nominated a representative to participate in the board elections, but as per the new BCCI constitution, only their player associations are allowed to nominate a person. While announcing the election process, Gopalswami had made it clear that if the nominated person was disqualified, the state association could not appoint a replacement. This was a CoA directive as well. So all five of the UPCA, Manipur Cricket Association, Services, Railways and Universities have also lost their voting rights and can't attend the BCCI annual general meeting that takes place on the day of the elections.

South Africa's struggles in India have put the spotlight on the country's first-class season that is currently underway. With a home summer to follow against England, the national team could be on the hunt for solid top-order batsmen, a new crop of fast bowlers, or maybe even just a reassurance that the level below the best is strong and competitive. The first round of matches delivered plenty of thrills, which we re-cap here. A hat-trick to start the season Tshepo Moreki moved to the Titans at the start of the 2018-19 summer, after stints with Dolphins and Cobras, to gain consistent game time. He only featured in half of their first-class fixtures and was steady without being outstanding. But a season later, that might be changing. Moreki manufactured a victory against the clock with a hat-trick in the last hour of play on the final day, after Titans declared shortly before lunch, leaving themselves 71 overs to bowl Dolphins out. At 146 for 6 in the 53rd over, Dolphins may have entertained thoughts of escaping with a draw, especially after Andile Phehlukwayo looked like he'd settled in for the ultimate blockathon. He faced 45 balls and spent 62 minutes at the crease for his five runs when Moreki tempted him into a booming drive, but Phehlukwayo only managed an edge to short-third man. Moreki's next ball bowled Eathan Bosch between the bat-pad gap, and he then had Daryn Dupavillon caught behind to leave the Dolphins 146 for 9 with at least 17 overs remaining. The last pair held out for another seven overs before the Titans sealed the win in the dying stages of the match. The South African who went to England but returned Johannesburg-born Neil Brand, 23, moved to Kings College in Taunton, hoping to qualify and play for England. He represented Cardiff MCC University and the Glamorgan and Somerset second XIs before returning to South Africa in December 2017. He joined the University of Pretoria (Tuks), where former New Zealand international Kruger van Wyk heads the structure, and had immense success. Brand was Player of the Tournament in the T20 Varsity Cup and the leading run-scorer in the national club championship. Tuks won both competitions. He made his franchise debut last season and was contracted to Titans for this summer, where he has immediately made a big statement. Brand scored 106 and 77 and set the Titans up for victory over Dolphins. His was not the only notable contribution, though. Farhaan Behardien's 114 in the first innings contributed to the Titans being the only team to cross 400 in an innings in what appeared to be the best-behaved pitch of the opening round.

Sri Lanka's selectors will have to deal with a "good headache" when picking the squad for the team's tour of Australia later this month, SLC's chief selector Ashantha de Mel said on Thursday following a string of impressive performances from several fringe players in Pakistan, which culminated in a 3-0 win in the T20I series. The performances of Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Oshada Fernando, whose strokeplay made de Mel think of Mahela Jayawardene, and Wanindu Hasaranga, have now given the selectors plenty of food for thought, not just for upcoming series but also next year's T20 World Cup. "It's a good headache to have. Earlier we had a problem of selecting form players, now we have 12-13 players that are vying for about six places, especially in the batting department," de Mel said. "What I was impressed with the youngsters is that they took the opportunity they were given with both hands. Bhanuka was debuting, and Oshada was debuting as well, and they played out of their skins. "We have watched these players, but to really come out and perform against the best T20I side in the world - their bowling is one of the strongest - for the way they played it was amazing."

Chris Silverwood's first reaction on hearing that he was England's new head coach was a one-word exclamation: "Wow". He was sitting in his lounge as Ashley Giles' name flashed up on his phone, and recalls falling rather silent as the enormity of his new role washed over him. It was left to his wife Victoria to do the handstands on his behalf, after a silent fist-pump had conveyed everything she needed to know about the conversation - in the short term at least. "I was immensely proud, and very humbled to be given the opportunity, and very grateful that I will get to live the dream again in a coaching capacity," said Silverwood. "But equally I am very, very, very excited about what can be achieved with two teams that can be very successful. For me to be able to play a part in that, and help guide that, is fantastic." There is clearly a huge amount to like about Silverwood the man, let alone Silverwood the coach. As Giles pointed out in introducing him, he took an Essex team that had previously been a "rabble" and delivered not only promotion and the Championship in consecutive seasons in 2016 and 2017, but the framework for this season's double as well. From stalwarts such as Alastair Cook to Ravi Bopara, to the young guns, Aaron Beard and Dan Lawrence, on whom the club's future success will hinge, no-one at Essex has a bad word to say about "Spoons", and the same is clearly true of an England camp that has just come through the most stringent acid test in recent memory. "He couldn't have worked in a more pressurised environment this summer," noted Giles, "whether as head coach or one of the assistant coaches." All of which is hugely laudable. And yet, it's not being unfair to suggest that the public reaction to Silverwood's appointment has been somewhat underwhelming - more "meh" than "wow", you might say, although, as any student of global politics would recognise in these troubled times, there is actually a blessed relief to be found in genuine, unequivocal indifference. Also read: Ashes win is top priority for Silverwood Silverwood can therefore expect to be judged, for the time being, by what he is not. He is not a glamorous overseas appointment, with a proven international track record and a wealth of impressive contacts on speed-dial. He is not a man in high demand on the T20 franchise circuit and therefore constrained by availability (and affordability). He is, instead, a thoroughly good egg who can join a few dots between an England team which, as Giles admitted, has had a tendency to exist as an "island" in recent years, and the county system in which his career has been invested and upon whom England's Test team will rely if it is to get back to the levels to which it aspires. "People are the centre of my coaching philosophy," said Silverwood. "Seeing them do well with their dreams, and what they're trying to do, makes me smile. That's why I do it. I want to create self-thinking, self-sufficient cricketers that will be successful, and if we can do that, you know what, it'll make me smile." By any stretch of the imagination, Silverwood's actual unveiling was an undeniably low-key event. For starters, it took place three days after the announcement itself, and in being staged in a cosy back-room at Lord's, rather than the pavilion or one of the ground's grander suites, it conveyed a sense of continuity rather than change. A desire to slip the new man into his role with as little splash as possible. Perhaps that's understandable. After all, it's not as if the structures that Trevor Bayliss put in place in his four-year tenure require purging - quite the opposite in fact. He delivered on his most fundamental promise in winning this summer's World Cup and, in walking away with his stock as high as he could have hoped it to be, he is arguably the first England coach since the very first - Micky Stewart in 1992 - to leave the role on his own terms and at a time of his own choosing. But as Giles, England's director of cricket, intimated in the final weeks of the interview process, there will be a necessary focus on Test cricket in the coming four-year cycle. For that is the format that suffered the most while England's white-ball boy-racers were throwing caution to the wind in pursuit of their ultimate goal. And, now that an Ashes summer has ended, for the first time in 18 years, without the urn being retained or recaptured on home soil, that is the format that is going to matter above all others in the build-up to England's return series in Australia in 2021-22. Therefore, in trusting the CV of a man with a brief, if proven, track record in first-class team-building, Giles is adamant he's found his man for the moment, irrespective of whether the field of genuine contenders was restricted by the job's specification

Barbados Tridents 160 for 6 (Charles 35, Reifer 24*, Nurse 24*, Pierre 2-25) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 148 (Prasanna 51, Nurse 2-14) by 12 runs The last time Barbados Tridents made the CPL final, in 2015, Kieron Pollard was their captain. Four years later, Tridents, led by Jason Holder, toppled Pollard's Trinbago Knight Riders in front of a raucous Trinidad crowd to set up a final clash with Guyana Amazon Warriors, who have won 11 of their 11 games in CPL 2019 so far. A torrential downpour had delayed the arrival of Tridents' team bus, a floodlight tower experienced power failure, JP Duminy was forced to retire hurt in the first innings, but Tridents overcame the odds to knock over the defending champions who were gunning for a three-peat. After helping Tridents loot 43 off their last two overs to finish with 160 for 6, Ashley Nurse returned 2 for 14 in the chase to send Knight Riders' chase spiraling out of control. When Pollard was run out for 23 off 16 balls, the crowd fell silent and Tridents' owners were celebrating. Knight Riders' Sri Lankan recruit Seekkuge Prasanna, however, threatened a jailbreak with 22-ball half-century and dragged the chase to the last over. Knight Riders needed 14 off the final over and Prasanna was on a boundary-hitting spree, having launched slower-ball specialist Harry Gurney out of the ground. Left-arm seam-bowling allrounder Raymon Reifer, who had earlier hit an unbeaten 24 off 18 balls, pinned Prasanna in front with a dipping yorker to seal Knight Riders' fate. Third-time unlucky Javon Searles drew an outside edge from Johnson Charles with the second ball of the match, but wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin dropped it. Searles then had the opener skying a loft in his second over, but neither Lendl Simmons nor Chris Jordan attempted the catch in the infield and reprieved him again. Charles then managed a mere eight runs off 15 balls from Sunil Narine and Khary Pierre before searching for a release against Ali Khan. Charles ventured another lofted hit, but the USA seamer hit a hard length and had him splicing a catch to mid-off. Oh hello, Ashley Nurse! Before this game, Nurse had last bowled on September 22 in Tridents' first home match of the season. He hadn't quite fired with the bat either until Thursday. While other higher-profile names like Alex Hales and Shakib Al Hasan fell cheaply, Nurse punched 24 off nine balls at a strike-rate of 266.66. When Nurse entered to bat, Tridents were 112 for 6 in the 18th over and their coach Phil Simmons confirmed that Duminy would not return to bat because of a "hamstring twinge". Nurse was up against the Barbados-born Jordan, who had conjured a double-wicket over earlier in the evening. But the onset of dew meant Jordan couldn't grip the ball and dished out a beamer that was smoked for a six over the bowler's head. Jordan then attempted a slower ball later in the over, but Nurse manufactured pace for himself and slugged it over midwicket for another six. He cracked another six in the last over of the innings, bowled by Ali Khan, to push Tridents to a competitive total along with Reifer.

The status of Zimbabwe's Full Membership with the ICC might become clear during the board meeting of the game's governing body in Dubai next week. Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) was suspended in July after the ICC deemed that there was government interference in the running of the board, which had been stood down by the country's Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), a body tasked to regulate sporting organisations in the country. The suspension has left ZC without ICC funding - they were due to receive US $94 million over eight years - and their national teams are currently excluded from ICC events. However, with their status likely to be reviewed, a proper picture of their immediate future will emerge soon. Here's a brief explainer: What are the potential outcomes for ZC? The best case for ZC would be its reinstatement as a Full Member. If the ICC is still concerned about ZC's governance, it could opt for a reinstatement with conditions. If the governing body deems ZC hasn't met the requirements, it could remain suspended. The worst-case scenario remains having their membership terminated. ALSO READ: Liam Brickhill: Please don't let this be the death of Zimbabwe Cricket What did ZC need to do for their suspension to be lifted? In a letter on July 24, the ICC asked ZC to "unconditionally reinstate" the board that was stood down by the SRC no later than October 8 and provide "satisfactory evidence" that ZC will "administer its affairs free of external interference and influence". Has ZC met these requirements? It claims to have done so. On August 8, three weeks after ZC was suspended, the SRC stated that it had lifted the suspension and that the interim manager they had put in place - former ZC chairman Dave Ellman-Brown - "would cease to be responsible for ZC's affairs". The board, chaired by Tavengwa Mukuhlani, has been reinstated since then, which meets the ICC's first requirement. This is what a ZC spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo: "The SRC has made an undertaking not to interfere in the affairs of ZC, and ZC has furnished this correspondence to ICC." It's now up to the governing body to decide if this correspondence is enough evidence to guarantee the ZC's independence. Does this mean that ZC is now run properly? What it does mean is that an SRC-appointed board - one that included a number of names many consider to be credible - will not be running ZC. Mukuhlani's board is back in charge, the same one that has overseen several years of financial and administrative crisis, including multiple player strikes.

The new parental policy could help extend players' careers Getty Images Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Email 8:56 AM ESPNcricinfo staff Cricket Australia has launched a parental leave policy, which guarantees players who become pregnant 12 months of paid leave along with three weeks for partners and other support including additional funding for tours. CA and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) have been working on the policy for two years and it came into action earlier this year. Alongside 12 months of paternal leave, players who fall pregnant will be guaranteed a contract extension for the following year. Other points include: Players who have a partner who gives birth will be entitled to three weeks paid leave upon the birth or adoption of a child At any time after giving birth, the player can return to the game subject to medical clearance Travel support for players who are primary carers including flights, accommodation and other applicable travel expenses for the child and a carer will be available until the child is four years of age. "Were a woman cricketer to become pregnant, it typically signalled the end of their career," Alistair Nicholson, the chief executive of the ACA, said. "The travesty of this is that so many great athletes have not been given the chance to reach their true potential, denying the rest of us the opportunity to enjoy and admire their talent." A key figure in bringing the policy together was former Australia player Clea Smith who is now general manager of member programs at the ACA.

After a tortuous Ashes, David Warner marked his first innings of the Australia summer with an impressive century against Queensland at the Gabba. Warner made just 95 runs in 10 innings against England and passed that mark with a handsome drive off Mark Steketee shortly before reaching his hundred from 179 deliveries by tucking a delivery off his hip through square leg. He removed his helmet, raised his bat to the dressing room and brought out a little leap of celebration. Earlier this week national selector Trevor Hohns had stopped short of saying Warner's position in the Test was secure regardless of early-season form, but if there was any doubt whether he would be back at the Gabba next month for the first Test against Pakistan this innings has ended that debate. He had done well to survive the previous evening against some demanding bowling and continued to have to fight hard on the second morning. He wasn't always secure - Gannon, who removed Smith for a duck the previous day gave him a working over from round the wicket with one edge falling just short of third slip - but Warner drove and cut strongly when the chance was offered. When he brought up three figures he had scored almost two-thirds of New South Wales' runs in a match that had been dominated by the bowlers in the early stages.

The Caribbean's top women cricketers will contest two invitational T10 matches on October 10 and 12 in Trinidad, in the lead-up to the CPL 2019 final. The exhibition fixtures, a collaboration between the government of Trinidad and Tobago and Cricket West Indies (CWI), is an attempt at paving the way "for a sustainable women's league in the future", CWI said in a statement. West Indies women do not play an international series until November 1, when they take on visitors India for the first ODI in what will be an eight-match limited-overs tour. The big-hitting Hayley Matthews tweeted about the invitational games on Monday, suggesting she'll be playing.

Desmond Haynes and Phil Simmons are in the race to be the next full-time head coach of the West Indies men's team, along with interim coach Floyd Reifer, Cricket West Indies revealed on Wednesday. The three men were shortlisted after six candidates took part in interviews conducted by a CWI panel; there will now be a round of final interviews, to be completed by October 11. "Critical areas discussed [with the candidates] were applications of cricket specific experience, technical knowledge, performance planning process, performance measurement, performance-driven culture and also CWI's core values of passion, accountability, respect, integrity and team excellence," a statement on the CWI website said. The interview panel was led by CWI vice-president Kishore Shallow, with director of cricket Jimmy Adams, human resources manager Oneka Martin-Bird, independent director Debra Coryat-Patton and UK-based coaching educator Gordon Lord the other members. "I am pleased to see such high-quality West Indian talent and experience in the shortlisted candidates for the Head Coach position," Ricky Skerritt, the CWI president, said. "I believe that any one of the three finalists would be an excellent choice as head coach, and I wish them every success at the final stage of interviews." West Indies have been without a full-time coach since the CWI management led by Ricky Skerritt ended Richard Pybus' stint in the post in April this year - just weeks before the World Cup - following a review of the team's coaching and selection policies. Reifer, who led West Indies briefly in 2009 during a period of crisis, was handed the reins, but in an interim capacity, and has been at the helm since. Under Reifer, West Indies started with two wins against Ireland and three losses to Bangladesh (including in the final) of the triangular ODI series in Dublin before putting in an underwhelming performance at the World Cup. After that, they hosted India in an all-format series and went down 3-0, 2-0 (with one games washed out) and 2-0 in the T20Is, ODIs and Tests respectively. Haynes, the legendary opening batsman who scored 7487 runs in 116 Tests and 8648 runs in 238 ODIs during an international career that ran from 1978 to 1994, has worked as a batting consultant with the team before. And Simmons, also a former opening batsman, was West Indies' head coach before being sacked in September 2016 after a rocky stint. He worked with the Afghanistan team after that before being removed from the position after the 2019 World Cup. Apart from the appointment of the men's

Right, so there's obviously no definitive way to decide if a player is underrated or not. But we've tried to play the game anyway, done our best to identify players who don't pop into most cricket fans' heads when they think of match-winners in the present-day game. The processes of selection involved looking at Google search trends for players compared to their peers, social media buzz, the number and types of stories about them on ESPNcricinfo, and ambushing our editor and asking him to guess batting and bowling averages of the candidates, then comparing these to their actual numbers. And these are only players who genuinely don't get a lot of attention; if you think Virat Kohli is underrated because he's actually so great he makes Don Bradman look like Courtney Walsh, you might be disappointed.

The fourth week of the 2019 CPL was not only full of dazzling individual performances and thrilling finishes but also gave us the three remaining teams for the playoffs. Here's a look at the highlights from yet another action-packed week. Patriots turn it around, Amazon Warriors maintain winning streak After losing four out of their first five games of the season and looking down for the count, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots bounced back to register four wins in their next five matches to become the second team after Guyana Amazon Warriors to qualify for the playoffs. Patriots captain Carlos Brathwaite, who triggered the turnaround with an all-round performance in a Super Over win against Trinbago Knight Riders last week, was again the star of a last-ball win against Barbados Tridents. Chasing 150, Tridents were cruising at one stage but Brathwaite's three quick wickets had them stumbling from 85 for 2 to 99 for 7. Raymon Reifer took the game to the last over but with two required from the final delivery, Dominic Drakes bowled Harry Gurney to seal the game. ALSO READ: Khary Pierre - Trinbago Knight Riders' master of thrift Tridents themselves qualified for the playoffs on Sunday as Harry Gurney and Hayden Walsh Jr helped them defend 141 against St Lucia Zouks. Their victory also ensured Knight Riders a top-four spot. Warriors, meanwhile, stretched their winning streak to eight games - a new CPL record - and booked a top-of-the-table finish with two games still in hand. On the other end, Chris Gayle's homecoming didn't prove auspicious for Jamaica Tallawahs as the two-time champions failed to make it to the top four for the first time in the seven years of the CPL. Fastest CPL fifty and the Pollard-Holder send-offs During the Tridents v Knight Riders game, JP Duminy put on a show with the bat, the ball and in the field as Tridents snapped their eight-match losing streak in home games. Building on a 110-run opening stand between Johnson Charles and Jonathan Carter, Duminy raced away to the fastest CPL fifty - off 15 balls - breaking Evan Lewis record - 17 balls - set earlier this season. During his 20-ball 65, Duminy smashed seven sixes and four fours.

Menu ESPNcricinfo Log In SCORES Cooper replaces Kycia Knight for third Australia ODI Britney Cooper executes a back-foot drive through the off side AFP Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Email 10 Sep, 2019 ESPNcricinfo staff The CWI interim selection panel has replaced the injured Kycia Knight with Britney Cooper for the third and final ODI of the series against Australia, on Wednesday in Antigua. Knight had injured her lower back during the opening overs of the first ODI of the series in Coolidge, where Australia thrashed West Indies by 178 runs. Knight did not bat in the West Indies chase as a result, and did not feature in the second game. After "examining the scans" done on her, the CWI medical panel ruled Knight of the third ODI. Cooper joined the team in Antigua on Monday in preparation for the final game even as West Indies trail the series 0-2. Cooper last played an ODI in June in England but her single-digit scores in the series led to her omission from the original ODI squad against Australia. In six international innings this year - two ODIs and four T20Is - she has scored only 57 runs so far with a high score of 20. West Indies are also without their regular vice-captain Hayley Matthews, who had been withdrawn from the series just hours before the start of the opening ODI, due to disciplinary issues. The exact nature of her breach of the code of conduct is not known yet.

India have Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli at No.3 and 4 in their Test line-up while South Africa have Theunis de Bruyn and Temba Bavuma in those positions. No disrespect to either of those batsmen and the time may come when their names draw similar reactions as the players listed in the India side. But, for now, it's hard not to think of them as having big boots to fill. Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers used to occupy those positions so comparisons are unfair, but questions about why South Africa did not opt to fill the spots with more experience are worth asking. Especially on a tour of India. Especially when they have other options.

India women's opener Smriti Mandhana has been ruled out of the ODI series against South Africa women after fracturing her right toe. A BCCI spokesperson confirmed that she had picked up the injury after being struck by a ball while batting in the nets. Pooja Vastrakar, the 20-year-old seam-bowling allrounder, has been added to the team as replacement. Mandhana is now under observation by the BCCI's medical team and it is unclear if she will be fit in time to play India's next series. The team is tentatively set to depart for a tour of the Caribbean on October 23. "It's a mild fracture," coach WV Raman said in a press conference, along with ODI captain Mithali Raj, on Tuesday. "The call [on Mandhana's return] will be taken based on the assessment of the physios at the NCA. It's difficult to fix the timeline either way because she still needs to get an MRI done because there is some swelling and it has to die down for the MRI to be taken. Once that's done, only then the assessment can be made

Cricket really has its own, cruel ways. A team that trekked the globe mopping up T20Is for fun have seen Sri Lanka wipe the floor with them when the game returned home, in front of an adoring public who had been convinced of the quality of their side based on their television screens. Was it really the same side they had watched on TV pummel West Indies in Port of Spain, hammer Australia in Harare and New Zealand in Auckland? Did Pakistan, brushed aside by a Sri Lankan team cobbled together from among the consenting and the capable, really win 29 of 33 T20Is since the end of the last World T20? The patterns of play Sarfaraz Ahmed's side - and for now, it remains his side - had executed so ruthlessly over the past three years have vanished in the Lahore evening. On each of the two nights, they fielded first, and found themselves on the back foot within the first Powerplay. This, in itself, is not unusual; with only two fielders out of the circle, batsmen will look to apply the pressure. Pakistan have experienced it, Pakistan have dealt with it. Pakistan have dished it out too. But on Monday night and Saturday, they simply couldn't. Sarfaraz used five different bowlers in the Powerplay on Saturday, with Danushka Gunathilaka, the man whose chanceless century in the third ODI in Karachi had served as a warning shot to Pakistan, running riot against a side that had plotted itself into disarray. Sri Lanka smashed 64 in those first six, and on a day when Pakistan's fielding was so abysmal it may have left Steve Rixon (now sat in the Sri Lanka dressing room) red-faced with vicarious embarrassment, the visitors went on to notch up 165. This allowed Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad the opportunity to show why they had been called back into a side that had risen to world No. 1 without them. Instead … Shehzad was lucky to survive nine balls; he should have been dismissed at least twice before then, while Umar needed just the one to play across the line and find himself trapped plumb in front. Babar Azam's rare failure took the asking rate close to nine. Just over a year ago, Pakistan had found themselves in a similar situation in the final of a tri-series against Australia in Harare. Two wickets in the first over had set them back in a chase of 184, with the required rate rising to ten after just two overs. The two at the crease, though, understood the importance of ensuring runs continued to flow; without that happening, the game would be gone anyway. An improbable hour and a half later, they had won with four balls and six wickets to spare.thanks

All the world's cricketers walked into a bar. The LOLs, the chatter, and the occasional mini-brawls, they were endless. And the news cycle was never the same again! Welcome to ESPNcricinfo's Social Buzz, your go-to destination for all the bantz, the jousts, and little bit of eavesdropping from the social media playground and beyond. October 8 Pakistan have lost the T20I series to a second-string Sri Lanka side, so naturally it's time for former players and experts to sharpen their knives. On Shoaib Akhtar's YouTube channel, discussing the defeat, broadcaster Nauman Niaz talks about the number of Indian batsmen fighting for slots in the XI and then asks: "Where's our bench strength?" Younis Khan, a guest on the show, laughs and lifts an empty chair, causing Niaz to exclaim: "It's empty!" (Watch from 0.20; the discussion is in Urdu).

Misbah-ul-Haq cited deficiencies in practically all departments of the Pakistan T20I outfit following their back-to-back defeats to a second-string Sri Lanka side in Lahore, but defended the decision to bring back Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal. Over the last two years, Pakistan have won 21 of out the 28 T20Is and lost seven, five of which have come in the last nine months. "Losing is never good, especially against a team that is without their major players, and it's an eye-opener," Misbah, the team's head coach and chief selector, said in the post-match press conference. "We can see deficiency in every department: bowling, batting and particularly the way we got out against spin, and also our death bowling. "There was a clear difference between the two teams. Despite being inexperienced, they were disciplined and did everything right, while we completely failed to implement our plan." ALSO READ: T20I cricket comes to Lahore, but it's not the same Pakistan as on TV With Shehzad and Umar coming back, Pakistan experimented with their top order, dropping Fakhar Zaman for the first T20I and opening with Babar Azam and Shehzad, and Umar at No. 3. The three, however, fell within 4.2 overs, leaving Pakistan reeling at 22 for 3 in the 165-run chase, which they eventually lost by 64 runs. Fakhar came back as an opener for the second T20I, pushing Shehzad to No. 3 and Umar to No. 5. Their highest run-scorer of the first T20I, Ifthikar Ahmed, was left out altogether. This experiment failed too, with Pakistan losing their top five for 52 in a chase of 182 before they went on to lose by 35 runs. Since his debut in September 2016, Babar - the No. 1 T20I batsman - has scored 1263 runs in 32 innings at a stellar average of 50.52 and a strike rate of 127.96, and nearly 70% of his 831 runs in the last two years have come in wins. Babar and Fakhar's opening partnership has also been pivotal for Pakistan's success, but Babar's failure at the top in the two T20Is against Sri Lanka has left Pakistan in a fix, exposing the top order's struggle especially during a chase.

Misbah-ul-Haq cited deficiencies in practically all departments of the Pakistan T20I outfit following their back-to-back defeats to a second-string Sri Lanka side in Lahore, but defended the decision to bring back Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal. Over the last two years, Pakistan have won 21 of out the 28 T20Is and lost seven, five of which have come in the last nine months. "Losing is never good, especially against a team that is without their major players, and it's an eye-opener," Misbah, the team's head coach and chief selector, said in the post-match press conference. "We can see deficiency in every department: bowling, batting and particularly the way we got out against spin, and also our death bowling. "There was a clear difference between the two teams. Despite being inexperienced, they were disciplined and did everything right, while we completely failed to implement our plan." ALSO READ: T20I cricket comes to Lahore, but it's not the same Pakistan as on TV With Shehzad and Umar coming back, Pakistan experimented with their top order, dropping Fakhar Zaman for the first T20I and opening with Babar Azam and Shehzad, and Umar at No. 3. The three, however, fell within 4.2 overs, leaving Pakistan reeling at 22 for 3 in the 165-run chase, which they eventually lost by 64 runs. Fakhar came back as an opener for the second T20I, pushing Shehzad to No. 3 and Umar to No. 5. Their highest run-scorer of the first T20I, Ifthikar Ahmed, was left out altogether. This experiment failed too, with Pakistan losing their top five for 52 in a chase of 182 before they went on to lose by 35 runs. Since his debut in September 2016, Babar - the No. 1 T20I batsman - has scored 1263 runs in 32 innings at a stellar average of 50.52 and a strike rate of 127.96, and nearly 70% of his 831 runs in the last two years have come in wins. Babar and Fakhar's opening partnership has also been pivotal for Pakistan's success, but Babar's failure at the top in the two T20Is against Sri Lanka has left Pakistan in a fix, exposing the top order's struggle especially during a chase.

Menu ESPNcricinfo Log In SCORES ECB announce funding boost to transform women's cricket play Brunt says England need investment to catch Australia (1:43) Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Email 8:45 PM ESPNcricinfo staff The England & Wales Cricket Board has pledged a funding boost for women's cricket of £20 million over two years, and plans to invest £50 million in the next five years, in a bid to make cricket into a gender-balanced sport. The challenge of transforming women's and girls' cricket was one of six priorities within the ECB's 'Inspiring Generations' strategy for 2020-2024, and part of the new remit is a commitment to the funding of 40 full-time professional, domestic contracts, in addition to the existing central contracts for England Women's elite players. A ten-point action plan was unveiled by Clare Connor, the ECB's managing director for women's cricket, at an event in London, with a focus on five key objectives: Participation: To increase the number of women and girls playing cricket recreationally Pathway: To develop aspiring female cricketers (U11-17) as players and people Performance: To drive the performance of England women's cricket through a new semi-professional, eight region structure Profile: To elevate the profile of women's cricket through The Hundred, the England Women's team and the elite game People: To increase the representation of women across the cricket workforce "Cricket has been an integral part of my life, as a player and in my role of Managing Director of Women's Cricket. I have never been more excited by the opportunity in front of us right now," said Connor.thanks

In first-class cricket, it's one of the flattest in the country. Thirty-six Indian grounds have hosted at least 10 first-class games since the start of the 2011-12 season, when the MCA Stadium made its debut. Of those 36 grounds, only two have a higher runs-per-wickets figure than Pune's 35.82. Watch cricket on ESPN+ India v South Africa is available in the US on Hotstar and ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the Tests. In 26 first-class games here, there have been ten individual scores of 150 or more, two triple-hundreds and three other doubles. Thirteen of the 26 games have ended in draws. ODIs here have largely been high-scoring too, with three out of four matches producing first-innings totals of above 280. "When the covers came off, it wasn't a straightforward task to distinguish the pitch from the square surrounding it. It was green, and uniformly so. But soon enough, the groundstaff began taking grass off" When a ground hosts a Test match, however, it can change character dramatically. Pune's debut Test, in 2017, ended in less than three days, with India scoring 105 and 107 and the pitch ending up with a "poor" rating. Two days before Pune's second Test, therefore, everyone wanted to talk to Pandurang Salgaoncar, the curator. But Salgaoncar wouldn't talk to anyone.

Danushka Gunathilaka plays a reverse sweep Getty Images Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Email 1:00 PM The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando Big Picture Yes, even the first-string Sri Lanka had lost their four most-recent T20I series, and sure Pakistan topped the rankings, but there are no two sides that revel quite as much in chaos as these two, so in some ways, a comfortable series victory to the underdogs is not a huge surprise. The two matches so far have followed a remarkably similar script. Sri Lanka have got a half-century and a big partnership from their top three, then a strong finish. Their quicks have then struck early blows, and despite the occasional good partnership from Pakistan, Sri Lanka have managed to keep the required rate climbing through the middle overs. In the first match, Pakistan's last seven wickets fell for 33. In the second, their last five went down for 20. The two players catching the most heat so far have been Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad, who have produced four awful innings between them. Akmal's successive golden ducks have basically been an invitation for a punchline. Shehzad has arguably been even worse, chewing up 25 Powerplay deliveries for his 17 runs across the two games. Babar Azam's rare failures haven't helped either, nor has the fitful form of the rest of the middle order. A whitewash will be a coup for Sri Lanka, and a significant early obstacle for the new lord commander of Pakistan cricket, Misbah-ul-Haq. Of the issues the hosts must sort, the top-order problems seem the most pressing. Form guide Pakistan LLLWL (completed matches, most recent first) Sri Lanka WWWLL In the spotlight Part of Pakistan's good T20I form in 2018 had been down to the bowlers, and Mohammad Amir had as good a year as anyone, going at 6.57 in nine appearances last year, taking 14 wickets at 15.50. He had not gone wicketless in eight previous T20Is before this series but has now failed to take a wicket through the first two matches in Lahore. With a confident opposition top three to contend with, Pakistan need their quicks to fire in the last match. In all four of Sri Lanka's innings on tour, Dasun Shanaka has played good knocks befitting the situation, finding late boundaries when Sri Lanka are looking to finish fast, and rebuilding when they have lost early wickets. He had been disappointed to miss out on a World Cup spot but has perhaps now done enough to firm up a place in the first-choice XI in both limited-overs formats. Team news Iftikhar Ahmed may come in for the run-less Akmal. Perhaps Pakistan will also consider Haris Sohail instead of Shehzad. Pakistan (possible): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Ahmed Shehza, 4 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Asif Ali, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Mohammad Hasnain

Menu ESPNcricinfo Log In SCORES Not an 'all-male shortlist' for England Women coach vacancy - Connor Mark Robinson, coach of England women, addresses the huddle Getty Images Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Email 9:08 PM ESPNcricinfo staff England Women's search for a permanent replacement for Mark Robinson could yet result in the appointment of their first female head coach, according to the ECB's director of women's cricket, Clare Connor. Speaking at the launch of the ECB's new £20 million investment into women's and girls' cricket, Connor confirmed that Ali Maiden, the interim coach, would lead the side on the pre-Christmas tour of Malaysia, but that a new permanent appointment should be in place by the start of 2020. That would leave the new incumbent just two months to bed in ahead of the squad's next big assignment, the T20 World Cup in Australia, but Connor believes the board is on course for the right replacement following Robinson's departure in August, in the wake of a heavy defeat in this summer's Ashes. "We have started conversations, slightly informal conversations, but we are pleased with the pool of applicants," said Connor. "We've started conversations with applicants both here and overseas and it will not be an all-male shortlist. "We are conducting next-stage interviews during the middle of next week with the aim to have the successful candidate in post for January. Regardless of the appointment, Ali Maiden will lead the side to Malaysia pre-Christmas." Connor's comments come as the ECB set about implementing a new five-year strategy that seeks to make cricket into a gender-balanced sport, and follows on from last week's unveiling of the eight teams that will make up the inaugural season of the Hundred. Of the seven women's coaches so far confirmed for the new competition, five are women - Lisa Keightley (London Spirit), Dani Hazelle (Northern Superchargers), Lydia Greenway (Oval Invincibles), Charlotte Edwards (Southern Brave), and Salliann Briggs (Trent Rockets). "We've set some measures for success within the action plan," Connor added. "They're around the number of women and girls playing the game, the number of sustainable club sections, the experiences of the girls that are deemed talented and whether they're achieving performance benchmarks through the system. "More broadly the engagement of women and girls in the sport - buying tickets, watching on television and following the game."

It was all hands and wrists, and the gully fielder, placed for that sort of shot, fell resignedly to his right as the ball sped past. On Indian surfaces offering more turn and bounce, Agarwal may not have looked to reverse sweep Senuran Muthusamy from the rough outside his leg stump, but he did it with ease on this Visakhapatnam pitch. By his own admission, Agarwal doesn't play the reverse sweep all too often, but he played it three times on Thursday, square and fine, nailing each of them. "When I played the reverse sweep, the thing that [Rohit Sharma and I] were talking about was that I don't really reverse sweep and we were well set," Agarwal said during his end-of-day press conference. "We were quite happy with the way we were batting and [it was] good that we were able to manipulate the field. They had started to bowl on the pads and it was nice to get a couple of boundaries so they can shift around players, and we were talking about more ways how we can get runs. Risk-free runs." Pretty much all of Agarwal's 215 runs - save the few during a tricky first half-hour on Wednesday against the new ball - seemed risk-free, even those that came off the shots described above, or off his numerous inside-out drives and lofted hits. There was a sense of certainty about when he chose to play what shots and how he executed them. He did this for close to eight-and-a-half hours and ended his innings with a control percentage of 90.