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Joe Root has admitted he should already have up to double his nine Test centuries and can’t quite work out why he does not convert into three figures more consistently.Since the beginning of 2015, Root has scored four centuries in 19 Tests but has been dismissed between 50 and 98 on a further 13 occasions, the most recent being in the first innings at Chester-le-Street when he got into a tangle against Nuwan Pradeep and spooned a catch to cover, having move serenely to 80 – a shot he termed as a “car crash”.He is not letting the issue weigh too heavily on his mind – “I feel I am contributing consistently” – but knows that the best Test batsmen in the world he is jostling with to be ranked No. 1 are judged on their century output.”You are always striving to get better, and it’s an area that over the last few months has been very frustrating for me because I am playing well, but you don’t win games with 70s and 80s. You want to make sure you cash in,” Root said.”There have been a few decent deliveries in there but mainly it’s been batsman error so it’s an area that needs to be addressed in practice – and it has been – and the only thing I can really do is make sure I don’t make the same mistake twice.”You look at the dismissal [in Durham] and it was a car crash, really. It was awful. It’s hard to put your finger on it. I don’t think I change my approach or the way I play when I get to a certain score. I’d like to think it was a bit of a coincidence and it’s all happened together.”I feel my game is in a good place, I’m moving well. If anything maybe I get slightly complacent for the odd ball, sometimes you get away with it and it goes unnoticed and sometimes it catches up with you and you are made to look very silly. I don’t think that’s the case, but it may come across that way. I’m working really hard and it’s something I want to address.”Root stressed how he is not a player too fussed about personal landmarks and suggested that, on occasion, he may get caught up in the natural free-scoring pace that he operates at and that encapsulates this England side.”Complacent is probably the wrong word, maybe concentrating is a better way to put it. Maybe you are caught in the flow of the game, scoring at a certain rate and you try to score against deliveries that don’t allow you to,” he said. “It’s not something that’s really concerning me to be honest, but it’s an annoyance that I want to put right. If I’ve been got out, fair play, but I don’t want to throw it away.”Joe Root passed 50 without going on to score a hundred once again in Chester-le-Street•AFP

Despite the issue of reaching three figures on fewer occasions than he would have liked, Root’s game has developed enormously over the last two years – since his recall against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in 2014 when he scored a double-century following omission at the end of 2013-14 Ashes whitewash – to make him one of the most complete batsmen in the world. But in his determination to further improve, he watches his contemporaries closely.”As a kid growing up I would look at the best players and think there’s a reason they are at the top, they are doing something that sets them apart,” he said. “These days, AB [de Villiers], Virat [Kohli] in the shorter formats, then Steve [Smith] and Kane [Williamson], it would be silly not to look at the way they play and try to add bits to my game. If you can take any little nugget hopefully you will benefit from it.”Although Root remains a delightful touch player – his innings in the World T20 against South Africa where his 83 off 44 balls marshalled England’s huge chase was a stand-out example – his boundary-hitting has been one of the areas that has developed most significantly since the early days of his international career when a slight, scrawny 21-year-old made 73 off 229 balls against India in Nagpur.”It’s a slow process when it comes to the gym side of it, a long-term improvement I’m looking for,” he said. “If you don’t practice hitting it for six you won’t do it, either. It’s an area I want to keep developing and it’s good to see it going in the same direction.”With boundary-hitting in mind – and his flamboyant whip over deep midwicket in the recent Roses T20 against Lancashire was the latest example of what he is now capable of – Root joked that he would like bats to get bigger, rather than smaller as the ICC cricket committee has recently suggested, but he remains sanguine about any potential changes to the tools of his trade.”If they feel it’s making an unfair advantage then fair enough, as a batter you have to be skilful and strong enough to find different ways of scoring if restrictions will be put in place,” he said. “There’s no less skill in being able to hit it out of the park to being able to flick it as long as it goes for six. If players are good enough they will find ways of doing it.”Root is clearly good enough to adapt to whatever shape (or size) the game takes. He would just like a few more hundreds to show for it.Investec is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. For more on Investec private banking, visit investec.co.uk/banking

Match facts

Monday, June 20, 2016
Start time 1300 local (1100 GMT)The first T20I saw a return of the vibrant Zimbabwe the world loves to watch•Associated Press

Big Picture

Zimbabwe made a few changes to their team for the first T20I against India, most notably the inclusion of pluck, spirit and ebullience.Spirit was brought to proceedings when Hamilton Masakadza and Chamu Chibhabha punished India’s opening bowlers for missing their lengths. It intervened again when Elton Chigumbura, put a pair of golden ducks behind him to cream seven sixes in a dazzling half-century. That knock took Zimbabwe from a flagging 111 for 5 to a competitive 170.Pluck was a steady presence throughout the match, never more so than when Neville Madziva nailed wide yorkers and slower balls to defend seven in the last over. Ebullience came to the fore thereafter as the home team’s players and fans revelled. Zimbabwe will hope that Messrs P, S and E retain their place in the team for a long time to come.Of immediate interest is the second T20I in Harare, which will present the hosts a chance to secure a historic series win. Never before have Zimbabwe won a T20I series of two or more matches, although they did beat West Indies in a one-off T20I in Port of Spain six years ago. A win now would offer much needed cheer to their fans and send out a message to other teams thinking of sending a second-string side to Zimbabwe.For India, the wake-up call is timely – perhaps even welcome. Things seemed to be coming too easily to them in the ODI leg of the tour. On Saturday, however, they were put under serious pressure for the first time. They were reminded that sloppy mistakes can be costly, even against unfancied oppositions. How will India’s young side respond, now that they know they are in a genuine contest, with the series on the line?

Form guide

Zimbabwe: WLWWW (last five matches, most recent first)
India: LLWWW

In the spotlight

Chigumbura was Zimbabwe’s star with the bat, but Hamilton Masakadza‘s brief fireworks at the top constitute a promising sign for the team. Masakadza was sacked as captain prior to India’s visit, and went on to have a quiet ODI series. Zimbabwe’s most accomplished batsman’s hitting form could be vital if Vusi Sibanda cannot recover from the injury that kept him out of the first T20I.Yuzvendra Chahal had a disappointing T20I debut, offering the batsmen too much room to swing their arms and bowling the no-ball that precipitated Chigumbura’s assault. Nevertheless, his willingness to flight the ball in search of wickets and a potent googly make him a threat to batsmen. It also makes for compelling viewing.

Team news

Sibanda has joined Craig Ervine and Sean Williams on Zimbabwe’s injury list. Richmond Mutumbami, who had to retire hurt after taking a blow to the hip area on Saturday, will not be available either. This probably leaves the door open for Peter Moor, who will be a straight swap considering he is a specialist wicketkeeper, or Timycen Maruma.*Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Timycen Maruma/Peter Moor, 4 Sikandar Raza, 5 Malcolm Waller (wk), 6 Elton Chigumbura, 7 Tinotenda Mutombodzi, 8 Graeme Cremer (capt), 9 Neville Madziva, 10 Taurai Muzarabani, 11 Donald TiripanoIndia fielded five debutants in the first T20I, including Mandeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan and Jaydev Unadkat, who had their first outing of the tour. Unadkat and Dhawan bowled poorly; whether Dhoni chooses to give them another chance or brings Barinder Sran and Dhawal Kulkarni back is open to debate.India (probable): 1 KL Rahul, 2 Mandeep Singh, 3 Ambati Rayudu, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Rishi Dhawan/Dhawal Kulkarni, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Jaydev Unadkat/Barinder Sran

Pitch and conditions

The pitch is expected to be batting friendly again at Harare Sports Club. The size of the outfield should test the fielders and reward batsmen who run hard between the wickets.

Stats and trivia

• Only once have Zimbabwe won consecutive T20I matches against Full Member oppositions – against Bangladesh in Khulna this January.
• Since India made their debut in T20 cricket, only twice have they packed as many as five debutants into an XI – against Zimbabwe on Saturday and against Zimbabwe a year ago.

*June 20, 08.00GMT: The preview was updated after Richmond Mutumbami’s injury update came in

ScorecardSamit Patel was in a class of his own•Getty Images

Despite the intervention of the weather, which delayed the start of the final day until a quarter to three, a terrific match was granted a fitting finish and a positive result after Samit Patel delivered what will surely be recalled as one of the innings of the season even when this summer has run its full course.Warwickshire’s winning margin, which takes them to the top of the Division One table, was comfortable in the end but felt anything but after the sometime England batsman, such a joy to watch when everything comes together and such a source of frustration that he cannot seem to make it happen just a little more often, had threatened to conjure the most unlikely of victories for his side from what had appeared a hopeless position.Wobbling at 21 for 3 overnight and needing 206 more runs from 47 overs when a drenched outfield was finally dry enough for play to begin, Nottinghamshire seemed down and out when Keith Barker quickly dismissed Greg Smith and Riki Wessels with consecutive swinging deliveries to have them 25 for 5.Patel was in next and it seemed a victory of sorts that he was able to survive the hat-trick ball. No one could have imagined that, a couple of hours later, Warwickshire would have nine players on the boundary, even with Nottinghamshire nine wickets down, still unsure that the seemingly impossible was not about to happen.In broad terms it had been a pretty dismal effort by the home side, especially after their bowlers, Luke Fletcher in particular, had given themselves such a great chance by dismissing Warwickshire for 236 on Tuesday. But Patel was on a different level.Despite losing partner after partner, he just kept on chasing the target and was in such fine touch, his timing of the ball near perfect, that the runs just kept coming. He reached 51 off 36 balls, having hit 10 fours, but that was just the beginning.Despite Brendan Taylor being unable to build on a stubborn 26, Chris Read giving his wicket away, unusually, with a carelessly top-edged sweep and Brett Hutton falling soon afterwards, Patel was of a mind that it might as well be all or nothing.Hitting his namesake, Jeetan Patel, for three sixes in four balls, two driven high into the Radcliffe Road stand, the next slog-swept over deep midwicket, he suddenly make the target seem attainable. Another huge hit off the Kiwi off-spinner took him to a century off just 68 balls, the fastest of the season.Eight down became nine when Chris Wright clipped the top of Jackson Bird’s off stump with still 73 to get but then came three more sixes in one Patel over and Warwickshire still didn’t dare to bring everyone in. When at last, having taken to slogging for the first time with a genuine No 11 at the other end in Harry Gurney, he sliced one high into the leaden sky and a clutch of fielders tried to decide whose catch it might be, there was palpable relief when Sam Hain managed to judge its descent and hold on.”It was as good an innings as I’ve seen for a while and it was getting quite nervy for those of us watching,” Warwickshire’s director of cricket Dougie Brown said afterwards. “Wherever we put the fielders, he just hit it over their heads.”Even though we had them three down overnight and we fancied we could conjure a win if we got on for 50 overs, we knew that someone could come up with a cameo innings and it only needed someone to hang around with him.”Fortunately, we were able to keep chipping away with wickets and it was really pleasing to get over the line because from 17 for 4 on the first morning we played at times some very good cricket.”His opposite number, Nottinghamshire’s Mick Newell, said he had no issues with Patel’s refusal to give up the chase, even though the odds were always against it coming off as wickets fell at the other end.”It was an amazing finish to a really good game,” he said. “Only Samit really got to grips with what was required. We have only lost by 53 with still 13 overs to go so I’m not going to criticise a bloke after he has played like that. With a small outfield he felt the best way was to try to hit sixes and clear the ropes and knock the deficit down.”But when one bloke got 75 percent of the runs you have to be a bit disappointed. Some of our players will have to reflect that they have not really had the best of games. You can manage with only eight or nine playing well but not when it is only six or seven.”

“We have an edge on this wicket. We’ve played two games here. Australia has not played any. But they have a lot of experienced players who have played cricket in most countries. The way they assess the game is better.” It was a pretty telling statement from Sidra Amin, ahead of Pakistan’s World Cup clash against Australia – an opponent they’ve never beaten before.While Pakistan have lost both matches they’ve played in Colombo, to Bangladesh and India, the prevailing school of thought is that the slowish conditions – ones that Australia are yet to experience at this tournament – might help bridge the gap between the two teams. But only slightly.”They have played all over the world. They know the conditions better,” Amin said. “They play the WBBLs and the Hundreds, and come and play in Asian conditions as well. They take preparation very seriously. I’ve heard they prepare for Asian conditions with indoor sessions with the temperature up to 35-40 degrees [Celsius]. So they can train that way as well.”Related

• Winless Pakistan have uphill task of facing near-invincible Australia

While women’s cricket has grown dramatically over the past few years, it’s grown faster for some than others. This discrepancy, in part, stems from the calibre of competition each side gets to face.In the three and a half years since the 2022 World Cup, Australia have actually played two fewer ODIs than Pakistan – 32 compared to 34. However, of those 32 games, 15 have come against India and England – among the tougher challenges in world cricket. Pakistan have played only four games against those two – seven if you include Australia themselves.Ellyse Perry: I think we all go out with the same approach, and that’s to be really positive•ICC/Getty Images

Beyond this, once you dive into the importance of a strong domestic structure, you begin to see clearly how Australia have evolved over the years. A point not lost on Ellyse Perry who, having debuted in 2007, has been part of two ODI World Cup-winning sides and has seen first-hand the fruits of investing in the women’s game.”I think we’re incredibly lucky,” she said. “We’ve got wonderful support back home in terms of the programmes that we’ve got. We’ve got a full-time domestic structure that breeds great depth in Australian cricket. We’re a cricket nation too that loves playing the game. So we’ve always, throughout history, had wonderful players.”And I think as a group, we love the challenge of continuing to find new ways to get better. You know, there’s so much competition in the global landscape now. I think all the advent of the franchise leagues around the world has just grown the depth of women’s cricket.”In that context, the confidence that Perry gave off when analysing how an aggressive batting unit such as Australia’s would play on a not-so-batting-friendly surface like the one in Colombo was unsurprising.”I think we have a conversation with our batting group, which we’re quite fortunate to have some depth in. So for us, and it’s something that we’ve discussed a lot over the last 12 months, is how we use that depth. It’s never going to be everyone’s day on the same day. Quite possibly it might just be one person’s day.”But I think we all go out with the same approach, and that’s to be really positive, but also really adaptable and smart to whatever the game’s presenting, whether that’s conditions or the opposition. I think there’s a blueprint there that applies to anywhere that you play, and then you’ve just got to be adaptable all day.”

Centuries from Sam Northeast and Colin Ingram saw Glamorgan save the draw in batting-friendly conditions in their Rothesay County Championship second division match against Leicestershire at the UptonSteel County Ground.The experienced pair put together a partnership of 225, a fourth-wicket record for Glamorgan against the Foxes. Northeast, who made 410 not out on this ground three years ago, now holds three different wicket record partnerships for Glamorgan against Leicestershire.Leicestershire remain well clear at the top of the second division after taking 16 points from the game, with Glamorgan taking 13 points and remaining third in the table, the result of the match between Gloucestershire and Derbyshire at Bristol notwithstanding.Resuming with the score on 131 for 3, Northeast and Ingram continued to bat in exactly the same manner which had seen them bat through the final session on day three, which is to say with the calm assurance that comes when from facing a softish ball on an benign pitch baked into submission by three days of hot sun and warm wind.Leicestershire’s bowlers stuck at their task, bowling straight and making the batsmen play, but struggled to flog any sort of response from the pitch, with the bat being beaten perhaps three times over the two hour period. Ingram, 37 not out overnight, went to his half-century off 121 deliveries, Northeast reaching his century off 186 deliveries, 11 of which he hit to the boundary.The new ball, eagerly – perhaps desperately – anticipated by the Leicestershire faithful – made little difference, initially at any rate, but Northeast, on 139, finally lost patience and tried to loft the left-arm spin of Trevaskis to the long-on boundary. He didn’t get all of it and Sam Wood, at 20 making his first first-class appearance of the season, sprinted back from mid-on and took an outstanding catch as the ball dropped over his shoulder.Ingram was unmoved, proceeding serenely to his century – also a second of the season – off 246 deliveries, but had a remarkable escape on 103 when he pulled a Ben Green delivery hard and high to the square leg boundary. A leaping Logan van Beek made the catch as he fell backwards over the rope, lobbing the ball back into play as he did so, but over-balanced as he tried to step back over the rope, had to knock the ball up again, and diving forward, could not hold the ball at the third attempt.Glamorgan did lose Ben Kellaway, top-edging an attempted pull at Green to give Wood a more straightward catch on the leg-side, and Ingram, then on 121, may have had another escape in the over before tea, when Leicestershire were convinced he had been caught at short leg off Trevaskis. Umpire Rob White disagreed.One more wicket was to fall, Rishi Patel seeing Chris Cooke push his leg-side delivery firmly but straight at Sol Budinger at short leg, who held on at the second attempt. It was Patel’s maiden first class wicket. At the close Ingram remained unbeaten on 133, having faced 308 deliveries, an impressive effort on the part of the 39-year-old South African. Like Northeast, he seems to enjoy batting against Leicestershire, having made his career-best 257 not out against the Foxes at Cardiff last year.

Bangladesh’s top order has to stand up and be counted for the side to have any chance against New Zealand, head coach Phil Simmons feels.Bangladesh were soundly beaten by India in their first game, and this is perform or perish for them.Simmons said Bangladesh had given the game away to India with their poor starts with both bat and ball. “We lost in batting in overs one to ten, and the same in bowling. We have to make sure we win in those areas,” Simmons said ahead of the New Zealand game. “We need to assess and put together our batting better in the first ten overs. The middle and lower order have done really well so it is up to our top-order batsmen to put things together in the first ten or 15 overs, especially.”Related

• BCB to talk to Simmons to continue as Bangladesh head coach

• New Zealand aim for semi-finals; Bangladesh aim to stay alive

• Jamieson climbs back from 'bottom of the cliff'

Bangladesh had slipped to 35 for 5 in the ninth over in that game in Dubai. Soumya Sarkar fell in Mohammad Shami’s first over before captain Najmul Hossain Shanto gave Virat Kohli a catch at cover in the second. Tanzid Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz didn’t last too long either, while Mushfiqur Rahim fell for a golden duck.Simmons said that the openers must assess conditions quicker and that Bangladesh should take inspiration from all the big scores in the tournament, especially Australia’s chase of 352 against England. That game was in Lahore, Bangladesh take on New Zealand in Rawalpindi, the first of this tournament’s matches at the venue.”This is a big-scoring ground. We saw the score in Lahore yesterday. We are looking at 300-plus here,” Simmons said. “In the last five matches, we made 300 a couple of times. So we have the ability to do it. We didn’t start well in the last game, but still we got to 200 [231]. If we start well, we will get there [300].”Bangladesh are facing a familiar opposition in New Zealand – they have faced them most frequently in bilateral cricket than anyone else since 2015. “All the games in this tournament are pressure games. These are the top-eight teams in the world, and you expect every game to be hard,” Simmons said. “They [New Zealand] are definitely playing well but tomorrow is a new day. We will try to make sure that they don’t play as well as they have been playing.”New Zealand won their first game in convincing fashion against Pakistan and if they win here, they will be through to the semi-finals alongside India.”The way the guys have been planning and netting and stuff has all been good stuff”•ICC via Getty Images

Their captain Mitchell Santner said his batters’ form in the last couple of weeks has given the dressing room a lot of confidence. “I think obviously the lead-in we had with that tri-series [against Pakistan and South Africa], it was a good time for guys to get time in the middle. I think at different stages of every game we have played, different guys have stepped up, which is probably the most pleasing thing.”I think the guys took a lot of confidence in that going into that first game against Pakistan, but then also here into Bangladesh. Again, it’s probably a reset, it’s a different surface, a different team. But I think the way the guys have been planning and netting and stuff has all been good stuff.”Bangladesh are waiting on the fitness of Mahmudullah who missed the first game owing to hamstring issues, having injured himself during training. He batted in the nets in Rawalpindi ahead of the New Zealand game.Simmons hoped Bangladesh would be motivated about being in Rawalpindi, the scene of their 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan last year. “I hope it does [inspire the team]. To come into Pakistan and beat Pakistan is not an easy thing. I hope it has a significant bearing on how they think about this ground.”

Steven Smith sent an emphatic reminder of his T20 worth, smashing a masterful 121 not out to hit the Sydney Sixers to a 14-run win over Perth Scorchers.In one of the best BBL innings, Smith launched an astonishing seven sixes in front of 31,165 fans at the SCG on Saturday afternoon in a 64-ball innings for the ages as the Sixers cantered to 220 for 3 – their highest total in the competition.Related

• How Mitch Owen became Hobart Hurricanes' century-making opener

• Smith's assist in Connolly's selection, ten years on from childhood photo

• Tim David smashes Thunder as Hurricanes extend streak

Sean Abbott then celebrated his call-up to the Australian Test squad for Sri Lanka with 4 for 43, keeping Sixers second on the ladder and with one foot in the finals.And while Scorchers provided some fireworks of their own, this was a day for Smith.The century marked his third in the BBL, drawing him level with Ben McDermott for the most in the tournament’s history. Smith has played 32 matches for his three tons, compared with McDermott’s 100 games.Globally, Smith has been something of a forgotten star in T20 cricket, compared with his status as Australia’s best Test batter since Sir Donald Bradman with a return to runs this summer.The 35-year-old has not played a T20I for Australia since last February, and was overlooked for the World Cup squad last year. He has also been brushed in the past four IPL auctions, featuring only in the Major League Cricket last year of all overseas franchise leagues.Sean Abbott played a key role with the ball•Getty Images

But in the BBL Smith continues to prove his worth, with this his third century in his past seven games. And it may have been his best yet. Smith’s last 95 runs came off 40 balls, after Sixers were particularly patient early and 24 for 1 after five overs.Smith regularly targeted the short boundary at the SCG, while also cutting behind point with glee when Scorchers went too wide outside off to try to counteract him.Two of his sixes came off switch-hits to the short rope, and another was a crisp flick off his pads from Jhye Richardson that sailed into the Bill O’Reilly Stand.Still, Smith’s shot of the day went to the long boundary, picking up a full and wide ball from AJ Tye and hitting it inside out over backward point for six.Tye copped the brunt of the damage for Scorchers, going for 0 for 62 from his four overs while also being taken to by Ben Dwarshuis.Richardson also went for 0 for 51 from his four overs, as Smith and Moises Henriques took him for 24 from the first over of the power surge during a 113-run partnership.This was a day when everything Smith touch turned to gold, including being caught in the deep in the last over before replays fielder Nick Hobson had put a foot on the rope.In reply, Scorchers faced an uphill battle from the moment Abbott took back-to-back wickets in the fourth over. Ashton Turner hit 66 from 32 balls to give the Scorchers a late hope, but 23 from the final over proved too much as they stayed fifth on the ladder.

David Warner has backed his former opening partner Usman Khawaja to return to the top of the order for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, believing that having Travis Head at No. 5 is the option that can give England the most problems.If Khawaja is passed fit following his back spasms, Australia’s selectors face a huge call ahead of the match where the home side could secure the Ashes. Since Khawaja was unable to open in Perth, Head and Jake Weatherald, the latter in his first Test series, have produced two impactful partnerships.Opinions are divided over the best way for Australia to go, and coach Andrew McDonald suggested that using Khawaja in the middle order could be an option. But Warner is of the view they should revert to their original plan.Related

• Australia could consider Khawaja for middle-order return

• Switch Hit: Broken in Brisbane

• Clarke has doubts over Khawaja returning to Test side

“I think Uzzy comes back in, slides to the top, and Trav goes down,” Warner told reporters ahead of captaining Sydney Thunder in the BBL “That’s probably a worse result for England, Travis Head going back down the order.”Head averages 41.46 at No. 5, where he has made eight of his ten Test centuries including three on his home ground at Adelaide Oval. Warner added that Head opening could remain an option when Khawaja retires, although he said there was no guarantee it would work in the longer run.”At the end of the day, Travis put his hand up to bat in the situation he was in,” Warner said. “He came out and batted in the way Travis Head does. You see plenty of interviews from Trav saying that is Uzzy’s spot, and if when the time comes they ask him to go up the order, he wouldn’t mind to do that.”We didn’t have that aggressor down in the middle order [in previous years]. Australia has that now as well, and moving forward with whatever Uzzy decides to do, if he hangs them up, they can look that way.”But then it’s on all of us to understand that potentially might not work and Travis will have to go back down the order. And then they are going to have to look for another replacement. The selectors have a headache.”Warner endorsed Queensland’s Matt Renshaw as the long-term option to open when Khawaja steps away.Travis Head’s batting position has been constant topic of discussion•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images

“We’ve got a lot of young [opening] talent there at the moment that’s coming through,” he said. “But what I will say to George Bailey and the selectors is to show faith in their 31-year-old, Jake Weatherald. I think experience is key as well.”So credit to them if they’ve picked him. But moving forward, Renshaw could be one. I think he’ll slide straight back in there. He’s had a taste of Test cricket.”Australia have not had a settled opening combination since Warner retired in early 2024. Prior to Khawaja’s injury, he had gone in with five different opening partners across 15 Tests.Unlike what Warner did ahead of the 2023 Ashes, Khawaja has not publicly talked about an ideal end point for his career although this series ends at his former home ground of the SCG, the venue where he revived his Test career with twin hundreds in early 2022.”At the end of the day, having been in that situation, you still have to score runs,” Warner said. “You will deserve [the dream farewell] if you score runs and then the selectors stick by you. It’s not by chance he’s in this position now. He is 38 years of age, he knows what’s required.”

Bangladesh clean swept Afghanistan 3-0 in the T20I series in Sharjah, as they successfully followed a chasing template in all three matches. Saif Hassan continued his good form with an unbeaten 38-ball 64 that powered Bangladesh to a six-wicket win in the third T20I.Afghanistan once again fell well short after being sent in to bat first. They had an ordinary powerplay, followed by an even worse middle overs. Only a late burst from Darwish Rasooli and No. 10 Mujeeb Ur Rahman got them to 143 for 9 in 20 overs.Tanzid Hasan got Bangladesh off to a quick start before Saif took over with his big-hitting. He struck seven sixes and two fours, including several swings, flicks and sweeps on his way to his fourth T20I fifty. Bangladesh did lose a couple of wickets in the middle, but Nurul Hasan struck the winning runs to wrap up victory with two overs to spare.

Tanzid provides early fireworks

Azmatullah Omarzai provided Afghanistan with the early wicket of Parvez Hossain, when the left-hand batter skied him in the fifth over. Parvez looked good in the early exchanges, striking a four and a six in his innings of 14. But when he tried to loft Omarzai, he was caught at mid-off.Saif started with a six later in the same over, before Tanzid crashed two fours in a row off Rashid Khan in the seventh over.Darwish Rasooli’s innings of 32 propelled Afghanistan•ACB

Tanzid then belted Mujeeb for a six over long-on, before Rasooli dropped a sitter off Tanzid’s top edge in the 11th over. But thankfully, for Abdollah Ahmadzai, who was the bowler, Tanzid top-edged his next delivery, a slower one, to mid-off. But Tanzid’s run-a-ball 33, and his 55-run second-wicket stand with Saif, had given Bangladesh a good base in their 144-run chase.

Saif slays, Jaker flails

Like earlier in the series, Bangladesh, though, fell into the pattern of getting into panic mode after a good partnership. Captain Jaker Ali survived two lbw appeals in three balls against Rashid. Both times the ball pitched outside leg stump. Saif then laid into Ahmadzai with a 92-metre six in a 22-run over that should have made life comfortable for Bangladesh.Instead, with just 35 runs to get in 38 balls, Jaker fell to Mujeeb. Jaker took a second review in his 11-ball stay, but this time it didn’t save him. Mujeeb then had Shamim Hossain bowled for a golden duck to make things a little interesting.Saif, meanwhile, cleverly played out Rashid’s last over, the 15th of the innings, with forward-defensive shots, even as it meant giving away a maiden. It didn’t put much pressure on Bangladesh, however, although he made up for it by striking debutant Bashir Ahmad for two sixes in the 16th over. Saif reached his fourth fifty with the second six in the over, a slog sweep that went for 95 meters.Nurul, at the other end, remained not out on 10, including hitting the match-winning runs, a six off Ahmadzai, who had an evening to forget in Sharjah. Nurul thus ended unbeaten in all three matches of the T20I series.Mohammad Saifuddin got three wickets•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Saifuddin leads Bangladesh’s charge

Bangladesh’s bowlers continued their dominance in the powerplay in this T20I series. Afghanistan were 39 for 3 after six overs, with Shoriful Islam once again giving Bangladesh an early breakthrough. He removed Ibrahim Zadran in the third over, before Shamim took a screamer at cover to dismiss Rahmanullah Gurbaz off Nasum Ahmed in the fourth over.Wafiullah Tarakhil’s wicket in the sixth over rounded off Afghanistan’s struggle in the powerplay. Sediqullah Atal looked good during his 23-ball 28, before Mohammad Saifuddin had him caught at deep point in the 11th over. Omarzai then skied Rishad Hossain for 3, before Mohammad Nabi and Rashid fell cheaply, and in successive overs.Bangladesh dominated with the ball till the 15th over, and with Afghanistan at 106 for 8, they might have expected to take the last two wickets rather quickly.

Rasooli, Mujeeb salvage some pride

Bangladesh almost had the ninth wicket in the 17th over when umpire Ahmed Shah Pakteen adjudged Mujeeb lbw, only for a review to save Mujeeb. Rasooli struck Rishad for a four and six later in the over, before Mujeeb got two fours off Shoriful in the 18th over. Rasooli, who scored 29, fell trying to slash Saifuddin, thus giving the latter his third wicket, and ending a 34-run ninth-wicket stand.New batter Bashir then survived a caught-behind chance, with the ball having dropped an inch in front of wicketkeeper Jaker. Mujeeb struck one more four to take Afghanistan past 140, thus giving their bowlers something to aim at.

Rishabh Pant could return to action in the second round of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy, starting October 25, and set in motion the process to come back to Test cricket during the two-match series against South Africa from November 14. Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector, had hinted at Pant being in the fray for the South Africa Tests when he spoke late last month in Dubai at the time of announcing the squad for the ongoing Test series against West Indies.Pant, who had fractured his right foot in the Old Trafford Test in late July, is understood to be in his final stretch of rehab and is due to undergo a fitness assessment at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru later this week.His foot was taken out of the cast more than three weeks ago, and he is understood to be moving without any discomfort now. He has been working on strengthening the foot through mobility exercises and weight training drills, and has also resumed batting.Related

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If cleared, Pant is expected to link up with the Delhi squad, which plays in the opening round of the Ranji Trophy from October 15 away against Hyderabad, for which Pant remains “slightly doubtful” according to the DDCA. The second game is at home at the Feroz Shah Kotla against Himachal Pradesh.Pant has been out of action since reverse-sweeping Chris Woakes on to his foot in the fourth England-India Test. He was forced to retire hurt, with scans confirming a fracture. While Pant returned to bat the next day, he couldn’t keep wicket. He finished the series with 479 runs in four Tests, which included two centuries and three half-centuries.In Pant’s absence, India have picked Dhruv Jurel and N Jagadeesan as the wicketkeepers for the ongoing Test series against West Indies. Pant is also missing the white-ball tour of Australia from October 19 as he hadn’t received a “return to play” certificate from the CoE.It’s likely Pant will lead Delhi for the duration of his availability. For the moment, the squad will be led by Ayush Badoni, Pant’s IPL team-mate at Lucknow Super Giants.