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A ninth-wicket partnership of 109 runs may have staved off an innings defeat for South Africa

The Report by Firdose Moonda12-Oct-20199:19

Agarkar: Will be surprised if India don’t enforce follow-on

Keshav Maharaj and Vernon Philander, the lead spinner and senior seamer of the South Africa team, were picked to do a job with the ball. But the pair frustrated India with the bat with a ninth-wicket partnership of 109 runs, South Africa’s third-highest in the series, and might have done enough to stave off an innings defeat.

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Virat Kohli will able to sleep on whether he wants to put South Africa, 326 runs behind, in again, but he will have plenty to consider. His bowlers were in the field for 105.4 overs and South Africa’s lower-order showed they are capable of making India work for their wickets. Kohli may also be wary of batting last on a surface that is taking turn, even if there is only an outside chance that India will need to chase a target. Either way, they sit in prime position to seal the series in the remaining two days and have asserted their dominance over a South African side whose quality remains in question.South Africa’s top-order batsmen were beaten at their own game as India’s seamers reduced them to 53 for 5. Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami maintained a slightly fuller length and bowled to attacking fields, whereas South Africa’s bowlers had erred on the side of too short and too wide, and the difference brought wickets. Nightwatchman Anrich Nortje was dismissed in the third over, caught at fourth slip, and Theunis de Bruyn, who looked confident on the front foot for much of his 30 runs, ended up stuck in his crease, uncertain whether to move forward or back to an Umesh delivery and was caught behind.Mohammed Shami takes flight•BCCI

That brought South Africa’s most accomplished pair, captain Faf du Plessis and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, together. They posted 75 runs, with du Plessis increasingly authoritative on the cover drive, but the resistance was broken when de Kock was bowled by an R Ashwin delivery that also tested his footwork. South Africa scored 100 runs in the morning session but the loss of three wickets and all but one of their top-six batsmen saw them staring down the barrel of being asked to follow-on for the first time since 2008. It seemed certain that they would be asked to bat again as Kohli saved his quicks and kept his spinners on for 38 overs, but South Africa’s tail had other ideas.Philander, who was coming off a pair in the first Test, faced 22 balls before he scored his first run, an indication that he was settling in for a long stay. With du Plessis having brought up his second half-century of the series and looking comfortable on the sweep as well, South Africa showed some fight, but Ashwin made a timely breakthrough when he found du Plessis’ outside edge with a delivery that went straight on. At 162 for 8, South Africa’s resistance seemed up but Maharaj and Philander stonewalled so well against a ball that was softening that they forced Kohli to bring back his seamers.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Maharaj’s effort was particularly impressive because he did it nursing an injury. He went down while fielding on the first day and was taken for scans on his right shoulder. They proved inconclusive so he returned for a second set of scans on Saturday and was cleared to bat, and make jaws drop. The team management certainly sat back and marvelled as he scored a career-best 72 off only 132 balls. It is, however, still unclear if Maharaj can bowl as the Test match drags on.The only chance of the entire partnership came when Maharaj, on 44, offered a return catch to Ashwin, but the offspinner could not hold on in his follow-through. Maharaj went on to a maiden Test fifty and his partnership with Philander leapfrogged the 91 runs put on by Dane Piedt and Senuran Muthusamy for the ninth-wicket in Visakhapatnam. They also faced the second-highest number of balls by any ninth- or tenth-wicket pair in India – 259.South Africa’s ninth wicket is only 30 runs off being their most productive pairing in this series. Under different circumstances, that would be something to celebrate. Now, though, it will only leave their top order wondering why they have not be able to put similar pressure on India when it mattered more instead of when the fight is already up. They will have a second innings to answer that question, and it may come as early as tomorrow.India bowled South Africa out in the dying stages of the day’s play, first removing Maharaj, who was caught at leg slip, and then trapping Kagiso Rabada lbw. Ashwin claimed both wickets. That leaves India with two full days, either to add to their total and then attempt to bowl South Africa out again or to try to take ten more wickets straight away. Given how porous South Africa’s batting has looked, either will be regarded as a safe option, putting India within touching distance of a series win.

The pace bowler has not recovered from a dislocated shoulder in time for the tournament with Kane Richardson taking his place

Andrew McGlashan08-May-2019Jhye Richardson has made peace with the bitter disappointment of being ruled out of the World Cup due to the dislocated shoulder he suffered against Pakistan in the UAE and now has his sights set on returning for the Ashes tour later in the year.Jhye picked up the injury diving on the boundary during the second ODI in Sharjah and though he avoided needing surgery, the time has run out on him to be ready for the World Cup. Since Australia went into camp in Brisbane, it has looked unlikely he would recover having not yet resumed bowling although right up the moment of being ruled out he remained positive about the prognosis.His next target is to be able available to join the Australia A tour of England which runs concurrent to the latter part of the World Cup and the build-up to the Ashes in a bid to make the Test squad for the series which starts on August 1. Kane Richardson has been called up to Australia’s 15-man World Cup squad in his place.”If I’m going to be brutally honest, it hasn’t been that easy to accept,” Jhye said before leaving Australia’s camp in Brisbane to return to Perth. “World Cups don’t come around every day, so it’s been tough. I’ve got the right people around me. The guys are fantastic, they’ve been really supportive every step of the way. I’ve done everything I can, it just wasn’t meant to be and I’m at peace with it.”It helps a lot to know there is something just as big around the corner and to have that to aim for it puts a lot of clarity in my mind. I’ll do everything I can to get up for firstly the Australia A tour and then the Ashes.His World Cup absence is a blow for Australia with him having made an impressive return to the Australia one-day side during the home summer. In his young ODI career, he has taken 24 wickets in 12 matches so far at an average of 26.33.”This is obviously very disappointing news for the team and for Jhye, who has been exceptional throughout his rehabilitation process,” David Beakley, Australia’s physiotherapist, said. “After his most recent assessment and attempting to bowl in the nets, it was clear that Jhye was not progressing as fast as required and therefore, in consultation with selectors, we made the decision to withdraw him from the squad.”Jhye added: “I honestly thought I could get up and I was determined to do everything I could. It was always going to be touch and go, we knew that from the day I did it. I was optimistic all the way through even though bowling wasn’t going the way I would have liked. I still thought I had a chance. Even though people around me were telling me it wasn’t going as well as they would have liked, I was trying to keep positive.”He also insisted he would have no doubts about throwing himself around the outfield again in the future even if it risked another injury. “That’s the way I want to play my cricket. I want to be able to put my body on the line, that’s what it means to me, and if I get injured doing so then so be it. I can accept that. If I’m trying to save runs for the team and do everything I can then that’s the way I want to go about it and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.”For his namesake, Kane, the World Cup call-up completes a notable one-day comeback having drifted out of the reckoning until a prolific BBL – where he was the leading wicket-taker – earned him another chance, firstly for the India tour, which he was then ruled out of with injury, and then the Pakistan series in the UAE where he played two matches.He was wicketless in the opening match against the New Zealand XI in Brisbane but was named for the second match.He has been called up ahead of Josh Hazlewood who was the other quick confirmed as a reserve when the squad was named last month. Hazlewood has been out of action since the final Test against India in early January but was bowling off a full run and at a good pace in the nets on Wednesday.Sean Abbott and Michael Neser, who are both part of the Australia A squad, were included in the Australian XII for the second practice match at Allan Border Field, while Mitchell Starc got his first outing since the final Test against Sri Lanka when he suffered a pectoral injury.

Mumbai Indians’ premier fast bowler Lasith Malinga joined the squad on Friday evening, but he is unlikely to be available for selection immediately

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Apr-2016Mumbai Indians’ premier fast bowler Lasith Malinga joined the squad on Friday evening, but he is unlikely to be available for selection immediately given the ongoing issues with his knee. The Sri Lankan pacer had missed Mumbai’s first two matches of this IPL due to fitness concerns.Two days before the IPL started, Mumbai coach Ricky Ponting had had said that Malinga was likely to arrive at this stage, but would sit out at least the first half of the tournament to recover from a knee injury. “I believe he will be joining us after the first couple of games to have his fitness assessed,” Ponting had said. “Right now it’s unlikely he will take part in the first half of the tournament anyway.”Malinga has been trying to recover from a bone bruise in his left knee since November. He was to captain Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup, but played just the one match. He then decided to stand down as captain for the World T20, because of uncertainty over his fitness, and eventually did not play a game.In the absence of Malinga, the IPL’s overall highest wicket-taker, Mumbai had fielded New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee in their victory over Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this week. In the tournament opener, which they lost to Rising Pune Supergiants, Mumbai had opted to field an extra overseas batsman in Lendl Simmons, while Southee’s New Zealand team-mate Mitchell McCleneghan had shared the new ball with India seamer Jasprit Bumrah.

Mark Wood picked up a solitary wicket but his discipline and determination kept England in contention on a tough first day in Dubai

Andrew McGlashan in Dubai22-Oct-2015There was an almost apologetic look on Misbah-ul-Haq’s face when he won his second toss of the series. As if to say, ‘sorry, Alastair, but you know what’s coming’. And there certainly was a case of déjà vu.The close-of-play score – 282 for 4 – was remarkably similar to last week’s at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium when Pakistan finished on 286 for 4, and there was even a sense of having seen it all before in the way Misbah disdainfully raced to his hundred in the final over.There is an expectation that this surface will deteriorate more rapidly than Abu Dhabi, which offered virtually nothing until the penultimate session of the match, so having first use was seen as a major coup, especially with Yasir Shah back in Pakistan’s ranks. Yet, despite Misbah’s hundred, England reached the close knowing they remain firmly in the contest after the bowling attack strained every sinew.An opening stand of 51 was countered by two pieces of sharp work at short leg from Jonny Bairstow. Then Shan Masood’s elegant fifty was snuffed out straight after lunch – both he and Mohammad Hafeez fell to that notorious helping hand, the break in play – and Younis Khan was extracted before his partnership with Misbah could swell to vast proportions. The final hour swung the day, but not the match.As on the first day in Abu Dhabi, there was a stark contrast between pace and spin: the four quicks compiled 57-16-138-3 and the two spinners 33-4-142-1. The value of having six frontline bowlers was again on display from Alastair Cook. He did not have to over-expose Adil Rashid or over-burden any of his quicks.The heaviest workload of the day went to Moeen Ali with 20 overs. He was introduced in just the eighth over and was also the man to feel the force of Misbah in the last, while the tireless James Anderson was the hardest-worked of the quicks, with 16 overs stretched across four spells. However, it was the effort of Mark Wood that was most notable – with a worthy nod to Ben Stokes who was still recovering from the effects of a stomach bug – even though his wicket tally remains limited.”It’s three or four overs as a bowler and then you are off and then the next guy has to back that up,” Wood said. “It’s no good, say, Jimmy putting in a great three overs and I come on and let the pressure off. I think that’s why we all look out for each other and are quite a close unit. You sort of have that badge of honour in these conditions, you know you’ve put a hard shift in and done it for the team.Mark Wood grabbed the key wicket of Younis Khan in a fine spell after tea•Getty Images

“I think the pitch is a little more skiddy than [Abu Dhabi], this comes onto the bat a little bit better. As a seam group I think we did our job, we set traps and tried different things. They attacked the spinners but I don’t think they bowled badly.”In Wood’s case, how his body reacts to back-to-back Tests is always the focus of attention. Against New Zealand, at Headingley, he laboured after his debut the week before; against Australia at Lord’s he struggled after impressing in Cardiff – and those matches were not in 35-degree heat. In Abu Dhabi he sent down 29 overs in the match, comparable to the other quicks but not a huge workload.Still, the strain needs to be carefully monitored; if he plays all three Tests in this series that will be above expectation. Wood does not hide his concerns, he has been happy to talk about them in the past, conceding surgery made be needed on his ankle eventually. Still, as a player deemed worthy of selection Wood can’t then expect special protection. Besides, it’s not in his nature to hold anything back.Each spell was full of hostility. In his first burst he attempted to unsettle Masood, who had not played the short ball at all well during his brief pair of innings in Abu Dhabi; then in his second spell, Wood twice stuck Misbah on the shoulder and the back of the helmet as the Pakistan captain turned his head away from short deliveries.What must go through the mind of a fast bowler, on these pitches, when the captain asks for a spell of bouncers? There was, however, a modicum of extra carry compared to last week and Wood threw his all into trying to make the most of it.”I tried to make more aggressive use of the short ball,” Wood said. “With my height, in these conditions, it tends not to go over them very much, it’s always at them, so I can use that to my advantage. But they played it pretty well, I know I hit Misbah a couple of times but he’s still out there and has a hundred so I’ll have to try again tomorrow.”After tea Wood produced an outstanding spell of 4-2-3-1; between him and Moeen the first 17 balls of the final session were dots, the 18th brought the wicket of Younis who was set solid on 56. A leg-side catch it may have been, but it is worth noting the build-up in the over – the third ball, a short delivery, made Younis flinch out of the line and the next he was beaten playing a flat-footed drive. Younis, a batsman enjoying the prime of his career late on, had been unsettled on a flat pitch.Next over, Wood gave Asad Shafiq a testing time, zipping one past the outside edge and then creating a nick which landed short of gully. In the fourth over of his spell he pummelled Misbah’s gloves with a rising delivery and nipped another past the outside edge. On another day, Wood could easily have had more reward. But although both batsmen survived, he had left nothing in the shed, or should that be the stable. Wood’s own horse may be imaginary, but England’s most certainly has not bolted.

Boyd Rankin did well to conquer the nerves inherent in playing against his native country and return England’s best bowling figures on debut for eight years, according to his coach, Ashley Giles

Andrew McGlashan04-Sep-2013
When Boyd Rankin’s second ball of his England one-day debut – against an Ireland side who he had represented 37 times at the same level – disappeared so far down the leg side that Jos Buttler couldn’t gather it there was a fear the occasion may get the better of him. That he ended with a career-best 4 for 46 provided Rankin with a major tick in Ashley Giles’ coach’s notebook at the beginning of a period where the depth of England’s next generation will be assessed.Rankin, who has spent much of his county career under Giles at Warwickshire, overcame his early waywardness in Malahide with the scalps of Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce, then later in the innings he removed William Porterfield and Jonny Mooney to earn him the best figures of a bowler on England debut since Chris Tremlett’s 4 for 32 against Bangladesh in 2005.He formed a tall opening attack with Steven Finn which is likely to be the combination used for most of the series against Australia with England having rested James Anderson and Stuart Broad alongside the injury-enforced absence of Tim Bresnan. His chances of breaking into England’s Ashes party for the Test series in Australia this winter are already being talked up.Giles told ESPNcricinfo that the nerves had been evident. “All credit to him. He was probably more nervous yesterday than if he’d been playing against Australia,” he said, “with him going home and all the talk around the Irish players playing for England. His first couple of overs were a bit nervous but he settled very quickly. To finish with four: what a great debut. He’ll take that confidence into the next match.”Boyd Rankin dismisses William Porterfield on his way to the best debut figures by an England bowler for eight years•Getty Images

Rankin and Finn were the only two frontline quicks selected against Ireland – Jamie Overton and Chris Jordan were overlooked – and for large chunks of the bowling performance England did feel a specialist bowler light, especially when Eoin Morgan turned to Michael Carberry’s basic offspin. Giles, however, was impressed by the role of Ben Stokes who bowled for the first time in ODIs, ending with none for 51 in his 10 overs.”Ben was our third seamer and his bowling has really developed over the last 12 months, and I thought he bowled pretty well yesterday. We have an inexperienced attack for these one-dayers and it’s going to be a steep learning curve. In terms of the balance it was great to look down and see Stokes at No. 8, and at one point it looked as though we might need it. I think we are lucky in his case as he’s a genuine allrounder and can fill two spots.”Giles was alluding to England’s top order collapse as they slipped to 48 for 4 chasing 270 before being rescued by a world-record fifth wicket stand 220 between Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara. Although Giles would have preferred not to see the team in such a tricky position he believes they could yet feel the benefit of it further down the line.”It was a very useful exercise. Obviously there are areas we can work on. Ireland setting us a challenging target was, in hindsight, good for the side because it put them under pressure. It was a bit closer than we’d have liked to be at one stage but overall for us to firstly see some of those guys in an international environment, and then for Morgan and Bopara to get us home was extremely worthwhile.”The side that faced Ireland resembled more a Lions team that a full England one-day side and although three players – Kevin Pietersen, Joe Root and Jonathan Trott – return to face Australia the bowling will retain a callow feel for the five-match series.Giles has not been able to able to pick a full strength team during his time as one-day coach (Pietersen was injured for the Champions Trophy) but acknowledges the need for rotation and also sees the benefit of judging different players under the pressure of one-day cricket.”Myself and Andy Flower, in our conversations, have always accepted that this would have to happen to manage the player workloads. We want to keep their services for the long-term. In the Champions Trophy we had our No 1 side out, barring Kevin Pietersen and that’s our aim: to have our best sides available for the key tournaments.”Between times we are going to have to rest and rotate. It does give us a chance to look at some of the young talent coming through, particularly with an eye on 2015 World Cup. We could say our best team – the one that played the Champions Trophy plus Kevin Pietersen – could get us to the World Cup. It might be, but it might not be and some of youngsters might be needed.”And he insists the split coaching roles which have been in place since January are dovetailing effectively. “It’s going pretty smoothly. Myself and Andy have a good relationship. I feel, and I hope Andy feels the same, that we can talk about where we are and what we want. I’m looking at the one-day squad then have to take into account what Andy wants for the Test team. We certainly haven’t had any fallings out.”As part of NatWest’s “Big Cricket Ticket Giveaway” cricket fans still have the chance to win tickets to the remaining NatWest Series matches this summer. Follow @NatWest_Cricket on Twitter for your chance to win.

Bangladesh will get more matches to fine-tune their World Twenty20 preparations after it was announced that they will play two Twenty20s in Netherlands next month

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2012Bangladesh will get more matches to fine-tune their World Twenty20 preparations after it was announced that they will play two Twenty20s in Netherlands next month. One match will be against the home side, and the other against Scotland during a five-day stay in Netherlands following their tour of Ireland. The matches will be played at Voorburg Cricket Club near The Hague, on 24 and 25 July.There has been no international cricket in Netherlands since a couple of ODIs against Kenya last September, and no Test-playing nation has played there since Sri Lanka visited in 2006. “We are delighted to have secured the opportunity to host a Full Member country on home soil as it has been some time since this last happened,” Cricket Netherlands CEO Richard Cox said.Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim also welcomed the extra matches. “The Twenty20 game is a great leveller and our matches against Netherlands and Scotland should be very interesting,” he said. “Netherlands have beaten England in a World Twenty20 game and Scotland have some fine players.”

England Lions coasted to victory in the second one-dayer to square the series against Bangladesh.

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2012
ScorecardStuart Meaker took four wickets as England Lions coasted to victory in the second one-dayer to square the series against Bangladesh A. Meaker helped bowl the hosts out cheaply before Jonny Bairstow’s half-century saw the Lions home with 12 overs to spare.Bairstow’s 50 not out from 65 balls was the mainstay of the chase in an unbroken partnership of 70 with Jos Buttler, who made 41 not out.The chase began badly with the Lions slipping to 23 for 2. Jason Roy was bowled first ball of the innings and Joe Root fell for 5 in the sixth over. James Vince and captain James Taylor got the Lions’ reply moving with a stand of 48 before Bairstow completed the win.The Lions’ bowlers set up the victory with an early burst that saw only one of Bangladesh’s top seven make double figures. Stuart Meaker bowled Rony Talukder with the fourth ball of the match and also cleaned up captain Raqibul Hasan for 2. Danny Briggs also picked up two cheap wickets as Bangladesh A were reduced to 59 for 6.Nazimuddin held things together and reached 50 of 96 balls with five fours. He added eight more boundaries, including four sixes in an unbeaten 99. Suhrawadi Shuvo made the second top score with 20 from 27 balls.Dolar Mahmud’s 17 contributed to the only meaningful partnership of the innings, dominated by Nazimuddin. The pair added 81 in 16 overs to prevent the innings from complete destruction. But Simon Kerrigan had Mahmud caught by Roy and Meaker returned to take the last two wickets.

The MCA accepts his request to withdraw the NOC for playing for Goa

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2025Yashasvi Jaiswal will continue to be with Mumbai for the 2025-26 domestic season after the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) accepted his request to withdraw the no-objection certificate (NOC) to move to Goa.”Yashasvi has always been a proud product of Mumbai cricket,” MCA president Ajinkya Naik stated in a press release. “We have accepted Jaiswal’s withdrawal NOC application and he will be available for Mumbai in the forthcoming domestic season.”In April, Jaiswal had sought an NOC to play for Goa, a move the MCA had found “surprising”. But a month later, he wrote to them again, saying he had planned to relocate to Goa with his family, but that plan had since changed and he wanted to continue playing for Mumbai.Related

• Sairaj Patil – the six-hitting, seam-bowling Mumbai man to watch out for

• Jaiswal makes U-turn, wants to continue playing for Mumbai

The 23-year-old has played for Mumbai since his Under-19 days. He made his first-class debut for Mumbai in 2019 and has since played ten first-class games for them, scoring 863 runs at an average of 53.93, which includes four centuries, two fifties and a highest score of 181 against Uttar Pradesh in 2022.He had played for Mumbai in the recent domestic season, too, in a Ranji Trophy game against Jammu and Kashmir, which they lost at home. He was set to play in the semi-final against Vidarbha, but was ruled out after injuring his right ankle while training ahead of the game.Jaiswal is currently with India’s Test team in England. His century in the series opener at Leeds ended in vain as India lost by five wickets.

Melbourne Renegades quick will miss a third straight WBBL season due to injury

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2024Luckless Australia and Melbourne Renegades fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck has been ruled out of the WBBL for the third consecutive season following the shoulder dislocation she suffered in the T20 World Cup.Vlaeminck, 25, dislocated her bowling shoulder just moments into Australia’s World Cup match against Pakistan which was her first at a major tournament since 2018.She was subsequently ruled out of the World Cup and Renegades confirmed on Friday that she would play no part in the WBBL that starts next Sunday.Related

• Vlaeminck dislocates shoulder on T20 World Cup return

Vlaeminck has not played in the WBBL since November 2021 when she was playing for Hobart Hurricanes. She signed with Renegades ahead of the 2022-23 season but has not managed to play a single game due to an extraordinary run of injuries.Vlaeminck has twice dislocated her left shoulder. The first came playing for Victoria in the 2017-18 season. Then, during the Australia A tour of England which coincided with last year’s Women’s Ashes, she dislocated the same shoulder again while bowling, which led to corrective surgery.Before she made her debut for Australia, in 2018, she had undergone two ACL reconstructions. Stress fractures in her foot also forced her to miss the 2020 home T20 World Cup as well as the 2022 ODI World Cup, the Commonwealth Games later that year and the 2023 T20 World Cup. Her foot injuries led her to spend time training with professional dancers at the Australian Ballet as part of her rehab work.

Both teams are in the top three at this stage, and the winners of this game will feel very secure about their future

Shashank Kishore31-Oct-20235:40

Manjrekar: South Africa still don’t look convincing

Big picture – Not a must-win, but a win-for-momentum

It started with a World Cup quarter-final that turned into a proper scrap in Mirpur in 2011. It marked the arrival of a cricket rivalry that isn’t talked about a lot, but often gives us games that ain’t good for the heart – just like the rugby World Cup final from a few nights ago.Auckland 2015 and Birmingham 2019, the two most recent men’s ODI World Cup fixtures since the rivalry sprung to life, were both thrillers of different kinds. One a semi-final with everything on the line, and the other a league fixture, like Wednesday’s will be. This one will dictate how the top half of the points table shapes up heading into the last bit of the league stage.All told, for three straight men’s World Cups in a row, the New Zealand games have been must-wins for South Africa; in fact, South Africa have lost five World Cup games in a row to New Zealand. In Pune on Wednesday, the stakes aren’t as high, given both teams are still pretty comfortably placed for the semi-finals, but it’s one both sides will want to win for momentum’s sake at the very least.Related

• NZ are good, and nobody knows it better than the SA coach

• Coetzee: A scary all-round package in the making

• Tea for two with Tim and Trent

New Zealand endured back-to-back losses to India and Australia as their smooth sail of a campaign – they had started with four wins on the trot – hit a rough patch amid a growing list of niggles. South Africa have been gung-ho, proving their only loss – to Netherlands – was an aberration, their batting depth looking increasingly menacing and bowling effective enough, as they were expected to be.Their one-wicket win over Pakistan in Chennai the other night saved them from that dreaded word that had begun doing the rounds even as their lower order collapsed, before Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi saw them home. A favourable result in Pune will further underpin their status as one of the dominant teams at this World Cup. That they aren’t great chasers, though, is a suggestion they haven’t been able to dispel.Results and all that aside, the match promises an explosive cocktail of firepower with the bat, and thrill with the ball. There’s aesthetics in the form of Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Rassie van der Dussen, big-hitting from Henrich Klaasen, David Miller and Glenn Phillips, and the genius of Quinton de Kock to boot.With the ball, there’s pace royalty in the form of Kagiso Rabada, the swing of Trent Boult, the hustle of Gerald Coetzee, and the bounce of Marco Jansen – each of them brings a unique flavour that makes fast bowling thrilling. If all of them play, it’ll truly mark a spectacle.Now for a good pitch and great weather to make it all come together.

Form guide

New Zealand LLWWW
South Africa WWWLW3:51

Van der Dussen: ‘We’re blessed that we’re in a great space now’

In the spotlight – Temba Bavuma and Rachin Ravindra

In a top order that has mostly been in top gear, Temba Bavuma seems some sort of a weak link at the moment for South Africa. He has had starts in three of his four innings, but hasn’t been able to top 35. As such, Bavuma is an accumulator, but has seemed anxious at different times to break out of that mould. It hasn’t worked yet. While there is no threat to his captaincy, he’ll want a big score to feel a bit more at ease.Will he? Won’t he? Kane Williamson has walked around with more questions on his fitness and participation during this campaign than he has at any other point in his career. Williamson is not fit yet, but in his absence, Rachin Ravindra has made the No. 3 spot his own. Williamson’s presence as part of the leadership group has lent a lot of calm and tactical nous, but he would be itching to return and make an impact. As for Ravindra, he is already making plenty of it.

Team news

Kagiso Rabada missed the previous game because of a niggle, but is understood to be fit and is expected to return to the XI. That’ll mean South Africa will be left with a tricky call on whom to leave out. Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi both had important roles to play in their win over Pakistan in Chennai, but one of them will probably have to make way, depending on the pitch.South Africa (probable): 1 Temba Bavuma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Gerald Coetzee/Tabraiz Shamsi, 11 Lungi NgidiNew Zealand have an injury list that’s slowly growing. Lockie Ferguson bowled all of three overs before walking off with a heel injury against Australia. Mark Chapman is recovering from a minor calf strain. Tim Southee was on the mend for a broken finger, but might be ready to return. Williamson has resumed training, but he has been ruled out of the game against South Africa, while Ferguson will take a fitness test before the toss.New Zealand (probable): 1 Will Young, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Rachin Ravindra, 4 Tom Latham (capt, wk), 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Jimmy Neesham, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Tim Southee/Lockie Ferguson2:29

Latham: ‘Focusing on the things that we do well’

Pitch and conditions

Pune is unusually hot and dry for this time of the year, but the surfaces have been good for batting, with even bounce and excellent carry. In the two games so far, dew hasn’t had too big an effect, but it should be humid. The toss might not be too big a factor if the dew stays away.

Stats and trivia

• Conway has been dismissed twice in six games by left-arm spin at this World Cup. South Africa have Maharaj in the mix. In all, Conway has hit 17 runs off the 21 balls from bowlers of this variety. It’s only a small sample size but worth looking out for nonetheless, especially given that he loves the sweep shot, and Pune has relatively bigger squares.
• Ravindra’s tally of 406 runs is already the most by a New Zealander in his maiden World Cup. The standout aspect has been his game against spin – he has scored 210 against them at a strike rate of 109. His eight sixes are the most against spinners in the tournament so far.
• South Africa’s seven 300-plus totals in a row batting first in ODIs – including four this World Cup – is the longest streak in the game. They have hit the most sixes and fours, and have the most hundreds (six) in the tournament.
• South Africa’s pace pack has taken 44 wickets at an average and a strike rate of 23.3 and 23.5, respectively. Their wickets tally and their bowling strike rate are the best for a team in this World Cup.

Quotes

“We’ve got a few guys to get through a few fitness tests, and I guess once we train, we’ll have a clearer idea of what the XI looks like. So fingers crossed all those guys can get through a bit of work today at training and be ready to go tomorrow.”

“It feels like that question could have been asked a few days ago as well – with regards to Pakistan. So no, no chat really about that. I mean, that’s all in the past. We don’t really carry any of that with us.”