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New Zealand are arguably the best side when it comes to reading pitches in tournament play but on a slow Edgbaston track that turned considerably there were admissions after their loss to Pakistan that they had missed a trick by picking just one frontline spinner and omitting Ish Sodhi from the team.In the absence of Sodhi’s legspin, New Zealand turned to the part time offspin of Kane Williamson to partner Mitchell Santner, as they tried to defend 237 and break up the key partnership between Babar Azam and Haris Sohail. After the match, Santner admitted they were deceived by pitch and thought it would offer more for the pace bowlers.”Obviously there was a bit of turn out there, probably more than we thought there would be,” Santner said. “Obviously at the toss, only going with one spinner, we thought it might be a bit better than that.Babar Azam shouts to Mohammad Hafeez•Getty Images

“It’s the spinner’s role to take wickets on a surface like that but I think credit has to go to the way Pakistan batted throughout the middle. That partnership through the middle there was pretty special. There were a couple of chances there but it’s about trying to build up pressure from both ends and stuff like that, but the way they were able to manipulate the field, and get their ones, when you’re only chasing 230, is the way to go about it.”I think we fought pretty well to the end and I guess they only got it in the last over. It was obviously a tough surface and we just had to stick at it. If we could put a couple on it, a couple of wickets on throughout that chase it might have been a little bit different.”After New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat, James Neesham made an unbeaten 97, his highest ODI score. He was one of eight bowlers used by Williamson, highlighting the desperation with which New Zealand were seeking a breakthrough.Watch on Hotstar (India only) – Neesham’s 97 not outBefore their previous match at Edgbaston, a final-over win against South Africa, New Zealand had spoken to Warwickshire captain and former Black Cap Jeetan Patel for advice on the pitch. Colin de Grandhomme has also played for the Birmingham Bears in the past two seasons.But Neesham suggested the information they gleaned before playing Pakistan was not especially accurate.”I think we can only obviously work on what we’re told leading into the game,” Neesham said. “We probably selected the team based on the information we had. In hindsight, it’s easy to say an extra spinner would have been useful, but I think with the balls we had, the quality we had at the bowling crease was enough to defend that total, and unfortunately, it just didn’t fall our way today.”

You’re not surprised, are you?You’re not surprised that an attack that couldn’t dismiss Steve Smith in the last Ashes can’t dismiss him now. And you’re not surprised that a side that has now failed to make 250 seven times in 11 innings cannot bat through an entire day. You’re not surprised that a man chosen to open in Test cricket on the basis of his aggressive batting in one-day cricket was dismissed trying to hit his way out of trouble. And you’re not surprised that a man who averages 64.65 with the ball against this opposition could not bowl them out.The most depressing aspect of this performance, from an England perspective, is that so little of it was surprising. From their batsmen struggling against spin to their bowlers struggling against Smith, the fact is an Australia side with a flawed top-order defeated them at their ‘fortress’ by a crushing margin. Apart from the noise of Australian supporters crowing at Edgbaston at the end of the match – and why wouldn’t they; they’d been goaded for several days – the other noise, figuratively at least, was the sound of chickens coming home to roost.For England were punished here for their prioritisation of limited-overs cricket, their over-emphasis on aggression as the preferred method with the bat and a long-standing weakness in both bowling and playing spin. And if you don’t produce such bowling at domestic level, you hardly give your developing batsmen a chance to learn to play it. But you know this already. Everyone knows it.England were, to some extent, unfortunate at Edgbaston. Losing James Anderson within the first half-hour of the game was a significant blow. Had he been available it would, at least, have been more difficult for Australia to recover from 122 for 8 on the first day.But Anderson’s injury doesn’t excuse their batsmen. And the fact is England now have a long and grim record of struggling with the bat. This is a team that, this year, has been bowled out for 77 by West Indies, for 85 by Ireland and for 132, 187 and now 146 at other times. There should be nothing surprising in another failure with the bat.ALSO READ: Dobell: Four problems England must fixJason Roy charges Nathan Lyon and is bowled•Getty Images

It is a long time since a batsman – a specialist batsman, anyway – has come into the England Test side and shone. Gary Ballance promised to do so for a while but then fell away. Meaning that Joe Root, who made his debut in 2012, is the last to do so. While such a judgement may seem harsh on Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes, the reality is they average 34.56, 35.70 and 33.76 respectively. By the high standards of Test cricket, that is modest. And it doesn’t reflect at all well on the coaching systems or pathways.The mentality and vocabulary of English cricket has been lacking for several years. So while Smith has shown the value of grafting and determination, England continue to talk of “putting the pressure” back on the bowler by hitting them off their lengths or out of the attack. So Jason Roy deserves little criticism for his dismissal, as ugly as it looked, as he was batting in the style for which he was selected. Asking him to fulfil such a specialist position as opening batsman is recklessly optimistic.Consider Joe Denly’s innings here. He was beaten by his first two balls from Nathan Lyon; the first resulting in an appeal for a caught behind down the leg-side and the second seeing the ball squeeze between bat and pad and just miss the stumps.And how did Denly respond? He swept the next two balls for four. They were fine shots, too, and Edgbaston applauded them. But Australia knew they had their man. They knew he was sweeping because he couldn’t defend and, within a few minutes, he was gone. For the grim truth is that England have produced a generation of batsmen that don’t appear to trust their defensive techniques. Think of Ben Duckett struggling against spin or Keaton Jennings reverse-sweeping because he reasoned it was safer than defending. None of this is new; none of it is a surprise.But it’s not just technical. Smith is probably not – at least in terms of hand-eye coordination – any more talented than Buttler or Root. But he seems to value his wicket more dearly. He seems to understand that pressure can be put on the opposition simply by keeping them in the field for session after session. And he seems to find a little more determination as a result. It looked here, as it did in Brisbane, as if Smith wanted it more than anyone else on either side. That, combined with his talent, is a strong combination.England had hoped that the usage of a specific Dukes ball – the 2018 version utilised with such success in last summer’s Test series against India – would act as a leveller. In particular, they hoped it would assist their fast-medium bowlers on easy-paced pitches.The evidence to date suggests it will not do so. While there was seam movement for both attacks, there was little swing. And if England cannot get the ball to swing, their attack – at least the attack that played here – is out-gunned by their Australian counterparts. For the uncomfortable reality of the situation is that on quick, on flat, or on turning surfaces, Australia appear to have the stronger game. Hoping to utilise a specific ball tailored to their strengths was a reasonable ploy from England, but it was only ever going to mask the inherent weaknesses within their game.Joe Denly is caught by Cameron Bancroft off the bowling of Nathan Lyon•Getty Images

If they really want to improve, they have to mend the domestic structure that has hindered the development of fast and spin bowlers and, as a consequence, hindered the development of batsmen. It is telling that the two leading wicket-takers in Division One of the County Championship are overseas (or Kolpak) spinners. In all, six of the top 10 leading wicket-takers in that division are overseas (or Kolpak) players; it does not reflect well on a domestic system that has been allowed to suffer for short-term commercial interests.Two changes seem likely ahead of Lord’s. Jofra Archer will, fitness permitting, come into the side for the injured James Anderson and Jack Leach will, almost certainly, come into the side in place of Moeen Ali. If Archer is unfit, Olly Stone may be the replacement instead.But it would be a surprise if England made more than two changes. Not because they shouldn’t, but because they will be concerned it would hint at panic. And panic won’t help anything.But some sense of urgency might. And the selectors need to reflect on Denly’s performance here and ask whether he is really likely to score the weight of runs required to shape a series at No. 4. Equally, they may reflect on Roy’s performance as an opener and ask themselves whether that is the best place for him to bat. And they may ask themselves how they can find a place for Sam Curran in this side.There may also be some concern about Bairstow, who has now scored 30 runs in his last six Test innings, and Buttler, who has one century from 32 Tests. But Bairstow has earned some leeway with previous performances and Buttler scored two half-centuries in the previous Test. Nobody will admit it, either – there is no mileage in looking for excuses – but a few of this team are still coming to terms with the emotional hangover from their World Cup exertions. It may well pay to be patient with them.And there is hope. Archer will add an edge to England’s attack and, in Buttler and Stokes and Root et al., there is enough talent to damage most attacks. But cracks are appearing up and down this England side and it feels, for perhaps the first time, as if instead of building toward something, they are starting to crumble and fall apart. Nothing that happened at Edgbaston was a surprise. And that should worry England.

Jack Leach said that he told Ben Stokes he would trade his innings of 92 against Ireland for a single run in England’s remarkable fourth-innings chase of 356 to win the third Ashes Test at Headingley.Leach made one not out off 17 balls in a last-wicket partnership of 76 off 62 balls with Stokes, stealing a single to level the scores, before celebrating wildly after Stokes’ winning boundary.”It was a special feeling,” he told Sky. “Stokesy – unbelievable, like nothing I’ve ever seen before. The crowd – insane. To be part of that at the end was an incredible feeling.”ALSO READ: One of the ‘top two moments I’ve had on a cricket field’ – StokesLeach said that Stokes “didn’t really say a lot” to him as he strode out to bat. “Obviously when I first went in, it was about [the fact that] he was going to have a lot of the strike, being ready to run two, and I just broke it down into the balls that I had to face.”Leach regularly held Australia up while wiping his glasses free of sweat – in the same manner as his Somerset team-mate Marcus Trescothick – and said that he “had to make sure that I had them clean, because I wouldn’t want to be facing up with the drips [of sweat] coming down.””I know I look stupid when I’m out there,” he said, “but it got the job done.”At times, Stokes refused to watch at the non-striker’s end, and Leach laughed that his partner had “put me off a little bit”.”He told me at one point ‘I couldn’t watch that ball’, Leach said, and as one [of the bowlers] was running in I thought – he’s not watching again! I thought: ‘have a bit of faith!'”You do sort of zone out,” Leach said, “but I didn’t think ‘oh God, it’s quiet’ when they were running in, I thought ‘watch the ball, watch the ball’. But then the cheers when Stokesy’s sixes were going over the boundary… the crowd just went beserk.”Leach said the win was “a big boost for us,” adding that at one-all, it was “all to play for”.”We were desperate to win this game, and somehow we’ve pulled it off. It’s very special. To be part of that at the end was an incredible feeling.”

Steve Patterson, Yorkshire’s captain, played forward to the first ball of this morning’s cricket at Taunton but missed it completely. “Bowling, Dom B!” roared “Tractor” from his perch below the scoreboard at the Pavilion End. It is a voice of the ages, a voice of deeply pledged faith; a similarly rich timbre probably greeted the achievements of Sammy Woods and Horace Hazell in the eras of the cattle market and the tweed suits. Every cricket ground is a palimpsest of former glories, former sadness.But one impression not remotely apparent at this richest of grounds is that of Somerset’s supporters saluting their team as county champions. In little more than a fortnight, that may change. These are momentous days in the West Country.In the next over of our cricket that same Dom Bess chased down a ball in front of the Marcus Trescothick Stand and again received rich applause for his effort. Such incidents, tiny in themselves, of course, foreshadowed a wonderful day for Somerset, one that may go far towards determining the destination of the County Championship. For while Warwickshire were spending the first two sessions piling up the runs against Essex at Edgbaston, Somerset’s bowlers dismissed Yorkshire for 103 before lunch and then watched gleefully as their batsmen built up a lead which stood at 365 by the close. It was difficult to see how things could have gone much better for Tom Abell’s side, although “Tractor” might make one or two suggestions.Yorkshire’s first innings crumbled away quicker than fresh Worthy Cheddar on this second morning. Some attributed the decline to the cloudy conditions but the more persuasive argument is that Abell’s seamers stuck to tight lines that demanded strokes and his slow left-armer, Roelof van der Merwe, seized his rare opportunity against a succession of right handers.And so, in little more than half an hour’s cricket Yorkshire collapsed from 86 for 3 to 103 all out. Tom Kohler-Cadmore was the first to go when he failed to cover Lewis Gregory’s movement off the pitch and edged a catch to Jamie Overton at slip. Almost immediately Patterson played on to van der Merwe, who also deceived Jonny Tattersall into nicking a catch to James Hildreth.The tone of the session was set. Ben Coad was absent due to illness and Yorkshire supporters were left to ponder the loss of six wickets in 44 balls. Josh Davey and van der Merwe finished the innings with three apiece. A lead of 96 appeared significant and perhaps it still is but by close of play it had been dwarfed by the enterprise of Somerset’s batsmen, most of whom were barely recognisable from the hesitant bunch bamboozled by Keshav Maharaj on the first afternoon.True, Maharaj had M Vijay leg before wicket for a duck just before lunch but nothing encapsulated Somerset’s sudden domination of the game more clearly than their batsmen’s mastery of the slow left-armer who 24 hours previously had only to mark out his run-up to cause general panic. Patterson tried Maharaj at both ends of the County Ground but he was greeted by sweeps on length from Abell or straight driven for six by Hildreth, a shot which caused billows in the huge white sheet which doubles as a sightscreen at the River End.The wicket of Hildreth, caught at short leg off Lyth for 58, punctuated the afternoon’s cricket; it did not disturb the flow of its prose. The stylish right-hander’s 117-run stand with Abell had charted a course which other batsmen could follow. Tom Banton arrived and began to bat with unnerving confidence, first by driving Duanne Olivier to the cover boundary and then by on-driving Tim Bresnan to the rope which once lay in front of the Stragglers’ Bar and below the old and long-demolished press box. That was where Alan Gibson and David Foot once celebrated the glory days and did as much as they could with the disappointments. Suddenly one wished they could be at their posts over the next two weeks.Abell might have enjoyed chatting with Alan and Footy. Somerset’s captain made his second half-century of the match on this cloudy Wednesday afternoon and in truth it was little different from his first. There was a little more aggression, perhaps – he reached fifty in 23 fewer balls – but the technique remained tight and one realised that here was a senior batsman, one upon whom Somerset cricket can be founded for the next decade. Certainly no one of his age could be more aware of what the title might mean in these parts.Banton, meanwhile, reverse-swept Maharaj for six and was almost immediately caught at slip by Lyth for 43. Abell fell leg before wicket for 62 when playing around a fine ball from Bresnan but by now Yorkshire’s attack was missing the stability invariably provided by the absent Coad. Gregory and George Bartlett helped themselves to some easier runs in the evening session and Somerset ended the day with the prospect of batting again on the third morning before setting Yorkshire a fearsome target.And while all this was happening, Warwickshire batted on and on. They scarcely credited their luck as this news filtered though at Taunton and one understands their reluctance to take even a point for granted. But the neutrals can see that the balance of the battle between Essex and Somerset has changed and it will be odd if it is not Ryan ten Doeschate’s side that needs to make up ground come Friday evening.

AB de Villiers will be playing in the BBL after all with Brisbane Heat securing one of the biggest signings in the recent history of the competition.De Villiers, who retired from international cricket in 2018, had attracted huge interest from BBL clubs earlier this year but pulled back from committing to playing in Australia in May.However, in a surprise announcement on Tuesday morning the Heat revealed they had signed de Villiers for the second half of the tournament, including the finals should the Heat get that far.De Villiers will spend Christmas at home in Pretoria and appears likely to link up with the Heat around January 6 or 8. The Heat play Sydney Thunder in Sydney on January 6, but de Villiers appears more likely to play his first game against Hobart Hurricanes on January 9 at the Gabba.”You go through moments after retirement when you’re really keen to play, then you just want to be at home,” he said. “It’s really difficult to balance that out. Time spent at home and time away, so I’m very selective of where I play at the moment, and the body is getting a bit older so I can’t play too much.””I was in close contact with [coach] Darren [Lehmann] over email and that was a big part of the reason why I am coming over. He certainly pushed me over the edge. He’s a great guy and I am sure we will get to know each other well over the tournament. I’ve always had a lot of respect for the way he played his game and the way he handled everything when he was with the Aussie team, and I am sure I can learn a bit from him with my batting.”De Villiers said he had also spoken to former Heat captain Brendon McCullum about joining and was keen to play alongside current captain Chris Lynn after getting top know him through the IPL.”I’ve spoken to Chris a few times after games in the IPL,” de Villiers said. “I always enjoy the way he plays the game, he really goes after the bowling, he attacks the game, and he seems like a really good team-mate. He gives his best shot for the boys. I’m looking forward to joining forces with him. The Heat have always stood out to me.Lehmann, the new Heat coach who took over from Daniel Vettori, was ecstatic to get a player of de Villiers’ quality.”World-class players don’t just come along every day and to have a player of AB’s stature and skill in the BBL is a fantastic outcome for everyone, not just the Heat,” Lehmann said. “He’s a 360-degree player, great skills, outstanding temperament, and an insightful leader. We’re excited to bring him into the group this summer and allow him to showcase his skills for the fans.”De Villiers signing is a huge coup for the tournament as a whole. The BBL had significant trouble last season attracting big names. A combination of the elongated tournament and the small salary cap, by comparison to global standards, made it very difficult for clubs to attract high-quality overseas talent. When de Villiers initially withdrew his interest from playing in the BBL back in May there were genuine concerns about how the competition could attract quality overseas players moving forward.De Villiers is the start of a set of overseas signings to come around the BBL. Australia’s international players will also be available for the last week of the tournament as well as the finals in early February after a week-long ODI tour of India.

Jack Leach, the England left-arm spinner, has signed a two-year contract extension with Somerset that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2022 season.Leach, who was born and raised in Taunton, has been part of the club’s system since his childhood, and has been a first-team regular since the 2016 season, when his 65 wickets at 21.87 apiece nearly fired Somerset to a first Championship title.He was perhaps unfortunate to miss out on a red-ball central contract with England – he has been given an incremental contract instead – and is currently in New Zealand, preparing to play in the first Test at Mount Maunganui on November 21.”I’m very happy to sign this new contract,” Leach said. “I’m a Somerset fan at heart so I’m very proud to represent the county. I have a great relationship with the members and fans, and I can’t thank them enough for the support they give the team and me as an individual.”I’d also like to thank Jason Kerr [head coach] and Andy Hurry [director of cricket] for the belief they have shown in me. I’m looking forward to the winter and can’t wait for next season.”Hurry said: “Everyone at the club is delighted that Jack has committed his future to Somerset. He is an exceptional talent and a big influence in the dressing room. I can’t speak highly enough of him both as a player and as a man.”He has a genuine passion for the game and in particular for Somerset. That shows itself every time he trains, in his diligent preparation and in his wholehearted performances every time he takes to the field. We feel that he has a major role to play for both Somerset and England over the forthcoming years.”Leach’s extension is something of a blow to Dom Bess, the offspinner who played two Tests for England in May 2018 but found himself in the Somerset 2nd XI later that summer.Bess – who twice went on loan to Yorkshire last summer – is contracted until the end of next season, and is unlikely to change clubs this winter despite Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale publicly registering his interest in making that move permanent. But having played only nine times for Somerset in all formats last year – seven in the Championship and twice in the One-Day Cup – another frustrating season may leave Bess with no choice but to look elsewhere given he retains ambitions of a long international career.

An in-form Mayank Agarwal has replaced the injured Shikhar Dhawan in the India squad for ODI leg of the home series against West Indies which will follow after the ongoing T20I series. It is understood that Dhawan has not yet completely recovered from the freak knee injury he suffered in November during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which had ruled him out initially from the T20I leg of the West Indies series with Sanju Samson being named as his replacement.Agarwal is currently playing for Karnataka in the first round of Ranji Trophy against Tamil Nadu in Dindigul. He will miss at least the second round of Ranji matches starting on December 17.It will be the second time this year Agarwal has been called as a replacement to join the ODI squad. The first occurrence was during the World Cup when he replaced allrounder Vijay Shankar, who had picked a toe injury. The selectors had then explained the decision as providing top-order back-up, with Dhawan having already been ruled out and KL Rahul having suffered an injury scare.ALSO READ: When you come back and play domestic cricket in India, it challenges you – Mayank AgarwalOverall this year, in terms of numbers alone, Agarwal has been the best Indian batsman across formats across domestic and international cricket. With two double centuries and a century, he was the leading run-maker in India’s Test home season which featured five matches spread across two series involving South Africa (three Tests) and Bangladesh (two Tests).Complimenting Agarwal’s form, Indian captain Virat Kohli said that what made the Karnataka batsman stand out was his positive intent and performing to win. In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, Agarwal agreed.Agarwal had also dominated the domestic circuit. Immediately after the South Africa Test series, he rushed to join the Karnataka squad in Bengaluru for the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final and final. He scored an unbeaten 47 off 33 deliveries in the semi-final against Chattisgarh and then 69* off 55 balls in the final against Tamil Nadu, thus playing a strong hand Karnataka winning the title. Days later he turned up for India C and scored 120 against India A in the one-day Deodhar Trophy.* 0900GMT The piece was updated after confirmation of Agarwal’s addition

The ECB have announced that the majority of adult tickets for the Hundred will be priced at £30 or less in an attempt to boost attendances, with under-16s tickets available at £5 each and children under five admitted for free.While there is some level of discrepancy depending on venue and timing, the competition’s managing director Sanjay Patel stressed that the ECB had “put families at the heart of our ticket pricing for the Hundred”, with some tickets cheaper for the new tournament than for Vitality Blast games at the same venues.ALSO READ: ECB deny downplaying Blast amid fears for Hundred’s ticket salesDespite many of them voicing concerns about the competition and its perceived implications for their clubs, county members will have first access to tickets in a pre-sale window from January 15-31. That is followed by a priority window for fans who have registered interest in the competition on its website from February 12-28, while general sale begins on April 8.The ECB’s chairman Colin Graves suggested last month that an occupancy rate of 60-65 percent was the minimum standard, and that “if we get above that it will be a success”.And while there are unlikely to be many problems selling out Lord’s or The Oval, games at the Ageas Bowl and Cardiff could prove to be a harder sell.To use Cardiff as an example, Glamorgan’s total attendance in the Vitality Blast last summer was 31,266 across seven home games, giving an average crowd of 4,467 at a 16,000-seater venue. The county stressed that poor weather and clashes with other sporting fixtures in the city had affected their crowds, but with two of Welsh Fire’s home games scheduled for Sunday evenings and another on a Tuesday, it could be equally tough to shift tickets for those games.ESPNcricinfo revealed in October that some grounds fear the decision to stage games on every day of the week will create challenges for ticket sales, with games on Monday and Tuesday evenings expected to be a hard sell. Next year’s T20 Blast, by contrast, sees a majority of fixtures scheduled on Thursday and Friday nights or on weekend afternoons.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Tickets for the women’s competition start at £8, with a top early-bird price of £18, while tickets for the men’s tournament range from £10-35 at their initial price. For men’s and women’s finals day, which will be held at Lord’s and Hove, tickets will be available from £30 and £12 respectively.”We can’t wait to welcome cricket fans and those new to the sport to the opening season of the Hundred to see England’s World Cup heroes Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan and Heather Knight play,” Patel said.”We have put families at the heart of our ticket pricing for the Hundred. When compared with summer holiday favourites and other major sporting events, the Hundred offers brilliant entertainment and tremendous value. Buying early will guarantee the best value tickets with compelling prices available across all men’s and women’s matches.”

Hayden Walsh has said that he was inspired by the 10-year anniversary of his father’s death after helping to secure a tense, one-wicket win for West Indies in Barbados.The match at Kensington Oval went down to the penultimate ball, with No. 9 Walsh unbeaten on 46 when Sheldon Cottrell hit a six to seal victory. Walsh was batting for only the third time in his ODI career, but shared in partnerships of 52 and 32 for the eighth and ninth wickets as West Indies recovered from 148 for 7 to hold off Ireland and take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Walsh, 27, said that he had been confident of getting the job done, having played as batting allrounder at Under-19s level. Still, there were a couple of nervy moments with victory in sight, as Cottrell was nearly run out twice in consecutive deliveries during the final over – with the bowler, Mark Adair, fumbling on both occasions.”It was nerve-wracking,” Walsh said. “I went down to Sheldon and he said he was not in but he thinks the guy dropped the ball, so I was more confident on that one. The last one, I didn’t expect him to come back for [a second run], because the guy has the ball in his hands, so I didn’t want to take any unwanted risks and lose a wicket.”I also backed Sheldon to do his part. I wasn’t looking to get the strike unless it was the last ball. I was hoping that he would get a single or we could scramble one and I could face the last ball.”Asked if the crowd’s support had had an impact, Walsh, who plays for Barbados Tridents in the CPL, said that he had been more focused on the date, 10 years on from losing his father, also called Hayden Walsh, as a teenager.”Today marks the 10th anniversary of my father’s death and I got that inspiration to take the team over the line,” he said.”It was a bit overwhelming. I was talking myself through the whole innings and to get over the line was like a long journey. Felt like I had just run a whole marathon.”Before eking out the last few runs with Cottrell, Walsh put on vital stands with Khary Pierre and Alzarri Joseph. “I reassured them that we’re going to do this, all we need to do is watch the ball and look at the scoreboard,” he said.West Indies and Ireland face off again in one more ODI, in Grenada on Sunday, before playing three T20Is. Despite the gap between the sides narrowing sharply, following West Indies’ five-wicket win on Tuesday, Walsh said there was no sense of the home side taking their opponents lightly.”We were excepting them to come back hard,” Walsh said. “The performance that they did in the first game, I wouldn’t say it would reflect what they’d like. So I was expecting them to come back harder and give a better shot of winning the game.”They wanted it a little bit more, but it’s cricket, you can’t just come and ‘bang, bang, bang’ and win a game, you have to actually build an innings. I don’t think we did that very well and the Irish bowled pretty well.”

South Africa’s tour to Pakistan in March will come with logistical challenges for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). South Africa end their tour to India on March 18 and PCB intend to make them stay in Dubai – until the Pakistan Super League (PSL) ends on March 22 – and then fly them directly to Islamabad for a three-match T20 series in Rawalpindi.Cricket South Africa (CSA), meanwhile, is set to send a security delegation headed by security expert Rory Steyn to Pakistan next month during the PSL, to assess the security arrangements. The reconnaissance, ESPNcricinfo understands, comes because CSA is intent to go through a process of physically checking security before formally approving the tour. It is a players association requirement as well.”The tour of South Africa is very much a waiting game now and by the end of the month we should have a clear position,” Wasim Khan, PCB’s CEO, said. “Their head of security is expected in Pakistan during the initial games of the Pakistan Super League. He has all the security plans for each of the different venues.”He and the board of South Africa are very comfortable with touring. We have to make it work logistically as South Africa finish the tour of India on 18 March and we don’t finish the PSL till March 22. For them to go back and come again won’t be possible so we will have to see whether we can have them sit in the UAE […] and provide them the support and practice facilities, or we fly them straight in here and provide all that here.”South Africa last toured Pakistan in 2007 and have since have played Pakistan twice in bilateral series, in 2010 and 2013, in the UAE. The next full tour Pakistan is scheduled to host is next year, in January-February, with two ICC Test championship games alongside five ODI and three T20s. The March T20s are extra fixtures that the PCB has arranged as a part of their ongoing drive to bring as many teams as possible to the country to normalise international cricket again.Lahore and Karachi have been actively hosting international cricket since 2017 and PCB is gradually expanding to more venues in the country. Cricket South Africa’s assessment across all available venues is pending, though PCB suggested Rawalpindi for the fixtures.”Lahore and Karachi venues have been diluted because we have been playing our entire cricket here and because of that the wickets here are also suffering,” said Khan.”We now have Rawalpindi as a venue available. For me, it makes sense to go there and play the three matches. I have suggested Rawalpindi as a venue to South Africa and they are comfortable with the suggestion.”