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England skipper admits he may need to consider surgery ahead of India tour next year

Matt Roller26-Jul-2023As Ben Stokes sweated in the Chennai sunshine earlier this year, he dreamed of spending the final week of July playing a full role with bat and ball while captaining England in an Ashes decider at The Oval. Instead, he spent the eve of the fifth Test bowling offspin in the nets, physically unable to bowl fast.Stokes has not bowled in this series since the second Test, when he pushed himself through a marathon 12-over spell at the end of Australia’s second innings. He was physically spent after that Lord’s Test, having batted for five hours across the fourth and fifth days during his 155, and finally admitted at Headingley what had long been clear: he was no longer able to fulfil his role as an allrounder.That prompted England to change the balance of their side, with Stokes playing as a batter and two allrounders recalled in Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes. They have fared far better with that balance over the last five years and since making the change, have won one Test and been thwarted by the weather after dominating the other.Stokes will not be bowling at The Oval this week – either seam or offbreaks – and once this Ashes series has been settled, he will have the opportunity to map out his long-term future. He has a diagnosis of his chronic left-knee injury which he has repeatedly refused to reveal publicly and admitted on Wednesday that he may have to consider surgery.Related

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“It’s something I obviously want to get sorted,” Stokes said. “The times in which I’ve seen specialists and stuff like that there has been cricket around. So, as it’s been manageable, we’ve just cracked on.But I think that is a good time to have some serious conversations with medics around what is potentially something I could do to get a role in which I can bowl without having to worry about my knee. Those are conversations we will be able to have in that time off.”Unsurprisingly, Stokes is unlikely to feature for Northern Superchargers in the first weeks of the Hundred, which starts the day after the scheduled fifth day of this Oval Test. “I’m going on holiday after this game,” he said. “That’s as far as I’m thinking.”There has long been an assumption among England supporters that Stokes will reverse his ODI retirement in time for the World Cup in October-November. But England’s white-ball management have long planned on the expectation that he will be unavailable and Stokes reiterated when asked on Wednesday: “I’m retired.” He convinced Moeen to play this series under similar circumstances, but joked: “I can’t ring myself.” There seems little chance of a U-turn.After this week, England do not play another Test series until January 2024, when they tour India for five matches. “It is a big break – I think the biggest that I will have had in my whole career, except with injury,” Stokes said. “You enjoy the periods where you do have a break… but doing this for as long as we have done, you really do miss that environment when you’re around the other lads.”He remains determined to play as an allrounder, rather than conceding defeat and becoming a specialist batter: “It’s something I’ve done since I was a kid. Wanting to be involved with the game is something that’s got the best out myself. I said in Wellington, after that game, that it has been frustrating in the last couple of years not being able to have the same impact and play the same role that I have done for the last 10 years.”Particularly so because of the toil that went into getting himself fit for the first Test at Edgbaston, where he dismissed both Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja. “The time I spent in India, all the effort that I put in to get to where I was before the series was again another frustrating thing,” he said. “When, [despite] all the work you do, your body can let you down at times when you don’t want it to.”Stokes is still only 32 but has already put his body through an all-round workload that is matched only by Jacques Kallis in the modern era. He has both faced and bowled over 10,000 balls in Test cricket, a feat achieved only by Kallis and Carl Hooper in the era of reliable ball-by-ball data. “I keep forgetting that I’m aging every day,” he said.He retains ambitions to play in the 2025-26 series in Australia: “How this series has gone and how close we were, it does make you think when we go to Australia, do we have a better chance than the last few times we’ve been there? Hopefully, it’d be nice to go out to Australia in 2025 and have a good chance of winning.”Stokes has only won one Test series against Australia, back in 2015, but has written his name into Ashes history across the past decade with his miraculous feats with both bat and ball. For a man whose career has been defined by the Ashes, leading a bid to regain the urn down under would be an apt way to sign off.

Real Madrid head coach was lavish in his praise for River Plate wonderkid Franco Mastantuono, who will join Los Blancos after the Club World Cup.

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Alonso hails new signing MastantuonoTips him to have an 'incredible future'Duo to work together at MadridFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

New Madrid head coach Alonso heaped praise on the club's latest South American teenage signing Mastantuono, who will be joining Los Blancos after the conclusion of the Club World Cup. Alonso revealed that he was "impressed by his maturity" and tipped the Argentine to have an "incredible future", while also adding that the young midfielder will be an important piece of his puzzle.

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Mastantuono is believed to have been among the biggest talents to have emerged from Argentina in the past decade. Indeed, the 17-year-old has already shown that he is not afraid of the big occasions, scoring a sensational free-kick in the Superclasico against rivals Boca Juniors back in April. His performances saw him linked to Real Madrid, but it was Paris Saint-Germain who were closing in on acquiring the youngster's services. However, Madrid stepped up their pursuit and signed the player who had time and again reiterated his desire to play for the Royal Whites. It had been claimed that chief scout Juni Calafat traveled to Buenos Aires to personally meet with the player's family and agents, while it was Mastantuono's phone call with Alonso that really convinced the Millonarios wonderkid of his role at Madrid.

WHAT XABI ALONSO SAID

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Madrid's Club World Cup opener, Alonso said: "Regarding Franco… we're happy, because he's a kid with a fantastic present and an incredible future. His maturity translates off the pitch. I was impressed by the conversations I had with him: by his ambition and maturity. Things don't happen by chance. We're following him at River Plate, where he's taking steps that have led him to Real Madrid. He'll be very important."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR FRANCO MASTANTUONO?

Mastantuono played the full 90 minutes in River Plate's 3-1 win over Urawa Red Diamonds in their opening game of the Club World Cup. The Argentine international will next be seen in action on Sunday, June 22, when they meet Mexican side Monterrey, where Madrid legend Sergio Ramos currently plies his trade.

The win gives Brave an outside sniff of a direct entry to the final

ECB Reporters Network19-Aug-2023Georgia Adams slammed her highest Hundred score as Southern Brave bettered Oval Invincibles by seven wickets, ending the two-time champions’ reign.Allrounder Adams took control of a faltering chase with an unbeaten 50 off 32 balls while Freya Kemp – unable to bowl this season due to a stress fracture in her back – scored 41 not out off 21.Suzie Bates had scored 55 as Invincibles posted a creditable 130 but Adams and Kemp added 73 in 38 balls in front of another record crowd of 10,832 for a women’s match at the Ageas Bowl.Brave had already booked their place in the knockouts but still have an automatic final spot in their grasp, while their nemesis in the first two finals can no longer progress.Bowling first after losing the toss, Anya Shrubsole was shown a farewell video on the big screen ahead of her last Ageas Bowl appearance before retiring. She responded to the ovation by picking up Lauren Winfield-Hill’s wicket with her fifth ball, thanks to a stunning catch at mid-on by Maia Bouchier. The wicket slumped the Invincibles to 6 for 2 after Alice Capsey had already cross-batted Lauren Bell to midwicket.But the early trouble was abated by Bates’ anchoring during stands of 53 and 63 with Marizanne Kapp and Paige Scholfield. The New Zealand veteran’s innings was guided through her control and ability to pick out the right balls to score off, without getting bogged down. To typify that approach, her fifty came off 40 balls.Kapp played a similar role to get the visitors out of trouble but fell for 27 when picking out Chloe Tryon on the deep-square-leg boundary.At 59 off the first 55 balls, the tempo needed to flick towards allegro and former Brave all-rounder Scholfield reset the metronome with 30 off 17 balls, which included getting dropped on 3 and plundering a six next ball.Brave, often great at the death, once again flourished in the last end as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker Georgia Adams saw off Scholfield with her 15th wicket and Bates was run out for 55. Nadine de Klerk slog-swept the penultimate ball to deep square leg with three wickets falling for 11 runs in the last ten balls.A slow start and the loss of both openers within the first 26 balls put Brave’s chase on the back foot. Smriti Mandhana top-edged a swing across the line off Kapp and Danni Wyatt was bowled by de Klerk – the Charlotte Edwards Cup’s top wicket-taker on her first appearance since replacing Dane van Niekerk.Bouchier and Adams put on 38 but the asking rate was rising after 17 balls without a boundary – caused by Kapp’s 1 for 18 – and the pressure saw Bouchier slap to cover.Brave desperately needed a Scholfield-esque innings; Kemp provided it, with Adams upping her strike rate. The game swung on Mady Villiers being smashed for two sixes in three balls as the duo stepped things up with 42 off the last 16 balls to end the game – Kemp hoisting a maximum to do it in style with four balls to spare.

Charlie Wakim and Caleb Jewell forged an impressive stand but Tasmania’s lower order fell away

AAP04-Oct-2023South Australia were in the mire against Tasmania despite paceman Jordan Buckingham taking a career-best seven-wicket haul on day two of their Sheffield Shield match.Tasmania, with Charlie Wakim scoring a polished 110, posted 381 all out in reply to SA’s first innings of 307 at Adelaide’s Karen Rolton Oval. However, SA’s top order crashed to 47 for 3 at stumps.Buckingham had seemingly rescued SA with 7 for 71 from 23.1 overs after Tasmania’s Wakim and opener Caleb Jewell (87) put the visitors in a position of power.Related

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The pair featured in a 189-run stand, taking Tasmania to 211 for 1 when Wakim slashed to backward point and Daniel Drew reeled in a spectacular one-handed catch.Jewell followed 14 runs later, denied a century when, hooking a short Buckingham ball, the left-hander was caught at deep fine leg.Beau Webster and Matthew Wade steadied before Buckingham, the 23-year-old born in Bundoora, Victoria, returned to mop up the tail.In his 12th first-class game, the right-armer collected the final five wickets of the innings – the last six Tasmanians fell for only 67 runs.Charlie Wakim drives during his century•Getty ImagesBuckingham’s command of line and length has already caught the eye of national hierarchy, playing two Australia A games and a Cricket Australia XI fixture.But his SA team-mates failed to ride the momentum he created, turning out another brittle batting display.The home side, who lost 4 for 19 in a first innings spell, collapsed to 10 for 3 in the eighth over.Tasmanian quick Lawrence Neil-Smith struck first, dismissing Henry Hunt before his new-ball partner Gabe Bell had Kelvin Smith caught at slip. Drew lasted just five balls, outed by a canny off-cutter which trapped the SA batter plumb lbw.

Olivier Giroud says it makes "perfect sense" to return to French top-flight football after swapping Los Angeles FC for Lille.

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Giroud leaves Los Angeles FCSigns one-year deal with LilleTransfer makes "perfect sense"Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Days after Giroud and LAFC mutually agreed to part ways, the 38-year-old has signed a one-year contract with Ligue 1 team Lille. The ex-Chelsea man has spent 13 years away from French football but now he is "excited" to make his return there.

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He said, via BBC Sport: "I'm very happy and excited to be back in France, home. It made perfect sense to return to Ligue 1, 13 years after leaving it. I've always considered Lille a top French club. It's a young and talented squad, which needs experienced players like me. So I'll also be there in that role."

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Giroud has enjoyed a glittering career, winning trophies with Arsenal, Chelsea, AC Milan, France, and more, in a remarkable show of longevity. The striker, who turns 39 in late September, struggled at LAFC but it seems he still believes he has more to give and perhaps a French homecoming can reignite his goalscoring touch.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Giroud, who retired from France duty last year with a record 57 goals in 137 appearances for his country, will hope this upcoming season with Lille can be as successful as his last campaign in Ligue 1 – with the former Arsenal ace helping Montpellier win the title in 2012.

Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has issued a response after facing criticism for his role in Jamal Musiala's horror injury.

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Donnarumma speaks out on MusialaNeuer criticised the PSG goalkeeperItalian says injury was not intentionalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Donnarumma collided with the Bayern Munich star during their Club World Cup quarter-final, with Musiala needing to be stretchered off. He was diagnosed with a fractured left fibula and a broken and dislocated ankle and will be ruled out for several months. In an interview with , Donnarumma expressed regret, stating: “I’m very shocked by what happened, I really didn’t intend to hurt Musiala.”

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The collision triggered criticism from Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who questioned Donnarumma’s post-match conduct. Donnarumma appeared visibly shaken after the collision and his agent, Vincenzo Raiola, explained that the goalkeeper asked if he should visit him in hospital, but decided to send a message instead.

WHAT RAIOLA SAID

The agent said: "He didn’t want to pretend nothing had happened. Gigio is a very sensitive boy. He wouldn’t have been able to stand the scene and preferred to walk away to let the doctors take care of Musiala as best he could. Once in the locker room he even turned on his phone. In all the years we’ve worked together he’s never done that. Usually he turns it off an hour before kick-off to concentrate on the match and turns it back on after the game. This time he sent me a message to tell me he was shaken and that he hadn’t done it on purpose. He was very worried and saddened.

"In reality, I understand Neuer. As [Thibaut] Courtois says, it's normal for him to defend his team-mate. And he's also right when he says that you can behave differently. It's true but we are all different and everyone behaves as they can. It was an episode of play in the eternal duel between goalkeepers and forwards. In December, Gigio almost lost an eye in a clash with a Monaco player. And Neuer also punched Gonzalo Higuain in 2014, in a match between national teams. Then he apologised even if he admitted that he wanted to avert a danger for his team, knowing that he risked hurting the opponent."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR PSG & BAYERN?

Donnarumma is expected to remain PSG’s first-choice goalkeeper for their Club World Cup semi-final against Real Madrid. Bayern must adjust their midfield setup without Musiala, potentially accelerating transfer plans or giving extended minutes to Konrad Laimer or Aleksandar Pavlovic. Musiala has undergone surgery and will begin a long rehabilitation process.

Earlier, Scott Edwards dragged Netherlands out of trouble yet again with a half-century

Madushka Balasuriya28-Oct-20231:38

Pujara: Netherlands are a ‘unit’, Bangladesh are not

Scott Edwards once more dragged his team from the abyss, but it was the bowlers who led the victory charge as the Netherlands held firm in their defence of a middling total of 229 to record an emphatic 87-run win over Bangladesh. The result sees Bangladesh all but eliminated from the semi-final contention, while the Dutch have yet another famous victory to add to their collection – one that, aside from its impact on this tournament, in the grand scheme of cricket as a sport in the Netherlands will be yet another rung on an ever more impressive ladder of growth.The victory was arguably made sweeter by virtue of it coming in Kolkata, where Bangladesh had support as close to home backing as they are likely to get this World Cup, with the short flight in from Dhaka offering many fans easy access.But in the end, it would be a journey ending in frustration – many were seen leaving the stadium early – as a well-drilled Dutch outfit trumped their much more experienced counterparts in nearly all facets of the game.Related

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This was primarily a victory built on the now customary rearguard heroics of captain Edwards – his entire clan in attendance at the stadium to cheer him on – as he stitched together his second fifty of the tournament, an 89-ball 68.What will particularly hurt Bangladesh is that they could have seen the back of him before he even got going – twice dropped on zero – but that in a microcosm was the difference between the two sides. While both teams struggled with the bat, the Dutch persevered to get to a fighting total, and while both sets of bowlers kept things tight to create chances through pressure, it was the Dutch who capitalised on them with ferocity; Bangladesh, on the other hand, were left to rue their missed opportunities.Such fortune though would be for nought without proper backing and, like they had done so impressively against South Africa, the bowlers and fielders once more ensured that their skipper’s efforts did not go in vain.Scott Edwards brought up his second fifty in this World Cup•AFP/Getty ImagesPaul van Meekeren was excellent picking up figures of 4 for 23, including that of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim; Bas de Leede, fresh off his World Cup record hounding at the hands of Australia, took out the only two Bangladesh batters who threatened the Dutch total – Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mahmudullah, for 35 and 20, respectively; and then there was the ever reliable Aryan Dutt, who despite picking up just one wicket was wily as ever, starting off the Dutch defence by dismissing Litton Das, reeling of two consecutive maidens inside the first powerplay, and generally affording the batters with rarely a moment’s rest with his guile and variation.In the face of this Dutch exuberance, Bangladesh floundered in their chase, unable to match their opponents’ energy. They lost wickets at regular intervals, unable to string together partnerships of any reasonable length – 38 was their highest – as a middling chase fast became a daunting and, eventually, impossible one.That hardly seemed the case midway through the Dutch innings, though, when having won the toss and elected to bat, they suffered yet another top-order collapse. Only a late surge at the death where they scored 74 in the last ten overs, including 36 in the final three, got them to their eventually winning total.That Bangladesh were able to keep them to 229 even after that was a testament to the work put in by their bowlers. The early damage had been caused by Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam, who picked up openers Vikramjit Singh and Max O’Dowd inside the first three overs to leave the Dutch reeling at 4 for 2.While there was a brief counter courtesy Wesley Barresi, his run-a-ball 41 was the only instance of a Netherlands batter showing any degree of dominance over a disciplined Bangladeshi attack. In fact, Netherlands would have to wait until the penultimate over of the innings to register their first six.Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan and Co had reduced Netherlands to 194 for 8 at one stage•Associated PressBut another pair of wickets once more set Netherlands back as the two set batters, Barresi and Colin Ackermann, fell in quick succession to Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib, respectively. It was at that point the spinners began their slow strangle, as none of Shakib, Mehidy or Mahedi Hasan conceded more than four an over across the middle overs. Indeed, it was only in the final over of the innings that Netherlands showed any sort of aggression against spin, taking Mahedi for 17.And so it was that Edwards was once more tasked to patch his side up, first with de Leede and then Sybrand Engelbrecht. With de Leede, he scrounged 44 off 74, and with Engelbrecht, a slightly quicker 78 off 105.Throughout those stands there was hardly a highlight that could be extracted or stroke played in anger, with the intent simply to knock it around and bat as deep as possible. An understandable endeavour considering Edwards had entered the fray with his side on a perilous 63 for 3, which soon became 63 for 4.But when he departed 30 overs later, he had dragged them to a slightly more respectable 185 for 6, before the late hitting took them to a fighting total.At the time that seemed below par, especially with many expecting the surface to favour the batters. However, with the ball starting to stick in the pitch and take some turn, it was Netherlands who adapted better and showed the wherewithal to come through victorious in the end.

The UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 quarter-finals have set the stage for a thrilling encounter as England are set to lock horns with a formidable Sweden side on Thursday evening in Zurich. And the Lionesses, captained by Leah Williamson, know they will be facing one of the most consistent and dangerous teams in football.

Williamson wary of 'relentless' SwedenWants to see more respect for opponentsDetermined to seal spot in semi-finalsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Sarina Wiegman’s squad bounced back from an opening loss to France by hammering the Netherlands and Wales in their remaining group stage fixtures, but the challenge ahead promises to be a whole new level. Sweden arrive at the quarter-finals in top form, having dominated Group C with three consecutive wins. Their emphatic 4-1 triumph over Germany in their final group match turned heads across Europe, further cementing their status as a tournament powerhouse.

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Since 2017, Sweden have reached the quarter-finals in every major tournament, a feat only matched by England and France. Their record includes six wins from their last seven Euro matches, the only blemish being a 4-0 loss to England in the semi-finals of Euro 2022.

WHAT WILLIAMSON SAID

Speaking ahead of the tie, Williamson was full of admiration for Thursday's opponents. She acknowledged Sweden’s consistency and discipline, suggesting that they don’t always get the praise they merit.

"Sweden's previous results at tournaments are incredible. They are relentless when it comes to tournament football," said Williamson.

"Maybe 'disrespectful' is too strong a word, but I do think they deserve a little bit more recognition. When you have a team who work for each other like Sweden, then you don't need to necessarily have a crazy standout threat because everyone plays their roles. They are hard to prepare for in that sense. The discipline for them all to complete their jobs on the pitch makes them a dangerous side."

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DID YOU KNOW?

After a slow start to their campaign, England appears to be hitting their stride just when it matters most. Following a disappointing defeat to France in their opening group game, the Lionesses turned things around in style, first by dispatching the Netherlands 4-0 and then dismantling Wales with a dominant 6-1 victory.

Head coach wants to “move on” from senior players and called this phase “a changing guard for Bangladesh cricket”

Mohammad Isam26-Nov-2023Head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe has said that Bangladesh need to “move on” from the senior players, calling the current transition phase an “exciting” one for the cricket in the country, ahead of the upcoming home Test series against New Zealand.Regular captain Shakib Al Hasan, his deputy Litton Das, and Taskin Ahmed, the leader of the pace attack, have all been ruled out of the series. Shakib is recovering from a finger injury, Taskin is managing his shoulder niggle, while the BCB has given Litton a paternity break.Related

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“It’s challenging to lose that much of experience from any team, especially for Bangladesh,” Hathurusinghe said. “Those guys have been part of the Bangladesh team in every format for more than 15 years. Some of them for ten years. It is however something to look forward to, to see what the youngsters can do.”I think it’s a time that we need to move on from some of the players that have played for a long time. They are not going to be there forever. But this is happening because of many reasons. I think it’s exciting, and it’s an opportunity for some of the youngsters to make their name and then have a long career.”At a time when Bangladesh were enduring a tough time at the World Cup, having lost six out of their seven matches, Hathurusinghe had said that his work has to “start after the World Cup”, adding that he couldn’t do much before the tournament having been appointed just seven months prior. Two weeks after their World Cup exit, he called the phase “a changing guard for Bangladesh cricket” and said that his focus was on developing a team with young players.”I think every team takes pride in winning at home,” Hathurusinghe said. “We are no different. We are looking to win games in our own conditions. We will try to compete on away conditions. That’s the plan. We are very aware of our limitations and strengths. So we are not going to predict big things. We are developing a team now. It’s just a kind of a changing guard for Bangladesh cricket.”The exciting thing is, there are good young players. The challenge is these guys haven’t played enough cricket leading up to [the Test match]. So our planning has to be a little bit better than this going forward and making a bigger pool of players available for every position in bowling and batting. Players challenging the others who are in the team, make our team better.”One immediate concern ahead of the first Test in Sylhet on Tuesday is that most of the Bangladesh players haven’t played red-ball cricket since June. The Bangladesh players who returned from India after the World Cup in mid-November were part of the last NCL first-class match. Hathurusinghe believed that was the most they could do to adjust to the longer format in this short turnaround period.”We used the NCL matches for the guys who played the World Cup as preparation,” he said. “Most of the batters made use of that opportunity. Most of the other players have been playing NCL. This is almost like a new-look Bangladesh team for various reasons. Not by design. I think we are ready as we can be and I’m looking forward to this Test series.”Bangladesh will bank on the vast experience of his spin bowling duo Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who are the side’s second and third-highest overall Test wicket-takers respectively. They have a combined 328 Test wickets, of which 228 are at home. In the last ten years, Taijul has been Bangladesh’s most successful bowler at home too. The pair has also been head and shoulders above the rest of the Bangladesh bowling attack.”There is experience in Taijul and Miraz. Taijul has 177 Test wickets. Definitely he’ll be a leader of the attack and Miraz is playing since 2016 if I remember correctly,” Hathurusinghe said. “Then there’s young (Hasan) Murad and Naeem Hassan. I think playing on this condition and this heat, those guys, spinners mainly, will play a big role.”Sylhet has hosted just one Test so far, when Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 151 runs in 2018. Hathurusinghe said Bangladesh, too, were not sure of how the pitch would behave.”We haven’t played as much Test matches [in Sylhet]. One, I think, if my memory serves right. So it’s new for us as well. We don’t know how the wicket is going to behave because we don’t have history here. We will just go by what we see in front of us. It is an unknown at the moment.”

The financial boost for CSA from this entire tour is understood to be in the region of R1 billion (approx. US $52.7million)

Firdose Moonda09-Dec-20235:13

Manjrekar’s XI: Jaiswal out, Bishnoi in

Big picture: With India comes the moneySummer is loading in the southern hemisphere. Dezember (with a Z because that’s how we like to say it to convey holiday vibez) is in full swing. The end-of-year parties have started, and cricket will get in on the action with India’s all-format visit, the only men’s international cricket that will take place in South Africa this summer.In many ways, that is as much a statement on the changing cricketing landscape as it is of the continued power of the game’s major player – India. There’s only space for so much international cricket, so it was about getting the most profitable and popular opposition. The first T20I in Durban has been sold out since the end of last month, the other white-ball games are expected to be well attended too, and the financial boost of the entire tour is understood to be in the region of R1 billion (approx. US $52.7million); and all that before we even get to the importance of the cricket.These T20Is are the last competitive matches South Africa will play before they have to name their T20 World Cup squad, who will play three matches in the West Indies ahead of the tournament. India have these matches and one more series – against Afghanistan in January – before the T20 World Cup. So the importance of finding combinations is amplified for both teams, although they will also rely on performances in T20 leagues, especially the SA20 and IPL, where their mainstays play.Related

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Ngidi ruled out of India T20Is with ankle sprain, also doubtful for Tests

For fringe players, then, this series presents a massive opportunity. South Africa could have two debutants – both bowlers in left-arm quick Nandre Burger, and right-arm medium-fast Ottniel Baartman – and might give opening batter Matthew Breetzke a run in all three games. India don’t have any uncapped players in their touring group, but four of their squad – Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma – have played 10 T20Is or fewer. We often hear that there’s no substitute for experience, and some of the players mentioned above will get that over the course of the next two weeks.The fixtures roll in thick and fast, with a one-day gap between each of the T20Is, and two before the ODIs start. By then, South Africa will have entered the belly of the holiday season, with mid-December the time for many to put their feet up, grab a cold one and watch some cricket.Form guideSouth Africa: LLLLW (Last five matches, most recent first)
India: WWLWWSouth Africa have not faced Ravi Bishnoi in T20Is before•Associated PressIn the spotlight: Reeza Hendricks and Ravi BishnoiThe biggest beneficiary of Quinton de Kock’s unavailability is Reeza Hendricks, who is expected to be given a long overdue run in both white-ball formats, albeit still without a guarantee of a T20 World Cup place. Hendricks was South Africa’s fourth-highest T20I run-scorer in 2022 but played half the number of games of the second- and third-highest players, and three fewer than their top scorer. This year, Hendricks is South Africa’s leading run-scorer. In his last 11 T20I innings, he has made seven half-centuries, and should be a certain pick for next year’s T20 World Cup. A few more solid performances will confirm his place.Ravi Bishnoi has enjoyed a dream December so far after finishing as the leading wicket-taker in India’s recent T20I series against Australia, and rising to the top of the ICC’s T20I bowling rankings. With his unusual run-up, he might pose a new challenge to a South Africa line-up that still struggles against the trickier legspinners, and who have not faced him in this format. Bishnoi played his only ODI to date against South Africa in October last year, where he took 1 for 69 in eight overs, but is expected to present more of a threat in the shorter format.Team news: New faces for South AfricaBreetzke has been confirmed as Hendricks’ partner at the top of the order, but not as the designated wicketkeeper. That leaves South Africa to choose between Tristan Stubbs and Heinrich Klaasen. There’s a glut of allrounders available, but only two of Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen and Andile Phehlukwayo are likely to play. There could be a debut for Burger, with two spinners to add experience to a young attack.South Africa (probable): 1 Reeza Hendricks, 2 Matthew Breetzke, 3 Aiden Markam, 4 Tristan Stubbs/Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 5 David Miller, 6 Donovan Ferreira, 7 Marco Jansen/Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Tabraiz ShamsiIt remains to be seen whether Deepak Chahar, who had missed the last T20I against Australia because of a medical emergency, is available for the series opener in South Africa. At the top, India will have to pick between the returning Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad. And if India can accommodate just one spinner, there will be a toss-up between Bishnoi and Kuldeep YadavIndia (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Shubman Gill/Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Arshdeep Singh/Mukesh KumarNandre Burger could make his debut in the T20I series against India•Getty ImagesPitch and conditionsVeteran groundsman Wilson Ngobese is in his last season on the job after 48 years at Kingsmead, half of those as head curator. This will be his last international pitch. While Durban has slowed down in recent years, all three T20Is it hosted against Australia earlier this year had first-innings scores of 190 or more. But some morning rain could spice things up for the quicks. The drizzle should pass by the afternoon, but there might be heavy cloud over Durban for the duration of the game.Stats and trivia India have won two of their last four T20I series against South Africa, with the other two being drawn. The last time South Africa beat India in a T20I series was in October 2015, when they had won 2-0 in India. Arshdeep Singh is India’s leading T20I bowler this year, with 25 wickets at 23.68. From Full-Member countries, he is the second-highest wicket-taker in 2023. There’s very little riding on the toss at Kingsmead. In the 19 T20Is played there, teams batting first have won eight, which is exactly the same number as teams batting second. There has been one tie, between India and Pakistan at the 2007 T20 World Cup, with two games washed out. Quotes”Building up to the World Cup, there is a lot of cricket before that but not a lot of cricket for us as a team together. But as long as the guys understand the way that we want to try and play as a team, and keep that close to them in different leagues and tournaments, then hopefully by the time we meet up at the World Cup next year, they are used to that brand and to the way we want to operate as a team.”
Aiden Markram is leading South Africa’s entrance into the brave new world of limited bilateral cricket“The guys who I’m watching right now in the T20s are expressive and they aren’t having a lot of fear of failure.”
Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20I captain, is in awe of the youngsters in India’s side