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Future Sheffield Shield titles would only be awarded to the outright winner of the final, under one of several proposals currently being considered by Cricket Australia to revitalise the competition decider

Daniel Brettig29-Mar-2016Future Sheffield Shield titles would only be awarded to the outright winner of the final, under one of several proposals currently being considered by Cricket Australia to revitalise the competition decider.Planning of the domestic schedule for next summer is at an advanced stage, and ESPNcricinfo understands the Shield final is safe from being cut, as there are no plans to grow the number of Twenty20 Big Bash League games from their present number before the 2017-18 season. Any changes to the final could then be tested before a decision is made on whether it is retained against an expanded BBL.CA, the states and the players have been in talks about ways to revitalise the five-day final, which has run to largely predictable scripts over the years. While outstanding contest like the first final in 1983, a one-wicket win for New South Wales over Queensland in 1985 and South Australia’s last-gasp escape in 1996 have stayed in the memory, most have been duller affairs on flat pitches.This has been largely due to the fact that competition rules allow for the Shield to be awarded to the team finishing top of the table in the event of a draw, meaning the surface is invariably prepared to increase the likelihood of that outcome. The proposal to leave the Shield shared between the two finalists unless there is an outright result is geared towards ensuring a more lively contest on a fairer surface.Pat Howard, CA’s team performance manager, has floated this possibility among numerous other thought bubbles, and it is believed to have met a favourable response from CA Board directors, state associations and players. A five-day final is considered ample time to gain an outright result, provided the pitch offers enough.Ironically, the strip prepared for this year’s meeting between South Australia and Victoria at Glenelg Oval has proven to be an excellent example, affording enough seam movement to the fast men and some appreciable turn for the spinners. At the same time, batsmen have been able to make runs when applying themselves. Outstanding innings by the youthful trio of Travis Dean, Peter Handscomb and Jake Weatherald have underlined the value of the final as a proving ground.”I’m not surprised there has been discussion,” the Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide said. “We’ve had those in meetings with Cricket Australia. The cricket world changes over time, it’s very different to when it was first installed in the early ’80s.”But I think we are seeing today how valuable it can be in terms of this sort of intensity of cricket, particularly for young players, it’s been outstanding in this particular game how young players from both teams have really stood up and shown what they can do under pressure. That is something worth persisting with I think personally.”I think it’s been a very, very good cricket wicket, what it’s done with the new ball, with the spinners and how they’re getting a little bit out of it, there’s a chance for everyone to have some input in the game. The surfaces are crucial in ensuring there’s a decent balance.”Glenelg’s successful hosting of the final, where the smaller ground has leant a pleasant festival air to proceedings while also providing an ideal surface, has not been lost on Victorian administrators as they work on long overdue upgrades to Junction Oval as a cricket hub and secondary venue after the MCG.”I’m very impressed, I’ve done several laps of the ground over three days through nervousness and also wanting to have a look a what they’ve got here,” Dodemaide said. “This is a terrific arena for Shield cricket, it’s an excellent atmosphere and a perfect fit for what Sheffield Shield cricket can be. With what we are looking for at the Junction Oval this will definitely influence it.”

Former chief justice of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court, Mahmudul Amin Chowdhury, will chair the 10-member disciplinary panel that will help conduct the disciplinary proceedings against the nine individuals charged with alleged corruption during this year’s Ba

Mohammad Isam15-Aug-20130:00

Isam: Sense of pride among fans that issue is being addressed

Former chief justice of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court, Mahmudul Amin Chowdhury, will chair the 10-member disciplinary panel that will help conduct the disciplinary proceedings against the nine individuals charged with alleged corruption during this year’s Bangladesh Premier League. Chowdhury’s appointment as panel chairman is the first step of the disciplinary process, according to Article 5 of the BCB’s anti-corruption code.Chowdhury, who was chief justice from March 2001 to June 2002, confirmed to the on Wednesday that he had agreed to take up the role. He will now pick the other nine members of the panel, from which the three-member anti-corruption tribunal that will hear the case – if it goes to trial – will eventually be picked.”I have given my consent to the BCB with regards to heading the panel,” Chowdhury said. “I will appoint the other members of the panel, but I have not reached any decisions yet. I have some names in mind but have not yet made any offers; it will take some time.”The nine persons charged have till August 27 to make their pleas – the tribunal will need to be formed and the case goes to trial only if they plead not guilty. In that case, the ICC will reply to them while Chowdhury picks the members of tribunal.While the case is under the BCB’s jurisdiction, ICC chief executive Dave Richardson had mentioned during Tuesday’s press conference that “the prosecution of the case and conduct of the hearing will be carried out on behalf of the BCB by the ICC”. A senior BCB official told ESPNcricinfo that the ICC will assist in an administrative capacity throughout the proceedings because of its resources and experience in the field. “BCB will only have to appoint the chairman of the disciplinary panel,” the official said. “The ICC will do everything else leading up to the hearing.”According to Article 5 of the anti-corruption code, the convenor of the tribunal could call a preliminary hearing with the anti-corruption officials and the persons charged before the hearing begins, “to address any issues that need to be resolved prior to the hearing date”. That date must be within 40 days of the accused having received the charge letters.If there are no exceptional circumstances arising during this time, the full hearing should begin within the third week of September.

The hard work of the England Under-19s bowlers went to waste after a heavy downpour flooded the pitch at Grace Road

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2012
ScorecardA flooded outfield put paid to England U-19s game against Ireland U-19s•Getty Images

The hard work of the England Under-19s bowlers went to waste after a heavy downpour flooded the pitch at Grace Road and caused the abandonment of their run chase. Set 95 to win by Ireland Under-19s, England had reached 22 for the loss of one wicket off 4.1 overs, before the rain set in.Having put Ireland in to bat, England’s bowlers set about their task by suffocating the Ireland batting. No bowler conceded three runs an over, with Adam Ball, Aneesh Kapil and Tom Knight each picking up two wickets. Ryan Hunter top-scored with 25 but once he was the third wicket to fall in the 19th over, Ireland lost their remaining seven wickets for 44 in 20.3 overs.The amount of water that fell was so great that the second match of the series on Friday has been moved from Grace Road to Loughborough.

Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake has been appointed as the interim coach for the home series against Australia starting next month

Sa'adi Thawfeeq15-Jul-2011Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake has been appointed as the interim Sri Lanka coach for the home series against Australia that begins next month.”We have appointed Rumesh Ratnayake only for the Australian tour because there is hardly any time to look for another coach,” Upali Dharmadasa, Sri Lanka Cricket’s interim committee chairman, said.Former Australia batsman Stuart Law, who was appointed the interim coach for Sri Lanka’s tour of England, after Trevor Bayliss relinquished the post after the World Cup, stepped down at the conclusion of the England tour.Ratnayake, 47, who has played 23 Tests and 70 ODIs for Sri Lanka is presently a development officer with the Asian Cricket Council. “We had to get permission from the Asian Cricket Council president Ashraful Haq to have Rumesh released for the series,” Dharmadas said.Ratnayake, who picked up nine wickets in Sri Lanka’s maiden Test victory in the second Test against India in Colombo in 1985, had signed a four-year contract to be Sri Lanka’s assistant coach in 2007, but withdrew citing family commitments.Dharmadasa said that the hunt for a new national coach would begin within the next three months. “We will call for fresh applicants for the post by advertising on the ICC and SLC websites and also in the national newspapers,” he said, adding that candidates who had shown interest in the job after Bayliss stepped down would have to make fresh applications if they are to be considered.Australia are scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 Internationals in Sri Lanka, with the first T20 game to be played on August 6 in Pallekele. Dinesh Chandimal and Dhammika Prasad, who impressed on the limited-over leg of the tour of England and Scotland, will be part of the mix for the Australia series after they have been withdrawn from the Sri Lanka A squad that is due to tour England in July and August. Kanishka Alvitigala and Kushal Janith are their replacements in the Sri Lanka A squad.

England have sent for Beth MacGregor to join their squad for the remaining four ODIs against New Zealand

Cricinfo staff11-Jul-2010England have sent for Beth MacGregor to join their squad for the remaining four ODIs against New Zealand.The 17-year-old left-arm swing bowler will replace Anya Shubsole, who is ruled out for the rest of the series after picking up an injury to her hip muscle in England’s 147-run win against Ireland.In March, MacGregor went with the Academy side to Bangalore, where they played against local teams and received specialist training in the conditions where the next Women’s World Cup will be held.She comes into the senior squad only days after Isa Gua had to be called up to replace Nicky Shaw who retired from the international game after 70 ODIs. Gua had a tough return to the side with her four overs costing 32 in England’s tense one-wicket triumph on Saturday.

His 4 for 15 in nine overs helps restrict Sussex to 132 for 9 in match reduced by rain to 41 overs-a-side

ECB Reporters Network07-Aug-2024Ajeet Singh Dale summoned a blistering career-best performance with the ball to propel Gloucestershire to a eight-wicket win over Sussex Sharks in a one-sided Metro Bank One Day Cup contest at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium.Bowling with real venom, the 24-year-old pace bowler claimed 4 for 15 in nine overs to help restrict Sussex to 132 for 9 in a match reduced by rain to 41 overs-a-side. Fellow seamer Zaman Akhter proved almost as deadly, returning figures of 3 for 25, his best in List-A cricket, while Danial Ibrahim top-scored with 30 for the outgunned visitors.Required to chase 132 to win on the Duckworth Lewis Stern Method, Gloucestershire comfortably overhauled their target with 21 overs to spare, courtesy of an authoritative innings of 49 not out from Cameron Bancroft and a whirlwind knock of 46 in 28 balls from Miles Hammond.Victory means Gloucestershire can still qualify for the knockout stages from Group B, providing they win their remaining games against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Friday and Leicestershire at Bristol on August 14. Sussex remain bottom of the table after suffering a sixth straight defeat in the 50-over competition.Gloucestershire skipper Jack Taylor won the toss and did not hesitate to insert an inexperienced Sussex batting line-up on a green-tinged pitch beneath cloud cover. It quickly became evident that his decision was the right one as Singh Dale built up an impressive head of steam from the Ashley Down Road end, undermining the top order with a devastating new-ball spell of 3 for 11 in seven overs with three maidens.Henry Rogers pushed at a ball that pitched outside off stump and nicked to Bancroft at second slip, while the in-form Tom Clark sent a thickish edge looping to Hammond at backward point.Charlie Tear may have survived when Matt Taylor put down a sharp chance off his own bowling, but there was no escape when Singh Dale squared him up and Bancroft again demonstrated safe hands in the cordon to reduce Sharks to 19 for 3 in the eleventh.Bowling with genuine pace and accuracy, Singh Dale produced his most incisive List-A contribution since his previous career-best 4 for 58 in a winning cause against Northants at Cheltenham 12 months ago. And things scarcely became any easier for the visitors when he made way for Akhter, the 25-year-old seamer bowling with great accuracy in a six-over burst that yielded 2 for 22.Frustrated at being tied down, Oli Carter was bowled for 10 in the act of driving, while the hitherto obdurate Zach Lion-Cachet played back to a straight one that hit middle and off and departed for a gritty 57-ball 27 as Sussex lurched to 65 for 5.Now in almost complete control, Gloucestershire made further in-roads before the rain arrived, slow left-armer Graeme van Buuren persuading Bertie Foreman to cut uppishly to backward point with the score on 94.Resuming their innings on 101 for 6 with nine overs fewer in which to retrieve a parlous situation, Sussex lost another wicket almost immediately, Ibrahim miss-timing a pull shot and offering a return catch to Akhter after battling his way to 30 from 57 deliveries.Singh Dale then had Aristides Karvelas caught at mid-on to improve upon his previous best return and consign the visitors to 106 for 8 and almost certain under-achievement. Archie Lenham scrambled a valuable 24 before being run out by substitute fielder Joe Phillips in the final over as ball continued to dominate bat in an innings that yielded a modest 11 fours.Hammond and Bancroft were able to raise boundaries far more readily in a progressive stand of 73 in nine overs that set the tone for the chase. Karvelas proved expensive with the new ball, conceding 31 in three overs before making way for Sean Hunt, and Gloucestershire’s openers took full advantage of some loose bowling to advance the score to 50 from seven overs.Demonstrating aggressive intent, Hammond smashed Jack Campbell for three sixes in as many balls on his way to a quick-fire 46, only to blot his copybook by hoisting a delivery from Hunt high to mid-off in pursuit of a sixth four.There was no appreciable let-up in the scoring rate, Bancroft taking advantage of a free hit to raise an imposing six over mid-wicket at the expense of Ibrahim as the home side kept their foot to the floor. Hunt had Ollie Price held at backward point, but Bancroft proved unmovable in an innings that spanned 53 balls and included five fours and a six as Gloucestershire moved level on points with Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire and improved their net run rate into the bargain.

Stoneman resists before familiar collapse opens door for Somerset

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2023Somerset 404 (Bartlett 121, Abell 77) beat Middlesex 175 (Simpson 57*, Henry 5-45) and 216 (Stoneman 60, Overton 5-46) by an innings and 13 runsCraig Overton recorded his best figures this summer to propel Somerset to their first LV= Insurance County Championship win of the campaign as they crushed Middlesex by an innings and 13 runs at Lord’s.Overton finished with five for 46, supported by fellow seamer Peter Siddle’s effort of three for 57, to dismiss the home side for 216 second time around, with more than four sessions to spare.Mark Stoneman, who occupied the crease for almost three hours in compiling 60, was the only man to register a half-century in a Middlesex side who have managed to post in excess of 250 only once this season.Somerset’s victory was only their second red-ball success away from Taunton in more than two years, the other coming against neighbours Gloucestershire at Bristol last summer.Stoneman and Stephen Eskinazi, who resumed on a steady 81 for one, ground it out for the bulk of an attritional first hour, with almost five overs from Matt Henry and Overton yielding just a single leg-bye.Although Stoneman tucked Overton away for a single soon afterwards to bring up his second half-century of the summer, Middlesex’s solid base was swiftly demolished by a fiery spell from Siddle at the Pavilion End.The seamer’s first delivery was carved for four by Eskinazi, but his second jagged back to clip the Middlesex vice-captain’s off bail and his departure for 28 signalled a familiar middle-order collapse.Stoneman – bowled by an unplayable Henry delivery first time around – was unlucky to fall victim to another ball of similar quality from Siddle, which seamed and careered into his off stump.Somerset collected three more wickets in the space of 21 balls before lunch, with Overton accounting for Max Holden and John Simpson to sandwich the first delivery of Jack Leach’s spell that pinned Robbie White leg before.Luke Hollman and Ryan Higgins displayed some fighting spirit after the interval, with the left-hander driving Henry twice off the back foot to the short boundary as he contributed 28 to their seventh-wicket partnership of 44.Although Hollman was caught at third slip, Toby Roland-Jones took up the baton by giving Leach the charge and also hammered Overton over long-on for two fours in a cameo of 27 from 24 balls.But Overton had the final word, bowling the Middlesex skipper before completing his side’s win as Higgins (31) hooked him into the safe hands of Lewis Gregory at long leg.

The five-time IPL champions are missing Suryakumar Yadav, but have all their other bases covered

Sruthi Ravindranath26-Mar-2022

Big picture

Rohit Sharma vs Rishabh Pant. The India captain against his possible successor (that’s what Delhi coach Ricky Ponting thinks – he finds their journeys similar too). A predictable narrative but potentially a blockbuster one. The two big Indian names aside, these are two strong sides that have made sure to fill their squads well at the auction. Mumbai may be the five-time champions, but Capitals have been the team to beat in the last couple of years. It’s five-all between these teams since 2018, but Capitals did the double over Mumbai last season. Both the sides have solid top orders and enviable fast-bowling depth, and a number of Under-19 stars in their squads to groom.Related

• Capitals have solid first XI but player availability a concern

• Mumbai tick most boxes, but where's the top-quality spinner?

But Capitals will be missing some of their biggest overseas names for this game. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh are fulfilling their national commitments, Anrich Nortje is continuing his recovery from an injury, Lungi Ngidi and Mustafizur Rahman are in quarantine. This means they only have two overseas players around – Tim Seifert and Rovman Powell – and will have to rely on inexperienced back-ups. That makes it Advantage Mumbai.On that front, Mumbai don’t too much to worry about, but key man Suryakumar Yadav is out with a hairline fracture in his right hand.It was a disappointing season for Mumbai in 2021, but they would be looking to return in . They have managed to assemble their strong core – comprising Rohit, Suryakumar, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard and Jasprit Bumrah – which has been their biggest strength over the seasons. Kishan, who will open with Rohit, has superb numbers at that position – 555 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 156 – in the IPL. The middle-order has Pollard and Tim David – they both have struck at 163 since 2020 in T20s. The death bowling has got a massive boost with the addition of Tymal Mills. Their only big concern as of now remains the lack of experience in the spin department – and possibly enough powerplay-specialists among the bowlers.Tymal Mills’ acquisition should add muscle to Mumbai Indians’ death bowling•Mumbai Indians

In the news

Just two overseas players to pick from, which means both Seifert and Powell should play for Capitals. In fact, Pant has already said that Powell will bat at No. 4 or No. 5 this season.Suryakumar linked up with the team after being released on Saturday by the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where he had been in rehab for the past few weeks. How soon he can get in the middle, though, remains to be seen.

Likely XI

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Tim Seifert, 3 KS Bharat/Mandeep Singh, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Lalit Yadav, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Chetan SakariyaMumbai Indians: 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Anmolpreet Singh/ Dewald Brevis, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Tim David, 7 Sanjay Yadav, 8 Tymal Mills, 9 Jaydev Unadkat, 10 M Ashwin, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Strategy Punt

Pant in the middle, doing just Pant things? Call Bumrah. Bumrah has dismissed Pant the most number of times in T20s – six in 12 innings. Since Pant’s IPL debut in 2016, it’s been a one-sided rivalry between the two. Pant has also struck at just 112 against the quick.

Stats that matter

• The last time Mumbai won their opening game of any IPL season was in 2012
• Fast bowlers have picked up more than 75% of the wickets at this venue – Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium – in the IPL
• Axar Patel needs to strike five more times to tally 100 wickets in the IPL

Gary Stead says the wicketkeeper hurt his hamstring while playing a Ford Trophy match

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2020New Zealand are in danger of being without one of their most valuable resources when the new Test summer begins in two days’ time after BJ Watling picked up a hamstring injury on Sunday. The medical staff are assessing the 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman and will take a final call on his availability tomorrow. In the meantime, Devon Conway has been added to the squad as batting cover as they prepare to face West Indies.Watling would likely have been part of the XI that walked out onto Seddon Park in Hamilton if not for this mishap. Although four of his last 10 innings have brought single-digit scores, he has historically been the team’s lower-order batting leader. Last November, he came in at 127 for 4, after England had 353 on the board, and scored his maiden Test-match double-century.”We have another injury cover here. Devon Conway is here as injury cover for BJ Watling,” head coach Gary Stead said at a press conference on Tuesday. “He has a hamstring niggle that he picked up yesterday or day before, whenever it was his last Ford Trophy match.”He was being assessed as I walked across over here. So first time we’ve managed to get the physio in front of him. So once I hear more from that I will know but I’m guessing tomorrow we’ll make the call of whether he’s a chance or not.”If Watling is ruled out, Tom Blundell will take the gloves, while sacrificing his position as opener and Will Young will be given a chance to play his first international match for New Zealand. The 28-year-old top-order batsman has been highly-rated prospect for a long while now and has recent form on his side, with three centuries in his last five first-class games, one of them against the West Indies A team, whose bowling attack included Alzarri Joseph and Jason Holder.”You can correct me if I’m wrong but I think Will has scored four or five [New Zealand] A centuries now in the last couple of years,” Stead said. “Devon’s obviously done what he’s done in domestic cricket and put a lot of runs on the board as well. It’s healthy but it’s not only batting places but bowling places. We’ve all seen the emergence of Kyle Jamieson and we’ve all seen Lockie [Ferguson]’s pace and Matt Henry’s on the sidelines as well, who I guess is sometimes a forgotten man. He’s been 12th man for New Zealand for a lot of time. It’s really healthy for us to have that competition for places and I guess if we have injuries, we have replacements that can step straight into the Test side.”We are confident with the build-up that our guys have had with quite a bit of first-class cricket. I know some have come straight from the IPL but that was the reason for resting some of them – Trent [Boult] and Kane [Williamson] in particular – to ensure they got the red-ball readiness under their belt and freshness before the Test series”Gary Stead finds a reason to smile•Getty Images

There has been sharp focus on the World Test Championship and whether the current format is working after questions raised by the new ICC chairman Greg Barclay. Stead agreed that the system needed some tweaks but supported the idea of a working Championship.”The advantage of having the WTC final every two years is there is something you can reset and focus towards that,” Stead said. “I know for our guys in the team here and we’re a pretty experienced team and they could think of nothing better than I guess go to Lord’s again, if it’s Lord’s, or wherever it may be in the Covid world at the moment and play in something like that.”I think it definitely puts more context in the game. I still don’t think it’s perfect and I think Greg’s alluded to a few things around that. I would encourage the ICC to look at, I guess, having the same number of points spread over the same number of games. Perhaps if they play a five-Test series, then only the first two or the first three count towards it and I think that would add a bit more, I guess fairness across the whole thing.”In an effort to keep the current cycle going despite the massive disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the ICC had announced that teams would now be ranked by percentage points. On that basis, New Zealand are fourth on the table and are looking to move up.”I’ve done the calculations,” Stead said. “Things could change depending on the series and on who plays and who doesn’t. And I guess still with some uncertainty around some places in the world that you might or might not tour, there’s still some uncertainty, it’s hard to know. But I guess it’s pretty simple for us. We win four Tests and we give ourselves a good chance. We’d be at 70%. We’d still need some things to go our way but I think when you look at the likelihood of things happening I think that would give us a pretty good chance to be in the top two.”

This will be only the third World Cup meeting between both sides since that epic Edgbaston game

Preview by Andrew McGlashan05-Jul-20192:25

Vettori: Tahir can look back on career with pride

Big Picture

In another world, this could have been the ultimate match to finish the group stage: 20 years since the Greatest ODI Ever at Edgbaston which put Australia on track for the first of a hat-trick of World Cup titles and consigned South Africa to one of their most agonising near-misses.Instead, it’s largely an irrelevant match, except for potentially deciding where Australia will play their semi-final. Another win for them (or a defeat for India against Sri Lanka) and they’ll stay in Manchester to face New Zealand. The opposite set of results and it will be back down the motorway for a rematch with England at Edgbaston. The way Australia overcame both those sides in the recent group matches means they won’t worry who they play, but staying in the same city would make life a little easier – plus they’ll want to keep the winning momentum going.For South Africa, it’s a final chance to salvage a bit more pride from a poor World Cup after they put in a professional display to beat Sri Lanka. They have a host of issues to confront when they get home to begin the challenge of rebuilding over the next four-year cycle with much of their future resting on the shoulders of Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada. We already know this will be the last ODIs for Imran Tahir and JP Duminy. A few more many follow.

Form guide

(last five completed matches)
Australia WWWWW
South Africa WLLWL

In the spotlight

Pat Cummins has chipped in throughout the World Cup without quite being a dominant force. It hasn’t mattered, and a record of 12 wickets at 27.25 with an ecomony of 4.66 is very handy, but he has been overshadowed by the left-arm exploits of Mitchell Starc and Jason Behrendorff. However, after a home season where he had to carry the attack perhaps that is no bad thing. It would be no surprise at all if Cummins has a major impact in the closing stages of the tournament and the pace and carry of Old Trafford will suit him.He will continue his T20I career, but this is the final chance for Imran Tahir to clock up the celebration miles in ODI cricket. With one game to go, his 106 outings have clocked up an impressive 172 wickets at 24.63 (someone should do the maths and work out the ground he has covered with team-mates trying to catch him). A pitch that is known to offer some spin and bounce gives him a chance to sign off in style.Getty Images

Team news

Australia’s batsmen went through a brutal net session on Thursday with two casualties: Shaun Marsh is out of the World Cup with a broken wrist and Glenn Maxwell also went to hospital for a scan. Maxwell didn’t sustain any serious damage, but will be assessed before this match. If he is ruled out Peter Handscomb could come straight into the team. The Australia management has previously said they won’t rest quicks for the sake of it, so we could see an unchanged attack.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (capt), 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Glenn Maxwell/Peter Handscomb, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jason BehrendorffSouth Africa put in a solid display against Sri Lanka, winning by nine wickets, so may go with the same team. However, a call on Hashim Amla’s fitness will be taken in the morning, after the batsman appeared to injure his left knee during a practice session on Friday.South Africa (probable) 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt), 5 Rassie van der Dussen, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Dwaine Pretorius, 9 Chris Morris, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

It’s usually a very good pitch at Old Trafford with something on offer for everyone, from new-ball bounce to spin and the ability for batsmen to play their shots. The forecast is for a dry day with just the outside chance of a shower

Strategy punt

• Bowl Pat Cummins to Faf du Plessis: in six innings the pair have faced each other in ODIs, Cummins has dismissed the South Africa captain on four occasions. In 68 balls, du Plessis has scored 46 runs off him.
• Quinton de Kock could also be in for a tough time because he struggles against left-arm pace (average 38.20 in the first ten overs) and also offspin (average 30 in the first 10 overs) which gives Australia at least three options to target him with. In comparison, against right-arm pace in the opening Powerplay, de Kock averages 60.50.
• Aaron Finch has had a terrific World Cup and South Africa will want to consider using Tahir against him. Tahir has removed him three times with only Kane Williamson, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahela Jayawardene more regular victims (which just emphasises how good a bowler Tahir has been)

Stats and Trivia

• Mitchell Starc needs three wickets to overtake Glenn McGrath’s 2007 haul of 26 wickets as the best for Australia at the World Cup.
• This is the 100th ODI between Australia and South Africa.
• This will also just be their third World Cup meeting since that 1999 epic at Edgbaston. Two of those came in 2007.

Quotes

“Once you cross the rope, Australia are my favourite team to play against.”