Big Picture

The perfect day and the worst day. Rarely have emotions been so polarised than with England and Australia at Trent Bridge. The teams have less than 48 hours to reset themselves before starting again at Chester-le-Street with two distinct aims: a push for a whitewash for England and a face-saving exercise for Australia.There was talk of a whitewash the last time these teams met, in Australia earlier this year, but England’s ambitions on that occasion we scuppered by one of their eye-watering collapses when they slumped to 8 for 5 in Adelaide. That, perhaps, remains Australia’s best chance of taking something this time – that England have a day when they nick a lot rather than middle shots into the stands – although the bowlers took such a hammering at Trent Bridge that it will be tough to recover.It is a mark of the expectations around this England team that holes were picked in the first two performances of this series and it is rare for Eoin Morgan to sound as satisfied with an outing as he did in Nottingham – although if he wasn’t happy then, he may never be. Still, the perfect day in a bilateral one-day series against a poor team is one thing. England will want to save a few for this time next year.After a perfect display, perhaps the one thing England would like is a few more wickets with the new ball. Mark Wood has taken two scalps in three matches with Australia, by and large, not having too many alarms against his new-ball spells only to repeatedly stumble when spin is introduced. That’s working fine for England now, but if they can make impact with the new ball – which highlights the significance of Chris Woakes’ absence – they become even more formidable. And there’s a daunting thought.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WWWLW
Australia LLLLW

In the spotlight

Joe Root isn’t a slogger. He almost managed a wry smile when he walked out at No. 7 at Trent Bridge. It will have been one of the least-pressurised situations he will ever have batted – and he barely middled one shot. His fifty in the opening match, when England had lost three early wickets, showed how important his role in the side remains. He purred to a half-century at The Oval and eased into the 20s at Cardiff, but after the pyrotechnics in Nottingham he has had the quietest series of the top order.Tim Paine admitted he hadn’t had a worse day on the cricket field in his life than Trent Bridge. He’s a good man in a difficult position. His captaincy of the one-day team is even more of a sticking plaster than with the Test side, where he at least justifies his position. It’s hard to say the same in this side. You could even suggest he isn’t the best option in this squad: Alex Carey is a talented, dynamic keeper-batsman. If Australia are serious about reviving their one-day team, Paine does not look the answer. He may have just two more matches to make a case.

Teams news

England have bolstered their pace attack by calling up Craig Overton and Sam Curran. Morgan hinted at the potential for changes due to the lengthy journey from Nottingham to Durham and the short turnaround between games. Tom Curran and Jake Ball were already part of the squad, so may get first dibs.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Alex Hales, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Liam Plunkett/Jake Ball, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood/Tom CurranWhat can Australia do? Shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic springs to mind. Justin Langer has suggested Nathan Lyon could get a call-up, although that may create issues with the tail. Andrew Tye may need to be benched after a tough couple of games. Aaron Finch’s move to No. 5 hasn’t worked, either.Australia (probable) 1 D’Arcy Short, 2 Travis Head, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Aaron Finch, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Tim Paine (capt & wk), 8 Ashton Agar, 9 Jhye Richardson, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Billy Stanlake.

Pitch and conditions

Chester-le-Street can offer more help to the pacemen than some grounds around the country, although the Royal London Cup did feature scores over 300. The forecast is set fair for the day-night game and the match is a sellout, an important boost for a county that has had well-documented struggles of late.

Stats and trivia

• This is the first ODI at Chester-le-Street since 2015 – when England beat New Zealand in the decider to take the series 3-2
• Jonny Bairstow’s four centuries in 2018 already equals the most by an England batsman in a calendar year (David Gower in 1983)
• Andrew Tye’s series economy rate of 7.96 is the highest for an Australia bowler to have delivered at least 20 overs in a series

Quotes

“Their top three are brutal. The way they are playing is reminiscent of how we used to play in our day with Gilly, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting at the top.”
“We’ve always looked at series like this, and games with one day in between, as quite rigorous for the bowlers. Their risk of injury goes through the roof. So we’ll have to see how they pull up, and what they can do.”

Arsenal have been linked with a surprising move for struggling Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk in the summer.

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Mudryk originally wanted by ArsenalSigned for Chelsea but has struggledGunners interested alongside JuventusWHAT HAPPENED?

The Ukraine international was signed from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2022 for a staggering fee worth up to £89 million ($113m) including add-ons. Thus far Mudryk has come nowhere near living up to that price tag, with his most impressive showings arguably coming on his debut against Liverpool and during pre-season this term. Despite an underwhelming start to his Chelsea career, Arsenal are reportedly interested in bringing him to north London, according to Spanish outlet .

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The report notes that Chelsea will listen to offers for the 22-year-old winger, with a primary objective being a loan transfer to build up his development. However, the Blues could be interested in a permanent sale, where Arsenal and Serie A giants Juventus are listed as potential suitors. That said, Chelsea would look to recoup a significant portion of that £89m investment which, as the report acknowledges, would be difficult given Mudryk's recent performances.

DID YOU KNOW?

Arsenal, of course, were once seen as the primary location for Mudryk before his eventual switch to Chelsea. Mikel Arteta is thought to be a big fan from his Shakhtar playing days and only neglected to sign him after being usurped by the Blues' mammoth offer at the 11th hour. Videos had even been circling of Mudryk praising Arteta and wearing an Arsenal shirt.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MUDRYK?

Chelsea may hope their north London counterparts do them a favour as they did when signing Kai Havertz for a staggering £65m ($82m) last summer, and pay over-the-odds for another struggling forward. However, that eventuality would require Mudryk to build on his sorry tally of four goals in 26 appearances this term.

The former New Zealand allrounder had been diagnosed with bowel cancer last month, and had a tumour removed

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2018

Sir Richard Hadlee will undergo further surgery following the discovery of secondary cancer in his liver. An NZC statement said it was still at a “very early stage”. The former New Zealand captain had been diagnosed with bowel cancer last month, and had undergone surgery to have a tumour removed.”Medical advice is that it’s still at a very early stage and is operable,” the release, issued on behalf of Hadlee’s wife Lady Dianne, said. “Once he has recovered from the operation, Richard will undergo further chemotherapy treatment.”As with the first statement released on this matter, we disclose these details solely in the interests of transparency, and to avoid speculation and gossip. We would again ask that people respect our request for privacy.”

James Vince struck a half-century as Hampshire secured a five-wicket win to move closer to the knockout stages

ECB Reporters Network30-May-2018
ScorecardReece Topley bowled Hampshire to the brink of the Royal London Cup’s knockout stages as they beat Middlesex by five wickets at Merchant Taylors’ School.Topley, who committed himself to white-ball only cricket over the winter as he makes another injury comeback, made Middlesex regret their decision to bat first in bowler-friendly conditions following a delayed start.His 4 for 40 ensured the hosts were restricted to just 199 for 8 in their 45 overs, a target the South Group leaders made comfortably, despite a mid-innings wobble, led by 56 from England discard James Vince.Eyebrows were raised when Middlesex skipper Steven Finn opted to bat after winning a toss delayed for an hour by early morning rain.Deprived of club captain Dawid Malan on Test duty and England one-day skipper Eoin Morgan, ruled out with a cracked finger, much depended on openers Paul Stirling and Nick Gubbins. However, Gubbins perished early, caught in the gulley for 9 giving Topley his first wicket.Under murky skies and with an outfield too wet to afford batsman value for their shot-making, even Stirling with two centuries already in the competition struggled to break the shackles.He did hoist Topley for one huge six into the car park but trying to repeat the shot he fell to the next delivery, holing out at mid-off.This left Max Holden, making his List-A debut for Middlesex and the barely more experienced Stevie Eskinazi needing to entrench.The pair kept the scoreboard ticking but save for a huge straight six from Holden boundaries were scarce in a third-wicket stand of 62 ended by Vince who trapped Eskinazi lbw for 42.Topley then returned to the attack to have Holden caught behind for 38 just as the hosts were attempting to accelerate.Overseas player Hilton Cartwright and wicketkeeper John Simpson attempted another rebuild before the former had his furniture rearranged by former Middlesex man Gareth Berg.And when Simpson lofted Mason Crane into Topley’s clutches at mid-off just three overs later Middlesex were 158 for 6.A few lusty blows from Tom Helm got Middlesex to the brink of 200, but Topley bowled him to complete his four-wicket haul.In reply, Rilee Roussow was caught behind to a reckless swipe off Finn, who also had Alsop caught by Eskinazi at short cover.But with Joe Weatherley providing solid support for the free-flowing Vince the visitors were seemingly cantering inexorably towards victory with even the competition’s leading wicket taker Ravi Patel – back on his old schoolground – unable to unsettle them.Vince’s 50 came in 64 balls, but with his team in cruise control the England man needlessly took on mid-on fielder James Franklin who promptly ran him out.When Weatherley holed out to Finn at mid-off from the bowling of Sowter six balls later, Middlesex briefly had hope.Sowter had Bradley Taylor caught behind for 11 to crank up the tension, but Jimmy Adams and Lewis McManus’ 60-run stand eased Hampshire home with 26 balls to spare.

A section of Zimbabwe players have threatened to boycott the series unless their match fees dating back to their tour of Sri Lanka last year are settled

Firdose Moonda14-Jun-2018Uncertainty continues to cloud next month’s T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe, also involving Australia and Pakistan, which remains at risk of a Zimbabwe player boycott.Less than a day after sources told ESPNcricinfo Zimbabwe’s players “understood,” they would not be paid until at least July but acknowledged the importance of playing in the tri-series, the same sources confirmed the players demand for outstanding salaries to be paid by June 25 remains in place.Zimbabwe’s players are owed two months of salary and match fees dating back to their tour of Sri Lanka last year and a section of players remain adamant they will make themselves unavailable for international duty unless the bills are settled.However, some players have relaxed their view on taking part in the on-going warm-up matches against Kenya and have chosen to use the fixtures as practice in the event the tri-series goes ahead.As reported on Wednesday, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, John Nyumbu, Richmond Mutumbami, Tendai Chatara, Natsai M’shangwe, Donald Tiripano and Chris Mpofu played in games against Kenya but Hamilton Maskadza, Peter Moor, Brendan Taylor, Kyle Jarvis, Ryan Burl and Sean Williams had not. Former captain Graeme Cremer, allrounder Sikandar Raza, batsman Craig Ervine and fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani were not named in the practice squads.Raza and Muzarabani are currently playing overseas. There were no fixtures scheduled for Thursday but Friday’s matches may reveal more about which players intend to avail themselves for the national side.Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has acknowledged that they are in a financially precarious position and have not been able to meet their commitments. Ten days ago, in a comment to ESPNcricinfo, ZC said it was “top priority,” to settle its bills and would begin processing payments. Since then, the players have received one month’s worth of salary but are still owed another two, as well as the long-overdue match fees.ZC have also since appointed Vince van der Bijl as a consultant to assist in plotting the way forward, while the players are operating through a representative Gerald Mlotchwa. The players are working on reforming an assoication, which became defunct in 2015, in order to negotiate with ZC.The tri-series is due to start on July 1 and then Zimbabwe are set to play five ODIs at home against Pakistan.

Wolverhampton Wanderers returned to action on Saturday afternoon, as the Old Gold hosted Liverpool in their fifth Premier League fixture of the 2023/24 campaign.

Gary O’Neil’s side were hoping to build on their last result against Merseyside opposition, as the Midlands club secured their first win of the season against Everton late on in their third clash.

Last time out, Wolves had been defeated 3-2 by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, with goals from Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha not enough to take a result back to Molineux.

Hwang once again found the net against Liverpool, although they were undone by some late goals, eventually succumbing 3-1.

What is the latest Wolves team news?

Against Palace, O’Neil’s side dominated the possession with 57% of the ball, however once again fell short in the final third, with the hosts taking centre stage in providing the goal threat.

As per Sofascore, the Eagles registered 2.11 expected goals (xG) to Wolves’ 1.18, registering a mammoth 11 shots on targets to the visitors four during the 90 minutes played.

Cunha opened his scoring tally for the 2023/24 campaign, joined by super-sub Hwang, who has been a reliable source of threat for the Midlands side, meaning his start on Saturday against Liverpool was well deserved.

Deadline day arrival Tommy Doyle was forced to wait for his first start against the Anfield side after a minor knee injury, although did make his debut from the bench in that encounter.

It surely won't be too long before we see him earning regular minutes, but one player who must be kept on the bench at the expense of that is Pablo Sarabia.

Should Pablo Sarabia be starting?

Sarabia went from hero to zero in the week of the showdown at Selhurst, as he put in a stellar performance in the Carabao Cup where he was dubbed the “architect” by journalist Nathan Judah, only to then go missing against the Eagles.

The winger received an 8.2 Sofascore match rating against Blackpool in the cup, followed by a below-par 6.6 rating against Palace, where he was branded as “anonymous” by journalist Alex Richards for his display.

Despite Wolves’ control in possession, Sarabia made 33 touches in the 60 minutes he played, losing possession ten times and failing to provide the danger sufficient enough to wound Roy Hodgson’s side.

On the hour mark, O’Neil pulled the £90k-per-week Spaniard off to be replaced by Hwang, who displayed exactly what the 31-year-old was missing to his game on the day by scoring and completing 100% of his attempted dribbles.

The manager was clearly keen to replicate that when they took on Liverpool, as Sarabia was benched with Hwang coming into the starting XI.

That was hardly a surprise after the loss at Selhurst, with the aforementioned Richards also commenting on Sarabia’s “problems” in adapting to the “speed and physicality” of the Premier League, providing another weak element of his game.

With four losses in their opening five games, Wolves will be hoping to finally kick on. The likes of Hwang and Co will certainly help them do that. Including Sarabia, however, will not. After a vibrant display from the South Korean, it is time the Spaniard stays among the subs.

The event to mark a year until the 2019 World Cup was a call to rally round and support an event that is returning to these shores for the first time in two decades

Andrew Miller30-May-2018It wasn’t hard to determine what the theme of next year’s World Cup is set to be, given the ICC’s choice of venue for its event to mark the tournament’s one-year countdown.A bar and courtyard in East London’s iconic Brick Lane, the heart of the capital’s Bangladeshi community, was jam-packed with legends of tournaments past, as well as fans and kids representing all ten of the competing nations. It amounted to a call to arms to the myriad cultures that make up the British Isles, to rally round and support an event that is returning to these shores for the first time in two decades.It will do so, according to the tournament organisers, with appetites whetted and lessons learnt from the two ICC events that took place in England last year – the Champions Trophy and Women’s World Cup. Both passed off without a hitch, allowing David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, to breathe a sigh of relief at once again working with the ECB, a board which has “a culture of doing things well in advance, as opposed to other parts of the world where there is a culture of leaving things to last minute”.On one key aspect of the World Cup strategy, however, the ICC and ECB haven’t seemed quite so aligned in recent weeks. In spite of their shared commitment to participation, particularly among Asian communities, the recent comments of the ECB chairman, Colin Graves, that young people “are just not attracted to cricket”, prompted a diplomatic response from Richardson, who clearly hopes that next summer’s events will provide a more thorough refutation of that claim.”That is very much an English viewpoint,” Richardson said. “Globally we are seeing in our sport, compared to other sports, the average age of the fan is lower than even football and certainly rugby. Market by market, it varies widely – in England, I think, there is a bit of a challenge making sure we re-engage with the youth and grow the game from a participation point of view – but elsewhere in the world, it is quite positive.”That implication was borne out by ticket sales for last summer’s Champions Trophy. According to the ECB’s own figures, supporters of a South Asian heritage accounted for 40 percent of the total sales, boosted no doubt by the presence of three Asian teams alongside England in the semi-finals. For standard bilateral events featuring England and a touring team, however, that figure has been just 3 percent.Nevertheless, Steve Elworthy, the tournament director, accepts that there is still room for improvement, in spite of a 90 percent attendance figure during the Champions Trophy, particularly in reaching beyond cricket’s traditional supporters and engaging those for whom the World Cup may yet be their first glimpse of the sport.Cricket fans in East London gather at an event to mark one year until the 2019 World Cup•Getty Images”The criticism [last year] was that it didn’t necessarily break out of the cricket bubble,” Elworthy said. “But 55 percent of the people who came to the Champions Trophy hadn’t been to cricket in the last five years or so – there was a huge Asian support base for it – we want to build on that.”Plans to extend the World Cup’s reach could include a bespoke opening ceremony on the eve of the tournament, while the notion of Fan Parks and “inner-city take-overs” – “from Durham right down to Taunton” – are also being discussed.”We have stated ambitions to engage with a million kids between now and the end of the tournament,” Elworthy added. “We have 100,000 tickets earmarked for under-16s for the World Cup. We have an opportunity to re-engage and drive huge participation.”And that message will doubtless be music to the ears of the ECB hierarchy, whose bid to reboot the sport’s popularity in England and Wales has been dented in recent weeks by a hostile reception to their proposed 100-ball format.And Richardson himself wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the notion of a fourth format for a sport that is already struggling to balance the competing demands of Tests, 50-over and T20s.”Our strategy is clear in that we’ve got three formats of the same game, which is challenging in itself to keep them from cannibalising each other,” he said. “But what it does do is provide us an opportunity to provide an offering to everybody, every type of cricket fan, from the traditional old Test cricket fan to a youngster who wants something to be happening every ball.”And the 50-over version, I think, is that perfect fit between Test and T20. It provides a perfect day’s entertainment, we’ve seen that around the world – it is very popular elsewhere in the world — and the World Cup has got that prestige which I think will help cement 50-over cricket’s popularity well into the future.””But certainly there isn’t an appetite to increase and create another format.”Asked if the ECB needed help from the ICC to frame their message, particularly in the form of a successful staging of the World Cup, Richardson responded: “We don’t need to hold their hand or do anything [like that]. They are quite capable themselves, I’m sure.”But the bottom line is that this does present a huge opportunity – and we saw it with the Women’s World Cup – to attract a new audience to get people enthused who weren’t necessarily going to cricket matches season after season. I think there is a huge opportunity in having an event in your own country.”

The batting coach said India had enough time, options and “fluidity” in their batting order to plug any weakness

Nagraj Gollapudi at Headingley16-Jul-2018India are yet to work out a “settled” middle order in ODIs and they do not have the “depth” in their lower order. With the World Cup a year away that might seem to be a matter of concern, but batting coach Sanjay Bangar said that India had enough time, options and “fluidity” in their batting order to plug any weakness.India’s middle-order woes were exposed at Lord’s on Saturday, as the second half of their innings was subdued and they stuttered to a virtual standstill in the final hour. It was the first instance since the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup that India failed hit a single six in an ODI. India didn’t score more than 10 runs in an over during in the final 15 overs, and only 42 runs came off the last 10, which is the fewest scored by India in the last decade.The lack of intent did not sit well with the Indian fans at Lord’s. They did not spare MS Dhoni, who was booed at various times during an innings where he ran out of partners and eventually lost rhythm. Although it would be easy to blame Dhoni, you could understand why he did not want to press the accelerator with the other members of India’s middle order – KL Rahul, Suresh Raina and Hardik Pandya – found wanting.Bangar said that India were not sweating because they had enough options to work out a World Cup middle order. Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey and Ajinkya Rahane could all still be viable options if the current occupants did not make an impact. Rayudu failed the yo-yo fitness test and Raina was called up as his replacement. Pandey and Rahane have been tried at different times in the past, but left behind more questions than positive impressions.Although India have not tried it yet, one way the middle order could be strengthened would involve pushing Rahul to No. 3 and having Virat Kohli bat at four. That way India can retain their authority in the top order while having their best batsman at the controls in the second half of the innings. This way Kohli would not only act as a cushion for the top order, as he showed during the T20s in Ireland and England, but also ease the pressure on Dhoni, who can play with more freedom at Nos. 5 or 6.But India are not ready yet to change the default settings. “We did change a bit [the batting order], certainly in the T20 format where KL played at three and Virat batted at four,” Bangar said in Leeds on the eve of the final match of the ODI series and the limited-overs leg of their tour. “But looking at this series and the performances that Virat has got at No. 3, especially in the last series when he scored three hundreds against South Africa in five games [we won’t alter the batting order].”Bangar, though, did not rule out a change of strategy, keeping in mind India have 21 matches before the World Cup, good enough time to figure out a solution. “We are looking at, in terms of the games remaining, where we could look at settling the middle-order slots. We will see as to players available, the fitness of the players. So a lot of spots are open. The good thing about that is the bench strength we have in a Rayudu, or a Manish Pandey or Ajinkya Rahane. There are enough spots for each and every eventuality that we might face leading up to the World Cup.”MS Dhoni buckles on his pads at India training•Getty Images

Bangar also defended Dhoni and said that there was nothing else India’s most senior and experienced batsman could have done. “When the team loses four wickets, the lower order – at least with the combination we are playing at the moment – we do not really have the depth at Nos. 8, 9, 10 wherein the batsman at Nos. 6 or 7 could play with that sort of a freedom. It was purely because of that that we kept on losing the wickets and the set batsmen could not really exploit [the situation].”He [Dhoni] was just hoping that somebody would stick with him. There was a chance when he and Suresh were batting together, we were just hoping they could bat through till the 40th over and they could take the bowlers on. But every time he looked to do that he first lost Raina and then he lost Hardik so there wasn’t too much batting to follow for him to play in the usual fashion that he does.”Bangar felt that some of the India batsmen, like Raina, who featured in just one format and have come back to international fold after a while, would need more time to settle down. Bangar said that it was also difficult for the middle-order batsmen, who were often padded up but did not have much to do as all the good work had been already done by the top order, which has played a dominant role in Indian victories in the last few years.”The way our top order is batting, generally our middle order hasn’t got the number of opportunities that you would expect because the top order does the bulk of the scoring. And at times the middle order have to straightaway walk into a game situation. Not all of the players are playing all formats of the game. You also have to give some weightage to do that – coming back straight to international cricket, and doing the kind of things that are expected of you, especially in this format. So the continuity factor also plays a part, but we are trying to balance each and everything that we could possibly do.”

Bangla bash: Rumana Ahmed (left) and Khadija Tul Kubra in Belgaum, on their tour of India•Annesha Ghosh/ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Beat two-time runners-up (Pakistan): check
Beat six-time winners (India): check
Qualify for maiden Asia Cup final: check
Heading into the tournament, Bangladesh were labelled underdogs likely to pull off an upset or two. On Saturday, with their 70-run rout of Malaysia in the last league game, they surpassed last edition’s runners-up Pakistan on the points table and set up their maiden appearance in an Asia Cup final, where they will take on defending champions India.On the penultimate day of what has been a momentous week for the side, in which they consigned both Pakistan and India to big-margin defeats, Bangladesh strangled hosts Malaysia to 60 for 9 in 20 in their 130-run defence. Vice-captain Rumana Ahmed starred with the ball, picking her second three-for of the tournament, after a 59-run opening stand between Player of the Match Shamima Sultana and Ayasha Rahman hoisted Bangladesh to 130 for 4.While Bangladesh have preferred to chase mostly, Salma Khatun’s decision to bat found validation in Sultana’s 54-ball 43 that complemented Rahman’s 31 off 27. After Winifred Duraisingam, the medium-pacer, separated the duo in the 10th over, Sultana stitched together a 27-run second-wicket partnership with Fargana Hoque. Duraisingam’s second strike, in the 16th over, however, ensured Hoque’s contribution was limited to seven.A huge swell of impetus to the Bangladesh innings came via the 36 runs Sanjida Islam and and Fahima Khatun added at over 10 runs per over. Sanjida smashed 15 off 12 while Khatun peppered three fours en route to her 12-ball 26.In reply, only three batsmen in the Malaysia line-up managed double-digit scores. Duraisingam top-scored with a 35-ball 17 as two run-outs, coupled with Ahmed’s 4-1-8-3 which proved too strong for the opposition to muster a fight against. Malaysia’s slow-paced surrender ended in a ninth wicket for the Bangladesh attack, in which five of the six bowlers employed returned at least one wicket each.

Australia have packed 10 days of cricket into the last three weeks, and their T20I captain hopes the team can cap a hard month on the road with a title win

Liam Brickhill in Harare07-Jul-2018With one match to go before a well-earned break, Australia captain Aaron Finch is hoping his team will cap a hard month on the road with a victory. “Hopefully leading into this final, we’re saving our best for last and then the boys will get a little break,” Finch said.Australia have packed 10 days of cricket into the last three weeks, and they’ll need the rest ahead of a busy 2018-19 season. After a trip to the UAE for Tests, ODIs and a T20I against Pakistan, the side will play South Africa, India and Sri Lanka over a summer that will also feature an expanded Big Bash League.Australia have also been coming to terms with a new era both on and off the field, with the addition of new faces to their squads bringing with it a general need for recalibration. While there’s still room for improvement, Finch thinks there have been “great developments” in the team.”Slowly we’re starting to find the right balance and a little bit more of an understanding of how each other play the game,” Finch said. “There’s a few new faces around, so as a captain I think it’s important to have more of an understanding of guys strengths and things where there’s room for improvement. There’ve been some great developments over the last few months on tour. We’ve trained hard.”But hard yakka in the nets hasn’t necessarily transmuted into success. Inconsistent results certainly aren’t down to any lapses in their training schedules: Australia have trained for an hour or more after their last two games in Harare, braving plummeting mid-winter temperatures, and several players have spoken about the effect new coach Justin Langer is having. All the same, their last few games have been marked by both record-breaking peaks and repeated blunders.”I don’t know if rusty is the right word,” Finch said. “We’re still just slightly off in our execution with the bat, ball and in the field. Putting down a couple too many chances in the field – well, one is too many. With the ball we’re probably just leaking that one over that’s a real big one. In the past we’ve been really good at, if we’re hit for a boundary early, shutting down the over and getting out of it. Lately there’s been too many 15, 16-plus overs. With the bat, anytime you have to get a new partnership going, it makes it more difficult.”It would have been nice for our in batters to make sure that we got the job done comfortably [against Zimbabwe]. A little too close for comfort, but in the end getting a win is important, leading into the final with momentum.”Finch’s personal returns have also been mixed in the tri-series, with 240 runs (and a new world record) in his first two innings followed by 19 runs from his next two. But such are the vagaries of T20 batting, Finch said, targetting another big knock in Sunday’s final.”I feel like I’m playing very well at the moment. I’m not too bothered by a couple of low scores to be honest. T20 cricket tends to be high risk at the start of the innings and as long as I’m moving well and hitting the ball in the middle of the bat I’m pretty confident. Having played a lot of T20 cricket now, I understand the highs and lows of a batter in this game so it’s just about making sure that you’re giving yourself the best chance, making the right decision under pressure, and I still feel as though I’m doing that. It just hasn’t gone my way in the last two games, but hopefully a big one in the final.”Sarfraz Ahmed and Aaron Finch at the toss•AFPFinch will be up against an attack Australia hadn’t seen much of in T20Is before their trip to Zimbabwe. Australia’s last T20I against Pakistan before the tri-series was at the World T20 in 2016, and while they have played each other in other formats, Australia have had to scramble to adapt their gameplans on a quick turnaround while in Harare.”They’ve got a lot of very dangerous players,” Finch said of Pakistan. “If you look at the stats from this series, Fakhar Zaman has been outstanding and a real thorn in our side for a couple of games. He’s also been really consistent in this format for quite a long time. Obviously [Mohammad] Amir came back and bowled really well in the last game. They’ve got a lot of left-arm options. And then Shadab Khan as well, bowling legspin and spinning it both ways is also a threat. We reviewed heavily after the game against Pakistan and came up with some really solid plans for their bowlers and batters.”The world no. 1 ranking will remain out of Australia’s grasp even if they win Sunday’s final – they needed an unbeaten run through the tri-series to snatch the position away from Pakistan – but Finch said that winning the tri-series, rather than gaining ranking points, was Australia’s goal throughout.”On this tour, there’s been no talk about ‘we have to win this tournament to become no. 1’. It’s about winning the tournament for Australia. We’ve put ourselves in a position to do that, so that’s a real positive. We haven’t played our best cricket in the last couple of games, but there’s room for improvement and come tomorrow I’ve got a real good feeling that we’ll bring our A game.”Though rankings aren’t the focus, a win in the final would mean that Australia’s T20 side would be their top-ranked men’s team in second position (their women’s side is no. 1 overall), and Finch put their climb up the tables from sixth position last year down to the increased number of T20Is on their calendar. Australia have played 17 T20Is since the last World T20 in early 2016, winning 12. Between the 2014 and 2016 World T20s, they had played just 10 games, losing six.”We’ve been really consistent over the years in T20 cricket with some great sides,” Finch said. “In the past there’s been a lot less T20 cricket played as a country outside of the world tournaments. When you’re playing one game generally per series, if that, it can be quite hard to get your ranking up there. I think over the last 18 or 24 months we’ve played a lot more T20; we’ve probably had a lot more settled side over that time as well. I think there’s merit in how we’ve moved up the rankings.”