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The India vs Pakistan Super 12s Group 2 game at the men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be played on October 24 in Dubai. The date was confirmed as the ICC announced the tournament schedule on Tuesday. The tournament’s first round kicks off on October 17 in Oman, with Oman taking on Papua New Guinea and Bangladesh playing Scotland. The final will be played in Dubai on November 14, with November 15 marked as a reserve day.The Super 12s – round two of the tournament, with two groups – will begin on October 23, with Australia facing South Africa in Abu Dhabi and England up against West Indies in Dubai. India vs Pakistan aside, another big-ticket encounter in this round includes England and Australia playing in Dubai on October 30. England and Australia are part of Group 1 in the Super 12s, along with South Africa, West Indies and two qualifiers from the first round of games. India and Pakistan are in Group 2, along with New Zealand, Afghanistan and two qualifiers.The top-two teams from the two Super 12 groups will play the semi-finals. The first on November 10 in Abu Dhabi and the second on November 11 in Dubai. Like the final, both the semi-finals will have reserve days.The tournament’s first round features Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands and Namibia in Group A, and Bangladesh, Scotland, PNG and Oman in Group B. Oman and UAE are co-hosts for the tournament, with the first round being played in Oman, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The second round is spread around the three UAE venues of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

This will be the first time in over two years that India and Pakistan will play each other, their last meeting being at the 50-over World Cup in England in 2019. As has been the case often in the past many years, bilateral ties between the two countries are on hold because of political tensions, meaning they only face each other only in multi-team tournaments, like the World Cups.This edition of the World Cup was initially scheduled to be held in Australia in 2020, but it was postponed because of the pandemic. Then, it was slated to be played in India this October but, again, complications triggered by the pandemic forced a venue change. Incidentally, 2021 was also due to feature a T20 World Cup as per previous ICC schedules, and that second tournament will now to be played in Australia late next year.Sammy tags West Indies favourites
Daren Sammy, the two-time T20 World Cup-winning West Indies captain who unveiled the schedule in a virtual function on Tuesday along with Dinesh Karthik and Isa Guha, told that he expected West Indies to grab the most attention at the tournament.”When you look at West Indies – and I might sound a bit biased – in the last [three] tournaments we have managed to get to the final four, win in two out of that [2012 and 2016],” Sammy said. “Our players, the calibre of players we have – when you look at captain [Kieron] Pollard, the universe boss Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Evin Lewis – I could go on… it’s a long list of guys who can take the attack to you.”But, in this stage, every team looking at the group stages would be thinking, ‘Wow, you got to start well’. And I expect England and West Indies to come out of that group [Group 1 in the Super 12s]. [I predict that the team] that tops this group gets to the final.”Karthik said he expected Group 2 in the Super 12s to be highly competitive as well: “If five Asian teams come through and you have New Zealand there… that’s a tougher group; I am looking forward to some high-octane action.”It’s going to be close call for me between Pakistan and New Zealand [with India being the other team to get through from Group 2 to the semis]. My heart says I would love to see a Pakistan there, but New Zealand find ways to always punch above their weight. They are a pretty well-rounded team with a great leader in Kane Williamson.”

Harry Swindells advanced his career-best first-class score to 171 not out as Leicestershire’s LV= Insurance County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton ended in a high-scoring draw.The 22-year-old wicketkeeper had batted for almost six and a half hours, facing 322 balls and striking 24 fours and a six, when heavy rain set in during the lunch interval on the final day, causing play to be abandoned.By then Swindells and Ed Barnes had taken their unbroken eighth-wicket stand to 203, with 23-year-old Barnes on 83, also a career-best, an innings spanning 165 balls and featuring 14 boundaries.It was a Leicestershire record partnership for the eighth-wicket, surpassing the 195 between Jigar Naik and James Taylor against Derbyshire in 2005.Leicestershire head coach Paul Nixon described Swindells as “a streetfighter and a workaholic”.”He has been so proactive in trying to improve his game and relishes a battle,” Nixon said. “Ed has had a tough time. We left him out for a while and here he fought with his bowling action a bit in the breeze against some very good players before turning things around with the bat.”The pair batted through the morning session, interrupted for around 15 minutes by a shower, adding 85 to their team’s overnight first-innings score of 390 for 7.Their combined efforts gave Leicestershire a lead of 14 runs, but the match already seemed destined for a draw long before the heavens opened.Umpires Neil Mallender and James Middlebrook abandoned any prospect of further play just after 2.30pm, leaving Group Two leaders Somerset to take 15 points and Leicestershire 14.Somerset’s experienced seamers Marchant de Lange and Jack Brooks had one final opportunity to give their side a meaningful first-innings advantage when play began with the visitors 71 in arrears.But a benign pitch, which had frustrated a depleted home attack the previous day, proved equally true for batting and there were few alarms for the composed Swindells and Barnes.Unbeaten on 119 overnight, Swindells moved to 150 off 289 balls, playing and missing on occasion, as he had done throughout his innings, but also displaying the ability to punish anything loose to the full.Barnard matched his partner shot for shot as they took the score to 444 for 7 before a brief rain break.Debutant Kasey Aldridge again bowled without a modicum of fortune, failing to find an edge, despite some impressive deliveries from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End.Acting Somerset skipper James Hildreth introduced left-arm spinner Lewis Goldsworthy into the attack for the first time in the 134th over, but he was able to find no greater assistance from the pitch than the seamers.Andy Hurry, Somerset’s director of cricket, bemoaned the loss of leading seamer Craig Overton to England duty as part of wholesale changes to the ODI squad to face Pakistan following a spate of positive Covid tests among the original squad and staff.”There is no doubt that if Craig Overton had been with us for the whole game, we would be looking at a different outcome,” Hurry said. “That’s frustrating, but we fully understand the rationale behind England calling him up and it is a great opportunity for him.”It also provided chance for young Kasey Aldridge, who bowled with absolutely no luck. We go into the final game top of the table, which is fantastic, and it promises to be a really exciting climax to the group stage as we take on Surrey next week.”Swindells and Barnes looked as if they could bat all day and the latter may feel he was robbed of a maiden century by the weather. Regardless, he and Swindells played with an assurance and level of concentration that bodes well for their futures.

Glamorgan 295 for 6 (Rutherford 86) beat Northamptonshire 236 (Taylor 65|) by 59 runsVeteran seame Michael Hogan and promising young all-rounder Joe Cooke took three wickets apiece to knock the stuffing out of a strong Northamptonshire line-up as Glamorgan claimed their second Royal London Cup victory by 59 runs.Hogan turned in a hostile opening spell to claim two early scalps while Cooke, 24, followed up three wickets on List A debut against Warwickshire on Thursday by removing Northamptonshire’s middle order and hit an unbeaten 33 with the bat.Earlier an assured 86 from New Zealand international Hamish Rutherford provided the bedrock for Glamorgan, before some brutal hitting from Cooke and Tom Cullen pushed them to an imposing 295 for 6.Despite 65 from Tom Taylor, the target proved beyond Northamptonshire’s reach in their opening game of the tournament.Rutherford shared a 68-run opening stand with Nick Selman who offered a simple caught and bowled chance to teenage debutant, left-arm wrist-spinner Freddie Heldreich. The youngster picked up a second when he got one through Steven Reingold’s forward defensive and hit the top of off-stump.Rutherford combined a mixture of sweetly timed sweeps and cuts with some crunching boundaries and found an ally in skipper Kiran Carlson. The pair took the attack to the spinners, before Ben Sanderson removed both in quick succession.First Carlson top edged a bouncer straight to Heldreich at fine leg. Then just when Rutherford looked set for a century, he chopped on to his stumps. When Billy Root hooked a short ball from Tom Taylor to a diving Charlie Thurston at deep square leg, Glamorgan had lost had lost three wickets for 23 runs in 5.2 overs.Cullen broke the shackles with three boundaries off Heldreich before Callum Taylor hit namesake Tom over his head for six. After a stand of 60 in 10 overs, Taylor had a big swing at Taylor and was bowled.Glamorgan needed a big finish and Cullen and Cooke obliged by taking the attack to experienced seamers Sanderson and Wayne Parnell.The pair pummelled Sanderson for 23 in one over as the last five yielded 66 runs. Cooke hit Sanderson for a huge straight six into the pavilion and Cullen hit another maximum over long-on before running three to bring up his half-century off just 40 balls.Hogan struck in the first over of the chase, drawing the edge from Emilio Gay and later bowling Rob Keogh. It was not all brute force from 40-year-old Hogan though who used conditions to beat the bat repeatedly.Lukas Carey claimed the third wicket after an early mauling at the hands of Ricardo Vasconcelos, before the Northamptonshire skipper edged behind to leave the hosts 49 for three.Curran and Saif Zaib looked to relieve the pressure, scoring three quick boundaries against rookie duo spinner Steven Reingold and seamer Andrew Gorvin, but the pair, with just one List A appearance behind them, started to exert control, backed up well in the field.Curran kept busy with a run-a-ball half-century, after starting his account with two straight boundaries. He and Zaib added 65 before Northamptonshire lost three wickets for 18 in four overs.Curran skied a delivery from Cooke which was comfortably caught by the keeper. Then Hogan returned to pick up Thurston who chipped to mid-on before Zaib pulled Cooke to square leg. Despite some aggression from Tom Taylor, a jubilant Cooke bowled Wayne Parnell to end hopes of a late recovery. Northamptonshire were eventually all out for 236 with 5.4 overs remaining.

Ben Hilfenhaus, the Australia and Tasmania fast bowler, has been signed up by Delhi Daredevils to replace JP Duminy, who withdrew from IPL 2017 owing to personal reasons.Hilfenhaus, who retired from first-class cricket last year, played a key role in Melbourne Stars’ run to the semi-finals in the Big Bash League 2016-17. With 12 scalps from nine games at an economy of just over eight, Hilfenhaus, 34, finished as his team’s second-highest wicket-taker behind Scott Boland.In December last year, Hilfenhaus also picked up career-best figures of 5 for 23 playing for Canterbury against Otago in the Super Smash. Daredevils open their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.Royal Challengers have made a replacement of their own, roping in Kerala wicket-keeper batsman Vishnu Vinod after KL Rahul was ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury. Vinod, 23, was the fifth-leading run-getter in the inter-state T20 tournament, where he scored 199 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 164.46. He also smashed 14 sixes, the most by any player, in the tournament.Rising Pune Supergiant, meanwhile, have picked up Tamil Nadu allrounder Washington Sundar to replace R Ashwin, who is recovering from sports hernia. Seventeen-year-old Washington, who was part of the India team that reached the final of the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, made promising first-class and List A debuts in the 2016-17 domestic season. Washington, who was in and out of the Ranji Trophy team this season, was part of the Tamil Nadu team that won the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Deodhar Trophy. He has scored 85 runs in six List A innings and has taken seven wickets in the eight matches he has bowled in.”I am very happy to be a part of this team,” Sundar told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a great privilege to be sharing the dressing room with some of the legends of the game.”

ScorecardMolly Strano claimed 5 for 10, the best figures by an Australian in a women’s T20 international•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Anna Peterson took the first international hat-trick by a New Zealand women’s bowler in more than 20 years to help her side level the series against Australia 1-1 in Geelong. The Australians seemed well-placed at the change of innings, having been set 102 for victory, but the match turned as the New Zealanders claimed early wickets and then managed to defend a Duckworth-Lewis target of 70 after heavy mid-innings rain.Still, Australia were in the hunt in the late stages and needed 11 runs off the final over, which was the first of the match for the offspinner Peterson. She began by having Jess Jonassen caught skying an attempted slog, followed up with Alyssa Healy, who was also caught trying to clear the field, and completed the hat-trick when Megan Schutt slogged a catch to midwicket. It left Peterson with the remarkable figures of 0.3-0-0-3.It was the sixth hat-trick taken in women’s T20 internationals and the first by a New Zealander; last time a New Zealander claimed an international hat-trick was February 1996, when Emily Drumm achieved the feat in an ODI against Australia in Adelaide. Peterson’s strikes left Australia needing 11 off three balls, which was far too tall a task for tail-enders Amanda-Jade Wellington and Molly Strano.Strano herself had been especially impressive with the ball earlier in the day, collecting three wickets in the final over of New Zealand’s innings – not to mention having a catch dropped off the last ball of that over – to finish with 5 for 10, the best figures by an Australian in a women’s T20 international. New Zealand’s innings had started reasonably, with a 38-run opening stand between Suzie Bates and Rachel Priest.But Strano broke that partnership by having Priest stumped for 20, and regular wickets after that affected New Zealand’s momentum – particularly the loss of Bates for 30, sharply caught and bowled by Wellington. However, Australia’s chase stuttered from the outset, with the loss of Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner and Meg Lanning within the first six overs, before the rain arrived.At the time, Australia needed 67 off 72 with seven wickets in hand; the revised target left them requiring 35 off 30 balls when play resumed. But they struggled to gain any real traction, especially when Alex Blackwell was caught behind swiping at Holly Huddleston for 14, and Elyse Villani was caught off Amy Satterthwaite for 14 in the next over. Peterson did the rest.

Nine consecutive Test match losses in Asia. One series win in India in 48 years. Opponents boasting 19 Tests without defeat, and six consecutive series wins. Few Australian captains have faced a contract as tough as this, but Steven Smith prefers to look at the satisfaction to be derived from what could be one of the most unexpected triumphs in all Test history.Three years and 20 Test matches into his Australian captaincy, Smith has enjoyed numerous highs at home but also the humiliation of a series sweep at the hands of an unfancied Sri Lanka and a ruinous loss down under to South Africa. That last result forced a change in Australia’s selection philosophy, and Smith’s squad arrived in India featuring a notably younger combination than the one so outsmarted by Rangana Herath and company last year.”You probably learn more from losing games than you do from winning, so I guess the last year has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride in regards to results,” Smith said in Mumbai. “I think this team has come a long way. We are learning a lot, we are willing to put in the hard work to try and get the best out of ourselves and the best out of the team. I am happy with where everything is at the moment.”Obviously this is going to be a very difficult tour and I am excited by that challenge. All of the guys are really excited about what’s to come in the next six weeks. It’s a great challenge to play here in India. We know that if we can pull something off and win a series here, we will look back in 10-20 years and it will be some of the best times of our lives.”Australia’s two most recent Asian efforts, in Sri Lanka and also in the UAE against Pakistan in 2014, were characterised by an apparent lack of understanding for the right tempo required to excel in such climes. Smith said that as a captain he needed to show an ability to attack and defend at the right times. Similarly, his batsmen and bowlers had to know the right moments to hold their ground, or alternatively put the pressure on India.”For me, it is about understanding the different times of the games,” Smith said. “I think there are times in the game when you can attack a lot more and times when you need to defend a little bit and just let the game sort of take its course for a little while and try to keep things quite tight. When you get a sniff really go for it.”I think that’s an important aspect of the captaincy here in India. It is about knowing the right periods and timing the periods right – when to sort of take the foot off the pedal and to really go hard as well. I think I learnt a little about that in Sri Lanka. You don’t want people to change their natural games. It is always important to be positive and look to score. I think the moment you just start defending then you are probably in trouble.”You have to have that mindset to look to score, but ultimately your defence is what helps you out when you are in trouble. It is going to be important that our defences are strong against not only the spin bowlers of India, but they have also got some good fast bowlers as well that present a good seam, can swing the new ball and very good reverse as well. Defence is going to be incredibly important for us in this series with the bat.”Steven Smith has said Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon have been working on adapting their bowling to Indian conditions, focusing more on accuracy and maximising natural variation rather than beating batsmen in the air with topspin•Getty Images

While India have lately been an intimidating proposition for any bowling line-up, Smith expressed confidence that in Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon – plus other spin options including Ashton Agar and Mitch Swepson – he had a combination capable of taking 20 wickets. All have the benefit of knowledge gained on previous trips to Asia, and Starc’s destructive efforts in Sri Lanka, where he lacked support, have not been forgotten.”I am confident, I think we have got a good mix of bowlers,” Smith said. “Guys that are working hard and learning to adapt to the way you need to bowl in these conditions. I think it is totally different to back home in Australia where you need to get up and over the ball and do guys in the air rather than off the wicket.”It’s important here to make sure you are bowling consistent areas and letting the wicket do the work and getting the natural variation out of the wickets. Guys have worked hard on that and I think we are in for a big series. Hopefully the guys can build enough pressure and get the ball in the right areas enough and hopefully we get the right rewards.”I think reverse-swing is going to be incredibly important in this series as well. Our two big quicks – Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc – are very good reverse-swing bowlers. They relish the challenge of playing against the best players in the world, and India have some incredibly good batters. So they are excited by the challenges of playing here as well.”No series between Australia and India seems to pass without some sort of verbal confrontation, and on this front Smith stated he would allow his players to decide what works best for them. There can be little doubt that the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade will have plenty to say, though the approach taken by Smith’s deputy David Warner will intrigue.”I think each of our individuals play the way that they play,” Smith said. “If they want to get into a battle verbally, if that gets the best out of them, then go for it. It’s all about us making sure as individuals we are in the right mindset to go out there and succeed. In the end it’s about us playing on skill and making sure that our skills are in the best place for us to succeed.”Smith’s tourists have one warm-up match against India A in Mumbai from Thursday, before the first Test in Pune.

MS Dhoni has revealed that his reservations with split captaincy were a factor in his decision to give up the role of India’s limited-overs captain. Speaking at his first press conference since stepping down as India’s ODI and T20I captain last week, Dhoni said he had waited for his successor, Virat Kohli, to settle in as Test captain before making the decision.”Right from the start, when I left Test captainship, I knew split captaincy doesn’t work in India, doesn’t work in our set-up,” he said at a press conference in Pune, where the first ODI against England will be played on Sunday. “I was waiting for the right time. I wanted Virat to ease into the Test format. With so many games, I feel he is right there. With this kind of decision, there is no wrong decision in it. It is just the timing. I feel this is the time.”And specially Virat, starting from Champions Trophy, to win the Champions Trophy in England. I felt it was the right time to move on. If I would’ve stayed till the Champions Trophy, nothing much changes.”Kohli had taken over as Test captain from Dhoni in December 2014, after Dhoni retired from the format during India’s tour of Australia in 2014-15.Dhoni explained that the rationale behind quitting Test cricket midway through the tour was to give someone like Wriddhiman Saha, who was being groomed as the second wicketkeeper, greater exposure.”A lot of people were like why did I quit mid-series in Australia, but you have to look at the bigger picture, what is more beneficial,” he said. “One more game into my numbers, it doesn’t make a lot of difference. But, since Saha was there, he gets a chance to play one more game in Australia. And if everything goes well, he will be the person to be going on foreign tours, so he has that exposure. And Virat also has the same kind of exposure.”Dhoni said he would continue to be a de facto vice-captain in Kohli’s team by virtue of being the wicketkeeper. From his position behind the stumps, Dhoni felt he was well-placed to give the new captain counsel whenever required.”I think the wicketkeeper is always a vice-captain of the side irrespective of whether he is announced vice-captain or not,” he said. “One thing is the field setting is usually given to the vice-captain or the wicketkeeper. In this scenario, I will have to keep a close eye as to what the skipper really wants, as to what are his preferential field positions.”I already had this chat with Virat about how he likes his fielders, where he wants them to be. In the sense I have to be more aware of whether he wants a short third [man] fine or he wants it slightly wider because different people have different opinions. If you had a short third or a fine leg, I always preferred it closer to me so that it’s slightly more difficult for the batsman to play a shot to get it through the right side of the field. All of that I have to adapt, but overall I don’t think much changes.”I will be there to give as many suggestions as possible to Virat as and when required. The field positioning is something I have to keep a close eye on. I will have to consult him and tell him because if it is strategically positioned in a particular place I can become a bit of a problem if I start moving around, but it’s not something that’s a big trouble to cope with. It’s just that I will have to keep a close eye, especially in the first few games, maybe a couple of games I can read the field positioning and everything and use it properly.””I already had this chat with Virat about how he likes his fielders, where he wants them to be”•Associated Press

In an insight into his methods as captain, Dhoni said his main job was to extract the best out of his players without unreasonable expectations of them. He said he played both good cop and bad cop when it came to handling players, and spoke of the importance of identifying match-winners and giving them a fair run. Dhoni didn’t take names, but he could well have been referring to players like Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, who weren’t consistent initially but went on to establish themselves as key players in his tenure.”The main job is to make sure that whatever is the potential of the player, he is performing to 100%,” he said. “Usually if you can achieve something between 90 to 110%, you know you’ve done really well.”You can’t really get 150% performance from a player who is 80%. That’s where you have to be very practical, very honest. There are different ways to handle everyone: for some it is a kind word, for some it is a harsh word. For some it may be just an expression with your eyes. At times it may be the false confidence you give the guy because that is what is really needed at that point of time. You have to be clever enough to evaluate as to this is what is needed at that point of time.”If you know the potential of the team, you can definitely make sure that they perform to the potential. You may face a few problems at times, say, you have two or three batsmen who are not performing at the same time [and] that maybe a hindrance. But, more often than not, you look at the bigger picture and say once it comes to the ICC events and the big tournaments and the knock-out stages, who is that person who can really win those big games for you. But, at the end of the day, you can give only a few games to an individual. Maybe two or three or four more games that is provided by the team if they are doing really well. Overall you can’t do much but you still need to have that faith.”Dhoni said he did not have any regrets during his tenure, or in life – “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” – and stated there were several moments, good and bad, which brought a smile to his face. High on the list was how the team handled the period of transition following the retirements of Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag.”When I started there were a lot of senior players in the side and as we progressed there was a time when the senior players had to leave and we had to make sure the transition is smooth,” he said. “The only good thing is over the period – once the seniors left us and the juniors came into the side – it is the same juniors who have started to do well.”We invested in them and over the period they started proving they are the ones who will take the legacy forward when it comes to Indian cricket, so that was a very satisfying thing to see. Overall it was a journey I really enjoyed and it is something that brings a smile on your face whether it is the tough periods or the winning periods. Overall it is the journey that is more important.”

Match facts

December 31, 2016
Start time 1100 local (2200 GMT)

Big Picture

Neither team will be treating the third and final ODI as a dead rubber. Despite clinching the series with a 67-run win in the second game, New Zealand wouldn’t want to spoil their unbeaten record at home against Bangladesh. By bringing offspinner Jeetan Patel into the squad for the third ODI, they showed they are being far from complacent. Bangladesh, meanwhile, will be desperate to win and end the year in a reasonable mood, given how they were outperformed in the first two games.Patel has taken 129 List-A wickets at 25.29, for Warwickshire and Wellington, since his last ODI in 2009. On the sluggish Nelson pitch, he should be a handful for the Bangladesh left-hand batsmen, who have already struggled against the part-time offspin of Kane Williamson.New Zealand will be without Trent Boult, who took two wickets in the second game, but they would bank on Tim Southee and the rest of the bowlers to bring home a series whitewash. But, given the slower conditions, there will be demands placed on their batsmen, who haven’t fully delivered. Hundreds from Tom Latham and Neil Broom made sure that they didn’t lose their way completely in the first two games, but their runs also papered over the cracks in the batting line-up.Bangladesh meanwhile have to synchronise their batting and bowling efforts, which made contributions separately in the first two games. While the batting sparkled in bits in the first game chasing 342, it completely disintegrated in the second chasing 252. Their bowling did a fine job in the second match, with the captain Mashrafe Mortaza leading the way, bouncing back after conceding 341 in the first.If they can deliver in all three departments in the final game, Bangladesh should threaten New Zealand. If one of these fail again, the home side will comfortably win 3-0.

Form guide

New Zealand WWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh: LLLWL
Jeetan Patel played his last ODI in 2009, but has been a force on the county circuit of late•Getty Images

In the spotlight

Mashrafe Mortaza was Bangladesh’s most successful bowler in the second ODI, helping his side bowl out New Zealand for 251. He has lost a lot of pace over the years, but his wrist work on the ball has been his strength. They’ll want more of the same from him in this final ODI of 2016.New Zealand would want Neil Broom to once again play the anchor role, after his unbeaten, maiden hundred in the second game gave them a fighting total. Perhaps, with one more big score, Broom could stake a claim in the T20 side.

Teams news

Jeetan Patel could replace Trent Boult, who is going to be rested for the third ODI. They will still find it difficult to find space for Colin de Grandhomme in the XI, as the likes of James Neesham, Colin Munro and Lockie Ferguson have performed well.New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Neil Broom, 5 James Neesham, 6 Colin Munro, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Jeetan Patel, 9 Mitchell Santner, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Lockie FergusonThere may not be changes to the pace bowling line-up for Bangladesh, but given their performance in the first two ODIs, Mehedi Hasan could replace debutant Tanbir Hayder. It might look like a rash decision to drop someone after just one game, but it is a possibility.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mahmudullah, 4 Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Sabbir Rahman, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Tanbir Hayder, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Subashis Roy, 11 Taskin Ahmed

Pitch and conditions

The Saxton Oval pitches are rather un-New Zealand-like in their nature, offering very little lateral movement for the fast bowlers but aiding spinners with their slowness. We could expect more of the same on Saturday.A few, scattered showers are forecast.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand’s 251 was their lowest score batting first against Bangladesh in ODIs at home – they had made more than 330 on the three other occasions
• Neil Broom’s ODI hundred came seven years and 354 days after his debut, but that still isn’t the longest time taken by a New Zealander to score a maiden ODI ton. The record is held by John Wright, who took nine years and 244 days

Quotes

“It is disappointing to lose after such a good start. Maybe the boys will have a tough time bouncing back from such a situation. But I think we should still take it positively, that we did well in these conditions. The players should think about creating a similar opportunity in the third ODI since we have come here after a long time.”
“A series win is nice. We have had different types of victories. That shows the side can win in different conditions and scenarios.”

South Africa batsman JP Duminy was considering retiring from Test cricket in January, when he was dropped for the New Year’s Test against England, before he was talked out of it by Ashwell Prince, who was a selector at the time. Duminy ended a run of patchy form by scoring 141 in the second innings to give South Africa a 300-plus lead over Australia in the ongoing Perth Test.”When he was dropped in January, he was considering retiring from Test cricket,” Prince told ESPNcricinfo in Perth. “He had the conversation with me because the convener of selectors was not at the Cape Town Test, so I had to go and take him the news that he won’t be playing.”At that time, he was at a real low point and he was being honest and giving his feelings. As a selector, and with him being an important player to South African cricket, you try and convince him to think about it. I’m sure when he thinks back about that conversation this afternoon or this evening, he will know how he was feeling then and with the feeling he is having now, he will be happy that he carried on.”Duminy admitted that at that time he lacked direction, especially in Tests. “There was indifferent feelings. I wasn’t sure where I was going in terms of my career but I am very grateful to get another opportunity.”He had gone 12 innings without a hundred when he was dropped, and in that time he had only passed fifty once. Like his team-mates, he struggled in India and with South African cricket itself on the wane, had several reasons to walk away. “It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what it was but he was out of form,” Prince said. “With the type of calendar that they have these days, he has got a young baby, a young family, all that might have played a role.”That was when Prince reminded Duminy, who had replaced him in the 2008 Perth Test and made a half-century in a famous victory, of the prestige of the longest format. “I was talking to him as a friend, rather than a selector. I was making him understand how important Test cricket is for a player. You can play hundreds of ODIs and T20 and make millions but when you are done playing, you always think about what you did in the Test-match arena,” Prince said. “You can play fifty ODIs quickly and not remember anything. These type of performances, that’s what the game is all about.”During the conversation, Prince said Duminy told him that he needed “a bit of a break,” and was going to take the New Year’s week off but then he decided to play in a franchise first-class match. He scored a career-best 260. “I don’t know what changed from him wanting a break and then playing in that match but he got 250 straight away and I think the next Test he was back in.”Faf du Plessis was dropped for the next game and Duminy returned but not with much success. He scored 19 and 29 against England at SuperSport Park and it was only when he struck 88 against New Zealand seven months later that it seemed he had found form again. Then, Duminy was able to realign his goals with his performances.”The change came for me just before the West Indies tour,” Duminy said. “I sat down and reassessed my goals. Test cricket has always been a big part of my goal setting and I knew I was at a crossroads in my Test career. I wanted to leave my Test career knowing that I’ve given it my all, and I committed to myself that I was going to give myself the best chance, so that was the difference. It was a personal thing. I didn’t necessarily speak to anyone about it. I just sat down, wrote a few things down, where I want to go, what I still want to achieve.”In that match, played without the injured AB de Villiers, Duminy was moved to No. 4, which is where he has batted in this Perth Test, and the change of position might have led to a change in fortune.”If you are at No. 6, 90% of the time, you are batting with the bowlers so you will always have to try and think how am I going to marshall my way through this innings,” Prince said. “Do I trust them? Are they looking good on the day or are they looking like it’s going to be a matter of time? You are taking everything into consideration, whether it’s spinning, whether they are getting in line behind the ball. Maybe upfront he is a lot more relaxed, he has a lot more time to bat, he doesn’t have to think should I attack more, should I defend more, or how the tail is lining up. He just has to bat.”For Duminy, the move to No. 4 refreshed his approach. “I was pleased with the opportunity. It is something I have always enjoyed in the first-class arena. To be given the nod to go ahead, especially with it being such a crucial position in the South African team, was a big positive for me and I knew I had to step up and fill some big boots. You had Kallis and AB de Villiers batting there before. Today [in Perth] was a step in the right direction.”But more than the change of position, Prince believed it was a mental shift that did the trick for Duminy. “I think its 100% mindset. I think maybe he has thought about and committed to wanting to do more in his Test career,” Prince said. “In the first innings [in Perth] he came out looking to play more positively and maybe once or twice was a little loose, in the second innings he came out positive again but a lot more selective. His shot selection and his stroke play has been sublime.”

Harbhajan to lead Punjab on returnHarbhajan Singh will lead Punjab in the Group A match against Tamil Nadu in Nagpur in his first Ranji Trophy game of the season; the offspinner will be returning to the squad after a long personal break. Harbhajan will take over as captain from Yuvraj Singh, who will miss the matches against Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (starts from November 29) due to his wedding. Punjab are currently fourth in Group A with 16 points. Yuvraj is among the top five run-scorers this season with 672 runs, including a career-best 260 against Baroda, in five matches at an average of 84. “I am [still motivated],” Yuvraj told . “I got a career-best 260 just weeks ago. I’m not through with the game.”Gambhir set to lead DelhiHaving been released from the India squad, Gautam Gambhir is set to lead Delhi in their Ranji Trophy fixture against Rajasthan in Wayanad. Fast bowler Ishant Sharma was named the 16th member of the squad, although he is likely to stay with the national team as cover. Shikhar Dhawan, however, is a certain starter in the Delhi XI, having recovered from a thumb injury he sustained in the only Test he played against New Zealand, in Kolkata. Dhawan will be keen to prove his fitness in domestic cricket, in line with national coach Anil Kumble’s policy, and press his case for the hotly-contested opening spots.Mishra boost for HaryanaLegspinner Amit Mishra is set to turn out for Haryana in their Group C fixture against Goa in Ghaziabad after being released from the Test squad. Mishra picked three wickets in the first Test against England and his economy rate was over four runs per over in both innings. He was dropped for the second Test in Vishakhapatnam, and instead his Haryana team-mate Jayant Yadav was handed a debut. The match against Goa will be Mishra’s first Ranji game since February 2015. Haryana are currently placed second, behind Andhra, in Group C with 19 points from six matches.Vinay targets India returnKarnataka captain Vinay Kumar, who went past 400 first-class wickets with a nine-wicket haul in Karnataka’s 393-run win over Rajasthan, has now set his sights on a return to the national side. Vinay has made 41 appearances for India, with the last one in an ODI against Australia in Bangalore three years ago. “I am not going to be satisfied with this [400 first-class wickets] as my main goal is to make a comeback to Indian team,” Vinay told . ” I am feeling much better even though I am 32. Age is just a number. I will keep working on my batting and bowling and try to keep myself fit. I am never going to give up.”Krishna, Mathias included in Karnataka squadSeamers David Mathias and Prasidh Krishna have been called-up to the Karnataka squad for their Group B clash against Orissa in Delhi, with Abhimanyu Mithun still recuperating from injury. Mathias played two Ranji Trophy games last season, while Krishna is yet to make his debut in the tournament. Left-arm spinner Abrar Kazi, meanwhile, replaced J Suchith in a like-for-like swap. Karnataka are currently on top of the Group B table with 29 points.