Australia vs England – 1st Ashes Test preview

The waiting game is almost over, and after a seemingly endless build up, attention can finally turn to action on the cricket field, as Australia prepares to host its oldest and most intense rival, England, in a five match Ashes series.

The venue for the first test, staring tomorrow, is the Brisbane Cricket Ground in the suburb of Woolloongabba, Brisbane. Not many people call it that though – it is to all cricket fans simply the Gabba, or to nascent cricket journalists looking for a catchy tag-line, the Gabbatoir, owing to Australia’s enviable record at the ground. And it is this record more than anything that will have England worried as they look to start their defence of the Ashes they won at home in 2015 – Australia have won 63% of the 59 tests they have played at the ground, and England have only ever won there four times in 20 attempts.

England of course have the much better recent record in matches between the two teams – that 2015 win being one of four of the last five Ashes series that England have won, with the hosts only win in that period a 5-0 drubbing in 2013/14 which left England rattled and shorn of many of its established stars. The Australian media, and even the most mild-mannered of their players, are making great talk of repeating this series and opening up scars of old English wounds,  but if the truth be told these are two almost completely different sides, with few player remaining in either side from that encounter. What psychological damage lingers from four years ago remains to be seen, but Australia have set themselves up in their fans’ eyes as strong favourites with a win over the old enemy almost certain. They will hope they can walk the Ashes walk as well as they can talk the talk, otherwise egg will very much be on Antipodean faces.

It’s not doubted that both squads have their fair share of inexperience to them. England have no fewer than five uncapped players in their 17-man squad (Mason Crane, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes, George Garton and Craig Overton) with the bowling looking especially vulnerable to any injury to the first choice starting arsenal. That said, they have three players in the squad with over 100 caps each, and will hope that the mix of seasoned old-hands and fresh-faced exuberance will be one  that can carry them forward.

Australia for their part have sprung a host of last-minute selection surprises – dropping opening batsman Matt Renshaw (depriving him of a chance to play against the country of his birth) in favour of uncapped Cameron Bancroft as well as recalling Shaun Marsh to the middle order for his ninth (yes, ninth…ninth!) attempt at proving he is worthy of a test place. The biggest surprise was probably the recalling of Tim Paine as wicketkeeper after several years in the wilderness. The Australian selectors have copped a bit of flak in the rabid local press, so there is reason to be nervous for the hosts too.

Both sides have also been in indifferent and inconsistent  form in Tests over the last two years. Australia, ranked fifth in the ICC rankings, have won only one of their last five Test series, losing at home to South Africa and away to Sri Lanka and India. England (ranked third) while winning their last two series at home against the West Indies and South Africa, also lost heavily to India. Both sides have recent test defeats to Bangladesh to be proud of.

So, aside from home advantage, there is actually very little to choose between two middle-ranking teams in transition. Both bowling attacks are reasonably settled, both batting line-ups anything but. So all will come down to who steps up when it matters when the bats and ball finally get their chance to do the talking.

Whilst the main prize will of course be first blood in the battle for that famous 3-and-a half inch high urn, and the bragging rights that go with it for the next two years, there are plenty of individual milestones are stats to keep a watch out for:

Alastair Cook (England)

Former skipper Cook, winner of three Ashes series so far, has 11,629 test runs to his name from his 147 tests. The runs total puts him ninth in the all-time world listings, 185 runs behind Sri Lanka’s master-batsman Mahela Jayawardene in eighth place. How he would love to take a huge stride towards that target at the Gabba.

To do so, he would most likely need his 31st test century, and if he were to notch up a tonne in Brisbane he would move into the world top ten for that particular stat too, alongside Steve Waugh, erstwhile captain of the hosts.

Cookie has also scored 14,894 runs in all formats of international cricket, needing just 106 more to break the 15,000 barrier.

Jimmy Anderson (England)

England’s leading all-time wicket-taker has 506 test scalps so far, and 793 in all international formats, so will be on the prowl looking for seven more victims of his vicious swinging balls to bring up 800 wickets.

Stuart Broad (England)

Second only to Jimmy in England’s all time wicket-takers list is Australian fan-favourite Broad with 388 wickets. What price 12 more at the Gabba to become only the 14th bowler in Test history to take 400?

Steven Smith (Australia)

Ranked number one Test batsman in the world, just ahead of his English counterpart Joe Root, captain Smith already has a mightily impressive 20 Test centuries to his name. one more will move him up alongside David Boon and Neil Harvey into Australia’s all time top ten century-maker rankings.

David Warner (Australia)

When he’s not running his mouth off to the press declaring war on England, vice-captain Warner is also quite adept at running between the wickets, and has also notched up 20 Test centuries, so he too will be eyeing a top ten spot.

 

India v Sri Lanka – 1st Test Preview

Kolkata’s Eden Gardens cricket ground has hosted forty test matches over its storied history since becoming India’a second test venue in 1934, but never before has it welcomed Sri Lanka onto its hallowed turf. All that will change on Thursday, with the Lions due to make their long-awaited bow at India’s home of cricket in the first of a three-match Test series. Nagpur and Delhi will host the second and third matches respectively. These, remarkably, will be Sri Lanka’s first tests in India since 2009. A long time between drinks!

Sri Lanka have never won a Test match on Indian soil, having lost ten and drawn seven of the seventeen matches between the two sides held in India since the islanders were granted test status 35 years ago.

One suspects that this may not be the series where India’s dominance over their southern neighbours is broken. India are in supreme form in the longest form of the game, having lost only two of their last 30 tests, and having to look back nearly three years for their last series defeat. Their most recent test outfit was a 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka where the home side was rarely in contention. India are ranked number 1 in the ICC team rankings, and their ranking is not unjustified. The supreme form, allied with homefield advantage, makes Virat Kohli’s men strong favourites.

Sri Lanka have had a torrid time of things in 2017, with often embarrassing defeats suffered regularly throughout the year and captaincy changes a-plenty. They can at least point to their most recent Test series delivering a shock 2-0 series sweep against Pakistan in their temporary fortress of the UAE. Not many visiting teams have won tests in the emirates, let alone series, and Sri Lanka will be hoping this unexpected win will carry them on a crest of confidence as they head across the Palk Strait to the northerly neighbours.

There are plenty of individual milestones and potential records to keep an eye on as the Eden Gardens fixture unfolds:

Virat Kohli (India)

A regular feature of these pages, India’s superstar captain always seems to be on the verge of breaking another record or milestone. This time, focus will be on whether he can notch up a 50th international century for his country, having already scored 17 Test tonnes alongside 32 in ODIs.

R Ashwin (India)

Along with teammate Ravindra Jadeja, Ashwin is one half of India’s all conquering, spin-bowling, all-rounder double act. Jadeja is ahead of his fellow spin king in both the ICC bowler and all-rounder rankings, but Ashwin has more scores on the doors in terms of wickets. He currently sits with 292 victims to his name, and will fancy his chances of becoming only the fifth Indian bowler to reach the 300 milestone. Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan would be some pretty good company to be in should he join that exclusive club.

Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

Sri Lanka have a spin-bowling superstar of their own in the ageless Herath, currently ranked as the fifth best test bowler in world cricket.

He current;y has 405 career test wickets in his kit bag, enough for joint twelfth in the all-time rankings, alongside West Indies legend Curtly Ambrose. Herath has a habit of picking up ten-wicket hauls, and one more in this game would see him edge past Wasim Akram’s 414 into eleventh place. A not entirely unrealistic thirteen wicket haul would see him move into the top ten, joining Harbhajan Singh from the host nation, and South Africa’s Dale Steyn on 417 wickets.

Dilruwan Perera (Sri Lanka)

Another spinner looking to make a mark in the Gardens, Perera will be hoping for seven wickets to take him from his current 93 to the 100 wicket milestone.

If he achieves it, he will move from a current seventh place in his country’s all-time wicket-taker list, past Sanath Jayasuriya in 6th on 98 and will join Dilhara Fernandon in fifth on the round 100. Lasith Malinga is just one further ahead on 101 in fourth, and not out of Dilruwan’s reach by any means.

Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka)

It has often been difficult to keep up with such things in 2017, but Chandimal is currently Sri Lanka’s Test captain. The skipper has 2.930 runs to his name so will be hoping for seventy more to take him past the 3,000 career milestone.

 

 

 

 

South Africa v Bangladesh – T20I Series Preview

Bangladesh’s tour of South Africa draws to a close with a two-game Twenty20 series starting on Thursday at Bloemfontein’s Mangaung Oval, and concluding at Senwes Oval in Potchesfroom.

Hopes were high, but it has not been a happy tour for Bangladesh so far.  The Tigers lost both tests to the Proteas at the same two stadiums that host these T20Is, as well as being swept 3-0 in the ODI series that followed. You would forgive them for having one eye on being Out of Africa as soon as they can – but as it tramsprires that the final leg of the tour is perhaps their best chance of taking something home with them back to Dhaka.

South Africa are without their multi-format captain Faf du Plessis, out for six weeks with an injury picked up in the final ODI, as well as a number of top bowlers who they chosen to rest. There is no Imran Tahir, no Morne Morkel and no Kagiso Rabada – although the batting is as daunting as ever with Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock joined by a rejuvenated and well-rested AB de Villiers.

Although Bangladesh are without Mustifizur Rahman and Tamim Iqbal, they are bouyed by the presence of the top ranked T20I all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who will be looking to make an impact as shortest format captain after a quiet ODI series and the two Tests that he chose to sit out.

Bangladesh have never beaten South Africa in four attempts in Twenty20 cricket, and are a lowly tenth in the ICC world rankings in the format, behind Afghanistan. However, South Africa are only ranked seventh themselves.

Plenty to play for for both sides then, and a few players will be looking at personal milestones too:

David Miller (South Africa)

Miller has scored 906 runs in his T20 career, including the games he played for the ICC World XI in the Indpenedence Cup in Pakistan earlier this year. He’ll be confident of becoming the fifth South African to notch up 1000 runs in the shortest format.

JP Duminy (South Africa)

The Proteas stand-in captain for this series is also his country’s leading T20I run-score with 1,683. This puts him in 9th place in the world, and Umar Akmal (1,690), David Warner (1,696) and Shoaib Malik (1,719) are well within his sights as he seeks to march up that particular ladder -although Malik will be playing this week in a three game series against Sri Lanka.

Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

 

The Tigers’ captain is also his country’s joint highest T20I appearnace maker with 59 games under his belt, the same as his keeper Mushfiqur Rahim and opening batsman Tamim Iqbal. Tamim is injured for this series so Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim will move ahead.

Shakib also needs 50 runs to displace Tamim as his country’s top scorer in the format.

He is also Bangladesh’s top wicket taker in T20 internationals – a true allrounder!

Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh)

As well as moving joint top of the Bangladesh appearance list as noted above, the Tigers’ keeper will also be looking for the three dismissals he needs to bring up his half century.

His 24 stumpings to date are enough for third place in the world, and four more will see him move past Afghanistan’s Mohammad Shahzad into second, behind only AB de Villiers.

Pakistan v Sri Lanka – T20I series preview

With the dust now settled on Sri Lanka’s one-sided and often embarrassing 5-0 series defeat to Pakistan in the UAE, attention turns to the shortest form of the game, and a chance of redemption for the islanders.

The two sides play a three game T20I series over the course of four days and two countries – with the first two games to be held this Thursday and Friday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the capital of Pakstan’s adopted cricketing home. All eyes however are likely to be on the third fixture, slated as it is to be played out in Lahore’s Gaddafi stadium, back home in Pakistan.

International cricket returned to Pakistan earlier this year after a long hiatus, when the ICC sent a representative World XI side to play three Twenty20 games, and granted them full international status. The matches were played without incident, and paved the way for Sri Lanka to become the first full international side to play on Pakistan soil since Zimbabwe in 2015. Prior to Zimbabwe’s visit, Pakistan had not played a single game at home since 2009, following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus, so the fact that it is the Sri Lankans that are the visitors for this historic occasion is even more remarkable.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, not everyone in the Sri Lankan camp was comfortable with returning to the scene of such a traumatic event, with white ball captain Upul Tharanga and several top players (as well as head coach Nic Pothas) choosing not to travel to Pakistan. Sri Lanka Cricket then decided that if players boycotted the Lahore fixture, then they would not be considered for the first two games in Abu Dhabi either – which means that their squad for this entire series has a very inexperienced look about it.

Stand in captain Thisara Perera – who was Sri Lanka’s sole representative in the World XI squad in September, and so had no qualms about leading his country back to Lahore – will remarkably become Sri Lanka’s seventh captain across all formats since June this year. Perera has 60 Twenty20 caps to his name, while the rest of his 16-man squad (which includes five potential T20 international debutants) have a total of just 75 between them.

The much changed squad largely renders Sri Lanka’s recent T20 form irrelevant. For what it is worth, they have won their last two series away from home 2-1, against Australia and South Africa. Pakistan for their part are coming off a 2-1 series win in the World XI series and a 3-1 win in the West Indies earlier in the year.

There are a couple of players with personal milestones in their sights to watch out for as the series unfolds this week:

Shoaib Malik (Pakistan)

With 89 caps to his name, the evergreen all-rounder is international cricket’s second highest Twenty20 appearance holder, behind countryman Shahid Afridi’s 98.

His 1,719 runs in the format are enough for sixth place in the world all-time standings. He sits just 60 run behind Afghanistan’s Mohammad Shahzad in fifth, 87 behind New Zealand opener Martin Guptill in fourth, and 134 behind India’s captain fantastic Virat Kohli in third.

Malik will have the chance to play three full games before Guptill and Kohli commence battle in their own T20 series over in India next Wednesday, so will be confident of moving into that world top three, even if it is only temporarily.

Mohammed Hafeez (Pakistan)

Fellow Pakistani all-rounder Hafeez has 78 international caps in the game’s shortest format, enough for 6th place. If he plays all three games, he will move to 81 which will see him overtake India’s MS Dhoni (temporarily) and Sri Lanka’s Tilikaratne Dilshan and move into fourth place on the ladder.

Run wise, his 1,619 career runs see him sit in tenth place in the world. South Africa’s JP Duminy is in ninth on 1,683, but will be captaining South Africa in a series against Bangladesh at the same time as this series is being played, so may remain out of reach. Countryman Umar Akmal’s 1,690 and Australia’s David Warner’s 1,696 however should be catchable.

With ball in hand, Hafeez has taken 46 Twenty20 wickets, so is just four short of his half century. He perhaps only has this series to get there, as his bowling action was reported to the ICC for the third time as being illegal during the one-day series, and hence he must submit to testing after ther series and faces another bowling ban.

India v New Zealand – October 2017 ODI Series Preview

The seemingly endless calendar of men’s international cricket welcomes back a team that has been largely MIA over the past four months, when India hosts the enigmatic Blackcaps of New Zealand for a three-match ODI series. The first game takes place on Sunday in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, with further games to be played in Pune and Kanpur in the coming days.

New Zealand have not played in any format since their group-stage exit from the Champions Trophy in England way back in June, and Kane Willamson’s men will be chomping at the bit to get back out on the field of play.

There has been no such hiatus for the hosts – since their defeat by Pakistan in the final of the aforementioned Champions Trophy, they have won ODI series in the West Indies 3-1, in Sri Lanka 5-0, and most recently at home to Australia 4-1.

On paper, India are strong favourites for this series – they are in tremendous form and sit top of the ICC ODI rankings. However, whilst the Kiwis may be a little rusty from their lack of competitive cricket, they are no pushovers, as India found when forced their hosts to a 5th game decider in an ODI series in the subcontinent just last year.

Overall, there have been 98 One Day Internationals between the two sides in their history, with India having won exactly half of them. On home soil, India has won 24 of the 32 games played in this format, and will be looking to continue that dominance this week.

They are a number of personal milestones to look out for as the series unfolds:

MS Dhoni (India)

The ageless wicketkeeper has been responsible for 389 dismissals in ODI cricket, comprising a world record 103 stumpings alongside 286 catches. Eleven more in the series will see him become only the fourth gloveman in the history of ODI cricket to notch up 400 dismissals – and would join Kumar Sangakkara, Mark Boucher and Adam Gilchrist in that exclusive club.

Perhaps slightly more unlikely given his batting position and the short nature of the series, Mahendra Singh needs 242 more runs to bring up 10,000 in the 50-over format. If he does mange this, he will become the twelfth batsman to bring up a five-figure career tally, and the fourth Indian.

Virat Kohli (India)

Still only 28, India’s talismanic captain is an ODI run-machine. Kohli currently sits on 8,767 runs in the format, with 233 more seeing him bring up 9,000.

His 30 centuries in 50-over cricket are enough to see him sit in joint second place in the world, alongside Australia’s Ricky Ponting. One more in this series will see him claim second spot for himself as he continues to get closer to countryman Sachin Tendulkar’s world-record 49. Few would bet against Virat getting there eventually in his career.

Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane (India)

Batsmen Dhawan and Rahane are chasing personal runs milestones of their own in the series, with Dhawan sitting 221 runs shy of notching up 4,000, and Rahane 178 away from 3,000.

Jasprit Bumrah (India)

White ball specialist quick bowler Bumrah has already notched up 46 wickets in his short career to date, and will be keen to bring up his fifty in the first game in Mumbai.

Trent Boult (New Zealand)

The Blackcaps’ pace spearhead has 90 ODI wickets to his name, looking for ten in the series to bring up his century of wickets

Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

The Kiwi skipper currently has 4,605 runs in the fifty over format, a tally which sees him sit in ninth place for his country. Exactly 100 runs will see him move past the late great Martin Crowe’s 4704 into eighth place.  Another four runs on top of that will see him edge past Craig McMillan’s 4707 into seventh too.

 

England v West Indies – ODI Series Preview

Following on from an unexpectedly close 2-1 Test series win by the hosts, and success for the visitors in the sole T20 International in Durham over the weekend, the West Indies tour of England draws to a close with a five-match ODI series to be played out in the autumnal chill of late September.

The first game is on Tuesday at Old Trafford in Manchester, and will be followed by matches at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, the County Ground in Bristol and The Oval in south London before finally finishing on 29th September at the Rose Bowl in Southampton – by which time woolly hats, scarves and gloves will no doubt be the order of the day – especially for the visitors!

For England, this will be their first ODI encounter since their surprise and agonising defeat to eventual champions Pakistan in the semi-final of the ICC Trophy held on home soil in June that many pundits expected them to win. Prior to that tournament, England had won the last three ODI series they had played- home wins against the Proteas of South Africa (2-1) in late May and neighbours Ireland (2-0) earlier that month, as well as a 3-0 away win in Antigua and Barbados against their current opponents, the West Indies.

England have made strong progress in white-ball cricket over the last two years, but still only sit fourth on the ICC ODI rankings and that first 50-over major tournament title still eludes them. They will see this series as valuable training ahead of the next World Cup to be held in England in 2019.

As for West Indies, their 50-over form has been much more patchy, and they currently sit ninth in the ODI rankings, outside the automatic qualification spots for the 2019 World Cup. They need a 4-0 or 5-0 series win against England to dislodge Sri Lanka from the last qualification spot and avoid having to go through a qualification tournament to avoid missing out on another major tournament after they failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy.

Prior to their one-off game in Ireland being washed out as a no result a few days ago, the Windies had lost a home series against India 3-1 in late June, only managed a 1-1 drawn series with Afghanistan in St Lucia earlier that month, and lost 2-1 to Pakistan in Guyana in April. They also lost the aforementioned home series against England 3-0.

However, since all of those series, there has been a thaw in relations between a number of senior players and the Cricket West Indies board which sees several big names return to the squad for this series and which they will hope will generate a turn around in fortunes in 50-over cricket. The effect of the return of Jamaicans Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Jerome Taylor will be intriguing to watch, and hopefully result in a close series befitting of the West Indies of old.

It is those three returning Jamaican veterans who headline the potential personal milestone for the West Indies side too:

Chris Gayle (West Indies)

Big hitting self-styled “Universe Boss” Gayle currently sits in joint eighth place worldwide for ODI centuries alongside India’s Sourav Ganguly and Sri Lankan Tilakaratne Dilshan. All three have 22 centuries to their name in the format, and one more will see the big man claim that eighth spot all for himself.

He also has 17,972 runs for West Indies across all three formats of the game, needing just 28 more to notch up his 18,000.

Marlon Samuels (West Indies)

Expect salutes a-plenty if all rounder Samuels makes an appearance, as it will be his 188th in ODI colours for West Indies, enough to take him past the legendary Sir Vivian Richards and into eighth place for his national side.

Jerome Taylor (West Indies)

Taylor’s 126 ODI wickets are enough to see him tenth in the West Indies’ all time list – five more will see him overtake fellow quick Mervyn Dillon and move into ninth place.

Eoin Morgan (England)

Captain Morgan may be a beverage that hails from the visitors’ neck of the woods, but it is England’s skipper who will be looking to raise a glass to personal success. He has scored 5,028 runs for England in ODIs (excluding the runs he scored for Ireland before switching allegiance) and needs just 65 to move past Paul Collingwood into second place all-time for his adopted country. Only Ian Bell has scored more.

Joe Root (England)

England’s Test captain will be looking for the 45 runs he needs to move past Graeme Hick’s 3,846 in ODI cricket, and in the process move into his country’s top ten all-time.

Jos Buttler (England)

India’s MS Dhoni recently became the first keeper from any country to notch up 100 stumpings in ODI cricket -so it’s perhaps surprising that Buttler is England’s joint leading disturber of the bails in ODIs with just 15 to his name, alongside Alec Stewart. One more bit of nifty glove-work behind the wickets will see him become a national record holder in his own right!

 

 

Independence Cup – Pakistan v ICC World XI T20I Series Preview

International cricket returns to Pakistan on Tuesday for only the second time since 2009. Eight years ago, a terrorist attack against the visiting Sri Lankan team sent shock-waves around the cricketing world, and sent Pakistan into exile. Apart from Zimbabwe, who visited two years ago for a limited overs series, no team has been keen to visit due to security concerns, and Pakistan have been forced to play their home games in the United Arab Emirates for eight long years.

This week’s Independence Cup series marks a hopeful beginning of the end to that exile. The ICC, much to its credit, has arranged a three-match T20 International series between Pakistan and a World XI comprising players from seven countries. All three games are to played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The ICC team, led by ex-England head coach Andy Flower, contains a number of current internationals of the highest quality, and the matches have been granted official T20 International status, so the games have an added gravitas beyond their symbolic nature.

The 14-man ICC World XI squad is captained by South Africa’s Faf du Plessis and comprises the following players:

Faf du Plessis (South Africa, Captain), Hashim Amla (South Africa), Samuel Badree (West Indies), George Bailey (Australia), Paul Collingwood (England), Ben Cutting (Australia), Grant Elliot (New Zealand), Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh), David Miller (South Africa), Morne Morkel (South Africa), Tim Paine (Australia, Wicketkeeper), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka), Darren Sammy (West Indies) and Imran Tahir (South Africa)

The matches are seen as the first baby steps towards Pakistan regularly hosting other nations again on home soil, a progression given a further boost with the news today that Sri Lanka will play one game of their T20 series against Pakistan in Lahore rather than the UAE later this year. Given it was Sri Lanka that were attacked back in 2009, this is a remarkable gesture from the islanders, and will be greeted with glee in Pakistan.

The ICC World XI as a team will be playing its first official T20 Internationals and first games in any format since 2005, when a previous incarnation played three ODIs and one “Super Test” against Australia – a series which unlike this one was ill thought out and poorly attended by the locals in Australia.

You suspect that poor attendances are not going to be an issue in Lahore, where the series has brought unbounded joy to local fans, so long starved of the chance to see their national side in the flesh rather than beamed in from Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan have named a full strength squad, and are treating the series seriously. These are their first games in any format since they sensationally won the ICC Champions Trophy in England in June, so it will be a triumphant homecoming for a team regarded as heroes in their homeland.  They are in form in the shortest format too with their last outing in T20s in April this year seeing them beat world T20 champions West Indies 3-1 in an unusually long four games series held in Trinidad and Barbados.

With the games having official ICC T20I status, players’ statistics will count to their overall career records and rankings. Personal milestones will of course take a back seat, given the larger significance of the games being held, but nonetheless there are a few players to keep an eye on:

Morne Morkel (ICC World XI, South Africa)

With 46 T20I wickets in his column, Morkel he’ll be out for four more to notch up 50.

The big South African quick will also play for his third official international side if selected – having also represented his country and the Africa XI side in an official ODI series against an Asia XI in 2007.

(Incidentally, he won’t be the first player to be able to claim this honour surprisingly, as a number of players in that Africa XI v Asia XI series also played in the ICC World XI Super Series in 2005, such as Shahid Afridi, Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock.)

David Miller (ICC World XI, South Africa)

BIg hitting middle-order batsman Miller currently has 846 runs in the shortest format of the game, so will be looking for 154 across the three games to reach 1,000.

Shoaib Malik (Pakistan)

All rounder Shoaib currently has 1,625 T20 International runs to his name, enough for ninth place in the world all-time. He’ll be confident of moving a few places up the top ten list with South Africa’s JP Duminy (1,683), Australia’s David Warner (1,686) and countryman Umar Akmal (1690) well within his sights.

Imran Tahir (ICC World XI, South Africa)

Currently ranked second in the world in the ICC T20I bowler rankings, exuberant spinner Imran Tahir has taken 55 wickets in the twenty over game, enough for 12th place in the world all-time. Afghanistan’s Mohammed Nabi sits in ninth on 59, with New Zealand’s Nathan McCullum and Tahir’s fellow South African Dale Steyn in joint tenth place on 58. Tahir will be confident he can overhaul all three in this series.

 

Sri Lanka v India – only T20 International Preview

Tomorrow’s T20 International at the R Premadasa Stadium in Khettarma, Colombo represents last orders at the last chance saloon for Sri Lanka.

Having lost their home Test series against India 3-0, and followed it up with a 5-0 drubbing in the ODI series that followed, the Lions are staring down the barrel of an unprecedented home cross-series whitewash by their northerly neighbours.

India will be string favourites such is the form they are in, and such is the malaise that Sri Lankan cricket finds itself in. Riddled by injury, suspension, and resignations of captains and selectors alike, this has not been a few weeks to remember for the islanders, and they must be looking forward to this portion of their season ending.

The only glimmer of hope is that they have had marginally more success in the shortest format of the game, having beaten admittedly weakened Australian and South African sides in recent times.

India by contrast are rampant, racking up all manner of records in the Tests and ODIs that preceded this game. If they do make it a 9-0 series clean-sweep, they will match a record set by Australia when they beat Pakistan by a similar margin across all three formats in 2010.

History between the sides in this format doesn’t bode well for Sri Lanka either – of the ten games played, India lead 6-4, whilst their hosts have never beaten India at home.

So plenty to play for – a record and a clean-sweep in the sights for the visitors, while the Lions will be out to save their pride.

From an individual player persepective, its no surprise that India’s two superstars will be the ones to keep watch of:

Virat Kohli (India)

India’s supreme leader and inspirational batsman plays his 50th T20 International in Colombo.

He currently sits in fifth place in the all-time T20I run-makers list with 1748 runs to his name. 32 runs will see him leapfrog Afghanistan’s Mohammad Shahzad into fourth place, while a score of 59 will see him move one notch higher to third, past New Zealand opener Martin Guptill.

MS Dhoni (India)

Fresh from breaking Kumar Sangakkara’s world ODI stumping record with his 100th such dismissal in the last ODI (also his 300th game in that format), former captain Dhoni has more dismissal and appearance records in his sights.

This will be MS’s 78th T20 International game, moving him up into joint fifth place all-time, alongside Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez.

In this format, Dhoni has racked up 66 dismissals – 43 catches and 23 stumpings. Four more will see him move to 70, and enough for a share of the world record with South African megastar AB de Villiers.

Bangladesh v Australia – 1st Test Preview

When Steve Smith’s Australian side take the field tomorrow at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur in the suburbs of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, it will be a rare sight indeed. It is 11 years, and four cancelled tours, since Australia last deemed Bangladesh worthy of playing in a Test match.

Not they bothered to play them much before then either – this two-match series is only the third ever between the two sides, and only Australia’s second visit to Bangladesh since the Tigers were admitted as a Test side 17 years ago.

Of those paltry four matches played between the sides, Australia have won all four, but much has changed since 2006, and the hosts will be no pushover this time around. Although Bangladesh have only won nine of their 100 Test matches played since their elevation to Full member status in 2000, two of those wins have come in the last twelve months – a first ever win against England at home and an away victory against Sri Lanka. They have also taken great strides in one-day cricket, and are especially dangerous in home conditions. They will be confident they can push Australia hard and cause an upset.

Australia have not played Test cricket since their series loss in India in March, and will be hoping that they can emulate their performance in the first test of that series in Pune rather than the following three.

An intriguing series awaits. There are a few significant personal milestones likely to be established also:

Nathan Lyon (Australia)

Australia’s leading spin bowler, the most-capped player in the squad, will be hoping subcontinental conditions are to his liking – you would certainly back him to take the three wickets he needs to bring up 250 for his country in Tests.

Currently sitting on 247, he also needs just one to draw level with the legendary Richie Benaud in eighth spot in Australia’s all time wicket takers list – a wonderful achievement for the man from Young in New South Wales.

If the pitch is a real turner, he might even take the 12 wickets he needs to move up one spot higher, alongside Jason Gillespie’s 259 in seventh place.

Steve Smith (Australia)

With his unorthodox but evidently highly effective batting action, captain Smith has already notched up a remarkable 20 centuries for the Australians in Tests. Just one more in this test will see him move into joint ninth place for his country alongside the fabulously mustachioed David Boon and Neil Harvey.

Shakib-Al-Hasan and Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh)

Bangladesh’s two leading test run-scorers will both notch up their 50th Test appearances in this first test.

Shakib is also far and away the Tigers’ leading wicket-taker too, and sits proudly as the ICC’s highest ranked all-rounder in Tests (and ODIs and T20Is for that matter!) A hugely underrated player on the world stage, he will be hoping to add to his 179 wickets.

 

England v West Indies – 2nd Test Preview

There was supposed to only be four days’ rest in between the first and second Tests of England’s three-match series against West Indies. As it turned out, England’s thumping victory within three days (or days and nights to be more precise) has given both sides extra time off to prepare for this game (or to practice their golf swings at least.)

England will be looking to wrap up successive Test series during the second Test, which starts at Headingley in Leeds on Friday morning (yes, morning!) For their part, the West Indians will be hoping against all odds that a quick turnaround in their fortunes will bring about their first Test win in England since the year 2000.

There is much to watch out for from an individual player milestone perspective too:

Jimmy Anderson (England)

Jimmy’s longtime fast bowling partner-in-crime Stuart Broad took most of the milestone headlines at Edgbaston, having overtaken Ian Botham as England’s second highest Test wicket-taker.

However all eyes will be on Anderson’s “W” column in this test, as he sits on 492 wickets, only eight shy of becoming just the sixth bowler in Test cricket history to crack the 500 barrier. If he gets there, he will only the third fast bowler after Glenn Mcgrath and Courtney Walsh to get there.

Jimmy will also edge one place up a much more obscure ladder in this match, as his 27,724 balls bowled in the longest format sees him just 16 balls behind Kapil Dev in eighth place. So on the fifth ball of Jimmy’s third over bowled, be sure to raise a glass to that!

Alastair Cook (England)

Such are Chef’s stats at the moment, that he seems to be a perennial feature in these updates. Cook’s 243 masterpiece at Edgbaston moved him to 11,568 career runs. If he can squeak out four more runs at Headingley and score 247, he’ll move past Mahela Jayawardene into eighth place overall worldwide.

Perhaps more likely is a potential 32nd Test century, which would see him move into the World top ten for that statistic, alongside Australia’s Steve Waugh.

He also needs just one more catch at slip to notch up 150 grabs for his country.

Stuart Broad (England)

Having moved past one England legend in the wicket stakes in the first Test, Broad will move alongside in this one. His 108th Test for England sees him move up from 10th to joint 9th place alongside Geoffrey Boycott.

Jonny Bairstow (England)

Such is the impressive nature of YJB’s keeping, that in what seems like a blink of the eye, he already sits in eleventh place in the “dismissals” column of England’s record books – with 112 catches and 6 stumpings totalling 118 dismissals.

Two more at his home ground in Leeds will move him past Colin Cowdrey and Ian Botham into tenth place, and three more also past his ultimate boss Andrew Strauss into ninth. I doubt Strauss would mind too much!

Jason Holder (West Indies)

Much like positives to take from Edgbaston, its slim pickings for milestones for West Indies’ players here. However, six runs for captain Holder will see him notch up his 1000 in the format, currently sitting on 994.