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Seamer’s six gives Worcestershire the edge, leading by eight with seven second innings wickets to take

ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2024Worcestershire all-rounder Tom Taylor produced a deadly spell with the ball on his way to career-best figures as Warwickshire were forced to follow on in the Vitality County Championship derby at Visit Worcestershire New Road.Taylor picked up five wickets in six overs this morning as Warwickshire were bowled out for 128 in 42.2 overs in their first innings. The 29-year-old finished with 6 for 28 as he surpassed his best figures of 6 for 47 for Leicestershire against Sussex at Hove in April 2019. His morning analysis was 5 for 6 from five overs and Warwickshire lost six wickets for 16 in 9.2 overs after resuming on 112 for 4.Taylor added one more in Warwickshire’s second innings when they followed on 179 runs in arrears to take his tally to 23 wickets in five Championship games for Worcestershire.The visitors provided sterner opposition the second time around, with captain Alex Davies and Will Rhodes both hitting half-centuries. But Matthew Waite, Ethan Brookes and that man Taylor picked up a wicket apiece to leave Warwickshire still eight runs in arrears.Warwickshire resumed 195 in arrears but were quickly plunged into trouble by Taylor’s dynamic wickets burst. The pace bowler had deserved a greater reward than one wicket for his efforts on the second day but quickly made an impact on the third morning.His second delivery accounted for Hamza Shaikh who pushed forward and was taken by keeper Gareth Roderick away to his right. Michael Burgess fenced at a Taylor delivery and Brookes held onto the chance at second slip.Taylor then struck with the first two deliveries of his third over of the morning to complete his five-for. Danny Briggs was LBW after attempting to work to leg and then Michael Rae was beaten all ends up and bowled. Taylor then had figures for 5 for 27 and had taken four wickets in the space of 13 balls.Oliver Hannon-Dalby was yorked by Taylor to complete his career-best performance, and then Logan van Beek wrapped up the innings as Ed Barnard holed out to club captain Brett D’Oliveira at deep midwicket.D’Oliveira enforced the follow on with van Beek and Matthew Waite sharing the new ball. Waite picked up the wicket in his first over of Rob Yates who was beaten by an in-swinging delivery and plumb LBW.There was still enough in the pitch to encourage the seam bowlers but Alex Davies, who yesterday became the first player to score 1,000 Division One runs this summer, and Will Rhodes provided determined resistance.Young pace bowler Jack Home was on the receiving end of some fine stroke-play from Davies, conceding three successive fours to the Warwickshire captain during a spell costing 41 runs. Davies completed a 73-ball half century with nine fours and a six and also brought up the 100 in the 27th over.The century partnership spanned 162 deliveries and was worth 115 in total when Ethan Brookes accounted for Davies in similar fashion to the first innings. Davies tried to steer the ball square on the offside but it nipped back sharply and he only succeeded in playing onto his stumps for the second time in the gameBrookes delivered an excellent post-lunch spell of 1 for 5 from seven overs, including four maidens, before Rhodes brought up his half-century from 117 balls with seven boundaries.But Taylor came back into the attack after tea and his fourth delivery accounted for Sam Hain, who aimed a blow to the on side and was leg before to a full length ball shortly before the heavens opened.

While the expectations from Mumbai are always big, Vidarbha are primed for their time under the limelight

Shashank Kishore09-Mar-2024

Big picture – Vidarbha vs Mumbai is domestic workhorses vs domestic superstars

Is the Ranji Trophy really the finishing school for those aspiring to wear the India cap? This question has been raised several times recently, at least in the aftermath of most big selection meetings for the Test team.Then again, look at those who have earned the Test cap at home against England. Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Akash Deep and Devdutt Padikkal – you can say with conviction they have taken the tougher route to the India cap, and aren’t overnight IPL sensations.This “tougher route” brings us to Vidarbha, a team comprising unheralded players who toil away in anonymity most times, searching for corporate cricket gigs and club cricket stints in the UK during the off-season to ensure they are “cricket fit” when the domestic season comes around. A chance to play in the Ranji Trophy final for the first time since 2018-19 is as big as it can get. For most, it’s the most important game of their careers.Related

• Tanush Kotian raises his all-round game for Mumbai

• Ranji final an opportunity for Akshay Wadkar to forge his legacy

Mumbai, on the other hand, are the golden boys of the domestic scene: 41-time champs, who are now playing in their 48th final. A team that knows how to conquer big moments, one whose DNA has been etched with “unsuccessful season” tag if they don’t win. That’s enough pressure to carry into a game.Most things they do are amplified, whether they like it or not. A glorious Prithvi Shaw straight drive has people comparing him to some of the legends, even if it’s just his first set of games on a comeback trail. Musheer Khan’s impressive initiation has many wondering if he can follow in the footsteps of Sarfaraz, his older brother. Shardul Thakur’s exploits has everyone going “Lord fantastic”.Ajinkya Rahane’s Test career may have hit a dead end, but his legacy has been set in stone – having helmed India to one of their greatest Test series triumphs in Australia. His drive to pull through a wretched run of form – he has made 134 runs in 11 innings this Ranji season – while astutely leading the team and backing a young group to flourish could be legacy defining too, if it culminates in their 42nd title.In short, the expectation is big. The chatter around them, even bigger.Vidarbha have never had to content with this pressure. And the cricket they have played all season reflects that. Take the semi-final against Madhya Pradesh, where they conceded an 82-run lead and then were effectively 79 for 5 in the second innings, before Yash Rathod and Akshay Wadkar, the captain, led a stunning turnaround with a 158-run sixth-wicket stand that set MP a target of 321.Unlike Mumbai, a relatively smaller and concentrated talent pool has served as a boon. It has helped them give a longer rope to certain players purely on potential they bring to the table. Like Atharva Taide, the opener, who has repaid the faith with 529 runs in 13 innings at 44.08 – not blockbuster, but not a minor feat either.That Vidarbha are here without having any batter in the top 10 scorers and only one bowler in the top 10 wicket-takers tells you how they have pulled along as a team. It’s therefore a contest of two contrasts. The domestic workhorses against the domestic superstars. And on the evidence of what we’ve seen so far this season, the workhorses are primed for their time under the limelight, if anyone is willing to throw it on them.

Run to the final

Both sides finished with five wins in seven league games to top their respective groups. Mumbai beat Tamil Nadu inside three days on a green-tinged deck at home, while Vidarbha overturned a first-innings deficit to beat MP and prevent a repeat of the 2021-22 final.Karun Nair holds the record for the highest score in a Ranji final•PTI

Players to Watch – Umesh Yadav and Shreyas Iyer

Umesh Yadav hasn’t been in India’s Test plans for two years now, and a road back up looks increasingly unlikely. But he has continued to put the hard yards in, having featured in seven out of nine games for Vidarbha this season. He has had decent returns too – 27 wickets at 26.77. While he hasn’t picked up a five-for yet, his quick bursts have proved game changing at different stages this season for Vidarbha.The last time Mumbai won a Ranji final (2015-16), Shreyas Iyer turned the game around with a swashbuckling century on a green top in Pune against Saurashtra. Eight years later, Iyer comes into another Ranji final under different circumstances. Having lost his central contract recently, with questions raised over his desire for Test cricket, the final is as good an opportunity as any to prove the fire still burns.

Pitch and conditions

Wankhede Stadium will host the final on what is confirmed to be a fresh surface. Mumbai have rolled out green-tinged decks for each of their two knockout fixtures and have an in-form pace attack to boot. Expect a similar surface with pace and carry. Mumbai’s only loss this season, however, came at Wankhede against Uttar Pradesh.

Stats and trivia

Fallout from Pakistan’s dismal T20 World Cup campaign claims its first victims

Danyal Rasool09-Jul-2024The fallout from Pakistan’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign has claimed its first victims, with Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq both sacked as selectors from the national side. Razzaq, who was appointed to the selection committee for both the men’s and women’s side just weeks ago, will no longer serve as a selector for the women’s team, either.As ESPNcricinfo reported last month, Wahab’s job was in danger following Pakistan’s group stage exit from the T20 World Cup. Despite being removed as chief selector earlier this year, and officially appointed as one of seven selectors to a committee that had no chief at all, Wahab was widely viewed as the de facto head of the committee. Internally, Wahab had raised frustrations at this public perception, primarily because it resulted in him bearing the brunt of any criticism for decisions the committee made, and it was a frustration that he also expressed on X after he was sacked.In a statement on Wednesday, the PCB confirmed that “it has notified” the duo that “that their services will no longer be required in the national selection committee setup”.As reported earlier, the nature of the selection committee is also likely to be reconstituted, with a chief selector eventually expected to be reappointed. The numerical strength of the panel is expected to be reduced, making it unlikely that Wahab and Razzaq will be replaced to make up the numbers.Related

• PCB restructures selection committee by picking Aleem Dar, Aaqib, Azhar

• PCB mulls 'key changes', says domestic cricket 'compulsory' for players

• PCB set for collision course after rejecting NOC to Naseem Shah

• Babar Azam: Pakistan captaincy is 'PCB's decision'

• Pakistan must face up to hard truths of modern T20

Wahab’s departure is a speedy fall from grace for a man viewed as extremely close to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Wahab had served in his cabinet as caretaker sports minister while Naqvi was appointed caretaker chief minister of Punjab, and followed him to the PCB, where he was initially appointed chief selector. Wahab had also travelled with the Pakistan side to the T20 World Cup as senior team manager, another duty he is likely to be stripped of. Naqvi, for his part, is understood to have been keen to demonstrate no one was immune from adverse consequences.The decision effectively means the PCB has performed another U-turn on the procedure by which players are picked for the Pakistan national side. The seven-member committee was only announced less than four months ago, with Wahab demoted from chief selector, with each of the seven members carrying an equal vote, and Naqvi saying at the time that the committee would “make a majority decision based around debate and argument to reach a satisfactory conclusion”.It also indicates a continuation of the instability that has plagued the selection committee over recent years. The PCB has seen five chief selectors since January 2022, with Wahab, Haroon Rashid (twice), Shahid Afridi and Inzamam-ul-Haq all serving brief stints; Mohammad Wasim and Misbah-ul-Haq also served stints in the preceding period.The remaining five selection committee members are the head coach and captain of the respective formats, Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafiq and Bilal Afzal.

Fast bowler believes England are still in the contest after witnessing fast start to own innings

Andrew Miller08-Oct-2024Brydon Carse was tired but proud by the close of the second day in Multan, after coming through a two-day trial in oppressive heat to claim his maiden Test wickets in the course of Pakistan’s imposing first-innings total of 556.Though he was made to wait until the 19th over of his debut performance, having had a first-day lbw verdict against Shan Masood chalked off on review, Carse was rewarded with the wickets of Naseem Shah and Aamer Jamal in his final two spells, to round off a wholehearted effort in conditions that his team-mates insisted are unlikely to get much tougher as his England career progresses.”It’s been hard work and hard toil over the last two days, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the challenge,” Carse told Sky Sports at the close. “Being out there with this group of lads, it’s been a tough but good two days.”A couple of the guys and Stokesy [Ben Stokes] said to me when we came in after fielding, ‘look, Brydon, it’s not going to get as tough as this [again] over the last two days’. There were times out there when the heat was probably the biggest challenge, and obviously the wicket, but as a group of bowlers, everyone kept on coming back, with the seamers in short bursts. Yeah, it was challenging at times.”Although Pakistan’s total is imposing by any standards, it could have been significantly worse had England not maintained their discipline until the bitter end. It was only in the closing moments of Pakistan’s innings, when Jamie Smith missed a stumping and Gus Atkinson dropped a sitter at midwicket, that the fatigue truly began to tell, but those misses ended up costing England just six runs between them.”I had a conversation with Woaksey and Gus towards the end there,” Carse said. “Both them boys’ legs were proper hanging on. There’ll be ice baths. we’re testing our hydration … I’ve been in the red for most of these two days, even with the constant consumption of water and fluids. But tonight, the lads will refuel and get food down us, and try and get a good night’s sleep, and hopefully have a good batting day tomorrow.”Coming into the contest, with memories of England’s victory at the same venue in 2022, it had been widely assumed that reverse-swing would be the likeliest means for the seamers to challenge on this surface. But the ball steadfastly refused to budge through England’s 149 overs in the field – a fact which surprised Carse.Related

• Root and Brook hit big centuries to make Pakistan's 556 look inadequate

• England sweat on Ben Duckett fitness after suspected thumb dislocation

• Jeetan Patel: England's 'high-end toil' keeps them in contention in first Test

• Shan Masood's statement of intent sets out Pakistan's stall for the series

• Crawley leads England reply after Salman hundred sets up Pakistan

“The guys were working on the ball out there, but I don’t think it was as abrasive over the square as we probably expected. There was a lot of short-pitched bowling and a lot of changing of fields, which is certainly a role that I have been used in back home in county cricket at certain times. But hopefully in the second innings, we can get that ball reversing quite quickly, then we might be able to set slightly different fields and not be as predictable.”Reflecting on his maiden stint as a Test bowler, Carse admitted he thought his first-day lbw appeal against Masood had been “stone-dead”, despite DRS showing it to have pitched just outside leg. Given Masood had made just 16 of his eventual 151, it was a key moment in Pakistan’s innings, as was Chris Woakes’ disputed boundary catch off Salman Agha, which was eventually given as six, and which Carse later acknowledged was “one of those 50-50 chances that didn’t go our way”.But he and England stuck to their task, and Carse’s moment of catharsis came in the fifth over of his opening burst on the second morning, as Naseem poked a lifter off his hip to Harry Brook at leg slip.”Popey actually said to me after the fourth over: ‘Do you want to go one more?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, definitely’. Because I felt I was close to getting the breakthrough that we needed. And then obviously it came, and it was a special feeling, although probably not the celebrations that you often expect.”With two days gone, England are behind in the game, and may yet have to contend with Ben Duckett’s injury absence after he was struck on the thumb while completing the final catch of Pakistan’s innings. But Carse was adamant there was plenty for his team still to fight for, especially given the flying start that Zak Crawley has provided to their first innings with his run-a-ball 64 not out.”We spoke last night when we had them 340 for four, if you had that sort of score back home in England, you’re probably behind the game quite a bit,” he said. “But coming into today, in that first session, they only got 60 or 70 runs, and we scored 100 there tonight in 20 overs. If we can come tomorrow and bat positively and really put their attack under pressure, let’s see where we’re at by the end of the day, and then there’s still two full days of cricket to go.”

RCB, who are playing after a six-day break, will need to win their next two games to stay alive in the competition

Srinidhi Ramanujam07-Mar-2025

Who’s playing

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs UP Warriorz (UPW)
Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, 7.30pm IST

What to expect: RCB hope to stay alive

The spotlight is on RCB. Placed fourth, the defending champions will have to win both their remaining games, starting with this contest against bottom-placed UP Warriorz, and then wait for other results to go their way to qualify for the playoffs. Losing even one out of the next two games will put them out of contention. Warriorz, meanwhile, were knocked out by Gujarat Giants on Friday and will look to finish the season on a high.Four straight defeats after two successive wins have left RCB with more questions than answers. The batting has looked overly dependent on Ellyse Perry, with Smriti Mandhana in the middle of a lean patch. The rest of the line-up has been inconsistent. While Renuka Singh, Kim Garth and Georgia Wareham have taken the bulk of responsibility with the ball and have 25 wickets combined, RCB have been found wanting with their fourth and fifth bowling options. Will a six-day break help them bounce back?Warriorz have struggled in all departments, and the constant shuffling of their batting order hasn’t helped. Chinelle Henry, despite being explosive at the death, has not gotten a promotion to address the middle-order woes. Deepti Sharma has also had an underwhelming outing as captain and bowler, picking up five wickets in seven games at an economy rate of 8.11. Sophie Ecclestone has been the only bowler who has looked threatening.The last time these two sides met, the match witnessed a drama-filled Super Over finish with Warriorz coming on top.Smriti Mandhana has been a disappointment this season•BCCI

Form guide

Royal Challengers Bengaluru LLL
UP Warriorz LLL

Team news

RCB are likely to go with the experience of Sneh Rana and Ekta Bisht in the spin department.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Raghvi Bisht, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Kanika Ahuja, 7 Georgia Wareham, 8 Sneh Rana, 9 Kim Garth, 10 Ekta Bisht, 11 Renuka SinghGouher Sultana played two matches in Lucknow but bowled only one over and went for 16 runs. It remains to be seen whether Warriorz bring back Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who has played only one match so far in this edition.UP Warriorz (probable): 1 Grace Harris, 2 Georgia Voll, 3 Kiran Navgire, 4 Vrinda Dinesh, 5 Deepti Sharma (capt), 6 Shweta Sehrawat, 7 Uma Chetry (wk), 8 Chinelle Henry, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Gouher Sultana/Rajeshwari Gayakwad, 11 Kranti GoudSophie Ecclestone has been the key player for UP Warriorz•BCCI

In the spotlight: Ellyse Perry and Sophie Ecclestone

Ellyse Perry has been the in-form batter for RCB this season. She has four-half centuries, the most by a player in this WPL, and has accumulated 295 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 149.74. With Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge struggling for form at the top, the focus will be on Perry. Lucknow has already witnessed three half-centuries in the first two matches, all coming from top-order batters. Perry has to do it again, with RCB’s season on the line.Sophie Ecclestone stunned the Chinnaswamy Stadium with her all-round heroics when RCB hosted Warriorz two weeks ago. She is the only bowler at Warriorz to have bowled her full quota of four overs in all seven matches. That has fetched her six wickets at an economy rate of 6.96.

Key stats

• Warriorz have lost 33 wickets in the middle overs (from 7 to 16), the most by a team in WPL 2025.
• Perry has struck at 143.42 against Warriorz, her highest strike rate against a team in the WPL.
• Henry has the highest strike rate in this WPL – at 211.76.

Sri Lanka last hosted the men’s T20 World Cup in 2012, India in 2016

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Sep-2025The 2026 men’s T20 World Cup is likely to be played between February 7 and March 8. The tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka and will comprise 20 teams.The matches will be played in at least five venues in India and two in Sri Lanka. The final will be in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan is playing. India and Pakistan are not playing in each other’s countries due to strained political relations between the two governments at present.While the ICC is still finalising the schedule, ESPNcricinfo has learned that it has identified the window and informed the participating countries.Related

• Dates for next three IPL seasons revealed

• Italy's long road to T20WC qualification

At present, 15 teams have been confirmed for the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup: India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, USA, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands and Italy, who have qualified for a World Cup for the first time. Of the remaining five teams, two will come from the Africa regional qualifier and three from the Asia and East Asia Pacific qualifier.The format will be the same as the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, where the 20 teams were divided into four groups of five each, with the top two from each group qualifying for the Super Eight round, where once again the eight teams were divided into two groups of four. The top two from each Super Eight group progressed to the semi-finals. India are the reigning champions, having beaten South Africa in the final in Barbados. The entire tournament comprised 55 matches.India are hosting several marquee events in the first four months of 2026 starting with the WPL, dates for which are yet to be finalised. The BCCI has earmarked a window between early January and early February for the five-team tournament. The WPL will be followed by the men’s T20 World Cup, after which the BCCI will host the IPL, with the tentative window being March 15 to May 31. India also host New Zealand for ODIs and T20Is from January 11 to 31.

India and Mumbai batter is in the middle of a slump after an unbelievable year in 2022

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-20233:10

What’s gone wrong for Suryakumar Yadav?

In 2022, Suryakumar Yadav was redefining the concept of risk in cricket. Playing behind the wicket as much as he did in front of it, taking balls from well outside off for boundaries to square leg and midwicket, he was expanding on what was possible on the field and he was able to do it for a fairly long time. In 12 months, and 31 T20Is, he amassed 1164 runs at an average of 46.56 and strike rate of 187.43. Very few in the modern era have been that successful while being that destructive.It prompted India to look at Suryakumar as a gamechanger in other formats as well. They gave him a Test debut against Australia in Nagpur on a spin-friendly pitch where it looked like, at least before the game, batting long didn’t really look likely. So they chose to keep Shubman Gill – a player equally gifted but more in the traditional mould – out of the side in favour of Suryakumar and his ability to play high-impact innings in a very short space of time.But things didn’t happen that way. Suryakumar fell into a slump, scoring 8 (Test), 0, 0, 0 (ODIs), 15 and now 1 (IPL) in the defeat against Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede stadium.Former Australia allrounder and vastly experienced T20 coach Tom Moody, on ESPNcricinfo Time:Out, found it hard to explain why a batter who not so long ago looked impossible to stop now looks like its impossible for him to score.”It’s very hard to dissect,” he said, “But I think what we’re learning is that he is human. For a period of time there, we were sort of not really coming to terms with what he’s actually doing to the game; he was nearly untouchable. But I think now we’re seeing the polar opposite. Sport does a vicious cycle of exposing the human element of our vulnerability. You can call it form or luck or whatever you like.Suryakumar Yadav has scores of 8 (Test), 0, 0, 0 (ODIs), 15 and now 1 (IPL)•Mumbai Indians

“He’s probably doing exactly the same thing as he’s done the last 12 months but he’s just not getting the rub of the green. The thing is that then can turn into a situation where he starts questioning his form, questioning whether he’s doing the right things, he might start to change his technique or batting stances or all sorts of things, the way he is preparing which is what he shouldn’t be doing. That’s why a lot of people say cricket, particularly batting, is 80% mental and 20% skill.”Moody’s partner on the show, the former Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait believed these highs and lows happen to batters who are unorthodox.”If you look at someone like Glenn Maxwell,” he said, “Through his career, he’s had that sort of times as well where he’s had unbelievable purple patches and maybe a slump. Obviously he’s going to be highly criticised. Because of the way he plays as well, Surya, he’s got all those shots, and you can say he’s sometimes reckless.”Obviously he’s an unbelievable player but you wouldn’t say he’s an organised player when he comes to the crease. Someone like a Virat Kohli, right, he’s an organised player. That’s his game. Surya can change things around innings to innings. But because he’s so flash and so great to watch and entertaining, maybe the recklessness can fall the other way.”The other thing that comes in as well, maybe the hype and the great run he’s had maybe he’s come down a couple of rungs. Hopefully he can get back up there. He’s like Maxwell. The way he thinks about the game is a little bit different and so the fall can be a little bit harder for those sort of players.”Despite his recent struggles, there are still people like three-time world champion Ricky Ponting who are backing Suryakumar to come good again.”Everyone around the world knows what Surya can do in white-ball cricket. They [India] should stick with him, I feel,” he told the ICC Review. “Because he is I think the kind of player that can win you a World Cup. He might be a little bit inconsistent but he’s the sort of guy who in big moments can win you something,”

Pakistan pick two debutant quicks for the first Test while the home side will go in with Mitchell Marsh in the XI

Tristan Lavalette13-Dec-20234:32

What do Pakistan need to do to win in Australia?

Big picture: Pakistan usher in new era, Australia switch gears after WC win

For a generation of Australian cricket fans, they’ve only seen Pakistan’s Test team reduced to a punchline on their shores. The statistics are particularly macabre for Pakistan, who have lost 14 straight Tests in Australia dating back over two decades.Apart from the continual plunderings, Pakistan have also suffered several catastrophic defeats – namely Hobart ’99 and Sydney ’10 – that cemented their reputation in Australia as a highly combustible side.Expectations of Pakistan bucking history are low. They arrive for the series-opener in Perth with an unfancied line-up that some Australian cricket fans – those who only follow the sport in December and January – would not know bar a handful of players.Related

• Australia won't rush the search for Warner's successor

• Perth curator expects 'fast, hard, bouncy wicket' for first Australia vs Pakistan Test

• The four big battles that could define Australia vs Pakistan

• Messaging on shoes: Khawaja accepts ICC decision but will 'fight it'

• Head named co-vice-captain as Australia look to 'future-proof' leadership stocks

But Pakistan are optimistic as they start a new era under captain Shan Masood, who has replaced Babar Azam. He is hoping to provide a steadying figure for an inexperienced Pakistan once again engulfed in off-field chaos.Masood has led by example with his shift to a more proactive approach at the crease as Pakistan successfully reverted to an aggressive brand during an impressive series win in Sri Lanka in July. Inevitably comparisons have been made to ‘Bazball’ although Pakistan’s commitment to the cause will be tested against an Australia team still basking in last month’s memorable World Cup triumph.A full-strength Australia will field nine players part of the World Cup-winning squad and welcome the return of frontline spinner Nathan Lyon from his calf injury that prematurely ended his Ashes campaign.