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Somerset ground out a slight advantage in a tension-ridden battle of the bottom two at Edgbaston where defeat will as good as signal relegation

Jon Culley at Edgbaston05-Sep-20171:37

County Championship Round-up: Somerset nose in front in crunch encounter

To find Warwickshire battling for Division One survival in the first week of September comes as no surprise, but that cannot be said of Somerset, who were denied a maiden County Championship title on the final afternoon of last season after Middlesex’s dramatic win over Yorkshire at Lord’s.Yet their season has been scarcely less awful than Warwickshire’s, prompting director of cricket Matthew Maynard to lament that they looked like a team resigned to relegation as they were beaten by Essex last week.Their outlook need not be quite so bleak. The gap between themselves and the safety of sixth place – 23 points as they enter the final four rounds – is by no means unassailable, particularly if they can nudge their opponents a little closer to the exits by winning here. That would raise the possibility of dragging one of two teams immediately above them into the fight – those two teams ironically being Middlesex and Yorkshire. They meet Middlesex at Taunton in the season’s final round.Warwickshire are a further 12 points adrift, the consequence of a decline that has been set in for some time since the players who won the title in 2012 began to find their powers on the wane. They, too, are not doomed yet but, as captain Jonathan Trott spelled out rather starkly on the eve of this match, they might need to win all four remaining fixtures.”It helps that we know what we have to do,” Trott said, doing his best to find a positive spin. Given that they have won only four of their last 22 Championship matches, however, it does seem to be asking rather a lot.On the subject of spin, it is the slow bowlers who look likely to determine the outcome of this one. Somerset came armed with two in Jack Leach and Dominic Bess and after taking a look at the pitch, which is the same one used for last Saturday’s NatWest Blast final, Warwickshire chose to follow suit, dispensing with the idea of giving England Under-19 seamer Henry Brookes his debut and opting for the slow left arm of Sunny Singh to share the load with Jeetan Patel.It was a wise move. After a start delayed until ten past one, Trott tossed the ball to Patel with the contest just seven overs old and having the New Zealand off-spinner bowling in tandem with Singh after only 18. There was turn for both from the outset. By the close they had bowled 38 of the 56.3 overs possible and taken three of the four wickets.A test for the batsmen, particularly for those at the starting-out end of the experience scale; Eddie Byron, opening with Marcus Trescothick, is just 20, and George Bartlett – Brookes’s England Under-19 colleague – only 19.In the event, Trescothick – a tad more experienced at 41 – was the first to go. The former England opener, another with whom time is catching up now, looked in good order initially on a ground where he has scored five hundreds but, having rapidly scored half a dozen boundaries, fell to the first ball of Patel’s second over. The left back went back to cut, another four in his sights, but made a misjudgement this time to a ball that was perhaps a shade too full and a thin edge had him caught behind.Byrom, in only his fifth first-class match, played very nicely for his 43 – matching his best score so far – but after reverse-sweeping Singh for his sixth boundary attempted – perhaps unwisely – to give the next delivery the same treatment. This time it ended up in the hands of Trott at slip.Singh, a tall 21-year-old born in India but developed in Warwickshire’s academy, looked competent and confidant, tidy until weariness began to creep in towards the end. He claimed his second success when, getting one to turn sharply, he had James Hildreth caught at slip, driving.The Warwickshire seamers were less impressive, although Keith Barker was a little unlucky in his second spell. Ryan Sidebottom – the Australian-born right-handed version – bowled a mix of good and bad balls, graphically illustrated when he bowled Bartlett through the gate with a real jaffa, having offered up a wide long-hop with his previous delivery, duly crashed away for four by the teenager, who had announced himself as audaciously as you might like by getting off the mark with a reverse-sweep for four off Patel.At 131 for 4 with Hildreth’s wicket, it was shaping up as Warwickshire’s day. By the close, though, Steve Davies and Tom Abell had turned things round rather impressively, applying themselves well in a stand that has so far added 72.

Former Sri Lanka offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan has become the first player from his country to be voted into the ICC Hall of Fame

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2016Former Sri Lanka offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan has become the first player from his country to be voted into the ICC Hall of Fame. He will be formally inducted into it later this year, along with the late England fast bowler George Lohmann, the late Australia opener Arthur Morris and former Australia Women captain Karen Rolton.Murali is the leading wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs, and one of only two players to tally over a 1000 wickets in international cricket, in a career that spanned 19 years, from 1992 to 2011.Lohmann, who played in the 1880s and 1890s, became the fastest bowler to 100 Test wickets when he got to the landmark in March 1896, in his 16th match, and the record has stood for the 120 years since. Morris was part of the “Invincibles” in the Ashes of 1948, where he aggregated 696 runs at 87, outscoring Don Bradman.The highlights of Rolton’s international career, which lasted from 1995 to 2009, included a knock of 209 not out at Headingley in 2001 – then the highest score in Women’s Test cricket – and a century in the World Cup final of 2005. She was named captain in 2006.ICC chief executive David Richardson said he was pleased that the list of latest inductees featured players from such a wide-ranging time span. “We have in the list some very famous names of different eras,” Richardson said. “Muralitharan has been one of the greats of the modern era. Lohmann and Morris were outstanding performers during their times and are part of cricket folklore, while Rolton’s performances have been recent and came during an era when women’s cricket became very competitive.”

Brad Hodge’s 61 in a 36-ball assault gave Guyana Amazon Warriors an easy 23-run win against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Basseterre

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrad Hodge struck three sixes and five fours in his 61•Caribbean Premier League

Brad Hodge’s 61 in a 36-ball assault gave Guyana Amazon Warriors an easy 23-run win against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Basseterre. Rain brought a premature end to the match in the 17th over of the chase, by which time Amazon Warriors were comfortably ahead of the D/L target.Patriots lost their openers within the first four overs after choosing to bat, but were resurrected by Marlon Samuels’ 40-ball 61 – the only score above 20 in the innings. Samuels and Tonito Willett added 54 for the third wicket before Willett holed out at long-off in the 13th over off Marchant de Lange. Samuels then took 16 runs off the remaining four balls of the over, which set a strong platform for the last few overs. Patriots finished well to end with 158 for 6 – 51 coming in the last five overs.In the chase, Amazon Warriors lost Trevon Griffith in the second over for 6. However, Denesh Ramdin counter-attacked with 31 in 15 balls, which included two sixes and three fours, before he was caught behind in the seventh over. Hodge took the attack to Patriots from the outset, while Assad Fudadin, who was playing his second match of the season, dropped anchor with a run-a-ball 43. Patriots couldn’t stop the run-flow as boundaries were hit regularly. An unbeaten 98-run third-wicket stand took Amazon Warriors to 146 for 2 in the 17th over, when the D/L par score was 123.

Nazmul Hassan has said the decision to tour Pakistan is still “two to four days” away after his Pakistan counterpart Zaka Ashraf claimed that the BCB had confirmed that the tour was on

Mohammad Isam22-Dec-2012Nazmul Hassan, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president, has said the decision to tour Pakistan is still “two to four days” away after his Pakistan counterpart Zaka Ashraf claimed that the BCB had confirmed that the tour was on. The BCB is awaiting a security assessment to be conducted by the ICC before making an announcement.”In my opinion, we can reach a final decision in the next two to four days,” Hassan told BBC Bangla Service on Saturday. “We will ask the ICC to complete their security assessment for match officials and the moment they finalise their stance, we can give our confirmation.”It [the decision to tour] will somewhat depend on the ICC’s decision. We need to know their security assessment. Our security team that had gone to Pakistan said the security is adequate.”Earlier in the day, Ashraf said the BCB had communicated its willingness to tour Pakistan. “We were in constant touch with the BCB officials and they have conveyed to us that the tour is confirmed,” Ashraf told AFP. “They have also got approval from their board members and we are in touch for the schedule.”Hassan said that having agreed to tour Pakistan, there was no question of backing down. “We have committed to travel to Pakistan and it is my understanding that the commitment is minuted in an ICC meeting.”Since we have made a commitment and if we think the security is satisfactory, I think we should go. We will see the ICC’s security assessment and conduct our own assessment. We will adopt every possible precaution before going.”Bangladesh has reached a stage in world cricket where it won’t be wise to not keep a commitment. It could be used as an example in future.”Bangladesh’s proposed tour to Pakistan hit a snag earlier this year when, on April 19, a Dhaka court order embargoed a series between the two scheduled for the end of April.

The participation of Pakistan players in next year’s IPL will come up for discussion during the next IPL governing council meeting on October 14, Rajiv Shukla, the league’s chairman, has said

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2011The participation of Pakistan players in next year’s IPL will come up for discussion during the next IPL governing council meeting on October 14, Rajiv Shukla, the league’s chairman, has said. Pakistan players have not taken part in the IPL following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008, and even though 11 of them featured in the auction list for the third edition of the tournament in 2010, none were picked up by the franchises. Some of the franchises put it down to the uncertainty over their availability following a breakdown in diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan.”This decision has to be taken by the Governing Council. It is not that Pakistan as a country has been banned in IPL,” Shukla told . “Their (Pakistani) referees’ services have been utilised. Some franchises have taken Pakistani former players as coaches also and supporting staff as well. So it is not that Pakistan as a whole has been banned or something. There is no question of banning anyone.”The final call, however, rested with the franchises, Shukla said. “About Pakistani players, it is purely up to the franchises to decide whether they want to take Pakistani players or not. And we have to keep certain considerations in mind before deciding about it.”With regards to the resumption of cricketing ties with Pakistan, Shukla said matters of security and scheduling needed to be resolved before going ahead. He was also not too keen on the idea of playing at a neutral venue. “We have worked together. The question is about the circumstances and certain issues … in terms of security. Those issues are to be sorted out. Then only, we can think of it.”At the same time, there is no slot available. If there is slot available, then all these things can be discussed. Everybody wants cricket ties to be revived, to be resumed but slot has to be there to resume the ties.”Secondly the atmosphere should be congenial because I am of the view that we should play on each others’ soil instead of playing at a third venue. There is no point on playing at a third venue.”The termination of the Kochi franchise and the number of teams for the next IPL will also be discussed at the meeting.

Fast bowler Ruel Brathwaite has signed a two-year contract with Durham

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2010Fast bowler Ruel Brathwaite has signed a two-year contract with Durham. Brathwaite, 25, had trialled with the Durham second XI earlier in 2010 before he was asked to join the main team for the final two weeks of the season.”I was delighted to be offered a contract with Durham after my initial spell with them,” Brathwaite said. “The boys really made me feel incredibly welcome while I was there and I can’t wait to join up with them in pre-season as we prepare for our 2011 campaign. I’m excited for the opportunity ahead and I’m looking forward to making my mark.”Brathwaite, 25, made his Durham debut in the club’s final County Championship match of the season against Somerset and had match-figures of 4 for 118. Hailing from Barbados, Brathwaite was Dulwich College’s first cricket scholar and has played first-class cricket for Loughborough University, Cambridge University and the MCC.”Ruel has a great attitude and real enthusiasm about the game which really fits well in our dressing room,” Geoff Cook, Durham’s head coach, said. “We’ll be working closely with him to finalise his status as English-qualified. We’re pleased that, despite offers from other counties, he decided to commit to Durham.”

Pakistan’s white-ball coach, who has worked with Bangladesh in the past, believes their seam stocks are strong

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Feb-2025Pakistan have, by far, the longer and more varied pace-bowling tradition. But don’t count out the Bangladesh bowlers on Thursday. It is not only the Bangladesh camp that is saying this. Pakistan’s white-ball coach Aaqib Javed, who has worked with Bangladesh quicks in the past, believes so too.Bangladesh have four big options. The tallest, fastest and youngest is Nahid Rana. They also have the experienced Taskin Ahmed, who has rejuvenated his game over the past several years. Mustafizur Rahman brings the left-arm angle and variety. And Tanzim Hasan has control and hustle. Javed is certainly not taking Bangladesh’s quicks lightly. They had already been good in Rawalpindi last year, though in a Test match. Taskin and Nahid had collectively taken nine wickets in a Bangladesh win.”I watched Bangladesh fast bowlers bowling against Pakistan here – and the way they bowled in West Indies – and I think they have very skilful fast bowlers,” Javed said. “Especially Nahid Rana. He’s got height, and he’s got pace. Taskin is a very skilful bowler. Another one is Mustafiz, who is very experienced, and he’s got all the varieties. I’m glad even the Bangladeshi fast bowlers are coming good.”Related

• Pakistan and Bangladesh look – or hope – to sign off on a positive note

• Aaqib Javed's post mortem: Lack of experience hurt Pakistan

This is likely the best seam-bowling unit Bangladesh have ever brought to a tournament, though their batters have scored too few runs to really give them a chance of imposing themselves. Perhaps, rain allowing, that can change on Thursday.In fact, given Jasprit Bumrah is almost inarguably the best white-ball bowler in the world (though he is not playing this tournament), and Sri Lanka also has a pace battery that runs deeper than ever (though they are not playing in this tournament), this is the closest thing to a fast-bowling golden age South Asia has ever had.Bangladesh assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin agreed that Bangladesh’s seam stocks were strong. Some of this is down to the country having switched to the Dukes ball in their first-class cricket over the last few seasons. The Dukes ball has a prouder seam that tends to last longer through the innings, which encourages fast bowling. Salahuddin was excited about the prospect of more Bangladesh quicks coming through the system into international cricket.”We now have plenty of fast bowlers in Bangladesh who can perform at the international level,” he said. “We have youngsters coming up too. It is a good sign that our fast bowlers can dominate teams in these flat tracks. I feel Taskin, Rana and Mustafiz is our best bowling attack. They are learning, but, hopefully, one day they will dominate world cricket.”Though Bangladesh, like Pakistan, have lost both matches so far and are out of the Champions Trophy, Salahuddin said there was plenty to be gained from the match.”It is definitely a dead rubber since there’s no consequence for either team. But we are here to play a tournament, and this is our last match, so we want to see the players do well,” he said. “We have plenty of room for improvement, so we don’t want to repeat the mistakes from the previous matches. I think every match is important for the players. It might be a turning point for a particular player or even our team. This might be the end of this tournament, but the players have a future ahead of them.”

Test vice-captain ready for pivotal role on India tour after recovering from shoulder injury

Cameron Ponsonby09-Dec-2023Ollie Pope says he is ready to captain England against India if Ben Stokes’ knee prevents him from playing in the first Test.Stokes underwent surgery on his troublesome left knee immediately after the World Cup where he played as a specialist batter. The hope is that he will be fit to take part against India in the first Test, starting on January 25 in Hyderabad, in a full capacity, but Pope has said it would be “silly” of him not to prepare for the scenario where the reins are handed over to him.”I think naturally when you are vice-captain there is always a risk that the captain can go down,” Pope said ahead of the deciding ODI of England’s tour of the Caribbean. “Of course that is something that I can think about if it needs to happen but the feedback I have had from the physios [regarding Stokes] since the surgery has been really positive. Stokesy is doing good but it would be silly for me not to prepare.”Related

• Uncapped Pope, Turner and Tongue in England white-ball squads for Caribbean tour

• Stokes begins rehab after knee surgery

• Five things England can learn in the Caribbean

Pope has been a non-playing member of the ODI squad after getting his first call-up to an England white-ball team and is continuing his own rehab following the dislocated shoulder he suffered in the Ashes.Describing the experience of watching the final three matches of the series against Australia go ahead without him as “painful”, Pope is nevertheless now back to more-or-less 100% full fitness.”It was awesome to watch and I couldn’t leave my sofa some days,” Pope said of the Ashes, which ended 2-2. “It was frustrating not playing but the guys put on a real good show and I felt I was living it with them a little bit from my sofa with my shoulder in a sling”[But] I’m good. The shoulder has been good. It’s a stable joint and it can still be sore when I’m throwing, but that’s something I’m going to have to put up with for a while.”During training in Antigua, Pope threw almost exclusively underarm, but has since started to throw overarm at times, saying that it’s simply a case of saving the majority of his throws for game time. It is the third time that Pope has dislocated his shoulder, after suffering the same injury on his left side in 2019 and 2020, but he said that despite the injury occurring whilst he was diving in the field on all three occasions, he remains confident in his ability to throw himself around.”Not [when] diving,” Pope said of whether the injury remains in the back of his mind. “Because I’ve had the same surgery on my left side. I trust the operation and what has happened to my shoulder. I have had two on my left, the first was a smaller one which didn’t go to plan, but in terms of diving around, no. I know I have a stable joint now and that is the good thing in my mind.”This is the fourth week in a row that Pope has been away from home, after he joined up with the white-ball squad in the Caribbean after being part of the England Lions red-ball training camp in Abu Dhabi.”It is a lot better preparation for India than it would be back in the indoor school at The Oval or in the gym the whole time,” he said.”Each batter has probably started thinking about their gameplan whether that is defence or attack. We are going to go about it in a positive way. The pitches in India can be really flat as well so you never know it could be 600 par score in the first innings or it could be 200 par score. Each batter has clarity in their mind and we have been speaking with Trescothick since summer about honing defence.”It is the first time that Pope has had to split red- and white-ball thought processes having had five years in the England set-up exclusively as a Test cricketer. Having played just three List A matches in the last four years, Pope’s inclusion in the one-day squad was a surprise if not a shocking one, with England long having earmarked the right-hander as a multi-format player.”I think anywhere three, four, five,” Pope said of where he expects to fit into the XI when the time for a debut comes. “I feel like I can play spin quite nicely and rotate quite nicely. I think I have to just keep developing the boundary options.”I knew I had a chance and I feel like my game is well suited to 50-over cricket. I just had a bit of bad luck in 50-over cricket over the last couple of years. I feel I have a lot to offer, but now I want to go and show it.”

Being part of CWG 2022 “can only leave us in a good position as we look for ambitions moving forward,” says Geoff Allardice

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2022Being a “star attraction” at the 2022 Commonwealth Games will give a fillip to the ICC’s ambitions of being included in “all other types of multi-sport games”, mainly the Olympic Games, Geoff Allardice, the ICC chief executive, said in Birmingham on Wednesday.”The idea of being here in Birmingham for the annual [ICC] conference is to celebrate cricket’s involvement in the Commonwealth Games for the first time in 24 years [when a men’s 50-over event was held, in Kuala Lumpur] with the women’s T20 event,” Allardice said. “Judging on the reaction of the players, they all are very excited and enjoying the experience of being around the top athletes from other sports.”We have declared our ambition to be involved in the Olympic Games. We are assisting the LA 2028 organisers and providing any information will help their assessment of different sports with regards to addition to the Olympic programme. But, at this stage, a decision is due next year.”Related

• It will be a surprise if Australia don't take home the gold

• Cricket at the 2022 CWG – all you need to know

• CWG 2022 – India are medal contenders, but the gold seems reserved for Australia

Women’s T20 cricket, between eight teams, including Barbados as the West Indies representatives, is being played in this edition of the Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham. In fact, all matches will be played at Edgbaston. This, after the ICC and the ECB lobbied successfully for its inclusion.Supporters of the ICC’s stated objective of having cricket included in the Olympics – possibly in Los Angeles in 2028, though the sport hasn’t made the provisional list – are likely to keep their eyes peeled on how things go in Birmingham. A good show can only help the big plans.”Being in multi-sport games, whether it is the Commonwealth Games or the Asian Games or the African Games, putting cricket into these multisport events is good for the growth of our game,” Allardice said. “One, it gives a lot of our member countries a seat at the top table for sporting organisations within their country. Two, the coverage of these games reaches new audiences that may not be traditional cricket audiences.”And that is one of opportunities with the Commonwealth Games, that we can reach new audiences. I’m sure you have seen in the last five years or so, the quality of our women’s events is outstanding. The players are great ambassadors for our sport. We heard from a number of the [women’s team] captains last night at a panel session, and they are very excited and I’m sure, cricket a star attraction at the Commonwealth Games, which can only leave us in a good position as we look for ambitions moving forward in all other types of multi-sport games.”At the time of announcing cricket’s inclusion for Birmingham 2022, the Commonwealth Games Federation had said that it was “likely to be popular not only with spectators locally in Birmingham, but also for fans across competing nations, with 90% of the sport’s one billion fans worldwide thought to reside in the Commonwealth”.That is different from the Olympic Games, of course, where most of the participating nations are not traditional cricket-playing, or cricket-watching centres. Still, good competition, especially in the format perceived to be the most useful for reaching new audiences, could only help cricket’s ambitions of being a truly global sport.

Rassie van der Dussen and Quinton de Kock also chip in with vital half-centuries in big batting effort

Danyal Rasool04-Apr-2021South Africa survived an astonishing onslaught from Fakhar Zaman to secure a series-levelling 17-run win against Pakistan in Johannesburg.Zaman’s 155-ball 193 was heroic, a one-man show in the truest sense of the word because no other Pakistani managed more than 31 in a chase of 342. It is the highest score in a chase in ODI cricket history, and the second highest ever in a losing cause. Zaman also surpassed Herchelle Gibbs’ 175 to record the highest individual score at this venue.After several stutters, South Africa did manage to get over the line, thanks to a commanding batting performance spearheaded by the top order. Captain Temba Bavuma top-scored with 92, while Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller each brought up half-centuries, allowing South Africa to post 341 in the face of a listless bowling effort from the visitors.Pakistan were never really in the chase right until the final 15 overs; once Zaman brought up his first ODI hundred in two years, he would run riot. Despite finishing with the highest score by a Pakistani in ODI cricket in South Africa, it always looked like an unassailable task, and in truth, proved so by some distance in the end.Pakistan have never chased a total of this magnitude in ODI cricket, and a daunting challenge became even tougher when Imam-ul-Haq, one of the protagonists for the side at SuperSport Park, fell in the second over. For a brief while, Pakistan looked to have course-corrected with a 63-run partnership that exuded easy elegance from the bats of both Azam and Zaman. But Pakistan’s bane on Friday, Nortje, would return to haunt them once more, exploiting a vulnerability against the short ball that brought about the seismic wicket of Azam in his first over. Two balls later, he would dismiss Mohammad Rizwan, and just like that, Pakistan’s most in-form batsmen had been taken out of the equation.It was an uncharacteristic innings through the middle from Zaman, as he reined in his belligerent instincts while the middle order crumbled around him. Danish Aziz was no match for Nortje’s short lengths, while Shadab Khan and Asif Ali had little to contribute. Around that time, Zaman decided to go hell for leather once more, bringing up a 70-ball half-century with a colossal six over square leg.That point on, the shackles were off, and even as wickets fell and the asking rate rose, runs off Zaman’s bat came freely. In what seemed like a flash, he had brought up a hundred, and farmed the strike while plundering South Africa’s bowlers, particularly the spinner Tabraiz Shamsi. Temba Bavuma persisted with him for an over too many even as Zaman singled him out and at one point struck five sixes in six balls off the spinner, bringing a ballooning asking rate back under control.The central problem at this point for Pakistan was there were three number 11s at the other end, with Shaheen, and then Rauf, unable to turn the strike over reliably enough. Zaman was forced to take on ever increasing responsibility, turning down singles in a contest where every run was priceless. Thirteen runs off the 48th over brought the equation down to 38 off 12, and individual records were tumbling. By now, Zaman had overtaken Herschelle Gibbs’ 175 in that famous chase of 434, 15 years ago, posting the highest individual score at the Wanderers. In the present, a disciplined penultimate over from Andile Phehlukwayo only allowed seven. A direct hit from long off from the first ball of the final over finally put an end to Zaman’s resistance, and South Africa were home and dry at last.Conditions here were quite similar to the one at Centurion two days ago. Azam called correctly again and elected to field on a belter. But this time, there was no sedate start from Aiden Markram, who set the tone with a classy cameo in the first powerplay, his 34-ball 39 ensuring Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Hasnain were unable to build much pressure early on. Once he fell, driving on the up off Faheem Ashraf, de Kock took more of a leadership role.Haris Rauf was smashed for a six over fine leg and a boundary in the same over, while neither he nor Bavuma allowed Shadab, whose nosediving form shows little sign of recovering, to settle. Even Afridi, brought back a little earlier than Pakistan might have planned owing to the lack of wickets that fell, suffered punishment in his second spell, with de Kock taking 18 runs off his two overs.There was little incision at the top from Pakistan, and while the rawness of Hasnain means there will be ups and downs, he was especially indifferent on Sunday. While Bavuma and the irrepressible van der Dussen were in full flow, Pakistan looked like they had reverted to going through the motions; discussions between captain and bowler were few and far between, and slot balls and full tosses abounded.Van der Dussen brought up his half-century with a sweep to midwicket, following it up with another six and four off the hapless Hasnain. But with the South African going after just about every ball by this stage, he would hole out in the same over to long on, his 37-ball 60 having pushed what looked like a 300 total past 330. Bavuma was unselfish at the other end, continuing to go for high-risk shots even as a first hundred as captain beckoned, and found deep midwicket just eight short of the milestone.By this time, Pakistan’s sloppiness was infectious, as Ashraf leaked 13 off one ball when a no-ball and the free hit were dispatched for six by David Miller whose 27-ball 50 further damaged the visitors. Rauf did manage to pick up a couple of late wickets that slowed South Africa in the final few overs, but Miller would compensate for it by plundering 19 off Afridi’s final over. In a game that ultimately only ended in a 17-run win, it turned out every one of those late blows would come in handy.