Phil Salt makes it two centuries in a row to compound visitors' woes

Opener Philip Salt scored his second successive century to put Sussex in a good position on day one of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at Hove.Having made 122 against Northamptonshire last week, Welsh-born Salt reached the fourth hundred of his career in the final over of the day when he collected his 12th boundary courtesy of a bad mis-field by Charlie Hemphrey at mid-off.But two balls later Salt lost concentration and was caught behind cutting at Dan Douthwaite for 103, made off 105 balls with 12 fours and three sixes. Sussex were 208 for 5 at stumps, a lead of 22.Sussex have struggled to get good starts this season but Salt, who was called into England’s T20 squad earlier this month, gave the innings a solid platform by putting on 85 with Luke Wells in 15 overs.Wells reached 30 but failed to control his hook shot when Douthwaite dug one in short then Glamorgan took three wickets in ten balls to reduce Sussex to 126 for 4. Australian leg-spinner Marnus Labuschagne picked up Harry Finch and Stiaan van Zyl with his first two deliveries as Finch missed a long hop and van Zyl was beaten by a googly. Timm van der Gugten then returned to the attack to bowl Laurie Evans via an inside edge.But Sussex skipper Ben Brown, who also made a century last week, and Salt took Sussex into the lead with a stand of 82 in 17 overs.Salt wasn’t the only opener to prosper with Glamorgan’s Nick Selman carrying his bat for the second time in his career. The 23-year-old was left unbeaten on 76 when Glamorgan, who have only won once in the Championship at Hove since 1975, were dismissed for 186 in 55.2 overs.Sussex’s seamers dominated apart from a period either side of lunch when Selman and Graham Wagg added 72 in 22 overs for the seventh wicket. Wagg contributed 44 before he was caught behind to give Chris Jordan, who regularly got the ball to bounce disconcertingly off a good length,his third success.Jared Warner, who was making his first-class debut after joining on loan from Yorkshire, polished off the tail to finish with 3 for 35 leaving Selman, who passed 2,000 first-class runs when he reached six, high and dry.Glamorgan had won the toss but were soon struggling at 44 for 4 after Mir Hamza and David Wiese took two wickets each with the ball. Hamza’s late movement was too good for Hemphrey and David Lloyd while Wiese found some extra bounce to unseat Labuschagne before angling one across Billy Root’s defences.When Jordan replaced Wiese, he picked up Kieran Carlson with his sixth delivery and Glamorgan were 102 for 6 when Douthwaite was bowled via an inside edge. Wagg and Selman showed what was possible once the ball lost its initial hardness, but Salt ensured it was a tough day for the visitors.

Tim Paine saying 'prayers' for a fully fit James Pattinson for Ashes

Australia Test captain Tim Paine says he is not a man of faith but admits he has prayed more than once in recent times for a fully fit James Pattinson ahead of the Ashes series in England.While Australia’s ODI side is about to begin their World Cup defence in England, Paine is on the other side of the world quietly preparing to plot England’s downfall in the Ashes series which follows in August.”I’m not a religious man but I have said a few prayers when I’ve gone to bed at night in the last couple of months to make sure he’s fit because I think he can clearly add a lot to our Test match team,” Paine said in Melbourne on Thursday.”I think the England guys have seen him bowl a lot in county cricket in the last couple of years. At times he’s been quite devastating and I think that will be at the back of their minds. I think at times in this Ashes series, if he’s fully fit, he’s going to be a real weapon for us.”Pattinson is in England currently as well, on a stint with Nottinghamshire which is due to end on June 15 when he joins the Australia A one-day team for five 50-over games and three four-day games in the UK that will take place during the World Cup and prior to the Ashes, although those could well change.Pattinson has not played since Nottinghamshire’s Royal London 50-over Cup match against Northamptonshire on May 6 due to a niggling side strain, missing Notts’ semi-final loss to Somerset and two four-day county championship fixtures in the meantime, but he is close to making a return. understands that Pattinson met with Australia coach Justin Langer in Southampton last week to map out a plan over the coming months, which is likely to include more four-day cricket for Nottinghamshire before the Australia A four-day matches in July.Pattinson played his last Test for Australia in February 2016, a full 20 months before Paine was even reinstated as Australia’s Test match wicketkeeper following a seven-year absence.Pattinson hasn’t played a Test in England since the 2013 Ashes series but a successful spine surgery after years of repeated stress fractures has helped him back to the cusp of Test cricket following a sensational finish to the Sheffield Shield season for Victoria.James Pattinson picked up seven wickets in the match•Getty Images

Paine was also enthused by the news that Josh Hazlewood was in career-best shape following his World Cup selection snub.”I think he was a bit stung,” Paine said. “He’s got a pretty good case, his numbers in one-day cricket are outstanding. He’s a World Cup winner. I must admit when I’ve seen him speak about missing out, I think he is a bit dirty.”I’ve seen some footage and some numbers on his fitness in the last three or four weeks, he’s in the best condition he’s ever been in and I think he’s going to be cherry ripe come the first Ashes Test which is going to be really exciting for us.”Paine believes Hazlewood is primed for a big Ashes campaign after taking just 16 wickets in the unsuccessful 2015 series when much was expected of him.”I think Josh knows himself, he was the one who brought it up. He said he didn’t handle it well and I’m sure he’s learnt a hell of a lot,” Paine said. “He’s a hell of a bowler and he’s now had four more years of international cricket and I’m sure he knows exactly what he needs to fix to improve how he went in the last Ashes [in England].”Paine himself has enjoyed a lengthy break having not played since Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield season ended late March. He will captain the Australia A four-day squad in England but that does not commence until July 3. Next week, Paine will head to Brisbane with all members of the two Australia A squads taking part in a training camp with the exception of those, like Pattinson, who are currently in England.

Kings XI, Capitals focus on error-free cricket with playoff spot looming

Big picture

Whose home is Feroz Shah Kotla anyway? As with the most cosmopolitan city of India, you can’t say for sure for Delhi’s international cricket ground either. Delhi Capitals, who call it home, have struggled not just for home support but also for a pitch conducive to their style of play. As a result, they have won just one of their four home games, the worst success ratio at home this year. It is their four wins in five away games that have kept them in playoffs contention, but they know they need to find a way at home too.

Form guide

Delhi Capitals: Lost to Mumbai Indians by 40 runs, beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 39 runs, beat Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets, beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by four wickets
Kings XI Punjab: Beat Rajasthan Royals by 12 runs, lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight wickets, lost to Mumbai Indians by three wickets, beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets

It doesn’t help that the ground staff have only a day’s break to work on a pitch that, in the words of home captain Shreyas Iyer, keeps getting worse. It is a slow and low surface that is aiding spinners, something Capitals’ next opponents should dearly love. Kings XI Punjab have the two Ashwins and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in their ranks to exploit exactly those conditions. They also have a batting line-up that hasn’t been over-shooting, the virtues of which were displayed by Mumbai Indians in their win on Thursday night when they went for 140 and ended up getting 168 because they had played themselves into a good situation.At 10 points each from nine games, both sides have done well enough to dream of the playoffs, but not yet enough to feel confident of making the cut. Matches where they can’t afford to make mistakes await.

In the news

Chris Morris, left out of the South Africa World Cup squad, will be under pressure to keep his place in the Capitals’ side after he went for 39 in three overs on what was widely acknowledged as a difficult pitch. If Capitals do drop him for legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, they might need a bit of a rejig somewhere to bolster their batting.Kings XI are waiting on Mujeeb’s fitness, who has made good progress since injuring his shoulder in their last game. A decision on his availability was to be made after the training session on the night before the match. Moises Henriques is out “for a period of time” after injuring himself in the warm-ups ahead of the last game.

Previous meeting

Members of the Capitals squad could be forgiven if they still get nightmares about their last match against Kings XI, when they lost seven wickets for eight runs to mess up what looked like a straightforward chase in Mohali.

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Colin Munro, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt.), 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Chris Morris, 7 Keemo Paul, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Ishant SharmaKings XI Punjab 1 KL Rahul, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 Sarfaraz Khan, 5 Mandeep Singh, 6 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 7 Sam Curran, 8 Hardus Viljoen/Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 9 R Ashwin (capt.), 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 M Ashwin

Strategy punt

  • The Powerplay and death overs become all the more important on a tired pitch such as Delhi’s. Mumbai attacked Capitals in the first six and in the last five, getting 121 of their 168 runs in those 11 overs.
  • Expect Kings XI to try to ensure there is one left-hand batsman in the middle at all times. That played havoc with Capitals’ plans of using Amit Mishra, who ended up bowling only three overs against Mumbai.
  • Capitals have extra reasons to bat first in this game because if they do so, Kings XI can’t take as many liberties with substituting Chris Gayle and Sarfaraz Khan as they do when they have already batted first.

Stats that matter

  • Kings XI Punjab have won the last four games between these two teams. They lead the head to head 14 games to nine.
  • Mayank Agarwal, who might be batting in the middle overs for Kings XI, doesn’t have a great record against Chris Morris, Amit Mishra and Axar Patel.
  • Ishant Sharma is two short of 100 Twenty20 wickets.

Sean Abbott and Moises Henriques dismantle Queensland for 89

Sean Abbott claimed 5 for 31 and Moises Henriques nipped out three top-six batsmen as New South Wales secured a convincing 174-run win at the Gabba by skittling Queensland for 89.Set 264 in conditions which had been challenging for batsmen throughout, Queensland never threatened to get close to the target after Abbott ripped out the top order with an impressive new-ball spell. With the light fading, New South Wales were told they could only use spin as the overs ticked down, but they were able to avoid having to return on the final day when Jason Sangha had Billy Stanlake caught at slip.Abbott had reduced the the Bulls to 3 for 14 inside six overs. Joe Burns shouldered arms to a delivery that ducked in and took off stump and then two ball later Marnus Labuschagne was given lbw to complete a pair. Charlie Hemphrey became the second batsman dismissed not offering a shot when his pad was clipped by Abbott.New South Wales’ charge was momentarily halted by Matt Renshaw and Sam Heazlett but Henriques’ introduction quickly put Queensland back in the mire when his second ball climbed and nipped away to take Renshaw’s edge. Heazlett was then caught in two minds whether to play or leave a short delivery, lobbing a simple catch to gully, and Nathan McSweeney was caught behind.It was now only a matter of whether the Blues could win in three days. Trent Copeland hastened the end by having Jimmy Peirson caught at third slip and then Abbott returned to complete his haul.New South Wales had fought hard through their second innings in conditions that continued to favour the quicks. Daniel Hughes and Henriques took their overnight stand to 119 with Henriques producing the most dominant batting of the match with his 78 off 116 balls.After resisting the pacemen, it was spin which broke through when Henrqiues edged Labuschagne to slip in his first over.Sangha edged a lifting delivery from Stanlake and Michael Neser ended Hughes’ gritty 218-ball stay when, after beating him repeatedly outside off, he had the batsman caught behind. Hughes had reached 40 off 83 balls on the second day, and his next 28 runs took 135 deliveries.Neser was impressive with old and new ball, later having Peter Nevill caught in the gully. However, Jack Edwards produced a valuable hand of 40 as the lower order pushed the lead over 200. It proved more than enough.

Joe Root calls on batsmen to take responsibility after latest Windies debacle

Joe Root has warned his batsman that they must take personal responsibility for their failures in the Caribbean, after England collapsed in ignominious fashion once again in Antigua to hand West Indies a ten-wicket victory, and an unassailable 2-0 series lead, with two days to spare in the second Test.Root himself cannot be excused from such self-reflection, having made just 40 runs in four innings to date – albeit with some notable moments of misfortune, in particular the good-length snorter with which Alzarri Joseph dismissed him on the first day in Antigua.But, speaking at the end of a chastening day, he admitted that his team might be forced to “go about things slightly differently in the future”, after the policy of positive intent in adversity that had proved so successful in Sri Lanka before Christmas came unstuck in spectacular fashion against a committed, varied and aggressive four-man pace attack.”It’s very disappointing,” Root said. “We came here to win and to find ourselves out of it with a game to go is hard to take. We have been outplayed, outperformed and we have to take that on the chin.”England’s downfall was all the more damning given the manner in which West Indies grafted in their first – and only significant – innings. With Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo epitomising their determination – Bravo’s 215-ball half century was the slowest ever made by a West Indian in Test history – they ground out a priceless lead of 119 on a pitch that proved tricky for players on both sides, but on which England’s expansive strokeplayers had no answer.”We have to learn some lessons,” said Root. “The way they went about stuff in certain areas has been very skilled, especially how they batted yesterday against some very high skilled bowling. That was frustrating. We felt unlucky. It’s not an excuse, they managed to find a way to a good score on that surface.Asked if any players in England’s line-up would be capable of emulating Bravo’s sheet-anchor application, Root said: “I think a number of guys can, I’d like to think I can. I felt unfortunate not to make a big contribution and when experienced players aren’t making scores over fifty, it makes it very difficult for the rest of the guys around them.”With the match finishing two days early, it seems highly likely that England will be sent back to the nets in the coming days, with the influence of the head coach Trevor Bayliss and batting coach Mark Ramprakash sure to come under further scrutiny ahead of Saturday’s third Test in St Lucia. Having harboured ambitions of using this tour to enhance their claims to the Test No.1 status, England will enter that match facing the very real possibility of a 3-0 series defeat that would have echoes of the famous “Blackwash” series of the mid-1980s.”I think we have got to be better at what we do, or maybe do things slightly differently,” said Root. “The choice comes down to the individual. I can’t bat for 11 guys, neither can Trevor or Ramps. The responsibility is down to the individual. But we will stick together and work on it as a group and try and come back with a really strong response in St Lucia.”After being rolled aside for 77 in the first innings of the series in Barbados, England’s batting was arguably even more feeble on the third afternoon in Antigua, as they lost all ten wickets for 97 runs in the space of 30 overs – four bowled and three lbw, as West Indies’ quicks concentrated on line and length and waited for the errors to come.”There were a couple of disappointing dismissals that guys will have to look at individually,” said Root. “But on a surface like that you have to commit to whatever decision you make. As a side they tried to absorb pressure but, when they went to hit boundaries, they gave it everything. Having that balance is important.”I think they played better than us, exploited the surfaces and we haven’t scored enough runs. It’s very easy to sum us up and say we’re a bad side after two games, having played so well for a period. We have to make sure we respond quickly and finish this tour on a high.”

Ben Duckett and Sam Hain hand England Lions the early advantage

After the Krishnagiri Stadium in Wayanad received scathing feedback for producing spicy pitches for Kerala’s Ranji Trophy knockout matches, it rolled out a more benign surface for the opening day of the first unofficial Test. By stumps, England Lions held the advantage, getting to 303 for 5 thanks to well-paced fifties from Ben Duckett and Sam Hain, and handy contributions from the middle order.Fear of extra moisture under the surface delayed the start by half an hour, and with both sides unsure as to how the pitch would behave, India A captain Ankit Bawne sent England Lions in.The new ball, however, didn’t do any tricks for either Shardul Thakur or Navdeep Saini, and Duckett and Max Holden got off to a brisk start, the two left-handers putting on 82 for the first wicket in 23.3 overs. Holden, the less aggressive of the two, hit four fours in getting to 26 before Saini got him to edge one to the keeper.Duckett felt India A’s fast bowlers may have been unclear in their approach. “They tried too many things,” he said at the end of the day’s play. “Maybe they searched a little bit more with the new ball. The three of them bowled fairly good pace. The wicket was slow, maybe it quickened up towards the end. I felt comfortable against all of them.”Today, they bowled quite wide to me. Maybe they could have bowled a bit straighter.”Duckett feasted on the width, cover-driving Thakur for successive fours in the 33rd over. He raised his fifty by caressing one to the point boundary, and England got to lunch at 92 for 1.With the pitch offering minimal help, India’s quicks tried different approaches. While Avesh Khan went at full throttle relentlessly, Thakur and Saini mixed up their pace and waited for errors in judgment.Thakur finally reaped the reward, getting Duckett to drag one on at 80. Avesh then got Ollie Pope with one that sped through him and crashed into his off stump.Then on, Hain kept the momentum going, making India’s bowlers, especially spinners Jalaj Saxena and Shahbaz Nadeem, toil hard. Even as the Lions lost Pope and captain Sam Billings after the second drinks break, Hain carried on, grinding his way to his fifty in the afternoon heat, allowing himself only a few moments of flamboyance. His dismissal came off a poor shot, though, as he top-edged a pull off Saxena to the keeper.That was the last wicket India would take on the day, as Steven Mullaney and Will Jacks put on an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 65. Jacks ended the day on 40 and the composed Mullaney on 39, leaving the Lions looking poised for a big total.

Mahedi Hasan spins Sylhet Sixers to heavy defeat

How the game played outOn the tournament’s first night in Sylhet, the Sixers laid a massive egg in front of their home fans as they were bowled out for the second lowest total of BPL 2019 to set up a lopsided victory for Comilla Victorians.Sixers never recovered from a limp Powerplay in which they were reduced to 16 for 5 thanks to a triple-wicket over from spinner Mahedi Hasan. Wahab Riaz then wiped out the tail with a series of full and straight deliveries in an innings that lasted just 14.5 overs.But for Victorians, the memory of being bowled out for 63 three matches earlier seemed fresh in their minds as they pursued the target in conservative fashion. The visitors crawled through their own Powerplay at 24 for 2 before inching their way to victory.Turning points-David Warner was the second wicket in the Mahedi sequence, playing well inside the line of a ball that straightened a fraction to be bowled. Atif Hossain overcompensated next ball playing outside the line of one that went straight on to put Mahedi on a hat-trick.-After Mahedi’s three-wicket over, Nicholas Pooran was given out lbw on a ball from Mohammad Saifuddin that appeared to be pitching outside leg, but DRS was not available for this match.-Victorians looked shaky at 15 for 2 in the chase when Imrul Kayes slashed Sohail Tanvir to Al-Amin Hossain at third man, but a chance was spilled over the rope for six. Kayes and Shamsur Rahman settled thereafter in an unbeaten 59-run stand to close out the match.Star of the day Mahedi suffocated the Sixers from the start and never allowed them to get into the match. He bowled Andre Fletcher with an offspinner’s classic dipping and turning to beat the West Indian through the gate to get things going, then terrorised a trio of lefties as they struggled to adjust to his angle around the wicket.The big missNo DRS. For the first match day of the tournament, the lack of technology hurt the hosts very badly. Not only was Pooran’s lbw decision almost certain to be overturned, but Sabbir Rahman was the victim of another dubious lbw appeal missing a sweep to Liam Dawson on a ball that may have been sliding down leg.Where the teams standVictorians move up to a tie for second place with Chittagong Vikings on six points, two behind Dhaka Dynamites who are first with eight points, though Victorians have a better net run rate than Vikings. Sylhet are in last place, even with Khulna Titans on two points but with a worse net run rate.

'Game is still evenly poised' – Zimbabwe fielding coach Makunura

Having watched Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque bat for close to two days after they had Bangladesh on the ropes at 26 for 3, Zimbabwe have been given a thorough lesson in how to apply themselves on a pitch that has occasionally offered something for the bowlers.”Our batters can learn a thing or two from him [Mushfiqur], from how he applied himself on that pitch,” said Shepherd Makunura, Zimbabwe’s fielding coach. “Earlier on, especially in the first session, the ball did quite a bit, but he batted quite well.”Mominul’s counterattacking ton and Mushfiqur’s watchful double allowed Bangladesh to seize control of the game after Zimbabwe’s early inroads. But Makunura presented a brave face when asked about what must have been a frustrating experience for the visitors.”That’s part of cricket,” he said. “Things like that will always happen. You do get a few wickets early on, but in Test cricket there’s bound to be partnerships along the way. The way the Bangladesh batters applied themselves, they set themselves up for the other batters coming in.”One of those other batters was Mehidy Hasan, who made an attacking, unbeaten 68 at No. 9 to extend Bangladesh to a total of 522. “Coming in to a set batter like Mushfiqur made it a little easier for him, and the stage was set for a good partnership,” Makunura said of Mehidy’s knock. “They did bat quite well, the two of them.”Helpful in Bangladesh’s recovery were Zimbabwe’s lapses in the field. They dropped Mominul three times during his 161, and also offered Mushfiqur a second life in the fourth over on Monday, when an inside edge ricocheted off his thigh and wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva put the chance down.”It’s always frustrating,” Makunura said of the drops, “But it’s part of the game. You catch some, you drop some, and it’s part of the game. We have to take it in our stride, and move on from there.”Zimbabwe were made to pay for their mistakes in the field, and their bowling attack struggled to maintain the consistency that had helped set up their win in Sylhet. Fast bowler Tendai Chatara was stretched off with a suspected Grade 2 tear on his left quadriceps muscle, and though Kyle Jarvis stuck to his lines to take 5 for 71 in his absence, he was given precious little support by Zimbabwe’s spin attack, who went wicketless.”I don’t think the guys were complacent,” Makunura said. “We spoke in our change rooms earlier on this was an opportunity for us to win an away Test series, which we haven’t done in a long time. I don’t think we bowled well enough, but I wouldn’t put that down to complacency. We didn’t bowl as well as we should have, but we also must give credit to the Bangladesh batters.”Makunura remained hopeful that Zimbabwe could learn from Mominul and Mushfiqur’s example and bat themselves back into the game, pointing to the first session of the third day as being crucial to their mission.”I think the game is still evenly poised, although Bangladesh batted quite well,” he said. “It’s all going to depend on how well we bat tomorrow, especially the first session. If we can negotiate the first session, we can make life a little easier for ourselves. It’s going to take a lot of batting for us.”

National Bank fold for 44, Mohammad Asif takes another five-for

National Bank fold for 44 (forty-four!)Perhaps no pitch truly is a 44 all out pitch, but if ever there was an exception, it would be had on the domestic circuit in Pakistan’s premier first-class competition (simply writing that is becoming embarrassing). In Faisalabad, A Shan Masood-led National Bank fell for 44 in under 18 overs against SNGPL – led by Misbah-ul-Haq still – bringing the nature of the pitches into sharp focus once more. Unkempt grounds, squalid dressing rooms and poorly prepared pitches have all been in evidence over the first few weeks of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as the gulf between international and first-class cricket continues to widen.150 was crossed in all of the other three innings, with the match effectively decided when SNGPL opened up with 265 first up, thanks to a number of stellar contributions including a half-century from Adnan Akmal. Form continues to elude Misbah, however, whose scores of 2 and 7 mean he has mustered just 31 runs in four innings this season.The Lahore regions clinch thrillersAfter eight matches among them, neither Lahore side, the Whites or the Blues, had manged to scrape a win between them. But in their fifth match each, both got their campaigns off the ground, and in dramatic fashion too. Lahore Whites clinched a thrilling one-wicket win, with the No. 11 Bilal Anwar striking the winning boundary as they chased 184 against Peshawar. He was the hero in more ways than one, also taking five wickets in Peshawar’s second innings. The game had been evenly poised almost throughout, with Peshawar taking a slender 24-run lead in the first innings.Lahore Blues’ victory was similarly dramatic as they staved off an impressive Multan fightback to defend what had initially seemed like an insurmountable 263-run target. Usman Liaqat’s 86 took Multan to 241, but a five-wicket haul from the former Pakistan fast bowler Aizaz Cheema ensured Lahore Blues’ winless run wouldn’t extend as they put their first points on the board.Mohammad Asif? Consistency?When Mohammad Asif took five wickets in an innings in the previous round, it could be discounted as one of those spells he bowls once every so often, yet not nearly often enough to be taken seriously. Who knew, though, that the boy could follow it up with another five-for, this time against ZTBL. Seven wickets in the match – just like in his last game – from Asif helped WAPDA cruise to a nine-wicket victory, their fourth win in five matches. What’s more, he even scored 34 in the first innings; he had a highest score in international cricket of 29. The comparisons with Glenn McGrath were more multi-facteded than you’d appreciate at first thought.While we’re on the subject of wagging tails, though, it would be discourteous not to mention his teammate Ehsan Adil’s flourish. No allrounder himself, he smashed an unbeaten 85 in WAPDA’s first innings, 37 more than he has managed over eight international innings.

Duminy to miss Australia series to undergo surgery

JP Duminy will miss both South Africa’s upcoming limited-overs tour of Australia and the Mzansi Super League to undergo surgery for an injury to his right shoulder.Duminy had been announced as the marquee South African player for the Cape Town Blitz in the MSL, but he will now be replaced by Quinton de Kock. Duminy’s time out for surgery means that South Africa will be without two of their most experienced players on their trip to Australia. Earlier this week, it was announced that Hashim Amla would also not be touring as he is given time to fully recover from a finger tendon injury picked up during the Caribbean Premier League.”JP aggravated a pre-existing shoulder injury during the recently-concluded series against Zimbabwe,” South Africa team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee said. “The injury will require surgical management, thus ruling him out of the immediate tour of Australia and the upcoming MSL. At the moment, we can’t say how long he will be out for, that is dependent on the results from the surgery.”South Africa’s squad for the Australia tour, consisting of three one-day internationals and a solitary T20 international, will be announced later this week. The tour begins with a warm-up game against a Prime Minister’s XI on October 31, while the MSL kicks off on 16 November and runs until 16 December.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus