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Kuldeep Yadav is riding a wave of confidence following a Player-of-the-Series effort at the Asia Cup. Ahead of the World Cup, the Indian team management is doing all it can to “preserve” its lone wristspinner in the squad, and not “expose” him much against Australia, by resting him for the first two ODIs.”Kuldeep is a rhythm bowler, we all know that,” India captain Rohit Sharma said. “But we thought of a lot of things and took this call. His bowling is going well, like Ajit [Agarkar] said, we had to give players a chance, especially those who played just one game at the Asia Cup and are in the World Cup squad.”We have been looking at Kuldeep for the last one, one and a half years, this is why we don’t want to expose him a lot. He is coming back for the last match. There are a lot of reasons. This is the best decision for us, to have him sit out for two games and play the third. We also have two practice matches [before the World Cup opener], so for the bowling rhythm, he will be back in it.”Related

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Kuldeep picked up nine wickets in five games, returning an average of 11.44 and economy of 3.61. All these wickets came across two games; he began with a five-for against Pakistan in India’s record 228-run win and then followed that up with four wickets in India’s spirited defence of a modest 213 against Sri Lanka. Kuldeep’s control and variety earned plaudits from the coaches and experts alike.Agarkar, who worked with Kuldeep at Delhi Capitals in the IPL not long ago, spoke of the virtues that make Kuldeep a vital cog in India’s World Cup wheel. He reiterated how a little bit of “faith and confidence” could do wonders for a bowler’s mindset.”I spent a couple of years with him, he is a guy who has a special skillset,” Agarkar said. “Every player needs to be shown faith, given a bit of confidence, which the team management has done and it is showing on the field. In various conditions and against varied opposition, he is one of the trump cards for the team. I’m happy and excited about what he is doing. Clearly, most teams coming up against him find it a challenge, and where he is at, all of us are excited at what lies ahead.”

Fast bowler Avesh Khan is set to make a move to Rajasthan Royals from Lucknow Super Giants, who will acquire top-order batter Devdutt Padikkal in a straight trade swap ahead of IPL 2024. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the franchises and players agreed on the trade in the past week with the BCCI set to put a stamp on the swap this week.Avesh, who is part of the India squad for the T20I series against Australia starting Thursday, was bought by Super Giants in the mega auction in 2022 for INR 10 crore (US$ 1.2 million approx.). Royals, meanwhile paid INR 7.75 crore (US$ 945,000 approx.) for Padikkal. Both the players were retained by the respective franchises this year.Despite bright starts to their IPL careers, both players had a lean time of it in 2023.Related

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It was especially disappointing for Padikkal, who, despite playing every match for his team in 2022 (17) and 11 games in 2023, struggled to fulfil the top-order role Royals had assigned to him. In 28 matches in these two seasons, Padikkal scored 637 runs at an average of 23.59 and a strike rate of 125.88 with just three half-centuries. Overall, Padikkal has scored 2768 runs in 92 IPL games at 33.34 with 17 fifties and three centuries striking at 133.52.Super Giants will be the third franchise for Padikkal, who started his IPL journey with his hometown franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore where he spent two seasons (2020 and 21).For Avesh, too, Royals will be the third franchise after he debuted at Delhi Capitals: in 2021, he was the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 24 wickets at 18.75. After Capitals released him ahead of the mega auction, Super Giants bid fiercely to buy Avesh in a four-way bidding war. He finished the 2022 season as Super Giants’ highest wicket-taker, helping them make the playoffs in their inaugural IPL season.However, on the slow and underprepared pitches in Lucknow, Avesh struggled in 2023. Failing to finish his full quota of four overs in five of the nine games he played, Avesh finished the 2023 season with just eight wickets at 35.37, going at an economy of 9.75.Avesh, who turns 27 in December, will be hungry to reclaim his confidence at Royals, whose Indian fast-bowling pack includes Prasidh Krishna, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma and KM Asif.”Avesh has proved his mettle in recent years to be one of the top Indian pacers in the country,” Kumar Sangakkara, Royals’ director of cricket, said in a statement. “He has the ability to both swing and seam the ball, and is an effective asset at both the start of the innings and towards the end. He has a lot of variations in his armour which will be extremely valuable in the different conditions that we play in across the country. He will prove to be a valuable addition to our pace-bowling department and we are looking forward to having him contribute to the team’s successes.”This is only the second trade ahead of the 2024 season so far after Super Giants traded Romario Shepherd to Mumbai Indians earlier this month. IPL has set a November 26 deadline for the franchises to announce their retention lists. The player auction for the 2024 season will take place in Dubai on December 19.

Zimbabwe have called up the uncapped duo of middle-order batter Brian Bennett and fast bowler Trevor Gwandu in their squad of 15 for the three T20Is against Ireland in Harare starting Thursday. This will be Zimbabwe’s first series after they recently failed to qualify for next year’s T20 World Cup. Zimbabwe had finished third in the seven-team Africa Region Qualifier that saw Namibia and Uganda progress to the main tournament.Experienced batter Craig Ervine, who had played just one game at the qualifying tournament before picking up a groin injury, is fit again and retained in the squad.The Zimbabwe squad saw four changes overall: legspinner Brandon Mavuta and batting allrounder Tony Munyonga earned recalls, whereas fast bowler Tendai Chatara, left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza and opening batters Innocent Kaia and Nick Welch were dropped.Related

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Kaia and Welch had played three games each in the Africa qualifiers and scored just 62 and 39 runs respectively. Masakadza also featured in three games whereas Chatara got one, but they both picked just one wicket each and leaked over eight runs an over.Mavuta, who has played nine T20Is, featured in the home ODIs against Netherlands earlier this year but last played a T20I in May 2022, at home opposite Namibia. He has recently been scoring runs and picking up wickets for Rhinos in the domestic circuit and also helped them reach the Pro50 Championship final. He finished the tournament with a batting average of 65 while scoring 195 runs in six innings, including three fifties, and was also his team’s top wicket-taker with a tally of 15 and an economy rate of just 4.84.Munyonga, too, was prolific in the tournament; he finished as the second-highest scorer with a total of 389 runs that earned him an average of 55.57, with the help of one century and three half-centuries. Munyonga has played 13 T20Is and makes a comeback after last playing against the same opposition he will play next – Ireland – also in a home T20I series earlier this year.Bennett, 20, has played just five T20s so far and has also represented Zimbabwe Under-19s and Under-25s. Gwandu, 25, opened the bowling for Southern Rocks recently, for whom he played eight Pro50 Championship games and picked up 17 wickets, the second-most in the tournament.The three T20Is will be played on December 7, 9 and 10 before the ODIs on December 13, 15 and 17, also in Harare.Zimbabwe T20I squad for Ireland: Sikandar Raza (capt), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Craig Ervine, Trevor Gwandu, Luke Jongwe, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brandon Mavuta, Carl Mumba, Tony Munyonga, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Sean Williams

Jason Holder, who had already joined the league of freelance T20 cricketers with stints in the CPL, IPL, BBL and SA20, has now added T10 to the list. The West Indies allrounder, representing Samp Army in the ongoing second edition of the Abu Dhabi T10, is relishing the challenge of cricket’s shortest format.Army started the season with a loss against Northern Warriors, but hit back with four successive wins. Holder played crucial roles in three of those victories. First, he bowled a decisive spell of 1 for 8 in two overs against Chennai Braves. Then, he produced back-to-back defining performances, smashing 29 from ten balls and grabbing 3 for 12 against Team Abu Dhabi, and a Player-of-the-Match contribution of 3 for 15 against Delhi Bulls.Related

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Holder made his feats in the newest format sound quite easy.”You’ve just got to be very clear. Once you’re clear, it’s easier to execute,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The moment you have a clouded mind, it’s a lot more difficult to execute. Having a clear mind, being clinical and just executing your plans is very much on the precision part of the game, and you’ve got to be precise in terms of executing.”As a bowler, Holder has only two overs to try and make an impact in a T10 game, and yet has delivered the results with the ball this season. He says the pressure in T10 isn’t any different to that of any other format, and has the numbers to show it, too.Holder has bagged eight wickets in five games, bowling at an average of just 10.12 and an incredible economy of 8.10 runs an over. Eventually, he brings it all down to execution and learning, and being keen to work on his skills.”You’ve got to execute on any given day, and make sure you’re hitting your straps,” he said. “You’re always looking to develop your game; you’re never a complete package. The game continues to move and evolve. It’s no point staying stagnant; you’ve got to find ways to continue to improve. You’ve got to keep sharpening your skills, and making yourself better.”West Indies, along with the USA, will be hosting the T20 World Cup in just about six months’ time. They have another 14 T20Is scheduled before the big tournament comes along – five of them against England at home start next week – and being a rare West Indies player who currently plays all three formats for his country, Holder believes T10 is “a good challenge” to have.”It’s still the same skills in cricket. You’re probably under a bit of more pressure in a shortened game, so definitely [T10] challenges your skills, temperament and overall cricket development,” he said. “It’s a wonderful game, and I think it’s here to stay. As cricketers, you’ve just got to adapt – to any given situation and circumstances. As a professional if you can’t adapt, then you’ll always struggle.”

Cricket Australia is conducting an investigation after Glenn Maxwell was briefly hospitalised in Adelaide last Friday following an alcohol-related incident.First reported by the , it’s understood that Maxwell was out watching , the band that features Brett Lee, when the incident took place at live music venue The Gov. What exactly happened is still being determined, but it’s understood an ambulance was called and Maxwell was taken to hospital although his stay was short.ESPNcricinfo understands that the incident did not involve anyone else. Maxwell had been in Adelaide for a celebrity golf event following the end of Melbourne Stars’ BBL campaign.Earlier on Monday, Maxwell was “managed” out of Australia’s ODI squad to face West Indies although Cricket Australia insisted that is not related to the events in Adelaide.”Cricket Australia is aware of an incident involving Glenn Maxwell in Adelaide at the weekend and is seeking further information,” a statement said.”It is not related to him being replaced in the ODI squad, a decision that was made following the BBL and based on his individual management plan. Maxwell is expected to return for the T20 series. No further comment will be made at this time.”During the ODI World Cup in India late last year, Maxwell suffered concussion when he fell off a golf cart in Ahmedabad. In late 2022, he broke his leg when he slipping while running at a friend’s 50th birthday and was out of the game for more than three months.Last week, Maxwell stood down as captain of Melbourne Stars after they had failed to make the BBL finals.

James Anderson is unlikely to play for Lancashire in the County Championship before June, as he looks to manage his workload before England’s Tests against West Indies and Sri Lanka in the second half of the summer.Anderson has played four Championship games for Lancashire in each of the last three years. But England’s home Test season starts around six weeks later than usual this summer, against West Indies on July 10, on account of a scheduling clash with the T20 World Cup.”With the Tests being in July, it’s tricky,” Anderson said at The Oval, speaking as the government announced a £35 million investment package in grassroots cricket. “It’ll probably be June before I play, or maybe the end of May.”Nathan Lyon, Lancashire’s new overseas signing, had lunch with Anderson on his first full day in the country and has expressed his desire to play alongside his Ashes rival. “I think he plays seven out of the first nine games, so hopefully I’ll play one or two [with him], either at the end of May or in June,” Anderson said.Related

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Lancashire play seven Championship games before the start of the T20 Blast in May. They then have two more fixtures starting on June 23 (vs Kent at Canterbury) and June 30 (vs Nottinghamshire at Southport) which Anderson may target before the first Test against West Indies.Most of England’s Test regulars are due to play in five out of their respective counties’ first seven Championship games, though schedules vary from player to player. Durham chief executive Tim Bostock estimates that Ben Stokes will play “three or four” Championship fixtures for Durham before the first Test, after withdrawing from the T20 World Cup.Jack Leach, who recently underwent surgery after injuring his knee during England’s tour to India, is not expected to feature in the first month of the season. “Somerset are likely to be without Jack Leach until early May as he continues his rehabilitation back to full fitness,” the club said in a statement on Thursday.Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, believes the participation of many England players at the start of the season is “a real boost” for the status of county cricket. “Aside from the IPL, we can all focus on first-class, red-ball Championship for April and May, and that’s a good thing,” Gould said.

Kent survived some occasional alarms to bat out a draw with Worcestershire on the final day of their Vitality County Championship at Canterbury.The captains shook hands just after five o’clock, with Kent on 146 for four in their second innings, still 65 runs behind Worcestershire’s mammoth first innings core of 618 for seven declared.Ben Gibbon claimed two for 38, but the visitors used nine different bowlers during Kent’s second innings and failed to break down some stiff middle order resistance, spearheaded by Harry Finch who was unbeaten on 48.Earlier Jack Leaning made an unbeaten 179 as Kent were all out for 407 in their first innings, still 211 behind, with Joe Leach taking three for 37 and Matthew Waite three for 51.A draw was widely expected before the start of play, after three days that begged a number of questions.There are many worse places to be than the St Lawrence on day four of a meandering county championship game, but when the balance is tilted so far in favour of the batters, just how useful an exercise is it when it comes to preparing battle-hardened, subcontinent-ready cricketers? And is a neutered four-day game just collateral damage?Worcestershire didn’t bowl at all badly, but took just six wickets during the whole of day three. Kent’s analysts said their bowlers were hitting exactly the same lengths they’d hit during the win at Old Trafford, but it took them five sessions to take seven wickets.There was competing pessimism beforehand. Away pessimists thought the pitch would win, while their home counterparts worried about mental lapses: you shouldn’t lose 12 wickets in a day on this surface, but that didn’t mean you wouldn’t.The visitors needed an early breakthrough but Nathan Gilchrist lasted for nearly an hour on his way to 12, before he eventually tried to hook Leach and was caught, at the third attempt, by Waite on the square leg boundary, perhaps lured by some inventive field settings.When Kashif Ali bowled Matt Parkinson for two to wrap up the innings, Leaning was left unbeaten after a 403-ball innings that lasted nine-hours and 48 minutes, the second-longest recorded innings by time in Kent history after David Fulton’s ten and a half hours vs Yorkshire at Maidstone in 1998.There were still 73 overs remaining however and the loss of Zak Crawley early in Kent’s second innings suggested the game might yet flicker into life.Crawley lasted 15 balls before Jason Holder had him caught behind, leaving the England man with just 67 runs from six sub-optimal county innings this season.It was 18 for one at lunch, during which the temperature dropped and clouds emerged. Gibbon then strangled Compton down the leg side for 11 and Nathan Smith had Joe Denly lbw for 10, reducing Kent to three for 36 with 55.4 overs remaining.Bell-Drummond and Finch calmed home nerves by surviving till tea, at which point it was 104 for 3 but visiting hopes flared again when Gibbon clean-bowled the former, off-stump, for 41.Evison joined Finch however and took the sting out of the contest, batting for nearly an hour and facing 47 balls on his way to an unbeaten eight.When the occasional leggie Rob Jones became the ninth bowler Worcestershire to try and break through it was a sign the end was nigh and the teams eventually shook hands with potentially 16 overs remaining.

Big picture: India vs NZ is a battle of titans

It finally feels like a World Cup year, doesn’t it? In an age of content saturation – organisers trying to horn in as many big events as possible and writers doing much the same to make you care about their own work – something pure happened on Wednesday night in Hyderabad. A game that needed no bigging up. A game that stood on its own. A game that will not soon be forgotten…And already, it’s time to top it, which is exactly why it feels amazing. Because this series – for all the spin put into it – was going to be just another notch in the bilateral cricket calendar. Instead, it’s become something that actually matters. it’s become something fun. There’s a buzz. There’s an expectation. There’s a thrill. As if we haven’t seen anything yet because imagine even half of what happened two days ago happening at the World Cup.Shubman Gill was so good. Like eerie good. Like, there’s over the top and then there’s this. A 23-year-old scoring a double-century in the 49th over of an ODI while single-handedly propping up the rest of his team – and we haven’t even mentioned the opposition. Somewhere in Nakatomi Plaza, John McClane is rolled up in a ball crying because he’s not the gold standard in doing the impossible anymore. Kids half his age are pulling his shtick.

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You can watch the second ODI between India and New Zealand LIVE on ESPN Player in the UK and on ESPN+ in the USA.

But John, listen. It’s okay. It happens. This sport that you’ve probably never even heard of does this kinda thing all the time. Like, just about an hour later, with New Zealand at 131 for 6 in a chase of 350, this guy called Michael Bracewell was about to shatter everything we thought was sacred. The coming of age of a golden boy of Indian cricket almost always includes the humbling of the opposition. Sunil Gavaskar took down Garry Sobers. Sachin Tendulkar took down Adbul Qadir. Virat Kohli took down Lasith Malinga. Gill took down Lockie Ferguson. After that, he was supposed to ride all the way off into the sunset but he was made to wait. He was made to sweat.So here we are, still feeling the tremors of that game, and an excitement for what’s to come. Because India vs New Zealand is a battle of titans and equals.

Form guide

India WWWWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
New Zealand LWWLW

In the spotlight: Hardik Pandya and Glenn Phillips

Once upon a time, Hardik Pandya would walk into a cricket field and start hitting boundaries. He’d come to press conferences, stop just short of Marlon Samuelsing it, and say with a perfectly straight face that “I could hit a six anytime I wanted to.” Now, five years later, a father and a future leader, some of that fire has been tempered. Two of his four slowest ODI innings (min 30 balls faced) have come in the last week. Both on tough pitches and in winning causes. India will hope their point of difference allrounder is adding to his game, and not necessarily compromising it because the Hardik of old used to put fear in the opposition – which is awesome enough – but he’d also one-up it by feeding off that fear until nothing seemed beyond his reach.Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell are two big hitters in the New Zealand side•Associated Press

We’ve all noticed there’s a bit of Steven Smith about Glenn Phillips, right? In his stance. In his backlift. In the way he refuses a run. There’s a chance that he’s copied one of the most un-outable batters of our times just to maximise the one thing he has that Smith doesn’t. Pure, beautiful power. The guy claims to do 800 press-ups a day in order to sustain the thing sets him apart. Six-hitting. West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have all seen just how destructive he can be – even from dire situations. At some point in this series, India could to see it too.

Team news: Will India try Malik? Is Sodhi back to fitness?

The middle overs didn’t go India’s way with the ball in Hyderabad. Would that tempt them to bring in Umran Malik? The upside is his pace. The downside is their batting depth takes a big hit if he comes in for Shardul Thakur.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ishan Kishan (wk), 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohammed SirajIsh Sodhi, currently out with an ankle injury, is tracking well according to New Zealand batting coach Luke Ronchi. A call on his inclusion will be made later.New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Henry Nicholls, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Ish Sodhi/Henry Shipley, 10 Doug Bracewell, 11 Lockie Ferguson

Pitch and conditions: Raipur’s first ever ODI

A sellout crowd of over 50,000 is expected in Raipur to mark the occasion of its first ever ODI. The city is also in the running to host Women’s IPL matches in March. Seems good things happen to not just to people who wait but stadiums as well. No one’s really sure how the pitch will behave, although Mitchell Santner suspects it has more bounce than Hyderabad. Dew will once again play a role on a day where the temperature will go up to 31C in the afternoon and then down to 21C in the evening. No rain is expected.

Stats and trivia

• Bracewell has an ODI strike rate of 122.22. With a minimum of 10 innings played, only three others, from Full Member countries, can say they score their runs quicker. Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell and Liam Livingstone.
• It’s basic. But it bears saying. India have a batting line-up that now includes not one, not two, but three ODI double-centurions. What the actual…

Anneke Bosch, Delmi Tucker and Nadine de Klerk have replaced the retired trio of Lizelle Lee, Dane van Niekerk and Trisha Chetty in South Africa’s central-contracts list for the 2023-24 season.All of Bosch, Tucker and de Klerk were in the squad for the recent T20 World Cup and have been around South African squads in the recent past. The only player not on the contract list from the T20 World Cup squad is Annerie Dercksen, with Tumi Sekhukhune, who missed the tournament, keeping her spot.Following the retirements of van Niekerk and Chetty last week, there are no surprises in the 15-player list. As ESPNcricinfo reported on Thursday, van Niekerk’s wife Marizanne Kapp has committed to the national team and signed a new deal. So, too, has 34-year-old Shabnim Ismail, who is the oldest player in the group, but remains committed to playing international cricket.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“With the current group of players going from strength to strength, we are pleased to retain the core of the squad for what is set to be another exciting chapter in the Proteas Women story,” Enoch Nkwe, South Africa’s director of cricket, said.South Africa’s next assignment is six months away, when they travel to Pakistan and India for back-to-back tours which form part of the Women’s Championship, and would determine qualification for the 2025 50-over World Cup. The tours are also expected to help with preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will be held in Bangladesh.Next summer, South Africa will host Bangladesh and Sri Lanka before traveling to Australia for an all-format tour – including a Test match, their second in two years after playing England last June.South Africa’s contracted players: Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloé Tryon, Delmi Tucker, Laura Wolvaardt

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe has termed his side’s preparations for the ODI series against Ireland less than ideal, referring to his team’s lack of practice time and access to the series venue, the Cloud County ground in Chelmsford.The series begins on May 9, with all three matches to be played in Chelmsford, a venue chosen by Cricket Ireland keeping in mind the chances of wet weather back in Ireland. Bangladesh landed in the UK on May 1, but they could only enter the match venue on May 8, the eve of the first ODI, since Chelmsford was hosting a County Championship game between Essex and Surrey from May 4 to 7.After arriving on May 1, Bangladesh had two training sessions in Cambridge before their practice match was washed out. They did a bit of indoor training at the Fenners facility before their May 7 session was called off due to a wet outfield. When asked about their preparation on Monday, Hathurusinghe didn’t mince his words.”It [preparation] is a unique situation,” he said. “We are playing Ireland in England. So normally it doesn’t happen too often. I can’t blame anyone. It is the first time. If we knew this is the case, we wouldn’t have agreed to this kind of schedule. This is not ideal preparation. I won’t blame anyone. We will learn from this one.”Hathurusinghe suggested that since conditions in Chelmsford would be dissimilar to those that are likely to be on offer during the Asia Cup and World Cup later this year, the Ireland series would be important for Bangladesh only in terms of results.”We are not going to play similar conditions in India,” he said. “We will concentrate to winning in these conditions. How we can play. We are not looking too much into the World Cup, in these conditions.”Bangladesh’s players and coaching staff got their first look at the Chelmsford pitch. “The wicket is very good. It is very hard underneath,” Hathurusinghe said. “It has a tinge of green on top but hard underneath. It was under covers for the last few days because of the rain. There was also [the county] match here till yesterday.”Hathurusinghe believes Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s emergence as a ‘genuine allrounder’ has given Bangladesh the option of playing an extra batter or bowler depending on conditions•AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi

Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s emergence as a batting force, Hathurusinghe said, was helping Bangladesh achieve better balance as a team, giving them the option of extending their batting or bowling depending on conditions.”He is a genuine batter with a Test and an ODI century,” he said. “We can treat him as a genuine allrounder. We have another genuine allrounder in Shakib Al Hasan. We are very fortunate with our combination. Extra batter or bowler, we will decide tomorrow morning.”Any coach would love to have this luxury. We are fortunate to have two genuine allrounders. Not many teams have that. We will definitely use it to our advantage.”He also looked forward to the likes of Towhid Hridoy, Rony Talukdar and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury gaining experience on their first tour with the senior team.”It is a good opportunity for [Rony and Hridoy] to understand that international cricket is played in all kinds of conditions. I hope they can prove to themselves that they can do the same thing [on their first tour].”[Mrittunjoy] would be a very effective bowler in these conditions. He has a really good wrist position. What I saw so far is encouraging.”