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Victoria’s pursuit of a more youthful playing list has crashed into a significant early hurdle today with talented all-rounder Ben Oliver’s decision to leave the state in search of greater opportunities in Tasmania.Oliver confirmed late this afternoon that he has accepted a two-year deal with the Tigers that will see him renew a longstanding association with former Bushrangers’ assistant and new Tasmanian head coach, Brian McFadyen.”It’s a really exciting opportunity for me,” said Oliver of a shift that will be formalised in around four weeks’ time when he settles in Hobart.”It’s an exciting time for Tasmanian cricket (too); they’ve developed some good young cricketers and I’m delighted to be joining that group, and hopefully helping them to enjoy some success in the future.”Brian (McFadyen) and I have a good relationship and he certainly helped me in my time with the Bushrangers. I’m pretty excited to be able to be working with him again over the next couple of years and learning from him.”It’ll hopefully be really positive for my development … to experience life outside of Victoria will be a very good thing for me.”The onset of osteitis pubis meant that the 22-year-old endured a frustrating 2001-02 season, limiting his time with the Bushrangers to two limited-overs appearances at the beginning of the summer.Prior to that, he had established himself as one of Australia’s most exciting prospects, performing with sufficient distinction to claim the ‘Best New Talent’ award in the Mercantile Mutual Cup competition the previous season.A tall right arm medium pacer and talented right handed batsman, he was also a long-serving member of a succession of state and national underage teams during the formative stages of his career.”He’s a player who’s blessed with an excellent attitude toward the game and, though he’s recently been hampered by injuries a little bit, was really on the verge of making a big mark for himself before that,” said Tasmanian assistant coach, Darrin Ramshaw.”Potentially, he’s a long-term player for us and he’s very capable of producing at both one and four-day level.”He’s got ability with the bat and the ball; he’s very talented in all facets of the game,” he added of a recruiting coup that will allow the Pura Cup runner-up to strengthen an already deep reserve of all-round talent headed by current national representative Shane Watson and former Australian under-19 player Scott Kremerskothen.Reaction was understandably more muted in Melbourne, where Oliver and Andrew McDonald had been targeted as the state’s two leading all-rounders of the next decade.”Ben Oliver is a player with obvious potential. He has his reasons for wishing to move to Tasmania and … it was with great regret that we accepted his resignation,” said Victorian Cricket Association chief executive, Ken Jacobs.Oliver’s move south compounds contract manoeuvring in Victoria that has already stripped Damien Fleming, Colin Miller, John Davison, Peter Roach, Shawn Craig and Peter Harper of their status as required players.

The final of the Busta International Shield got underway on Thursday at the Sabina Park, Jamaica, but the home crowd had little to cheer about as batsman after batsman got a good start and then squandered it, mostly to Mahendra Nagamootoo.Guyana skipper Carl Hooper won the toss and elected to field first, but a 102-run stand for the first wicket threatened to make him regret his decision. The fast bowlers were wayward and expensive, as was the wicket-keeping. As many as 20 byes and 14 no-balls contributed towards an abysmal tally of 48 extras in the 99 overs that were bowled on the day.Chris Gayle, having made 41 off 104 balls with two fours and a six, was the first to fall, caught by Ramnaresh Sarwan off the bowling off Nagamootoo. His partner, Leon Garrick, departed seven runs later, caught by Hooper off the very same bowler for 36.After Wavell Hinds stuck around for 76 balls to score 17, Jamaica were in desperate need of a solid partnership. Keith Hibbert and skipper Robert Samuels provided that in part with a 66-run stand, although Jamaica could have done with a lot more. Hibbert ground out 44 in 168 balls with two fours, while Samuels’ 34 came at a marginally quicker pace, off 87 balls with four fours.The partnership was broken when Nagamootoo trapped Samuels in front in the 84th over. Just four balls later, the leggie removed the dangerous Ricardo Powell for a duck.Hibbert’s resistance ended when Reon King had him caught by Neil McGarrell in the final over of the day. Jamaica ended the day on 229 for six, with Gareth Breese (eight off 51 balls) and Ryan Cunningham (one off two balls) at the crease.The star bowler for the visitors was Nagamootoo, who took four for 71 in a marathon performance of 32 overs. His efforts on a slow pitch made up for waywardness elsewhere in the Guyanese bowling attack, and he will be Hooper’s trump card in Jamaica’s second innings as well.

17.3 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 run Short and wide outside off. Stops in the surface a little and Rashid cuts it towards deep cover point17.4 Avesh Khan to Tewatia, 1 run Slower bumper on middle and off. Tewatia waits an eternity for it before dragging it towards deep square leg17.5 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 wide Short and too wide outside off. Rashid swishes and misses, and the umpire has no qualms in stretching out his arms17.5 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 wide Well beyond the tramlines again, and some more exercise for the umpire17.6 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 run What a save! Slower ball dug into the track outside off. Rashid stands up tall and slaps it flat towards long on. Buttler puts in a dive to his left and somehow manages to stop it on the half-volley. He went at it reverse-cupped and got the job done!18.1 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 run Sizzling yorker, honing into the pads. Rashid whips at it and squirts it away towards short fine leg. Might have nutmegged himself too but the important detail is that it is just a single. By the way, had Avesh hit the stumps at the batter’s end, Tewatia was well out of his ground18.2 Sen to Tewatia, 1 wide, Full and angled across the batter well outside off. Beyond the tramlines too, and called a wide18.2 Sen to Tewatia, FOUR runs Gets it over! Rank wide full toss and Tewatia makes the most of it. Does not middle it but gets enough to clear extra cover. Buttler gives chase from mid off but cannot rein it in!18.3 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 run Back of a length outside off. Tewatia sits deep in his crease and swings it away towards deep mid wicket 18.4 Sen to Rashid Khan, (no ball) FOUR runs, Shot! Goes for the wide yorker but errs on the fuller side. Rashid, sitting deep in his crease, gets under it and scythes it over extra cover. And, it gets worse for the Royals because Sen has overstepped…18.4 Sen to Tewatia, 2 runs Taken at deep square leg but it will not count! Banged into the track just outside off. Gets up very high and Rashid cannot control his pull. Skies it and deep square leg takes it running in. A brace to Rashid18.5 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 wide Slower ball that goes wrong and slides well down leg. Another wide, and Sen might just be feeling the pressure now18.5 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 leg bye Follows the batter well outside leg. Bowls it on a length and Rashid cannot connect with his swipe. The ball pings off the pads into the on side. Rashid livid with himselfRashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia were Gujarat Titans’ heroes•Getty Images

18.6 Sen to Tewatia, FOUR runs Four to finish the over! Shortish outside off and this sits up nicely to be hit. Tewatia opens up his stance and boshes it over mid off!19.1 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs Four off the first ball, oh my! Low full toss outside off. Rashid steps across his stumps and then shovels it over square leg. Deep mid wicket cannot get there either!19.2 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 2 runs Almost a yorker, just outside off. Rashid sits deep in his crease and tugs it towards long on. They hare back for two and RR are lucky there was someone backing up at the keeper’s end. That throw was wild19.3 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs An outside edge but they all count! Oh my days, the drama in Jaipur! Nails the wide yorker but Rashid somehow gets this away. He swishes hard at it and squirts it off the outside edge past the keeper!19.4 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 run Low full toss, following the batter on leg stump. Rashid can only dig it out towards extra cover for a single19.5 Avesh Khan to Tewatia, 2 runs, OUT Tewatia gets it over mid off, but it does not go for four! And there is a run out too! Short and wide outside off. Tewatia holds his nerve and slaps it over mid off. Buttler puts on his skates and pulls it back into play. The batters get across for two runs comfortably and then they decide to go for the third. Tewatia is always struggling to get there. The throw is accurate enough, and Avesh does the rest, with Tewatia well short. In the middle of all of that, there was a check for a short run. That has been sorted now, and GT need 2 off the last ball!Rahul Tewatia run out (Buttler/Avesh Khan) 22 (11b 3×4 0x6 42m) SR: 20019.6 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs Rashid wins it for the Gujarat Titans off the final ball! Oh my, this is some finish, and the Afghan Titan has come up trumps just when they needed him to! And the Royals, who looked so good for so much of the game, are no longer invincible! Short, wide and that is just begging to be hit. Not the best ball to bowl at this stage. Rashid lays back deep in his crease, brings those fast hands into play and thumps it over point. Speeds away to the fence and Rashid wheels away in celebration. He gestures to the dugout to not worry while he is there, and today, he has proven it!

Cricket Australia has secured a landmark deal with all 59 matches of this season’s WBBL competition to be broadcast on television for the first time.Foxtel, the pay TV provider, will show all matches live while free-to-air network Channel Seven will carry 24 games. Last season 36 matches were shown on television with the remaining matches streamed online. It was originally planned that 47 matches would be broadcast this season but CA has been able to get all of them shown live. In the first year of the WBBL there were just 10 matches televised.The WBBL has also announced the full fixture list having previously only been able to commit to the first 20 matches due to the ongoing Covid-19 issues in Australia. The first 20 matches will be played in Tasmania but the tournament will then move as a rolling carnival to Adelaide, Perth, and Mackay in Queensland with the finals venues yet to be locked in. Due to border closures, there will be no regular-season games in New South Wales, Victoria, or the ACT this season.Related

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“The Weber WBBL is Australia’s highest rating sporting league for women and the world’s best cricket league for women,” Alistair Dobson, the BBL general manager, said. “We owe it to our players and loyal fans to deliver a full schedule, and today’s announcement further strengthens this.”At the same time, to also announce a landmark broadcast footprint is amazing. Fans can now watch every game on TV, ensuring that our passionate supporters will have access to world-class cricket despite the challenges of the pandemic.”Matches in Perth will be played at Lilac Hill and the WACA while Karen Rolton Oval and Adelaide Oval will host matches in Adelaide. There will be nine matches scheduled at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay in Queensland at the end of the tournament after the ground successfully hosted three women’s ODIs between Australia and India recently. There are no matches scheduled in Brisbane or the Gold Coast.The tournament will begin on October 14 with Sydney Thunder the defending champions

Lizelle Lee smashed a superb 43 not out to fire bottom side Manchester Originals to a shock 17-run DLS win over women’s Hundred pace-setters Southern Brave at Emirates Old Trafford.The Originals, chasing 124, won their first match at the fifth attempt, while the Brave’s bid for a fifth straight win was halted in murky Manchester conditions. Harmanpreet Kaur was missing from the Originals XI due to a “quad niggle”, but they thrived in her absence to get over the line.Related

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The Brave lost four late wickets for five runs in seven balls, undermining their bid for more than 123 for 7 having been inserted.South African Lee shared 52 in 38 balls with Emma Lamb to set the tone for the chase and completed the job once her opening partner had fallen, finishing with four fours and a six in 32 balls. When heavy rain arrived, the Originals were 97 for 1, needing only 27 more from 30 balls, and they were comfortable winners on DLS.Each of the Brave’s top four made valuable contributions on a true pitch; Sophia Dunkley and Stafanie Taylor made 28 apiece after 24 and 19 for openers Danni Wyatt and Smriti Mandhana.For the Originals, Hannah Jones and Alex Hartley claimed three wickets apiece to upstage fellow left-arm spinner, England’s wicketless Sophie Ecclestone.Wyatt and Mandhana shared a brisk opening stand of 34 and hit four boundaries apiece in their respective innings. Over cover was a productive area.Hannah Jones was the pick of the Originals bowlers•Getty Images

But the Brave’s early good work was wasted by the late collapse as the score fell from 113 for 3 after 88 balls to 118 for 7 after 96.Hartley had Maia Bouchier caught at cover and Amanda-Jade Wellington lbw with successive deliveries before Jones and Kate Cross also shared two wickets in two balls. Hartley finished with 3 for 29 and Jones 3 for 17 from their respective 20 balls.In reply, England hopeful Lamb was the early dominant force with 32 off 23. She crashed five boundaries and was particularly strong square either side of the wicket before running herself out when she pushed to cover and was the victim of a direct hit at the non-striker’s end from Anya Shrubsole to leave the score at 52 for 1 after 38.Mignon du Preez then joined her compatriot Lee as runs continued to flow. When Lee hoisted Charlotte Taylor’s spin over long-on for the first of two sixes in the match, the Originals were 76 for 1, needing 48 more with 46 balls remaining.Shortly afterwards, Du Preez – who made 15 not out – lofted Wellington’s legspin over long-on for six. But there was only time for two more balls, with them sharing an unbroken 45.”When you start the tournament with three losses and don’t get an opportunity to win the fourth because of rain, there’s a lot of pressure,” Cross said. “But I just loved the way we went about our cricket today. That was what pleased me the most. When you’re losing, it would be easy to go into your shell even more.”We had a chat on Monday and said, ‘We’ve got nothing to lose now. Let’s not worry about failing because the more you worry about that, the more likely you are to fail’. We just took the shackles off. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

Lisa Sthalekar, the newly appointed list manager for Sydney Sixers, believes the WBBL side have not kept up with the evolution of the T20 game as the club look to rebound from two disappointing seasons.The Sixers, who are currently searching for a new head coach after Ben Sawyer moved full-time to the Australia set-up, have finished fifth in the last two seasons to miss out on finals having previously been back-to-back champions and runner’s up on two other occasions.Significant moves had been made before Sthalekar’s new role was confirmed with the club not re-signing South Africa duo Marizanne Kapp and Dane van Niekerk while India opener Shafali Verma is expected to be one of their new overseas players.The Sixers’ game plan has been based around Alyssa Healy leading the scoring rate with Ellyse Perry seen as an anchor through an innings, but that could be one of the elements that changes this season with Verma a logical opening partner for Healy if the deal is confirmed.”I think the issue was that we were really successful at the start and the formula that we put in place, and I was one of the players involved in the first few years, that was how we decided to play cricket,” Sthalekar told reporters. “The game changed and I don’t think the Sixers necessarily adapted towards the change of the T20 format and how it was being played.Related

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“I know they did a thorough review after the recent WBBL season and things have already been set in motion prior to me coming on board. I think you’ll see a different style of game the Sixers will play this season.”Healy and Perry were far and away the Sixers’ most prolific batters last season. Healy made 402 runs with a strike-rate of 161.44 but while Perry, who was making her way back from a severe hamstring injury, made 390 runs at an average of 48.75 her strike-rate was under a run-a-ball.Meanwhile, Ash Gardner, one of the most destructive batters in the game, only faced 69 balls during the season although that was partly due to suffering another concussion.”I’m talking about trying to find the perfect position for each of the players in their role,” Sthalekar said. “We’ve had the luxury of having Alyssa Healy at the top and Ellyse Perry being that stable person throughout the innings, but is it an opportunity for two players to go hard at the top?”Think that’s something the Sixers will look at for this coming season. Where does an Ash Gardner fit, where does an Erin Burns fit? How do we get the best out of them? Is there an opportunity to change it based on the current situation of the match?”Verma is one of a number of India players expected to join the league with the advantage of them already being in the country for the multi-format series against Australia so having completed their two weeks quarantine.With the continued need to quarantine and the Australian government reducing arrival caps there could yet be challenges getting overseas players in for both the WBBL and BBL with New Zealand a potential source of talent for the former talent due to the travel bubble.”It’s very hard to plan and I think most clubs will have to try to have a Plan B and C,” Sthalekar said. “It helps that they [India] are in the country and have already done the two weeks quarantine. We’ve got to take that into consideration, players doing that hard two weeks is tough…so the fact India will be out here does lead to probably a lot of the clubs trying to target the Indian players.”However, Alex Blackwell, the list manager for Sydney Thunder’s WBBL side who are the defending champions, believes depth of local talent is as important as overseas players.The Thunder will need at least two new overseas signings with Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont unavailable due to England’s tour of Pakistan in October.”It’s not just about the overseas players, one of the strengths of Sydney Thunder is they’ve developed and grown players from New South Wales and from country areas,” she said. “The core of the WBBL squad is fairly stable with a great mix of young players coming through who have had really good opportunity under pressure to show just how good they are.”The overseas players are so important to get the mix right but think they are the icing on the cake for what is a wonderful squad which includes some of our most exciting local players.”

Match facts

March 30, 2017
Start time 1230 local (1630 GMT)Debutant Shadab Khan stunned West Indies in the first T20I in Barbados with returns of 3 for 7•AFP

Big Picture

The first T20I between West Indies and Pakistan didn’t tell us much, confirming, instead, what was already widely known: West Indies appear a long way away from their World Cup-winning best at the moment, while Pakistan, though nowhere near perfect, have slightly too much quality for the hosts. If any team in world cricket can turn it around within three hours or so, it is Carlos Brathwaite’s men.With this being only the second T20I series that stretches beyond three games between two Test teams, West Indies still have time to make amends. They can start by avoiding falling into the trap Pakistan set for them in the first game: the visitors built up pressure with the spinners in the Powerplay, inducing false shots from the batsmen thereafter. The hosts might look to attack the spinners in the first six overs to force Sarfraz Ahmed to rethink his strategies. It also remains to be seen how wonder kid Shadab Khan, handles the pressure.Pakistan, on the other hand, will look to replicate much of what they did in the first game. While their bowling performance – with the exception of Wahab Riaz – was as close to flawless as head coach Mickey Arthur could have hoped for, concerns still remain in the batting department. It is early days yet, but there are barely any signs of Ahmed Shehzad or Kamran Akmal having managed to rid themselves of the inconsistency that has plagued their international careers so far. Still, Pakistan have won their last four T20I games against West Indies with relative ease.

Form guide

West Indies LLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WWWWWSunil Narine’s pinch-hitting heroics can come in handy for West Indies•AFP

In the spotlight

Sunil Narine had a quiet first game, but he’s coming off the back of a successful PSL, even if his side didn’t make it past the group stage. He was the seventh-highest wicket-taker with an economy rate of under 6.50. However, it was his ability with the bat that surprised many. He scored 116 runs at a strike rate of 181.25, which was significantly higher than anyone else; Shahid Afridi was second with 173.52. In addition, he hit eleven sixes – as many as Pollard – during the tournament.In spite of his relative international inexperience, Imad Wasim is rapidly establishing himself as a mainstay of Pakistan’s limited-overs side. His left-arm orthodox spin has been vital to Pakistan’s T20I success, and has bowled his full quota in all but five games. His economy of 5.67 is almost unheard of in T20 cricket. Furthermore, with Pakistan’s top order currently not at its best, Imad is likely to get more chances with the bat.

Team news

Defeat in the first T20I for West Indies wasn’t down so much to poor team selection as shambolic execution. As a result, a raft of changes would be a surprise.West Indies (probable): 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Chadwick Walton (wk), 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Jason Mohammed/Rovman Powell, 7 Carlos Brathwaite (capt), 8 Jason Holder, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Samuel Badree, 11 Jerome TaylorShould any change occur in Pakistan’s ranks, it will occur in their top order. However, Pakistan are likely to keep their winning combination intact.Pakistan (probable): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Kamran Akmal, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Babar Azam, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Wahab Riaz

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at the Queen’s Park Oval is expected to behave much the same way as the one in Barbados, with runs hard to come by. Conditions are expected to be humid, and rain is unlikely.

Stats and trivia

• The three remaining T20Is this series will all be played at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad. This will double the number of T20Is ever played at this ground, which has not seen a T20I since 2011.
• Babar Azam has now gone 15 consecutive innings in limited-overs cricket without being dismissed in single figures. The last time he failed to reach double figures was during the third ODI in Nottingham against England last year, when he was dismissed for 9.

Carlos Brathwaite will exit the Big Bash League after defending champions Sydney Thunder’s final league match against the Adelaide Strikers on Wednesday. Brathwaite will return to the Caribbean to represent Barbados in the Regional Super50 domestic one-day tournament.Brathwaite said he will leave Australia on Thursday morning for Barbados, where the hosts will play their first Super50 match against Guyana on January 24. “Unfortunately, I still have to go home on [Thursday] morning to play in the Super50 tournament,” Brathwaite told the Australia.Brathwaite was hired by the Thunder as a replacement for fellow West Indies allrounder Andre Russell, who suffered a combination of hamstring and knee injuries. In the two matches he has played so far in the BBL, Brathwaite has taken five wickets: 2 for 31 against Hobart Hurricanes and 3 for 21 in the Saturday Sydney derby against the Sixers. He batted only against the Hurricanes and scored 6. He had become an instant hit in the tournament with his ‘dab’ celebrations.Currently, the Thunder are placed sixth on the table and a win against the Strikers would keep them in contention for the knockouts.

Wahab Riaz has warned Australia to be prepared for the same hostile fast bowling he produced the last time he played against them on Australian soil. Wahab’s heated battle with Shane Watson at the Adelaide Oval during the World Cup was one of the most memorable white-ball spells in recent times, despite the fact it didn’t produce the wicket of Watson, who eventually saw his side to victory.That six-over spell elevated Wahab’s reputation in Australia and made him one of the more recognisable figures in a Pakistan squad that hasn’t played a Test here in almost seven years. Goaded by Watson when he was batting, Wahab struck back with several body blows in a display of searing pace and short-pitched bowling that, ultimately, couldn’t swing the match back in Pakistan’s favour.”That was one of my best matches I have ever played,” Wahab said at the Gabba on Tuesday in the lead-up to the first Test against Australia. “It was really exciting. I would love to repeat that performance from the World Cup, I want to bowl like that on this tour but I want to be amongst the wickets – I was lacking some wickets in that spell. So this is what I’m looking for.”Obviously, I have to do what I do really well. I can’t change myself because if I do that it’s not going to work for me. I am going to bowl aggressively, I will bowl short as well. It’s part of the plan. But it will all be according to the situations and what the situation demands, how I have to react like that.”While the Adelaide pitch hardly has the reputation of being a fast bowler’s dream, the Gabba is a different beast altogether. Wahab has only played one match here, also during the 2015 World Cup, against Zimbabwe, which brings other satisfying recollections; he took 4 for 45 and scored 54 not out in a man-of-the-match performance.No one could doubt the Australian players are relieved to be back in their series-starting fortress. A 28-year undefeated streak will do that – they have not lost a Gabba Test since 1988 – reinstating the sort of confidence that has been shaken and stirred by the series loss to South Africa.But, if the Australian fast bowlers are licking their lips at the prospect of a deck that offers pace and bounce, to Pakistan’s quicks the Gabba must seem a lush bowling oasis after years of plying their trade in an unforgiving desert.’It’s very exciting,” said Wahab. “We have played a lot of cricket in the UAE and the wickets over here are really good – they have bounce, they have pace. So it’s really good for the fast bowlers and I’m looking forward to bowling here.”The wickets are slow there [in the UAE] and we are used to playing on those tracks so that’s why it looks like our bowlers don’t have that much potential or we don’t have those kinds of spells every day consistently. It’s always different because it’s a spin track or a batting track in the UAE so that is the biggest difference.”There is no doubt Pakistan face a formidable task – no Asian team has won a series in Australia and Pakistan have won only four Tests here, two of them dead rubbers – and they arrive on the back of a 2-0 series loss in New Zealand, but Wahab says his side is not fazed by history, nor the Gabba’s intimidating record for visitors.”This is what we’re looking for as well – records are meant to be broken and this might be the chance for Pakistan to break that record,” Wahab said. “Obviously it’s not going to be easy, we have to do a lot of hard work. We have to take 20 wickets, and obviously we are looking for that – we know even no Asian country has won a series here in Australia. So looking for that and that should really give us a good boost and give us something to go for.”We have to take the challenge. We know Australia is good in their home conditions, it’s one of the best teams. To compete with them we have to counterattack them, we have to have that confidence. We’ve got the skills and everyone is prepared for these Test matches.”One positive for Pakistan is the presence in their group of Mickey Arthur and Steve Rixon, both of whom were on Australia’s coaching staff from 2011 to 2014 and worked closely with several members of the current Australia team including Steven Smith and David Warner. Wahab said the pair had been “a great help” in giving Pakistan’s players the inside running on Australia.”Everybody knows everything about David Warner and Steve Smith – you have to attack them,” said Wahab. “That’s it. You cannot look for them to give you their wicket. You have to buy their wickets.”It’s a great help having Mickey Arthur and Steve Rixon. Obviously they have been working really hard on us, and they have spent a lot of time with Australia as well. We get that information coming up from them, they are telling us their experiences. And obviously it’s time for us to deliver. So it’s more important how we deliver, we’ve got all the consequences so we have to deliver on the day.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Mohammad Shahzad struck 11 fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 80•International Cricket Council

Mohammad Shahzad marked his BPL debut with a blistering unbeaten 80, which helped Rangpur Riders thrash Chittagong Vikings by nine wickets at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday evening. Shahzad’s 52-ball innings contained 11 fours and three sixes. Rangpur’s win, though, was set up by a clinical bowling display that saw them bowl out Chittagong for 124 in the last over.Soumya Sarkar kicked off Rangpur’s chase with an upper-cut six and a square cut for four off Tymal Mills. Shahzad found his rhythm with crisp drives and cuts off Dwayne Smith’s medium pace. The openers sped to 43 for 0 in the Powerplay, although Mills dropped a skier off Shahzad’s top-edged slog on 18. Soon, Shahzad struck his first six off Mohammad Nabi before slapping a Taskin Ahmed delivery over mid-off for his seventh boundary.Mills bowled a beamer at Soumya in the tenth over but dismisssed him with a short delivery off the next ball. Soumya contributed 23 to the 77-run opening stand.With a pulled heave off Taskin, Shahzad reached his fifty off 41 balls. His slog over midwicket off Taskin was arguably his most memorable shot of the innings, and he hit another four and six through the same region in the over. The winning run came off an inside edge of an attempted helicopter shot, as Rangpur finished the chase with five overs to spare.Earlier Chittagong slipped to 21 for after they were put into bat. A 48-run third-wicket stand between Shoaib Malik and Anamul Haque resurrected the innings. But when Anamul was run-out, for the second match in a row, via a ricochet off Liam Dawson’s hand, Rangpur didn’t let go of their stranglehold.Arafat Sunny removed Jahurul Islam and Malik, who top-scored with 30, while Rubel Hossain had Mohammad Nabi caught at cover. Zakir Hasan’s attempted scoop was caught at short fine leg before Richard Gleeson struck twice in the 19th over to hasten Chittagong’s fall.