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Big Picture

Here we are. Back where it all began.Exactly seven weeks ago, India’s tour to South Africa began with the (later-than-usual) New Year’s Test. The first day saw South Africa bowled out for 286 and India finish on 28 for 3. If nothing else, it promised a fiery, competitive clash, with two teams desperate to outdo each other, more desperate than usual because of the recent history between them.South Africa scars from their tour to India were fresh and they hoped to heal them with revenge pitches, full of pace and bounce that would hurt and humiliate India. Instead, they only got one surface in the three Tests that they truly enjoyed, and it was at Newlands, where they find themselves again now, at the end of a tour that has not gone the way the hosts wanted.After their win in the second Test, there was talk of 12-nil as South Africa sought complete domination over India. Instead it is 7-4 the other way, and despite losing the Test series, India will be the happier side, whatever happens in the deciding T20. They’ve done what Ravi Shastri promised they would and found home comforts in foreign conditions, with their top order all in good form and success for their spinners. For India, the final match should not matter. They’ve already done more than expected.For South Africa, it matters a great deal. Victory in what they are calling a “final” will give them a major boost after they lost several players to injury over the course of the series and a large chunk of their confidence.Defeat in the final Test with that series won was not the end of the world, but it was the start of a spiral that saw South Africa’s “Vision 2019,” fall out of focus and then completely blur. Their ODI side needs work and their T20 team may have showed what kind of work. The younger players, particularly Lungi Ngidi, Heinrich Klaasen and Junior Dala, have stood up even as the seniors have faded and though South Africa’s depth remains an area of concern, they do have players worth investing in, especially if they provide a return at Newlands.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: WLWWL
India: LWWWW

In the spotlight

It’s David Miller’s turn to come under scrutiny as a senior batsman whose contributions do not match his reputation. Miller played in five of the six ODIs and only managed a top score of 39, and has been dismissed in single-figures in both T20s. These white-ball matches have only emphasised that South Africa need players they can rely on in crunch situations and while Miller’s immense talent provides some reassurance, they will need big numbers from him as well as the World Cup draws closer.For the final time, Virat Kohli will be India’s player to watch, not least because he needs less than 20 runs to become only the third batsman in the world to 2000 T20I runs. Kohli has already led India to their most successful tour of South Africa, with a Test win and their first ODI series win in the country. Whatever happens in the final match, he can be proud, but he will be that much prouder if he can return home with two trophies instead of one.3:38

Cullinan: ‘I would seriously consider two wristspinners’

Team news

With a series win front and centre of their minds, South Africa may not be able to give Christiaan Jonker an opportunity and could stick with the same batting line-up. A change may come in the attack, which could feature two specialist spinners. If South Africa opt for both Tabraiz Shamsi and Aaron Phangiso, Dane Paterson may have to miss out.South Africa: 1 Reeza Hendricks, 2 JJ Smuts, 3 JP Duminy (capt), 4 David Miller, 5 Farhaan Behardien, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Junior Dala, 10 and 11 two out of Dane Paterson, Tabraiz Shamsi and Aaron PhangisoHad India won at SuperSport Park, they would have wanted to use this match to trial some new combinations but now they need to field the XI they believe can win them the series. The team that lost had one change from the team that won at the Wanderers with Shardul Thakur replacing Jasprit Bumrah, who was out with an abdominal niggle. That spot may be the only one India change, with the possibility of Axar Patel or – if he has recovered from the hand injury that kept him out of the first two T20Is – Kuldeep Yadav coming in as second spinner on the surface most likely to take turn.India: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Manish Pandey, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Jaydev Unadkat, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit Bumrah/Shardul Thakur/Axar Patel/Kuldeep Yadav

Pitch and conditions

The change in altitude will require the biggest adjustment from the players, who will need to be wary that mishits are unlikely to sail for six at the coast and they could end up caught on the boundary instead. Still, the Newlands strip is expected to have plenty of runs in it, with Farhaan Behardien calling it “not far from a Highveld wicket”. It will be a cool day in Cape Town, with temperatures below 20 degrees and a small chance of some rain, which could negate spin.

Stats and trivia

• After the Indian wristspinners claimed 33 wickets between across the six ODIs, Yuzvendra Chahal has only managed one wicket in the two T20s so far.
• Virat Kohli needs just 17 runs to become the first India batsman to 2000 T20I runs.

Quotes

“We came unstuck but we are sticking together as a unit. Tomorrow is a massive opportunity for us to turn it around. To win two out of the three series against a strong Indian unit, that’s a big plus. We went over to India, we beat them in the ODIs 3-2, in the T20 series two-nil, we lost the Test. It’s basically a reversal but we have the opportunity to go one up on them tomorrow. Everybody is upbeat.”
“Whenever you’re playing in the first six overs, you have to play your shots. When you have a lot of batting depth in the middle order you need to play really well in [the first] six overs. When you have a good middle order they can always execute later on, so you need to take a chance [in the Powerplay].”

On March 20, the Pakistan Super League will move from the UAE to Lahore, which will host the two Eliminator matches, and then to Karachi for the final on March 25. This will be the highest-profile match in Pakistan’s most populous city in nearly a decade. Which overseas players, however, will make it to Pakistan for these marquee clashes?

PSL playoff schedule

Qualifier – Islamabad v Karachi, Dubai, March 18
Eliminator 1 – Peshawar v Quetta, Lahore, March 20
Eliminator 2 – Lahore, March 21
Final – Karachi, March 25

The independent security consultant Reg Dickason has briefed the overseas players from the four teams that have made the playoffs – Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators – about security arrangements in the two Pakistani cities. Now it is up to the players themselves. Some have confirmed they will travel, some that they will not, while others remain undecided. Watch this space for further updates.

Quetta Gladiators

ESPNcricinfo understands that Quetta will once again suffer an exodus, as a majority of their overseas players have either said no or remain undecided about making the trip. Their marquee player Kevin Pietersen has already made it clear that his tournament is over.”It’s with a heavy heart that I have to leave Dubai and go back to London,” he said in a video message. “I wish i could travel and unfortunately family is very important and it’s a family decision and I hope you can respect it. But we have an opportunity to win this tournament, we are still in the competition, and please support the purple team. I will keep on supporting and am totally on top of everything we do over the next couple of days.”Quetta were badly hit last year as well, having to make do with a last-minute draft of foreign players, and went on to lose the final to a full-strength Peshawar. Their coach Moin Khan isn’t pleased with the situation.”I blame the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for this sad situation,” Moin said on Saturday. “I know the board will not like my comments. However, in future, only those overseas players should be included in the player draft who commit to also play in Pakistan, if required by their franchises.”Overseas players who refuse to play in Pakistan, Moin said, cannot be seen as supportive of Pakistan cricket. “The franchises pay them well to play in the PSL. However, when they refuse to travel to Pakistan, it upsets the balance of the concerned franchises, and also deprives our people of seeing competitive cricket.”They, however, signed up Yorkshire opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore and West Indies batsman Johnson Charles as late signings for the playoffs. Chris Green and Mahmudullah have also been confirmed as signings to fill the Quetta roster in the absence of the original overseas players. Thisara Perera, meanwhile, will join the team for the Pakistan leg of the tournament, with Sri Lanka now out of the Nidahas Trophy tri-series in Colombo.Kevin Pietersen (OUT), Rilee Rossouw (undecided), Jason Roy (OUT), Shane Watson (undecided), Thisara Perera (IN), Mahmudullah (IN), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (IN), Johnson Charles (IN)

Karachi Kings

There is good news for Karachi fans: the owner Salman Iqbal has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that other than Eoin Morgan, their entire foreign contingent is ready for the trip.Eoin Morgan (OUT), Colin Ingram (IN), Ravi Bopara (IN), Lendl Simmons (IN), Joe Denly (IN)

Peshawar Zalmi

Just like last year, Peshawar, led by Darren Sammy, are are all set to feature in the first Eliminator in Lahore with a close-to-full-strength squad, with Dwayne Smith the only one of their overseas players not travelling to Pakistan.Darren Sammy (IN), Liam Dawson (IN), Andre Fletcher (IN), Riki Wessels (IN), Dwayne Smith (OUT)

Islamabad United

The table toppers after the group stages have a fair bit of uncertainty surrounding who will travel. JP Duminy was originally denied an NOC by his home board but the batsman has decided to make a trip at his own risk by signing an indemnity form with CSA.Luke Ronchi and Samit Patel are ready to travel while Sam Billings, who was recently appointed Kent captain, and Alex Hales are undecided and are likely to pull out.Sam Billings (undecided), JP Duminy (IN), Alex Hales (undecided), Luke Ronchi (IN), Samit Patel (IN)

Nottinghamshire’s left-arm fast bowler Mark Footitt has joined Derbyshire on an initial 28-day loan deal where he will be available to play Specsavers County Championship and Royal London One-Day Cup cricket.The 32-year-old, who spent six seasons with Derbyshire between 2010 and 2015, is earmarked for two four-day matches and five 50-over games, starting against Warwickshire at Edgbaston on Thursday.”Mark’s pre-season has been affected by injury and we feel it’s a good opportunity for him to get out there and get some cricket under his belt,” said Nottinghamshire’d director of cricket Mick Newell.”Our pace attack has started the season in fine form and Mark has found himself short of game time so far. Hopefully he can get some overs under his belt and come back ready to go when the season ramps up from June onwards.”The move suits Derbyshire who have fielded a high-class pace attack this season in three bowlers with international experience – Duanne Olivier, Ravi Rampaul and Hardus Viljoen – but who have limited stocks in reserve and fear the danger of overbowling their prize assets as a conequence.Derbyshire’s cricket advisor, Kim Barnett, said: “We’re grateful to Nottinghamshire and Peter Moores for allowing Mark to join us for this busy period, and I’m sure this arrangement will be good for all parties.”This move for Footitt is not as angst-ridden as the last, involving just a few miles up the A52. He admitted that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders when Surrey gave him permission to return to Nottinghamshire in the middle of last season on a two-and-a-half year deal. The strain of hotel living, away from his fiancé and daughter in London had become too much.Footitt has travelled this way before. He first joined Derbyshire in 2009 after Nottinghamshire released him from his contract as injuries bedevilled his early career. He became a firm favourite at Derbyshire, taking 82 County Championship wickets in 2014. He moved south to Surrey, fired by England ambitions, and came close to a Test debut when he was chosen for the South Africa tour of 2015/16 but never played.

ScorecardGloucestershire face an uphill battle to stave off County Championship defeat on Monday after they were made to follow on against Middlesex at Lord’s. Visiting captain Chris Dent, who had struggled for form with the bat, top scored with 66 but it was not enough to prevent his side being bowled out for 210 in two sessions.Middlesex’s Australian allrounder Hilton Cartwright returned career-best figures of 4 for 33 in the first innings, with Tom Helm taking 3 for 48. That left Gloucestershire 245 behind at the start of their second innings and, although the West Country side reduced the deficit by 66, they go into the final day with just eight wickets standing.Middlesex bowled well in the morning but initially without any reward as both Dent and James Bracey found the gap between slips and gully all too frequently. Dent – who averaged just 8.5 coming into this match – survived what looked a strong lbw shout from Steven Finn, while Sam Robson spilled an edge from Bracey at first slip.The opening pair put together a stand of 72 before Cartwright made the breakthrough, persuading Bracey to attempt a cut that saw him caught behind off the bottom edge.Gareth Roderick lasted just four balls, falling leg before to Cartwright for a duck, and Ollie Rayner reduced the visitors to 90 for 3 when his first delivery accounted for Graeme van Buuren. Jack Taylor struck a breezy 22 before Finn pinned him lbw in the fifth over after lunch – and Helm then took centre stage with a three-wicket burst to drive home Middlesex’s advantage.Helm’s spell of 3 for 16 included the scalp of Dent, who was caught prodding outside the off stump, and a simple return catch to remove former Middlesex allrounder Ryan Higgins.Benny Howell, who came in down the order after a stomach upset had kept him off the field the previous afternoon, showed some resistance with a gritty knock of 47 from 87 balls. But Cartwright’s second spell earned him the wickets of Craig Miles and Daniel Worrall and he finished off the innings just before tea, taking a skier at mid-on to remove Howell.With Middlesex skipper Dawid Malan enforcing the follow-on, Howell was soon back at the crease alongside Dent and the pair made a solid start to their second innings. Malan rotated his bowlers without success until Howell lost his wicket for the second time in less than two hours, chopping James Harris on to his stumps.Harris was unlucky not to pick up Dent as well, within Rayner putting down a chance at second slip – but the Gloucestershire captain departed soon afterwards for 35 as Helm found his outside edge.

Improved talent development was at the forefront of Peter Nevill’s mind as he was formally unveiled as the New South Wales captain, and he wants the banned duo of Steven Smith and David Warner to play a role in helping Australia’s largest cricket state atone for several lost years now in evidence at international level.On the current limited-overs tour of England, the only Blues player in the squad is Nathan Lyon. While Smith, Warner, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were all unavailable through suspension or injury, the trend was even starker for Australia A squads named to tour India – Kurtis Patterson the only NSW contracted cricketer included.This breakdown in the talent conveyor belt for the nation’s most populous state played a part in costing Trent Johnston his job as coach. His replacement Phil Jaques has been working with Nevill and the rest of the senior players to drive home their need to develop the younger members of a contract list that has been shorn of the likes of Ed Cowan and Doug Bollinger by retirement and the unfulfilled talent of Nic Maddinson relocating to Victoria.”NSW has been accustomed to success over the years and we’re very determined to bring that back,” Nevill said in Sydney. “A big focus for us moving forward is we’ve got some good senior players around the place and we’re making sure we get knowledge transferred and bring on our younger players and get them up-skilled as quick as we can to be ready to perform well when they get their chance at first-class cricket.”[We want Smith and Warner to help] as much as they’re available to do. Having that kind of knowledge around the place as well is only going to help up-skill some of these young guys and also some of our more experienced guys, you can always learn by talking about the game with people who know the game inside out, and those two definitely fit in that category.”We’ve been lucky the big three quicks have been around doing their rehab stuff, and were involved in our planning day as well. So Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins – having that calibre of people around and being able to share what they’ve experienced over their career so far, its invaluable knowledge that people learn a lot from hearing.”Rather than initiating formal involvement for Smith and Warner, Nevill wanted to encourage the pair to spend time with players on one-on-one basis over coffee. “It doesn’t have to be on a formal basis,” he said. “If they’re around and they want to have a coffee with people. Some of the best learning experiences for me are quite informal experiences, just sitting around and having a coffee or something like that.”They’re going to have a lot of things in their schedules, they’re busy people, but the more we can have them around, the better. I would certainly not be against them playing any games for us, I’d love to have them around all the time and hopefully we can have them at some point this season to play for us. If that’s the Shield final then we’ll have to make sure we make that.”As for a series of photos taken of Smith in repose in New York this week and then published with inflammatory headlines in the News Corp tabloids on Tuesday, Nevill said he was eager to ensure his predecessor was in a healthy mental space. “That’s obviously disappointing,” he said. “First and foremost Steve’s a lovely human being, he’s a friend of mine and I care about him a lot. You wouldn’t want to see that happening to anybody really. But that’s the thing, what’s been great is seeing his friends and his team-mates rally around him and really want to make sure he’s doing ok personally.”Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins shared their gleanings from Australia’s pre-tour camp in Brisbane with the NSW squad, including the key principles and benchmarks of the national team coach Justin Langer. In a departure from the previous regime, these are understood to have focused almost exclusively on standards of behaviour and said very little about performance, with the logic being that good people in a good environment will perform at their best.Nevill was tellingly dropped from the Australian Test team in late 2016, at a time when Matthew Wade’s more openly hostile approach to opponents was preferred amid euphemistic talk about “energy” and “presence”. A little less than two years later, Cricket Australia is in the midst of dual cultural reviews, and while Nevill said he wanted individuals to find their own way to be at their best, there is little doubt he prefers a different tack, and will follow it as he strives to return to the international arena.”People will go about performing at their optimal level in different ways,” Nevill said. “Some people thrive off getting in a bit of a verbal contest, some people don’t, but a lot of the reasons that people do that is to get themselves into that optimal space and I’m comfortable with people doing whatever they need to do to be in their optimal space. We want to be winning games of cricket, that’s the focus for me, and whichever way you go about doing that consistently I think is a good way to go about doing it.”I’d love to play Test cricket again, so a good goal for me is to get on the Ashes tour at the end of this season, they’ll take two keepers to England, so if I can put the numbers on the board that I did before the last Ashes tour to England [in 2015] then hopefully I can get on that tour.”

ScorecardIf you are attempting to beat a 93-year-old record which was set, in part, by the future Baron Aberdare of Duffryn, your efforts could have no finer setting than Tunbridge Wells. Hosting county cricket at the Nevill Ground appears not to be a priority for its owners, the local council, but this sacred field has long been ennobled by cricket lovers. And when they gathered, on a morning of high clouds and sweet scents, spectators wondered if they might see Warwickshire score 519, thus achieving the highest successful fourth-innings pursuit in the history of the County Championship, a mark set when Middlesex scored 502 to beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1925.That the visitors failed in their quest, albeit by only 73 runs, can be explained by the team-spirit and collective will of a Kent team who are enjoying a lovely season. And perhaps that determination should now be matched by the executives responsible for keeping four-day county cricket at Tunbridge Wells. If the will is strong enough, the aim can invariably be achieved.Such longer-term considerations must of necessity be far from the minds of the Kent players as they reflect on their fourth Championship win in six games, a victory which leaves them only eight points shy of Warwickshire at the top of the table. But the will of Joe Denly’s players needed to be very strong indeed on a Saturday when the growing humidity reflected the match’s progress towards its climax. Not until Denly ended the game by taking three wickets in six balls, the first two of them lbws, did wickets fall in clumps; and until Adam Hose was ninth out for 65,  his team retained a sliver of hope.That hope was rather stronger at the start of the day, when Warwickshire resumed needing 290 to win with nine wickets in hand. But a game we had expected might be decided by one of its matinee idols eventually starred a cricketer who has served his time in repertory. While on Middlesex’s books, Harry Podmore went out on loan to both Derbyshire and Glamorgan. They are both fine counties but they were not places where Podmore could hang his hat. Now at Kent, the seamer  is hoping to play in next Saturday’s Royal London Cup Final at Lord’s and has probably helped his chances by returning career-best match figures of 8 for 110 in this gameHarry Podmore made key breakthroughs•Getty Images

Podmore took the two wickets to fall in the morning session and both were significant. Having made his first century of a tough season, Dominic Sibley nicked him straight to Heino Kuhn at slip and departed for 112. Two overs later Jonathan Trott edged the same bowler to Adam Rouse, whose delight when he hurled the ball into the air probably reflected his relief that his dropping of Ian Bell on 148 an over or so earlier might not be too expensive in the broader sweep of things.Ah yes, Ian Bell at Tunbridge Wells. Sometimes this game writes its own poetry. Even in a first half hour marked by nothing more than diligent accumulation and the odd alarm. Bell was as easy on the eye as one remembered from his great seasons. Few players invest a forward defensive shot with quite so much grace and precision. The ECB can negotiate broadcasting deals until their flipcharts fall off the walls but if England’s middle-order comprised Bell, James Vince and James Hildreth, BBC4 would cover Test matches.And thus it was when Bell was leg before to Ivan Thomas in the seventh over of the afternoon that Warwickshire’s chances diminished markedly. Bell had batted for a minute over six hours and stroked 24 fours in his 172 runs. But the ball jagged back and pinned him; and in that moment the game turned. Perhaps Kent’s players knew it, for their joy was illimited.Warwickshire lost three more batsmen in the afternoon session and took tea on 414 for 7. Five overs after Bell’s dismissal Tim Ambrose had his off stump knocked askew by a fine ball from that Stakhanovite labourer, Matt Henry. In the next hour Keith Barker and Jeetan Patel fell to slip catches. At no stage did Warwickshire crumple but their grip on the game was loosening.Less than an hour after tea and just when some spectators were pondering the time and overs left in the game, Denly deployed his legspin. He bowled 19 balls and three of them took wickets. Middlesex’s record was safe. One hopes the future of county cricket at Tunbridge Wells is even safer.

Responding to Virat Kohli’s claim that team success was more important than his own performances in England, James Anderson has suggested the India captain will be “desperate to score runs” during the upcoming five-match Test series. Anderson, England’s attack leader and the world’s No. 2-ranked Test bowler, is once again ready to duel with the world’s No. 2-ranked Test batsman, Kohli – a contest Anderson termed “exciting”.On July 2, speaking in Manchester on the eve of the T20 series against England, in the only media conference he has given so far on tour (which started late June), Kohli said he had set no targets for himself. He just wanted to have a good time. “It doesn’t matter whether I get runs or don’t get runs, what I want is the team to play well and the team to win,” Kohli said.When Kohli’s comment was put to Anderson, he laughed and playfully suggested that the India captain was telling “lies”. “It doesn’t matter if he gets runs or not? I think he is telling lies there,” Anderson told PTI in a chat conducted during the ODI series. “For India to win here, of course it matters. Virat will be desperate to score runs for his team, as you would expect from the captain and one of the best players in the world.”In 2014, Anderson exposed Kohli’s mindset and technique, getting him out four times in 10 innings. But today Kohli is recognised as one of the best batsman across the three formats. Anderson, who has spent several weeks recuperating from a shoulder problem, acknowledged that point and said that Kohli would by now be better equipped. “I am sure he is practising hard at certain aspects of his game and that will make the battle between him and not just myself, but him and the rest of our bowlers, a really exciting one.”Graphic: Virat Kohli’s six nicks in England, 2014•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Asked whether he would prefer trying to get an upper hand over Kohli with the red or white ball, Anderson suggested neither would be easy. He said that players like Kohli, along with other top-ranked batsmen like Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith, had more time and their best quality was they could adapt quickly to any format or condition.”You would think that the red ball swings more or does more off the seam but it doesn’t work like that,” Anderson said. “When the players you mention, and not just Virat, they play the ball so late that they have got so much time and they make you feel slow as a bowler. It is hard with white or red ball. Sometimes when batsmen are trying to be more attacking in white ball cricket than red ball, you might create more chances, but overall it is hard to say.”One big factor that played a huge role in India losing the 2014 Test series 3-1 was the weather. Four years ago it was a genuine English summer: overcast, seaming, swinging conditions. In contrast this summer has seen a prolonged “heat wave”, with the mercury hovering around the 30-degree mark. Anderson said the conditions certainly favoured India on pitches that would be drier, but he was hopeful of some rain before the series begins.

Big Picture

Having already qualified for the Super Four stage after knocking out Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will play the last league fixture in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. The result of the match is truly inconsequential: no matter who finishes top of their respective groups, the tournament has been scheduled in such a manner that Bangladesh will face India in the first Super Four match on Friday, while Afghanistan will play Pakistan.This means Afghanistan can stay put in Abu Dhabi after the match, while Bangladesh will need to pack their bags after the match and head to Dubai to meet India the next day.Both teams could rest players, but the extra travel puts a greater strain on Bangladesh. They have some injury issues, so resting Shakib Al Hasan (finger) and Mushfiqur Rahim (rib) would make sense. It would also make sense for their captain Mashrafe Mortaza to rest on Thursday, instead of taking on the strain of back-to-back games for what is essentially a dead rubber. The likes of Abu Hider, Nazmul Islam and Ariful Haque will look to gain more exposure ahead of bigger challenges.Afghanistan will focus on a familiar template: bat steadily for much of their 50 overs and look up to their seamers to provide support to their in-form spinners.Rahmat Shah’s 72 off 90 balls against Sri Lanka in the previous match backed up a solid start from the openers and allowed the big-hitters to go after the bowlers in the end overs. Captain Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran, meanwhile, will look to make more substantial contributions with the bat, while Hashmatullah Shahidi, who made 37 against Sri Lanka, will hope to capitalise on such starts.But the key will be the three spinners – Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Nabi. Bangladesh had a hard time against Rashid in the three T20Is in June this year. Can they find a way past him in the UAE?It might be a dead rubber, but both teams will be keen to build momentum and confidence going in to the business end of the tournament.

Form guide

Afghanistan: WWLWW (last five completed games, most recent first)
Bangladesh: WWLWL

In the spotlight

Mohammad Mithun made a confident 63 against Sri Lanka and helped Mushfiqur push the total beyond 250. Mithun has plenty of domestic and A team experience, but can he be consistent in international cricket and secure his middle-order position?Rahmat Shah, who top scored with 72 against Sri Lanka, has played the Dhaka Premier League, and will be a familiar opponent for most of the Bangladesh players.

Team news

If Afghanistan look to rotate their squad, wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad and seamers Aftab Alam and Guladin Naib might get a break. Munir Ahmed Kakar, Samiullah Shenwari, Sayed Shirzad and Wafadar are options to replace them.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Ihsanullah, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Asghar Afghan (capt), 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Gulbadin Naib, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Aftab Alam, 11 Mujeeb Ur RahmanNazmul Hossain Shanto could open for Bangladesh in place of the injured Tamim Iqbal while Mominul Haque, Abu Hider, Nazmul Islam and Ariful Haque could get some game-time in place of the seniors.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Liton Das 2 Nazmul Hossain Shanto, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Mohammad Mithun, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

Dew was either not present in Abu Dhabi, or had no effect judging from the evidence of Afghanistan spinners’ total dominance over Sri Lanka.

Stats and Trivia

• Mashrafe Mortaza is four wickets away from becoming the first Bangladeshi bowler to 250 ODI wickets. Overall, he will be the 17th fast bowler to the milestone.
• Bangladesh have won three out of the five ODIs against Afghanistan.
• Rahmat Shah is one match away from 50 ODIs. He will become the sixth Afghanistan player to the landmark after Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad, Samiullah Shenwari, Dawlat Zadran and Asghar Afghan.
  

  Quotes

  “It is great to get off to a good start but what’s more important is that middle period; if you lose wickets in that period, then it really does hurt.”