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No result Pakistan will never know, and England won’t want to know after they escaped what had threatened to be the upset this World Cup craved, thanks to the start of the Colombo monsoon.Both teams took a point – Pakistan’s first from four matches and England’s moving them to the top of the table, leading Australia on net run rate – after what had shaped as a thriller ended in a washout, the second in as many days at the R Premadasa Stadium.But it is Pakistan who should hold their heads high after a devastating opening spell from their captain Fatima Sana, who put England on the canvas at 78 for 7 before a 47-run stand for the eighth wicket between Charlie Dean and Em Arlott dragged them to 133 for 9 in 31 overs.Chasing a DLS-adjusted target of 113, Pakistan were well in control, reaching 34 without loss after 6.4 overs before heavy showers returned to end the match prematurely.Related

• Fatima Sana – a captain burdened, a fast bowler unrestrained

• England's lucky break masks deeper batting issues

England, unbeaten heading into the match, were without their spin and seam-bowling spearheads when Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell were ruled out through illness and replaced by legspinner Sarah Glenn and seamer Arlott.But it was their misfiring batting line-up that came unstuck. Of England’s recognised batters, only Nat Sciver-Brunt, with a century in the previous match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, and Heather Knight, with a gritty 79 not out that rescued England from the threat of another upset at the hands of Bangladesh, had been in the runs since England chased down a paltry target of 70 without loss in their opening game with South Africa.Arlott, who had impressed England head coach Charlotte Edwards with a century at the start of the domestic season and went on to make her international debut during the English summer, was run out for 18 off 23 balls in the penultimate over while Dean expertly picked gaps in the field to top-score with 33 before becoming Sana’s fourth wicket, scooping to Omaima Sohail at short fine leg.Tammy Beaumont was bowled for 4•Getty Images

Earlier, openers Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones continued to struggle and both departed inside the first three overs of the match. Beaumont left a dazzling nip-backer from Diana Baig to her peril as the ball clipped the off bail, leaving her with scores of 21 not out against South Africa followed by 13, 32 and 4 so far.Jones, meanwhile, helped herself to two fours off Sana’s first over before the latter produced a superb nip-backer which clattered into the top of middle and off, Jones departing for a second single-figure score in three innings.Knight, who had three dismissals overturned against Bangladesh, challenged an lbw decision in Sana’s next over and replays showed the ball was missing down the leg side. She also survived a hopeful Pakistan review for lbw two balls later when the ball was tracking outside off.But Sana’s biggest and best wicket was arguably that of Sciver-Brunt, done by yet another one that nipped back off the seam. She shaped to cut only for the ball to slide under her glove and onto the top of middle stump.Knight tried her luck once more when she was rapped on the pad by Sana but, with the ball on target to hit the top of leg stump, England were left floundering at 38 for 4.Sadia Iqbal chimed in for the spinners when she bowled an out-of-sorts Emma Lamb, sitting back in her crease to an arm ball that dipped and slid through her defences. Lamb had entered the World Cup in great form with half-centuries in warm-up games against India and Australia but she is another England batter yet to reach 20 at this tournament.Omaima Sohail scored an unbeaten 19 off 18 balls•ICC/Getty Images

Likewise, Sophia Dunkley, who was removed for 11 via a successful review when she was struck on the pad attempting to sweep with the ball homing in on leg stump as Iqbal celebrated her second wicket and England lurched to 57 for 6 in the 12th over.Alice Capsey, on 8, swept Rameen Shamim’s first delivery, a low full toss, straight to square leg where Muneeba Ali shelled a simple chance. But Shamim had Capsey lbw for 16 when she missed a sweep shortly before the rain arrived for the first time, with England 79 for 7 after 25 overs.After a stoppage of around three hours and 45 minutes, play resumed with England needing to bat out another six overs, during which time they added 54 runs, thanks largely to Arlott and Dean.Pakistan have never beaten England in ODIs and have just one win against them in T20Is in 2013, which only added to their sense of what might have been had the weather not intervened.Sohail hadn’t played since her first-ball duck in Pakistan’s defeat to Bangladesh in their opening game but, recalled to bolster a batting line-up which – apart from Sidra Amin – had proved fragile at this event, she marshalled Pakistan’s pursuit here, easing to 19 off 18. She was supported by Muneeba, who remained unbeaten on 9.Pakistan’s performance offered some encouragement for a side that also had Australia 76 for 7 before losing by 107 runs, although that may well be an empty consolation.For England, it is a sharp reality check for a side which perhaps hasn’t fully exorcised the demons of a year ago, where their shortcomings under pressure knocked them out of another global showcase.

After a one-hour delay to the start of the game, UAE won the toss and opted to bowl against Pakistan in a must-win game for both teams in the Asia Cup in Dubai. PCB cleared the Pakistan team to play after the board claimed that match referee Pycroft had apologised to their players for his actions during the India-Pakistan game on Sunday.UAE captain Muhammad Waseem expected dew to play a part and confirmed that Simranjeet Singh replaced Muhammad Jawadullah.”We will try to restrict them,” Waseem said. “It is a do-or-die game. We will take advantage. We had a good game in Abu Dhabi; this is a different game.”Related

• PCB clears Pakistan to play UAE; says Pycroft apologised

UAE’s decision went down well with Pakistan, who wanted to bat first anyway. Pakistan made two changes to the side that lost to India on Sunday, with Haris Rauf and Khushdil Shah coming in. They replaced Sufiyan Muqeem and Faheem Ashraf.One of these two teams will be eliminated after Wednesday’s result. Both sides beat Oman comfortably and lost to India, making this fixture in Dubai a knockout game: the winner joins India in the Super Four, while the loser exits.UAE: 1 Alishan Sharafu, 2 Muhammad Waseem (capt), 3 Asif Khan, 4 Muhammad Zohaib, 5 Harshit Kaushik, 6 Rahul Chopra (wk), 7 Dhruv Parashar, 8 Haider Ali, 9 Muhammad Rohid Khan, 10 Simranjeet Singh, 11 Junaid SiddiquePakistan: 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Sahibzada Farhan, 3 Mohammad Haris (wk), 4 Fakhar Zaman, 5 Salman Agha (capt), 6 Khushdil Shah, 7 Hasan Nawaz, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed

India are likely to play the upcoming Asia Cup without a lead sponsor following Dream 11’s withdrawal from its contract with the BCCI last month.On September 2, the BCCI began the process to secure a new sponsor by releasing an invitation for expression of interest for the lead sponsorship rights of the national team. The last date for interested parties to purchase the expression of interest is September 12 and the deadline to submit a bid is September 16. The Asia Cup begins on September 9 and concludes on September 28.The need for a new team sponsor arose after the Indian government passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming bill last month prohibiting real-money gaming, which was Dream 11’s core business. Following that development Dream 11 communicated to the BCCI that it would have to pull out of its contract, which contained an exit clause to account for such government regulations. Dream XI’s contract was until 2026 and was worth USD 44 million (INR 358 crore approximately).The BCCI has been confronted with the challenge of finding a new lead sponsor after the incumbent pulled out mid-contract previously as well. The most recent instance was in 2019, when mobile company OPPO withdrew three years before its contract was scheduled to end. Educational technology company Byju’s filled the breach before Dream 11 made a successful bid for a three-year deal in 2023.In its invitation for expressions for interest for a new team sponsor, the BCCI specified that alcohol brands, betting or gambling services, cryptocurrency, online money gaming, tobacco brands, or any product or service likely to “offend public morals such as, including but not limited to, pornography” were not eligible to submit a bid.The Indian team is scheduled to leave on September 4 for the United Arab Emirates, where they are grouped with Oman, Pakistan and UAE in Group A of the tournament. They play UAE and Pakistan in Dubai on September 10 and 14, and then play Oman in Abu Dhabi on September 19.Group B comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. The top two teams from each group qualify for the Super Four stage, and the teams that finish one and two in that round will contest the final on September 28.

New South Wales snared their 21st WNCL title after defeating Queensland by 21 runs, and it was largely thanks to a freakish run-out.Anika Learoyd cracked 80 off 110 balls and Claire Moore chipped in with 33 as NSW were bowled out for 215 in 48 overs at Allan Border Field on Sunday,In reply, Queensland opener Georgia Redmayne posted 97 off 122 balls to give them a genuine shot at victory. But disaster struck in the 41st over with Queensland  173 for 7 and still needing 43 more runs for victory.Redmayne was at the non-striker’s end when Nicola Hancock smashed Lauren Cheatle’s delivery straight back at the bowler. Cheatle dropped the return catch, but the ball deflected off her hands and onto the stumps, catching a stunned Redmayne well out of her crease. Queensland’s tail didn’t last much longer, with NSW players celebrating wildly when Queensland were bowled out for 194 in the 47th over.It marks the first time NSW have lifted the Ruth Preddy Cup since 2018-19.Cheatle, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Sam Bates and captain Georgia Adams all played important roles with the ball for NSW. Queensland were left kicking themselves after slumping from 135 for 2 in the 30th over.Redmayne was in fine form, but Sianna Ginger (36) and Charli Knott (14) were the only other batters to make it to double figures for Queensland.NSW veteran Sarah Coyte now has 10 WNCL titles across three different states.  The 33-year-old won six competitions with NSW between 2010 and 2015, one with South Australia after that, then a further two with Tasmania.Her latest triumph is extra special, given the long wait between drinks for a NSW organisation accustomed to success.

South Africa marked their qualification for the WTC final in style, romping to a ten-wicket win over Pakistan. It is their seventh successive Test win, and came after two and a half days of toil with the ball before they finally prised Pakistan out for 478 in the third innings. A valiant century from Pakistan captain Shan Masood and numerous other contributions forced South Africa to bat again as the visitors overcame the second-highest first-innings deficit in Test history. However, the target – 58 – was little more than a formality, and South Africa took 7.1 overs to knock it off.But Pakistan made them wait for the win. When South Africa enforced the follow-on leading by 421 on Sunday afternoon, they did not anticipate having to bowl another 122.1 overs. Masood, unbeaten overnight on 102, carried on and tried to rebuild after a mammoth 205-run opening stand with Babar Azam. South Africa were frustrated for large parts of the day, most notably during an 88-run stand between Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha in the afternoon. But Keshav Maharaj, who had been denied for most of the day, found the breakthrough, and regular wickets after that ensured a finish was on in the late-evening sunshine.Related

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Earlier in the day, Marco Jansen got nightwatcher Khurram Shahzad out early on before Rabada cleaned up Kamran Ghulam. Maharaj more or less bowled through the entire session, interrupted only when he switched ends at one point. His variations in pace and flight, as well as a ball that continued to turn, posed the most significant threat to the batters, but the wickets came to pace.Shahzad had done his job and never quite looked equipped to carry on too long. When a length ball from Jansen grew too big on him, he chipped it straight to Maharaj at point. Ghulam never quite appeared to settle, keeping the slip cordon interested throughout his innings. He should have been on his way without scoring when, in the same over as Shahzad fell, he slashed at a wide one but it burst through David Bedingham’s hands at first slip.Kyle Verreynne celebrates the key wicket of Mohammad Rizwan•AFP/Getty Images

That wicket was always coming though. Rabada’s increasing frustration at his wicketlessness and general indiscipline – he bowled another four no-balls this morning – was mounting. Just after overstepping, he found a beauty that nipped back off the seam into Ghulam, pegging back his middle stump. It was an excellent way to bring up his 50th Test wicket at Newlands, with the roar that followed it making clear how much it meant to him.Saud Shakeel and Masood continued to make South Africa work for each scalp, and yet South Africa could have had one more before lunch. Kwena Maphaka squared Shakeel up with a lovely delivery that straightened as it hit the pad, only for South Africa to opt against a review. As Shakeel received extensive treatment for the blow, Hawk-Eye showed it was hitting leg stump.Masood’s vigil at the crease ended in somewhat contentious circumstances. Maphaka got one to shape away off the seam that kept low before cannoning into the batter’s front pad. Umpire Nitin Menon felt it was missing off stump, but when South Africa reviewed, Hawk-Eye showed it hitting. It prompted a furious response from Masood, whose protests continued all the way along his slow walk off the crease and into the dressing room.It capped a bright first hour post lunch for South Africa. Shakeel had been dispensed with shortly after play resumed in much the same way he fell in the first innings: nicking off into the slips while drove at Rabada. With Masood departing, there was a danger Pakistan might crumple in a heap, as they have tended to recently.David Bedingham made short work of South Africa’s victory target•AFP/Getty Images

But Agha and Rizwan rebuilt once more. They wore off the sheen of the second new ball and kept the strike turning over. There were just three fours in the first 55 runs of the partnership as Pakistan looked to milk the tiring bowlers, but when Mulder erred, Agha was quick to put him away for two fours in three balls.The two carried on as Pakistan wiped out the deficit, but soon Rizwan chipped Maharaj to short cover, precisely where Bavuma had placed a fielder for the shot, and South African nerves began to loosen once again.Agha, having been reprieved by DRS, fell quickly after – two runs shy of his half-century – when a Maharaj delivery ripped and bounced, drawing a sharp catch for Aiden Markram in the slips. Mir Hamza came out and had a bit of fun, including a heave back over the bowler’s head for the only six of the innings. But it wasn’t built to last. Aamer Jamal reverse-swept Maharaj to slip before Rabada wrapped the innings up, and Bedingham and Markram sprinted off the field.Six years ago, at this very ground, Pakistan’s third innings ended on the third evening, with South Africa needing 41 to wrap the series up. Stumps were called, with the game concluding on the fourth morning.This time around, the South Africa openers did not let the match go into the next day. Bedingham provided a shot in the arm with an eye-catching little knock – an unbeaten 47 off 30 – that ensured it took South Africa just 43 balls to seal a win that, despite a very long wait in the field, was ultimately routine.

Sam Konstas has made another statement to Australia’s selectors, backing up his hundred against India with an unbeaten half-century in the Sheffield Shield.Konstas went to stumps on day one of their Shield clash with Western Australia not out on 55, with New South Wales 97 for 0 in reply to the visitors’ 211 at the SCG on Friday.On a day when the ball swung around and no other player reached a half-century, Konstas looked completely at ease as he passed 50 for the fifth time this summer.The 19-year-old took on spinner Corey Rocchiccioli, hitting him back over his head for two separate sixes and driving him for another four.He cut Cameron Gannon for one four behind point, drove him for another past mid-off, then slogged the quick for another over mid-wicket later in the day.Full of confidence, Konstas even attempted to scoop speedster Lance Morris, but missed out in one of the few unsuccessful moments of his day. The right-hander’s runs came fast too, facing just 64 balls before the Blues went to stumps.The innings continues another purple patch for Konstas, who shot into the spotlight with twin tons against South Australia at the start of the season.Just five days ago Konstas hit 107 off 97 balls against a Test-quality Indian attack, playing for the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.He then returned to Sydney and told media in his first full press conference that he wanted a chance to wear the Baggy Green as soon as possible.”I really want the chance,” Konstas said on Wednesday when asked if he felt ready for Test cricket, or perhaps needed more time at domestic level.”I love being challenged and hopefully that can happen soon.”I feel like I’m in a good headspace. It’s been the best few months I’ve had, and hopefully one day I can represent my country.”If Konstas converts his half-century into three figures on Saturday in the last round of Shield before the BBL break, he will no doubt help that cause.Australia’s top order have entered the pink-ball Test in Adelaide under pressure, following their poor returns in Perth last week.Reserve Test batsman Josh Inglis was also released from Australia’s camp on Thursday night to play in the Shield match against NSW.He top-scored with 41 for Western Australia, looking more confident as he went on in his first red-ball game since October 23.Jack Edwards celebrates a wicket•Getty Images

But he was one of five men to fall to Jack Edwards, on a superb day for the NSW allrounder.Edwards’ return of 5 for 41 marked the second best of his career, as he had the ball swinging a long way.He bowled Cameron Bancroft for one with a delivery that swung back between bat and pad, had Sam Whiteman (19) caught down legside, then cleaned up Jayden Goodwin’s stumps on 22.Inglis was dismissed when Edwards swung the ball away and drew the right-hander’s edge, before Morris became his fifth victim when caught behind to finish the innings.

England will field a three-pronged spin attack on a Rawalpindi pitch that Harry Brook believes has been “raked” by local groundstaff in an attempt to bring Pakistan’s spinners into play. Rehan Ahmed has been recalled and will play alongside Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach, with Gus Atkinson also coming into a side in which both Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts miss out.Rehan played three Tests in India at the start of this year but has not featured for England in any format since February. But England believe they will need him as a third spin frontline option this week, with Pakistan going to extreme lengths in an attempt to dry out the pitch in Rawalpindi after their 152-run victory on a recycled strip in Multan.”They’ve had the rakes out, the fans and the heaters on the pitch,” Brook said. “Everyone goes and looks at the wicket and says something different… Hopefully, it’s just like any other Pakistani pitch. It’s good to bat on for the first few days and then hopefully, we can get a bit of turn out of it at the back end of the game.”England XI for third Test vs Pakistan•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The move is a risk, leaving Atkinson and Ben Stokes as England’s only two fast-bowling options at a venue that has historically suited seam over spin. But it has also been among the world’s best for batting since its return to staging Tests in 2019, as England demonstrated when racking up 657 in 101 overs in their famous win here two years ago.”I think the conditions are going to be a little bit different,” Brook said. “We played on an extremely flat pitch here last time. It was awesome to bat on, and we scored a good rate of knots. This game’s probably going to be slightly different. It might turn earlier on: who knows? It might be a good pitch to start with and we get off to a flyer.”The lush square at Rawalpindi may have informed England’s selection, with reverse-swing unlikely to be a major factor this week. In Multan, the strips either side of the Test pitch were cut short and were dry and abrasive by the second Test, enabling England’s seamers to reverse the old ball. This week, there are only three strips cut across the square: the Test pitch and two practice pitches.Brook was out for 9 and 16 to Pakistan’s spinners in the second Test, and predicted Sajid Khan and Noman Ali will play “a massive part” in Rawalpindi. “I’ve spoken to a few of the lads about gameplans and how we’re going to go about it,” he said. “Hopefully, it pays off and I play a big part in the game.”Related

• Harry Brook seeks emphatic response after rare fallow outing in Pakistan

• Jason Gillespie 'sits on the fence' as Pakistan go all-in on the short term

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• England stay on the front foot as Pakistan crank up the spin settings again

• Stokes and England braced for Pindi spin-quisition

It was in Pakistan two years ago that Rehan made his international debut as an 18-year-old, taking 5 for 48 in the second innings in Karachi to set up England’s eight-wicket win, which clinched a 3-0 clean sweep. His progress has not been linear since and he was expensive in India earlier this year, taking 11 wickets at 44.00 across three appearances and conceding more than four runs per over.This summer, Rehan was outperformed by his offspinning younger brother Farhan in the County Championship and his returns fell away in white-ball cricket: he was dropped by Southern Brave early in the Hundred after two expensive outings, and was then left out of England’s T20I and ODI squads against Australia in September.But England have been long-term admirers: Rehan was famously a net bowler at the age of 11 and has been in the national set-up throughout his professional career, starting at Under-19s level. He is heading into the second year of a two-year central contract, and has also worked on his batting this summer, with four Championship fifties, and will bolster England’s lower order from No. 9.Carse and Potts are both officially rested, with Atkinson returning after taking match figures of 4 for 145 in England’s innings win in the first Test. Carse has been England’s outstanding bowler of the tour, taking nine wickets at 24.33 across his first two appearances, but has bowled 67 overs in the series and has played back-to-back Tests.England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Jack Leach, 11 Shoaib Bashir.

Steven Croft, Lancashire’s veteran allrounder and stalwart of their 2011 Championship-winning side, has announced his retirement from professional cricket at the age of 39.Croft stepped down from first-class and List A cricket at the end of the 2023 summer, and had been on a T20-only deal for this summer’s campaign. However, he has now confirmed his full retirement with immediate effect, and will instead move into Lancashire’s coaching staff on a full-time basis.His final appearance came earlier this month, in Lancashire’s defeat to Sussex in the Vitality Blast quarter-final, and was his 600th match for the club across formats. He made his Lancashire debut in 2005, and went on to make a total of 19,183 runs, as well as claim 199 wickets with his offspin.In 2011, he scored the winning runs against Somerset at Taunton, as Lancashire ended a 77-year wait for the County Championship, and four years later, he captained the T20 team to their maiden T20 Blast title at Edgbaston, beating Northamptonshire in the final.Between June 2006 and July 2018, Croft played 148 consecutive T20 matches for Lancashire, which is an English record. He finishes his career as Lancashire’s leading T20 run-scorer with 5,486 runs.”My dream as a boy was to play one game for Lancashire, in the end it became 600,” Croft said. “So, after just over two decades of playing for the club, I have taken the decision to retire as a player.”I can confidently say I have realised my dream and more, and what a ride it has been. To go with the games, runs, wickets and catches, I have played alongside some of my heroes and many greats of the game.”There have been so many highlights along the way, too. Winning the County Championship in 2011 will stay with me forever. The 2015 T20 Blast too, what a great night that was! But also, being awarded my county cap and being appointed club captain were special moments.Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s Director of Cricket, added: “On behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to congratulate Steven on an incredible Lancashire career.”Steven epitomises everything good about this club. He is an outstanding individual who always puts the team first and anyone who has watched him knows that Steven puts his heart and soul into every game and his record speaks for itself.”To be such an influential member of our side – as well as contributing to so many match-winning performances – over such a long period of time is something he should be very proud of.”Players like Steven don’t come around too often and whilst we will miss his skill and experience on the field, we’re thrilled that he will continue to play a vital role in continuing to develop the exciting young players we have at Emirates Old Trafford, working across the Men’s First Team, Second XI and Academy.”Even over the last 12 months, I’ve been really impressed with how quickly he’s taken to coaching and the impact he’s had in a short period of time. I am looking forward to seeing him develop these skills in the next chapter of his career.”

Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20I captain, wants to have some “red-ball fun” but is aware the road back to the Test side will not be all that straightforward.As things stand, there are at least four others, including his Mumbai team-mates Sarfaraz Khan and Shreyas Iyer, along with KL Rahul and Rajat Patidar, ahead of him in the pecking order. But he wants to give the long-form cricket another proper crack in a bid to add to his one-Test appearance last year, against Australia in Nagpur.”There are a lot of people who have worked really hard to earn their place and even I want to earn that spot again,” Suryakumar told reporters in Coimbatore on Monday after Mumbai’s training session on the sidelines of the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament.Related

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“I made my debut for India in Tests. After that, I got injured as well. There were a lot of people who got an opportunity and have done well too. They deserve that opportunity right now.”Going forward, if I have to play, then I will automatically play. That’s not in my control. What’s in my power right now is to play the Buchi Babu tournament, go on to play the Duleep Trophy and then see what happens. But yes, I’m really looking forward. There are ten Test matches lined up and I’m obviously excited for some red-ball fun.”Suryakumar hasn’t played a first-class fixture since last year’s Duleep Trophy 13 months ago. Between then and now, he has recuperated from a groin surgery in Germany that kept him out of action for three months. During this period, he was part of the ODI and T20 World Cups.Suryakumar Yadav recently led India to a 3-0 sweep in the T20I series in Sri Lanka•Getty Images

He was named full-time T20I captain after Rohit retired from the format following India’s title win in the Caribbean. Recently, he led India to a 3-0 T20I series sweep in Sri Lanka. After the Buchi Babu fixture, he will head to Anantapur for the Duleep Trophy, where he has been named in the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led India C squad.”Red-ball cricket has always been my priority,” Suryakumar said. “When I grew up in the maidans of Mumbai and played a lot of local cricket, I started playing with the red cherry. The love for the longest format began there, and has always been there.”I have taken part in a lot of first-class matches for more than ten years now and I still cherish playing this format. There’s no question about it and that’s why I’m here before the Duleep Trophy.”I will always look for an opportunity to come and play for Mumbai, be it in first-class cricket or a tournament like the Buchi Babu. A lot of international players have played in this competition before and have gone on to represent the country.”Suryakumar’s return to long-form cricket comes at a time when India are slated to play ten Tests over the next four months, starting with the two-Test series against Bangladesh on September 19. That will be followed by three against New Zealand and five away, in Australia.For Suryakumar to make a pitch for a Test recall, he will need a series of tall scores. He is looking at the upcoming opportunity for Mumbai as a blessing to acclimatise to red-ball cricket quickly before the domestic season begins.”We are fortunate to have this tournament because we don’t get many multi-day games back home during this weather,” he said. “Yes, you can practise for a couple of hours, but standing in the heat for six hours and doing that three or four days in a row is only possible through a game. That’s very important going forward in the Duleep Trophy and, hopefully, in Tests.”Suryakumar has a decent red-ball record, having scored 5628 runs in 82 first-class matches at an average of 43.62. This includes 14 hundreds and 29 fifties. He could be a key player on turning tracks, where he can bring his attacking game to the fore. But he underlined the need to tailor his game to suit the demands of the format, and not bat like he would in a T20 game.”It’s necessary to adapt to the conditions well,” he said. “In Mumbai, you have red soil, but here [in Coimbatore] it is black soil and the wickets are a bit different. You have to be one step ahead in the challenging longest format and can’t bat like how you would in a T20.”But at the same time, intent is imperative. Everything else will take care of itself when you play. You can’t go into the game and ponder too much. You just have to go out, put your heart into it and enjoy the game. Stay humble if you do well. Go back to the drawing board and start again if you don’t.”

Ben Green claimed four wickets as holders Somerset leapfrogged Sussex Sharks into second place in the Vitality Blast South Group with a six-wicket victory at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.Sussex could post only 158 for 9 after losing the toss, Harrison Ward top-scoring with a rapid 39 and medium-pacer Green finishing with 4 for 17 from three overs.Somerset chased their target down with 2.2 overs to spare, George Thomas blasting 42, with seven fours, Tom Abell making 47 not out and Sean Dickson adding 28. Tymal Mills was the most successful Sharks bowler with 2 for 28.The result ensured Somerset of a quarter-final place and made them favourites to secure a home tie with one group game left to play.The batting highlights of the Sharks’ six-over powerplay were Daniel Hughes’ three successive fours in the third over, bowled by Craig Overton, and the first six of the match struck by Ward off Jake Ball in the fifth over.Hughes had fallen earlier in that over, miscuing a pull shot to mid-on and at the end of the powerplay Sussex were 49 for 1. That became 66 for 1 when Ward greeted the introduction of Jack Leach with a four and six off his first two deliveries.But the England left-arm spinner quickly struck back by having the opener caught sweeping after facing 23 balls, and that was as good as it got for the visitors as Somerset turned the screw in the middle overs.Green struck twice in his first over, removing Tom Clark and John Simpson to catches in the deep, including a diving effort from Thomas, and at the halfway point in their innings the Sharks were struggling on 71 for 4.Tom Abell’s 47 not out helped Somerset over the line•Getty Images

Tom Alsop was dropped by Thomas off the first ball of the 13th over, sent down by Green, but perished to the next delivery as Overton pouched a comfortable catch at mid-on off a full toss.James Coles, who hit a brisk 26, and Nathan McAndrew (20) paid the penalty for testing Dickson’s arm from the boundary edge and were both run out attempting to turn one run into two, while Green claimed his fourth wicket when the same fielder held a simple catch off McAndrew.The Sussex total never looked likely to be enough. So it proved, as Tom Banton and Thomas got Somerset off to a flying start with a stand of 34 in four overs, ended when Banton clipped a catch to deep square off Mills’ first ball of the game.At the end of the powerplay the hosts were 56 for 1, with Thomas and Tom Kohler-Cadmore going well. They took the score to 70 in the eighth over when Thomas was caught at long-on off Danny Lamb, having faced 30 balls and enhanced his growing reputation as replacement for the injured Will Smeed.Abell survived a caught and bowled chance to Mills, but the pace bowler struck later in the tenth over as Kohler-Cadmore, on 20, lofted a catch to deep cover. It mattered little as Abell and Dickson both cleared the ropes and Dickson ended any doubt about the result with three successive boundaries off McAndrew at the start of the 13th over.With ten runs needed, Dickson was run out by Clark’s direct hit from the boundary, but he had already done his job.