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Despite a year in which Sri Lanka have lost 10 of 13 completed T20s and have now been defeated inside three days in a Test, “one or two wins” could reverse fortunes, Dinesh Chandimal said. Captain Angelo Mathews has used the words “embarrassing” and “humiliating” numerous times to describe Sri Lanka performances in the past year. Yet, Chandimal insisted, there is belief within the group that the losing streak can be arrested.”We are of course disappointed, but I think we’re in a good place,” he said. “We train hard and pick each other up. Our fitness is also being looked after. What’s important to us is get a win or two. If we can get those wins soon, I think we will have that confidence that we need to carry on doing that. We are a young team and maybe we especially need that momentum because of that. We’re all working very hard. I’m hopeful the victories will start from the next match.”Through both home and away series in 2015, Sri Lanka’s batsmen had admitted to have difficulty finding the balance between attack and defence in Tests. Few batsmen fell playing expansive strokes at Headingley, and both teams’ highest scorers – Jonny Bairstow and Kusal Mendis – had strike rates of over 75, though Alex Hales’ 86 was 206 balls in the making.”Almost every ball the English quicks bowled was what was needed at the time,” Chandimal said. “They are a very disciplined attack, and when they don’t give many bad balls, it’s important to work out how to keep that temperament and still score runs. If we had been somehow been able to score some runs and give them a good contest, we could have taken some joy from this.”Chandimal is among those now expected to lead the resurgence in this series, partly due to his relative seniority in the batting group, but also because of having had moderate success on recent tours of New Zealand. He was dismissed for 15 and 4 at Headingley – out in the first innings to a seaming, bouncing ball from Ben Stokes, before chopping the ball onto his stumps in the second innings, during the only over Moeen Ali was required to bowl in the game.”In the first innings, I came back, looked at the videos and talked with the coach, but it was a very good ball,” he said. “In the second innings I hadn’t anticipated the turn on that delivery. I think it’s fair to say I played a loose shot and I’m very disappointed by that. But I have confidence in the way I’m hitting the ball these days. Anderson is bowling very well, but there’s no huge difference between this attack and New Zealand’s.”Personally I’d love to get a century every time I play here. That is my vision when I go to a match. I’m always thinking about how I can get to a hundred. Once you spend that time in the middle you learn a lot as well.”Mathews said after the match that Sri Lanka would work on leaving decisively ahead of the Durham Test, but Chandimal felt his shortcomings were purely to do with temperament.”I don’t think there’s much to change at this stage. Technically I feel as if I am in a good place.”

Mark Wood has cast doubt on his availability for the third Ashes Test and admitted concerns that, at 35, his body is no longer coping with the rigours of bowling 90mph/145kph.Wood had surgery on his left knee after hobbling out of England’s Champions Trophy campaign in February, and the series opener in Perth was his first Test match in 15 months. He bowled 11 wicketless overs across the match but was sent to a specialist after reporting more pain and has been wearing a knee brace since arriving in Brisbane.Speaking to Channel 7 at the tea break during the second Test at the Gabba, Wood suggested he was unlikely to be in contention for the Adelaide Test, which starts on December 17: “I think there’s a chance there, but more realistically, it’s probably more Melbourne and then [Sydney] after that… I need to get out of this [brace] first to get moving around.”Related

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Wood said that he has had painkilling injections in his knee since the first Test, and suggested that age is catching up with him. “Throughout my career, I’ve tried to show resilience and keep coming back and keep trying to push it where I can bowl faster and faster, but I’m getting older now.”I don’t know if my body’s not coping with it as well [as it used to] but I’ll keep trying. That’s something I pride myself on, to keep running in for the team and be a good team man. I’m hoping I can get this right and can charge in again.”I’m trying to just get through day-to-day at the minute. Later in the series is what I’m aiming for, but I can’t do that much at the minute. I’ve had a couple of injections, resting up, and slowly but surely, running [will] start soon, then back into bowling.”It’s more mentally difficult than physically. You’ve got to try and build it back up and come back again, and that’s probably the more difficult thing.”Ben Stokes, England’s captain, said on the eve of the Brisbane Test that Wood would do “everything” possible to remain in contention for selection in this series: “We’ve got a lot more time to go on this tour, and we’ll just see how things play out with that.”

10 overs Melbourne Stars suffered a costly WBBL loss just before finals as Sydney Thunder captain Phoebe Litchfield dominated a rain-affected encounter. Unable to reach the finals, Thunder destroyed the title-contending Stars by nine wickets in their last game of the tournament at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.Due to persistent rain, the match was shortened to ten overs a side as the Stars managed just 66 for 6 after being sent in to bat. Litchfield and fellow Australia young gun Georgia Voll made light work of the DLS-revised target of 76, securing the winning runs with 17 balls to spare.With just 11 runs needed and rain starting to fall again, Litchfield attempted one big shot too many and was out to Annabel Sutherland for a destructive 37 from 23 balls. Voll was untroubled by losing her opening partner, making an unbeaten 33 from 18 balls.Fellow big-hitter Laura Harris smashed the winning runs with a reverse ramp for four. Voll also chimed in with 2 for 13 to be named player of the match.The defeat is bound to have serious ramifications for the Stars, who entered the match placed second on the ladder. Hobart Hurricanes are locked in to host the final on December 13 as minor premiers, but the other three spots in the four remain up for grabs.Stars will wait nervously on other results, with Perth Scorchers hosting the winless Brisbane Heat on Saturday night. If the Scorchers, as expected, win, they will jump ahead of Stars into second.In the last game before finals, Sydney Sixers can also overtake Stars if they beat Adelaide Strikers at North Sydney Oval on Sunday.Thunder will finish the tournament in seventh, winning four of their 10 games.

Namibia made history in more ways than one in the one-off T20I as they inaugurated the new Namibia Cricket ground, played their neighbours South Africa for the first time in any international format, and then beat them in a thriller for good measure.The upset came against a patchwork South Africa side, with most of the first-choice T20I players currently in Pakistan, where they will play a Test starting tomorrow. But Namibia won’t care what kind of South Africa team they earned their first win against. They celebrated in front of a 4000-capacity crowd at the NCG (you read that right), complete with a lap of honour. South Africa are the fourth Full Member to be defeated by Namibia, after Zimbabwe, Ireland and Sri Lanka.On a slow surface and sluggish outfield, batting was tricky for both sides and Namibia had South Africa in trouble at 82 for 6 in the 13th over thanks largely to good catching. South Africa left it late to string partnerships together and their most profitable stand was 37 off 35 balls for the seventh wicket between Jason Smith and Bjorn Fortuin. Smith was the highest scorer with 31.Similarly, Namibia’s innings started badly and they were 84 for 5 in the 13th over. In what was close to an exact mirroring of South Africa’s batting, their seventh-wicket pair put on 37 but off just 21 balls. Zane Green’s unbeaten 30 off 23 balls on his birthday sealed the win.

De Kock’s short-lived comeback

The stage was set for one of the most highly anticipated returns in the global game when Donovan Ferreira won the toss and chose to bat with Quinton de Kock carded at No. 1. But his return was short lived. Namibia’s captain Gerhard Erasmus opened the bowling and de Kock brought out the pull first up. He got a single to midwicket, then missed one that went down leg, and then tried to smash it over square leg but miscued to Ruben Trumpelmann, who took a simple catch to end de Kock’s stay at the crease in the opening over. De Kock also returned behind the stumps and took the only chance he had, but it was off a no-ball in the first over of the Namibian chase.Jason Smith top-scored for South Africa with 31•Cricket Namibia

Namibia hold on to everything… until they don’t

Trumpelmann’s catch didn’t require much more than being in the right place, but he created more difficult opportunities that his team-mates took. In his first over, Reeza Hendricks tried to hit him over deep square but Malan Kruger sprinted in from the rope to take a tumbling catch and remove Hendricks for 7. By his second over, Rubin Hermann, who looked in good touch for his 23, was rushed by extra bounce as he tried to hit Trumpelmann over deep midwicket. Ben Shikongo claimed a good low catch to give Trumpelmann a second.Debutant Max Heingo had Lhuan-dre Pretorius caught behind off the glove and Ferreira at midwicket before Shikongo was rewarded by smart bowling and smarter hands. He followed Andile Simelane as he backed away to clear mid-off and sent the ball high. Erasmus got the skates on again and took a stunning catch to his left to leave South Africa 82 for 6.Smith and Fortuin steadied things but with only one boundary in 30 balls between the 13th and 18th overs, had to try and force things. Smith tried to hit Heingo over long-on and should have been caught by Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton but he put it down. In the next over, Smith tried to clear him at long-off but again, didn’t have the distance, and JJ Smit took a simple catch.Later in the over, Fortuin offered Smit a similar chance but he shelled it. Namibia finished things off with another catch as Gerald Coetzee tried to go big but found Louren Steenkamp at deep third.

Coetzee’s nightmare over ends in injury

Coetzee was brought on first change and made an early impact. He started off too straight and was flicked for four but quickly adjusted his length to Lourens Steenkamp and even surprised him with a bouncer before bowling him. Namibia were 28 for 2 after three overs.But then things started to go wrong for Coetzee. He started his second over with a wide down leg, then got hit for four by Erasmus, and then bowled three more wides. He had his hands on his hips in frustration and the next ball whizzed past Erasmus but avoided the edge.Whatever extra effort Coetzee put into that ball seemed to do some damage and he left the field with three balls remaining in the over. Ferreira completed it and in the end it cost 12 runs. A CSA update said the injury was likely of the pectoral muscle.

A fitting finale

Namibia stayed in the hunt with contributions from Erasmus (a run-a-ball 21) and Kruger (18 off 21 balls) but South Africa’s attack didn’t let any of them get too far away to set up the perfect finish.Namibia needed 32 runs off the last three overs with four wickets in hand. They took nine runs off the 18th over, with Trumpelmann getting four off an inside edge, and 12 runs off the 19th, as Green started with a lofted cover drive and then ran hard with three twos in the over.That left 11 to get off the final over and Simelane was tasked with defending it. His first ball was short, Green got underneath it and sent it over fine leg for six and then took a single. Trumpelmann ran hard for two and then drew scores level. Green sent the last ball – a low full toss – over midwicket for four to complete the win.

Grant Bradburn has been reprimanded and handed a suspended £500 fine by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) after admitting to discriminatory conduct that had racist and sexist connotations during his time as head coach of Glamorgan.Bradburn, 58, was sacked by Glamorgan in December, having been referred to The Cricket Regulator – the body responsible for monitoring compliance and enforcing adherence with the game’s regulations – for allegations of inappropriate behaviour. The county terminated Bradburn’s employment less than 12 months into a three-year deal following their own internal investigation. Richard Dawson was subsequently appointed as interim head coach in January.In a statement released on Thursday, The Regulator revealed their investigations – which included witness statements from several players and Bradburn’s own interview with The Regulator – had found evidence to uphold three specific allegations that comprised the charge.Related

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It was alleged that on a number of occasions, including in the changing room at Sophia Gardens during pre-season of 2024, Bradburn asked players of Asian background what their “real age” is, responding to their answer by saying “is that your Cricinfo age”, “Cricinfo” or similar. The suggestion was Asian players lie about their age.In a pre-season team meeting, Bradburn suggested selection decisions in Pakistan were made by picking their friends and cousins or names out of a hat. Bradburn had previously held a number of roles with Pakistan, including a six-month stint as head coach.Bradburn was also alleged to have used the phrase “this isn’t Western Storm” (the now defunct women’s domestic side based in the South West of England and Wales who were often based in Cardiff) or similar during fielding practice sessions, suggesting the male players were “throwing like girls” when he thought they were demonstrating a lack of intensity in drills.The Regulator also found the “Western Storm” comment started as a private joke with another coach and acknowledged it had been picked up and used by the players. In the context of the ECB’s objective to make cricket the most inclusive sport in the country, this was determined as an aggravating factor considering Bradburn’s influence on the team culture in his role as head coach. Such comments were not made when in the company of Western Storm players or coaches.Bradburn admitted the charge of bringing the game into disrepute – a breach of Regulation 3.3 of the Professional Conduct Regulations 2024 – with The Regulator accepting he did not intend to cause offence with his words.CDC adjudicator Tim O’Gorman issued Bradburn with a reprimand, a caution as to his future conduct, a requirement to attend an appropriate course on discrimination and EDI – with either the Professional Cricketers Association or the New Zealand Players Association – and a suspended fine of £500.The punishment handed down reflects the fact Bradburn never denied making the offending statements and co-operated fully with the investigation, and unreservedly apologised for any offence taken. The scale of the fine also reflects the fact Bradbun had already paid a significant price for his actions having lost his coaching role with Glamorgan.Director of The Cricket Regulator Chris Haward said: “There is no place for discrimination in cricket and normalisation of discriminatory language through this kind of conduct is unacceptable. Where such instances are identified they will be investigated and those responsible will be held to account.”The Regulator fully endorses the CDC’s observation that the culture in any organisation is heavily influenced by those who lead that organisation and so it is especially incumbent on all senior leaders to set the right tone. In this instance, Grant Bradburn failed to meet expectations.”The Regulator would like to thank Glamorgan for their assistance in this matter and praise the openness and courage of those who reported this misconduct.”Removing discrimination from the game is a priority for the Cricket Regulator. We recognise that it takes a lot of courage for those impacted to come forward. We are committed to investigating thoroughly and expeditiously when allegations are raised with us, whether current or in the past.”In a statement released by Glamorgan, chief executive officer Dan Cherry commented: “Glamorgan Cricket acknowledges and welcomes this decision by the Cricket Discipline Committee.”We have a zero-tolerance policy towards discriminatory behaviour so as soon as issues were pointed out to us we acted swiftly to protect those affected and show a strong line against poor behaviours that do not reflect the Club’s values.”We’re confident that the systems and processes we have in place to identify poor behaviour are working by virtue of the fact that those affected felt able to come forward on these points.”Bradburn had overseen Glamorgan’s success in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup during his sole season in charge. The county also finished sixth in both Division Two of the County Championship and the T20 Blast South Group.

Australia are hopeful Ellyse Perry will be fit to bat on day two of the women’s Ashes Test at the MCG after she suffered a corked hip while fielding on the opening day.Perry landed heavily on her left hip after diving to flick a ball back on the rope during the afternoon session. She left the field shortly after and did not return for the last two hours of England’s first innings.Australia batted for 22 overs under lights after bowling England out for 170 and lost debutant opener Georgia Voll but Perry did not walk out at No.3 despite being eligible to bat because her injury was external.Annabel Sutherland instead joined Phoebe Litchfield with the Australian team confirming that Perry would not bat on the first night and would instead be assessed ahead of day two with hopes she will be fine to bat when required.Meanwhile, Nat Sciver-Brunt said the mood was “positive” in the England camp after yet another capitulation with the bat. Sciver-Brunt played a lone hand, top-scoring with 51 as England were bowled out for 170 having been sent into bat. It could have been a lot worse had Australia not missed six chances in the field.Sciver-Brunt’s body language gave hints of exasperation, but she was measured with her words after Australia had cruised to 56 for 1 at stumps.”Positive,” Sciver-Brunt said. “Obviously, we would have liked a few more runs but I think with the ball, we did what we wanted to do. We didn’t go chasing anything. We had great energy throughout and tried to build consistent areas and let the ball and the wicket do the talking. So, yeah, I thought we did that. We did that really well.”Alana King however continues to torment England. Australia’s legspinner claimed 4 for 45 on the opening day, including Sciver-Brunt, although she could have had her twice and picked up at least two more as four chances went begging off King’s bowling alone.King now has 18 wickets for the entire multiformat series at 11.33, including Sciver-Brunt three times.Sciver-Brunt was the only England batter to pass 30•AFP/Getty Images

“She’s bowled pretty consistent areas, and obviously got quite a bit of turn actually throughout the series,” Sciver-Brunt said. “And I think the fact that when it does turn, it’s not always the same amount every time. Some might skid, some might turn and bounce. So yeah, that makes it quite tricky when the stumps are always kept in play.”Despite being bowled by King playing back to her for the second time in the series, Sciver-Brunt said England’s plans hadn’t changed too much throughout the series.”I think playing her off the back foot as much as possible, and just, I guess reacting to the ball,” Sciver-Brunt said. “She does toss the odd one up as well, so being confident to use our feet as well. But yeah, she bowled pretty well today.”King was thrilled to take four wickets after bowling 23 overs unchanged from the Shane Warne stand end at the MCG. She hoped her hero was watching from on high.”Bowling from the Shane Warne stand end is something that is the first time I’ve ever done playing, obviously, here since the stand has been named after him,” King said. “So pretty nostalgic. He’s obviously taking plenty of poles at the MCG for fun, so yeah, all I can say is hopefully he’s smiling down and having a couple of beers and enjoying a few ripping past the outside edge.”It’s pretty cool. Loved playing at the MCG. I’ve played a few games here. It’s home for me. Loved playing Test cricket here and to bowl a whole session was pretty cool. Can’t get much better than that.”

India are not going to take a punt on Mohammed Shami unless they are “not 100%, but 200% sure” about his fitness to fly him to Australia, captain Rohit Sharma has said. Rohit has placed the onus of the decision entirely on the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, formerly known as the National Cricket Academy (NCA), for clarity on where Shami’s fitness stands.Shami has returned to domestic cricket since his ankle surgery kept him out of action for nearly a year and will next play the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy for Bengal starting December 21.”About Shami, I think it’s high time somebody from NCA talks about him, where he is rehabbing,” Rohit said at the press conference in Brisbane after the third Test ended in a draw. “Those guys are the ones who need to come up and give us some kind of update.Related

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“I understand he’s playing a lot of cricket back home, but there have been some complaints about his knee as well. So, look, the last thing you want is the player coming here and then pulling out in the middle of the game. You know what happens when that kind of thing happens.”So, there is no way we want to take that chance unless we are like, not 100%, 200% sure, we’re not going to take any risk. But yeah, like I said in the last press conference, the door is open if those guys at the NCA feel that he is okay to go and recover and play, we’ll be happy to have him.”Shami has been under the Centre of Excellence’s watch ever since he underwent surgery ankle surgery in London this February. He had been on track for a comeback during the home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand and had even bowling full tilt prior to the start of India’s domestic season in August but aggravated a knee problem while at rehab, which forced the BCCI to take a more cautious approach.Over the past month, Shami has elicited talks over his impending Test return at some stage of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after featuring in every single domestic game for his state side Bengal since he regained match fitness. This includes one Ranji Trophy game, where he picked up seven wickets, as well as nine T20 outings in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).Since his return to the domestic fold, Shami had been under full-time monitoring by Nitin Patel, the Centre of Excellence’s head of sports science. This team, headed by Patel, has been travelling around the country to take stock of his progress and apprise the board and team management of his progress.As things stand, Shami is yet to fully receive the BCCI’s nod as he is believed to have complained of some swelling in his knees during the T20 competition, which Rohit touched upon following India’s loss in Adelaide.At the time, however, the Bengal team management is understood to have received no specific requests over Shami’s workload and he subsequently played, most recently the SMAT quarter-final last week where Bengal were knocked out by Baroda. Shami picked up nine wickets in 11 games at an economy rate of 7.85, with a best of 3 for 21 against Hyderabad.Shami’s participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy could help ascertain his readiness possibly for the Champions Trophy with time running out for him to be available for the last two Australia Tests.

Rishabh Pant’s dismissal in India’s fourth-innings chase has emerged as a potentially match-turning moment in the Mumbai Test. He was given out caught bat-pad, with DRS overturning the on-field umpire’s decision, and India captain Rohit Sharma is not sure if that was the right call. Pant stood between New Zealand and a historic 3-0 series sweep with 64 off 57 balls, and before his dismissal India were 106 for 6, their target 41 runs away. New Zealand eventually won by 25 runs.”About that dismissal, I honestly, I don’t know,” Rohit said after the match. “If we say something, it is not accepted well. But if there is not conclusive evidence, it has to stand with the umpire’s on-field decision. That is what I have been told. So I don’t know how that decision was overturned, since the umpire didn’t give him out.Related

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“The bat was clearly close to the pad. So, again, I don’t know if it is the right thing for me to talk about. It is something for the umpires to think about. Have the same rules for every team, not keep changing their mind.”New Zealand had already missed a chance to review an lbw shout against Pant earlier in the day, when India were 59 for 5. Replays returned three reds on that incident. Then, in the 22nd over, Ajaz Patel twice went up in appeal against Pant. Once for a catch at slip. The on-field decision was not-out, and DRS upheld it.Two balls later, Ajaz spotted Pant charging out of his crease, pulled his length back, and forced the batter into a defensive prod. Pant had enjoyed a lot of success when he had come down the track in this innings, often hitting the ball straight and hard to the boundary. Here he had little choice but to try and adjust, and the ball lobbed off him, into the keeper’s gloves. Ajaz and the close-in fielders thought there had been an inside edge onto his front pad. Umpire Richard Illingworth didn’t. New Zealand captain Tom Latham sent it upstairs for a review.Rishabh Pant walks back, unhappy with the third umpire’s decision•AFP/Getty Images

A spike appeared on UltraEdge when the ball seemed to pass the bat. But the bat and pad were also in close proximity at the same time, which meant the spike could have come from the bat brushing the pad.When the replays came up on the big screen, New Zealand began celebrating. Pant looked completely unflustered until this point – he’d performed a double glove-touch with his batting partner Washington Sundar as soon as New Zealand went up to review; it was their last remaining review. Now he walked over to the on-field officials with his hand extended.Third umpire Paul Reiffel, in making his judgment, noted that the spike could have been from bat hitting pad. But then, after further replays and rocking-and-rolling of the moment where bat, pad and ball were close together, he changed his mind based on what he thought was a deflection at the moment the ball passed the bat.Latham explained New Zealand’s thinking about the dismissal at the post-match press conference. “A few of us heard two noises, and I guess when you review in that situation you leave it up to the umpire’s hands,” he said. “We can’t necessarily see the footage that the third umpire gets so that’s certainly out of our control in terms of what that may look like. We obviously heard a couple of noises and decided to take the review and obviously it fell on the right side for us so that’s obviously up to the umpires. It’s out of our control.”New Zealand had reduced India to 29 for 5 on a rank turner and looked heavy favourites to win. But Pant managed to turn the tide for a while and Rohit felt his wicket had a huge impact on the game. “That dismissal actually was very, very crucial from our point of view. Rishabh was really looking good at that point. And it felt like he will take us through. But it was an unfortunate dismissal. Got out and then we were bowled out right after that.”

A blistering Lizelle Lee backed up a record century with another ton, becoming the first player to score hundreds in consecutive WBBL matches.The Hobart Hurricanes opener cracked 103 off 59 deliveries as her side beat a struggling Adelaide Strikers outfit by 28 runs. Lee’s knock, which featured 13 fours and four sixes, came after she notched the highest-ever WBBL score of 150 not out against Perth Scorchers on Sunday.Hurricanes posted 191 for 2 and restricted the last-placed Strikers to 163 for 3 to jump to the top of the ladder with three matches in hand before finals.South Africa’s Lee, who retired from international cricket in 2022, had to change bats after hitting a six in the second over. She was dropped twice in the 20s off the spin of Anesu Mushangwe in the fourth over and made Strikers pay dearly. She brought up her half century off just 35 balls with a six before reaching triple figures in the 14th over with a boundary.Lee was run out in the next over at the non-striker’s end after a ball touched bowler Jemma Barsby’s hand and ricocheted into the stumps. Across the past two matches, Lee has hit 253 off 134 balls with 25 fours and 16 sixes. She also equaled Alyssa Healy with the most WBBL centuries.Lee was supported well by Nicola Carey, who made an unbeaten 64 off 46 balls, and skipper Elyse Villani’s 23 not out from 14 at the death.Smriti Mandhana got Strikers’ chase off to a flying start, but when the India international fell to Lauren Smith in the eighth over her side’s chances dipped.Young legspinner Amy Smith put the breaks on Strikers in the middle overs and finished with an impressive 1 for 16 from four overs. South African import Laura Wolvaardt was unbeaten with 63 off 40 but it wasn’t enough.

There is some uncertainty around the conditions that the second Test between India and Bangladesh will be played in with representatives from both teams admitting that they didn’t know which pitch will be used.”To be honest, I don’t know which surface we are going to play on yet,” India batting coach Abhishek Nayar said on Thursday afternoon, which followed similar thoughts expressed by Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe on Wednesday.”Yes I had a look at [the pitch],” Hathurusinghe had said, “But the groundsman has prepared two pitches. We don’t know on which we will play on. Tomorrow we will find out.”During Wednesday’s training session, India captain Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir had a look at the two pitches that have been prepared for this Test match. They seemed to spend a little more time looking at the drier of the two black-soil surfaces.Related

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Indications are it might start as a good batting surface before taking slow and low turn from the third day onwards. But the weather in the week of the Test match might complicate matters. It’s overcast and there are thunder storms expected on the first three days of the game, which may slow down the natural wear and tear that helps subcontinental pitches become spin-friendly. There was some rain after India’s training session ended on Thursday as well and the groundstaff were quick to get the square covered.India, as a result, are waiting until the morning of the Test to finalise their XI, specifically whether they need an extra spinner instead of the extra seamer they used on Chennai’s red-soil surface.”Both the pitches look pretty good,” Nayar said. “Kanpur is always known to have good pitches. I am not sure about the bounce yet. I think, with the conditions and the forecast, it is going to be interesting as to how when we turn up to go in the morning, the conditions are. I think a lot will depend on that because as you know in Test wicket, conditions can be a huge factor in how the pitch plays. So it is too early for us to judge and decide or have any sort of thought process on the pitch or the conditions. But we are hoping we come in tomorrow to a sunny day and not an overcast Kanpur.”India lead the series 1-0 and if they go in with a spinner over a seamer, their choice will be between local boy Kuldeep Yadav, who had an outstanding series against England at the start of the year, and Axar Patel, whose ability to relentlessly attack the stumps can come in quite handy if there is low bounce. Axar joined R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the last Test that India played in Kanpur, against New Zealand in 2021, which went into the fifth day with the visitors holding onto their last wicket and drawing the game.