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AB de Villiers “absolutely” wants to lead South Africa in the 2019 World Cup despite being part of another failed campaign in an ICC event because he thinks he can be the man to oversee a change in South Africa’s fortunes.”Because I’m a good captain. And I can take this team forward. I can take us to win a World Cup, I believe,” de Villiers said, after the defeat against India at The Oval. “I believed the same thing over here in this tournament and the last one here but that’s what I believe. I love doing it.”De Villiers has captained South Africa’s limited-overs’ sides since 2011 and while he gave up the T20 reins in 2013, he remains the ODI skipper. Overall, he has played in 13 ICC events, dating back to the Champions Trophy in 2006, and captained in five but his first-hand knowledge of South Africa’s litany of unsuccessful attempts to take home a trophy has not provided him with any answers to explain why they have yet to come out on top.”We’ve covered all the bases. There’s no doubt about that,” he said. “We’ve had camp after camp. And we’ve worked really, really hard on the nets, and we back each other, we trust each other, and for some reason, things like that just keep happening.”Although de Villiers admitted that it was a “very poor batting performance” that saw South Africa slip from 76 without loss to 191 all out against India, he denied that they panicked.”I felt the team was pretty composed today. I don’t think we lost it there with composure. A few errors of judgement, a few mistakes out there cost us badly today,” he said. “It’s not going to do with composure in my eyes. I felt pretty calm with the team all the time. We played some good shots and then just a couple of bad, errors of judgement out there cost us.”And he did not attribute those mistake to any mental bogey-men but mused that maybe the nature of multi-team tournaments demanded too much of South Africa. “It wasn’t a mental thing. We just didn’t play well,” he said. “Tournaments are a little bit different. You play different teams all the time on different venues, so it’s a big challenge. No one said it’s going to be easy. But we do come up short for some reason in tournaments like this, and it is pretty sad.”I can’t explain to you exactly what happens. I think you saw it out there today. It was just a very poor batting performance. It has nothing to do with the energy or the intensity or the belief in the team. We felt we had a great chance today. We came here to win the game of cricket. And then we just unraveled as a side out there.”The manner of that unraveling – the speed and the shot selection and the sheer stun-value of three run-outs by one of the most athletic teams on the international circuit — is what disappointed de Villiers most. “The way we lost was the most disappointing part of it. We were really in a good position there with the batting end early on, and through soft dismissals we lost our way and that was the part for me that hurt the most,” he said.Pain is something South Africa, and de Villiers, have experienced a lot of. At the moment it is preventing him from being able to form a clear picture of where things went wrong and how they can be done better next time, when he intends to lead again.”I’m not thinking about the next one now,” he said. “We just sort of want to go get through this hurt now, because it’s hurting quite bad. I’ve not thought about what we are going to think about our next tournament.De Villiers would not be drawn into discussing whether he thinks anything should change before the next competition, except his own insistence that he will remain captain. Pushed on whether he saw a need for “more radical shake-up” de Villiers said: “That’s a question that can only be answered by people who are in control of making radical decisions. That’s not my decision. We’ll have to wait and see what people out there want to decide or whoever is in control of making those kind of decisions. I don’t think we are a bad cricket team.”They’re not. South Africa came into this event ranked No.1 in the world. For that reason, perhaps, de Villiers does not think that they getting further away from eventually winning an event. “I must be very honest with you – not a lot of people believe me but I feel it’s pretty close. I don’t think it feels far away,” he said. “It’s very difficult to say that after a performance like this, but that’s what I believe in my heart. I believe we’re the very close unit. There’s more than enough talent, and we’ve just got to get it right when it matters most.”

It won’t rank up there with the most cutting of barbs between Ashes rivals, but Jos Buttler admitted it would be “nice” to knock Australia out of the Champions Trophy when the sides meet at Edgbaston on Saturday.England go into the match knowing they are secure in the semi-finals and inked in for a return to Cardiff where they toppled New Zealand. For Australia, their concerns are more immediate.There are scenarios involving a washout between New Zealand and Bangladesh and net run-rate where Australia, by the skin of their teeth, could go through even if they lose to England. But the only way to be sure is to win. If there is a positive result on Friday, for a few hours at least, England will have large swathes of either New Zealand or Bangladesh supporters in their corner.The Ashes are still five months away, but an early shot across the bows would leave England feeling even better about themselves, not to mention removing one of the pre-tournament favourites. And if history is any guide, it favours them. In both the 2004 and 2013 tournaments they toppled Australia at Edgbaston.The 2004 semi-final was a crucial building-block for a side that was beginning to believe they would be able to go toe-to-toe the following summer – in what became the era-defining 2005 Ashes – while, in 2013, the victory set in motion an unravelling of Australia’s fortunes, with David Warner later taking a swing at Joe Root in the Birmingham Walkabout, and Mickey Arthur being sacked a few weeks later before the Ashes had even begun.Asked about the prospect of ending Australia’s tournament, Buttler said: “Yes, it would be nice. We will not think too much about that. We want to win, keep our momentum going no matter who we are playing, but it is always nice to know that would be the outcome if we did win.”We now know we have qualified for the semi-finals but we want to be going there on the back of a win and we will be desperate to do that on Saturday. We have got some good memories of playing there. It is a ground we like playing at, which is one of the advantages of being at one, isn’t it?”On a personal level, Buttler will enter the match on the back of his most significant innings of the year. His unbeaten 61 off 48 balls ensured England, as is almost the norm now, passed 300 having threatened to fade away as New Zealand made regular inroads.The highlight of the innings was the wind-assisted scoop off Trent Boult which almost took out a cameraman on the gantry at the River Taff end but, until that shot, it had been a restrained display of around a run a ball. At one stage he had 38 off 36 deliveries, then his final 12 balls – which included the scoop – earned 23, and it could have been more if he had been able to make better use of the final over.It was Buttler’s second half-century in three innings, following his 65 not out against South Africa at the Ageas Bowl, and has quickly quietened any whispers about his form following lean series against India and West Indies in which he mustered 80 in six innings.”I think maybe in the India and West Indies series I was short of runs. Going away to the IPL, I felt in fantastic form and then, since I have been back, I have scored a couple of fifties in three or four games and now I feel in good form,” he said.”The wicket was slow with such a big boundary, I was trying to run twos as much as possible and I did not find the boundary as much as I am used to. We couldn’t quite throw caution to the wind because we kept losing wickets, so I had to take that responsibility to bat until the end to ensure we got up to 300.”

ScorecardChris Liddle’s five wickets stymied Kent’s run chase•Getty Images

Chris Liddle turned Gloucestershire’s Royal London Cup tie against Kent on its head as they claimed an unlikely win over Kent by 12 runs in glorious Bristol sunshine.Michael Klinger’s 134 looked to have paved the way for a challenging Gloucestershire total after they have been asked to bat first. But a flurry of late wickets saw Matt Coles finish with 4 for 57 and hosts restricted to 275 for 8, no more than a par score in the conditions.It didn’t look like enough as Daniel Bell-Drummond followed up his tons against Somerset and Sussex with 90 off 108 balls. With Sean Dickson and Sam Northeast lending good support, Kent looked to be cruising.But Liddle had other ideas and, from 200 for 2 in the 39th over, he bowled a telling spell from the Ashley Down Road End as the visitors collapsed spectacularly, closing on 264 for 9.The win was Gloucestershire’s second in the competition and kept alive their slim hopes of a top three finish in the South Group, while Kent must accept elimination before the knockout stage, having won only one of their first five games.Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson said: “It wasn’t until late in the day that I felt we had a chance of winning. I’ll take the victory even though I’m not quite sure how it happened.”It was a battle and Chris changed the game with one spell. He varied his pace really well was smart in how he bowled his cutters.”We kept going and once we got a sniff we were good enough to capitalise on it. It keeps us in the competition and makes Friday’s home game with Somerset even more appetising.”Klinger could hardly have done more, reaching his 16th List A hundred off 123 balls to help take the home side’s score to 260 for 3 before he was out.The 36-year-old Australian hit three of his sixes into the flats at the Ashley Down Road End of the Brightside Ground, his favourite one-day shot at the venue, and progressed with increasing assurance on an excellent batting pitch.Chris Dent and Ian Cockbain shared useful partnerships, but when Klinger was caught at deep mid-wicket off Joe Denly it signalled a rapid transformation in fortunes.Far from building on their captain’s efforts with some big hitting at the end, Gloucestershire lost five wickets in less than two overs as Coles and James Harris put themselves on hat-tricks.With the sun still shining in a cloudless sky, a target of 276 did not appear looked likely to test Kent’s strong batting line-up.They lost Joe Denly to a careless shot off Liddle with the total on 64, but Bell-Drummond, who survived a couple of early scares, and Dickson then put together a stand of 89 in 17.3 overs.Dickson perished the ball after reaching a 62-ball half-century, picking out George Haskins at deep mid-wicket to give left-arm spinner Tom Smith a wicket. By the time Bell-Drummond was brilliantly caught low down by Klinger at extra-cover off Liddle, Kent had posted 200 and needed a further 76 from 11.4 overs.Northeast was established and playing well. His fourth six, over long-on off Jack Taylor was one of the biggest of the match.Darren Stevens was visibly angry with himself when caught behind off Liddle trying to run the ball down to third-man and at 217 for 4, Kent were suddenly far from comfortable.Soon it was Northeast trudging back to the pavilion having smashed Liddle straight to long-on where Jack Taylor took the catch. From looking in total command, the visitors were suddenly under pressure at 220 for 5.More poor shots accounted for Matt Coles and Alex Blake and Gloucestershire sensed their chance. The Kent tail-enders flailed wildly without success and the game headed for an unlikely outcome.

Quinton de Kock “knew straightaway” that he would come up against Jeetan Patel, but instead of dreading facing the offspinner who had dismissed him in his last four innings, de Kock was “not at all” anxious. Quite the opposite.”I was looking forward to the battle again,” de Kock said.Patel was brought on to bowl the last over before lunch, nine balls after de Kock had arrived at the crease, and de Kock decided he would not be done in. “I have played against so many offspinners in my life. I know Jeetan is a good bowler and he has me four out of four but I knew I could still get on top of him if I just put my head down,” de Kock said. “It happened today, so it was nice to finally get one over him.”Not only did de Kock survive Patel, but he also combined with Temba Bavuma to wrest the advantage in South Africa’s favour.”We knew the pressure was on us. The mindset was to somehow shift the pressure onto them. I didn’t want to get bogged down, so the only way forward that I knew was to play my natural game,” de Kock said. “I was obviously a little bit more aggressive than usual, but it was something that needed to be done.”Bavuma and de Kock scored 114 runs in 28 overs in the second session as the surface eased.”As conditions flattened out, they made the most of it and played well,” New Zealand fast bowler Neil Wagner conceded. “Full credit to de Kock and Bavuma, who showed lot patience and grafted through that period. You expect that from a quality team.”While de Kock already regarded South Africa’s 81-run lead as good enough and anything more “a bonus,” Wagner said New Zealand were “pretty happy with the position they are in.” Southerly winds are set to pick up on Saturday, which will make bowling tough for South Africa, and if New Zealand can make sure they set a decent target, Wagner hopes Patel can still have a say – if not on de Kock, then on the outcome of the match.”If it’s a southerly and quite cold, it’s going be tough work [to bowl]. It’s quite hard to control your length and line at times,” Wagner said. “I think Jeets [Patel] is definitely in the game. It does tend to bounce here and the footmarks deteriorate. It depends on how it deteriorates but Jeets definitely has a big role for us in the second innings.”

Allrounder Solomon Mire, who has played 10 ODIs for Zimbabwe, most recently at the 2015 World Cup, has made himself available for international duty. Zimbabwe Cricket have included him in the squad to play Afghanistan in a five-match ODI series that starts next Thursday. Mire, who has been playing grade cricket in Australia since the end of the World Cup, will bolster a Zimbabwe squad that is desperate for fixtures ahead of next year’s qualification for the 2019 World Cup.Mire is accompanied by another allrounder Elton Chigumbura, who has kept his place despite a poor tri-series in which he scored only nine runs in three matches and did not bowl. Whether Chigumbura’s allround ability will be needed in an XI that welcomes back a key strike bowler is yet to be seen.Tendai Chatara, who last played an international in June 2016, has returned to full fitness after recovering from a leg injury and will likely form one half of the new-ball pair with Chris Mpofu.Zimbabwe have left out seven players from the squad that reached the final of the tri-series. Chamu Chibhabha, Tendai Chisoro, Hamilton Masakadza, Brian Chari, Carl Mumba, Tinashe Panyangara and Sean Williams all miss out with Mire, Chatara, Wellington Masakadza and two uncapped players, Ryan Burl and Nathan Waller, included. Burl is a left-hand batsman fresh off a a century and two fifties against Afghanistan A, while Waller is an allrounder and cousin of Malcolm.Two more players will be added to the group after this weekend’s round of Pro50 matches.Zimbabwe do not have anything on their calendar until a tour to Sri Lanka in mid-2017 and have not played international cricket since a triangular series featuring Sri Lanka and West Indies in November. ESPNcricinfo understands they are in talks to host Scotland and West Indies in June and October respectively in a bid to fill up their calendar, which has also seen a dearth of domestic fixtures.Zimbabwe were due to have a bumper home season with 12 rounds of Logan Cup first-class fixtures, List A matches and a club competition but the Logan Cup has been delayed several times. It will be pushed back further with this weekend’s fixtures moved to later in the month, but with good reason. The Pro50 Championship will be played instead, in preparation for the Afghanistan series.Zimbabwe squad: Graeme Cremer (capt), Peter Moor (wk), Ryan Burl, Tarisai Musakanda, Sikandar Raza, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Wellington Masakadza, Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chatara, Christopher Mpofu, Nathan Waller, Craig Ervine, Solomon Mire.

Match facts

January 25, 2016
Start time 1800 local (1600 GMT)

Big Picture

South Africa do not agree (which team that squanders a lead ever does?) but this is the way the series was supposed to end: with everything to play for in the final fixture. After weeks of one-way traffic, Sri Lanka came good in the second T20 and have finally asked South Africa questions they could not answer. All of them were about spin.On a subcontinental-style surface in Johannesburg, Lakshan Sandakan spun circles around South Africa’s line-up and played his part in dismissing them for their third-lowest T20 score. On the same strip, Imran Tahir caused problems but Aaron Phangiso and Jon-Jon Smuts did not prove adequate back-up. That’s exactly why South Africa have demanded they don’t see anything like the Wanderers track at home again.Newlands should have the same pace and bounce that South African strips are known for, but that’s no reason for Sri Lanka to think their chances of a coup are dimmed. Their quicks have had success in these conditions and their batsmen have been here long enough to have learned to adapt. Against the least experienced XI they will face on this tour, this is the ideal chance for them to leave with a trophy.South Africa’s experimental squad has presented some promising players like paceman Lungi Ngidi but their batting has relied on older hands. Now, the oldest, AB de Villiers, is back and many of their hopes of winning this series will rest on him. But de Villiers has had other things on his mind of late, chiefly how he will fit back into the national side. This match will be a test case and the conclusion may lie in where the trophy ends up.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: LWWLW
Sri Lanka: WLLLL

In the spotlight

All eyes will be on AB de Villiers as he makes an international comeback after an elbow injury that sidelined him for six months. De Villiers showed he still has it (and then some) with an unbeaten 134 off 103 in a provincial List A game on Sunday, and he will use this T20 to gear up for the ODIs that follow. He was in the nets on Tuesday and seemed to be hitting balls with his usual power but, rather than his batting, the way he fits into a team for which he has not played since June 2016 will be interesting. South Africa have enjoyed success in Tests and ODIs in de Villiers’ absence (they have not played T20s) but no team would turn down one of the best in the world and he may be keen to remind them, and the cricketing world, what they have been missing.After almost botching a small chase on Sunday, Sri Lanka’s mindset will be in the spotlight as they attempt to take a trophy from South Africa for the first time in the series. Resolve will be more important than technique in what is effectively a final, and they will need to put the troubles they’ve had on this tour as far out of their minds as they can. That may be more difficult to do than they would have liked because they are without captain Angelo Mathews, who had a torrid time in the Tests but was faring much better in the shortest format. If his batsmen show staying power and his bowlers operate as well as they did in Johannesburg, Mathews may not be too upset to miss out.

Teams news

De Villiers’ return, most probably in the No.3 position, will displace one of Jon-Jon Smuts or Theunis de Bruyn, which also means Reeza Hendricks is unlikely to get a look in at all this series. Dane Paterson could make his debut on his home ground, with South Africa likely to use only one specialist spinner.South Africa 1 Jon-Jon Smuts/Theunis de Bruyn, 2 Heino Kuhn, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 David Miller, 5 Farhaan Behardien (capt), 6 Mangaliso Mosehle (wk), 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Dane Paterson 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Imran TahirMathews’ injury-enforced absence means Sri Lanka will have to upset a winning combination. Dinesh Chandimal will lead in Mathews’ absence and, with Danushka Gunathilaka also injured, Sri Lanka may have to go into the game a batsmen short. Suranga Lakmal, who was rested in Johannesburg, could be back in search of a series win.Sri Lanka 1 Niroshan Dickwella, 2 Dhananjaya de Silva, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (capt, wk), 5 Asela Gunaratne, 6 Seekkuge Prasanna, 7 Thikshila de Silva, 8 Nuwan Kulasekera 9 Laskan Sandakan, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Isuru Udana

Pitch and conditions

Two days after the event, stand-in captain Farhaan Behardien was still unhappy with the Wanderers’ slow, dry surface which he blamed, in part, for undoing South Africa’s efforts to seal the series before they got to Cape Town. “I have no idea what happened at the Bullring – anyone who watches cricket saw that it wasn’t a traditional Wanderers wicket. We haven’t gotten to the bottom of that just yet,” he said. Newlands’ curator Evan Flint will be careful not to produce anything similar. A surface with pace and bounce is expected, although Tuesday’s light drizzle may not have allowed it to bake as much as South Africa would like. Wednesday is set to be warm and fairly windy but it shouldn’t keep crowds away.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have never won a series, in any format, in South Africa. This is their first bilateral T20 rubber in the country.
• South Africa have only won one of their last seven T20 series at home, against England last summer. Before that, they were beaten by Australia, West Indies and Pakistan and drew against New Zealand and Pakistan.

Quotes

“We played well below par on Sunday and we nearly pulled off a win. We are very optimistic but we are not underestimating Sri Lanka or taking them lightly. It is essentially a final and there’s lots of pressure attached to finals. A lot of the guys have played finals domestically and I am sure they will relish the opportunity tomorrow.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIsh Sodhi returned the second-best figures in the tournament’s history•Getty Images

Sydney Thunder needed to win against Adelaide Strikers to keep their Big Bash League title defence – which, at one stage, had looked stillborn – alive, a fortnight after Eoin Morgan’s famous last-ball six.In the end, after Strikers posted the highest score at Spotless Stadium, Thunder lost, and badly, ending their season. They were bundled out for 101, losing eight wickets for 22 runs in 29 balls, with six of them falling to the beguiling legspin of Ish Sodhi, who took 6 for 11 in 21 deliveries – the second-best figures in the tournament’s history.Slam Dunk, the old storyJason Gillespie has spent the season tearing what is left of his famous mane out at his team’s batting woes. Prior to this game, Ben Dunk and Brad Hodge had more than 240 runs each, but beyond them only Jake Weatherald had more than 100. Tim Ludeman fell early – to Carlos Brathwaite, leading to a brilliant celebr-appeal then that dab.They put on a stand of 92 from 55 balls. Dunk was dropped by Brathwaite at mid-on but went on to smash three sixes down the ground before being yorked by Shane Watson for 65. He ended his first season with Strikers with 364 runs and, in doing so, becomes the first player to make more than 350 runs in a BBL season twice; this was his third half-century to go with five thirties. Hodge also fell to Watson, caught at cow corner one ball after smoking it over that fielder’s head for six. He has indicated that he plans to carry on – whether with Strikers or not – and it’s easy to see why: his lowest score this season was 17.Ben Dunk set up Strikers’ total of 178 with a 40-ball 65•Cricket Australia

Five sixes, no foursThat’s Kieron Pollard’s style. Only Chris Gayle has more sixes in the history of T20 cricket than Pollard’s 437. He was instantly into his work, forehand-slapping Fawad Ahmed over long-on off his second ball, with just one hand on the bat. Then he knocked it about a bit, before hitting four more sixes from seven balls, then being run-out off the penultimate ball. Brathwaite was nailed over long-on, Clint McKay was crunched low and hard to deep midwicket, and Watson was hammered over square leg and long-on. He ended with his highest score of the tournament, and not a single four to his name.The golden armDespite their excellent total, Strikers looked a bit light on bowling. But then out came Michael Neser to start with a maiden at Kurtis Patterson, then Pollard, who bowled three overs in the powerplay, had James Vince caught behind thanks to a brilliant diving catch by the debutant wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Patterson rebuilt with Watson, who was starting to look in the mood, and Thunder were ahead of the rate. So Hodge turned to Jake Lehmann, who had never taken a professional wicket, but promptly had Watson caught at long-on to start the collapse. Hodge then tried another trick, giving himself an over, before Liam O’Connor bowled Patterson.The green bat and the Black CapWhether Brathwaite is a No. 5 in T20 is a question for another day. What he is is box office, and, as if to prove the point, out he ambled with a big green bat. But it did not do much damage, knocking just one single before he was done all ends up by Sodhi’s dip and turn, heaving wildly and missing by miles.Three balls later, Sodhi deceived Ben Rohrer, bowling him through a wildly unlatched gate. In his following over, Thunder lost three wickets in four balls to seal the deal. It was a mighty skilful showing from Sodhi.Where are they now?Out of finals contention. Both of them. Strikers’ win means that every team in this season’s BBL has won at least three of their eight group matches.

Scheduled pay meetings between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association have broken down, with the board claiming it is withdrawing from talks in order to prevent the players from being further embroiled.The two parties have been increasingly at odds over the past week, culminating in a bitter exchange over work conditions for female players that has led to CA being investigated by the FairWork Ombudsman.On Sunday emails between the ACA chief executive Alistair Nicholson and CA were leaked, with the strong suggestion that some clauses in women’s contracts were not altered because the ACA did not respond to CA. However the players association countered on Monday with claims to the contrary.”Cricket Australia is attempting to blame others for their own contracts,” Nicholson said. “Cricket Australia should stop blame-shifting and focus on resolving the issues in a constructive way. The suggestion that pregnancy guidelines were not issued because the ACA allegedly failed to communicate with CA is wrong on two counts. Firstly, we did communicate with CA and secondly the ACA does not currently have a right to veto female CA contracts or guidelines. To suggest so is just plain wrong.”As we have already stated publicly, the ACA was consulted regarding the pregnancy guidelines 18 months ago and expressed our concerns, as the published emails also show. The real reason the matter was not progressed to a satisfactory conclusion is because CA walked away from negotiations for a collective agreement with female cricketers. This meant the issue had to again be raised in our submission for a new MOU provided to CA five weeks ago.”Our submission highlights many of the great advances for female cricketers, for which we commend CA. It also rightly raises outstanding issues which must be addressed and we will continue to advocate for their satisfactory resolution in the current MOU negotiation.”Soon after, CA released a statement declaring it would not be attending meetings scheduled for this week. “Cricket Australia has determined that further discussions on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) should not be held this week, as intended,” the statement said.Cricket Australia is committed to a negotiation that is conducted in good faith between the two parties, but will not take part in a process which seeks to draw its players into a public dispute. Players deserve the opportunity to focus on the game, rather than being distracted by a negotiation that should be conducted in a professional and confidential manner.”Nicholson said the ACA was “extremely disappointed” at the breakdown of talks. “We are extremely disappointed Cricket Australia have walked away from the table, particularly so early in proceedings,” he said. “There are a number of very important issues for discussion, and these are best resolved at the bargaining table.”In our submission we highlight both the successes of Cricket Australia and also the need to have important and difficult conversations which involve critical issues for our members. We reject the implication of bad faith. We urge CA to return to the negotiating table for the benefit of the game.”In an earlier submission sent to all contracted players, CA’s team performance chief Pat Howard had warned against the players speaking publicly on MOU issues.”We will not debate this through the media — I do not want players becoming the meat in the sandwich as we saw at the ODI press conference last week,” Howard said. “This is a discussion about professional contracts that will not be helped by the media’s involvement. They want us to be divided, to turn this into a ‘bitter dispute’. That will only damage cricket and none of us wants that.”Howard was referring to a question asked of the captain Steven Smith and his deputy David Warner following the ODI series between Australia and New Zealand. That week the CA board had invited Smith, Warner and the coach Darren Lehmann to dinner with directors and management, at which CA’s views were expressed.”For us it was a good opportunity to meet the board and have a nice dinner with them and a good chat,” Smith had said of the dinner. “They took our points of view, we listened to them and it was nice to see everyone on the same page going forward and trying to get the best for our game moving forward.”CA’s submission to the players stated that the board no longer thinks all players should be eligible for a fixed percentage of Australian cricket revenue, preferring only to extend that right to the top 20 CA contracted players. It stated that the sustainability of domestic player wages was a problem.”International men are amongst the highest-paid sportsmen in Australia and CA believes this should remain the case in the future,” CA argued in its submission. “CA believes the players who contribute to financial returns should continue to share in those financial returns. CA believes retainers for international men should increase significantly compared to the retainers that were agreed on in the current MOU.”CA believes that international men continue to share in financial returns. International men contribute significantly to generating financial returns that are used to grow the game and should be rewarded accordingly.”State men’s payments are projected to be over 2.5 times the revenue generated by state men’s cricket in 2016/17. While state men’s cricket does not have the objective of generating financial returns, ongoing growth in player payments relative to the revenue generated by state men’s cricket is an issue of sustainability.”More broadly, CA alleged that maintaining the revenue sharing model would compromise efforts to better resource grass roots competitions and facilities. The board recently conducted an audit of all facilities around the country, and the chief executive James Sutherland has stated that finding adequate grounds was a problem for the expansion of the women’s game in particular. The CA chairman David Peever, a noted opponent of union involvement in the workplace during his time as managing director of the mining giant Rio Tinto’s Australian operations, has also pointed to further grass roots investment as key to his tenure.It is clear that CA would prefer to deal with the players directly, and the submission went as far as stating that the board no longer wished to provide an annual grant to the ACA, as has been the case since basics of the current pay model were thrashed out in 1997-98. “Given that Cricket Australia is an employer of the players and the Australian Cricketers Association is the collective bargaining agent for the players,” the submission stated, “we question the appropriateness of CA directly funding the ACA.”

Mahmudullah was celebrating his side’s four-run win over Chittagong Vikings, but the tension that was palpable when he was asked to defend six off the final over didn’t wear off even after the post-match presentation. The Khulna Titans captain said that his primary target was to keep Mohammad Nabi off strike but ended up taking his wicket off the last ball.This was the second time Mahmudullah sealed a tense win off the last over. In their first game against Rajshahi Kings, Mahmudullah took three wickets. Here too, he had three scalps and conceded just one run to take his side to No. 2 in the points table.”I don’t know, it just happened,” Mahmudullah said when asked about he managed to defend six runs all over again. “My hands are still sweating. I just tried to keep [Mohammad] Nabi off strike, but the Chaturanga [de Silva] wicket was also important. I got a lot of confidence after giving away a single off the first ball and then getting that wicket with the next ball.”I don’t want to bowl in the death overs but had to do so because my main bowlers had their spells finished. I have been successful on two occasions now, but it can be different in the next game. But I am ready to take the chance again.”But the emotion was contrasting in the Chittagong camp where captain Tamim Iqbal was livid. He didn’t single out anyone but he questioned the batsmen’s mindset after they wilted in the final over.”We will keep losing if we play this sort of cricket,” he said. “Maybe the batsmen doesn’t have problem with skill but there’s definitely something wrong in his head if he doesn’t understand something after sending 20 messages. We don’t deserve to play here if we have to do spoon feeding at this level. I don’t want to say the name, but I am talking about the batsmen.”He praised Mahmudullah’s nerve for bowling a tight final over of a chase, but said that it was for Chittagong’s to lose, and they did. “The match Riyad bhai won them, can only happen once every ten games. But he must be doing something right, now that he has done it twice,” he said. “Credit goes to him because he bowled well but I think we are more to blame for losing this game. We had two set batsmen in the middle with just six runs to win.”

Match facts

October 28-November 1, Dhaka
Start time 10.00am (0400GMT)3:40

Isam: Bangladesh have self-belief

Big picture

The fluctuating fortunes of the Chittagong Test will be a hard act to follow but, if Bangladesh continue to chase a win, the Dhaka Test could be another interesting affair. Having been beaten in an ODI series at home for the first time in two years, salvaging a drawn Test series with England would be the suitable finish for the home side.For that to happen, though, they need to do a few things properly. Bangladesh’s top seven is the strongest they have had in their history, which puts a lot of the onus on putting together a 400-plus total in the first innings to set up the game. It is an effort that is well within their grasp, particularly with their openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes showing good form.Both will be expected to put up at least one big partnership in this game, with Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim asked to make big on their starts, while Shakib Al Hasan must find a way to curb his recklessness. Sabbir Rahman, meanwhile, has recovered from stomach pain and can be expected to take on the second new ball while batting at No 7.England have also stuck with the top six that played in Chittagong. Ben Duckett is yet to show his wide-ranging skills while the more experienced Alastair Cook and Joe Root will expect to make runs in Dhaka. Gary Ballance could be a tense presence, fighting to extend his run in the side, but there won’t be the same issues with Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes, who had a brilliant game in Chittagong.Stokes’ ability to reverse the ball could sway the game towards England, though he will need support from Chris Woakes and Steven Finn, who has been confirmed as a replacement for the rested Stuart Broad. England’s spinners will ultimately have to do the bulk of the bowling, especially Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. Zafar Ansari has been confirmed for a Test debut, replacing Gareth Batty.The Bangladesh bowling attack will bear a similar look in Dhaka too, with Shakib leading the pack. He will be glad to have the support of Mehedi Hasan and Taijul Islam, though the pace bowling department looks bare. Shuvagata Hom, for once, seems like a better choice as a spinner.The batting skills to tackle spin and reverse swing, and DRS, could be the theme of this Test match too, though rain, thanks to Cyclone Kryant over the Bay of Bengal, could cause interruptions. If there’s a full game, the hope is that it pans out to be another good contest.Mushfiqur Rahim discusses the pitch with Mirpur curator Gamini Silva•AFP

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)Bangladesh LDDDL
England WLWWL

In the spotlight

Mehedi Hasan left a mark on his Test debut by finishing the game with seven wickets. His first-innings performance was immense as he showed his ability to turn the ball at great lengths, as well as bowl the one that goes straight with the arm. Mehedi, however, would like to contribute more with the bat.The Chittagong Test ultimately belonged to Ben Stokes, who came of age with a superb all-round performance. His use of reverse swing and his footwork and patience when batting against spin were particularly encouraging. England are certainly a more powerful line-up with Stokes.

Team news

Bangladesh will be looking at three different options to replace Shafiul Islam. They could still go with a two-man seam attack by picking Subashis Roy, who would be making his Test debut. But the place is also open for Soumya Sarkar to play as a second seamer though his variety would be of less quality, or they could go for Shuvagata, who hasn’t had a great Test record.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt/wk), 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Soumya Sarkar/Shuvagata Hom, 9 Mehedi Hasan, 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Kamrul Islam RabbiEngland are set to hand a Test debut to Ansari, while Finn will take Broad’s place – meaning he has to wait to make his 100th Test appearance. Ansari is replacing Batty as England look to give Rashid another chance despite his indifferent performance in Chittagong.England 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Joe Root, 4 Gary Ballance, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Zafar Ansari, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Steven Finn

Pitch and conditions

After the Chittagong pitch was hailed for challenging the batsmen and bowlers, there is much interest in the darker surface in Dhaka, which has traditionally favoured the batsmen. Even if it helps the spinners, there won’t be the dramatic turn and bounce of Chittagong. There is some rain in the forecast on the second and third day.

Stats and trivia

• Mushfiqur Rahim will become the third Bangladeshi after Habibul Bashar and Mohammad Ashraful to play 50 Tests.
• Mushfiqur will also become Bangladesh’s most experienced wicketkeeper, beating Khaled Mashud who kept wickets in 44 Tests. Mushfiqur will be keeping in his 45th game in Dhaka.
• Jonny Bairstow now has the most runs for a Test wicketkeeper in a calendar year, beating Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower who made 1045 runs in 2000.
• A 2-0 series win for England would lift them above Australia to No. 3 in the ICC rankings.

Quotes

“The Dhaka Test will be played on a different soil altogether. We don’t know how it will behave but I just want our spinners to take advantage from the wicket and for the batsmen to be more responsible.”
“It was always the plan to play Ansari in one Test here. He has the ability to take the ball away from the right-handers and I’ve seen in the nets is he can bowl at good pace with good control. He can also bat as well, which is good.”