Home side build lead worth 261 as Glamorgan attack toils in sunshine

ECB Reporters Network23-Aug-2024Anuj Dal led a strong Derbyshire batting display to put the home side in a commanding position on day two of the Vitality County Championship Division Two match against Glamorgan at Derby.Dal made 94 from 135 balls after Harry Came, with 84, and Wayne Madsen’s 70 put Derbyshire on course for a big first-innings total.Glamorgan spinner Ben Kellaway took his first wickets in first-class cricket, finishing with 3 for 59, while Mason Crane claimed 3 for 43 as Derbyshire were bowled out for 429, a lead of 261.Glamorgan were left with a tricky 12 overs to negotiate but they survived to close on 39 without loss, still 222 behind.It was a good day for batting with the County Ground bathed in sunshine which was a good sign for the overnight pair of Came and Madsen who proceeded in untroubled fashion to move past Glamorgan’s modest first innings.Ned Leonard again offered too much width which allowed Came to settle back into his innings by twice dispatching short balls to the point boundary.Glamorgan’s attack struggled to impose a measure of control with Madsen reaching his 50 off 88 balls and the stand was worth 130 when Came threw away the chance of a century.The opener came down the pitch to hit Kellaway back over his head but the bowler leapt to take an excellent catch at the second attempt to claim his maiden first-class wicket.He soon had a second as Madsen attempted a slog sweep but got under it and skied a simple catch to midwicket. That brought together the former Glamorgan pair of David Lloyd and Anuerin Donald, who was intent on taking the attack to the bowlers.He pulled Dan Douthwaite for six and crunched Kellaway through the covers to move to 28 from only 22 balls before a smart piece of wicketkeeping removed him two overs before lunch.Donald paddled Kellaway around the corner but Chris Cooke had anticipated the shot and moved across to take a fine catch at leg slip.Even so, it had been a productive morning for Derbyshire who led by 79 at the interval and they tightened their grip on the game in the second session.Lloyd was closing in on a half-century against his former team-mates when Crane got one to spin between bat and pad to take the off stump.Glamorgan’s hopes of wrapping up the innings quickly faded as Zak Chappell again showed how well he can bat by sharing a stand of 67 from 99 balls with Dal who straight drove Leonard for his sixth four to reach 50.By tea, the lead was over 200 but rather than give their bowlers a session to go at Glamorgan, Derbyshire batted on for another 18 overs, presumably to give Dal a chance of a century.Pat Brown stayed with him for 89 balls while another 48 runs were added but Dal fell short when he drove Crane to long-off.That left Glamorgan with an awkward period to get through and Kellaway enjoyed another landmark when he edged Chappell for four to open his account in the first-class game after three consecutive ducks.Chappell should have removed Billy Root in his next over but Donald spilled the chance at third slip and the pair stayed together to provide Glamorgan with some comfort at the end of another challenging day.

Bangladesh made just one change to the squad that sealed a 2-0 series win in Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2024Bangladesh made one change to their Test squad for the upcoming tour of India from their historic 2-0 series win in Pakistan, with uncapped batter Jaker Ali replacing fast bowler Shoriful Islam. Shoriful had suffered a groin injury during the first Test against Pakistan, and did not play the second.Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud and Khaled Ahmed make up Bangladesh’s pace attack in Shoriful’s absence.Yet to play a Test and ODI, Jaker has represented Bangladesh in 17 T20Is since making his debut at the Asian Games in 2023. He has played 49 first-class games, and averages 41.47 with four centuries.Selector Hannan Sarkar said that it was Shoriful’s groin injury that kept him out of the side, and the extra batter was included keeping in mind the Indian conditions.”Shoriful isn’t 100 per cent fit for Test matches. He would be required to bowl 15-20 overs so we didn’t want to take a risk,” Sarkar said. “Shoriful missed the second Test against Pakistan due to his injury. The physios and trainers are looking after him. He remains within the system. He is an important member of our white-ball team. We have a T20 series coming up against India.”Jaker’s recent good form, which included a 174 against Pakistan A in Islamabad, helped his cause. He was picked ahead of Shahadat Hossain, who has been Bangladesh’s go-to middle-order batter in the recent past in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan or Mushfiqur Rahim.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We picked Jaker Ali as a middle-order batter. We considered the conditions and opponents for this decision. We had taken five pacers in Pakistan, but we are taking four to India,” Sarkar said. “We had taken Dipu [Shahadat Hossain] in place of Shakib or Mushfiqur previously. I wouldn’t say he played really well, but he also didn’t do badly.”We have taken into account recent performance. Dipu played four-day matches in Australia and Pakistan. He isn’t in rhythm. His form is very important when he is going to play international matches. Dipu is part of our future plans. He is now preparing to play in the NCL.”Jaker can be a useful player in the longer version if you consider his record in domestic first-class cricket. He played a splendid innings in Pakistan recently, batting for a long time. This is what kept Jaker a step ahead.”Opening batter Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who missed the Pakistan Tests due to a groin niggle suffered during the four-day games between Pakistan A and Bangladesh A in the lead-up to the Test series, retains his place in the squad. However, Shadman Islam’s impressive showing in the first Test in Rawalpindi could see him keep his spot at the top alongside Zakir Hasan.The first Test against India begins on September 19 in Chennai, with the second one from September 27 onwards in Kanpur. Both games are part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, where India are currently placed on top, while Bangladesh are at No. 4 on the points table.

Bangladesh squad for India Tests

Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Taijul Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Nayeem Hasan, Khaled Ahmed

The Australia Test opener will take on the same role for his state in his first season since being replaced as captain having previously batted at No. 4

Alex Malcolm16-Sep-2024Usman Khawaja will open the batting for Queensland in the opening three Sheffield Shield rounds, having previously batted at No. 4 while being the Test opener, as new coach Johan Botha looks to create more stability in the Bulls’ middle-order following a disappointing season last summer.Despite being the Test opener, Khawaja had batted at No.4 in his last eight Shield games since last opening in February 2022 just after he had been elevated to open in the final Test of the 2021-22 Ashes series. Australia’s selectors have not been prescriptive in directing state teams to bat players in their Test positions in Shield cricket and have been happy to let Khawaja and others bat wherever they were needed at domestic level.Related

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• Morris hopeful of early Shield return despite 'frustrating' injury issues

However, New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd has asked for guidance from the national selectors regarding where to bat incumbent Test opener Steven Smith when he returns to play Shield cricket at the start of the summer, with conjecture continuing to swirl around his batting position in the Test team for the India series.Meanwhile, Michael Neser is set to be available for the start of the domestic season after overcoming a calf issue but Xavier Bartlett is expected to miss at least the first month after the side strain he picked up in the first T20I in Southampton. It’s understood there is hope he could be fit for the Pakistan limited-overs series in early November.Khawaja, who was Queensland captain last season, opted to bat at No. 4 in his four Shield games last summer and scored two centuries. But he and new Queensland skipper Marnus Labuschagne are only set to be available for the first three Shield games this summer before leaving to play in the five-Test series against India. Khawaja is unlikely to be available to play Shield cricket again until the end of the Sri Lanka Test tour in February while Labuschagne may not return to Queensland until the end of the Champions Trophy in March.Jack Clayton was Queensland’s leading Shield run-scorer last season and made two centuries at No. 4 when Khawaja was absent but had to bat at No. 5 when the Australian opener returned and finished the season at No. 3. The promising 25-year-old left-hander looks set to settle at No. 4 this season and Botha praised Khawaja for helping create some stability in the Bulls’ middle order.”I know Uzzie has a good record for Queensland at No. 4, but I had a chat to him and he understood what we’re trying to do with giving the younger guys a bit of stability through Nos. 4, 5, 6,” Botha told ESPNcricinfo.Michael Neser is currently on track to start the Shield season•Getty Images

“I think he realized that if he went in at No. 4 then we’ll have to change our line-up around. And he’s been great with that. He said, ‘I’ll do whatever the team needs,’ and we want him to open so he’s going to do that for us to start with. So that’s a nice result for us. We can have a bit of stability through our Nos. 4, 5, 6 when the [Test players] leave after the third game.”Khawaja is already in some fine touch having helped his Queensland premier cricket club Valley claim the T20 Max title last week before smashing 114 off 119 balls in Valley’s first 50-over match of the season against a South Brisbane attack featuring Bulls seamer Gurinder Sandhu.On the bowling front, Neser looks set to be available for the start of the season after recovering from a calf problem. He got through six overs in a practice game for Queensland against South Australia last week and bowled 10 overs for his club side Gold Coast on Saturday.”He’s in a good spot,” Botha said. “You never want to be injured. But I think it came at a good time where he could freshen up a bit. He was over at Hampshire. So in a way, it probably worked out well. If he starts the season and he goes well, then it’s obviously worked perfectly, but we’ll have to see how that start goes and manage that maybe a little bit. But at the moment, he’s in a good space. He’s fresh. He’s good to go and he’ll be a big player for us this summer.”There have been concerns building over Australia’s fast bowling depth ahead of the series against India with Neser’s calf issue among a host of injury worries. Scott Boland is managing a long-term knee complaint while Lance Morris is set for a slow return following a stress fracture in his back.Bartlett’s significant side strain along with injuries to other white-ball quicks Nathan Ellis (hamstring) and Riley Meredith (side) has stretched Australia on the tour of the UK while they try to carefully manage Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc ahead of a huge workload against India.

Nathan McAndrew took 5 for 38, including Matt Renshaw for 21, as South Australia claimed a 129-run win over Queensland at Allan Border Field

AAP23-Oct-2024South Australia 314 (Hunt 136, McInerney 51, Whitney 5-57) and 352 for 9 dec (Carey 123*, McSweeney 72) beat Queensland opener Matt Renshaw did himself no favours in his bid to push for the vacancy at the top of Australia’s Test batting order, dismissed cheaply on the final day of the Sheffield Shield clash with South Australia.Already an outsider for the India series after being overlooked for Australia A, Renshaw had begun the summer with scores of 6, 15 and 2 and needed a big total on the final day of the Shield match at Allan Border Field, won by the visitors by 129 runs after wicketkeeper Alex Carey and Nathan McAndrew starred.There appeared little need for Renshaw to play at McAndrew’s delivery wide of off stump, but he mistimed his cover drive and edged the ball straight to Carey after compiling 21 runs.Bulls skipper Marnus Labuschagne said Renshaw’s failures had not helped his Test cause, but added that all was not lost.”I certainly think it counts against him. If other guys are making runs and it is going to be a tight call, it is always going to work like that,” Labuschagne said.”That doesn’t mean he can’t bat well in the next two [Shield[ games and maybe change people’s opinions or views.”Test opener Usman Khawaja (39) joined Renshaw in the pavilion, also edging to Carey without kicking on as Queensland chased 359 for victory.Labuschagne (10) and Ben McDermott (0) were dismissed either side of lunch as the hosts stumbled to 79 for 4.Jack Clayton fought hard to make 91•Getty Images

Debutant Lachlan Hearne (44) and Jack Clayton (91) got the Bulls back into it with a 106-run stand for the fifth wicket.Wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson (10) was unlucky to be given out caught behind to a lifter from speedster McAndrew as South Australia turned the screws to bundle Queensland out for 229.McAndrew completed a stellar match after taking three wickets in the first innings and making a vital 46 in the second dig.Carey was named player of the match. His first-innings 42 followed by an unbeaten 123 stamped his class, and the Test gloveman snared 10 catches, including seven in the second innings.”He has been excellent for us since coming back from his Test duties,” South Australia captain Nathan McSweeney said.”Last week he scored a 90 and a hundred for us as well. The way he plays and the runs he makes are match-winning.”It is never easy coming up here to Queensland and winning. This game has been good for our team morale. After having a couple of tough years, hopefully it is the start of a good year for us.”

Jansen finished took 4 for 73 in the second innings to add to his tally of seven in the first

Firdose Moonda30-Nov-20242:56

Takeaways: Coetzee’s injury a real concern for SA

South Africa 191 (Bavuma 70, Asitha 3-44, Kumara 3-70) and 366 for 5 dec (Stubbs 122, Bavuma 113) beat Sri Lanka 42 (Jansen 7-13) and 282 (Chandimal 83, Dhananjaya 59, Jansen 4-73) by 233 runsSouth Africa have moved to second place on the World Test Championship (WTC) table after a 233-run victory over Sri Lanka in Durban to break the visitors’ unbeaten record at the venue. Marco Jansen finished with 11 wickets in the game with 4 for 73 in the second innings.After setting Sri Lanka a target of 516 and taking five wickets on the third evening, South Africa may have expected play on the fourth day to be nothing more than a formality. But they were made to work for their win after half-centuries from Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva and 48 from Kusal Mendis made them toil until deep into the second session. Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 282, an improvement on their first-innings effort by multiples.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Ultimately, they will look back at the 78 minutes of madness, in which they were bowled out for 42, as where the match was lost. It gave South Africa a 149-run first-innings lead, the best batting conditions of the match and the cushioning to build a big lead at their own pace. They then got to work defending it.Under blue skies and with a dry wind blowing, the pitch was placid on day four as well and Sri Lanka took advantage. Chandimal and Dhananjaya put on a sixth-wicket stand of 95 runs before Chandimal and Mendis combined for 75 against a South African attack that was without the injured Wiaan Mulder and the movement of the first three days.Related

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Still, South Africa started threateningly when Kagiso Rabada beat Dhananjaya’s edge with the fifth ball of the morning and Gerald Coetzee found it with the 12th. The chance fell to the left of Jansen at gully. Dhananjaya responded by piercing the midwicket gap to hit Rabada for four and pulling Coetzee in front of square. Chandimal also dealt with a Coetzee short ball well and cut him for four through point.Rabada bowled a five-over spell that cost 18 runs without success, and once he was off, Sri Lanka’s pair could settle in. Dhananjaya drove Jansen through the covers, Chandimal whacked him in the same area to bring up the 150 and they both took on Maharaj, who got almost no turn. By the first drinks break, Sri Lanka had scored 61 runs in 16 overs at a rate of just under four to the over.Chandimal brought up his fifty immediately after the interval with an authoritative pull off Jansen and Dhananjaya reached his milestone in the next over, off 66 balls, a sign of the aggression with which he batted. He played one more shot in anger when he hit Maharaj over long-off for six. Maharaj had the last laugh, though, when Dhananjaya chipped an innocuous delivery to Tristan Stubbs at short midwicket for 59.That brought Mendis, on the back of four ducks in South Africa, to the crease. He got his first runs in five innings with a cover drive that went for four, and also raised the Sri Lankan 200. He was nearly run out later in the over when he took off for a run without conferring with Chandimal but made it back in time.South Africa brought back Rabada for a pre-lunch burst but a selection of short balls were well negotiated. Rabada also took his no-ball count for the innings to 10, with five in the morning session as Sri Lanka went to lunch on 220 for 6. They scored 117 runs in 32 overs in an extended first session.The 10 overs post lunch were laced with gifts from South Africa as Sri Lanka piled on 47 runs helped by a team that could afford to try things, given the runs at their disposal. Without a gully in place, Mendis square drove Jansen for four and then took 15 runs off his 19th over, as Jansen missed his lengths completely. Maharaj was also on the receiving end of Mendis’ aggression as he moved in sight of a half-century.Not long into his third spell, Coetzee sent down a half-volley down leg and it seemed South Africa could get nothing right either side of the pitch. His next ball was on middle and Chandimal tried to flick it away but closed the face of the bat too early and got a leading edge back to Coetzee. He let his relief out into the pitch with a series of throat-curdling screams.In the next over, Maharaj drew Vishwa Fernando forward and had him caught at slip by Aiden Markram. Jansen was brought back and he cleaned things up when he had Mendis caught behind to take his 10th for the match and bowled Asitha Fernando as he tried to cover the line of a ball sliding down leg. Jansen’s 11 for 86 are the second-best figures at Kingsmead after Clarrie Grimmett’s 13 for 173 in 1936.

The visitors, who made five changes heading into the Test, were bowled out for 157 on the first evening

Ashish Pant02-Jan-2025It had taken Zimbabwe 197 overs and over two days to take ten Afghanistan wickets in the opening Test. A few days later, at the same venue, Zimbabwe required just 44.3 overs and less than two sessions to bowl Afghanistan out for 157, and take early control of the second Test in Bulawayo.Newman Nyamhuri and Sikandar Raza picked three wickets apiece while Blessing Muzarabani got two as none of the Afghanistan batters managed to build on starts. In reply, the Zimbabwe openers Ben Curran and Joylord Gumbie had a tricky three overs to face which they eventually survived.The conditions were very different at the start of the opening day, with persistent rain greeting the two teams, and the toss delayed by close to four hours.When the conditions improved, Craig Ervine had no hesitation in bowling first on what his opposite number Hashmatullah Shahidi described as a “spicy pitch”. Zimbabwe made two changes to their playing XI from the first Test, bringing in Richard Ngarava and Raza, while Afghanistan made five changes to their side. That included them handing Test debuts to Fareed Ahmad, Riaz Hassan and Ismat Alam.The Bulawayo pitch had a green tinge to it, but Muzarabani and Ngarava failed to extract much movement largely due to them being on the shorter side. The Afghanistan openers Abdul Malik and Riaz largely looked unhurried, and managed just 25 runs in the first ten overs.Blessing Muzarabani got two wickets•Zimbabwe Cricket

But a moment of brilliance in the field gave the hosts the opening. Riaz pushed a full delivery from Ngarava to the right of point, and set off for a single, only to be sent back by Malik quite late. Riaz, who was almost halfway down the pitch, scurried back, but Bennett sprinted to his right, picked up the ball with one hand, and in one swift motion smashed the stumps at the striker’s end to catch the batter short.In the next over, Nyamhuri got a short-of-a-length ball to rear up sharply, thus catching Malik’s gloves through to the wicketkeeper.Shahidi and Rahmat Shah, who had stitched a record stand in the opening Test, then looked to arrest the slide. Shahidi began with a fierce cut off Muzarabani over backward point while Rahmat also got off the mark with a four, albeit a streaky one past the wicketkeeper’s left.Rahmat then struck two more fours off Muzarabani, but got a reprieve when he got a thick outside edge off Ngarava to Dion Myers, who spilled a relatively comfortable catch at gully. Thus, Shahidi and Rahmat moved to lunch unbeaten.But it did not take Zimbabwe long to strike after the break, with 18-year-old Nyamhuri once again getting into the act by squaring Shahidi up, and trapping him bang in front of the stumps for 13. Afsar Zazai, another centurion from the first Test, then came in and immediately found his bearings.But it was Raza’s introduction into the attack which brought about Afghanistan’s downfall. He varied his pace brilliantly, bowled wicket-to-wicket lines, and had both Rahmat and Zazai second-guessing. Nyamhuri also stuck to a plan, and induced multiple outside edges before Raza orchestrated a collapse.Ben Curran and Joylord Gumbie survived a tricky 20-minute burst before stumps•Zimbabwe Cricket

Rahmat, unable to get Raza away, tried to unsettle him by trying a cheeky lap sweep. But Raza fired the ball in on middle, and Rahmat missed it to see his leg stump pegged back. Ngarava then got rid of Zazai with a snorter before Raza cleaned debutant Alam up with a yorker as Afghanistan slipped from 81 for 3 to 84 for 6 in the space of ten balls.Rashid Khan unfurled a number of strokes as soon as he walked in by spanking Raza for three back-to-back cover drives. Shahidullah also got his first boundary away via a wristy flick. Muzarabani, who was wayward all day, finally got the ball to land on a channel outside off and induced a thin edge off Shahidullah’s blade through to the wicketkeeper. Rashid then failed to keep a short and wide delivery off Muzarabani down, with deep point taking an easy catch.When Raza cleaned Yamin Ahmadzai up for his third wicket, the end was nigh for the visitors. But Zia-ur-Rehman and Fareed added a run-a-ball 27 for the final wicket, with debutant Fareed smashing a four and a six in his 19-ball 17 to take Afghanistan past 150.The Zimbabwe openers survived a tricky 20-minute burst from Afghanistan, and will want to wipe off the deficit early on day two. Rain and a wet outfield allowed only 47.3 overs to be bowled on the opening day, but the Test has already moved on at a rapid pace.

The left-arm spinner has been ruled out of Tasmania’s clash against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield

AAP17-Feb-2025Matthew Kuhnemann will proceed with imminent tests on his bowling action, despite a thumb injury ruling him out of Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield clash with South Australia.One week after being cited by ICC officials for having a suspect action, Kuhnemann was expected to return to cricket for Tasmania in Adelaide on Tuesday. But those plans have since been scuppered, with the spinner not medically cleared to play for Tasmania after the dislocated thumb he suffered in the BBL.AAP understands Kuhnemann has not suffered a fresh injury, and the decision is a precautionary one after he played through the issue in Galle.Despite sitting out the Adelaide match, Kuhnemann will be required to complete ICC testing in the next fortnight because the injury is not on his bowling (left) hand. Officials have remained tight-lipped on the details surrounding Kuhnemann’s test for the sake of his privacy, but it is expected to go ahead in the next fortnight.Related

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The biomechanical testing will also be able to be completed at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, despite the ICC preferring players head overseas for assessment.Kuhnemann will complete the tests under the watchful eye of ICC body experts, with markers on his arm and several cameras filming. He will need to bowl at a similar speed and with similar ball revolutions to what he did in Sri Lanka, where he took 16 wickets at an average of 17.18.The ICC will then take a matter of weeks to determine if Kuhnemann’s action is legal, or if his arm straightens by more than the allowable 15 degrees. The 28-year-old is believed to be in reasonably good spirits, with questions still circling about the timing of him being reported after eight years in professional cricket.”All we can do as a group is throw our support behind him,” Tasmania captain Jordan Silk said. “He has obviously had a fantastic couple of weeks away with the Aussie side, and was a big factor in them wining that series over there.”It’s come as a shock to a lot of people, but all we can do as an organisation is wrap our arms around him and look forward to having him back around the group.”Silk echoed the words of stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith, believing Kuhnemann would be cleared by the tests.ICC rules allow bowlers to play domestic cricket while under the microscope, but ban them from international matches. If Kuhnemann is cleared he will be able to continue bowling, but if he fails the test he will be banned until he can prove he has changed his action to meet guidelines.”He’s still a quality bowler for us and someone we expect to have an impact later in the year,” Silk said. “We’re really confident that process will go smoothly and we can welcome him back to our change-rooms and have him be a big part of our season.”A win for Tasmania against table-topping South Australia would keep them in the race for a spot in the Shield final, with one win separating second and sixth on the ladder.Beyond this summer, Kuhnemann would be a strong chance to be in Australia’s squad for the tour of West Indies in June, if his action is cleared.

Kumble says Australia will find it difficult if India play four spinners in their semi-final in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-20251:42

Kumble: Varun has been exceptional over the last year

Varun Chakravarthy, who replaced Harshit Rana for India’s final group game in the Champions Trophy, put in a performance that will leave the team management with a difficult decision come the semi-final against Australia. Playing just his second ODI, Varun returned figures of 5 for 42 to help India notch a 44-run win against New Zealand in Dubai.Former India legspinner Anil Kumble hailed the “exceptional” Varun and said his display would encourage India, who will play their semi-final – and the final should they qualify – at the same venue.”I think Varun has been exceptional in the last 1-1.5 years, consistently winning matches for whichever team he has played for, whether it’s Tamil Nadu or KKR or for India in T20Is,” Kumble said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day. “And now, today, getting an opportunity [in ODIs], because obviously India had already qualified.Related

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“But going by the pitch and the conditions perhaps for the semi-final and hopefully for India, the final, this certainly augurs well.”And if this is the kind of pitch India will continue to play on in Dubai, then this four-pronged spin attack would be really a challenge for any team. Australia would find it extremely difficult to maneuver these four spinners.”With New Zealand chasing 250, Varun first cleaned up Will Young. Then, he returned towards the end of the middle overs to get important middle-order wickets of Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell in consecutive overs before also removing Mitchell Santner, who was looking threatening with a boundary and two sixes. One ball later, he dismissed Matt Henry to complete his five-for. India wrapped up the game in the next over.Varun’s only other ODI appearance came in the three-match series against England preceding the Champions Trophy, where he finished with figures of 1 for 52.After Sunday’s match, Varun said he was nervous early on but talking to the seniors helped him calm down. “I found out last night [that he was going to play],” he said. “I was expecting to play for the country and looking forward to it, but on the other side I was feeling a little nervous because I’ve not played a lot for India in ODIs.”But as the game started progressing, I felt better. Virat was talking to me, Rohit bhai</i was talking to me, Shreyas, Hardik, everyone was talking to me and they were telling me 'just calm down'. It [the pitch] was not a rank turner but if you bowled in the right places, it was giving certain help."