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Although Australia were beaten in the final, their captain is grateful for the friendships he’s made and the lessons he’s learnt from the Under-19 World Cup

Shashank Kishore03-Feb-2018Jason Sangha, the Australia captain, looked at the hard knock his team took in the final as part of their learning experience as professional cricketers. He was gracious in defeat, happy to credit India’s brilliance and pick up lessons from their success story to better his own game. The occasion was perhaps the biggest of his nascent career so far, and he wasn’t going to be sulking.”I may never play in a World Cup again, but it has taught me what it is to be a professional cricketer at a world tournament,” he said. “I’ve personally learnt a lot about other players and what they have done. Guys like Shubman (Gill) and Prithvi (Shaw) are such fine manipulators of the ball. They can hit the ball to any part of the ground. That is why they’re such good batsmen.”I’ve learnt from them. We’ve also seen how India bowlers bowl here and how we go about it back home. We have learnt from the opposition. You can’t really define one or two things, but definitely we’ve all learnt a lot watching other players.”After over a month of playing in a World Cup, this was Sangha’s moment to reflect what his team did right and how they overcame tough challenges – none more so than the quarter-final against England, when they defended 128. However, he did concede that India outplayed Australia in the final, bowling them out for 218.”The best thing about this tournament is it’s always a learning curve. We are all teenagers and we are going to make a few mistakes but I’m proud of the guys,” Sangha said. “Full credit to India. I thought probably 250 would have been a better score. India found ways to win key moments. As a captain, it was hard to set fields for the kind of batsmen India have, but I’m proud of some of our guys, especially Jonathan Merlo to fight through and make 76. Param Uppal too was superb. Popey (Lloyd Pope) got us here with that spell against England, so yes, it’s fantastic.”Sangha also touched on life lessons and having to deal with the pressures associated with being a modern-day cricketer. You could sense the feeling of awe as he gushed about receiving messages of support from Steven Smith and members of the Australian team.”I think it’s the media, that is probably the best part,” he said with a laugh. “It’s just really cool to know what it is to be a professional cricketer. At the start of the tournament, I got a message from Steven Smith and that was an amazing feeling for us to hear from such a big cricketer.”I just loved the tournament, the mateship I made on the field and the mateship off it, especially with those from some of the other teams, will be the best thing for me. Cricket is a gentleman’s game and the best part about it is you make many friends. I don’t know if I will ever get the opportunity to play in a World Cup, but I’ve embraced it and soaked it all in.”But now it is time to take fresh guard. “Funnily enough, I haven’t even applied for university.” Sangha said. “I might have to get that sorted out (laughs). The last three-four months have been a massive roller-coster ride. We trained so hard for this, hours and hours, so much blood, sweat and toil and to see now that it’s all over, it feels different.”I can’t really explain how it feels, but now it’s time to get into first year university, I guess. Also, go back and play with New South Wales, Future’s League Cricket and hopefully another Under-19 tournament in December. I love playing for my country, it’s been an amazing privilege. Now, it’s time to go home and see friends and family.”

The legspinner has completed a five-wicket haul in each of his four first-class matches so far since making his four-day debut against England Lions last December

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Abu Dhabi02-Dec-2017
ScorecardA rejuvenated Rashid Khan routed the UAE middle and lower order, claiming 5 for 29 in his 12.3-over spell on the final day to propel Afghanistan to a 10-wicket win that secured the country’s second Intercontinental Cup title.After taking Man-of-the-Match honors in Afghanistan’s previous I-Cup win over Hong Kong, Rashid repeated the feat after taking match figures of 8 for 152 as his side claimed the full 20 points on offer to finish 12 points above the second-placed Ireland. Both countries are now set to enter the Test world with Ireland’s first Test coming against Pakistan in Malahide in May 2018 while Afghanistan are targetting a possible date with Zimbabwe early next year.Despite going wicketless in 21 overs on day three in the face of an obdurate 146-run stand by Rohan Mustafa and Chirag Suri, Rashid’s appeals began to bear fruit on the final morning. With three men around the bat, Saqlain Haider prodded an inside edge off the pad to Javed Ahmadi who juggled momentarily before trapping the ball in between his legs at short leg to secure Rashid’s first wicket 11 overs into the day.Rameez Shahzad fought gamely to prop up the UAE middle order and stretch the game as much as possible, sweeping regularly for boundaries against Rashid and Zahir Khan. But Zahir finally managed to suck Rameez forward for an edge clipped to Mohammad Nabi at first slip. Still, UAE looked like they would make Afghanistan bat again and perhaps even fight for a draw with 17 runs needed and five wickets in hand heading into the last over before lunch.But Rashid produced a sensational over, taking three wickets either side of the interval. Muhammad Usman inside edged a flat-footed poke onto his stumps for 28. Ahmed Raza survived loud appeals for lbw on his first ball at the crease, but groped forward again next ball to edge to Nabi at slip. Lunch was taken and first ball after resumption, Amjad Javed prodded down the wrong line and was trapped in front for Rashid’s third wicket in four balls.Afghanistan suddenly looked favorites to complete their fifth straight innings victory of the tournament but some lusty hoicks over the leg side by Adnan Mufti ensured Afghanistan faced a nominal target. Mufti eventually fended an edge to wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai to give Nabi his second wicket of the innings. Rashid needed just two balls to defeat No. 11 Amir Hayat with a googly for his fifth wicket of the innings. Remarkably, it meant Rashid has completed a five-wicket haul in each of his four first-class matches so far since making his four-day debut against England Lions last December.With Afghanistan needing only 19, UAE put up little fight as the first delivery of the innings bowled by Hayat was a wide and not long after in the third over Ihsanullah was put down on 5 off Hayat at second slip. Ihsanullah eventually hit the winning boundary in the sixth over off Ahmed Raza with a swipe to midwicket.While Afghanistan had stormed the pitch 11 months earlier in the UAE after defeating Ireland by 10 wickets in front of 15,000 fans in the final of the Desert T20 Challenge, their celebrations on this occasion were a bit more muted. But the 500 fans who turned out on this occasion were fully embraced to be part of the celebrations as captain Asghar Stanikzai passed the Intercontinental Cup silverware into the crowd. Having proven themselves against the best of the Associate world in multi-day cricket, a greater test awaits.

Tottenham Hotspur have held talks to sign Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher with his club open to selling him this summer, according to reports.

Who will Spurs sign this summer?

New manager Ange Postecoglou is in the middle of a crucial, crucial period of his Spurs reign as he attempts to strengthen for his full debut campaign.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, playmaker James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon arrive as confirmed signings with Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski making their north London stays permanent as well.

Despite their current outlay totalling £117 million, the north Londoners won't be finished there.

It is reliably believed that Spurs want to add two senior centre-back signings to their roster, with Postecoglou admitting that new defensive additions are being worked on behind-the-scenes.

"That's definitely our intention, absolutely," said the head coach recently.

"We've been working on it for a while and we'll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.

"I don't think it's any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.

"In terms of the other boys, we've got a big squad but my view is I wanted to bring them along and just work with them, get some clarity in my head and give clarity to them."

Meanwhile, Postecoglou's side are also hunting for potential midfield additions, especially since Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is reportedly nearing a move to Atletico Madrid.

Gallagher, who is ready to leave Chelsea in search of a new opportunity, has been linked with a move to Tottenham alongside the likes of Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz.

As per journalist Graeme Bailey and 90min, Tottenham have "had talks" to sign the 23-year-old alongside both West Ham and Brighton.

It's added that Chelsea are open to selling him this summer, but there is a problem in the form of his valuation, as Mauricio Pochettino's side value the player at £50 million.

None of the aforementioned trio are willing to pay that amount for Gallagher, leading to a stalemate of sorts.

"Chelsea open to Conor Gallagher sale but they stand firm on valuation," wrote Bailey on Twitter.

"West Ham, Tottenham and Brighton have all had talks – but none would be willing to pay £50m for him."

How good is Conor Gallagher?

The former Crystal Palace star endured a season of inconsistent starts last campaign with around half of his appearances coming from the substitute's bench.

Gallagher's best season at the top level came on loan at Selhurst Park over 2021/2022, where he finished the season as Patrick Vieira's best-performer by average match rating (WhoScored).

The homegrown ace racked up eight goals and three assists in the league that year – which clearly showcases he can be a player of real quality.

“His development is extraordinary and outstanding," said former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel last year.

“He is one of the key players at Crystal Palace and he has made a huge step in his development up front.

“He was a pleasure to coach in pre-season – he has so much positive energy, so much energy in general and so much work-rate to give that he can of course be a big help and a big influence.”

West Ham United target Harry Maguire is 'considering his future' at Manchester United amid speculation that he could be set to link up with David Moyes at the London Stadium, according to journalist Paul Brown.

Is Harry Maguire going to sign for West Ham United?

According to The Guardian, West Ham United have seen a loan bid turned down for Maguire by Manchester United amid uncertainty surrounding the 30-year-old's future at Old Trafford.

West Ham United are 'exploring' a loan deal with an option to purchase included; however, they feel that bringing in the £190k-a-week ace on a permanent basis would be an expensive proposition.

Maguire, who has recently been stripped of the Red Devils' captaincy, is also attracting interest from Chelsea, Newcastle United and Serie A giants Inter Milan and Juventus, as per 90min.

Erik Ten Hag would be keen to shift the England international this window and Manchester United would be open to the idea of letting him join Chelsea on loan as the Blues would be capable of paying his wages in full, something that other keen parties may not be able to offer.

Last term, Maguire, who was once hailed as "unbelievable", featured mainly as a rotational squad player for Manchester United and racked up 31 appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Former Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney has told Maguire to leave Manchester United in a recent interview with The Athletic, stating: "To have the armband taken off you, how does he move forward with the club? That shows the manager really doesn't believe in him. It leaves Harry in a position where he has to think on what he does moving forward."

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Brown has indicated that Maguire will be 'considering his future' this summer amid West Ham United being keen to secure his services.

Brown stated: "I think West Ham are in buying mode now. I don't think it's just midfielders they want.

"There's definitely an interest in Harry Maguire who, having just lost the captaincy at Manchester United, may be considering his future. We'll see."

Who else could West Ham United look to sign this summer?

Sky Sports have revealed that Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher is of interest to West Ham United this summer, with Chelsea believed to value the Englishman at well over £40 million.

The report also states that the Hammers had a £45 million bid turned down for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha as they get to work on reinvesting the £105 million they accumulated for now-Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.

Former Chelsea man Denis Zakaria is another target for the Hammers; nevertheless, there is a gap in valuation between West Ham United and his parent club Juventus, according to Tuttosport.

West Ham United have offered €13 million for the Switzerland international, whereas Juventus value the enforcer at closer to between €20-25 million.

Perr Schuurs of Torino, Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah and Real Betis star Luiz Felipe have all been looked at by Hammers chiefs as alternatives to Maguire, as per Sky Sports.

In the next few weeks, West Ham United's transfer priorities will become clearer as they prepare for 2023/24 to get underway from a competitive standpoint.

Sean Dyche has made just one signing for Everton during the summer transfer window, with Ashley Young arriving on a free transfer following his release from Aston Villa.

Although a solid signing, he is hardly the most attractive name in the world and with the Toffees desperate to avoid battling against relegation from the Premier League for the third successive season, there will need to be much more quality added between now and the end of August.

With seven players departing Merseyside, Dyche has managed to free up some on the wage bill, yet this will prove to be wasteful if he doesn’t try and actively improve his first-team squad, with areas all over the pitch requiring some strength in depth, including the left-back slot.

Niels Nkounkou was one of the players to leave the club and this leaves Vitaliy Mykolenko as the sole left sided defensive option heading into the new campaign, something which Dyche will be hoping to sort sooner rather than later.

The Toffees have been linked with a move for Sassuolo left-back, Rogerio and with the player entering the final 12 months of his contract at the club, he could be available for a fee of around €10m (£8.5m) as he has communicated with the Serie A side that he doesn’t want to renew his deal – opening up the idea that he could move on this summer.

Dyche will face competition from the likes of Newcastle United, Benfica and Borussia Dortmund for his signature, with all three teams being able to offer Champions League football to the Brazilian sensation.

Could Everton sign Rogerio this summer?

With a more than affordable price tag, Dyche should be making an offer for the left-back as not only could he add some much-needed depth to that position in the squad, but he may also offer more than Mykolenko, especially in an attacking sense.

Indeed, last season, the 25-year-old registered more assists (three to none), progressive carries (110 to 31), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.22 to 1.56), touches in the attacking third (523 to 370) and crosses (113 to 57) than the Ukrainian, clearly suggesting he could pose a bigger attacking threat for Everton should he arrive this summer.

The Brazilian also ranks in the top 12% across Europe’s big five leagues for progressive carries per 90 (3.3) and the top 13% for progressive passes per 90 (5.56), while Mykolenko only managed to register 1.05 progressive carries and 3.39 progressive passes per 90, ranking him in the bottom 89% and 63% across these metrics, again suggesting that Rogerio would be an ideal attacking upgrade.

The current Everton left-back is more solid defensively, winning more total duels per game (3.4 to 3.3), making more tackles per game (1.7 to one) and more interceptions per game (1.4 to one), however there isn’t much between them and this indicates that Rogerio could certainly improve upon moving to the Premier League.

It would be a solid investment should Dyche sign Rogerio this summer, adding some quality to his back line who could not only prove to be a major threat in the final third, but also contribute well defensively and for just £8.5m, it could be a serious bargain.

Fulham have set their sights on Leeds United striker Rodrigo this summer but face stiff competition from Saudi Arabian side Al Rayyan, according to journalist Bruno Andrade.

Who are Fulham signing?

It's been a summer of transfer links for manager Marco Silva as the Whites, following a successful first campaign back in the top flight, aim to strengthen their ranks.

As a result of last season's impressive performances in parts, major clubs across England could look to poach a few key Fulham players, most notably the likes of Joao Palhinha and Antonee Robinson.

The former could apparently command over £90 million to sign as Fulham set a marquee price tag, and if any side decide to pay in and around that figure, some of the funds could be re-invested into Silva's squad.

There are no shortage of players linked with a move to Craven Cottage, including Southampton star James Ward-Prowse, Japan international Ao Tanaka, Coventry City's Viktor Gyokeres, Fenerbahce defender Ferdi Kadioglu and Roma centre-back Ibanez in recent weeks.

Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi will also be made available for just £15 million, a development which has apparently sparked Fulham's interest in the Englishman.

Rodrigo, who starred for Leeds last season, is now also on Fulham's radar as Gyokeres apparently nears a move to Sporting Lisbon.

The Spaniard was heralded as Leeds' player of the season last year by members of the media like The Athletic's Phil Hay, with Silva eyeing a move.

However, Saudi Arabian side Al Rayyan are looking to continue this growing summer trend of players making the move away from Europe to the Middle East.

Al Rayyan are confident they can Rodrigo, but according to journalist Andrade of UOL Esporte, Fulham are still pose a very real threat.

"Al Rayyan remains confident in signing Rodrigo Moreno, but has already learned that the Spanish player is also in Fulham's sights," the reporter said on his personal Twitter account.

How many goals did Rodrigo score last season?

The 32-year-old finished 2022/2023 as Leeds' top scorer in the English top flight, standing out as their star player with 13 goals and one assist (WhoScored).

No other Leeds player managed more attempts at goal per than Rodrigo either, making him a credible alternative to Aleksandr Mitrovic in the Fulham forward line (WhoScored).

Hay, writing for The Athletic, also praised his attitude and demeanor during Leeds' scrap against the drop – saying Rodrigo looked up for the fight.

"The noticeable thing about Rodrigo this season is that he has looked game for the scrap," said Hay.

"His attitude and body language have been more feisty and, as much as it is possible to do this when results are imploding around him, he has looked like a forward who is ‘having himself’, a forward who expects to score."

Meanwhile, former Whites striker Noel Whelan branded the forward "very invaluable" last year, with reports suggesting Rodrigo has a meagre £3 million release clause in his deal after Leeds' relegation.

This could certainly be a price more than worth paying.

Eighteen-year old debutant legspinner Shadab Khan took 3 for 7 as Pakistan hardly broke sweat in beating West Indies by six wickets in the first T20I

The Report by Danyal Rasool26-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Legspinner Shadab Khan picked up three wickets to help Pakistan register their fifth successive T20I win•AFP

In a nutshell
For arguably the two most volatile sides in world cricket, this was a rare predictable day as Pakistan eased to a six-wicket win over the West Indies at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. Pakistan won the toss, bowled first and stifled the hosts with spin. Chasing 112, Pakistan, as if to stay true to their reputation, lost their top three cheaply, before Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam took control of the chase and steered them home.The game was dominated by its youngest player: 18-year old Pakistan legspinner Shadab Khan who enjoyed a debut that bordered on the surreal. He took three wickets with his first eight balls in international cricket as West Indies slumped to 49 for 6. Carlos Brathwaite and Kieron Pollard came together, and two of the game’s most fearsome hitters were forced to play a consolidating role. Brathwaite managed to inject some momentum in the closing overs, but all that ensured was his side just about managed to get to three figures.Pakistan weren’t authoritative in response, with Kamran Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad reminding everyone why they have spent long stints in international wilderness. However, with the asking rate never rising above six, West Indies’ spirited display in the field merely delayed the inevitable.Where the game was won
It has often seemed no total is too small for Pakistan not to slip up on. Here, they slipped to 49 for 3. But the in-form pair of Malik and Babar, quickly establishing a reputation for consistency, had the clear-headedness to steer the chase with risk-free cricket. They rotated the strike regularly and picked off the poor deliveries to eat into the target. By the time Babar sliced a catch to short third man, Pakistan needed only 18 runs off five overs. The hard work had been done.The men that won it
Shadab Khan may have been warned by his teammates how playing for Islamabad United was far different to playing for Pakistan, that too in an away game. However, the 18-year old made a mockery of the step up, snaring Chadwick Walton and Lendl Simmons within four deliveries. Walton didn’t pick the googly while Simmons dragged a legspinning delivery onto the stumps. Remarkably, Shadab’s figures of 4-0-7-3 could have been even better had Kamran Akmal, fielding at backward point, not put down a regulation catch.The streaks continue
This win means Pakistan have now triumphed in each of their last five T20Is, four of them against the West Indies – the other was a commanding nine-wicket win over England. They are unbeaten since losing to Australia at the World T20 last year, and Sarfraz boasts a 100 percent win record in his five games as Pakistan captain in the format. West Indies’ losing run, on the other hand, stretches to four – all of them against Pakistan – and have only won one T20 in the six they’ve played since being crowned World T20 champions in India last year.Moment of the match
If the PSL was a dream of sorts for Kamran, he was brought sharply back to reality over the course of the afternoon’s events. Playing his first international in nearly three years, with captain Sarfraz having taken over the wicketkeeping role, Kamran was tasked with patrolling the backward point area as Shadab bowled. If he was hoping for an uneventful afternoon, he was to be disappointed. With Shadab’s figures reading three wickets for three runs, Pollard sliced one, headed for what seemed a straightforward catch to Kamran. The 35-year old was painfully slow to move towards the ball, and though he reached it in time, put it down, burnishing his reputation for butterfingers even further.What was more, this was only the second time Kamran was playing as a specialist batsman. The other came in a game against South Africa in 2007. He had dropped a catch then too, Loots Bosman being the batsman reprieved.Where they stand
Pakistan take a 1-0 lead. The series now moves to Trinidad & Tobago, where the remaining three matches will be played.

Manchester United's Premier League meeting with Burnley kicks off at an unusually late time on Saturday.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• United face Burnley
• Kick-off moved to later in the day
• New rules behind change

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Saturday's match at Turf Moor kicks off at 8pm local time on Saturday, which is unusually late. There was no 12.30pm match on Saturday, with other matches starting at the usual 3pm slot and then Brentford's match against Everton going on at 5.30pm.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It is rare for Premier League games to start later than 5.30pm on Saturdays, but United's clash at Burnley has been moved because of new rules surrounding the Champions League.

  Many coaches have complained about the lack of recovery time for players after playing midweek matches and the new rules have been brought in to address the issue.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The new regulations mean that clubs who were in Champions League action at 8pm on a Wednesday cannot play in the 12.30pm kick-off the following Saturday. As a result, the Burnley vs United match was moved to later on Saturday.

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  After the weekend's clash, United will face Crystal Palace in the league on Tuesday.

India have agreed to use DRS for the upcoming Test series against England on a “trial basis” to “evaluate the improvements made” in the system. India had played in the first series with umpire reviews, against Sri Lanka in 2008, but this will be their first bilateral contest since then with all the components of the DRS – including ball-tracking technology – in place.”We are happy to note that Hawk-Eye has institutionalised all the recommendations made by BCCI, and we confirm that this improved version of DRS will be used on a trial basis during the forthcoming series against England,” the BCCI president Anurag Thakur said. “Based on the performance of the system and the feedback that we will receive, further continuation in forthcoming series will be decided.”One of India’s biggest concerns with the DRS, the predicted path of the ball after it hits the pad in the case of lbw decisions, will be addressed by the use of ultra-motion cameras. The manual intervention in determining the point of impact will be minimised by the introduction of Ultra Edge, which according to a BCCI release had been approved by Massachusetts Institute of Technology [MIT]. It will also eliminate the possibility of another touch after the first impact affecting the predicted path or point of impact.”Earlier, there was a possibility that the operator would have missed a delivery and hence an lbw appeal could have been missed,” the BCCI release said. “Now, Hawk-Eye has developed the technology to record and save all images so that in case an operator fails to arm the tracking system, the images can be rewound and replayed.”Since their first experience with the system in its nascent stages, India were the biggest opponents of the DRS. The only times India used it since that 2008 series was in ICC events and in one Test series against England in 2011. In that series, the DRS was not used for lbw decisions.The BCCI’s sustained refusal to use the DRS meant that other countries would not use the system only when playing India. The board rarely articulated its opposition to the system in detail; India’s former Test captain MS Dhoni used to say they would use DRS only when it was 100% accurate.The current India coach Anil Kumble, who is also the head of the ICC cricket committee, had made a visit to MIT before he took over the India job to be apprised of the latest developments in the DRS technology. During the recent series against New Zealand, India’s current Test captain Virat Kohli had said India “definitely wanted to think about DRS”, which was the first significant departure from their previous stance.On October 19, the ICC general manager Geoff Allardice made a presentation in Delhi that was attended by Kumble. Two days later, India confirmed their acceptance of the system albeit on a trial basis.

Match facts

Saturday, August 27, 2016
Start time 1000 local (1400 GMT)2:13

Fans in the USA want to be a part of history in Florida

Big Picture

Despite the format’s popularity, it is fair to say bilateral Twenty20 internationals are not the newest fad in town. The sheer amount of effort and perseverance required to win a Test match gives importance to even dead rubbers. Bilateral ODIs are still a series, and 100 overs is a long enough duration for narratives to develop. Twenty20, more than any other format, needs a larger context: two points that might push you up a league table or a win that might save you from elimination from a World T20. Bilateral T20 series are played either at the end or start of a long tour almost as an afterthought; they are usually so unimportant that teams hardly bother with getting visas for their T20 specialists.However, these two, to be played over a weekend in Lauderhill in Florida, between world champions West Indies and the team they beat in the World T20 semi-final, India, are different. They carry an important context. While this is not the first time international cricket is being played in America, India v West Indies – two teams with a large expat following there – is way bigger than New Zealand playing Sri Lanka or West Indies.Cricket economy mostly runs around India. So when India go to America with all their delegates, when they sell the TV rights, when they sell the trophy rights, it becomes a big experiment for the future of cricket. This could even be a test run for a second IPL, a mini version, in America going forward; CPL has already had a stint in America that can’t be termed unsuccessful.While these two matches are huge for the cricket economy and its globalisation – in terms of staging and not participation – the cricket carries more subtext than your usual bilateral Twenty20 internationals. Who can forget Darren Sammy’s impassioned speech after he led West Indies to their second World T20 title? Well, the WICB wants you to forget the man himself. He has been dropped despite his stellar performance in the CPL. Leading them now is Carlos “remember the name” Brathwaite.West Indies’ T20 success is down to their individual professionalism rather than the administration. Dropping an inspirational leader such as Sammy is not the first time the establishment has been less than conducive to their best performance; can they continue to excel regardless?India’s leader, on the other hand, is a man much relieved because he is not playing Tests anymore, but that means whatever limited-overs cricket he leads India in becomes extra important for him. He has not tasted first-hand the joys of beating Sri Lanka, South Africa and West Indies in Tests recently. Over the last year the two highlights for him have been the Asia Cup win and perhaps the Twenty20 series win in Australia. When a player doesn’t get chances in all formats, his shortcomings in the only formats he plays can get magnified. The home series defeat to South Africa, and his failure at finishing off a chase against Zimbabwe means people will keep raising questions if he is going to be around for the 2019 World Cup.

Form guide

India WWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WLWWW

In the spotlight

Start time of 10 am on the weekend. Such an early start is okay for a Test or for an ODI, but defeats the whole idea of T20 as evening-time family entertainment. While this could affect the attendance at the stadium – healthy crowd is still important for the organisers – a prime time TV start for the Indian audience is what brings in the money from the broadcasters.Sammy might not be playing these matches, but that can’t spell much relief for the opposition. His replacement is the now-fit Kieron Pollard. He had an indifferent IPL and CPL after missing out on World T20, and will be looking forward to getting back in form.Ajinkya Rahane does not feature in India’s first XI when everybody is fit for a Twenty20 international. While India seem to have dropped Suresh Raina and haven’t bothered with asking Manish Pandey to travel all the way from the A tour of Australia for just two three-hour games, Rahane is likely to get an opportunity to present his case.

Team news

India are likely to draft Mohammed Shami back in looking at his impressive comeback in Tests. Jasprit Bumrah should play. The other quick bowler could be a toss-up between Stuart Binny, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav, depending on how much batting they need from the said bowler. It will be interesting to see how Dhoni goes with his spinners given how he wasn’t very trusting of R Ashwin’s offspin in the World T20 and in the IPL.India 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 KL Rahul, 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 7 Stuart Binny/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 8 Ravindra Jadeja/Amit Mishra, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed ShamiSunil Narine is back with a cleared action, and should take Sulieman Benn’s place.*West Indies 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Andre Fletcher, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Lendl Simmons, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Kieron Pollard, 9 Carlos Brathwaite (capt.), 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Samuel Badree

Pitch and conditions

According to , the 10 inches of rain so far this month in Miami makes it the eighth-wettest August on record. A magnificent lightning show danced across the Fort Lauderdale sky almost non-stop from 7 pm until well after midnight on Thursday. A tropical low currently just north of Haiti and nearing the Bahamas is threatening to develop into the Atlantic tropical season’s eighth named storm as Tropical Storm Hermine. Preliminary forecasts are showing that if it forms into a full-fledged Hurricane, it may be on track to hit south Florida on Sunday.

Stats and trivia

• In 2010 Lauderhill threw up a slow tacky surface, which produced only one score of over 100 in two matches, but there was more T20 entertainment in store in 2012 when West Indies piled on 209 and 177 to beat New Zealand.
• The first-innings scores in the CPL matches in Lauderhill ranged between 206 and 137. Three of the six matches were won by sides batting first.
• Dwayne Bravo is one wicket short of becoming only the third player to reach the double of 1000 runs and 50 wickets in T20Is. Shahid Afridi and Shakib Al Hasan await him at the club.

Quotes

“The only thing that we are doing is that we will prepare as best as we can because India is going to be coming looking for revenge for the semi-final loss and we have to make sure that we are ready for whatever they bring to us.”
“West Indies has always been a tough side, they are the T20 world champions. They are quality cricketers and have shown consistently how good they are and we had a tough match in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup as well. In terms of the quality that we are going to encounter, we are aware of that.”
*18.20GMT, August 26: The preview had erroneously mentioned Denesh Ramdin as part of the West Indies squad.