Lucknow Super Giants trade Romario Shepherd to Mumbai Indians

The West Indies allrounder had recently won the CPL with Guyana Amazon Warriors

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2023Lucknow Super Giants have traded West Indies allrounder Romario Shepherd to Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.Shepherd had played just one game for Super Giants in IPL 2023, when he didn’t bowl a single over and was dismissed for a duck, against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Lucknow.The ten IPL franchises were originally supposed to submit the list of players they are releasing and retaining on November 15, but it is understood that the deadline has been deferred to November 26, a week after the World Cup final in Ahmedabad.Related

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The IPL player auction will be held on December 19 in Dubai. It is the first time that the auction will be held overseas.Shepherd is a familiar name in the T20 franchise circuit. In September earlier this year, he won the CPL title with Guyana Amazon Warriors, his home franchise in the league. He was also one of Joburg Super Kings’ direct signings ahead of the inaugural SA20 auction.His primary role in white-ball cricket is to hit the deck with the ball and smash sixes lower down the order. He has played 31 T20Is so far and has a batting strike rate of 153.57 and a bowling economy rate of 10.38.

Tom Westley hundred steers Essex, Tom Bailey six-for revives Lancashire

Visitors recover from sticky start to post 282 after Blackpool weather relents

Paul Edwards11-Jul-2023
English fiction is replete with characters who repair to the seaside to help them recover from illness or other misfortunes. In Jane Austen’s Anne Elliot has “the bloom and freshness of youth” restored by the fine wind on the coast and even modern novelists such as John Banville and Ian McEwan use littoral settings for literary effect. At first glance, though, the comparisons between the gentle Elliot and Lancashire’s head coach, Glen Chapple, are not obvious. (At second glance, they disappear completely.) But Chapple’s players also appear to be using trips to their coastal outgrounds to restore their summer.In June, having drawn their first five Championship matches and sitting a miserable seventh in Division One, Lancashire went to Southport and defeated Hampshire by six wickets. This week, still bruised by their failure to qualify for T20 Finals Day, Keaton Jennings and his players are in Blackpool, attempting to assuage their disappointment by beating Essex, who will be travelling to Edgbaston for English cricket’s annual hogfeast on Saturday.On Monday, both sides were defeated by the omega block, a meteorological feature that brought fearsome downpours whistling in from the west and restricted the teams to just 28 balls, the final three of which were bowled over six hours after the preceding 25. Indeed, had not Stanley Park’s outfield been relaid at a cost of £180,000 over three years ago, the 100th first-class match to take place on this famous ground might have been abandoned soon after it started.Around three o’clock Chapple might have been wishing it had been given up as a bad job. For rather than build on their removal of three top-order batters on the sweating wicket in the first hour or so of the day, Lancashire’s bowlers had been punished by Tom Westley, who had reached his third century of the season with a cut off Colin de Grandhomme, and Paul Walter, who had clouted Tom Hartley for two leg-side sixes in the over before lunch and meted out the same indignity to Jack Blatherwick when the players returned. The pair had also set a new fifth-wicket record for Essex against Lancashire, beating the 147 stand shared by Sonny Avery and Tom Pearce, also at Blackpool, in 1948. What made things worse was that Hartley had dropped Westley on 78 when he grassed a low chance at midwicket off de Grandhomme. Rather than rebalance Chapple’s delicate humours, it was enough to cause a relapse.Medicine, though, was at hand, specifically the right hand of Blatherwick who clutched a firmly hit clip by Walter off de Grandhomme when the tall Essex left-hander had made 76 off 119 balls and extended his partnership with Westley to 155. That dismissal left Essex on 210 for 5, neither prosperous nor poor one might think on what looks a fine outground pitch. Simon Harmer, whose wicket is rarely donated to his opponents, then joined Westley and the pair added a watchful 65 in 24 overs before Lancashire took the second new ball and the game was changed by Tom Bailey, one of the circuit’s least lauded yet most skilful bowlers.The first breakthrough was made by Will Williams, who had Westley caught at slip by Rob Jones for 135 when the Essex skipper seemed disconcerted by a little extra bounce. The last four Essex batters, however, were removed by Bailey, who bowled Harmer with one that nipped away off a good length and then induced Doug Bracewell to sky a pull to midwicket, where Dane Vilas waited under the catch. Both Sam Cook and Will Buttleman fell leg before to the Lancashire seamer, who had by then taken four wickets in 20 balls to complete an innings return of 6 for 59.So much, so very satisfactory for most of the home supporters, some of whom had watched the rain thunder down 24 hours earlier and might have wondered whether the county match they had worked so hard to stage would be worth remembering. And any misgivings they still harboured can hardly have been eased by the sight of Jamie Porter and Sam Cook warming up on the outfield. Essex’s new-ball pair are skilled in making totals of 282 look mountainous, especially so when left with an evening hour in which they can expend their full efforts.And the prospect of an early tumble of wickets assumed a grim reality when Luke Wells attempted to leave Porter’s fourth ball of the innings but only inside edged it onto his stumps. That success merely spurred the bowlers to greater efforts; perhaps they even expected them. Certainly there was no shortage of appeals or near things as Jennings and Josh Bohannon played out the final 13 overs and home spectators postponed their plans for an early departure in favour of watching some of the day’s most gripping cricket. Three hours earlier, they had enjoyed Westley’s leg-side repertoire and his occasional cover-drive; now success was to be measured in forward defensive strokes and balls survived. The final over was bowled by Bracewell, whose penultimate delivery was leg glanced for four by Bohannon. A minute or so later he was punching gloves with Jennings and the players were leaving the long-shadowed field; the sight was far removed from the floods of the previous 48 hours and it offers a rich prospect for the remaining two days of this game.

Ashes: MCC bans one member, suspends two others over Long Room fracas

Sanctions handed out for the abuse directed at Australian players during the Lord’s Ashes Test

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2023One MCC member has been expelled from the club, and two further individuals have been handed lengthy suspensions, following the confrontations in the Long Room at Lord’s in the wake of Jonny Bairstow’s controversial stumping in this summer’s Ashes Test.The sanctions were handed out more than three months after the incidents on the final day of the second Test, on July 2, which Australia eventually won by 43 runs to take a 2-0 series lead. The flashpoint occurred as the players left the field for lunch, shortly after Bairstow had been dismissed by Alex Carey as he walked out of his crease at the end of an over, having allowed the delivery to pass through to the keeper.Footage emerged of several MCC members heckling Australian players as they walked through the Long Room at the lunch interval, with Usman Khawaja and David Warner caught in heated exchanges on their way to the away dressing room. At the time, sources told AAP that at least one person attempted to trip up Warner and Steve Smith as they walked up the stairs.Related

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Such was the febrile atmosphere within the pavilion, MCC chief executive Guy Lavender was forced to address the members at the interval to remind them to respect the visiting team. An official “unreserved apology” was issued to Cricket Australia, who subsequently requested MCC to launch their own investigation, stating their players and staff had been “verbally abused, with some being physically contacted”.While details of the disciplinary process are to remain “confidential”, Thursday’s update from MCC revealed sanctions for life, four-and-a-half years and 30 months, respectively.”The actions of the three individuals in the Pavilion on the day in question fell well below the behaviour expected from our Members,” read the statement. “The penalties set out above are the consequences of breaching the Club’s Code of Conduct.”An appeal process has already been concluded.

Langer to coach Australia for T20s against Sri Lanka

Justin Langer will once again stand in for Darren Lehmann as Australia’s head coach, this time for three T20s against Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2016Justin Langer will take charge of coaching Australia for three Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka in February, while Darren Lehmann is with the Test squad in India.Langer, the coach of Western Australia, has previously stood in for Lehmann, guiding Australia to victory in the one-day international tri-series against South Africa and West Indies in June while Lehmann took a break.The scheduling of the three T20s against Sri Lanka – in Melbourne on February 17, Geelong on February 19, and Adelaide on February 22 – so close to the first Test against India, which begins in Pune on February 23, means entirely different squads will be required.”We are delighted that Justin has agreed to undertake the role of acting head coach for the Twenty20 international series against Sri Lanka,” Pat Howard, Cricket Australia’s executive general manager of team performance, said. “We would also like to thank WACA for their support in releasing Justin.”He did a terrific job in the Caribbean in June when he stepped in for Darren Lehmann during the successful tri-series and so is already familiar with the working environment around the Australia team.”He brings a wealth of experience as both a player and a coach and his record in helping the Perth Scorchers to a sustained level of success in the KFC Big Bash League means he fits the bill in all ways.”Justin Langer said: “I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working with the national side in the Caribbean earlier this year and so I am excited and very grateful to get this opportunity to do it again, this time with the Twenty20 International squad against Sri Lanka.”Twenty20 international cricket is the one format in which Australia is yet to win a global tournament so every chance we get to play it and develop our skills is very significant. That means these three matches will be hugely important.”The advantage myself and the players will have is that the series will come just over two weeks after the KFC Big Bash League wraps up so we should all still be in Twenty20 mode.”And with several senior players set to be in India ahead of the Test series, it really will give players an added incentive to perform in the upcoming KFC BBL to put their names forward for selection in the Sri Lanka series.”

India to face England in Women's U-19 T20 World Cup final

India spun out New Zealand, before England edged out Australia in a nail-biter

S Sudarshanan27-Jan-2023It was heartbreak and ecstasy in equal measures in Potchefstroom as India and England made the final of the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup to be played on Sunday. While India comfortably beat New Zealand in the first semi-final, tensions swayed one way and then the other before England edged Australia out by three runs in a low-scoring thriller.Defending 99, England fast bowlers Ellie Anderson and Alexa Stonehouse struck early before legspinner Hannah Baker’s triple-strike crippled Australia. She varied her flight and length to bowl Ella Hayward and then got enough purchase from the surface to have Australia captain Rhys McKenna caught at mid-off and trapped wicketkeeper Paris Hall three balls later to have them at 59 for 7.Ella Wilson and Milly Illingworth, batting at No. 9 and No. 10, managed to hit a four apiece towards the end to get the equation down to Australia needing four with two wickets and just shy of three overs in hand. But the latter was run out via a direct hit from Ryana MacDonald-Gay from mid-off before Grace Scrivens trapped No. 11 Maggie Clark lbw with her offspin to spark off wild celebrations.Milly Illingworth was run out off a direct-hit•ICC/Getty Images

The scene was far removed from the halfway stage when Clark, Hayward and Sianna Ginger walked back with three-fors. The script went awry for England after opting to bat, as they lost wickets at regular intervals to be placed at 29 for 4 at the end of the powerplay.The pace of Illingworth and the nagging lengths of Clark had seen the back of Liberty Heap – who has forged a successful alliance at the top with captain Scrivens – and No. 3 Niamh Holland. Offspinner Hayward inflicted further misery by breaking the back of the middle order.But Scrivens – second at present in the tournament’s list of run-scorers – held one end up even as she saw England slide to 37 for 5 in the ninth over. However, a full length ball from seamer Ginger was hard to resist for her and she holed out to Claire Moore at long-off for 20. It was only because of a 46-run eighth-wicket partnership between Stonehouse (25) and Josie Groves (15) that England had managed to get close to hundred.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India spin out New Zealand

Earlier in the day, India’s spinners wove a web around New Zealand and kept them to 107 for 9 before a masterclass from opener Shweta Sehrawat helped them cruise to an eight-wicket win. Sehrawat scored an unbeaten 61 off just 45 balls with ten fours and was involved in a second-wicket partnership of 62 with Soumya Tiwari (26). It was her third half-century in the competition, by virtue of which she found herself atop the batting charts.This was after legspinner Parshavi Chopra, who shone with a Player-of-the-Match performance against Sri Lanka, starred with three for 20 to leave New Zealand short of par. She broke the 37-run second-wicket partnership between Georgia Plimmer and Isabella Gaze (26) by trapping the latter lbw.Only Plimmer offered some resistance with the bat with a 32-ball 35 and she was the seventh batter out with the score on 91.

Suzie Bates, Marizanne Kapp take Oval Invincibles into the Hundred final

Manchester Originals crash out after failing to complete tall chase inside 72 balls

Joe Boaden31-Aug-2022Oval Invincibles qualified for the Women’s Hundred final in style, racking up the highest score of this year’s competition as they brushed Manchester Originals aside by 32 runs at Emirates Old Trafford.Invincibles’ score of 163 for 2 was powered by an unbeaten 79 from captain Suzie Bates, and they can now look forward to the showcase match at Lord’s on Saturday against either the Southern Brave or Trent Rockets.In reply, Originals never got close, with the defeat ending their slim chance of qualification for the latter stages of the competition, despite 64 from Lizelle Lee in what could be her last match for the team.Seventeen-year-old Sophia Smale and Marizanne Kapp, who enjoyed a good day with bat and ball, were the pick of the bowlers, both finishing with two wickets as the Originals were restricted to 131 for 6 in a dominant display for the London-based side.Sophia Smale’s two early wickets extended Oval Invincible’s advantage•ECB/Getty Images

Knowing that a victory would guarantee them top spot and an automatic berth to the final, the Invincibles won the toss and chose to bat first, a decision justified by the fluent start provided by the experienced opening pairing of Bates and Lauren Winfield-Hill.The pair had raced to 62 in just 43 balls when Winfield-Hill was caught by Erin Burns in the deep of Emma Lamb for 25 but New Zealander Bates was undeterred, bringing up an impressive fifty off 33 balls, before Alice Capsey was bowled by Sophie Ecclestone for 18 trying to keep the runs flowing.That brought Kapp to the crease, returning to the team after missing the last two outings, and she and Bates played powerfully around the ground to elevate their team to an impressive 163 with an unbroken partnership of 67 from just 36 balls.Bates’ innings of 79 featured nine fours and two sixes, while Kapp’s 36 contained five boundaries, including one maximum.That total was just short of the overall record team total for the Women’s Hundred – 166 set by Southern Brave last year – but Invincibles will take satisfaction from knowing that their victory, coupled with the Brave’s shock defeat to Northern Superchargers earlier in the day means they will avoid having to play in Friday night’s Eliminator at Brave’s expense.Related

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Originals had an academic target to chase the runs down in 72 balls for a spot in the play-offs, which seemed unlikely when Emma Lamb was bowled by Smale without scoring. Bates and Kapp then combined again, as Amy Satterthwaite was caught by the former off the latter’s bowling for just two.Lee’s lone hand was set against the wickets that tumbled around her. Burns was bowled by Smale for five, Sophie Ecclestone was caught by Capsey off Kapp for one, and Daisy Mullan was run out for nine on her Hundred debut.Lee reached her fifty off 34 balls before finally perishing for 64 off 41, caught on the boundary off Eva Gray, to a warm ovation from the appreciative home crowd.Ami Campbell restored some pride in Originals’ performance, striking a couple of boundaries in a run-a-ball 23, but it wasn’t enough to save her side from elimination.

Porterfield, spinners set up rout of UAE

William Porterfield and the spinners helped Ireland thrash United Arab Emirates by 85 runs in the first ODI in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2017
ScorecardWilliam Porterfield was bowled soon after completing his seventh ODI hundred•Chris Whiteoak

William Porterfield struck his seventh ODI ton to lift Ireland to 270, a total they defended by 85 runs with the help of George Dockrell and Andy McBrine’s spin.Ireland, after being asked to bat, lost two early wickets. Fast bowler Mohammad Naveed had Paul Stirling caught behind for 4, and in his next over, removed Andy Balbirnie. Porterfield then led Ireland’s rebuild with partnerships of 59,124 and 56 with Niall O’Brien, Kevin O’Brien and Gary Wilson respectively. Kevin O’Brien struck a 53-ball 69 that included seven fours and one six.Fast bowler Zahoor Khan took three wickets in three balls, with a wide in between his second and third victims, to stall Ireland’s momentum towards the end. Ireland lost their last six wickets for 17 runs in 24 balls, Zahoor took all of them to finish with 6 for 34, the best figures by a UAE bowler.Rohan Mustafa hammered a 29-ball 43 to lead UAE’s reply, but their chase withered away as they lost regular wickets. Off spinner McBrine and left-arm spinner Dockrell took wickets between them to reduce UAE to 112 for 7. Ahmed Raza struck a 69-ball 45 at No. 8. UAE were bowled out for 185 in the 42nd over.

Batting collapses 'a bit of a concern' for Sri Lanka

“We were planning how we can get to 240 or 250 and back our bowling to defend it,” says batting coach Naveed Nawaz

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Jul-2023Yes, okay, Sri Lanka’s batting is pretty poor by big-boy-ODI standards. We have heard the arguments. The dot-ball percentages aren’t great. The top order gets out too early too often. And 300-plus scores just aren’t their thing against good bowling.In the World Cup Qualifier, though, their bowlers have kept proving themselves. Wanindu Hasaranga has rocked it. Lahiru Kumara was good (until he got injured). And Maheesh Theekshana may be the most consistent bowler Sri Lanka have.Together, they’ve refused to allow an opposition to score 200.On Friday, it’s like DJ Khaled says: Another One.Netherlands were chasing 214; they were all out for 192.”Throughout the tournament we have managed to keep every side under 200 so far,” this is Sri Lanka batting coach Naveed Nawaz extolling his team’s bowlers, because what else can he do when he has been sent to a press conference in a match in which the batters have kinda tanked.”The bowling has been good since the start of the tournament,” Nawaz said. “When things went bad at the top end, we were planning how we can get to 240 or 250 and back our bowling to defend it. Looking at the start from where we were, 213 is a good score. We would always back our bowling to defend it.”Would he ? I guess we have to take his word for it. In the last two matches, and perhaps in general over the past couple of years, the bowlers have bailed the batting out.Nawaz thinks it might happen more often in this tournament from now, especially in Bulawayo.”The square looks a bit tired now as well, and wickets are going to get slower,” he said. “The side that adapts well to the conditions and holds their nerve will have a better chance of coming out well at the end.”But Sri Lanka are not beyond admitting there are problems. In the last match they were dismissed for 245 against Scotland. Even though the surfaces were sluggish, neither seemed like an imposing total.”It’s a bit of a concern that twice in a few days our batting has collapsed,” Nawaz said. “Once [we collapsed] at the top, and once in the middle. We’ll have to regroup. We’ll have to sit down, talk about it and see how we’re going to come back in the next game.”Sri Lanka’s spinners have frequently been lead actors in the bailout crew. In this tournament, Hasaranga is by a distance the highest wicket-taker so far, with 20 dismissals to his name at an average of 10.55. In this match, he took 2 for 53.Theekshana helped to turn the match too. He took 3 for 31, and has nine wickets at 18.55 in the tournament.”The two of them have been bearing a lot of responsibility in our team,” Nawaz said of Hasaranga and Theekshana. “They’ve borne it well through the course of this tournament so far.”

Mumbai and Capitals bring the best of the best to WPL final

The two most dominant batting line-ups will take aim at each other at Brabourne stadium

S Sudarshanan25-Mar-20232:58

Will Harmanpreet get past Lanning this time?

Big picture: A WPL final befitting the hype

Long before the Women’s Premier League opener got underway, there were winding queues outside the DY Patil Stadium in Nerul, Navi Mumbai. Many in the crowd wore the Mumbai Indians’ blue jerseys from the past years.Few teams in franchise cricket command crowd support like Mumbai. And quite aptly, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led has made it to the title-clash, even if they had to take the scenic route. Mumbai began the WPL on a high with five wins in five games before losing two matches on the trot. That blip was enough to rob them of direct entry to the final.Mumbai’s charge with the bat has been led by Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews. When surfaces have been flat, Matthews has cashed in; and even when they have taken turn, she has looked in little trouble thanks to playing on similar surfaces at home back in West Indies. She has also chipped in regularly with her offspin and has 13 wickets to show. Consistency from Harmanpreet has only helped matters.Related

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Mumbai have used a set top four – in Matthews, Yastika Bhatia, Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet – which is the least number of players used by any team for these spots. The 984 runs they’ve scored is comfortably the highest out of all teams in this WPL with Delhi Capitals’ top four a distant second with 838.Any team with Meg Lanning, Shafali Verma, Alice Capsey, Jemimah Rodrigues and Marizanne Kapp poses serious threat. But having gained a direct entry to the final, Capitals have had a longish break heading into Sunday. All that said, the inaugural WPL couldn’t have hoped for a better final. It will feature two teams known for their batting might but who fight every inch with the ball. Expect another run-fest at Brabourne.

Form guide

Delhi Capitals WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Mumbai Indians WWLLW

In the spotlight: Meg Lanning and Amelia Kerr

Meg Lanning has not just led Capitals with aplomb but in the process, also ensured that runs continue to flow from her bat at the top of the order. She began the WPL with a couple of half-centuries and has not looked back. That she has had a strike rate in excess of 140 despite not really going hammer and tongs has stood out. Lanning is no stranger to big finals and will be key on Sunday.0:50

Ponting: Performance of Lanning’s Delhi Capitals will motivate our side too

Allrounder Amelia Kerr has fit into the overseas puzzle quite seamlessly for Mumbai. She has owned the No. 5 spot and has had a couple of match-winning performances with the bat – a 45 not out in the opener and 29 off just 19 in the Eliminator. With the ball, Kerr has had a telling effect and has been wicketless in only three of her nine games.

Team news

Capitals did not use Poonam Yadav at all despite playing her in their last league game. They might consider leaving her out for USA’s Tara Norris (teams can play five overseas players if one of them is from an Associate nation), Minnu Mani or Jasia Akhter.Delhi Capitals: 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Alice Capsey, 6 Jess Jonassen, 7 Arundhati Reddy, 8 Shikha Pandey, 9 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 10 Radha Yadav, 11 Poonam Yadav/Minnu ManiHarmanpreet seldom likes to change a side, especially when they are winning.Mumbai Indians 1 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 2 Hayley Matthews, 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amelia Kerr, 6 Pooja Vastrakar, 7 Issy Wong, 8 Amanjot Kaur, 9 Humaira Kazi, 10 Jintimani Kalita, 11 Saika Ishaque

Pitch and conditions: Brabourne favours batters

The lowest score by a team batting first at Brabourne stadium is 138. Ten games have already been played here and the final will be the 11th. It is true that the pitches have tired up a touch – the overall economy rate of the bowlers has come down from 9.09 in the first five games (till March 12) at the venue to 8.07 for the last five (since March 14). But the batters have hit 42 sixes in the second half as compared to 34 in the first. The pace of run-scoring at Brabourne has tended to be a tad quicker than at DY Patil stadium.

Stats and trivia

  • Mumbai and Capitals have only ever faced each other at DY Patil stadium. In fact, both teams have only played three matches at Brabourne this entire season.
  • Capitals have posted the highest total at Brabourne in the WPL – 223 for 2 against Royal Challengers Bangalore

Quotes

“Batting with her has been great fun. She has got a unique style which works for her. She takes the game on and turns it in our favour. Hopefully she comes in with a clear mind and is ready to take the game on and I can watch from the other end.”
“We have a lot of experience from overseas players, who have led their teams and have done well. Our local players have enough experience of domestic cricket. The team combination allows you to express yourself than thinking about too many things.”

Bancroft called into T20 squad as wicketkeeper

Cameron Bancroft will make his international debut in Sunday’s third and final Twenty20 against India in Sydney after being called in to replace Matthew Wade as wicketkeeper

Brydon Coverdale29-Jan-2016Cameron Bancroft will make his international debut in Sunday’s third and final Twenty20 against India in Sydney after being called in to replace Matthew Wade as wicketkeeper. Wade is one of five players in Australia’s T20 squad for the India series who will be unavailable for the final game as they fly to New Zealand on Saturday ahead of the ODI series that starts there next week.ODI captain Steven Smith, vice-captain David Warner, Wade, and fast bowlers Kane Richardson and John Hastings will all depart for New Zealand on Saturday, along with several players not in the T20 squad, including Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Adam Zampa. Smith and Warner have been made unavailable for Friday night’s T20 in Melbourne, while Wade, Richardson and Hastings are available to play that game.That left Australia with only 12 men in their squad for the third T20 in Sydney and no wicketkeeper amongst them, so Bancroft has been called in to take the gloves and make his international debut. Bancroft, 23, had been named in Australia’s Test squad to tour Bangladesh in October but that trip was cancelled due to security reasons, and Joe Burns was preferred to Bancroft as opener for the home summer.Bancroft has played only 10 T20s in his career, nine of which came this summer for the Perth Scorchers in the BBL, in which he made 137 runs at 34.25 with a strike-rate of 128.03. Other wicketkeepers including Tim Ludeman and Tim Paine had more prolific BBL seasons than Bancroft, but the selectors appear keen to give Bancroft an early taste of international cricket given the high regard in which they hold him as a future prospect.Squad for third T20 Aaron Finch (capt), Shaun Marsh, Shane Watson, Chris Lynn, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Bancroft (wk), James Faulkner, Nathan Lyon, Cameron Boyce, Andrew Tye, Shaun Tait, Scott Boland.

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