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Jason Roy’s “selflessness” is likely to see him retain his place in the England side for their final Champions Trophy group-stage match against Australia.Roy has failed to pass 20 in his last eight ODI innings and, in that period, has suffered five single-figure dismissals. With Jonny Bairstow in outstanding form for club and country – he has scored three half-centuries in his last four ODI innings and smashed a career-best List A score of 174 when opening the batting for Yorkshire at the start of May – Roy’s place has been under increasing pressure.But Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, appreciates Roy’s commitment to the aggressive approach that has been at the heart of this team’s improvement over the last couple of years and feels it is important such behaviour is encouraged by a consistent selection policy that recognises the inherent risks involved in batting in such a manner.”One of the things we’ve been very consistent on is selection,” Farbrace said. “Whatever length of one-day series we’ve played, we’ve tried to stick to the same players as much as we can.”Playing for the team, as opposed to playing for themselves or for their place, definitely has a lot to do with the consistency of selection which enables batsmen to play with that confidence.”They know that if they miss out for a couple of games through playing for the team they’re not going to get left out of the side.”They know they’re going to be playing in the next game. Very often, if you play in the first game of the series you pretty much know you’re going to play that whole series. And if you have a tough series, you’re going to be back for the next one. I think that contributes massively to the confidence.”Jason Roy epitomised that selflessness when we came back from the 2015 World Cup in the series against New Zealand. He played in the way we want people to play, and that’s continued ever since.”Every player wants to take wickets and score runs and Jason is no different. But we’ve been consistent with our selections and we’ve stuck by people when they haven’t been taking wickets or scoring runs, and it’s always paid dividends when it’s happened. I don’t see Jason being any different.”The manner of Roy’s recent dismissals may have increased pressure upon him. In the match against Bangladesh, he was caught at fine leg attempting a scoop, while in the match against New Zealand he lost his leg stump after moving across to the off side in an attempt to hit through midwicket. Both shots look ugly when they don’t come off.But Farbrace made the point that, if England are going to encourage their players to take bowlers on, they have to accept there will be times the high-risk strokes don’t come off.”The only thing I wish he would do is keep hitting the middle of the bat,” Farbrace said. “There is a risk in shots you play but what you try and learn is what are high-risks and what are good risks to take.”He has walked across his stumps in the past and put people over square leg or flipped them over fine leg, and those shots have come off for him and been good. He’s not getting out to shots he hasn’t played, but when you’re not playing well they do look like tough dismissals.”There’s an element of trust and reward for him in the sense that he’s gone and played the way we wanted at all times,” he said. “You stick with people when they’ve played in a certain way. At no stage has he ever tried to get runs for himself to keep himself in the next game.”He’s always played in the way we want him to play as a team and I think you stick by people in that case. You just have to keep backing them.”While Farbrace insisted Roy’s form in training looked fine, he did hint that his place will be reviewed before the semi-final if he fails again on Saturday.”We’re not saying we’re not bothered by him and we are watching him carefully,” Farbrace said. “And if he started scratching around in training, if he started doubting himself, then that’s the time you do have to think carefully.”But everything he’s doing, and the way he’s doing it, suggests he’s not too far away from a score. We haven’t seen anything about him that suggests he is struggling for confidence. I don’t see any point in making changes before the semi-final next Wednesday.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

West Indies fined for slow over rate

Match referee Chris Broad has fined West Indies for their slow over rate during the Jamaica Test against Pakistan. West Indies were ruled to be one over short of their target when time allowances were taken into consideration.
As per the ICC code of conduct, captain Jason Holder has been fined 20% of his match fee, while the rest of the West Indies players have been fined 10%. Holder will face a suspension if West Indies commits another minor over rate breach in a Test match within 12 months of this offence with Holder as captain.
Holder pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the fine, which meant there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Richard Illingworth and Richard Kettleborough, third umpire Bruce Oxenford and fourth umpire Gregory Brathwaite levelled the charge.

Pakistan took a giant stride towards winning their first-ever Test series in the Caribbean, after an efficient bowling performance helped ease to seven-wicket win in Kingston. After Yasir Shah’s six-for in the second innings left Pakistan chasing 32, Misbah-ul-Haq, who walked in at the fall of Younis Khan’s wicket with the side needing eight, hit two successive sixes to complete the formalities.Pakistan, emboldened by pushing West Indies to a tight corner last evening, spent the morning session closing in. They picked up six wickets for 59 as West Indies, resuming 93 for 4, were bowled out for 152.Misbah was in no mood to experiment, getting his two best bowlers – Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah – into the attack straight away. At perhaps no stage of the Test did a wicket look as imminent as it did in the first 10 overs. Amir tormented nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo with an unwavering line outside off stump. Or perhaps it was the other way round, as Bishoo kept missing, somehow managing to keep his outside edge from making contact with the ball.Lesser bowlers – or indeed, Amir with lower levels of confidence – may have been frustrated, but Amir kept plugging away, and was duly rewarded. Vishaul Singh had just cut a rare poor Amir delivery away for four, but the bowler’s comeback was destructive. He went slightly wide of the crease to the left-hander, the ball shaping in sharply from the moment it pitched, destination: top of off. Singh, who had seen Amir move the ball the other way all morning, shouldered arms, and was every bit as much a spectator as everyone else when the off stump cartwheeled.Yasir Shah’s ninth five-for hastened West Indies’ collapse•AFP

Yasir was menacing from the other end, getting sharp turn off what was beginning to look like a standard day-five pitch, but it was Mohamamd Abbas who struck the next damaging blows with two wickets off three balls. Bishoo was the first to go, flashing at a short and wide delivery with Younis Khan pouching it in the slips. Two balls later, Shane Dowrich played across a straight ball that struck his pads in front of middle stump.Wahab, who has had a slightly disappointing Test with the ball, then got into the act, removing Jason Holder, West Indies’ highest scorer in the first innings. Yasir came in to clean up the lower order, just like he had the top order, removing Alzarri Joseph and Shannon Gabriel within four balls of each other to take six wickets this Test match, bolstering his ever-burgeoning credentials as a lethal second-innings bowler. This was the fifth time two Pakistan bowlers had taken six wickets in a Test innings of a Test, and the first since 2002.The chase of 32 was one perhaps not even Pakistan could stuff up, but they can’t be accused of not trying to make things interesting. Ahmed Shehzad tentatively pushed at the Gabriel delivery outside off stump for a simple catch to the wicketkeeper in the third over. Three balls later, Azhar Ali was making the walk back, having made a mess of trying to leave a ball from Joseph, only to somehow end up dragging it onto his stumps.After lunch, Younis fell trying to work Bishoo to the leg side with the side two boundaries away. But Misbah needed just three balls to put West Indies out of their misery. Thirty six for three may not look too clinical, but, as is so often the case, their bowlers had left the batsmen ample room for error.

Pakistan batsman Younis Khan remains firm about his intent to retire from international cricket at the end of the ongoing three-Test series against West Indies. In a clarification of a previous statement which left open the possibility that he could extend his career if his team needs him, Younis said that he will retire even if he scores “a hundred in every innings of every match against West Indies”.Younis’ statement around the possibility of reconsidering his retirement raised a number of eyebrows in Pakistan, a country familiar with difficult and prolonged retirements; only two weeks ago he had announced his decision to end his career.”A lot has been said about my retirement from cricket that maybe Younis wants to keep on playing Test cricket which is absolutely not true,” Younis said in a video message released on the second day of the first Test in Kingston. “I had announced my retirement with a plan, with honour after thinking and according to my wish.”The question that was asked to me, what my answer was and what version went out, I don’t want to go in detail. Younis Khan will retire even if he scores a hundred in every innings of every match against West Indies. Please don’t doubt Younis Khan’s credibility and support Pakistan. Pray for Younis Khan and for Pakistan that we can win a Test series for the very first time in West Indies.”

Younis sets the record straight on retirement

Posted by ESPNcricinfo on Saturday, April 22, 2017

Younis, 39, had announced his decision to retire from international cricket on April 8. At the time, when asked if he would reconsider his decision if asked to return by the PCB or fans, he said: “This will be a u-turn and then people will call me u-turn. But the country is always first and we can do anything for Pakistan. I am not saying that I want to captain but I don’t want to make a u-turn. I am for Pakistan and Pakistan is everything for me.”His retirements from T20 internationals and ODIs have not been without some drama. In 2009, he announced his intent to retire from T20 internationals moments after leading the side to the World T20 title. But a year later, he played three T20I matches in New Zealand, after which he was never selected for the format.He announced his retirement from ODIs on the morning of the start of a four-ODI series against England in the UAE in November 2015 and walked away after playing the first match. He had been recalled to the side after losing his place following a disappointing performance in the 2015 World Cup, and had been vocal in his criticism of the selectors in the wake of his axing.With Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq set to retire at the end of the series, Pakistan’s selection committee is looking to induct youngsters in the side with the intention of building a new team after the exits of the senior batsmen. The team’s next assignment is a series against Bangladesh and Pakistan’s chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq was known to be keen to move on beyond Misbah and Younis after the Caribbean tour

Pat Cummins will officially return to contention for a place in Australia’s Ashes team for next summer when he plays his first Sheffield Shield match in almost six years, for New South Wales against South Australia at the SCG from Tuesday.Cummins made his state debut at 17 and his Test debut later that year, before a series of foot and back injuries prompted the national selectors and Cricket Australia’s medical staff to drastically alter their plans for him.Now 23, Cummins’ body is approaching a point of maturity that is hoped will reduce his risk of injuries, after the fashion of the incumbent Test bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. As such, he is now in line to play in the Shield for the Blues and possibly Australia A in South Africa later this year ahead of next summer’s home Ashes series.”There’s the Ashes, which is a goal for probably everyone playing Shield cricket this year at the moment,” Cummins told reporters in Sydney. “I think for me getting back into first-class cricket was the No.1 goal for the year and I’m absolutely pumped to be back. I think if I get through these games then hopefully next year I can start off the year just like any other cricketer.”Cummins’ bowling action has gone through numerous adjustments over time, while his range of skills and experiences have broadened to add to his capabilities this week. While Cummins always demonstrated exceptional intelligence for a fast bowler, as evidenced by his memorable display against South Africa at the Wanderers on his 2011 Test debut, it has taken time for his body to catch up to his mind.”Probably given the extra week that we waited after the T20s has just given me a chance to prepare for the game once I got back in the frame for playing Shield cricket,” Cummins said. “I just wanted to go in [to Shield cricket] with no restrictions and not have to think about my body really, so all good.”I feel like I’m a lot more consistent now than I probably was a couple of years ago, and I think that’s put down to a few things. I think having a long pre-season, I was able to just work on quite a consistent rhythm and tempo rather than trying to bowl 180kms every ball.”I think the beauty of red-ball cricket is the ball normally swings out here [in Sydney]. After some rain hopefully it might seam around a little bit so actually bowling within yourself that 5 or 10% can actually provide some better results. Pace is one tool a bowler uses, but it’s not the be-all and end-all.”NSW have also added the English wristspinner Mason Crane to their squad for the match after a series of stand-out performances in Sydney grade cricket. However, the same overcast and damp weather that may aid Cummins to swing the ball may work against Crane’s chances of a Shield debut as the second spinner behind Will Somerville’s off-breaks.The Blues need to win both their remaining matches outright to have a chance of making the Shield final, while their opponents South Australia are in second place and can solidify their own chances with victory at the SCG.

Former Karnataka batsman K Sriram died at the age of 43 in Bangalore on February 16, following a cardiac arrest. Sriram, who was unwell for the last two months, is survived by his wife and two children – a son and a daughter.Sriram played 15 first-class matches for Karnataka and scored 644 runs, including a hundred and a fifty. He was also part of the Anil Kumble-led Karnataka team that won the Ranji Trophy in 1995-96. In the final against Tamil Nadu, Sriram was pitted against his older brother Srinath, who opened the batting and made 85 runs in the first innings.Sriram, who had worked with Canara Bank, was a qualified BCCI level-two coach.

Gordon Lord, the ECB’s head of elite coach development, is set to swap his role in cricket for a similar position in rugby union, after being appointed as the new head of professional coach development at the Rugby Football Union (RFU).Lord, 55, has spent 25 years at the ECB (formerly TCCB), following a decade of first-class cricket with Warwickshire and Worcestershire. He has held his current role since 2006, during which time he has been responsible for the development and leadership of the ECB elite coach development strategy and of a new game-wide coach development strategy.He also leads the delivery of level three and four coaching and the personal development and succession plans for all elite-coaching roles at the ECB.In his new role, starting from April, he will report to Dean Ryan, the RFU’s head of international player development, and be responsible for implementing a coaching development and education programme to further the development of world-class England rugby players.”I’m delighted to be joining at such an exciting time for England rugby,” said Lord. “This new challenge offers the chance for me to help enhance the coaching culture in English rugby and build on an established coach development programme.”Commenting on the appointment, Ryan said: “Gordon is well-regarded throughout sport for his work developing coaches and has proven experience in effective coaching processes and mentoring coaches at an elite level. He has built an outstanding elite coach development programme in cricket and we look forward to welcoming him to the RFU in April.”It is understood that the ECB will be seeking a replacement for Lord but Andy Flower confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he does not intend to apply for the role.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrendon McCullum’s fluent 42 and his leadership set the tone for Brisbane Heat’s comeback win•Getty Images

Marshalled expertly by Brendon McCullum, Brisbane Heat held their nerve to storm Adelaide Oval and deny the Strikers in a high-scoring Big Bash League shootout in front of a hefty pre-Christmas crowd.McCullum and Jimmy Peirson set the Heat on the road to a tally of more than 200 on a pristine batting surface, before the visitors persevered through a blistering opening stand by Ben Dunk and Jake Weatherald to constrict the Strikers middle order and walk off the victors.Slam DunkThe Heat showcased a useful recruit of their own when the former Striker Alex Ross tailed off the Heat’s innings with a series of telling blows, but it was Dunk’s pyrotechnics at the start of the Strikers innings that stuck in the memory. Though he was dropped twice, Dunk also produced a series of exceptionally clean blows, the best of which was an inside out cover-driven six off Samuel Badree that comfortably cleared a teal wall of fielders on the off side.Dunk was able to pull along the promising left-hander Weatherald in his slipstream, and the pair now look likely to be one of the more dangerous opening combinations in the tournament. Dunk’s own hitting was to be placed in perspective by the struggles of the batsmen that followed him, quickly turning a gettable equation into a favourable one for the Heat.Second spellBadree is of course one of the world’s leading T20 exponents, and he did not let 15 runs from his first seven balls fluster him. Only two more singles could be taken from the remainder of that second over, and when returning in the 10th over, Weatherald and Dunk still flying, Badree was able to tie up the younger batsman with a trio of dot balls that were the first sign of any momentum being lost.Recalled to the attack to twirl the ball down at the new batsman Travis Head after Weatherald was finally dismissed, Badree produced the rarest of T20 gems – a maiden. In his recent ODI appearances for Australia, Head was a batsman of almost perpetual motion, but he was unable either to muscle or finesse Badree. The Strikers’ required run-rate leapt up by more than a run in the space of that over, and from there McCullum was able to use his other bowlers to keep that rate climbing.Another area in which Badree’s influence could be seen was in how the other legspinner Mitchell Swepson responded to his own difficult start. At a time when the Strikers needed boundaries, he conceded only four singles and a two, while also dismissing Head with a hard-spun delivery that the batsman could only top edge to, you guessed it, Badree running around from short third man.Six and not outThe Adelaide Oval’s crowds have been the most consistently bounteous of the BBL since the ground was redeveloped, and those on the short square boundaries have gotten quite used to trying to catch the many sixes hit in their direction. The first six of the night, a typically rasping cut over point by McCullum, was expertly caught by one man in the members, who promptly threw it back up in celebration.Later, Jake Weatherald hammered a pull shot to straight midwicket where another catch was neatly held. But the most notable effort was the most nonchalant of takes behind square leg by a security guard posted on the fence. Joe Burns’ hook shot arrowed towards him, and he held it without even getting up from his seat. Three sixes caught from among a crowd of 38,011 was an impressive effort.The McCullum effectBrisbane’s signing of McCullum as far back as BBL01 had to be done with one eye on the time they would be able to utilise him full-time, and his international retirement last season means he will now be available for the entirety of this competition. Not only did the Heat benefit from his lead-off hitting before the Adelaide sun went down, but his composure and confidence in the field radiated in a way that helped the Heat’s players keep their heads while the Strikers gave up a handsome position in the chase.

Mahela Jayawardene wondered on Twitter whether previous Australia captains would have left a tour early, as Steven Smith has done. Graeme Smith has echoed those sentiments publicly. Angelo Mathews was typically diplomatic, but as he prepares to play a side led by David Warner now, even he admits to being perplexed.”I think they have their own player management system, but honestly, if it was me, I wouldn’t have [left], because it’s a tough tour,” Mathews said. “You need the captain alongside the playing XI. They decided to rest him – well, I don’t think we as players have any issues with that.”Smith’s own team-mates have – not surprisingly – been more understanding of his departure, despite the ODI series still hanging in the balance. Warner said regular breaks for players were required because of cricket’s hectic modern schedules. Smith had also been leading Australia across all formats, taking over the ODI team after last year’s World Cup, and the Test and T20 sides since.”I can feel for Steve and the amount of cricket he has been playing,” Warner said. “It is going to very, very tough with the scheduling these days to play all three forms and every single game possible. Players are getting rested here and there. Everyone has to adapt, and we’ve got [to remember] that everyone is human.”While Warner attempts to fill the gap in leadership that Smith has left behind, Australia will also need to replace the man who has been ODI cricket’s most prolific run-scorer over the past year. Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh are in line to step into the XI. Warner suggested Smith’s output makes a break from cricket particularly well-deserved.”The stats he has on the board, runs-wise and the world’s best batter and player, I think he deserves a break whether or not it was during the series or before the series.”There were times there when I may have been leaning towards having a break and then you have a bit of misfortune by getting injured and that has sort of been my freshen-up.” [Warner broke a finger while fielding in June, and missed the end of the tri-series in the West Indies.]Warner is set to become Australia’s 23rd ODI captain, and said it had not been in his “wildest dreams” to lead the side. “I feel honoured and thrilled,” he said. “I’m really pumped to get out there, help the guys and lead from the front.”Though he has never led a national side, Warner has had captaincy success in the IPL, leading Sunrisers Hyderabad to this year’s title. Allrounder James Faulkner, who plays for the Gujarat Lions IPL franchise, suggested that experience would assist Warner’s captaincy at the international level.”David’s got lot of experience in all three formats – in IPL and BBL as well,” Faulkner said. “I know one thing – that he is pretty honest, and he’s going to back each and every one of us. Much as the same with Smithy – very good leaders. They let their presence be felt in the middle. I’m sure David will fill the position really well.”

Shikhar Dhawan is likely to partner M Vijay at the top of the order, with KL Rahul missing out, in the first Test of India’s tour of the West Indies starting in Antigua on Thursday. India also seem set to play five bowlers, on a pitch that their captain Virat Kohli felt would not offer too much bounce. Kohli did not lay out the selection calls explicitly, but strongly hinted at them in his press conference on the eve of the Test match.”In international cricket, you need to understand one thing that you cannot count players out because of one series,” Kohli said. “If you’re talking about KL Rahul, obviously he’s improved leaps and bounds as a cricketer in the last 3-4 months. He’s established himself as the third opener for India, he’s a regular in the Test side, he played in Sri Lanka as well, scored runs there.”But that’s one call you need to take as a captain, and that’s why they say the job is never easy. It’s just that, whoever starts a Test series, he has an edge over [the player] who has to wait for his chance, but at the same time, we have four Test matches and you will get a chance at some stage.”If you speak about KL Rahul and someone like Shikhar, it’s very difficult to take a call up front, in the first match of a series, because someone like Shikhar is a very dominant player, he can dominate sessions and bring you into the Test match, especially in conditions like West Indies.”You saw how he played in Sri Lanka, he scored a very quick hundred, but got injured unfortunately, but that’s what I mean. You can’t count out a guy like Shikhar because of a couple of innings here and there. So we need to give guys a decent run, and know that if something goes wrong, we have a quality player like Rahul waiting in the wings and he’s as solid as anyone in world cricket right now, and he’ll do a good job whenever he gets a chance.”There was a smattering of grass on the surface, and Kohli felt its main purpose was to bind the soil underneath, rather than provide any major assistance to the quick bowlers.”I think the surface looks really dry and soft,” he said. “It’s not as hard as some of the other surfaces in West Indies. The wicket is no different from what we play back home, actually. It’s basically where we have soft wickets and the soil is loose, it’s bound by the grass, so have to keep that cover on, so I think it’ll be a decent batting wicket.”There won’t be much bounce, not as much bounce as some of the other places in West Indies, somewhere like Barbados or Jamaica where the spinners get a lot of bounce. That won’t be the case here, that’s what I feel, after reading the wicket, so we’ll have to plan accordingly where we need to bowl.”In the days leading up to the Test match, India’s nets hierarchy seemed to indicate that Rohit Sharma would not feature in their starting XI, and that either Stuart Binny or Ravindra Jadeja would play instead to provide an extra bowling option. Without saying India would definitely do so, Kohli said he was “in favour of five bowlers”.”We have some plans in our mind, but we can’t disclose those things now,” he said. “But when we played in Australia and in Sri Lanka, we learned that it’s crucial to attack in the first match, and to set the tone for the series. For that you will need to play your strongest bowling unit in the first match.”And as batsmen, we want to take responsibility, so as a captain I’m always in favour of five bowlers, because if you don’t take 20 wickets, it doesn’t matter if you score 700 runs, there’s no point. We have been playing with that mindset for the last one-and-a-half-to-two years, and we will start this series with the same mindset, and see that our bowling is as strong as it needs to be to take 20 wickets.”As a captain, you will want that your prime bowler, even if he only bowls 10 overs, if he concedes only 20 runs in those 10 overs and picks up two wickets, he will keep the pressure on. If your part-timer bowls five overs and concedes 30, the pressure will disappear. So I think in a Test match, that when that moment comes, it becomes crucial how well your fifth bowler bowls.”And on this wicket, the plans of bowling outside off stump may not be that successful because there won’t be too much pace and bounce. So bowlers who will bowl stump-to-stump lines and wicket-taking bowlers will be more effective. That is the mindset we plan to get into the Test match with, and start the series on a positive note.”With Mohammed Shami back to full match fitness after a long layoff with a knee injury, Kohli welcomed back a pace bowler whom he called “a complete package”. Given the amount of bowling he has done at the nets, Shami seems likely to edge Umesh Yadav out of the eleven as Ishant Sharma’s new-ball partner.”Shami, unfortunately he got injured while he was having a great season,” Kohli said. “He bowled really well in South Africa, he bowled well in New Zealand, he bowled well in England, I mean he bowled well everywhere that he played. Australia as well, in the Test matches, in the World Cup he was outstanding, so, unfortunately he got injured after that, you know, had a massive break.”But now he’s back, he’s bowling really well. Obviously, he’s a gun bowler, we all know that, the areas he hits is what you need in Test cricket, very attacking lines and lengths, and he has the ability to get batsmen out at any stage of the game, which as a captain is very pleasing and important, so Shami being back in the side obviously gives us a lot of options. The guy can bowl well with the new ball, with the old ball, reverse-swinging it, he can come around the wicket, use bouncers and use his pace as well. So I think as a fast bowler he’s a complete package, and I only wish him the best of luck for the season, and hope he delivers for us like he’s done in the past as well.”Five years ago, during India’s last full tour of the Caribbean, Kohli made his Test debut and endured a difficult series, not managing a single half-century in five innings and showing discomfort against the short ball. However, Kohli said he was happy to be back where it all began.”It’s a memorable place for me,” he said. “I made my Test debut here. It’s nice to come back after so many years, and having played so many Test matches all over the world in between. Obviously, I had improved as a Test cricketer.”Obviously I had little clue about Test cricket [on the 2011 tour]. I came here and found out a lot about the format and what the challenges were at that stage. This is one place that made me start realising where you needed to improve as far as Test cricket was concerned.”I’m really happy to be back here. I’ve been here a couple of times after that, but never played Test cricket afterwards. So it’s a nice place to come and play. The atmosphere is really good, people like cricket, they support it. I’m really excited to play a Test match here after so long. So is everyone else in the team.”

Barinder Sran had an underwhelming debut series in Australia, where he took three wickets at an average of 56.66 and gave away 6.45 runs an over. But in India’s three-ODI series against Zimbabwe, the left-arm seamer took four wickets at 24.75, at an economy rate of 4.12, and showcased a new weapon – an inswinger that was a source of discomfort for Zimbabwe’s batsmen. Ahead of the T20I series that begins in Harare on Saturday, Sran said he had consciously worked on getting his wrist position right.”It’s the difference in the conditions [between Australia and Zimbabwe],” Sran said. “I changed the seam position a bit, made some changes to my action because I’m looking to swing the new ball. So I’m not putting in too much effort, because if I do that, I lose my wrist position and it reduces the swing.”Sran had erred frequently in his line and length in Australia, and his bouncers were largely ineffective. But in Zimbabwe, he has mostly stuck to a fuller length. “[In Australia], I had a problem in my shoulder because of which I couldn’t perform to my potential. So I was under some pressure,” Sran said. “I didn’t have much IPL experience either then, I had played only one IPL match, and even in the Ranji Trophy, only 10-11 matches. Still, everybody supported me and that felt good.”Nothing much has changed, because in Australia, there was a huge difference in the kind of wickets. It was quite hot there and they were good batting wickets, whereas here, there is some help for the bowlers. I have just been focusing and working on those areas where I’m weak, like when I was trying to swing, the ball wasn’t coming back in, so I worked on that regularly. In the IPL too, [Ashish] Nehra and Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] were with me, they taught me seam position and supported me in all aspects from the beginning. For two-three days, I went to Chandigarh as well and met my coach Amit Uniyal and worked with him.”The performances in Zimbabwe have been a step forward after his struggles in Australia, but Sran acknowledged that work was needed before he can be considered ready for Test cricket. “To get there, I need to be consistent and bowl one line and length,” he said. “I need to improve a lot, I need to improve my pace and fitness level. I will work towards achieving these in the next season.”