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This is now a four-match series after the abandonment at the Wanderers left everyone kicking their heels

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan21-Nov-2009

Match facts

Sunday, November 22, 2009
Start time 10.00 (08.00GMT)James Tredwell could leapfrog Adil Rashid for a place in the England side•Getty Images

Big picture

This is now a four-match series after the abandonment at the Wanderers left everyone kicking their heels. The significant development in the last couple of days has been the news of Jacques Kallis’ absence from the series due to a rib fracture, so his partnership with Graeme Smith will be a non-starter.England’s injury situation remains unchanged with Stuart Broad (shoulder) and Graeme Swann (side) already ruled out of the match, but the delayed start to the series will have helped Paul Collingwood and James Anderson recover from their niggles. With the forecast more promising for Sunday’s game, Collingwood should finally have the chance to become England’s most capped ODI player with his 171st appearance, overtaking Alec Stewart’s record.Really, though, it’s as you were in the build-up to the opening match although the rain has taken some of the sting out of the hype. Andrew Strauss won’t mind that, having refused to be drawn into any mind games with the South Africans but, when the action does finally start, the attention will still be on Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott.With one match already gone from the schedule, there is less room for error and therefore even more important to hit the ground running. At least on Saturday the teams were able to train outdoors, and whichever side clicks into gear the quickest after a frustrating few days will be in prime position to take control of the series.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa – WWLWL
England – LLWWW

Team news

With Kallis out of the series, Hashim Amla is set to be given another chance to open alongside Smith, a position he has filled with decent results. South Africa will also have to decide whether to go with a full hand of seamers or play one of their spinners. Without the services of Kallis’ fast bowling and the recent wet weather, the former could be the preferred route.South Africa (possible) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Alviro Petersen, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Ryan McLaren, 9 Charl Langeveldt, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11 Dale SteynEngland may hand an international debut to James Tredwell, who has been called up as cover for Graeme Swann. Quite what Adil Rashid, the second spinner in the original squad, will make of that remains to be seen but Tredwell has the advantage of spinning the ball away from South Africa’s clutch of left handers. However, they too may decide on a full hand of quicks, especially with Collingwood’s troublesome back. The other question is how many batsman to play, and if one misses out it is likely to be Joe Denly.England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Jonathan Trott, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Luke Wright, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Graham Onions, 11 James Anderson

Watch out for

Kevin Pietersen was called back into action a couple of days early when England were hit by injuries ahead of the second Twenty20, but looked in decent fettle for his 29. The 50-over warm-up against South Africa was more of a struggle as he scratched 4 from 17 balls, but he looks eager to make up for lost time. His three ODI tons in South Africa four years ago are still talked about and England would dearly like to see a return of that free-flowing, care-free Pietersen rather than the mentally strained and restrained figure that has been on show for much of 2009.JP Duminy‘s international numbers are already impressive and an ODI average of 37.57 indicates his talent. However, against England, he has struggled to make a mark with 88 runs in six matches with a best of 24. The South African management are giving him the chance to build an innings by promoting him to No 4, and with the absence of Kallis now is the time for Duminy to repay that faith.James Anderson…but not for his bowling. If he gets his turn to bat, Anderson will use the Mongoose bat which made much fanfare last season. It has a shorter blade and longer handle – meaning, in theory, better striking power – and Jimmy has got his hands on one. Without being too harsh, it might be a little wasted.

Stats and trivia

• Collingwood, as well as being one away from an England cap record, also needs three wickets to reach 100 in ODIs

Quotes

“I was actually organising a trip to India for the start of December, so they had to tell me pretty sharpish so that I didn’t put my passport in for a visa.”

He has admitted to breaching article 2.4.7 of the code, which relates to obstructing or delaying an ACU (anti-corruption unit) investigation

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2024The ICC has banned Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama from all cricket for one year, of which the last six months are suspended, after he admitted to breaching the global body’s anti-corruption code.In August the ICC charged Jayawickrama with two breaches of the code. He has admitted to breaching article 2.4.7, which relates to: “Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU [anti-corruption unit], including concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code.”Related

• Sri Lanka spinner Praveen Jayawickrama faces ICC corruption charges

The charges, according to an ICC release, relate to international cricket and the Lanka Premier League (LPL).Having made his international debut in a Test against Bangladesh in April 2021, Jayawickrama has played five Tests, five ODIs and five T20Is. His last appearance for Sri Lanka was in a T20I series at home against Australia in 2022.In LPL 2021, Jayawickrama was a part of the Jaffna Kings side that won its second title. He played one match that season, taking two wickets. In LPL 2024, he turned out for Dambulla Sixers.

Robinson in the wickets as Sussex seal home quarter-final for Sussex

ECB Reporters Network19-Jul-2024Sussex Sharks secured a home quarter-final in the Vitality Blast after thrashing Middlesex by nine wickets in front of a sell-out crowd at Hove.They leapfrogged Somerset, who lost heavily to Glamorgan in Cardiff, and back into second place after securing a ninth win in the South Group and will host the team who finish third in the North in the last eight when the competition resumes in September.The pitch at the 1st Central County Ground was being used for the third time but Middlesex’s 159 for 9 never looked like being enough and conditions were put into perspective by Sussex openers Harrison Ward and the Australian left-hander Daniel Hughes, who put on 141 in 15.1 overs, Sussex’s fourth highest stand for any wicket in T20.Hughes is now the top scorer in what is his debut season in the Blast after taking his aggregate to 560 runs with an unbeaten 96 while Ward, who had been drafted into the Hundred for the first time with Oval Invincibles earlier in the day, celebrated by easing to his third half-century in this season’s competition.Apart from a mix-up which nearly ended in Hughes being run out, the Sussex pair did much as they pleased until Ward was caught at deep mid-wicket for 56 (42 balls, 5 fours, 1 six).Hughes faced just 54 balls, hitting 12 fours and three sixes – the third to win the game with 22 deliveries to spare as he equalled his T20 career-best with his fourth fifty.Some disciplined bowling had set Sussex up. They had reduced Middlesex to 22 for 3 by the third over with Ollie Robinson picking up a wicket with the first ball of his first two overs. The dangerous Leus du Plooy was superbly caught at short-cover by Daniel Hughes and Danny Lamb produced an even better effort to remove Max Holden, flinging himself to his left to hang on to a full-blooded slash at backward point.Later in the same over Lamb put down a much more straightforward chance to reprieve Jack Davies on nought and had to go off with an injury to his right shoulder. It left Sussex a bowler light but slow left-armer James Coles (2 for 28) and off-spinner Jack Carson (2 for 23) strangled Middlesex’s attempts to accelerate, although Davies celebrated his reprieve by making 52.Davies hit four boundaries in an over off Scott Currie and also swiped three sixes but Carson got him in the 14th over courtesy of one of three catches on the mid-wicket boundary by Tom Clark.Luke Hollman made 28 at the end but Hughes and Ward soon had Sussex’s chase under control as Middlesex finished another disappointing campaign second from bottom after winning just three games.

Total of £37,500 in fines includes £8000 plus eight-week ban for Gary Ballance

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2023The ECB has recommended an eight-week ban and £8000 fine for Gary Ballance for bringing the game into disrepute through the use of racist language against Azeem Rafiq while the pair were at Yorkshire. The board also recommended a combination of fines and suspensions for five other former players at a Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) sanction hearing on Wednesday.The players were found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute by using racist language by the independent three-person CDC panel at the end of March, after a five-day hearing conducted at the start of that month. The charges laid against them, as well as Yorkshire, came from claims originally made by Rafiq and covered a period of nearly a decade from 2008. The panel cleared former England captain Michael Vaughan of having made a racist remark before a T20 game in June 2009.As well as Ballance, the ECB asked for a combination of fines, suspensions, reprimands and education courses for Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, Richard Pyrah and John Blain – all of whom either played at Yorkshire, or worked as coaches while Rafiq was there. The ECB asked for Hoggard and Pyrah to be fined £7500 each, Bresnan and Blain £5000 and Pyrah £4500 and asked for all six to receive reprimands from the CDC and to take part in a racism and discrimination course. They have also recommended a four-week suspension for Gale, should he return to coaching in cricket run by the ECB.Related

• Michael Vaughan cleared of racism charge by ECB disciplinary committee

• Cricket Discipline Committee racism hearings: The verdicts

• Gary Ballance retires from all cricket after brief Zimbabwe comeback

Vaughan was the only one of those charged who appeared to defend himself at the hearings. While Ballance had admitted to using the term “P***” among other racist phrases, Bresnan, Gale, Pyrah and Blain have denied all charges against them. The four were found guilty of using racist slurs that ranged from terms such as “you lot” to “P****” on multiple occasions.As well as Ballance, Hoggard made a qualified admission to similar charges, denying that he used the language with any racist intent. Those admissions led to the ECB asking for reduced fines in both cases. “We understand there has been a significant impact on Mr Ballance’s mental health, and that, in April 2023, Mr Ballance announced his retirement from professional cricket,” Jane Mulcahy KC, legal counsel for the ECB, told the panel. “So the ECB therefore suggests there be a reprimand, Mr Ballance be fined £8,000, reduced from £12,500, to take in effect his admissions. And also an eight-week suspension, reduced from 10 weeks, if Mr Ballance ever returns to ECB-regulated cricket as a player.”Ballance retired recently from all cricket, having first left Yorkshire late last year and then switched to play for his native Zimbabwe. He played one Test for them scoring a hundred, and eight internationals overall before he announced his retirement.The CDC panel will now deliberate over the recommendations before returning final sanctions on the players which could take several more weeks yet.Yorkshire were also found guilty by the CDC panel last month, having admitted to four charges laid against them. Their sanctions will be discussed at another hearing on 27 June.

Apart from a one-off T20I in 2012, the visitors have not won a bilateral series of any format in India

Alagappan Muthu31-Jan-20232:16

Jaffer: Don’t expect spin to play too big a role in Ahmedabad

Big picture: Santner and Hardik impress

India and New Zealand have travelled the length and breadth of the country for six games in 14 days and we are finally at the end, with the T20I series tied at 1-1. It’s time for one last push, and then please remember to put those tray tables in the upright and locked position.Winning a series here is hard work for a visiting team. India have protected their stronghold with ridiculous consistency. Over the last 10 years they have played a total of 55 bilateral series, across formats, and won 47 of them. Only Australia in 2019 and South Africa in 2015 have beaten India in India.Mitchell Santner has stressed this point in press conferences; that apart from the learnings New Zealand can take about conditions they will face during the ODI World Cup in October, there is still the chance to go down in history as a team that beat India in India.Related

• Ferguson, the unofficial leader of New Zealand's pace pack

• Why India trust Arshdeep with the difficult overs

• Mitchell and Santner give New Zealand 1-0 lead

• Suryakumar helps India draw level in spin-fest

• Lucknow curator sacked for 'shocker of a pitch'

Both captains have actually been big gains for their sides. Santner has already shown the poise under pressure that he set out to have, and he seems to be an out-of-the-box thinker too. Dude asked Lockie Ferguson if he’d bowl offspin to make the most of a rank turner in Lucknow.Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, has been an upfront and honest presence, even in front of the camera, which has been great (though not for everybody). Except, is that even a surprise? Guy publicly said he wouldn’t have minded losing to Pakistan in that epic T20 World Cup match because it was an epic T20 World Cup match. He’s well liked in the team. He throws his entire weight behind his players. And he has no fear of failure. The specifics of this series may easily fade from memory but the two captains might just go on to etch their names in history.

Watch live in the UK

You can watch the third T20I between India and New Zealand live on ESPN Player in the UK and on ESPN+ in the USA.

Form guide

India WLWLW (Last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
New Zealand LWTLL

In the spotlight: Kishan and Sodhi

Ishan Kishan scored 210 in one innings in December. In the next eight, he’s scored less than half that. This India team insists on giving its incumbents a long rope. Plus Kishan doubles up as the their wicketkeeper and presents a hard-hitting left-hand option at the top of the order. These are pluses everybody looks for in the modern game. So his place is probably safe, but still, wouldn’t he love a match-defining innings in a series decider…In a New Zealand bowling attack that values discipline and works towards minimising the margin for error, Ish Sodhi is a total wildcard. He’s the kind of spinner who gets bored by even the idea of stringing six balls on the same spot, which is probably why he finds himself on the outs in Test cricket. But what hurts him in whites is what defines him in coloured clothing. Sodhi is the second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is over the past two years.0:37

Ferguson: ‘Hardik’s body language as captain has been fantastic’

Team news: Malik in for Chahal?

Ahmedabad may not want to do what Lucknow did – its already been in the eye of a storm before – in which case India might be tempted to bring back Umran Malik in place of Yuzvendra Chahal.India (probable): 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shivam Mavi, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Umran Malik, 11 Arshdeep SinghBarring injury and other circumstances, it’s unlikely that New Zealand will want to make a lot of changes.New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Mark Chapman, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Michael Bracewell, 7 Mitchell Santner (capt), 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Jacob Duffy, 11 Blair Tickner

Pitch and conditions: The return of the belter?

The Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad has typically been a high-scoring venue for T20Is, with three of its last five games producing totals in excess of 160 in both innings, including a 224 for 2. The weather is set fair.

Stats and trivia

• Apart from a T20I series in 2012, which ended up being a one-match affair, New Zealand have never won a bilateral series in any format in India.
• Kishan’s 19 off 38 in the last game is the third-slowest innings of 30 or more balls by an opener from a Full Member country in T20Is. There were, of course, mitigating circumstances.
• There are 44 players with a batting average above 40 and a strike rate above 130 in T20Is. Two of the top three have been on show in this series: Suryakumar Yadav (47.17 and 175.63) and Devon Conway (47.42 and 130.47)

Englishman lands two-year deal starting with Sri Lanka’s Bangladesh tour in May

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Apr-2022Chris Silverwood, the former England fast bowler, has been signed by SLC on a two-year deal as head coach of the Sri Lanka men’s national team. His first series in charge will be the team’s upcoming two-Test tour of Bangladesh in May.Silverwood was until February the head coach of the England men’s team, but parted ways with the ECB in the wake of the side’s 4-0 Ashes series defeat in Australia. His term with England lasted a little over two years after he took over from Trevor Bayliss in October 2019.Sri Lanka have been without a full-time head coach since Mickey Arthur’s departure in December after his contract had run out. While he had repeatedly expressed a desire to continue, SLC were understood to have been unresponsive. Since then, former fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake had been in charge of the men’s team.The appointment of Silverwood also comes after several other international coaches had been approached by SLC and its technical committee, and those coaches had eventually turned down the advances. Graham Ford, who coached Sri Lanka in two separate stints over the past decade, is understood to have been among those approached.”We are delighted to appoint Chris as the new head coach of the national team. He is an extremely experienced coach and from our discussions with him in the recruitment process it is clear he has the required qualities we are looking for to take the team forward,” said Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, in the board’s statement. De Silva did not specify what those qualities were, and was not available for comment.Silverwood now becomes the Sri Lanka men’s team’s eighth permanent head coach appointment in the last 10 years (Ford had two separate stints in this time), in addition to the interim coaches who took the role on. He inherits a side that is seventh on the Test rankings, eighth in ODIs, and 10th in T20 internationals – Sri Lanka having to qualify for the main draw of the T20 World Cup later this year.On the Test front, Sri Lanka have home series against Australia and Pakistan, and an away series against New Zealand late in the year, in addition to the Bangladesh tour.

Abell falls for 98 but joins Steve Davies in resounding second-wicket stand to build home side’s lead to 372

David Hopps05-Jun-2021Marcus Trescothick left Somerset just before the start of the season to become England’s elite batting coach, but he has been seen around Taunton once or twice during this match and who can blame him? The quality of the young crop of batsmen he has overseen is so apparent that letting go completely must be impossible to contemplate.Tom Abell, the once oh-so-youthful captain who is becoming a senior figure now at 27, captured most attention on a third day that offered good batting conditions. Taunton sighed when he fell two runs short of his hundred, but there were also cameos from George Bartlett and Lewis Goldsworthy which reminded onlookers again of the fitful yet obvious talent at Somerset’s disposal.Steve Davies finds himself opening the batting – a more natural role for him in limited-overs cricket – and he has taken on the responsibility with success, adding 82 to his first-innings 37. He was reprieved, on 19, when Felix Organ could not hold a ball in to his midriff at long leg. “It has been a good game for me moving up the order, but whether I will continue to open I don’t know,” he said.Related

• Marnus Labuschagne sees Glamorgan home with unbeaten fifty

• Oliver Hannon-Dalby bowls Warwickshire to crushing 191-run win over Derbyshire

• Jake Libby's 126 can't stop Durham's emphatic march over Worcestershire

• Callum Parkinson crushes Gloucestershire with second five-wicket haul

Somerset’s batting adventure was again a joy to behold. They began this round in second with a 10-point advantage over Hampshire. Having earned a 49-run first-innings lead 40 minutes into the third day, their priority must have been to bat Hampshire out of the game, and the appearance of Josh Davey as a nightwatchman suggested as much in a tame end to the day. Until then, in making 323 for 6 by the close, they extended their lead with impressive alacrity.If they had Jack Leach, one of England’s Lord’s hygiene supervisors, in their side (or his fellow spinner Dom Bess, who has joined Yorkshire) their chances of a final-day victory would be decent. But a county that has made such an impact with spin must instead hope that, if the rain is not too disruptive, some menacing clouds may pep up their seamers.Josh Davey claimed a five-wicket haul•Harry Trump/Getty Images

So much emphasis has been placed upon Abell’s ability to survive a captaincy that was thrust upon him shortly before Christmas 2016 that the progress of his batting is rarely mentioned. His first-class average is only 34, but he now averages 63.50 this season and with the veteran James Hildreth so bereft of form, his runs have become more important than ever.Abell is so bristly and businesslike that the fact he is such a touch player can almost pass unnoticed. He leans into his drives with minimal physicality. Two delicate boundaries to third man off Kyle Abbott – the second taken off middle stump – left the bowler mildly nauseated. His innings was immensely orderly, as if every shot had been properly audited before he played it.Somerset’s first-innings lead was not so secure that they could afford an early collapse – certainly not to the extent of their 113 for 7 in the first innings – but once Eddie Byrom, foot fast against Abbott, had been caught at the wicket – Abell and Davies combined in a resounding second-wicket stand of 139 in 30 overs.The essence of Davies was seen in his first boundary, an uppish square drive against Abbott that has been both his strength and weakness over the years. He was helped by some fatigued overs from both Abbott and Keith Barker, the latter looking a throttled-back version of the bowler whose swing caused such mayhem first time around.Barker, as a left-armer, did at least provide ample rough for Organ, a balletic offspinner (think a lightweight version of Simon Harmer) who became the central figure in Hampshire’s attack, claiming Davies, Abell and Hildreth in a spell of 3 for 115 in 29 overs, which was broken only by a short, and misconceived, return for Abbott immediately after tea.Davies fell lbw to a full-length ball, sweeping, which at least brought some hollow consolation for his fielding blemish earlier; Hildreth, who scraped around, popped a catch back off a leading edge; Abell reached 98 with a sumptious back-foot cover drive, but sought a late cut for his 100 later in the over and under-edged a ball that turned back sneakily low. Liam Dawson’s slow left-arm option was not utilized at all and he probably has his mind on the Blast.At 203 for 4, there was still work to do, and Organ’s turn, if not substantial, did demand a certain wariness. Bartlett, lanky and stylish, and Goldsworthy, much more diminutive and in his debut season, acquitted themselves splendidly in a four-an-over stand of 108. Goldsworthy, a spin-bowling allrounder from Truro, got off the mark with such a pleasant off-drive against Abbott that his reward was a waspish bouncer. Bartlett, put on the seat of his pants by another Abbott bouncer, responded by uppercutting him for six.It was Bartlett who became the senior figure, fittingly so because he is all of 23. He might have been caught off Organ at cow corner, on 43, only for Hampshire’s captain, James Vince, to complete a tank around the boundary by recognizing that it was not his – or Hampshire’s day as the catch evaded him.At least Vince was not quite as extended as the elderly spectator who pedalled frantically backwards to catch – or perhaps avoid – Bartlett’s six over extra cover and hopefully was brought to a halt before heading west down the A38 towards Wellington.

The opener left 69 of the 176 balls he faced from the quicks, in order to prosper on a green Hamilton pitch

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2020Tom Latham struck 12 fours and a six during his 86 on the opening day of the first Test against West Indies but the leave was probably the shot that defined his innings.After winning the toss on a greener-than-usual Hamilton pitch, West Indies got debutant Will Young out early, but Latham and Kane Williamson added 154 for the second wicket to put New Zealand in front. They finished the day on 243 for 2. During the course of his knock, Latham not only left balls on line but also on length, with the West Indies fast bowlers often erring on the shorter side. Of 176 balls he faced from the pacers, Latham left 69 (39.2%).

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“There was probably a little bit more grass on this Hamilton wicket than we have traditionally seen in the past,” Latham told the host broadcaster after the day’s play. “Probably had a little bit more pace as well than we are used to seeing here.”I think initially it [the pitch] was probably a little bit slower. Sometimes when it’s a little bit softer, it tends to hold in the wicket a little bit more. But it did dry up a little bit and quickened up but I think West Indies bowled a little bit short, which allowed us to leave a lot of balls on length early on to get ourselves in.”Since the start of 2018, Latham has scored 1517 Test runs, the most by any opener in that period. His average of 52.31 is also the best among openers with at least 1000 runs in that time. He has done this while playing most of his cricket on seamer-friendly New Zealand tracks. So, how did he prepare himself for this particular Test?”You always hope the coin toss goes your way but you have to be prepared to bat first on a wicket like that. Try not to deliberate too much the day before. On a wicket like that, you probably want to limit driving the ball. Ideally, wait for something a little bit straighter or something a little bit shorter, so that was sort of the plan.”The danger for me was driving the ball on the up and bring the slips into play. They obviously bowled well in periods and bowled a lot of dots to me and Kane but it was nice to try and overcome those periods and seek some little rewards after that.”Latham had a moment of luck as well. When on 43, he went to cut a short and wide delivery from Holder only to nick it to the wicketkeeper. But apart from Darren Bravo at first slip, hardly anyone else appealed and Latham survived.”You sometimes need that,” Latham said. “So you’ve got to make most of those things when you get the chance.”While New Zealand have the upper hand, Latham thinks both their batsmen and bowlers would have to adapt a little bit as the pitch is expected to quicken up as the game progresses.”Hopefully it will quicken up a little bit as we see here in New Zealand, it tends to quicken up a bit on day two. So the lengths we bowl may change a little bit but that’s about adapting to the surface each day. Hopefully, firstly we can do that with the bat and then when we get our chance with the ball, we can do that too.”

Tall fast bowler could be considered for Pakistan tour after return from Kolpak spell

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2020Blessing Muzarabani is in line to return to international cricket and could be considered for Zimbabwe’s tour of Pakistan later this month. Muzarabani, 24, has been unavailable since signing a Kolpak deal in 2018 but has now been released from his contract with Northamptonshire.The 6ft 6in pace bowler made his Test debut in 2017 and had been capped in all three formats before electing to pursue a career in England. However, the UK’s impending exit from the European Union means that Kolpak status will scrapped for the 2021 season.Muzarabani has reportedly been in talks with Zimbabwe Cricket about a comeback, having been added to the Takashinga squad to play in the National Premier League. ESPNcricinfo understands that he could be in contention for the Zimbabwe party due to play three ODIs and three T20Is in Pakistan, with an announcement expected soon.Muzarabani took 17 wickets at 27.47 in seven first-class appearances for Northants, as well as a further seven in white-ball cricket, and had a year to run on his contract.”Blessing has been a victim of the rule changes on Kolpak players,” David Ripley, Northamptonshire’s head coach, said. “It didn’t quite work out as we planned but he is young and will get other opportunities, I feel he will be a better cricketer for his two years with us.”If he returns to the Zimbabwe set-up, Muzarabani could feature alongside a couple of other players who had Kolpak spells in county cricket, in Brendan Taylor, the former captain, and Kyle Jarvis.

Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Shane Watson among overseas names retained

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2019For the fifth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), teams were permitted to retain up to eight players from their previous roster. The category restrictions for retentions was a maximum of three Platinum, three Diamond, three Gold, five Silver and two emerging players. All six teams will go into the player draft on December 6 in Lahore to complete the rest of their squads from a pool of over 500 players.The upcoming season starts on February 20 next year, and all 34 games will be played in Pakistan across four venues in the country. Some notable foreign players including Dale Steyn, Colin Munro, Alex Hales and Jason Roy, Chris Lynn and Ben Cutting have registered themselves to be drafted.

Quetta Gladiators

Retained (8 players): Mohammad Nawaz, Sarfaraz Ahmed (both Platinum), Shane Watson (Diamond, Player Mentor), Ahmed Shehzad (Diamond), Umar Akmal (Gold, Brand Ambassador), Mohammad Hasnain (Gold), Ahsan Ali, Naseem Shah (both Silver)Released: Anwar Ali, Danish Aziz, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Fawad Ahmed, Ghulam Mudassar, Harry Gurney, Jalat Khan, Max Waller, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Azam Khan, Mohammad Irfan Jr, Rilee Rossouw, Saud Shakil, Sohail TanvirTrade: NoneRelegation: None

Multan Sultans

Retained (7 players): Mohammad Irfan (Platinum), Shahid Afridi (Diamond, Player Mentor), James Vince (Gold, Brand Ambassador), Junaid Khan (Gold), Ali Shafiq, Shan Masood (both Silver), Mohammad Ilyas (Emerging)Released: Andre Russell (not available in 2020), Chris Green, Dan Christian, Hammad Azam, Joe Denly, Johnson Charles, Laurie Evans, M. Irfan Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Junaid, Nicholas Pooran, Numan Ali, Qais Ahmed, Shakeel Ansar, Shoaib Malik, Steve Smith (not available in 2020), Tom Moores, Umar SiddiqTrade: NoneRelegation: Junaid Khan from Diamond to Gold, Shan Masood from Gold to SilverESPNcricinfo Ltd

Islamabad United

Retained (8 players): Shadab Khan (Platinum), Faheem Ashraf (Diamond, Brand Ambassador), Asif Ali (Diamond), Luke Ronchi (Gold, Player Mentor), Hussain Talat (Gold), Amad Butt, Musa Khan, Rizwan Hussain (all Silver)Released: Alex Hales, Cameron Delport, Chadwick Walton, Ian Bell, Mohammad Sami, Nasir Nawaz, Philip Salt, Rumman Raees, Sahibzada Farhan, Samit Patel, Waqas Maqsood, Wayne Parnell, Zafar Gohar, Zahir KhanTrade: NoneRelegation: None

Peshawar Zalmi

Retained (7 players): Hasan Ali, Kieron Pollard, Wahab Riaz (all Platinum), Kamran Akmal (Diamond, Brand Ambassador), Darren Sammy (Gold, Player Mentor), Imam-ul-Haq (Gold), Umar Amin (Silver)Released: Andre Fletcher, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Ibtesam Sheikh, Jamal Anwar, Khalid Usman, Lendl Simmons, Liam Dawson, Misbah-ul-Haq (not available in 2020), Nabi Gul, Sameen Gul, Samiullah, Sohaib Maqsood, Tymal Mills, Umaid Asif, Waqar Salamkheil, Wayne MadsenTrade: NoneRelegation: Imam ul Haq from Diamond to Gold, Umar Amin went from Gold to Silver

Karachi Kings

Retained (7 players): Babar Azam, Mohammad Amir (both Platinum), Imad Wasim (Diamond, Brand Ambassador), Iftikhar Ahmed (Diamond), Aamir Yamin (Gold), Usama Mir (Silver), Umer Khan (Emerging)Released: Aaron Summers, Abrar Ahmed, Ali Imran, Awais Zia, Ben Dunk, Colin Ingram, Colin Munro, Jaahid Ali, Liam Livingstone, Mohammad Rizwan, Ravi Bopara, Sikander Raza, Sohail Khan, Usman ShinwariTrade: Usman Shinwari released only to be transferred to Lahore Qalandars.Relegation: NoneALSO READ: De Villiers to sit out PSL to manage workload

Lahore Qalandars

Retained (8 players): Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez (both Platinum), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Diamond, Brand Ambassador), David Wiese, Usman Shinwari (both Diamond), Haris Rauf, Sohail Akhtar (both Gold), Salman Butt (Silver)Released: AB de Villiers (not available in 2020), Agha Salman, Aizaz Cheema, Anton Devcich, Asela Gunaratne, Brendan Taylor, Carlos Brathwaite, Corey Anderson (not available in 2020), Gohar Ali, Hardus Viljoen, Haris Sohail, Hassan Khan, Mohammad Imran, Rahat Ali, Riki Wessels, Ryan ten Doeschate (not available in 2020), Saad Ali, Sandeep Lamichhane, Umair Masood, Yasir ShahTrade: Usman Shinwari transferred from Karachi KingsRelegation: Salman Butt from Gold to Silver