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India have won 23 of their 25 T20Is this year, and one more on Friday will give them the series

Hemant Brar14-Nov-2024

Big picture: The year India embraced T20

In a fickle, unpredictable format, India have had arguably the greatest year for a team, winning 23 of their 25 T20Is in 2024. It was also the year where they truly embraced the format, shedding their safety-first approach with the bat to play attacking, modern-day T20 cricket.The results could not have been better. They whitewashed Afghanistan and Bangladesh at home and did the same to Sri Lanka away. In between, their second-string side won 4-1 in Zimbabwe. But all that pales in comparison to their unbeaten run to lift the T20 World Cup in June.Friday’s T20I in Johannesburg will be their last outing in the format this year. Having taken an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match series, they will be keen to hit yet another positive note.Related

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Until they met India in the final in Barbados, South Africa were also unbeaten in the T20 World Cup. But on either side of the tournament, their performances have been underwhelming. One can argue that they were almost always missing one or more of their first-choice players but the same can be said of their opponents as well.Even if they win on Friday, South Africa’s winless streak in bilateral T20I series will stand at eight. Still, 2-2 is much better than 3-1.

Form guide

South Africa LWLLW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
India WLWWW

In the spotlight: Marco Jansen and Abhishek Sharma

Making his comeback from a shoulder issue, Marco Jansen has been South Africa’s player of the series. He may have picked up only three wickets but his economy of 6.41 is the best for any bowler in the series. That India posted 200-plus totals twice in three games makes Jansen’s performance even more impressive. He is also the leading run-getter for South Africa with 73 runs at a strike rate of 208.57. In Centurion, he almost pulled off an impossible-looking chase with his 16-ball half-century, the second-fastest for South Africa in the format.Having not crossed 20 in his last seven T20I innings, Abhishek Sharma was under pressure coming into the third T20I. At times, he had looked out of his depth, especially against the hard lengths, and it seemed he had only one gear. But in Centurion, his shot selection was much better as he scored a 25-ball 50 to set the platform for a big total. With Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill ahead of him in the pecking order, he will be aware that he cannot relax after just one good innings.

Team news: Peter comes back?

South Africa could consider bringing back local legspinner Nqabayomzi Peter for Gerald Coetzee.South Africa (probable): 1 Ryan Rickelton, 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Aiden Markram (capt), 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Gerald Coetzee/Nqabayomzi Peter, 9 Andile Simelane, 10 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Lutho SipamlaWith Ramandeep Singh showing his value with the bat in Centurion, India will be hesitant to make any changes.India (probable): 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Ramandeep Singh, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Varun ChakravarthyMarco Jansen has been South Africa’s best batter this series•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions: Rain may delay start

Johannesburg is traditionally a high-scoring venue. The last time it hosted a T20I, in December 2023, India rode on Suryakumar Yadav’s hundred to post 201 for 7. However, South Africa were bowled out for a mere 95 in response, with Kuldeep Yadav taking five wickets. There is a forecast for showers around 4pm local time, half an hour before the toss. But it is expected to be brief and we should get a full game.

Stats and trivia: Arshdeep closes in on Chahal

• In 2024, India have breached the 200 mark eight times – the most by any team in a single year.
• Arshdeep Singh needs five more wickets to surpass Yuzvendra Chahal as India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is.
• This year, Aiden Markram has 241 runs in 17 T20Is at an average of 16.06 and a strike rate of 120.50. The last time he scored a half-century in the format was 28 innings ago.
• Tilak Varma’s 107 not out in Centurion was the 21st T20I hundred by an India batter. New Zealand (12) and Australia (11) are the only other teams to have ten or more T20I tons.

An exchange of words late on day one has added more spark to one of the series’ most compelling duels

Andrew McGlashan03-Jan-2025Sam Konstas was at the centre of a fiery exchange with India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah amid a dramatic finish to the opening day of the final Test at the SCG, which has set up another compelling duel when play resumes on Saturday.Australia’s reply started with just 15 minutes of the day remaining, and first ball Konstas walked down the crease at Bumrah and whipped him through midwicket. Konstas then exchanged words with Bumrah before what became the penultimate ball of the day after Usman Khawaja had pulled away from the strike, seemingly to try and eat up time to ensure there wouldn’t be another over.Related

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Konstas turned to Bumrah and appeared to say something, which prompted umpire Sharfuddoula to step in. The next delivery passed through outside off stump. Then, with the final ball of the day, Bumrah had Khawaja edging to second slip, and immediately turned and locked eyes with Konstas at the non-striker’s end and took a couple of steps towards him, before being joined by several team-mates, including Virat Kohli, in exuberant celebration.”I feel they had a little chit-chat,” Rishabh Pant said of the exchange. “They wanted to waste some time. I feel that’s the reason he had a conversation with Jassi [Bumrah]. He [Konstas] said something, I didn’t hear it, but I feel that’s the only thing which he wanted to do to just waste some time so we don’t bowl one more over.”The India players were animated as they left the field, having a few minutes earlier been bowled out for 185, while Konstas walked off a few metres behind Khawaja, with Australia 9 for 1.”It was an interesting one,” Beau Webster said of how Australia’s innings started. “I was sitting next to Heady [Travis Head] in the rooms watching on the TV and the first ball he [Konstas] ran down and clipped him over midwicket. There almost wasn’t surprise anymore, it was like there he is, he’s away.”Sammy’s a very confident young man, it’s what they do these days, those youngsters, they get after it and put themselves out there. He’s got all the skills and all the talent to back it up so hopefully he has a really good day tomorrow and puts a few runs on the board.”Usman Khawaja walks back after being done in by Jasprit Bumrah•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Konstas’ selection in the latter part of the series has had a dramatic impact. He struck 60 off 65 balls in his debut innings at the MCG, where he scooped Bumrah on a regular basis, and in the process of his stay was shoulder-barged by Kohli between overs. Bumrah struck back against Konstas in the second innings by removing him for 8.In the field, Konstas was heavily engaged with the packed MCG crowd and in the final innings, as Australia pushed for victory, was a vocal presence around the bat.”He’s playing with a lot of flair,” Scott Boland told . “He’s definitely under their skin. You can see that in the last few moments there.”Speaking ahead of the SCG Test, Konstas’ mentor Shane Watson said he had been surprised by how outgoing the 19-year-old had been.”My experience of dealing and working with Sam has been a very quiet, reserved personality,” he said. “[He’s] a very deep thinker and certainly not an extrovert. But obviously what we saw in the Test match is that he absolutely is a showman.”Bumrah’s late strike will raise India’s hopes that he has one more huge performance in him to cap an outstanding series with the visitors needing to win to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.”Think there’s definitely a method to go about batting on this wicket, but Jasprit is a world-class bowler and no doubt he’s going to challenge our whole batting group,” Webster said. “He’s phenomenal with his lengths and lines, it is going to be tough on a wicket that will offer a fair bit for him.”Pant acknowledged India would have liked a few more runs but was confident in India being able to stay competitive in the match.”I think I wouldn’t say it’s a par score, I think anything over 220 to 250 would be a par score,” he said. “But still a very competitive score because the way ball is moving now I think there’s a lot of help for the bowler and hopefully we can capitalise on that.”

Sam Konstas fell cheaply as NSW lost three wickets late in the day in a game that will have a huge bearing on the Shield final

Tristan Lavalette06-Mar-2025Sam Konstas started cautiously on a tricky surface before falling late on day one as another low-scoring Sheffield Shield match at the WACA appeared to be in the works.After Western Australia was bowled out for 196 in their first innings, New South Wales slumped to 17 for 3 in the pivotal fixture.Less than a month since WA crashed to South Australia in the shortest outright result in Shield history, the green-tinged pitch was again difficult to bat on with significant seam movement on offer.Related

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There was much intrigue over how Konstas would approach the situation having to come out to bat an hour before stumps. He started in orthodox fashion, playing straight and hitting a couple of elegant drives. There was no sign of anything fancy in his first 15 balls but he fell in tame fashion on the next delivery when he chipped left-arm quick Joel Paris to mid-off.Nic Maddinson and nightwatchman Ryan Hadley were dismissed by quick Lance Morris just before stumps to leave the match in the balance.Veteran Jackson Bird and captain Jack Edwards were standouts with five wickets between them. No WA batter reached fifty, but in an encouraging sign opener Cameron Bancroft was resolute with 22 off 66 balls in his return to the field after a horrific head-on collision in the outfield during a BBL game on January 3.Just 0.24 points separates second-placed NSW and WA with a victory for either team putting them into pole position to reach the final.With the remarkable events of the ground’s last Shield match still fresh, Edwards had no hesitation in bowling first despite the hot conditions. The calendar might have flipped into autumn, but March is essentially an extension of summer in Perth and the pitch was baking with temperatures already in the mid-30s Celsius by the time the first ball was bowled.All eyes were on Bancroft in his long-awaited return and he was intent on showcasing his trademark steely defence against accurate new ball bowling from Bird and Edwards. WA only scored two runs off the first six overs with Edwards starting off with three consecutive maidens.The ball wasn’t quite zipping off the surface like the South Australia match, but Edwards did occasionally produce sharp bounce and he had captain Sam Whiteman fending agonisingly short of leg gully.Whiteman had a torrid time, hit on the helmet by Hadley after attempting a pull shot before edging over the slips for a fortuitous boundary. But after battling through early trouble, Whiteman and Bancroft blunted the bowling in a sedate period through the middle part of the first session.The hardnosed openers have a knack of leaving bowlers flustered and they appeared set to bat through the first session as NSW’s quicks started to lose patience. But Liam Hatcher provided a spark 30 minutes before lunch when he nicked off Bancroft before having a huge appeal for caught down the legside off Jayden Goodwin turned down.Goodwin made it through to the long break, but Whiteman didn’t after he chopped on to a back of a length delivery from Edwards. WA reached lunch at 62 for 2 in a total that was eerily similar to the same stage of the South Australia match. On that occasion WA fell apart after the interval and there was a sense of déjà vu when they lost 3 for 27.Edwards was in the midst of a terrific spell and had Goodwin nicking off before Hadley clean bowled Hilton Cartwright, who had an error of judgement when he didn’t play a shot.Ashton Turner was unperturbed and decided to back his attacking instincts as runs flowed quickly for the first time in the day. He drove powerfully, but was fortunate on 21 when he was dropped by Bird in his follow through with the ball almost parrying to mid-off.But Turner couldn’t regain his rhythm after tea and he nicked off to Bird although he was unhappy with the decision. After dismissing Paris on the next delivery, Bird came within inches of completing his hat-trick when Cameron Gannon almost chopped onto his stumps.There was mock applause from several hard-bitten fans in the terraces when WA reached 150. But their mood brightened when wicketkeeper-batter Joel Curtis flourished after a sluggish start to lift the home side to what appears a competitive total.

Sachin Baby, who was a symbol of concentration and grit all day to construct 234-ball 98, fell with Kerala 56 away from a first-innings lead

Shashank Kishore28-Feb-2025Stumps A thrilling third day’s play of the Ranji Trophy final took a potentially decisive turn late in the third session, when Sachin Baby, who was a symbol of concentration and grit all day to construct 234-ball 98, fell with Kerala 56 away from a first-innings lead. That opened the floodgates for hosts Vidarbha to barge the door down, by picking up the three remaining wickets quickly to take a 37-run lead by stumps.Harsh Dubey and Parth Rekhade, the left-arm spin twins, picked up six wickets between them as Kerala saw the lead snatched from under their rug in eerily similar circumstances to what they did to Gujarat only a week earlier. Dubey ended with 3 for 88 across 44 overs, to surpass Ashutosh Aman’s tally for most wickets in a single Ranji season. He’s now on top of the list with 69 wickets.The big moment came 30 minutes into the final session when Rekhade danged a carrot with Baby approaching three figures in his 100th first-class game. With mid-on in, Baby looked to launch him over the infield but ended up dragging it to Karun Nair at the deep midwicket boundary. Baby took an eternity to walk off and couldn’t believe what he’d done. In that moment, it felt as if Kerala’s hopes hinged on a lead that eventually was taken away from them when the lower order was snuffed out.Jalaj Saxena, Kerala’s last hope, soldiered on for 76 deliveries to make 28 before an attempted paddle off Rekhade had him miss the ball as it crashed into the stumps. Kerala still needed 43, but there was a sense that the end was nigh. Saxena’s wicket was massive, for he was looking completely at ease against the turning ball that occasionally spat on the batters with a few spots from the rough areas of both ends making it difficult for the batters.Like it has on many occasions, the prelude to Saxena’s wicket was a lengthy recovery break when Yash Rathod fell flat on the ground with cramps and needed treatment from the physio before play resumed. It was almost as if that break forced a slight lapse in concentration from Saxena as he attempted to paddle one from outside off, having played that stroke a number of times during his innings to deliveries drifting into the pads.Darshan Nalkande finished with 3 for 52 in the first innings•PTI

Once Saxena fell, Kerala folded with 19-year-old Eden Apple Tom, playing in only his third Ranji game and his first in nearly three years, bowled attempting a sweep after he’d blunted the bowling for a better part of the last 45 minutes. The last hour undid all the hard work Baby did in being able to have Kerala dare to dream of a lead, but he’ll know with two full days left and two quality spinners in his ranks, Kerala’s ability to bounce back will depend on how quickly they’re able to lift themselves from the pall of gloom that seemed to have set into the dressing room when their final wicket fell.The nature of Kerala’s collapse in the end was dramatic and won’t tell you how well the batters had done to give them sight of a lead in the first place. Local boy and two-time Ranji winner with Vidarbha, Aditya Sarwate, led the way with 79, and was the first to fall on the third day when he was prised out by Dubey, who quickly changed his approach from trying to bowl full and flat to looping it into the batters and having them jab at deliveries.Once such delivery that jumped at Sarwate lobbed off the bat to Danish Malewar at silly point just a few minutes after he’d reprieved him by putting down a low catch at gully. That wicket forced Vidarbha to go on an attack, as Baby, who overturned an lbw through DRS on 54, opened up to play some wonderful shots – the secret to his runs early on lay in how late he played the ball and how disciplined he was outside off.Mohammed Azharuddeen took much pressure off Baby as he late cut the spinners well to keep picking runs and bring the deficit close to double digits when Vidarbha’s decision to take the second new ball midway through the 93rd over immediately paid dividends. Off the very first ball of the 94th, Azharuddeen was trapped lbw by Darshan Nalkande’s in-ducker that beat his inside edge.Saxena then showed some intent up front by hitting two boundaries off his first five deliveries, before he buckled down in Baby’s company. The pair added 46 when Baby’s hoick – what would best be described a brain fade – changed the complexion of the innings, and possibly the match itself.

Sathvik and Esakkimuthu were the other key players in the game as Dindigul went down by 118 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2025A stellar TNPL season for Tushar Raheja ended with the opening batter leading IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans to their maiden title. The 24-year-old made 77 off 46 balls to propel his team to a total of 220 for 5 against Dindigul Dragons, who simply crumbled in the chase, getting bowled out for 102.Raheja finished the Tamil Nadu Premier League as its highest scorer with 488 runs at a strike rate of 186. His aggression at the top of the order helped Tiruppur dictate terms after they were put in to bat. Raheja hit six fours and four sixes and by the time he was dismissed in the 16th over, his team had 160 on the board.Amit Sathvik caused just as much damage, striking his fourth half-century in five T20s and taking him to third place (340) on the season’s highest run-getters list. The 22-year-old clattered eight fours and three sixes on his way to 65 off 34 balls as the Dragons bowlers were left scratching their heads. Four of the six they used had economy rates in the double-digits and even Ashwin (9) and Varun Chakravarthy (9.75) weren’t spared. With the platform set by the top-order, Tiruppur scored 60 runs off the last 4.5 overs to finish with 220 for 5.Dindigul were never in the chase, losing four wickets by the end of the powerplay. They were barely hanging on at the halfway stage, with eight of their batters already back in the pavilion. Raghupathy Silambarasan (2-12), T Natarajan (1-19), Mohan Prasath (2-18) and A Esakkimuthu (2-27) made significant impacts with the ball. The 23-year-old Esakkimuthu in his first professional T20 tournament ended up as its second-highest wicket-taker with 14 strikes at an economy rate of 7.46. Dindigul were bowled out in 14.4 overs as Sai Kishore and his men lifted the title.

Radha Yadav to lead India A in T20s, one-dayers and a four-day match in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2025Allrounder Shreyanka Patil has been included in the India A T20 squad for the upcoming three-match series in Australia following a long injury layoff.Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav was named captain of all three squads for the tour in August; India A also play three 50-over matches and one four-day match against Australia A. Radha took over the captaincy from Minnu Mani, who had led India A on their previous assignment, also a tour of Australia, last August. Mani is the vice-captain of the squads.Patil’s inclusion is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. She had suffered a finger injury during the Women’s Asia Cup in July 2024 but returned to play the T20 World Cup in UAE in October. She then suffered another injury that ruled her out of the 2025 WPL. Patil had been included in the BCCI’s central contracts list in March and was also one of three Indians picked in the draft for the Women’s Caribbean Premier League in September.Apart from Patil, legspinner Priya Mishra’s inclusion in the one-day and the four-day squad also depends on fitness clearance. Mishra has played nine ODIs for India, the last of which was against Ireland in January.Other notable inclusions for the A tour of Australia are batter Shafali Verma and fast bowler Titas Sadhu , who have been picked for all three formats.The tour starts with the T20s in Mackay from August 7 followed by the one-day games in Norths from August 13. The only four-day fixture will be played at Allan Border Field in Brisbane from August 21.

India A T20 squad

Radha Yadav (capt), Minnu Mani (vc), Shafali Verma, D Vrinda, S Sajana, Uma Chetry (wk), Raghvi Bist, Shreyanka Patil, Prema Rawat, Nandini Kashyap (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor and Titas Sadhu

India A one-day and multi-day squad

Radha Yadav (capt), Minnu Mani (vc), Shafali Verma, Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Tanushree Sarkar, Uma Chetry (wk), Priya Mishra, Tanuja Kanwer, Nandini Kashyap (wk), Dhara Gujjar, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor and Titas Sadhu

“If you start complaining about these things, it affects your performance on the field,” Rashid Khan says

Shashank Kishore09-Sep-20251:59

Rashid: Not ideal to stay in Dubai and play in Abu Dhabi

“Right now, I’m feeling very sleepy,” Charith Asalanka announced, to peals of laughter around the room. It was a brutally honest opening quip from Sri Lanka’s captain, who had flown into Dubai from Harare via South Africa just hours earlier for the men’s T20 Asia Cup.Asalanka had just played back-to-back T20Is in Zimbabwe on September 6 and 7, wrapped up the series, packed his bags, boarded a long-haul flight, and landed straight into the Dubai heat, only to be whisked off to a pre-tournament photoshoot and a captains’ press conference.”I should answer this question tomorrow, I think,” Asalanka said with a wry smile. “It’s really hard to play back-to-back games and then travel straightaway. I think we actually need a couple of days off. I hope the coach will give us [that].Related

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“It’s important to take care of our fitness. And we all know it’s really hot out there. For me, it’s really important to stay fresh and give 100% in the first game.”Luckily for Sri Lanka, they have been given four days off before their tournament opener against Bangladesh. It’s a rare luxury in a competition where Sri Lanka are in the “group of death” with Afghanistan and Hong Kong completing the pool.Afghanistan, meanwhile, had also wrapped up a series but in the same part of the world. And their captain Rashid Khan wasn’t complaining.They finished a hectic tri-series campaign against Pakistan and UAE in Sharjah on Sunday night, and were scheduled to play Hong Kong in their Asia Cup opener in Abu Dhabi in less than 48 hours. Then Rashid and his opposite number Yasim Murtaza were at the Dubai International Stadium six hours before the toss for the same media event where Asalanka was nearly dozing off, and Salman Agha, who also played in Sunday’s final, looking fresh.”Well, I don’t think it’s ideal – that’s what we were discussing [with the other captains] before as well,” Rashid said. “To play in Abu Dhabi and stay here in Dubai for all three games… it’s different. But as professional cricketers, we have to accept these things.Rashid Khan is determined to keep the focus on what he and Afghanistan could control•Emirates Cricket Board

“Once you enter the ground, you tend to forget everything else. In other countries, we often fly two-three hours and go straight to the game. I remember flying from Bangladesh to the US once and playing straightaway.”Throw in the match-day road trips, later-than-usual finishes – thanks to a deferred start time – and post-match recovery in heat that has constantly hovered over 40 degrees Celsius well into the evening, and the task becomes even trickier. But Rashid was determined to keep the focus on what he and his team could control.”You have to be well-prepared and mentally very strong, that’s why we are professionals,” he said. “If you start complaining about these things, about traveling a lot, it affects your performance on the field. For us, the focus is to put in the effort once we step inside. Wherever we go, we try to forget whatever happens outside and adapt. The most important thing is to give 100% and win the game.”So, while the Asia Cup’s “group of death” promises high-intensity cricket, how fresh the players manage to keep themselves could be a crucial factor, too.

The former Bangladesh captain joins Sazzad Ahmed in the senior women’s selection panel

Mohammad Isam20-Sep-2025The BCB has appointed Salma Khatun as the country’s first woman selector. The former Bangladesh captain will join Sazzad Ahmed in the women’s selection panel. Bangladesh are in the last stage of preparation ahead of the Women’s World Cup next month.Salma was Bangladesh’s first captain in international cricket. She went on to lead the country in 65 WT20Is and 18 WODIs. At the time of her last WT20I, she was Bangladesh’s most-capped women’s T20I cricketer, having played 95 matches. She has also played 46 WODIs.Salma was also the ICC’s No 1 bowler in WT20Is in 2014 and 2015. She took 84 T20I wickets with her offspin at an average of 18.57, with best figures of 4-6 against Sri Lanka.”I think this is a revolutionary decision by our [BCB] president [Aminul Islam], as having someone like Salma involved will provide great support for women’s cricket,” Iftekhar Rahman, the BCB’s media committee chairman, said. “This is the first time such an appointment has been made in Bangladesh.”The board has also promoted Hasibul Hossain to the senior men’s selection panel. He will join chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain and Abdur Razzak. The third position had been vacant since Hannan Sarkar left the role in February this year.Hasibul, the former fast bowler, played five Tests and 32 ODIs. He played in Bangladesh’s inaugural Test match against India in 2000, and was involved in the famous leg-bye that won Bangladesh the ICC Trophy final in 1997.Hasibul had been a junior selector in the BCB since July 2016, having worked closely with the Bangladesh Under-19 side that lifted the World Cup in 2020.

The former SA captain had reversed her decision to retire in August

Firdose Moonda21-Nov-2025Former South Africa women’s captain Dane van Niekerk will make her comeback to international cricket in the home series against Ireland, more than four years after her last appearance. Van Niekerk announced her retirement in March 2023, after being left out of South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad for the 2023 tournament, but reversed that in August this year. She has been included in both the ODI and T20I squads to face Ireland in a six-match series starting on December 5.Since retiring, van Niekerk featured briefly at the WPL but made a proper return to the domestic game for South African provincial team Western Province. She was included in a national training camp ahead of the 2025 ODI World Cup but did not make the final squad and continued playing locally as she made her case for a return. She is currently the third-highest run-scorer in the Pro50 competition and fifth highest in the Pro20, which has earned her a recall. Now, the door is open for her to push for a spot at the T20 World Cup.”We all know how talented she is, her knowledge of the game and she just needs to perform,” Mandla Mashimbyi, South Africa’s coach, said. “I want her to focus on winning games for this team. She has got a legacy behind her and now she has a second chance to showcase what she can do. She needs to focus on that. I don’t want to create any added expectations on her. She must just try and win games for this team.”Asked specifically about van Niekerk’s fitness, as that was the reason she was initially left out in 2023 – she did not make the running time trial of two kilometres in 9 minutes 30 seconds – Mashimbyi made it clear that is in the past. South Africa no longer strictly applies fitness criteria when it comes to selection and van Niekerk is eligible to be picked by virtue of her performances. “For me, you have to look like a cricketer, move like a cricketer and think like a cricketer If you are able to do that. I am happy,” Mashimbyi said. “As long as she can bat, move in the field, and think, we are good and from what I have seen, she can do that.”Van Niekerk is one of six additions to the ODI squad that reached the World Cup final in India last month, including one uncapped player. Allrounder Leah Jones, who captains Western Province, is in line for her first ODI cap. There are also returns for batters Lara Goodall and Faye Tunnicliffe, while seamer Ayanda Hlubi and allrounders Eliz-Mari Marx and Miane Smit are all in that squad, which will be without several frontliners, who will only play in the T20I series. Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk will all be rested for the ODIs. Anneke Bosch does not feature in either squad and will return to domestic cricket with the Titans.With next year’s T20 World Cup eight months away, South Africa’s focus is on that format and they have selected a first-choice squad for those matches. Captain Laura Wolvaardt and allrounder de Klerk and Kapp will return from the WBBL to play in the series that starts on December 5. Van Niekerk and Tunnicliffe are the only additions to the T20 squad from the 2024 World Cup.South Africa’s run to the last three World Cup finals across formats means they have plenty to work with as they enter a new cycle, and plan towards the 2029 ODI World Cup. The Ireland ODIs do not form part of the Women’s Championship, which will begin with fixtures against Pakistan in March, and therefore allows South Africa some room to experiment as they cast the net as wide as possible.”This is a period full of promise and new energy following our World Cup campaign. Reflecting and resetting were crucial, and I believe we have done that well,” Mashimbyi said. “I am looking forward to working with all the players selected, both the new faces and the returning ones, as we continue our journey. I am particularly interested to see how the new combinations come together, as these elements will contribute to our continued growth as a team.”With the men’s national team involved in a series in India and with no home Tests this summer as per the FTP, the women’s side has the opportunity to take centrestage this summer. They will play at the country’s major venues including the T20I series opener against Ireland at Newlands and the ODI finale at the Wanderers.

South Africa T20I squad

Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Nondumiso Shangase, Chloe Tryon, Faye Tunnicliffe, Dane van Niekerk

South Africa ODI squad

Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Lara Goodall, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Leah Jones, Sune Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Miane Smit, Faye Tunnicliffe, Dane van Niekerk

Rangers have been extremely impressive in recent times as they’ve managed to win their last three games in all competitions, which has helped them gain some momentum. 

Steven Gerrard will feel confident that his side can get the job done in the current campaign, as there’s still a long way to go in the race for the Scottish Premiership title.

Interestingly, the Light Blues managed to strengthen in pretty much all areas during the January transfer window as they welcomed the likes of Jermain Defoe, Steven Davies, Matt Polster, Andy Firth and Glen Kamara to the club.

Although, one position that they failed to strengthen in was the No.10 role. Josh Windass thrived in that role behind Alfredo Morelos during his time at Ibrox, but he decided to join Wigan Athletic in the summer transfer window.

Rangers should have done everything they could to lure Windass’ team-mate, Nick Powell, to Ibrox last month. The Gers were credited with an interest in the January transfer window with his contract running out in the summer, but rather than focusing on signing him at the end of the season they should have attempted to pay a fee last month.

Indeed, the title race could have well and truly tipped in Rangers’ favour, as an attack that involves Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Jermain Defoe and Powell would be almost unstoppable.

The 24-year-old is arguably one of the best attacking midfielders in the English Championship, having produced an impressive four goals and five assists in just 18 appearances this season. He has everything you could want in an attacker, with his pace, strength, passing, dribbling, finishing and aerial ability making him the perfect signing.

Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe would have thrived off Powell’s service in the final third. He can score and provide assists, as well as getting stuck in on defensive duties, so he has all the ingredients to become a star at Ibrox.

Rangers fans – thoughts on whether you should have signed Powell?