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The cricket technical committee is expected to reach a decision on the fate of Pakistan’s coaching staff later this week

Danyal Rasool02-Aug-2023Misbah-ul-Haq will lead the technical committee that will advise the PCB chairman on cricketing affairs. The committee will include two other former Pakistan captains in Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez.Last week, PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf had announced the creation of a “high-profile” technical committee charged with reporting to him, to be headed by former Pakistan captain Misbah.Related

• Misbah-ul-Haq set to work with the PCB again

• Afghanistan to host Pakistan for three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka

• 'No concrete decisions' yet on Pakistan coaching changes – Zaka Ashraf

The committee has been given wide-ranging powers, encompassing just about all cricketing activity in Pakistan. “The CTC (Cricket Technical Committee) will provide recommendations on cricket-related matters, including, but not limited to the overall domestic structure, scheduling, playing conditions, appointment of the national selection committees, appointment of national team coaches, central and domestic contracts and plans for the development of umpires, referees and curators,” a statement from the PCB said. “The CTC will have the powers to invite additional cricket experts, and shall report to the head of the PCB Management Committee on a regular basis.”The most immediate task the committee faces is a decision on the fate of Pakistan’s coaching staff. In an interview earlier this week, Ashraf said the committee would share their findings with him before a final decision, which ESPNcricinfo understands will be reached as early as the end of this week.The CTC will also be tasked with preparing for the upcoming Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which begins next month. The domestic structure will undergo a revamp this season, with departments returning to the fray. It is not yet clear if they will play alongside regions in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.”I am delighted to welcome Misbah-ul-Haq, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez on board for the betterment of cricket in our country,” Ashraf said. “These three former captains possess great cricket knowledge and understand the demands of modern-day cricket.”Domestic cricket structure is a pillar of any cricketing nation. We have to make it foolproof and its structure progressive. The presence of Misbah, Inzamam and Hafeez, three of Pakistan’s most experienced and decorated cricketers who rose through the domestic ranks, will help us in providing our cricketers the best system to thrive so that we can produce the best cricketers.”Misbah called his appointment as head of the committee a “great honour” and a “challenging assignment. I have no doubt whatsoever that we will be able to make a positive difference by providing recommendations that improve and enhance the state of the game from the grassroots till the very top.”The committee convenes ahead of Pakistan’s run-in to the World Cup in India in October. Pakistan play a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka in August, before the ODI Asia Cup begins on August 30, with Nepal and Pakistan playing the opener in Multan.

Even if Sri Lanka win the next Test, they will finish below India – irrespective of the result in Ahmedabad – on the WTC points table

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2023India have qualified for the final of the World Test Championship (WTC), setting up a date with Australia for the biggest global honour in the format. Their presence in the final was confirmed after New Zealand pulled off one of the most dramatic wins ever, off the last ball of their first Test against Sri Lanka in Christchurch, by two wickets.The WTC final race had gone into Monday, with the results of both Test matches – in Ahmedabad and in Christchurch – equally relevant. If Sri Lanka had beaten New Zealand, they would have stayed in the race – if India didn’t win in Ahmedabad – but with Kane Williamson hitting an unbeaten 121 and Daryl Mitchell scoring a quick 86-ball 81, New Zealand pulled off a win that didn’t look possible for the longest time, off the very last ball of the game. The result put Sri Lanka out of the running for the WTC final.Now, following their loss in Christchurch, even if Sri Lanka win the next Test, they will only go up to 52.78 points. That will be lower than India’s 56.94 even if India go on to lose the Ahmedabad Test. If they draw – as looks most likely – India will finish on 58.80. Australia have already qualified: even if they lose in Ahmedabad, they will end with a percentage of 64.91.Australia and India are the only teams which have won at least twice as many Tests as they have lost in the current WTC cycle (in Tests which counted towards the WTC). Australia have been stellar with a 11-3 win-loss record so far, with series wins against England, West Indies and South Africa (home), and Pakistan (away). They also drew in Sri Lanka (1-1), with the only series defeat coming in India (assuming a draw or a defeat in Ahmedabad).India have a 10-5 record in this cycle, with series wins against New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Australia (assuming they win or draw in Ahmedabad) at home, and Bangladesh away. They drew 2-2 in England, and lost 2-1 in South Africa.The WTC title contest will take place at The Oval in London from June 7.

Hurricanes player, who was found not guilty of rape, will likely return to play for Hobart in the BBL despite not telling the club about the charges.

AAP07-May-2024A player found not guilty of rape will likely return to play for the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL despite not informing the franchise about the criminal proceedings.In March, Nikhil Chaudhary was found not guilty by a jury of raping a 20-year-old woman in a car in Townsville in 2021. Cricket Tasmania says it was not informed of the charge or court action.Chaudhary, who joined the franchise in late 2023, had his deal extended to 2027 in February, the month before the trial.Related

• From Punjab to Big Bash, the journey of big-hitting Nikhil Chaudhary

Cricket Tasmania’s high performance general manager Salliann Beams told reporters the organisation was still going through “internal processes” in relation to Chaudhary. She said he would likely play the upcoming season.”[There are] some legalities through that process,” Beams said on Tuesday.”It’s not so much the incident because we know that nothing happened … legally not guilty and everything.”It’s just the disclosure of information. We want to know where we sit on that because we were completely in the dark.”Beams said it was disappointing Chaudhary didn’t inform Cricket Tasmania about the charges or court proceedings.”You have to deal with the organisation’s point of view and the impact that it could potentially have on that,” she said.”Because you don’t really want to associate yourself with … that type of investigation.”But at the same time, you can understand from the players’ point of view is that, you know, they’ve done nothing wrong and it’s a scary place.”[You’re] legally advised not to say anything, so you’re always balancing different sides of the story.”Beams said she was proud of how Cricket Tasmania handled the scenario and made sure every person was managed the best way possible through the process.Chaudhary played nine games last BBL season, averaging 26 with the bat and taking five wickets in a Hurricanes side that missed the finals.

He is expected to remain in self-isolation for five days straight after landing and will be released after he returns with two more negative tests

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2020Mohammad Amir has left for England to join Pakistan’s advance training group in Derbyshire, after testing negative for Covid-19 for the second time. He is, however, expected to remain in self-isolation for five days after reaching, and will only be released to join the team after he returns two more negative tests.Amir made himself available for the tour after having initially pulled out as the dates clashed with the birth of his second child. Pakistan had already made arrangements for replacements, but after the birth of his daughter last week, he confirmed his availability for Pakistan’s T20Is against England. Amir was recalled in place of Haris Rauf, who had undergone six Covid-19 tests the last month, out of which five were positive.ALSO READ: Amir not indispensable, will pick him if he’s ‘up to the mark’ – WaqarAlong with Amir, masseur Mohammad Imran, who tested negative after having tested positive last month, would also be flying to England. As per the revised Covid-19 regulations, Imran is categorised as low risk after having recovered from the virus and, as such, would be integrated with the national side after another negative test.The larger group of Pakistan players and support staff arrived in England on June 28, several weeks before the start of the first match, to be able to train in the country as well as complete the mandatory quarantine for all foreigners travelling to the UK. The touring party is living in a bio-secure bubble where they will not interact with anyone outside of the group, and regular tests for Covid-19 will be conducted on the tour. The three Tests and three T20Is are all going to be played behind closed doors.

South Africa have called up uncapped right-arm quick Daryn Dupavillon as a result of Hendricks’ illness and the resting of Ngidi for the third and final ODI

The Preview by Alan Gardner06-Mar-2020

Big picture

South Africa ended their year-long wait for a series win thanks to the efforts of Janneman Malan and co in Bloemfontein, removing some of the stress from the final fixture of the home summer. Quinton de Kock has overseen some fitful performances in the white-ball formats, but the continuation of South Africa’s dominant recent ODI record against Australia has provided a rallying point after the tumult of 2019-20.With Malan and Heinrich Klaasen both scoring maiden hundreds, backed up by the promise of Kyle Verreynne and signs that Lungi Ngidi is rediscovering top form, South Africa can glimpse the outlines of a new-look one-day side ahead of next week’s trip to India that will round off their season. It may be that 50-over cricket is something of a development format right now, with greater emphasis on the back-to-back T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021 – but then South Africa could do with developing their player pool after a slew of retirements over the last year or two.Australia’s ODI plans may also be in need of some tinkering, with the Bloem result now making it four defeats in a row, and with largely a full-strength squad to pick from (barring the absence of Glenn Maxwell). D’Arcy Short made a career-best batting at No. 5 – for the first time in an Australia shirt – in the second match, but there is a sense of ponderousness around their middle order. For all the talk about how to pronounce Marnus Labuschagne’s surname, it may have gone unnoticed that Australia have lost on all four occasions in which he has spent time in the middle.Priorities, as we’ve mentioned, lie elsewhere – as evidenced by the (completely understandable) decision to let Mitchell Starc leave the tour early in order to go and watch Alyssa Healy play in the T20 World Cup final. The absence of one final duel between de Kock and Starc – who had pegged back the South Africa captain’s middle stump three times in five innings – deprives the series finale of another edge. It has been a low-key tour, perhaps inevitably after the controversy of 2017-18, but the possibility of a 3-0 scoreline should be enough to keep both sides motivated to the end.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)South Africa WWLWW
Australia LLLLW

In the spotlight

One day you’re cock of the walk, next you’re a feather duster – or the opposite, if you’re Janneman Malan, who has been in record-breaking form since his debut in Paarl, where he fell to the first ball of the match. He limped out of that game after hurting his leg in the field, but was fit and firing when it came to the second ODI, when his unbeaten hundred got South Africa over the line. He has since been announced as Leicestershire’s overseas signing for the English summer and – who knows? – there could still be greater accolades to come.Mitchell Marsh came to South Africa having not played a limited-overs international since 2018, but won his chance after a strong Big Bash ahead of the likes of Marcus Stoinis, Peter Handcomb and Ashton Turner. However, innings of 19, 6, 19, 16 and 36 in five T20I and ODI outings, to go with a combined 1 for 89 with the ball, suggest he is nowhere near resolving his enigma status with Australia. Potchefstroom could therefore represent a final opportunity to maintain his spot in the XI ahead of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting next week.

Team news

South Africa have called up uncapped right-arm quick Daryn Dupavillon and, with Beuran Hendricks unwell and Lungi Ngidi rested, he is in line to make his debut. Temba Bavuma has been given further time to recover from his hamstring injury, with Rassie van der Dussen joining the squad as cover. Tabraiz Shamsi is also absent, after the birth of his first child.South Africa: (possible) 1 Janneman Malan, 2 Quinton de Kock, 3 Jon-Jon Smuts, 4 Kyle Verreyne, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 David Miller, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Lutho Sipamla, 11 Daryn DupavillonWith Starc heading home, Australia will have to bring in either Josh Hazlewood or Kane Richardson – possibly both, at the expense of Ashton Agar, given Short provides another option in the spin department.Australia: (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steve Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 D’Arcy Short, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Alex Carey, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions

Senwes Park has not hosted an ODI since 2015, and the pitch has a reputation for being batting friendly – although that was not on show during the U19 World Cup final last month, when Bangladesh scrapped to a dramatic win over India after being set a target of 178. This late in the season, the surface is unlikely to get much quicker. It’s set to be a hot day in Potchefstroom, a student town, which could lead to a lively atmosphere in the stands.

Stats and trivia

• Malan became the first man to follow a duck on ODI debut with a hundred in his second match.
• Australia have played three times at Senwes Park, winning twice during the 2003 World Cup and tying with South Africa in 2002.
• South Africa have only once before whitewashed Australia in a series of three ODIs or more – in 2016-17 when they won 5-0 at home.

Quotes

“From the last game, we were pretty good at everything. Maybe one or two small things, maybe in the field, we can be a little bit better at that. We’ve played pretty well these last two games. It’s a matter of maintaining the standards we’ve set.”
“I batted down the order for Western Australia when I started playing one-day cricket, so I’ve done it a little bit and enjoyed it. Looking forward to the opportunity to doing it for Australia and hopefully do it well.”
D’Arcy Short is happy with his new brief in the ODI side

Namibia needed a comfortable 18 runs to win off 18 balls but couldn’t do it. Here’s how the action unfolded in the last three overs of the chase

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-20242:29

O’Brien: Wrong call to give Bilal the Super Over instead of Mehran

17.1 Mehran Khan to Smit, 4 byes, Good length ball outside off. Tries to cut, but extra bounce forces no connection, and it flies past the keeper for four more!17.2 Mehran Khan to Smit, no run, Fullish ball just outside off. Cut is stopped by point17.3 Mehran Khan to Smit, OUT, Twist? Perhaps not given Frylinck is still out there. But some Oman flags flutter as Smit holes out at long on. Variable bounce again as Smith tries to club Mehran for a big-shot, however it comes off the top-half of the bat.17.4 Mehran Khan to Wiese, no run, Full ball around off stump. Caresses a drive to cover17.5 Mehran Khan to Wiese, no run, Full ball wide outside off, but inside the tram-lines. The ball barely bounces and dribbles through to the keeper17.6 Mehran Khan to Wiese, no run, Good length ball on a fourth-stump line. The cut is hit well, but straight to the man lurking at point. Namibia need 14 off 1218.1 Bilal Khan to Frylinck, no run, Full ball on his pads and clipped to the leg side, but not for any run18.2 Bilal Khan to Frylinck, 1 run, Flat-batted down the ground for a single18.3 Bilal Khan to Wiese, SIX runs, Just clears wide long on! Length ball around leg stump and Wiese backs himself to clear the boundary with a big shot. Even though the timing isn’t perfect, he targets the shortest boundary of this ground, and Aayan’s attempt is futile.18.4 Bilal Khan to Wiese, no run, Yorker, fourth-stump line. Bit of tail away. Dug away to point18.5 Bilal Khan to Wiese, 1 run, Yorker on middle stump and all Wiese can do is keep the ball away from the stumps. Dug away to the leg side18.6 Bilal Khan to Frylinck, 1 run, Yorker length ball on off to end the over, but Frylinck manages to bunt it away to the off side for a single towards square leg19.1 Mehran Khan to Frylinck, OUT, Oh my days! More drama! Around the stumps. Full ball on middle and leg. Frylinck tries to clip it leg side but the hits his pad, and then it ricochets onto the stumps!19.2 Mehran Khan to Green, no run, And it is a dot ball! Green makes room at first but then returns to his normal stance as Mehran bowls a full ball outside off. Green attempts to ramp it over short-third but missesFive needed off four balls!19.3 Mehran Khan to Green, OUT, O man, Oman are in this! Green tries to play a cheeky leg-side scoop over short fine leg but he misses. Mehran’s full ball on off stump hits him on the pad and the umpire gives him out LBW. Namibia review. Crashing into the stumps!19.4 Mehran Khan to Kruger, 1 run, Kruger gets Wiese on strike with a single. Full ball outside off and pushed to cover’s left19.5 Mehran Khan to Wiese, 2 runs, Full ball on off and he creams the straightest of straight drives. Ball smashes into the stumps at the bowler’s end and it ricochets away towards cover for a couple of runs. The stumps have probably saved a boundary there!19.6 Mehran Khan to Wiese, 1 bye, WE ARE GOING TO A SUPER OVER! Good length ball outside off. Ball takes extra bounce and Wiese can’t cut. Keeper can’t grab cleanly either, and the ball falls to his left. Wiese and Kruger run across and the keeper tries a reverse throw while diving. He misses, and Kruger completes the run. We finish on a tie.

Yorkshire slump to 101 for 5 in second innings to open door for Division One rivals

ECB Reporters Network14-Jun-2022Yorkshire 428 and 101 for 5 (Duke 17*, Barker 3-22) leadHampshire 225 for 4 (Dawson 61*, Gubbins 58, Brown 52*) by 119 runs Keith Barker gave Hampshire hope of beating Yorkshire at home in the LV= Insurance County Championship for the first time since 2008 with a wicked evening spell of fast bowling.Lancashire-born Barker picked up three for 22 – with Kyle Abbott and Brad Wheal also picking up a wicket a piece – to ignite a match seemingly heading for a draw. Yorkshire slumped to 101 for five, a lead of 119 at the close.Earlier, Hampshire’s last four wickets put on 142 runs, which included a useful 38 from Barker, to frustrate the visitors before they were bowled out for 410. That meant Yorkshire took a slender 18-run first-innings lead, with the teams who started the round in second and third in Division One both picking up six bonus points each.In a juxtaposition of county team-mate Jonny Bairstow’s heroics in the Test match, things appeared to be meandering as Adam Lyth and first-innings centurion George Hill scored 36 in 18 overs. But wickets began to tumble, and trouble followed.Barker picked up Hill pushing to James Vince at a wide first slip and Lyth nicking a classic delivery on a fourth stump line behind. The left-armer then bowled Harry Brook, via a deflection, for 10. It was the first time Brook had been dismissed for a score lower than 41 this season.Will Fraine continued the collapse when Abbott found a patch of exaggerated bounce just back of a length to clip the shoulder of the bat through to keeper Brown.Wheal joined in the carnage when Matthew Waite clipped uppishly to James Fuller at square leg to leave Yorkshire 81 for five before a short rearguard before stumps.At the start of the day, Yorkshire needed to pick up the final six wickets before Hampshire passed the follow-on target, giving hope of repeating 2019’s innings victory here. A new ball 11 overs into the day gave hope of that possibility.Ben Brown and Liam Dawson, who both recorded half-centuries the previous evening, had their 118-run stand ended before the new ball appeared. Dawson was caught at first slip when attempting to drive spinner Dom Bess.Yorkshire’s fielding let them down at various points during the Hampshire first innings. Nick Gubbins had survived a drop and Brown a missed stumping on day two, and that trend continued into day three.Harry Duke fumbled another stumping chance when Brown was on 53 before failing to break the stumps when Brown looked short of his ground. Aneurin Donald was also given two lives by Dominic Drakes and Lyth, which Yorkshire would later rue as they fell a wicket short of a seventh bonus point.Brown departed seven overs into the second new ball when he pushed to first slip. Donald and Barker put on 57 before both fell within three overs; the former lbw to Matthew Revis and the latter bowled while missing a reverse sweep.Fuller and Abbott put on the afterburners to race past 350, the South African flicking the most nonchalant of sixes over mid-wicket before his partner thrice stuck Bess over the ropes. Their 50 partnership came up in just 45 deliveries and eventually reached 74.Jordan Thompson picked up the final two wickets in consecutive overs – Fuller and Abbott both holing out to the short legside boundary – to end up with four for 68.

West Indies captain wants his batters to ‘be clear about whether you’re playing forward or back’

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Nov-2021Defend a lot. Be clear on whether you’re playing back or forward. And stick around for a couple of sessions. This is West Indies’ batting game-plan for the second Test according to captain Kraigg Brathwaite.With the surface for the second Test expected to be even more spin-friendly than the first, West Indies’ batters technique and application seems set for another major examination.”The plan is to be clear in what you want to do. Believe that you can do it, and do it for long periods,” Brathwaite said. “We’ve got to have the discipline and the fight to do it for 50 overs – more than two sessions, or three sessions.”We had a lot of discussions. One important thing is that you’ve got to defend a lot of balls. Having a straight bat is one thing we discussed.  That’s very important. And sweeping as well – especially the offspinner. It’s just about being clear and confident about whether you’re playing forward or back.”West Indies’ only half-centurions in the first Test were Nkrumah Bonner and Joshua da Silva, who put up a 100-run stand in the second innings, rescuing the side from 18 for 6. Brathwaite said the remainder of the batters had drawn inspiration from that partnership.”Bonner and Josh showed that when you have a solid defence, if you put the effort and energy in, you’ll be successful. Sometimes when doubt comes in, you can slip up a bit. Just trust that defence. When the bad balls come you get runs. It’s important to have that clarity, as to what you want to do here.”In terms of how they were able to manoeuvre different balls, they were a very good example for us. As a batting group, it was good to see, and something to learn from.”West Indies have had a mixed 2021. They began with an excellent 2-0 victory in Bangladesh, before drawing two Tests at home against Sri Lanka. Their worst series was the 2-0 defeat at South Africa’s hands at home, before drawing a home series against Pakistan 1-1. Brathwaite outlined the importance of the next match: if they beat Sri Lanka, they would have won more matches in 2021 than they’ve lost.”To be honest we showed good progress in 2021. It was not a good series against South Africa, but we bounced back decent against Pakistan. In Bangladesh we won that series 2-0. Winning this game will be very crucial from a points perspective for the Test Championship. As a team we’ve made some strides. Once the group stays together and keeps building, that’s crucial.”

He will work in cricket as an independent contractor going forward

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2025Former New Zealand Women head coach Bob Carter will be stepping away from his role as the high-performance coach, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced on Friday. That will bring down curtains on a 21-year career in which he oversaw progress of New Zealand’s men’s and women’s teams.”I feel like I’ve lived the dream,” Carter said in an NZC release. “I’ve very much enjoyed offering support and contributing and, if that’s helped players or teams go on and achieve success, then that’s terrific – I’m delighted.”But I think what’s worked best at NZC has been the combinations, the teamwork, and the cooperation.”Born in Norfolk in east England, Carter played 60 first-class and 55 List-A matches for Northamptonshire and Canterbury before getting into coaching. He joined New Zealand men’s set-up in 2004 as an assistant coach to John Bracewell. After a five-year tenure, he was again appointed assistant coach to Mike Hesson from 2012 to 2014 before taking over from Haidee Tiffen as New Zealand Women’s head coach in 2019. He coached them in the 2020 T20 World Cup and the 2022 ODI World Cup that New Zealand hosted, before stepping down.”We’ve been able to create sides that have been greater than their sum of parts, and that’s a key ingredient in team sport,” Carter, who will work in cricket as an independent contractor, said. “Sure, the individual performance is important, but it’s the collective that has the greater potential. That’s where the magic is.”Bob Carter: ‘The reason the Black Caps have continued to produce great batters and bowlers is because we have a strong, underlying domestic system’•Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images

Carter, 65, said he was pleased to leave the role in Lincoln at a time New Zealand are doing well in international cricket. The women’s team won the T20 World Cup for the first time last year while the men whitewashed India in India in a Test series; no team had defeated India at home in a Test series since 2012, let alone returning a clean sweep.”It’s true that the game has evolved a great deal over the past twenty years,” he said. “But the flipside is that the basics and fundamentals of batting and bowling have never really changed.”Sure, the batters are playing shots we wouldn’t have dreamed of in the nineties, and the bowlers are producing options and change-ups with an incredible degree of difficulty. But within all that, the framework that allows the players to execute so successfully, is still the same as it was 50 years ago.”Our domestic cricket is very strong. I’m not sure that’s widely recognised. The reason the Black Caps have continued to produce great batters and bowlers is because we have a strong, underlying domestic system. The White Ferns have been in transition over the past couple of years, but the domestic competitions have brought new players through and invigorated the established ones.”The World Cup win last year was a great example of what that team is capable of.”Playing tribute to Carter, NZC chief high performance officer Daryl Gibson said, “Bob has been the voice of experience at Lincoln and has been involved in much of the success we’ve seen in the men’s and women’s games over the past decade or more. He’s part of a wider high-performance team that underpinned and supported one of New Zealand cricket’s golden periods – the legacy he leaves in terms of his contribution to NZC is enormous.”

South Africa were bowled out for 74, their lowest T20I score

Sidharth Monga09-Dec-2025India are massive favourites in their title defence at a home T20 World Cup, but a potential stumbling block is the T20 lottery of losing the toss and having to bat on a damp pitch on a dewy night. That scenario presented itself on the first night of their 10-match lead-in to the World Cup, and they responded emphatically.Hardik Pandya rose above the conditions to score 59 off 28 to take India to 175 in an innings where almost everyone else struggled, and the bowlers used whatever help they could muster from the pitch to bowl South Africa out for their lowest T20I score. A 102-run win after losing the toss should put other contenders on notice.India’s early strugglesFrom ball one, it was apparent India were in on a sticky pitch that would get better as the night went on. Shubman Gill, returning from his neck injury, and captain Suryakumar Yadav ended up lobbing shots to mid-off and mid-on off Lungi Ngidi.Lungi Ngidi struck in each of his two overs in the powerplay•Associated Press

India played three left-hand batters in the middle order to possibly delay the use of Keshav Maharaj, but none of Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Axar Patel got going. Tilak and Axar scored 49 between them off 53 balls as the tall South Africa fast bowlers kept drawing steep bounce from the pitch. Abhishek, starved of strike in the early goings, fell to another special catch by Marco Jansen on this tour to have his innings cut short at 17 off 12.Hardik carries IndiaWhen Hardik came in at 78 for 4 in the 12th over, there was a good chance of India ending up with a below-par total on a pitch that would get quicker and friendlier with the dew.Aiden Markram thought he could now bowl Maharaj with Hardik going only at about a run a ball against left-arm spin over his T20 career. On this night, though, he took Maharaj down for two disdainful no-look sixes to start India’s revival. The returning Anrich Nortje had been too hot to handle for the others but Hardik hit two fours off him: one using his pace, and one an off-drive after charging at him. He helped India take 30 off the last two overs as everyone bar Jansen had his figures rearranged. The ramp off Nortje to bring up his fifty made Hardik only the fourth India player to hit 100 T20I sixes.Arshdeep Singh took a wicket in the first over•Getty Images

Arshdeep sets the toneIndia needed to make the most of the brief period of new-ball movement if they were to compete on a pitch expected to get better. It did indeed look better from the way Tristan Stubbs timed the ball, but Arshdeep Singh got India off to just the start they needed. First he brought Stubbs in with Quinton de Kock’s wicket for a duck off an awayswinger that also seamed away. In his second over, Arshdeep began to bowl wobble-seam, which brought him Stubbs’ wicket for 14 off 9, giving Jitesh Sharma the first of three smart catches.Spinners drive home advantage, Bumrah caps it offHitting still looked easier than it had done in the first innings, but India never went more than 16 balls without a wicket. The 16-ball stand was the most threatening, with Dewald Brevis getting the better of Varun Chakravarthy in the fifth over, but Markram went back to an Axar length ball and was bowled leg stump.As if his batting was not enough, Hardik took the wicket of David Miller first ball: an inside edge onto the pad taken diving forward by Jitesh. Varun then took out Donovan Ferreira and Marco Jansen, one with a quick delivery, the other with a slower one.The procession continued and Jasprit Bumrah went to 100 T20I wickets and beyond, becoming only the fifth bowler in the world to have reached that milestone in all three formats. Shivam Dube, probably picked in the squad ahead of Rinku Singh because of his bowling ability, gave the team management one final reason to smile with the last wicket of the night.