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Samit Patel picked up four wickets to help Nottinghamshire into the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup after defeating Durham by 49 runs on DLS

ECB/PA25-Aug-2015
ScorecardAlex Hales reached his half-century off 46 balls before the rain came•Getty Images

Samit Patel picked up four wickets for the second day running to help Nottinghamshire into the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup after defeating Durham by 49 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.Patel, who helped spin his county to a Championship success over Warwickshire a day earlier, produced figures of 4 for 11 to end Durham’s reign as domestic one-day cup holders. The visitors had been set a target of 194 but they lost their way once pace had been taken from the ball and were bowled out for just 144 in 21.2 overs.Earlier in the day Notts had reached 94 for 1 in 17.2 overs, after being put in, before deteriorating conditions forced the players from the field. After a stoppage of almost five hours, the contest was then reduced to 24 overs per side. The home team managed to advance their innings to 170 for 4, with Alex Hales making 62 and Dan Christian blasting an unbeaten 48.

Semi-final draw

Nottinghamshire v Surrey or Kent
Essex or Yorkshire v Gloucestershire or Hampshire

Hales and Riki Wessels gave the Outlaws a perfect platform as they posted 55 for the first wicket, making the best of any width offered by Graham Onions and Chris Rushworth.The introduction of John Hastings into the attack accounted for Wessels, who pulled the Australian straight into the hands of Scott Borthwick at short midwicket for 25.Dan Christian, promoted to No. 3 in the order, punched Onions down the ground for four from his first delivery and repeated the dose two overs later. Hales moved to his fifty in spectacular style, slog-sweeping Borthwick for the first maximum of the match, with his half-century coming from 46 deliveries, seven of which were struck for fours.When play resumed after the rain interruption Hales hit another six before holing out to Ryan Pringle at deep midwicket. James Taylor wasted little time in finding his range, striking Borthwick for three consecutive sixes on his way to 29 from just 15 balls. Taylor fell in the final over of the innings and was followed back to the pavilion by Patel, who hit the last delivery into the hands of Rushworth at third man.Mark Stoneman and Phil Mustard gave the northeast county a flying start to their reply by putting on 63, but the contest swung back again when three wickets fell in six deliveries. Christian enticed Stoneman to hit to midwicket for 36 and then Steven Mullaney picked up two wickets in his first over. Mustard lofted to long-on for 24 and then Paul Collingwood drilled his first delivery straight back into the waiting hands of the bowler.Calum MacLeod and Graham Clark shared in a stand of 61 for the fourth wicket but Durham collapsed dramatically as the required run rate soared. Patel’s introduction saw off both players and he then removed Hastings and Pringle in quick succession, having also caught Gordon Muchall off Mullaney’s bowling.Rushworth was run out and Onions had his stumps knocked over by Jake Ball as Durham’s reign came to an end. Notts progress to the last four, where an away trip to the winners of the Surrey versus Kent quarter-final awaits them.

Thirush Kamini overcame a nervy start to become the first Indian to score a century in the Women’s World Cup. Her 100 set up India’s match-winning total against WI

Abhishek Purohit in Mumbai31-Jan-2013Thirush Kamini, who became the first Indian to make a hundred in a Women’s World Cup, said she had “too many things running” in her mind when she walked out to open in her first international match in nearly three years. Despite a slow start, she went on to add 175 for the first wicket with Poonam Raut, setting up a match-winning total of 284 for 6 against West Indies.Kamini’s previous match for India was in February 2010, but she calmed whatever nerves there may have been at the start to allow Raut to take charge, before opening up to overtake her opening partner. Mithali Raj, the India captain, had spoken about India’s strong opening combination going into this World Cup, unlike previous editions.Kamini said she had worked on her strokes during her time away from the national team. She had made an unbeaten 95 during the domestic Challenger Trophy in December 2012. “I was coming back from an injury. I had focused a lot on knocking,” Kamini said. “Today, I decided to take it ball by ball. I made a slow start but I knew I could make up later, which I was able to.”It was a perfect start to the tournament for the hosts as they piled on an imposing total after being asked to bat by West Indies, before defending it comfortably. Raj said she was “surprised” at being put in, and would have batted on the flat pitch had she won the toss.Raj believed chasing such a big total was a difficult task but West Indies captain Merissa Aguillera felt it was her batsmen, and not the bowlers who let the side down. Aguillera said with batsmen such as Stefanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin and Shanel Daley, West Indies should have batted much better than being dismissed for 179. Batting seemed to get slightly difficult in the evening as India’s seam bowlers got the ball to move around through the chase, but Aguillera refused to give much weight to that, saying her side should have been able to adapt to the conditions.Dottin gave India a brief scare as she cracked four powerful sixes on her way to 39 off just 16 deliveries. Her cameo lasted a little more than four overs but it was a “dangerous period”, according to Raj. “I am glad she didn’t continue further,” a relieved Raj said.The promoted Jhulan Goswami and Harmanpreet Kaur had earlier played cameos of their own as India kicked on to take 109 off the final 13 overs after the big opening stand. Raj said the team had worked on having a slog and decided to send the two batsmen before her so that they could go after the bowling.With India’s bowlers constantly keeping West Indies under pressure, Raj did not feel the fielding had been tested much and warned that tougher contests lay ahead against sides such as England.

Sri Lankan seamer Nuwan Pradeep has been ruled out of the tour of South Africa and will return home to recover from a hamstring tear.

Firdose Moonda in Centurion 12-Dec-2011Sri Lankan seamer Nuwan Pradeep has been ruled out of the tour of South Africa and will return home to recover from a hamstring tear. Pradeep sustained the injury after bowling 10 deliveries in the tour match against the South African Invitation XI in Benoni on Saturday and will be out of cricket for almost a month.An MRI scan was done and after examining it, physiotherapist Stephen Mount is of the view that Nuwan will be unable to play for another three to four weeks,” said Brian Thomas, Sri Lanka media manager. “Team management have requested a replacement player.”With injuries to four other seamers before the tour even started, Sri Lanka have limited options over who to bring into the squad. Two of the wounded, Dhammika Prasad and Nuwan Kulasekara started bowling again recently and former captain, Kumar Sangakkara said they “stand a good chance of coming back on the tour.”Sangakkara himself joined the injured ranks when he tore the webbing between the first and second finger on his right hand during the tour match. He left the field on the second day’s play and took no further part in the match and had three stitches put in. After play on Sunday, Sangakkara said he would be monitored but would not play in the Test unless he was fully fit.Although he has not been cleared to play, there is some positive news after he was examined on Monday. “Doctors feel the injury will heal enabling him to play in the first Test,” Thomas said. The first Test starts on Thursday at Centurion.

Reece Young, the New Zealand wicketkeeper, has pointed to his move from Auckland to Canterbury in July as the key to his call-up to the national squad.

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2010Reece Young, the New Zealand wicketkeeper, has pointed to his move from Auckland to Canterbury in July as the key to his call-up to the national squad. While at Auckland, Young played alongside Gareth Hopkins, the man he has replaced, and had to play as a specialist batsman whenever Hopkins was in the team.”In Auckland, I was batting up the order and was a senior player, but I wasn’t keeping consistently,” Young told the . “That was the reason for leaving: to forge my own path and play head to head against Hoppy. Down here [in Canterbury] I get to be a senior player, bat up the order, and keep wickets consistently.”Young has been named in the 13-man squad for the two-match Test series against Pakistan that begins in Hamilton on January 7 next year, as well as in the Twenty20 squad for the three-match series beginning December 26.Hopkins was not only axed from the squad for the Pakistan Test and Twenty20 series, but left out of the 30 probables for the 2011 World Cup. He played all three Tests on New Zealand’s tour of India in November, after Brendon McCullum decided he was not going to keep wickets anymore in Tests, and said his lack of batting form on that tour was what resulted in his exclusion.”To be one day in the starting XI and then not in the 30 is a long way to fall but I missed my opportunity and I have to look inwardly,” Hopkins, who is 34, said. “I felt I had a pretty good tour [of India] with the gloves but I let myself down with a lack of runs.”Hopkins could only manage 44 runs in five innings with the bat during the Test series and then got only 33 runs in the four ODIs he played. He averages 14.75 in 25 ODIs.The 31-year-old Young has averaged 54.96 in first-class cricket in the last three years. He has played 99 first-class games, which means a debut Test against Pakistan will be his 100th, and said the 12 years of experience he had in domestic cricket would hold him in good stead when he played for the national side.”I’m really glad to have put in the time in domestic cricket before I got my opportunity,” Young said. “I know what it’s like to succeed and to fail and I know my game.”Young said he had heard rumours he may be picked for the Pakistan series but didn’t get his hopes up till he got the call. “I did realise there was an opportunity,” he said. “Mark Greatbatch called me this [Wednesday] morning, it was a brief conversation, but it was obviously one I was wanting. It’s a great Christmas present.”

Laxman hasn’t fully recovered from the injury to his left hand, sustained while fielding on the fourth day in the Chittagong Test against Bangladesh last month

Cricinfo staff04-Feb-2010The Indian selectors have called up Rohit Sharma to the squad for the first Test against South Africa as cover for VVS Laxman. Laxman hasn’t fully recovered from the finger injury he sustained while fielding during the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong last month.Captaining the Indian Board President’s XI in the tour game against the South Africans, Rohit managed just 20 but was delighted with his selection. “It feels good that I’ve been asked to stay back… (I’m feeling great),” he told the Kolkata-based .This is the first time Rohit is part of the Test squad since the 2008 visit to Sri Lanka. He was in fine form during the Ranji Trophy this season, making 527 at 87.83, including a highest of 309* against Gujarat.Meanwhile, Laxman skipped the team’s fielding practice on Wednesday afternoon, but did have a bat at the nets.India will be sweating over the injuries that have dogged the side of late – key batsmen Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and fast bowler Sreesanth have already been ruled out of this match.Captain MS Dhoni, though, looked to have recovered fully from the back spasms which forced him to miss the Chittagong Test. “One can’t have any control over injuries. Obviously, we’ll miss Dravid. It’s like a captain having no control at all over the toss.”

After the seamers made early inroads, legspinner Rishad kept Hong Kong quiet

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-20251:36

Jaffer: Bangladesh need to show consistency in selection

Hong Kong mustered a total of 143 for 7 in 20 overs against Bangladesh, after being inserted by Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi. They started shakily, with early wickets and a sluggish start for Zeeshan Ali (30) and Nizakat Khan (42) keeping Bangladesh in control.But as the Zeeshan-Nizakat partnership grew, so did their range of strokes. Their 41-run stand for the third wicket ensured their batting didn’t collapse like it did in the game against Afghanistan. Hong Kong captain Yasim Murtaza blazed away to a 19-ball 28, but a flurry of late wickets denied Hong Kong a late flourish.As Bangladesh’s players walked off the field, they exchanged high-fives for their effort in the first innings. Tanzim Hasan Sakib (2 for 21) bowled in the early 140kph range in his first spell, and accounted for Babar Hayat (14) and Zeeshan. Hayat was cleaned up by a swinging ball that started on middle and ended up going past his outside edge, while Zeeshan fell to a sharp delivery that hit the splice of the bat and popped up to cover.Taskin Ahmed was expensive but got the early breakthrough by dismissing Anshy Rath. He then removed Aizaz Khan in the final over.Rishad Hossain, the legspinner, was introduced after the powerplay, but Hong Kong countered him with sweeps and reverse sweeps. He finally got among the wickets in 19th over, his last over of the evening, when he had Nizakat caught at long-on. Next ball, he trapped Kinchit Shah lbw.Hong Kong scored 54 runs off the last six overs to get to a respectable total.

The left-armer took five wickets against Brisbane Heat as Sydney Sixers booked a home grand final

AAP20-Jan-2024After taking a career best 5 for 21 to lift Sydney Sixers into the BBL final, fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis credited a T20I stint with Australia for his purple patch of form.The 29-year-old had his best return in 105 BBL games for Sixers in the 39-run qualifying final win over Brisbane Heat on the Gold Coast on Friday.Dwarshuis played in two T20Is for Australia in December against India and took five wickets with his left-arm seamers. Since returning to the BBL he has been a regular wicket taker.Related

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“In India, I just think how calm the environment is in the Aussie set-up at the moment was really nice,” Dwarshuis said.”It was easy to slide in and be clear on your roles and execute. Going to India, who are the powerhouses of T20 cricket, and putting in a few good performances there a few weeks out from the BBL let me  start the tournament with plenty of confidence. Fortunately, I’ve been able to keep that form going. One more game, and hopefully it keeps going.”Sixers host the BBL final on Wednesday at the SCG, despite not having a single player named in the team of the tournament.Instead of taking that as a negative, Dwarshuis said it was a reflection of the culture captain Moises Henriques and coach Greg Shipperd had built.Ben Dwarshuis took five wickets in two matches in India late last year•BCCI

“We don’t have anyone in the team of the tournament, but if there was a second or third team of the tournament most of our squad would be in there,” Dwarshuis said. “We are a team where everybody stands up when they need to. We don’t just rely on one or two players game-in and game-out.”Everyone has made great contributions throughout the BBL and when you get in pressure moments that’s a really important thing to have in your team. It’s a great trait and one of the reasons why the Sixers have been so successful the last few years.”Sixers have played in six BBL finals and won three in their history. The current side is a real band of brothers who have stuck together through what has been a mostly wonderful time for the franchise.”I look at the team now and there are probably six or seven who have played 100 games with the Sixers,” Dwarshuis said. “We have this core group who like to stick together and play great cricket together. We know each other’s roles and are comfortable with each other.”I’ve won two finals and lost two. I love it here at the Sixers. Hopefully, we can make it three wins. Our win in Perth [to secure second spot] and this win here shows we are peaking at the right time in the tournament. There are some positive signs leading into Sydney.”The home ground advantage is a saying for a reason. We have played four of our games there this year and know what to expect.”

Batter due to fly out to Australia next week but may have limited practice before tournament

Matt Roller27-Sep-2022Liam Livingstone is likely to arrive at the T20 World Cup in Australia “undercooked” after his ankle injury, but should be fit to play in at least one warm-up game, Moeen Ali has said.Livingstone was ruled out of England’s ongoing T20I series to Pakistan after suffering the injury during the Hundred and has been at Emirates Old Trafford over the past week to step up his rehabilitation.He is expected to travel to Australia next week to link up with the rest of the England squad, who will fly there from Lahore on Monday after the seventh and final T20I against Pakistan. England will then play three matches against Australia and one official warm-up against Pakistan before starting their World Cup campaign against Afghanistan on October 22 in Perth.”I know he’s speaking to Jos and I actually messaged him a couple of days ago to see how he was going,” Moeen said on Tuesday. “He said it’s getting there and he’s on the mend. Hopefully, in Australia, he’ll probably play the last warm-up game or something like that.”When you do your ankle, it’s not easy. I’ve done mine at the IPL and once you’ve rolled it once, apparently it keeps rolling… you keep rolling it throughout your career so you’ve got to be really careful. I’ve done mine twice and I think he’s done his three times now.”We’re hoping that he’s ready. He might be a little bit undercooked but he’ll pick it up quickly and it’s actually not been a bad thing for him to have a bit of a break from cricket.”Chris Jordan, who also missed the Pakistan tour through injury, is expected to be ready to play when he arrives in Australia at the start of next week. Last week, the splint came off the finger that he fractured during the Hundred and he has been training at The Kia Oval to prepare for the World Cup.More immediately, Chris Woakes could make his first England appearance in any format since March on Wednesday night in Lahore after various injuries caused him to miss the home international summer.”There’s a good chance,” Moeen said of Woakes’ prospects, “but we’ve not named a team to the boys so we are just waiting. He’s good. He is really looking forward to playing but he’s also been out for a long time, so he wants to make sure he’s completely ready.Related

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“Until you play, you don’t know if you’re ready. But he is really confident, he’s happy and the medical team is happy with him, so we will definitely see him [in this series]. He is a big player for England… Woakesy is a great guy, great for the team.”Richard Gleeson has also been passed fit for the rest of the series after a niggle restricted him to two overs in the first T20I in Karachi. Gleeson will be one of three travelling reserves for the World Cup, along with Liam Dawson and Tymal Mills.Moeen, who has deputised as captain for the injured Jos Buttler during this series, said that he was happy with how England played in the Karachi leg of the tour, which finished level at 2-2 following Pakistan’s two-run win on Sunday.”I’m just pleased with the way we are playing, with the young guys coming in and performing really well,” he said. “Speaking to Jos, he’s really pleased with the way things are going.”When we lost in the summer, we were playing poorly. You are a bit more down about those results. It was a disappointing result the other night, but it was a great game of cricket. Okay, we lost, but I feel we are playing good cricket. We lost a lot of wickets in the powerplay but we managed to stay in the game until the very end.”

Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon issue statement following Cameron Bancroft’s latest comments

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2021Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon have reiterated that they did not know anything about “a foreign substance being taken onto the field of play to alter the condition of the ball” at the Newlands Test of 2018, infamous as Sandpapergate. In a statement addressed “to the Australian public”, Australia’s bowling unit from that Test said that they had became aware of the use of sandpaper on the ball only after “we saw the images on the big screen”.Related

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“We pride ourselves on our honesty. So it’s been disappointing to see that our integrity has been questioned by some journalists and past players in recent days in regard to the Cape Town Test of 2018,” the statement read. “We have already answered questions many times on this issue, but we feel compelled to put the key facts on the record again.”We did not know a foreign substance was taken onto the field to alter the condition of the ball until we saw the images on the big screen at Newlands.”And to those who, despite the absence of evidence, insist that ‘we must have known’ about the use of a foreign substance simply because we are bowlers, we say this: The umpires during that Test match, Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth, both very respected and experienced umpires, inspected the ball after the images surfaced on the TV coverage and did not change it because there was no sign of damage.”None of this excuses what happened on the field that day at Newlands. It was wrong and it should never have happened.”We’ve all learned valuable lessons and we’d like to think the public can see a change for the better in terms of the way we play, the way we behave and respect the game. Our commitment to improving as people and players will continue.”We respectfully request an end to the rumour-mongering and innuendo. It has gone on too long and it is time to move on.”The statement followed an interview with Cameron Bancroft in the where the batter, one of the three – Steven Smith and David Warner were the others – to serve a ban following the incident, said that it was “self-explanatory” that the bowlers had to know the ball had been tampered with.Since then, former Australia captains Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist have offered their views on the issue, with Clarke saying he suspected more people knew what was going on, and Gilchrist suggesting that the incident had not been investigated thoroughly by Cricket Australia.*Nick Hockley, the interim CA chief executive, said the governing body’s integrity unit would not be contacting the former assistant coach David Saker in the same way that it had reached out to Bancroft following his comments. “No, not at this stage. We’ve put out the general message publicly that if anyone feels they have new information, they should come forward,” Hockley said.”We saw the media reports and our integrity unit reached out to Cam directly to ask whether he had new information. He came back overnight to confirm he’s had no new information since the original investigation, and we’re appreciative of him confirming that. We’ve also said publicly if anyone has any new information that they should come forward and present it.”As for what would happen should such information be presented, Hockley would not elaborate on the sort of action CA might then take. “I’m not going to speculate,” he said. “We’ve got to work on the facts that we’ve got, at the moment we’ve got no new information since the original investigation.”Hockley said the episode had been a difficult one for many in cricket, as a re-opening of old scars from 2018. “It’s challenging in the sense that it’s re-opening or taking us back to what was a very bruising time for lots of people,” he said. “A full and thorough investigation was done at the time, sanctions were handed out and they were served. Since that time there’s been new leadership, who I think have done a tremendous job.”You only have to watch documentary to get great insight into the culture and how making Australians proud is a central tenet of the culture that that leadership has built and created. I’m really focused on taking all the learnings and the confidence we have from delivering a fantastic summer just gone, to taking that forward to what’s going to be a massive Ashes summer ahead.”**The Australian captain Tim Paine said that Bancroft had been “caught on the hop” with his comments, leading to the bowlers’ joint statement. “They felt they wanted to get that out there, and that’s fair enough,” Paine said in Hobart, a day after the bowlers issued their statement. “An investigation was done three years ago and positions on that haven’t changed since and our behaviour since then has been exemplary, so for me as captain it’s important we keep looking forward, we keep trying to be the best role models we can be, and we want to keep looking forward, not backwards.”Some of the guys have spoken to Bangers, I don’t think it was intentional to do anything. I think he was just caught on the hop a little bit, it happens, and the guys have responded ad now we’re looking forward to a huge summer of cricket. The ball wasn’t even changed on the field so there was no damage to it. If the umpires aren’t seeing it then I’m not sure what the bowlers are supposed to see.”I think they’re frustrated that it keeps popping up but that’s part and parcel for everyone who played in that Test match. It’s going to keep popping up and you have to get used to that. their mood was fine, they’ve spoken to Bangers, cleared the air there and everyone’s looking forward to moving on.”*GMT 1316, May 18: The story was updated to include Nick Hockley’s statement.
*GMT 0400, May 19: The story was updated to include Tim Paine’s quotes.

They have the talent to go all the way, but it is a question of whether it will come together often enough

Annesha Ghosh17-Feb-2020OverviewTen wins and as many losses in T20Is since 2019 speak for the inconsistency, and unpredictability, that have become so entrenched in India’s frail middle order that awkward conversation fillers are a must when describing their chances of winning that elusive maiden world title. Chiselled under the watch of new head coach WV Raman and chastened through recurring T20I collapses over this 13-month period, India, if Raman’s views are to go by, are “definitely one of the favourites”, but perhaps, erm…only to make the semi-finals at the T20 World Cup, if not lift the trophy.A title triumph, to echo former India captain Diana Edulji, is unlikely, unless the hurt of the botched chase in last week’s tri-series final against Australia spurs India on to chanelling their unpredictability. On a teamsheet that no longer has Mithali Raj, India shocking themselves out of their rhythm could read anything between a blockbuster three-digit score from captain Harmanpreet Kaur, a jaw-dropping 40-plus blitz from 16-year-old Shafali Verma at the top, or a solid stand between opener Smriti Mandhana and, erm… pretty much anyone not carrying drinks that day.On slightly less exciting days, it could simply translate to the middle order scoring at a run a ball to avert sending a chase into a tailspin, or the fielders clutching on to chances, their wicketkeeper converting straightforward chances, stump-mic covers not denying potentially momentum-changing run-outs in a knockout, or, if a touch ambitious, the pace attack outperforming those of strongest Group A opponents Australia and New Zealand and even their own world-class spin contingent.SquadHarmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Veda Krishnamurthy, Richa Ghosh, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy (Head coach: WV Raman)Group fixturesFebruary 21: Australia, Sydney Showground, Sydney
February 24: Bangladesh, WACA, Perth
February 27: New Zealand, Junction Oval, Melbourne
February 29: Sri Lanka, Junction Oval, MelbourneT20 World Cup historyIndia failed to go past the semi-finals stage in their three knockouts appearances (2009, 2010 and 2018) across the six editions so far. Their 2018 campaign, though, came to be entrenched in public consciousness more due to the controversial omission of Mithali Raj in India’s semi-final loss to England than their splendid unbeaten league-stage run which involved resounding wins over heavyweights New Zealand and eventual champions Australia.Form guideSince the 2018 T20 World Cup, India have won two T20I bilateral series (against South Africa at home and West Indies away) and lost as many (one to New Zealand away and then England at home). Their stiffest challenge, though, was the recently concluded tri-series, where they oscillated between the outstanding (beating England in the opener and recording their highest successful chase against hosts Australia) and trademark India (losing two league-stage games and then the final due lack of support with the bat to an excellent Mandhana).Key playersThe world’s most prolific batter in women’s T20Is since 2018, opener Smriti Mandhana will look to tap into the experience of her two WBBL seasons and extend her form from the tri-series, where she finished atop the run-charts. The smarts of another left-hander India will rely on is Deepti Sharma, an offspin-bowling allrounder who can impair the opposition in all three disciplines. Still only 22, Sharma is as impressive as a wicket-taker across various stages of an innings as a sprightly fielder. It is Sharma’s newly honed finishing capabilities as a middle-order floater that need harnessing by the captain – and channeling by Sharma herself – at the T20 World Cup. The onus will also be on medium-pacer Shikha Pandey to summon her best from the reserves of her dogged determination that fuelled her superlative comeback to India’s T20I set-up after being left out of the 2018 T20 World squad.What would be a success at the tournament?Qualification for the final – if somewhat fanciful, the prospect. Anything less than a runners-up finish would leave them licking their wounds in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup that begins in less than a year. Anything more than that would be….