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CA had been in touch with the BCB on Friday night ESPNcricinfo has learned, informing the BCB of the Australian government’s latest travel advisory

Mohammad Isam26-Sep-20151:46

Timing of Australia announcement catches BCB off guard

The BCB has expressed surprise at Cricket Australia’s decision to delay its team’s departure for the tour of Bangladesh. The Australian board had been in touch with the BCB on Friday night ESPNcricinfo has learned, informing the BCB of the Australian government’s latest travel advisory and asking it to look into the situation in Bangladesh.The BCB said it found no such alert raised for Australians within Bangladesh, and it conveyed the message to CA, adding that there has been no major incident of political violence in the country since March this year. The BCB said it found it surprising that CA decided to delay the tour so quickly after that exchange.The BCB’s chairman of the media committee, Jalal Yunus, said he hoped things will be sorted out quickly and the delay will not last too long.”We are very surprised that CA have given this media release. There is no violence in the country, no alerts in the county. We appreciate that they have some concerns though. CA head of security Sean Carroll is coming to Dhaka tomorrow afternoon and he is going to go through the security arrangements. I’m hopeful the tour will take place and there will be no long delay.”Yunus maintained that this is a peaceful time in Bangladesh, and the country had successfully hosted international series previously when in much greater turmoil. He said: “It is a good time for Bangladesh because it’s the [Eid] holidays and the people were waiting expectantly for the Australian team’s arrival and the Test series.”The situation was far worse at the end of 2014, and we had also hosted the World T20 and the Asia Cup [in early 2014] just after a lot of political violence. This is a very peaceful time though.”Zimbabwe had toured Bangladesh between October and December 2014 without incident. The security situation with regards to political violence escalated in early 2015, but Pakistan, Indian and South Africa have toured this year, all without incident.In a release, BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said Australia putting their players’ safety first was “understandable”, but as far as the BCB is concerned, there is no cause for worry.”As the DFAT advisory update was issued only yesterday, therefore CA wishes to gather more information before the arrival of the team which is understandable,” Chowdhury said. “There is no alarm regarding security as far as we are concerned, and we have taken the opinion of all relevant agencies because safety of the Australian team is our priority, as it is with all visiting teams to Bangladesh.”CA has stated its commitment to the series already in a media release, and we are confident that the tour will commence with minimum delay.”

Afghanistan’s series win in the ODIs will fill their squad with renewed vigour and belief, and a change in format will place these teams on an even more equal footing

The preview by Liam Brickhill25-Oct-2015

Match facts

Monday, October 26
Start time 1.00pm local (1100 GMT)Afghanistan will still be flying high from unprecedented success they enjoyed in the ODI series•AFP

Big Picture

Afghanistan’s barnstorming series win in the one-day internationals will fill their squad with renewed vigour and belief (as if they need it), and a change in format will place these teams on an even more equal footing. In fact, given their recent success and their greater experience in Twenty20 cricket, it is not a stretch to suggest that Afghanistan will start as favourites this time around.Their ranking in the format, five places above Zimbabwe, also suggests as much, though this is slightly misleading due to the difference in opposition that the two teams regularly play. Afghanistan are ranked ninth in international Twenty20 cricket, sandwiched between England and Bangladesh, while Zimbabwe are way down at 14th. But while Zimbabwe and Afghanistan have both played 12 games within the ranking period, Afghanistan’s have largely been against lower rung Associates. Nevertheless, their significant T20 pedigree and experience is undeniable.Conversely, Zimbabwe are without their leading run-scorer in the format. Hamilton Masakadza has scored 1002 runs in T20Is, with Brendan Taylor and Elton Chigumbura next on the list with 594 and 590 runs respectively, but Masakadza was dropped from Zimbabwe’s squad after Pakistan’s visit earlier this month. Their leading T20 wicket-taker is Prosper Utseya, who took those wickets when he was still an offspinner and is not currently in the frame, though it is understood that he has asked to be considered only as a T20 specialist now with a view to returning to the side ahead of the World T20 next year. Masakadza and Utseya are also Zimbabwe’s most capped players in T20Is. Apart from Chigumbura (33 games) and Chamu Chibhabha (23), Zimbabwe are very thin on international experience in this format.After their series defeat on Saturday, they are also low on morale. Zimbabwe have played plenty of good, competitive cricket under Dav Whatmore, and the 21 internationals they have played in the last four months alone should have been a cause for celebration, given how long they have struggled with a paucity of games. There have indeed been several highlights, with victories over India, New Zealand and Pakistan, and a series win over Ireland, but those games seem a long time ago now, and the end result is a team low on confidence. Changes in administration and backroom wrangling have also lent an air of unease to local cricket, and it is unclear what fixtures will come after the World T20 next year. Zimbabwe dearly need a win.Afghanistan’s fixture list isn’t exactly bursting either, but there is a much more settled, happy look to their side. Their five top T20 run-scorers, four of whom have played 30 or more games, are all present and, Hamid Hassan aside, they also have a full complement of bowlers to choose from.

Form guide

Zimbabwe LLLWL (last five completed games, most recent first)
Afghanistan WWLWW

In the spotlight

As Zimbabwe’s most capped player, their captain, and arguably their batsman most suited to this format, Elton Chigumbura will be expected to lead from the front on Monday. Chigumbura is also hunting personal success. His unbeaten 49 helped Zimbabwe over the line in the third ODI, but Chigumbura has generally looked out of sorts with the bat, showing a particular weakness against spin, and has not been able to find the boundary with the frequency he usually does. Zimbabwe have discarded several out-of-form senior players in recent months, and while it is too soon to suggest that Chigumbura may be next, if he does not find some form soon questions will inevitably begin to be asked.Mohammad Nabi was named Player of the Series after the ODIs, with 233 runs in five innings, including a first-ball duck in the first game, a maiden century in the second and a vital fifty in the fifth. He is Afghanistan’s in-form batsman, and will look to carry that form into these games. He will also look to improve on his surprisingly modest record in this format: Nabi has never scored a T20I fifty, and he averages just 15.40 for Afghanistan. His handy second string as an offspinner will also be useful to Afghanistan in these conditions.

Team news

Zimbabwe have made a few changes to their squad for the T20Is, drafting in Malcolm Waller, Taurai Muzarabani, Chris Mpofu and Mountaineers batsman Kevin Kasuza. Some freshness in their XI would probably do Zimbabwe good, and Waller has just come off back-to-back hundreds against Ireland, while Kasuza scored 80 for the Chairman’s XI in Afghanistan’s first warm-up match of their tour. While Sikandar Raza experienced stiffness in his knee on Saturday, he trained with the team on Sunday and should be fit to play.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Chamu Chibhabha, 2 Kevin Kasuza, 3 Sean Williams, 4 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Tendai Chisoro, 10 Wellington Masakadza, 11 Taurai Muzarabani.Afghanistan’s T20 squad includes a couple of specialists, particularly allrounders Karim Sadiq and Gulbadin Naib. Usman Ghani, the 18-year-old opener, will replace Noor Ali Zadran at the top of the order, while Shapoor Zadran, who has been bowling swiftly in the nets, could also come into the side.Afghanistan (possible): 1 Usman Ghani, 2 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 3 Mohammad Nabi, 4 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 5 Shafiqullah, 6 Samiullah Shenwari, 7 Karim Sadiq, 8 Gulbadin Naib, 9 Amir Hamza/Rashid Khan, 10 Dawlat Zadran, 11 Shapoor Zadran.

Pitch and conditions

The dryness in the Queens Sports Club square has brought spinners to the fore and also offered quicks with the ability to move both the new and old ball, such as Dawlat Zadran, something to work with. But the shortness of this format will obviously not allow the ball to age as much, tipping the scales back in the batsmen’s favour. All the same, both teams will need to take a full toll in the first six overs to reach a defendable total, with short boundaries square of the wicket.The weather should stay hot and sunny for the first game.

Stats and trivia

• Elton Chigumbura’s career strike rate of 154.04 is the highest in Zimbabwe’s squad
• This game will be Zimbabwe’s eighth in T20Is this year, making it their busiest ever in the format
• Queens Sports Club has only hosted two T20Is in the past, both against Bangladesh in 2013. In both games the first-innings score was 168, and the side batting first won
• Mohammad Shahzad has hit the most sixes for Afghanistan in T20Is, with 28 in 31 games. He has also scored the most fifties for them, with seven.

Quotes

“It was my best performance against a Full Member and hopefully in the upcoming matches I can also continue my good bowling.”
“It’s going to be tough. Their confidence is up, and we just got beaten by an Associate.”

AB de Villiers’ family was warmly greeted at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where they had come to watch their son, husband and father play his 100th Test

Firdose Moonda in Bangalore14-Nov-2015AB de Villiers Senior only knew one ball. “The one shaped like this,” he said to the media in Bangalore, drawing an oval in the air to illustrate a rugby ball.AB de Villiers Junior does not know any balls yet. At barely three months old, all he knows is: “My favourite cricketer is my daddy” – or at least that’s what it says on the outfit he was in.But the middle AB de Villiers is the Goldilocks. His knowledge of balls is just right.”I used to think lying in bed at night, ‘I hope Ernie Els will see this lad, because he’s striking the golf ball so magnificently.’ Later on there was tennis,” AB senior remembered. But his wife, Millie, knew their son was never going to enter a single-person sport because he was “very much a team guy”.”He’s not that one who will do very well in individual sport. He will miss the guys around him. He actually made the decision based on that as well,” Millie de Villiers said. “He loved his friends, the house was always full of his mates. They were always playing games.”The decision came down to picking cricket over rugby and carving out a career that was not quite what his father, a doctor, imagined. “Coming from an academic family I would have loved him to have a degree,” AB senior said. “But this is much better.””This” has now grown to 100 Test matches and de Villiers’ parents, along with wife and new-born son were all in attendance at what even AB senior called a “second home”.All the de Villiers were greeted like family at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. AB senior and Millie had the press corps’ full attention even as South African tumbled. By then AB, the player, was already out, sent off by an adoring crowd who could not stop calling his name. “Every year he’s here, and he’s becoming one of your guys,” Millie said, before AB senior added: “We must just teach him to speak Indian.”On Saturday, the talking came from de Villiers’ bat alone. For the second match in succession, he top-scored during a first-innings collapse but was denied the fairytale of a hundred in his hundredth match.”I’m a bit disappointed, but that’s how cricket goes. I think he was chasing his hundred because wickets fell one after the other,” AB senior said. “But I think that score today was more important to him than making his hundred.” The man himself would agree.

Joel Paris collected the remarkable figures of 6 for 23 from 14.3 overs to bowl Western Australia to victory in just his second first-class match

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2015
ScorecardJoel Paris took 6 for 23•Getty Images

Last week Australia’s chairman of selectors, Rod Marsh, mentioned Joel Paris as a fast bowler whose progress would be carefully watched by the national panel given his height, his ability to swing the ball, and his brilliant junior career. This week, Paris has responded by collecting the remarkable figures of 6 for 23 from 14.3 overs to bowl Western Australia to victory in just his second first-class match.Paris emerged last summer by collecting 13 wickets at 12.92 in the Matador Cup but suffered a torn quadriceps in the final, which prevented him from playing for his state for the rest of the summer. Now 22, Paris made his first-class debut in the previous Sheffield Shield round and collected six wickets for the match, and has now taken eight in Western Australia’s nine-wicket win over Tasmania.The Tigers resumed the fourth day on 5 for 184 but were able to add only 21 for the loss of their last five wickets, Paris having had both Tom Triffitt and Xavier Doherty caught behind without any further addition to the overnight total. He then had James Faulkner caught behind for 40 and added a sixth wicket, that of Sam Rainbird, to finish the innings off.Tasmania had been dismissed for 205, which meant a target of 52 for the Warriors, and they got there with only the loss of Will Bosisto, who was lbw to Jackson Bird for 2. Cameron Bancroft was unbeaten on 32 and Jon Wells was on 18 when the victory was sealed.

The next steps in the ICC’s efforts to help chart a path forward for cricket in the USA are in the works, with the formation of four advisory groups to guide the implementation of the ICC’s strategic plan for USA cricket

Peter Della Penna29-Jan-2016The next steps in the ICC’s efforts to help chart a path forward for cricket in the USA are in the works, with the formation of four advisory groups to guide the implementation of the ICC’s strategic plan for USA cricket.The framework for the ICC’s strategic plan – which includes targets for USA to qualify for the 2019 World Cup, the 2020 World Twenty20 and put in a bid to host the 2024 World Twenty20 – was relayed to stakeholders at a series of town hall meetings conducted around the USA by ICC staff in November. The strategic plan is part of the ICC’s efforts to help transform cricket in the USA following the suspension of the USA Cricket Association at last June’s ICC annual conference.In a letter sent to stakeholders earlier this week, Tim Anderson, the ICC’s head of global development, declared that four advisory groups were in the process of being formed during the month of February. The groups will be formed specifically to advise on player participation, performance, fan and market development, and creating a sustainable foundation.The advisory groups will be functioning in a similar capacity to the ICC’s seven-man local advisory group in the USA, which was formed in August and includes representation for both the American Cricket Federation and USACA in the form of ACF chairman Jagan Jagannathan and USACA liaison Dr Vincent Adams. Also on the seven-man committee are former USA cricketer Usman Shuja and Patrick Sandusky, the chief communications and public affairs officer of the US Olympic Committee (USOC).The ICC will also be coordinating a summit next month in Colorado Springs, home of the USOC headquarters, to engage with youth cricket officials from around the country including USA Youth Cricket Association president Jamie Harrison.As for USACA, several sources state that the board president Gladstone Dainty and multiple other representatives traveled to India earlier this month to meet with ICC and BCCI officials regarding USACA’s suspension. However, no movement has been made to lift USACA’s suspension.

Pakistan have won their last two international matches in Auckland, and will hope to end a disappointing New Zealand tour with another win in Auckland

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Jan-2016

Match facts

January 31, 2016
Start time 1100 local (1000 GMT)Martin Guptill is a doubtful starter after rolling his ankle during training on the eve of the match•AFP

Big Picture

This tour ending where it began – in Auckland – may lead to good vibes taking hold in the Pakistan camp. They have been outclassed so far, but their solitary win of the trip came at Eden Park. Their previous ODI at the venue also brought success, as they defended 222 against South Africa during the World Cup. New Zealand have been so consistent it is hard to imagine this – but could a long, rain-affected break between ODIs also snap the hosts’ momentum? Pakistan can no longer win the series, but they may not have minded a few extra days to recover from that rough loss at the Basin Reserve.For a touring team, Pakistan seem to be well-versed in the peculiarities of this unique rugby-cricket venue. In the T20 they played here, the batsmen did not seem over-eager to clear those short boundaries, as visitors in the past have been. Pakistan’s bowlers also delivered the slightly shorter lengths that New Zealand have used to great success there.The hosts are searching for a final fillip before they dive into the most anticipated tour of their home summer. Members of Australia’s ODI team have already arrived in the country, and the attention of the fans and media is beginning to turn in that direction. Another victory at Eden Park will mean New Zealand have won every home series they have played since October 2014, in all formats, further embellishing the aura that has developed around the team.They may, however, have to contend with the absence of Martin Guptill for this match. Guptill rolled his ankle during training on the eve of the game, and is said to be a 50-50 chance to play.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)


New Zealand: WWLWW
Pakistan: LLLLW

In the spotlight

Brendon McCullum should be back at the helm, and the top of the order, after recovering from the back injury aggravated by his kamikaze dive into advertising hoardings. In the home stretch of his career now, McCullum will be aiming to give New Zealand fans a few more manic innings by which to remember him.In eight ODI innings, Babar Azam has crossed fifty four times. He was the best of Pakistan’s batsmen in the first ODI, hitting the short balls confidently on a quick pitch, and building sagely alongside Mohammad Hafeez after the openers had gone cheaply. New Zealand will have studied him and formulated fresh plans in the days since, but Babar’s record so far – including in domestic cricket – suggests he is a player with promise.

Team news

If Guptill is unfit, Tom Latham will have the chance to open the batting. Four seamers are competing for three spots, and Doug Bracewell seems likeliest to miss out.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill/Tom Latham, 2 Brendon McCullum (capt.), 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Adam Milne, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Trent BoultPakistan had said Shoaib Malik had recovered from injury, but there appears to be fresh doubt about him ahead of this match. Sohaib Maqsood seems likeliest to make way for Malik’s return.Pakistan (probable): 1 Azhar Ali (capt.), 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Babar Azam, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Anwar Ali, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Mohammad Irfan

Pitch and conditions

Auckland has had excellent weather for most of the week, but the forecast has worsened significantly, just as cricket arrives in the city. The met service suggests the morning will be dry, but that showers could begin in the early afternoon. There can be movement in the air at Eden Park, but the drop-in pitch is generally good for batting.

Stats and trivia

• McCullum has hit four half centuries and a 47 in his seven most recent innings at Eden Park. He averages 44.85 there in that time.
• At home, New Zealand have won 26 matches and lost only four, across formats, since November 2014.
• The first ODI was the first time in seven matches that Wahab Riaz bowled in a New Zealand ODI and failed to claim a wicket.

Quotes

“History suggests that teams have looked at what’s a par score and probably added a few more. I think with sides that travel here for the first time, it’s quite nice to bowl, because they don’t know what’s a good score and can go a bit too hard.””Against England as well last series, Babar Azam played really well. In the game in Wellington, in different conditions, he was again playing very fluently, and with a lot of confidence. That’s a very good sign for us.”

Khalid Latif, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asif Ali chipped in with thirties, as Islamabad United cruised to a five-wicket win against Karachi Kings in Sharjah

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsImran Khalid was the most successful bowler for Islamabad United with returns of 2 for 19•PCB

Khalid Latif, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asif Ali chipped in with thirties, as Islamabad United cruised to a five-wicket win against Karachi Kings in Sharjah. The win lifted Islamabad United to third place on the points table, behind Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi.Chasing a modest target of 129, Islamabad lost three early wickets, but Misbah (38) and Latif (33) stitched a patient 63-run partnership to lead a recovery. Once Latif was dismissed, in the 14th over, Asif gave Islamabad the thrust they needed by smashing 31 off 17 balls to take his side home with seven deliveries to spare. Sohail Khan was the pick of Karachi’s bowlers, taking 2 for 23.Earlier, Karachi, having been sent in to bat, had also suffered a poor start, falling to 2 for 3 within two overs. However, Ravi Bopara, as he has done numerous times already in the tournament, held the innings together with a vital 45. Shahzaib Hasan scored 27 off 19 balls and Mushfiqur Rahim blitzed a 27-ball 33, but a total of 128 for 5 never really seemed enough.

New Zealand Women produced a clinical performance to knock South Africa out of the tournament, after a resounding seven-wicket win in Bangalore

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2016
ScorecardNew Zealand Women produced a clinical performance to knock South Africa out of the tournament, after a resounding seven-wicket win in Bangalore. New Zealand hunted down the target of 100 with 33 balls to spare after bowling South Africa out in the last over. With this result, Australia join New Zealand in the semi-finals from Group A.South Africa’s openers – Trisha Chetty and Dane van Niekerk – added 21 after being inserted, but the New Zealand bowlers kept chipping away thereafter. Marizanne Kapp anchored the middle overs with a steady 22, but substantial partnerships were hard to come by.Just as South Africa were looking for a late surge, they lost their five wickets for nine runs in the space of 11 balls, with Sophie Devine taking three of them in the penultimate over of the innings. Leigh Kasperek contributed with three wickets to become the tournament’s highest wicket-taker, with nine scalps.Suzie Bates, the competition’s leading run-scorer, and her opening partner Rachel Priest, the third highest on the run charts, added 57 in just 50 balls to effectively kill the game. Both fell within the space of two overs, though, and Kapp trapped Sara McGlashan soon after, but it was too late. Devine provided the finishing touches with a 17-ball 27, an innings that featured three fours and a six.

Mumbai Indians batting coach Robin Singh lauded Kieron Pollard’s maturity in finishing games after his unbeaten 51 off 17 balls sealed the game against Kolkata Knight Riders

Arun Venugopal in Mumbai29-Apr-2016Robin Singh, the Mumbai Indians batting coach, lauded Kieron Pollard for his maturity in finishing games after his unbeaten 17-ball 51 sealed a six-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. With 49 runs needed off five overs, Pollard smashed R Sathish for three sixes in four deliveries. Two overs later, he hit three more sixes off Jaydev Unadkat to take Mumbai to their fourth win of the season.Before this game, Pollard had scored 71 runs in six matches. “I think you saw what he meant, today,” Robin said. “And I think you saw that even in the previous games. When you have someone like Pollard coming in at the back-end and you have even Jos Buttler just ahead of him, oppositions are never actually safe with any sort of score on the board. As you saw, it’s just a question of one over in the game that changes the course of the game. People like Pollard, you need to have in any team. He’s with me at Barbados Tridents as well and he plays in a similar fashion.

Unaware of boundary during Buttler catch – Lynn

Chris Lynn said he wasn’t aware of the boundary while going for a catch to dismiss Jos Buttler. Lynn caught the ball inside the boundary at long-off, but threw it back in as his momentum carried him over the boundary. He then leapt back into the field to complete the catch. “It all happens very quickly. I actually said to the boys, ‘I’m going to try and take another catch at the boundary'”, he said.
“You’re working on those catches because there are catches like that in every game. Funnily enough I got the ball – it could have been a metre lower and I could have taken a simple catch or it could quite easily gone for six. To be honest, I had no idea where the boundary rope is – once you take a few steps you sort of lose that – so I was just hoping none of my foot or leg touched the boundary rope, and it was on my side tonight.”
Lynn had taken a similar catch in IPL 2014, when he leapt backwards near the boundary, but stayed inside the field of play against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“His cricket has matured over the years. If you see last season, he played a lot of similar knocks like this, compared to initially when he came in. He’s understood his responsibilities as not someone who can only strike the ball but somebody who’s really critical to the side. More importantly, I think it [his role] is sending jitters to the opposition.”Robin also praised Rohit Sharma’s consistency as an opener, and said Mumbai’s batting gave him the confidence to play freely. Rohit struck an unbeaten 49-ball 69 against Knight Riders, his fourth half-century of the season.”I think he has been pretty successful even in Indian cricket. If you talk about Test cricket, that’s a different ball game. In the shorter formats, he’s been probably one of the top batters after Virat Kohli,” he said. “I think his game suits this format, more than anybody else. He has got a fantastic range of strokes. There are no inhibitions about playing the game. As the game, the run-rate, catches up very fast, if you don’t really score in the middle or if you don’t have a good start, it’s curtains for most teams.”Knight Riders batsman Chris Lynn said his side’s best option to scuttle Mumbai’s plans was to dismiss Rohit early. “I think every time I have played against him, he’s got over 50 or 60. He just puts a high price on his wicket,” he said. “He never panics at any stage, [similar to] what Virat Kohli has been doing over the last few games. He targets the bowlers and it’s pretty simple – he just executes his skills more than most. He’s a class player, you’ve got less margin for error – if you miss a yorker or if you miss a bouncer he’s going to put it away.”

South Africa have confirmed they will play a day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide from November 24, the third match of their tour later this year

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-20161:36

‘Just wanted to make sure we had a fair chance’ – de Villiers

South Africa have confirmed they will play a day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide from November 24, the third match of their tour later this year. The fixture will be the first of two day-night Tests in the upcoming Australian summer, with Pakistan scheduled to play one in Brisbane from December 15.Over the past few months, several South African players had expressed reservations over playing a Test with the pink ball without having adequately experimented with it at lower levels. They will now begin their tour of Australia in mid-October with a two-day match under lights at Adelaide Oval, and will also have another two-day, day-night match before the third and final Test. A four-day fixture on South Africa A’s tour of Australia in August will also be a day-night game.CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the decision to play a day-night Test had been reached after “careful consideration and engagement” with the players. “Our Proteas were initially hesitant to play such a key Test match without previous experience and adequate preparation, but after working through all their concerns and possible options to prepare sufficiently, there is newfound excitement for this novel Test match,” he said. “Our players deserve credit for the way they have worked through the issues which were clearly not insignificant.”South Africa Cricketers Association chief Tony Irish said the decision had not been made for monetary reasons, but because of the “player’s willingness to take a bold step and play a pink ball match sooner rather than later.””The players looked at all the pros and cons of playing this. There are still legitimate concerns around the ball, as it is fundamentally different to a red ball or white ball,” Irish told ESPNcricinfo. “Some players will find it more difficult to see, it behaves differently and conditions have to be tailored to make it last. So there will be a number of unknowns in what is likely to be a crucial match for the Proteas against a team who has some experience of these conditions”What has changed now, however, is the players’ willingness to take a bold step and play a pink ball match sooner rather than later, given the recent announcements from other countries that they will soon start playing day-night Tests.”This has never been about money. Cricket Australia has not offered the players extra money and we haven’t asked for money.”Among the South Africans who had initially objected to the game were AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada, all citing lack of practice with the pink ball. Though CA had already offered South Africa a warm-up match under lights, Philander said the players would need to have “experimented on the domestic front” and “tested the pink ball properly” before agreeing to play a Test with it. Another likely reason for South Africa’s hesitation was that they are chasing a Test revival after slipping from No. 1 to No. 6 on the ICC rankings.CA chief executive James Sutherland thanked CSA for making the fixture possible. “Nearly 124,000 people attended the inaugural day-night Test match in Adelaide last year and there has been great anticipation about future day-night Tests since … I would like to acknowledge the open manner in which Cricket South Africa and the South African Cricketers Association have worked through this matter with us. We look forward to welcoming the South African players to Australia in late October and offering them the best possible preparation ahead of the series.”