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ScorecardAlex Blackwell struck 65 to steer Australia’s chase of 254•Getty Images

Alex Blackwell struck a timely 65 to help Australia recover from a middle-order slide and chase down 254 against New Zealand in the second women’s ODI in Mount Maunganui. Blackwell’s knock followed on from Beth Mooney’s 57 at the top as Australia made 256 for 6 to win by four wickets and level the three-match series.Mooney helped Australia recover from the early loss of Nicole Bolton for 17 in the seventh over. She added 87 for the second wicket with her captain Meg Lanning. However, the introduction of 16-year old legspinner Amelia Kerr dented Australia’s chase. Kerr struck twice in her first over, the 21st of the innings, bowling Lanning for 44 and Elyse Villani for a first-ball duck. Mooney fell in the same fashion six overs later, as Australia slid from 109 for 1 to 138 for 4.But Alyssa Healy and Blackwell made sure the runs kept flowing and shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 81 off 85 balls. Blackwell, in her first game back from a hamstring injury, walked out to face the hat-trick ball, but managed to get off the mark straight away. “It’s never nice to face a hat-trick ball. I was just thinking about playing as straight as possible,” she said. “It was a bonus to score off the first ball, that settled me. I would have liked to finish not out.”Healy became Kerr’s fourth victim when she was caught and bowled in the 41st over for 36. Blackwell was caught behind with Australia 17 away from the target. Jess Jonassen and Ashleigh Gardner ensured her effort wasn’t in vain as they knocked off the remaining runs with 16 balls to spare.”We know it’s a really good wicket here and the outfield is exceptional, so 250 wasn’t something we were too concerned about,” Blackwell said. “I think we can continue to improve with the ball as well, but today was a much better effort.”Suzie Bates, the New Zealand captain, felt lapses in the field cost them. “I don’t think we fielded well today, it was probably our worst fielding performance this series,” she said.Bates showered praise on Kerr, who finished with 4 for 54 runs in 10 overs. “I probably left her a little bit late. For a 16-year old, you would think she’d be under pressure, but there is no such thing as pressure to her, she just wants to bowl. She knows her game and the game of cricket really well. She knows exactly what she wants to do and has pretty good control. She is going to be a massive star for us and she was a key bowler for us today.”Kerr, who dismissed Lanning with a googly, especially cherished that wicket. “She’s one of the best players in the world, and to get her with a googly is wow, it’s something I have been working on a lot,” she said. “The bowling coach told me to bowl the googly to Lanning, and luckily, it worked. And she is tough to bowl to, so I was glad I didn’t need to bowl to her for too long.”When New Zealand batted, after being asked to, Bates dominated the early going, and made 35 of the 55 runs her team had scored at the time of the dismissal. Amy Satterthwaite and Katey Martin joined hands for a third-wicket stand of 87. Once the association was ended, with the dismissal of Martin, the onus on building the innings fell on Satterthwaite. Perkins chipped in with 38 and helped Satterthwaite add 63 for the fifth wicket that pushed the score past 200.Satterthwaite hung on till the 47th over. She made 85 off 117 balls, falling 15 short of what would have been her fifth consecutive ODI century. New Zealand stumbled towards the end, losing two more wickets after her dismissal to finish with 253 for 8. Amanda-Jade Wellington took three wickets for Australia, but Perry, who opened the bowling, stood out in her short spell, finishing with 1 for 9 in four overs.

Uttar Pradesh were bowled out for 58 in their 90-run defeat to Railways in Jaipur. Their chase began on a poor note – by the first nine balls of UP’s chase, seamers Amit Mishra and Anureet Singh had reduced them to 0 for 3. Sarfaraz Khan (18) and Rinku Singh (16) were the only batsmen to score in double-figures in an innings that lasted 13.3 overs. Earlier, Mahesh Rawat’s third successive fifty, an unbeaten 58 off 42 deliveries, carried Railways to 148 for 8. Coming in to bat in the fifth over, with the score at 33 for 3, Rawat held one end up, even as the other batsmen failed to build on their starts and support his effort. Praveen Kumar took the first three wickets to fall, conceding 18 in his four overs.Dishant Yagnik slugged three sixes in a 15-ball 32 to power Rajasthan to a match-winning total of 161 for 6 against Chhattisgarh at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Three of Rajasthan’s top four got starts, but their run rate was still under seven an over when Yagnik walked in to join Tajinder Singh at the start of the 17th over. Yagnik and Tajinder (27* off 18) proceeded to add 50 for the sixth wicket in 23 balls, with Yagnik falling off the last ball of the innings.Chhattisgarh’s chase did not pick up any real steam early on, the first ten overs only bringing 65 for the loss of three wickets. Their No. 4 Shubham Agarwal scored 51 (44 balls), but found little support as they eventually ended on 136 for 7. Fast bowler Aniket Choudhary was Rajasthan’s most successful bowler, with figures of 3 for 21.

Australia’s selectors have pushed still further towards youth, ignoring Mitchell Marsh in order to draft his Western Australia team-mate Hilton Cartwright into the Boxing Day Test squad as all-round cover for a bowling attack heavily fatigued by their Gabba exertions.Cartwright, who had already been included in the Chappell-Hadlee ODI squad to face New Zealand but did not play, is an allrounder whose virtues have been pushed by the interim selector Greg Chappell in particular, as part of the developmental Cricket Australia XI that first played in the Matador Cup two summers ago.Last season he graduated to the Western Australia state side and performed strongly with the bat in the Sheffield Shield, something he has backed up this season to average 44.50 across 16 first-class matches. His bowling record is less notable, with a career tally of 15 first-class wickets at 41.93 and only four wickets at 74.75 in the current Shield campaign.

Test squad

David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith (capt), Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, Hilton Cartwright, Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers

However, the acting selection chairman Trevor Hohns emphasised the desire for a batting allrounder to take a place in the top six, a role Marsh has been unable to adequately fill over time. The decision also means the incumbent No.6, Nic Maddinson, could face the axe after three Test innings of 0, 1 and 4 in Adelaide and Brisbane.”The bowlers got through a high workload in Brisbane and although everyone has pulled up okay, on reflection we wanted to give ourselves the option of including an allrounder in Melbourne to ease that workload somewhat,” Hohns said.”To do that, we wanted a batting allrounder, someone to bowl seam-up and capable of batting in the top six as well, and after considering several names we came to the conclusion that Hilton fits that bill. We have seen plenty of him, he has performed well this season and we believe that if called upon he will do an excellent job.”Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood each bowled 56 overs during the win over Pakistan at the Gabba, which for both men was their biggest workload not only in a Test match but in any first-class game. Jackson Bird sent down 45 overs, his highest tally in a Test. As such, the selection shift away from an allrounder, which took place when Marsh was dropped following the first Test of the summer, has been rethought.”It depends on what sort of wickets you play on,” Australia’s coach, Darren Lehmann, said after the win in Brisbane. “You would have probably liked to have an extra bowling option in this game but we went with the six batsmen, four bowlers and they got the job done, albeit a lot of work into our quicks.”Should Cartwright become Australia’s 450th Test cricketer when the XI is confirmed for Boxing Day, it would mean an uncertain Test future for Maddinson. On debut at Adelaide Oval, Maddinson was bowled for a 12-ball duck by Kagiso Rabada, while at the Gabba he was dropped on 0, then caught behind for 1 in the first innings. In the second, he was caught hooking for 4 as Australia sought quick runs and a declaration.”We’ve had two pink-ball Test matches, so red-ball Test coming up and we know he’s a fine player,” Lehmann said of Maddinson on Monday, before Cartwright was added to the squad. “He’s just got to believe at this level. I actually thought he did a really good team thing the other day [in the second innings].”I know there was some talk in the commentary and media that he probably could have gone up the order and done that, but Steve’s really strong on keeping the batting order very similar. So he came in for two balls, tried to get the game moving as quickly as he could. So I disregard the second innings of this one, and we’ve got some red-ball cricket coming up, so I’m sure he’ll do okay.”Another member of Australia’s new-look side who will be keen to justify the faith of the selectors is wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who replaced Peter Nevill ahead of the Adelaide Test. The selectors preferred Wade’s batting fight down the order and although he scored two Test centuries in his previous incarnation in the baggy green, he has not made double figures since his recall.Wade’s work behind the stumps has also left a little to be desired. In Adelaide, he failed to move for a chance when Hashim Amla edged Mitchell Starc and first slip Matt Renshaw ultimately spilled the chance with his left hand. At the Gabba, Wade missed a stumping chance off Nathan Lyon when Sarfraz Ahmed had 31 in the first innings; he went on to make 59 not out. He also appeared to miss a possible catch when Yasir Shah tickled down leg off Starc late in Pakistan’s chase.”Obviously his batting ability, although he hasn’t got any runs at the moment,” Lehmann said when asked what Wade brought to the squad. “He’s been working pretty hard with that. And his energy behind the stumps. He’d like to keep better obviously, but I thought he’s improved his keeping out of sight in the last 12 to 18 months from where we were.”Peter Nevill is obviously a very good keeper as well. It’s a tight call whichever way you go. But Matthew’s got the chance to nail down the spot and we’ll see how he goes in Melbourne.”

ScorecardMohammad Amir struck thrice in his two overs under lights•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Mohammad Amir took three wickets with the pink ball, including two off his first two balls, in Pakistanis’ day-night tour game in Cairns, ahead of the day-night Test against Australia in Brisbane, starting December 15. Amir’s burst came after Pakistanis stumbled around Younis Khan’s half-century to 208 all-out.Amir’s new-ball partner Rahat Ali also picked up a wicket in his only over as Cricket Australia XI closed the day at 4 for 3 in three overs.Having opted to bat, Pakistanis were kept in check by regular strikes from Cricket Australia’s seamers. Mark Steketee and Cameron Valente did the bulk of the damage, claiming combined figures of 7 for 83.Younis, who managed all of 16 runs in four innings in New Zealand, hit form and briefly steadied Pakistanis’ innings with 54 off 138 balls, including four fours. Barring Younis, Sarfraz Ahmed was the only other batsman to pass 25.Captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who had missed the Hamilton Test, following the death of his father-in-law, returned with 20 off 44 balls, before Valente had him caught behind. The visitors were ultimately bowled out in 84.5 overs.Speaking after the day’s play, Younis Khan said, “Cricket Australia XI bowled really well. They hit the deck hard and didn’t give us any easy runs. The outfield was large as well. It was a good effort by them.”I’m happy that we got to come here early and have time for preparation, which we didn’t get in New Zealand. We had a nice net session before this and we have time to think about the Australia tour and the Australian team. It wasn’t a bad day at all for us, especially with the four wickets in the end. I feel bad for the [Cricket Australia XI] youngsters. It’s not easy to play under the lights, especially if you’re facing someone like Amir. Here in Australia the ball usually seams, but under lights, swing comes into play.”

Former Australia women’s captain Karen Rolton was the latest inductee into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame. Rolton was presented with a personalised cap during the tea break on the opening day of the third Test between Australia and South Africa in Adelaide.She became the 81st player overall, and the sixth woman to receive the accolade. Belinda Clark, Rachel-Heyno Flint, Enid Bakewell, Debbie Hockley and Betty Wilson are the other five women internationals to have been presented the commemorative cap.”It’s with great honour that I accept this award of being inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, “Rolton, who was the first ever recipient of the ICC Women’s Player of the Year award in 2006, said. “To be acknowledged like this is something that I never expected and I am truly grateful to be listed amongst some of my all-time cricketing heroes.”I’d like to thank Cricket Australia, my teammates over the years and, most importantly, my parents for supporting me playing cricket as a junior and right until the end of my career. Finally, thank you to the ICC for inducting me into the Hall of Fame, and your ongoing support of women’s cricket.”Rolton is the only Australian woman to score more than 1000 Test runs; her 209* against England is the highest individual score by an Australian woman. She also scored 4814 runs in 141 ODIs at an average of 48.14, with eight centuries – a record only recently beaten by current Australian captain Meg Lanning. Rolton was also part of two of Australia’s World Cup triumphs – 1997 and 2005 – and captained the team in the 2009 edition.”Karen had a long and successful career which saw several high points, including a century in an ICC Women’s World Cup final,” ICC chief executive David Richardson said. “She proved her class time and again with superb performances, particularly in big matches, making her so well respected. She was a player women cricketers from around the world looked up to.”With increased investment, women’s cricket has grown rapidly over the past few years but it is through the exploits and example set by players like Karen that young women and girls are inspired to take up the game. We congratulate Karen on behalf of the ICC for her successful career and for this well-deserved award.”Rolton is first of four cricketers who will be formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame this season. The other three are Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka, Australia’s Arthur Morris, and England’s George Lohmann.

Like many tournaments of its ilk, South Africa’s first-class competition is contested under the radar. This season, however, there will be increased focus on it because it is expected to produce the players that will help their Test team return to its former glory.The 2015-16 summer was South Africa’s worst since readmission. They lost five out of the eight Tests they played and tumbled from No. 1 to 6 in the ICC rankings. Although they arrested that slide with a 1-0 win over New Zealand in August, it was only the start. Bigger tests are in store.In an unusually packed calendar, South Africa will play nine Tests in three countries in the next six months before an early winter break that leads into a four-Test tour of England. If they win enough, they could find themselves close to the top again, but they need the personnel to get there. The only place those players can come from is the first-class structure, so this summer’s ten-round tournament – which is broken into five fixtures per franchise in October-November and five more in January-March – will be closely watched. ESPNcricinfo picks out a few things to keep an eye on.Dean Elgar and Morne Morkel’s fitness tests Opening batsman Dean Elgar injured his ankle when stepping onto the boundary rope in the lead-up to the second Test against New Zealand. But he is now fully fit and will play for Titans in the first two rounds to try and seal his spot for the Australia tour.Morne Morkel has a little more work to do before he can be sure of making the trip. He had been sidelined for the last two months because of a bulging disc in his back, and missed both the Tests against New Zealand and the ODIs against Australia. He made a comeback at the club level last weekend and got through 10 overs with only mild stiffness. However, he now needs to return to stiffer competition. With limits on the number of overs he can bowl, Morkel will have to wait until the second week of fixtures to play for Titans and prove himself fit enough for Test cricket.Paul Adams’ futureDown the road from Titans, in Johannesburg, Cobras begin their season and the atmosphere promises to be frosty. Their change room is split into a pro-Adams camp, led by limited-overs captain Justin Ontong, and an anti-Adams camp, which includes 10 of the 17 contracted players. The anti-camp initially voiced concerns about Adams’ ability to coach at the end of the previous season, but their concerns were not dealt with until a month ago when a mediator in the form of Paddy Upton was appointed to deal with the issues.Upton interviewed some of the franchise players and recommended Adams stood down and be redeployed elsewhere, but Cobras chose not to implement that and the aggrieved players have now taken the case to the dispute resolution body, the Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).Cobras’ season will begin on an incongruous note, with some of their players still unhappy with the head coach of the team•Getty Images

The CCMA now needs to serve papers to the Western Cape Cricket Board, who then has 30 days to attend mediation. That means the season will start with Adams in charge, and some players unhappy with the head coach, who is under immense pressure to produce results. Adams has been in charge of the franchise since 2012, and Cobras have won five trophies under him. However, they did not collect any silverware in the previous season – the first time in eight summers that Cobras hadn’t had success.Will former players make a difference?At least Adams will have an aide in the form of Ashwell Prince, who has been appointed his assistant. Prince resigned from the national selection panel last month to concentrate his efforts on coaching, and he has a specific task to develop Cobras’ young batsmen.Prince will also act as a role model to aspiring internationals, something that was considered missing from the South African franchise system. The structure has come under criticism for not involving former internationals. But this summer, it will have at least three big names in Prince, Mark Boucher and Nicky Boje.Boucher has signed a two-year deal as the Titans head coach, and he has promised to involve several of his former team-mates, including Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini. Boje, who was involved in an interim capacity with Knights last season, is now their full-time coach.Knights and Warriors’ trophy droughtBoje’s most pressing task will be to bring some success to a franchise, whose trophy cabinet has been bare for five seasons. Their last win was a shared limited-overs cup in 2010-11, and they have endured a middling run ever since. They have beefed up their squad for the upcoming summer with the acquisitions of David Miller and Marchant de Lange, and have a new captain in Theunis de Bruyn, who they will hope can lead to a change in fortunes.On the Eastern Cape Coast, Warriors have gone even longer without winning. Their trophies came in the 2009-10 season, when Russell Domingo was in charge, but they have struggled ever since. Warriors will make a fresh start under a new captain, with Colin Ingram stepping down because of fitness issues. Simon Harmer will lead the team instead in first-class and JJ Smuts in the shorter formats. Ingram recently underwent knee surgery and is still on the road to recovery, with his return to action likely to take longer. But under coach Malibongwe Maketa, and with Kyle Abbott to lead their attack, Warriors may have the makings of a more successful unit.How will Dolphins fare without many internationals?Further along the shoreline in Durban, there have also been unsettling developments that will affect how Dolphins approach this season. The franchise chose not to renew Lance Klusener’s contract towards the end of the previous season, and finished off their campaign with acting coaches. They have since appointed Grant Morgan, who has enjoyed success with Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland and will have to repeat that at a higher level, without the resources he may have wanted.Dolphins have been unsettled due to the departure of some big international names•AFP

Both Miller and Abbott chose to play their domestic cricket away from Durban this season, with Miller moving to Knights and Abbott to Warriors. That leaves Dolphins with Imran Tahir as the only nationally-contracted player, and even his appearances will be limited due to international commitments. Dolphins have some experience in the form of Morne van Wyk, Daryn Smith and Imraan Khan. But they will not have a headline-grabber until Kevin Pietersen arrives for the T20 tournament much later. It will be interesting to see whether they band together better in the absence of a big name player or if they miss having one around.Lions roaring into national sideGeoffrey Toyana, the Lions coach, has made a name for himself as the finishing school master for franchise cricketers who want to become international regulars, and he has more students to work with this season. Hardus Viljoen, Reeza Hendricks and Dwaine Pretorius will want to join Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada and Aaron Phangiso as players who passed through Toyana’s hands into South African XIs.All three have been on the South African radar, with Viljoen making his Test debut last season. Hendricks was picked for the Test squad in Bangladesh in July, 2015, but did not play, and Pretorius is part of the ongoing ODI series against Australia. Toyana will press on the trio the need for consistent performances and the importance of being part of a winning franchise. Success breeds success, after all.

Liton Das has injured his right shoulder during Rangpur Division’s National Cricket League match against Chittagong Division in Sylhet. He sustained the injury on the first day of the first-class season when he dived awkwardly during Chittagong’s first innings an did not bat for Rangpur after that. He returned to Dhaka the following day.He is likely to be part of Bangladesh’s Test squad against England but if the injury is serious, it could put him in doubt for a timely recovery. BCB’s chief physician Debashish Chowdhury said they were maintaining conservative treatment on Liton’s shoulder and an MRI scan on Wednesday would reveal how long he could be sidelined for.”For now the treatment is conservative but an MRI scan could reveal if he has hurt his AC joint. If it is just a sprain, we can expect a recovery within a week,” Chowdhury said.Liton has so far played three Tests, nine ODIs and three T20s for Bangladesh.

Australia will host Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 international at Geelong’s Kardinia Park in February, after the ground was confirmed as the 11th venue in Australia currently accredited to host international cricket.Geelong, Melbourne and Adelaide have been named as the venues for three T20Is between Australia and Sri Lanka, to be held from February 17 to 22. The fixtures will all be played as double-headers, with the men’s games preceded by women’s T20Is between Australia and New Zealand.The decision to take international cricket involving Australia beyond the state and territory capitals is almost unprecedented. Test matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Cairns during the southern winters of 2003 and 2004 are the only other occasions when Australia have played official international matches outside the capital cities.Regional venues were used for some neutral games during the 1992 World Cup, while Launceston, Devonport and Townsville have also hosted official international matches that did not involve Australia. Kardinia Park – known as Simonds Stadium for sponsorship reasons – will be the 21st ground in Australia to host international men’s cricket.Kardinia Park had a taste of elite cricket last summer when the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades played a warm-up match there ahead of the BBL campaign. That game was followed a week later by West Indies playing a two-day practice match there against a Victoria XI ahead of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.In order to meet ICC standards for the size of international venues, the pitch orientation at Kardinia Park has been altered to slightly off the square, for the traditional configuration at the ground meant some boundaries were too short. Cricket Australia’s chief executive officer James Sutherland said given the ground met requirements, he was pleased to take international cricket to Geelong.”We’re committed to taking the game to as many parts of the country as possible and we continue to work with regional areas around Australia on how we can make this happen,” Sutherland said. “Geelong proved its capability to host cricket last summer with a successful BBL exhibition match between the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades attracting more than 10,000 people.”We’re really looking forward to the people of the Geelong region and beyond packing out the stadium and supporting the women’s and men’s national sides.”Despite the off-field facilities at Kardinia Park being of high quality and the dimensions meeting international standards, the prospects of the venue being used as a second first-class ground for Victoria appear limited. Tony Dodemaide, the Cricket Victoria CEO, said the cost of installing drop-in pitches and preparing the multi-sport ground (home of AFL team the Geelong Cats) for cricket was more feasible for international games.As preparation for the T20I series, Sri Lanka will play the annual Prime Minister’s XI match as a T20 game on February 15 at Manuka Oval in Canberra.Cricket Australia has also announced that an agreement has been reached for Adelaide Oval to host an international cricket fixture on Australia Day every summer for the next five years. For some years the tradition was to hold a match in Adelaide on January 26, but in recent summers such a fixture had not always eventuated.”We’ve been working closely with the South Australian Government and SACA to secure marquee matches in the state long term and we’d like to thank both parties for their support,” Sutherland said. “We’re pleased to be able to announce today that Adelaide Oval will host an International Australia Day cricket fixture for the next five years.”

Trent Boult bristled when he was reminded of the back niggle that kept him out for a part of last year’s international action.”What injury?” was his response, when asked if he considered himself to be back at his best. Then, he brushed it off as something confined to ancient history, not a mere 12 months ago, and insisted it had no impact on the speeds he was bowling.In Zimbabwe, Boult averaged in the late 120s. Perhaps what he could not say was that the surfaces and the opposition – unresponsive and inexperienced – did not require him to bend his back. Perhaps he knew he needed to save that for South Africa. And he has.Be it the natural progression that comes with recovery, or a conscious effort to be more clinical, Boult was just as difficult to get away and more dangerous in Durban. His first two spells cost just 18 runs and yielded two wickets, both off good deliveries and not poor shots, and it was only in the third spell, when he searched for reverse swing that things became a little untidy.More notable was the fact that he was quicker than he was in Bulawayo – with an average speed of 134 kph and hitting 141.5 kph for the day’s fastest ball – and he continued to find late movement, forcing the batsmen to pay full attention to every ball. “Trent bowled really well to start, and that set the day up for us. He looked like he was in great rhythm,” Neil Wagner said.Boult got rid of two of South Africa’s most assured batsmen – opener Stephen Cook and Hashim Amla – and bored their way into a still-fragile middle-order, which could not ride out pressure for long enough to post substantial scores. Fortunately for New Zealand’s other bowlers, they did not need to emulate Boult to get reward. “Quite a few of us got out to deliveries in ways that could have been avoided,” Amla said.Dean Elgar, JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock were the guiltiest parties. All three squandered starts with careless strokes, which seemed to be in line with South Africa’s policy of starting more strongly than they have in the past. Instead of criticising it, Amla examined the merits of the more aggressive approach, while adding that South Africa would need it to pay off before they can completely embrace it.”I tried to bat normally. It wasn’t a conscious effort to score quickly. If I look at anybody else, they were hitting the half-volleys and cut shots. That’s what you need to do to score runs,” Amla said. “Someone like Quinny [Quinton de Kock] has been around for three or four years and he is aggressive by nature. He plays that way. He got a quick 30 and had he not got out, we would have been in a good position. As he becomes more experienced, he will work it out. He played exceptionally well to get us some momentum, but, unfortunately, he didn’t bat through.”Now South Africa find themselves in what Amla has admitted is “not a great position,” as they look to “scrape some runs tomorrow morning,” against a New Zealand attack that can see the finish line and understands that it needs to approach it as Boult did on day one. “With the wicket having a little bit more bounce here, your margin of error was a little smaller in Bulawayo,” Wagner said. “As a bowler, you can get a little bit carried away here, but I thought everybody bowled exceptionally well in partnerships today. We are pretty happy with where we are, but we know we still need to get two crucial wickets tomorrow and then go in with the bat and apply ourselves.”

Only three members of West Indies’ 13-man squad for the first Test against India have played more than 20 Test matches. Six of them have either played four Tests or fewer, and two are yet to make their debuts. West Indies captain Jason Holder, who has himself played only 13 Tests, said on the eve of the match though that he was confident in the abilities of the young group he was leading.”Most of these guys have performed really well in the domestic competition,” Holder said. “You’ve got young Roston Chase, who’s in the squad for the first time. He averages around 40 in first-class cricket. You’ve got Shane Dowrich, who’s been doing well over the last few seasons. Leon Johnson had a really good season. Those are just a few names who did well back in the first-class competitions. So I think all of them are really eager for an opportunity and I’m very very eager to go into the competition with them.”The players, Holder said, were hungry to make a name for themselves.”I think what motivates this young group is that everyone is trying to make a mark on international scene. It’s a very young team. Many of us are looking at finding our way in international cricket. I think it’s important for the youngsters to just come in, to make their mark and solidify their place in the team, and to make a name for themselves. You know there is a rich legacy in West Indies cricket. Many of the young players are looking to make a legacy for themselves.”A lot of the inexperience in the West Indies team is concentrated in their bowling, following the loss of their long-time new-ball pair of Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach to retirement and non-selection respectively. Holder said he, as one of the four seamers in the squad, did not feel any specific pressure to step up and lead the bowling attack, but reiterated the need for all the quick bowlers to know their roles and perform them well.”You know, if you look at our side, we’ve got Miguel Cummins who’s come into the side, he’s done really well for the last two seasons in domestic cricket. You’ve got [Shannon] Gabriel, who’s been bowling really well, but has been struggling from injuries. He’s fit and ready to go. Carlos Brathwaite and myself, you know, are the two seamers and we are just looking to do what we’re asked to do.”I think it’s important that each one knows their role. You know Shannon’s obviously a fast and aggressive bowler. Miguel similarly. Myself and Carlos, we’re mainly the workhorses in the unit. You just have to know your role. I don’t think there’s pressure really. Once you know understand your role, you perform your role.”West Indies won the World T20 earlier this year, and were impressive in their recent ODI triangular series that also featured Australia and South Africa, beating both teams in the league stage and reaching the final. They have struggled to match that level of performance in Test cricket, with a number of their star players not featuring in the longest format. Holder said it was important for the team to keep improving steadily, while not expecting too much of them too soon.”You know that’s the ultimate aim [to be equally competitive in all three formats]. We’ve got a young side, and it’s good to see we have some young faces. We’re looking to build something. In the last series we played in Australia, we didn’t start really well. Moving on into the Test series, we got significantly better. All I stress and address with the guys is to keep improving. You can’t expect leaps and bounds, too much from a very young side. Once we get the steady progression in terms of improvement, I think we’ll move forward.”The last time West Indies played in Antigua, in April 2015, they saved a Test match against England courtesy an unbeaten fourth-innings hundred from Holder. Batting remains the second string in Holder’s bow, but in the days leading up to the Test against India, he has batted far more than he has bowled in the nets. Asked about this, he said he preferred to conserve himself for the long spells he often bowls in Test matches.”I’ve played a lot of cricket this year already. As I said, it’s about managing your body to get through a four-match Test series. I am a workhorse, so I don’t particularly like to bowl that much leading into a Test match. I like to save my energy for the Test match because I know I’ll be required to bowl quite a few overs. That’s how my preparation goes in terms of my bowling.”I try to bat a lot because I feel as though I need to pay a lot more attention there. That’s more of my secondary part of my training. I try to work really hard to get my footwork going and my balance going which I feel is the key to my success.”Asked about his team’s preparations to bowl against a batting line-up of India’s quality on pitches that are expected to play on the slower side, Holder reiterated what players and coaches from both sides have already stressed: the need for patience.”The name of Test cricket is discipline, when it comes to bowling,” he said. “Where we fell down in the past is not being as disciplined as we would like. We’ve stressed discipline and being patient for longer periods. We come in and string together a good session but we tend to falter or fall off going deeper into the day. So far, what I’ve seen in the nets I’m really, really pleased. The bowlers look good and we need to transfer that into the game.”