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Mohammed Shami has urged the ICC to rescind the ban on using saliva to shine the ball, in a bid to bring the art of reverse swing back into play.”We are trying [to get reverse swing], but the usage of saliva on the ball is not allowed,” Shami told reporters after India’s four-wicket win over Australia in the Champions Trophy semi-final. “We keep appealing that we should be allowed to use saliva so that we can bring reverse swing back into the game and it becomes interesting.”The ban on using saliva to polish the ball was first put into place in May 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, as a temporary measure. Then, in September 2022, the ICC made the ban permanent.Related

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Shami has urged the ICC to reconsider their decision now. He has also got the backing of two former international bowlers in Vernon Philander and Tim Southee, who feel reverse swing is definitely missing in the game, especially on batter-friendly surfaces.”That was a rule brought around Covid with the virus going around the world, but I think as a bowler, you want to have a slight advantage,” Southee said on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day. “We see the game going the way it’s going and seeing sides score 362 and more often than not over 300 in this format. I think there needs to be something in the bowlers’ favour, and whether that’s a little bit of saliva, then yeah, I don’t see why they couldn’t afford to get that back in.”Philander felt that the use of saliva and reverse swing could have come in handy for South Africa in the Champions Trophy semi-final against New Zealand, particularly in the later half of the innings. New Zealand amassed 362 for 6 in their 50 overs.1:49

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“If we look at the state of that ball, I mean towards the back end, it was really scuffed up, and I think had you used the saliva [to polish one side of the ball], the element of the reverse swing might have come into play,” Philander said. “So it certainly does play a part. You can get it to shine up and you use the elements to swing it a little longer.”I’d like to see that element being brought back into the game because I think it’s needed as well. I mean, especially in ODI cricket where we see batters really dominating, especially when you play on surfaces like we’ve just seen in Pakistan as well where it’s really batter friendly.”Southee felt that the use of saliva to polish one side of the ball and induce reverse swing makes even more of a difference in red-ball cricket than in white-ball.”I think the ball only swings initially for a few overs [in white-ball cricket]. But with the red ball, you are able to bring it back and obviously sweat can be limited at times in various parts of the world, whereas saliva you’re able to obviously have access to it from a number of sources and in all parts of the world,” he said. “I think there is an advantage to having saliva on the ball, probably more so in red-ball cricket than white-ball cricket.”Are there any other advantages of using saliva to polish the ball instead of sweat?”With the South African team, we were always trying to keep the ball as dry as possible,” Philander said. “The minute you start erring on the side of sweat, I think you start wetting both sides of the ball. Your hands get sweaty, especially when you play in hot, humid conditions.”Saliva was definitely the preferred method of shining the ball. In the longer run in the scheme of things, I’d like to see that being brought back. As far as sweat is concerned, I do feel that it’s difficult to control the amount of sweat you put on the ball, [especially when] you start sweating obviously heavily.”

Speedster Riley Meredith shook up Sydney Sixers’ top-order in a ferocious opening spell before Hobart Hurricanes held off a late rally to set up a home BBL grand final.With Sixers chasing 174 in the Qualifier at Bellerive Oval, Meredith bent his back and rattled a batting line-up no longer with the services of Steven Smith. Sixers were in disarray at 5 for 3 before Kurtis Patterson, Jordan Silk and Lachlan Shaw provided fight.Needing 21 runs off the final over, Sixers fell well short with Shaw and Ben Dwarshuis thwarted by accurate death bowling from Chris Jordan.Sixers will host the Challenger on Friday and face the winner of tomorrow’s elimination final between Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars.Hurricanes – chasing their first title – will have plenty of time to rest before hosting the decider on January 27.Meredith sizzles with pace over 150kphOnly Lance Morris can challenge Meredith’s status as the fastest bowler in Australia. After having a breather in the regular-season finale against Melbourne Stars, a refreshed Meredith was fired-up and bowled the fieriest spell of the season.He claimed opener Josh Philippe for a duck in the opening over with a short delivery at 150kph that hurried onto the batter, whose pull shot was skied straight up in the air.After Cameron Gannon dismissed Jack Edwards for a duck, Meredith unleashed a torrid third over and had captain Moises Henriques edging to first slip, where Ben McDermott took a terrific catch diving to his left.He bowled a fierce bouncer clocked at 152 kph straight away to Silk in a delivery that was the fastest this season across any format. Meredith was well supported by Gannon, who had 2 for 10 from 3 overs in just his second BBL match after being an injury replacement for Billy Stanlake.Kurtis Patterson led Sydney Sixers’ fightback•Getty Images

Silk, Patterson fight in vain After such a disastrous start, Sixers mustered their wealth of experience to slowly get back in the hunt. Opener Patterson, replacing Smith, had watched all the carnage at the other end but he was unaffected and combined with SIlk in a 75-run partnership.Patterson has had a career revival in the Sheffield Shield, but it hasn’t translated to BBL success this season. But he batted fluently and notched Sixers’ 50 with a six after dispatching legspinner Peter Hatzoglou for six over deep midwicket.Patterson holed out on 48 in the 12th over, but Silk and youngster Shaw added another half-century partnership to give Sixers a glimmer of hope. But Silk fell with Sixers needing 31 off 9 balls and the task proved beyond big-hitter Dwarshuis.Another flier for Owen, late David fireworksMitchell Owen amid a breakout season has built a reputation as the BBL’s most formidable hitter in the powerplay. He further cemented his standing with another blistering display of power hitting after smashing 36 off 15 balls.Owen couldn’t find his timing from the get-go, but it didn’t matter as he still muscled a six down the ground in a 15-run first over off Edwards. Opening partner Caleb Jewell wisely was intent on giving the strike to Owen, who greeted Sixers debutant Mitchell Perry with a six over backward point.Owen scored 29 of Hurricanes’ 31 runs in the opening two overs as he added another six by dispatching Dwarshuis over midwicket. A massive score beckoned at 43-0 after 3 overs, but they were pegged back once Owen fell immediately after the powerplay.Mitchell Owen got off to a solid start•Getty Images

After starting the season as an opener, Matthew Wade had moved down the order and effectively fulfilled the finishing role on a couple of occasions but was promoted to No.3.He didn’t last long thanks to brilliance in the field from Edwards as Hurricanes were forced to rebuild with Jewell and McDermott struggling for boundaries in the middle overs.Jewell was knocked over by Dwarshuis for 41 in the power surge, taken in the 15th over, and that was probably a good result for Hurricanes as Tim David started with an edge that flew to the boundary followed by a six over the legside.His presence lifted McDermott, who got going late in the power surge with a huge six over midwicket off left-arm quick Hayden Kerr followed by a drive down the ground. David took over with typical late fireworks, hitting 25 off 10 balls, as Hurricanes finished strongly.Edwards’ brilliant catch sparks Sixers’ fightbackAfter being pummelled by Owen in the powerplay, Sixers mustered their experience to peg Hurricanes back. It started with Kerr cleverly mixing his lengths – in a template for the pace attack – to concede just four runs in the fourth over.Jafer Chohan, the Yorkshire legspinner playing his third BBL game, entered the attack after the powerplay and bravely tossed the ball up to Owen, whose eyes lit up but he couldn’t clear deep midwicket.Sixers were back in the game when Edwards brilliantly caught Wade at backward point in one of the best catches of the tournament. It was hit like a bullet, but the high-flying Edwards clung on with his right hand stretched in the air.Chohan bowled well and also claimed the wicket of McDermott but he finished on a sour note when David hit a half-tracker for six. He finished with 2 for 28 off 4 overs, but Sixers were left to rue sloppy bowling in the backend.

South Africa will find a way to “pull together” for the Champions Trophy 2025 after suffering their first ODI whitewash at home and without any more match practice with a full-strength squad ahead of the tournament, according to white-ball coach Rob Walter.After overseeing the 3-0 defeat to Pakistan, Walter has been left with an ODI record of two series wins from six but does not think bilateral form accurately reflects what the team is capable of at major tournaments. “I know they’ll shine through when it comes to these world events, these marquee events. The guys tend to step up. They tend to bring their best cricket,” Walter said at the Wanderers. “We’ve seen that for two World Cups in a row.”In June, South Africa reached the T20 World Cup final with no bilateral series wins from four attempts under Walter and with the entire squad only convening two days before the event started, with players traveling from the IPL. And last November, South Africa reached the ODI World Cup semi-final, with limited ODI game time under their belt. They drew a series against West Indies in March 2023 and then came from 2-0 down to beat Australia 3-2 in September just before the tournament.Related

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This time, they also have fixtures on the eve of the Champions Trophy – a tri-series in Pakistan – but will not be able to have all their first-choice players available as some will be competing in the final stages of the SA20. Walter understands that could pose a challenge.”The reality is the lead up into the Champions Trophy won’t be anything, like the lead up to the World Cup. That’s the reality of the way the schedule is stacked up. But at the end of the day, I’ve just got to trust in the quality of the players,” he said. “Obviously, the switching in codes will potentially pose a little bit of a challenge to us. But again, it’s not like the guys have not played 50-over cricket. So I trust that when the time comes, we’ll be there.”Mindset and sense of occasion aside, South Africa also have personnel questions as they deal with a slew of injured bowlers. Seven of their seamers – Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje, Ottneil Baartman, Nandre Burger and Lizaad Williams are currently injured – and though all but Burger, who has lower back stress fractures, are expected to return this season, there is no telling how many will make it to the Champions Trophy. The problem is compounded by a niggle to Keshav Maharaj, who missed the recent ODI series after picking up a groin strain ahead of the first game, but could return for the Tests. For Walter, the number of players unavailable also means he was hamstrung in selection, which may ease the criticism of his results.But there is no softener in the batting department, where South Africa have struggled to find someone to fill Quinton de Kock’s role at the top of the order, and collectively underperformed. Heinrich Klaasen was their only batter to score a half-century in the series – and he did it three times – but no-one else scored more than 100 runs across the three matches or got an individual score over 40 which Walter recognised as a concern.”As a batting unit, we’ve spoken about someone taking pride in getting in and getting a big hundred and to be fair, we just haven’t been able to convert anything into really substantial knocks or partnerships in this series,” he said. “It’s not like we’re unaware. Some of it is down to batting error and others down to bowling quality and we also have to acknowledge that.”He appeared to back Tony de Zorzi as Temba Bavuma’s opening partner, though there is also the option of Ryan Rickelton.”If you look at Tony de Zorzi’s knock today (at the Wanderers, where he made 26), he was batting beautifully and then he got a brute of a ball that got him out at the end of the day. How do you assess that and what conversations do you have? I just want him to continue to play like he was playing because he was putting our noses in front up until that point,” Walter said. “These things do happen and ultimately I think it’s important to know that the players themselves want to be better. They want to convert. They want to get big hundreds. It’s not through any lack of want. And again, I have to trust that that conversion will start happening and hopefully sooner rather than later.”Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram’s form at Nos. 3 and 4 could also come under the microscope. Van der Dussen has not scored a half-century in 10 innings while Markram has one 50-plus score in his last 11 completed outings. South Africa’s over-reliance on Klaasen and David Miller (whose wife Camila is expecting their first child in February which could affect his availability) is clear. But Walter, despite whispers of pressure, does not look too perturbed with current results. He understands white-ball cricket has had to juggle selection with the needs of the Test side, who are one win away from securing a place in the World Test Championship final, and then will shift attention to the SA20, which takes precedence over everything else in the South African summer because of the profits it makes.By then, Walter is hopeful there will be enough good memories, vibes and form to carry the ODI side through the Champions Trophy where they are grouped with Afghanistan, Australia and England. “As a Proteas family, we’ll focus on these Test matches and getting ourselves to that World Test Championship final. And then obviously all the lads will pretty much be involved in the SA20, which will be highly competitive cricket, albeit in a different format,” he said. “I’m optimistic that when the time comes, we’ll pull together.”

Mohammad Rizwan has been announced as the new white-ball captain of Pakistan, and his first assignment will be the ODI and T20I series against Australia next month. The squad marks the return of Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah. The trio, omitted from Pakistan’s last two Tests against England, make a return in both white-ball formats. None of them will feature in the ODI or T20I series in Zimbabwe that immediately follow.Salman Ali Agha, who is in all four white-ball squads for the away tours, has been named vice-captain. He will captain the side in the T20I series against Zimbabwe, with Rizwan sitting that series out.”I am committed to giving my absolute best in this role and look forward to working closely with the selectors, coaches and my immensely talented teammates,” a statement attributed by the PCB to Rizwan stated. “Together, we aim to meet and exceed the expectations of our fans and supporters.”Pakistan’s ODI and T20I squad for the tour of Australia•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq, who both missed out on a central contract, do not feature in any squad, but central contracts weren’t always a reliable indicator of squad composition. Mohammad Hasnain didn’t get a central contract, but his performance in the Champions One-Day Cup – where he was Player of the Tournament – has earned him a berth in all four squads. Shadab Khan has been dropped, left-arm wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem added to both T20I travelling parties, while offspin-bowling allrounder Qasim Akram will go to Zimbabwe for the T20Is.Related

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PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed Fakhar’s dispute with the PCB over a tweet he posted in opposition to Babar being dropped from the Test side was a factor in his omission, though according to the chairman, it wasn’t the biggest reason. “The tweet [he posted] is an issue for us,” Naqvi said. “It doesn’t matter as much as him failing his fitness test though. We have to make a decision over his show-cause notice, and after that he has to pass his fitness test. That’s why he isn’t in. He spoke very well at the connection camp, and it was him raising his voice that has led us to reform our international department. I appreciate that. But it’s unacceptable for a player to tweet against the selection committee. That is not permitted, and it will never be permitted.”Pakistan’s white-ball squads for the Zimbabwe tour•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Pakistan Shaheens wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris has also fallen down the pecking order, failing to make any of the squads, with wicketkeeper Haseebullah Khan, who played a solitary T20I in New Zealand in January, included in all four. His team-mate at Peshawar Zalmi Saim Ayub, who primarily made his name as a T20 top order power-hitter, will not feature in either of the T20I series after a sustained lean run in the format, but has made the cut for both ODI squads.The ODI series against Australia, set to begin on November 4, is Pakistan’s first in the format since the World Cup in India a year earlier. It kickstarts a busy period in the 50-over format in the build-up to the Champions Trophy in February, the first ICC event Pakistan are scheduled to host since the 1996 World Cup. The Australia and Zimbabwe ODIs are followed by white-ball games in both formats against South Africa, and a tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa in Multan just before the start of the Champions Trophy.Australia tour (Nov 4-18)
Pakistan ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Irfan Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah AfridiT20I squad: Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Abbas Afridi, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.Zimbabwe tour (Nov 24 – Dec 5)
ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Irfan Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Saim Ayub, Shahnawaz Dahani, Tayyab TahirT20I squad: Agha Salman (capt), Abbas Afridi, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Omair Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan11.50 GMT: This story was updated when Rizwan was confirmed as captain

A 32-year-old man has been arrested following a burglary at the house of England Test captain Ben Stokes.The incident took place on October 17 at Stokes’ house in Castle Eden in the North East, with his wife, Claire, and two children, Layton and Libby, present in the house at the time. Stokes said his family did not come to “any physical harm” but stated the trauma “had an impact on their emotional and mental state”.In a social media post on Wednesday, Stokes pleaded for the return of a number of “irreplaceable” items after a masked gang broke into his home while he was in Pakistan for the recently completed Test series. The 33-year-old was playing in the second Test in Multan at the time, and only returned home earlier this week following the conclusion of the three-match series, which England lost 2-1.Durham Police said a 32-year-old man from North Yorkshire was arrested overnight on suspicion of burglary. He has been released on bail while the investigation continues.Of the items taken, which includes jewellery and a designer bag, was the medal awarded to Stokes for his OBE, received in 2020 for services to cricket following a 2019 summer in which he was integral to England’s ODI World Cup success, starring in the final, before putting in a miraculous performance to help them win the Headingley Test against Australia in the Ashes.