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Kingsmead has provided an assurance that the outfield issue which caused the first Test between South Africa and New Zealand to be abandoned earlier this week will not affect any other matches this season. Durban do not host a match for another five and a half weeks, when South Africa play Australia in an ODI on October 5, and acting CEO Rajesh Behari insists they will be ready.”We are already hard at work taking measures to ensure that the condition of the outfield does not impact on both international and domestic fixtures in the future,” Behari said in a statement.Already, ground staff at Kingsmead have filled the exposed patches with top soil and have fertilised the field to prompt the grass to grow as they wait for the ICC’s verdict after the outfield was rated poor by ICC match referee Andy Pycroft. CSA had 14 days from the issue of the report card to respond to it. The ground will then either receive a warning or a fine up to US$15,000.In mitigation of the state of Kingsmead’s outfield, which was deemed too soft for play on three days of the Test match, was that Durban experienced unseasonal rainfall of more than 400 millimetres in July and 65mm on the second night of the match. The heavy downpours meant the outfield was not allowed to settle after it was decompacted and relaid mid-June, following what CSA said were complaints by the South African and New Zealand players after limited-overs matches were played there last winter. It has since been reported by the that the New Zealand players did not have an issue with Kingsmead, but only said they found the Centurion outfield too hard.Both SuperSport Park and Kingsmead had work done to their outfields in preparation for this series but SuperSport Park’s revamp took place in April and only involved overseeding with winter grass, not digging. Kinsgmead’s happened more than two weeks after Comrades’ Marathon, which finished there on May 29, and saw 40 tonnes of sand removed and a new covering laid over it. It has since been claimed the digging at Kingsmead was also done too deeply. CSA oversaw both processes.In this statement, Behari said the combination of all the factors contributed to the abandoned Test. Like CSA he acknowledged that his ground staff had done “everything in their power to deal with the problems with the softened outfield, but that their role was limited in scope by the match officials in charge of the Test once the wet outfield complications developed”.Umpires Ian Gould and Richard Illingworth asked the ground staff not to use any artificial means of drying the surface, fearing the super sopper would worsen the soggy outfield, and left it to natural sunshine and wind to dry and harden the ground. There was not enough of either for play to be possible but those watching from a distance, who saw clear blue skies on television and a tacky outfield below, were left to questions whether Kingsmead is up to international standard.Behari is determined to reassure those critics with pristine conditions for the rest of the summer, in which Kingsmead will host two ODIs, three franchise first-class games, four franchise one-day cup matches and five franchise T20 matches. There are no more Test matches scheduled for Kingsmead this summer but it may come into contention for next season’s Boxing Day match.”We benchmark this stadium by the very best in the world and are determined to ensure that each and every match and Test matches in particular are memorable at this venue,” Behari said. “The only ground to have hosted more Test matches in South Africa is Newlands and our rich Test cricket heritage here at is something that we guard unwaveringly. Summer rains are a reality in Durban and we want to make sure that this ground, which has a good reputation for drainage and dealing with rain delays, will be in top condition for the upcoming domestic fixtures as well as the two internationals against Australia and Sri Lanka.”

The USA Cricket Association’s attempt to block six Caribbean Premier League (CPL) games from taking place on July 28-31 in Lauderhill, Florida by pursuing an emergency injunction was denied on Monday afternoon by Judge Michael L Gates in Florida’s 17th Circuit Court in Broward County. Judge Gates struck down the arguments made by former USACA executive secretary Kenwyn Williams on behalf of USACA, that the games were not properly sanctioned, with Gates writing that USACA’s claims were “insufficient to justify ex-parte relief”.”Ex parte orders are antithetical to precious due process rights,” Judge Gates wrote, citing previous legal precedent. “There must be a ‘strong and clear’ showing before a temporary injunction without notice may issue.”Williams had filed a lawsuit against Lauderhill Mayor Richard Kaplan, Broward County Parks & Recreation, and Central Broward Regional Park manager Duncan Finch last week – with USACA and USACA vice-president Owen Grey listed as co-plaintiffs – seeking an emergency injunction to prevent the games from happening. Williams claimed that in bypassing USACA and going to the ICC for sanctioning, the CPL had not gone through the proper sanctioning process in order for the games to be staged. However, Williams did not file suit against the CPL nor the ICC, the two parties who applied for and approved sanctioning respectively.Mayor Kaplan’s lawyers filed a motion for dismissal on July 20, arguing that Williams should not be allowed to file a suit as a pro se litigant because he is not licensed to practice law in Florida. In addition to his ruling that the suit did not meet the merits to justify ex-parte relief, Judge Gates also sided with Kaplan’s lawyers in ruling that Williams did not have standing to represent USACA in a legal capacity.”Petitioner Kenwyn S Williams purports to bring the instant action on behalf of USA Cricket Association,” Gates wrote in his summary. “Mr Williams is not permitted to do so. Mr Williams is not a member of the Florida Bar, nor has he provided any documentation that he is authorized to practice law in the State of Florida. Under Florida law, a corporation may not represent itself through non-lawyer employees, officers or shareholders.”Thus, if petitioner USA Cricket Association wishes to proceed in the instant action, it must retain counsel.”Marshall Beil, a lawyer representing USACA from the firm McGuire Woods LLP, had sent a cease and desist notice to Williams in June when he first threatened to take legal action to stop the CPL games. Based on the stance taken by Beil on behalf of USACA, it is unlikely USACA will continue pursuing the case. Mayor Kaplan was satisfied with the ruling handed down by Judge Gates.”The Judge’s ruling did not surprise me, and we were extremely confident that we would prevail in this situation,” Kaplan told ESPNcricinfo in a written statement. “The action had no merit, and the ICC, who has sole authority to sanction the event, did so in writing some time ago. I look forward to seeing everyone at the games.”

Jamaica Tallawahs captain Chris Gayle has thrown his support behind making a USA leg an annual part of the Caribbean Premier League’s schedule, and has said he hopes the league will come back next year for the good of cricket in the US.Speaking at the Tallawahs training session on Monday at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida, Gayle said that in order for the effort to get into the US market to succeed, it had to be on a consistent basis rather than the one-and-done events of the past. Gayle has toured the USA with West Indies teams to New York in 2006 and Florida in 2012, and believes the fan base is present to support cricket but that the lack of regular events has stifled momentum.”I think the US is cricket-orientated,” Gayle said. “When you look at the mixed culture here over in the US, I think you have a huge cricket base and cricket fans over here as well. I think the cricket from a West Indies point of view has been trying to break into the US market for years now. We haven’t been successful so it’s just always a bit of here and there.”Hopefully the CPL will actually be consistent with having games here in the US. If it’s just a one-off thing, then it’ll be a problem for the game of cricket in the United States as well. If it can actually progress, I know this leg will be a good one for CPL and if it can continue next year and keep letting the people here in the US get a chance to see it live, then it should be a fantastic thing for the game of cricket here in the US as well.”The most recent tour in 2012 provided good memories for Gayle. Opening the batting for West Indies in the first of two T20 internationals against New Zealand, Gayle struck an unbeaten 85 off 52 balls and combined with Kieron Pollard for a 108-run stand in the final 6.5 overs to post a total of 209 for 2, a record for the side which stood until January 2015. A series sweep over New Zealand in Florida set the tone for their World T20 triumph over Sri Lanka a few months later and Gayle said he was happy to be back in Lauderhill.”It was a great memory to be honest with you,” Gayle said. “When you look back at it, you are always thinking what sort of wicket you’re going to get to play on because a lot of cricket up here is played on the matting. We played on a wicket that was very good to bat on. I don’t see any difference since I’ve just been out there from what happened in the past. So it should be a good wicket and hopefully a lot of runs can be scored on the wicket as well which will actually make the game more interesting.”It’s like here in the Caribbean. The sun is out, the beach is just down the road as well. I know everybody’s looking forward to it. South Beach is a bit further away and everybody’s having a good time as well. But it’s just good to be back and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play here again. Hopefully this will be a new beginning for CPL and will hope it progress over the next few years as well.”Gayle also recalled the first-day sellout crowd of 15,000 people in 2012 for the West Indies matches. Though attendance has been capped for the CPL at 10,000, Gayle expects the atmosphere to be just as lively and is hoping the sizeable Jamaican expat population will give Tallawahs a boost for their games against St Lucia Zouks on Saturday and Sunday to help maintain their hold on the first place heading into the playoffs.”When West Indies actually played New Zealand here, the turnout was tremendous,” Gayle said. “I think the CPL will bring out the crowd once more. The atmosphere that they’ve seen on TV, I’m sure they want to experience it for themselves as well so hopefully we get a good [crowd to] start on Thursday and then it’ll progress over the weekend as well. So it should be a good one and I’m looking forward to it.”I’m happy on a personal point of view as well and as a team point of view to actually be at the top of the table. So hopefully we can actually maintain the momentum which we left in Jamaica and come in here and play against the Zouks on Saturday and Sunday, win at least one of those games and then move on to the final.”I’m sure you’ll see some Jamaican flags flying around. The support is actually good for us. It’ll be noisy, it’s going to be a great atmosphere and hopefully everybody at the end of the day can walk away happy and then we’ll move on to the finals in St Kitts.”

ScorecardBen Stokes grabbed his chance to get on the field as 12th man•Getty Images

On a pitch which became increasingly docile, Yorkshire hung on for a draw on 238 for 5 after being set a target of 357 in a minimum of 81 overs by Durham in the Specsavers County Championship match at Chester-le-Street.Jack Leaning and Tim Bresnan survived for 25 overs after coming together when off-spinner Ryan Pringle ended any lingering chance of a late onslaught by removing Andrew Gale and Alex Lees in successive overs.Lees played fluently in an opening stand of 112 with Adam Lyth, which suggested the target was reachable. But he went into his shell after two wickets fell in two balls during an excellent mid-afternoon spell by Irish seamer Barry McCarthy.Lyth departed reluctantly for 50, apparently believing he had played a yorker length ball into the ground before it flew at just above head height to first slip.The catcher was Ben Stokes, on as a substitute with ECB approval as he recovers from his knee operation. He replaced Paul Collingwood, who has a fractured thumb.Replays suggested Lyth’s dismissal was fair and there were no doubts about the next ball, which nipped back sharply to have Kane Williamson lbw.From the hat-trick ball Gary Ballance survived raucous appeals for a leg-side catch by Michael Richardson then scored 17 off the next six balls he faced.But Durham recalled Graham Onions, who in his first two spells conceded only 20 in 11 overs and had Ballance caught behind for 32 with an excellent ball from round the wicket. It pitched on off stump and seamed away to take the edge.Keaton Jennings made his first double-hundred•Getty Images

Gale made a sedate 17 before he edged behind when pushing forward, then Lees stayed back and was bowled by a shooter for 74.Durham batted on for 55 minutes to add 55 runs in the morning, Keaton Jennings moving on from 185 to 221 not out, the fifth highest score by a Durham batsman.The 23-year-old left-hander had batted for 578 minutes, faced 416 balls and hit 23 fours when the declaration came on 507 for eight, Durham’s highest second innings total.Jennings said: “I’m very proud and happy to have come out of the game with a personal milestone and with a draw considering the position we were in after day two.”We did well to get out of a hole and we could have gone on to win with a bit more luck. It shows the character of the side in trying to win from a dead position.”Gale, Yorkshire’s captain, said: “We didn’t really talk about going for the runs. But we knew if we could get to tea in a good position, like we did at Trent Bridge, we might have had a go.”But this was a different pitch with the ball going up and down and it was turning quite a bit towards the end. In the end we will take a draw. We didn’t throw away our good position after day two – they fought back really hard and Jennings played an outstanding innings, showing a lot of grit and determination.”

Somerset’s Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit a typically aggressive half-century against his old club as only 42 overs were possible on the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship Division One match with Yorkshire at Taunton.The home side had reached 155 for 3 after losing the toss when a thunder and lightning storm engulfed the Cooper Associates County Ground at shortly after 2pm, Kohler-Cadmore having made 76 and James Rew 54 not out. George Hill claimed two of the wickets.Heavy rain left the outfield saturated. Umpires Rob Bailey and Mark Newell inspected at 4.30pm, but decided conditions were not fit for play to resume.Yorkshire’s decision to field first looked set to reap dividends when Hill struck twice in the opening ten overs of the match. Archie Vaughan edged through to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow and departed for 10 with the total on 20. Then Tom Lammonby played down the wrong line to a ball angled into him and saw his off stump sent cartwheeling.That was as good as it got for the visitors in the morning session. Rew overcame a scratchy start, while Kohler-Cadmore was not afraid to advance down the pitch to seam and spin alike in moving to a 55-ball half-century.Twice the former Yorkshire player lofted ex-Somerset offspinner Dom Bess back over his head for six as he and Rew took the total to 114 for 2 off 30 overs at lunch. The shortened afternoon session saw Rew bring up his fifty, off 91 balls, with eight fours.Kohler-Cadmore took one chance too many when advancing to a delivery from Jordan Thompson and edged a sharp shoulder-high catch to Hill at first slip to make 147 for 3. He had faced 110 balls and extended his boundary count to 11 fours and two sixes.Tom Abell made a watchful start and only eight more runs were added before the first crash of thunder sent the players to the pavilion with black clouds closing in.

Will Jacks, with a magnificent 58-ball century, and Sam Curran and Chris Jordan, with some canny late bowling, inspired Surrey to their 11th victory in 14 Vitality Blast games and snuffed out Sussex hopes of winning the last quarter-final berth from the South Group.Jacks powered three sixes and a dozen boundaries as he put on 65 for the first wicket with Ryan Patel and then 97 with Jason Roy as Surry scaled the 200 mark with a last ball six from Tom Curran over long-off off Tymal Mills.It all looked too much for the Sussex Sharks. But they were heroic in defeat. Knowing they had to win go qualify for the latter stages of the competition, with results going against them elsewhere, they strove valiantly for victory. Daniel Hughes, who has been disappointed with his return in the competition this year, plundered 75 from 43 balls, keeping his side in the hunt as he hit former Sussex man Jordan for four fours in over, before lofting Jamie Overton for a straight six.At the halfway stage Sussex were 81 for 1, ten runs behind the Surrey score. When Hughes was bowled, backing away to cut Jacks, it again looked difficult for Sussex. But Coles and Tom Clark changed all that, with a partnership of 58 in just four overs.Coles, in great form this season in red and white ball cricket, hit Jamie Overton for successive sixes, one over long-off and then over long-on and with 33 needed from three overs, and then 21 from two, the home side were favourite.But Surrey turned the game in the last two overs, as Curran took two in three balls, taking a brilliant return catch to dismiss Coles for a delightful 39 off 18 balls and then having Danny Lamb caught behind. That left Sussex needing 13 off the final over and even with captain John Simpson on strike they could not manage it against the clever Jordan, as he changed his paces.Surrey had already qualified for the latter stages with a guaranteed home draw while Sussex, after four losses on the spin, had been given a lifeline with their last-gasp victory over Gloucestershire the previous day and knew they could qualify by winning here.Surrey’s powerhouse batting line-up had shown a liking for Hove’s short boundaries in the past and they again got off to a flyer after choosing to bat, with openers Jacks and Patel thumping 47 off the first four overs, with 65 coming off the six-over powerplay as Brad Currie – replacing the injured Ollie Robinson – Nathan McAndrew and captaian Tymal Mills all coming in for severe punishment.Sussex pulled it back through the spin of Coles and with Henry Crocumbe and Lamb both impressive as they took pace off the ball. But then Surrey powered on again through Jacks, and with Jason Roy finding form to set an imposing total. But it was only just enough.

Big picture: Resets all-round in Barbados

The prevailing northeast trade winds are a constant in beautiful Barbados but the winds of change have swept through both the West Indies team and Australia as they begin a new World Test Championship cycle in Bridgetown.West Indies have not played Test cricket since January in Pakistan and begin the cycle under a new captain in Roston Chase after Kraigg Brathwaite stepped down. Extraordinarily, Chase has not played a Test match since March 2023, having not played in West Indies’ last 13.He leads a new-look squad which, for the opening Test, sees a debut for Brandon King and returns for John Campbell and Shai Hope – the latter as wicketkeeper – for the first time since 2022 and 2021 respectively.Related

• 'I'm going to give my all' – Hope wants to do it for West Indies in Test cricket again

• Plenty left in the tank: Khawaja eyes more Ashes glory and mentoring role for Konstas

• Pace, swing, youth and promise – Ian Bishop's rundown of WI's bowling options for Australia Tests

• 'Good enough to play that role' – Voges backs Inglis as top-four Test batter

• 'Emotions got to me' – Konstas keen to settle into Test cricket

Meanwhile, veteran Kemar Roach was left out of the squad entirely despite playing in each of West Indies’ last three series. Joshua da Silva could not earn a recall either on account of his Gabba heroics against Australia and a recent run spree in the West Indies Championship, with selectors holding firm after dropping him in Pakistan. There are only three survivors from West Indies’ previous Test: Brathwaite, Justin Greaves and Jomel Warrican.Australia’s “reset” is not quite as extreme following the disappointment of the WTC final loss to South Africa just two weeks ago, but it is significant by their standards. For the first time since December 2018, they will field an XI without either Marnus Labuschagne or Steven Smith on the team sheet.The selectors finally lost patience with Labuschagne and he has been dropped for first time in six years having been a mainstay of Australia’s top three for 53 consecutive Tests. Smith had played 51 in a row before his gruesome finger injury ruled him out of the first Test of this series. He is a chance to return for the second.It means Australia do not have a single batter in the squad remaining from the last Test Australia played in the Caribbean in 2015, when Smith made 199 and 54 not out. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon are the only others to have played Test cricket in the Caribbean.Australia confirmed five days out that Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis will play in Barbados to change the age profile of the side. But they will still only field two players under 30.Australia rarely undertake full-scale reboots, and it is understandable they have not made sweeping changes following Lord’s given they have lost just one of their past seven Tests and did not lose a multi-Test series during the previous WTC cycle. But they cannot afford a slow start to the new cycle with an inexperienced top six and an aging attack, given they have away tours to South Africa and India in this WTC schedule as well as an Ashes series later in the year.

Form guide

West Indies: WLLWL
Australia: LWWWWShamar Joseph starred the last time the teams met in Test cricket•Getty Images

In the spotlight: Shamar Joseph and Sam Konstas

Shamar Joseph‘s star looked set to explode on the global stage after he carried West Indies to an astonishing Test victory at the Gabba last year. But with the exception of his 5 for 33 against South Africa in August, he has not quite reached the heights that were expected of him. He was named West Indies’ Test player of the year at an awards ceremony in Bridgetown on Sunday night but he has not played Test cricket since November and has hardly played at all due to injury and non-selection in West Indies’ white-ball teams. He bowled 31 overs and claimed just three wickets across two innings for West Indies A against South Africa A in early June. The arrival of Australia should give him a boost of confidence given the way he bowled to them 18 months ago.Similarly outlandish expectations have fallen on Sam Konstas‘ slender shoulders following his spectacular Test debut last Boxing Day against Jasprit Bumrah. But he has only played one Test since and his Sheffield Shield returns were lean at the back end of the summer, with his batting causing some consternation among coaches and selectors. He has not played a game of cricket at any level since March and has a first-class average of just 34.89 from 30 innings with only two centuries. Yet Australia’s selectors are convinced he is the man to walk out alongside Usman Khawaja in the hope that they can end the revolving door of openers Australia have had since David Warner retired. Konstas is expected to play all three Tests in the Caribbean no matter what, with a view to getting valuable experience ahead of the Ashes.

Team news: Hope to keep wicket, Kuhnemann misses out

The significant call made by West Indies was to make Shai Hope wicketkeeper on his return to the side which opens up a spot for another allrounder. Brandon King will make his debut at No. 4. The bowling attack is as expected.West Indies: 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 John Campbell, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Brandon King, 5 Roston Chase (capt), 6 Shai Hope (wk), 7 Justin Greaves, 8 Jomel Warrican, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Shamar Joseph, 11 Jayden SealesAustralia opted to retain their traditional balance of three frontline quicks and a spinner supplemented by Beau Webster who can provide medium pace and offspin. Josh Inglis will cover for Smith at No. 4.Australia: 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Sam Konstas, 3 Cameron Green, 4 Josh Inglis, 5 Travis Head, 6 Beau Webster, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions: Dry grass, may turn later

Kensington Oval is an unknown for both sides in some respects given it has hosted just one Test in six years and none in the last three. In that game in 2022, Brathwaite batted for 710 minutes in a draw that arguably was a catalyst for England’s Bazball revolution. This surface looked an interesting one with a mixture of bare patches and areas of more grass, although it was dried out. In this season’s four-day Championship there were only two totals over 300 in 12 completed innings. After some rain in the build-up the forecast is promising for most of the game, with Saturday looking the mostly like to be hit by thunderstorms and showers. Chase termed it a “typical” Barbados surface and expected it to start slow before maybe gathering some pace.

Stats and trivia

• Roston Chase’s first Test as captain will be his 50th overall; Jomel Warrican will be playing his 100th first-class match
• Kraigg Brathwaite and Nathan Lyon are the only members of the two XIs that played in the last West Indies-Australia Bridgetown Test in 2012 which Australia won by three wickets.
• Australia have played 11 Tests in Bridgetown. They have won four overall including the last three.
• Despite the drought-breaking Gabba victory in 2024, West Indies have not won a home Test against Australia since the world-record fourth innings chase in 2003. They have not won a home series against Australia since 1991.

Quotes

“Coming over here with a few unknowns, that’s fine, you have to think on your feet. We feel like the three quicks are better suited for this wicket.”
“We’re looking to play with a bit more flair and bring back that Caribbean style to the game. And we’re just looking forward to making the Caribbean nation proud. I just want to ask the fans to just support the boys through and through.”

Liam Norwell, the former Warwickshire seamer whose final-day heroics saved the club from relegation in 2022, has been advised to retire on medical grounds after failing to recover from a series of long-standing injuries.Norwell, 32, was released by Warwickshire in August, having not made a single senior appearance since taking a career-best 9 for 62 at Edgbaston in September 2022, to beat Hampshire by five runs in a thrilling County Championship climax.His efforts kept Warwickshire in the top flight at Yorkshire’s expense, and he was rewarded with a two-year contract extension in March 2023. However, he missed that year’s entire campaign after suffering a back injury in pre-season, and though he returned to action in four second XI games in June 2024, he tore his pectoral muscle in the last of those against Worcestershire.After undergoing another operation, his contract with Warwickshire was terminated by mutual consent. Warwickshire Performance Director Gavin Larsen said at the time: “I’m gutted for Liam because I know how hard he’s tried and trained to get back to full fitness. He’s been close to making a return on a few occasions but not quite got over the line.”After finally overcoming the back injury he suffered terrible luck by tearing his pec when he looked to be getting back to his best.”Genuinely quick on his day, Norwell took a total of 347 first-class wickets, including 94 for Warwickshire. He took 49 of those at an average of 18.21 in 2021, and was included in the England Lions tour of Australia that winter. He was named as a stand-by for England’s Test tour of the Caribbean the following spring, but later revealed that a family illness would have prevented him from answering the call.”I’ve really enjoyed my time as a Bear since joining and have shared in some great team successes and memories,” Norwell said back in August. “After finding the problem, and finally overcoming my back issues during the winter, I was hoping for a productive season and being able to return to my best.”I have worked incredibly hard but this significant injury, needing surgery, was very hard to overcome. My focus now is on getting fit and healthy again, and working out what is next for my family and I.”

Clive Lloyd, the back-to-back World Cup winning captain of the West Indies, has been conferred the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC). It is the region’s highest honour.Lloyd was the face of West Indies’ success in the late 1970s and the early 1980s. As a batter, he was hard-hitting, capable of scoring big runs in no time at all. As a tactician, he was astute and it was under his leadership that West Indies were crowned cricket’s first ever world champions. Lloyd spearheaded two decades of dominance. He was the first West Indian to 100 Tests. He captained them in 74 and lost only 12.Lloyd, 79, was conferred the OCC at the 47th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), held in Grenada on Sunday.Cricket West Indies president, Dr. Kishore Shallow, was at the ceremony and he said: “This honor is a fitting tribute to a man who has not only exemplified excellence on the cricket field but has also been an unwavering pillar of inspiration and leadership for the Caribbean and the world. Sir Clive’s contributions to cricket and his dedication to the development of the sport are truly unparalleled.”Sir Clive’s legacy is one that resonates deeply with every West Indian. His leadership, determination, and sportsmanship have set the standard for what it means to be a true champion. This recognition by CARICOM is a testament to his enduring impact on our region and the sport of cricket. We are honored to celebrate this moment with him.”Lloyd’s association with cricket continued even after the end of his playing career as a coach, selector and match referee. He has also worked as a civil servant for Guyana Ministry of Health and was knighted in 2019.

Match details

West Indies vs Afghanistan
Gros Islet, 8.30pm local

Big picture – Battle of two unbeaten teams

With a line-up packed with power-hitters from top to bottom, West Indies have always been the prototype of a perfect T20 batting side, and it’s no different at T20 World Cup 2024. Add the incisive fast bowlers and effective spinners and they look like the team to beat.The balance of the Rovman-Powell-led team resembles the ones they had during their title-winning runs in 2012 and 2016. Samuel Badree gave them successful starts with the ball with his legspin then, a role Akeal Hosein has assumed this time with his left-arm orthodox. It may not be a mere coincidence that Daren Sammy, who captained West Indies to the title in those two editions, is at the helm as head coach now.Related

• Hazratullah Zazai replaces injured Mujeeb in Afghanistan squad

• Time for Johnson Charles to put on a show

With all Super Eight spots decided, West Indies’ clash against Afghanistan has little significance. But try telling that to the players that. “Momentum” and “pride” were the keywords in the pre-match press conference that Powell and Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott addressed.Afghanistan will have tough competition in the Super Eight round, having been clubbed alongside India, Australia and Bangladesh, and will want to carry positive vibes into it. Having enjoyed an unbeaten run thus far, neither team will want to trip up heading into the business end of the competition.

Form guide

West Indies WWWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Afghanistan WWWWW

In the spotlight – Rovman Powell and Rashid Khan

Among those in the current squad, only Nicholas Pooran (1914) and Brandon King (1365) have more T20I runs for West Indies than Rovman Powell (1351). Pooran (487) and King (621) also are the top scorers for them in T20Is since January 2023 with Powell (461) at third. But Powell’s strike rate of 163.47 is far superior to that of the other two, which highlights his destructive powers. However, he is yet to fire in this World Cup – 39 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 105.40. A decent hit ahead of the Super Eight will bode well for the co-hosts.Rashid Khan has six wickets in this World Cup, and all of them have come in the middle overs. In his T20I career, he has only nine wickets in eight matches against West Indies. They are one of only four teams against whom Rashid averages in the 20s. But against a line-up dominated by right-hand batters, Rashid should be licking his lips to have a perfect outing.Will Rashid Khan be effective against West Indies’ power-hitters?•ICC via Getty Images

Team news

Barring any last-minute injuries, both teams are likely to be unchanged. It could perhaps be a last chance for Johnson Charles to come good, with Shai Hope waiting in the wings.West Indies (probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Roston Chase, 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Akeal Hosein, 9 Romario Shepherd, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Gudakesh Motie.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Gulbadin Naib, 4 Azmatullah Omarzai, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Najibullah Zadran, 7 Karim Janat, 8 Rashid Khan (capt), 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Pitch and conditions

The pitches so far in Gros Islet have been more conducive for batting than most at this World Cup, with teams scoring 180 or more in three out of four innings. At this venue, teams generally prefer to bowl first after winning the toss. In 14 T20s since the start of 2022, only twice have teams opted to bat first. But the results have been mixed: teams batting first have won six times and teams bowling first have also won six times, while two games were washed out.There’s no threat of rain on Monday but expect it to be a bit windy, as was the case in the last two games here.1:34

Bishop: Hard to name someone with Farooqi’s skillset

Stats that matter

• Since the start of 2023, West Indies’ run rate of 11.94 in the death overs (17-20) is the highest among all participating teams in this World Cup.
• Afghanistan have been the most frugal spin-bowling team at this World Cup with an economy rate of 4.88. West Indies are next-best at 5.04.
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz has a strike rate of 148.48 (49 runs off 33 balls, one dismissal) against left-arm spin at this World Cup. With West Indies having Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie in their line-up, it will be an interesting match-up.
  

  Quotes

  “We start with Akeal Hosein. His strength is predominantly in the powerplay and while he does such good work in the powerplay, right as we come out the powerplay is Gudakesh Motie’s time. So it’s like Akeal Hosein passing the baton to Gudakesh Motie and it’s been very good so far. When we sat down as a selection group and picked the World Cup team, we picked both knowing the role that they would play on these Caribbean wickets.”
  “I said to them, ‘When you were a youngster and I said you were going to play against West Indies in St Lucia in a World Cup, you would have bitten someone’s hand off for that opportunity. So don’t let this opportunity pass you by just because there’s nothing on the line with regards to qualification.”