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Nick Kelly and Joe Carter will captain New Zealand A on their upcoming tour of Bangladesh with the squad also featuring recent debutants Rhys Mariu and Muhammad Abbas.Kelly will lead the one-day side which will be play three 50-over matches before handing over to Carter for the two four-day games.Kelly, Mariu and Abbas all made their debuts against Pakistan in the series which finished earlier this month. Allrounder Abbas was particularly eye-catching with the fastest ODI fifty on debut from 24 balls. Kelly and Mariu were the two leading run-scorers in the Plunket Shield.Carter, 32, impressed on New Zealand A’s last visit to the subcontinent, in India during 2022, averaging 60.40 and scoring two centuries, including a career-best 197.Wicketkeeper Mitch Hay, who made an unbeaten 99 against Pakistan in Hamilton, is part of the squad alongside allrounder Josh Clarkson.The pace attack also features players with international experience in Zak Foulkes and Ben Lister. Legspinner Adi Ashok, who was in the squad against Pakistan having previously played in 2023, has also been included.”For several players it will be their first time experiencing subcontinent conditions, which will be a great challenge and opportunity to further their skillsets,” Bob Carter, who will coach the side, said.The one-day games take place on May 5, 7 and 10 in Sylhet followed by the first four-game from May 14-17 at the same venue before the second takes place in Dhaka from May 21-24.

New Zealand A squad vs Bangladesh A

Muhammad Abbas, Adi Ashok, Matt Boyle, Joe Carter (red-ball captain), Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Zak Foulkes, Dean Foxcroft, Mitch Hay, Curtis Heaphy, Nick Kelly (white-ball captain), Jayden Lennox, Ben Lister, Rhys Mariu, Dale Phillips

15 overs a sideNew Zealand’s powerful powerplay performances with both ball and bat comfortably dispatched Pakistan in the second T20I in Dunedin to give the hosts a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears and Ish Sodhi pinned Pakistan early to cripple their batting effort, forcing the visitors to make only 135 in the 15-overs-a-side contest, after which openers Tim Seifert (45 off 22 balls) and Finn Allen (38 from 16) killed the chase off early, adding 66 in just 28 deliveries.Salman Agha’s 46, and economical spells from Khushdil Shah and Haris Rauf, were the positives from the Pakistan camp. But, overall, they were outplayed by the hosts, although the gulf between the two sides was lesser than in the first T20I. The teams now move to Auckland, with the visitors one defeat away from losing the series.

Sodhi compliments NZ’s new-ball effort

After New Zealand stand-in captain Michael Bracewell opted to bowl, Duffy’s rising delivery had opener Hasan Nawaz miscuing a shot to backward point in the first over itself. Sears then dismissed an aggressive Mohammad Haris for 11 when he slashed the bowler to deep third.Agha, Pakistan’s captain, then counterattacked to give the visitors’ innings some impetus, but Bracewell’s introduction of Sodhi crippled them. Irfan Khan’s leading edge off Sodhi saw him holing out at backward point, and two balls later, Khushdil was walking back after being trapped in front of the stumps by the wristspinner.Agha’s 28-ball 46 threatened New Zealand in the middle overs, but when he fell in the tenth over to Sears in his second spell, Pakistan lost steam. However, Shadab Khan’s 14-ball 26, and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 14-ball 22, added some late impetus to lift the visitors to 135 for 9 in 15 overs. James Neesham, playing his first T20I in nine months, finished with 2 for 26, both wickets coming in the 13th over.”The guys bowling into the wind bowled particularly well,” Bracewell said after the game. “I think when the wicket’s been under covers for a day or so and offering extra bounce, our bowlers used the surface well. We were pretty happy with the score at half-time.”Some late blows from Shaheen Shah Afridi lifted Pakistan•Sanka Vidanagama/AFP via Getty Images

Allen, Seifert bash Pakistan around

On one of the fastest-scoring T20I grounds, a required run rate of nine per over wasn’t daunting. But Afridi’s maiden over to Seifert meant Pakistan started well.Playing in Dunedin for the first time since his record-breaking innings of 16 sixes against Pakistan in January 2024, Allen kickstarted the chase by launching three sixes off Mohammad Ali’s back-of-a-length deliveries in the second over. Seifert went one better in the third, smashing Afridi for four sixes in the arc between extra cover and deep square leg. With seven sixes in the first three overs – the second-most in that phase of any T20I (where ball-by-ball data is available) – the openers looked in a hurry to finish the game.Seifert fell in the fifth over even as he looked set for a rapid half-century, as he miscued Ali’s slower ball to mid-on. But his 22-ball 45 had made the chase elementary. Allen then smashed left-arm seamer Jahandad Khan for consecutive sixes in the seventh over before falling lbw next ball. His 16-ball 38 left New Zealand at 88 for 2 in seven overs, needing just another 48 from as many balls.James Neesham took two wickets in the 13th over•Joe Allison/Getty Images

“After the first over [maiden], thought it was a tricky chase, but then Finn and I combined well,” Seifert, the Player of the Match, who returned to the T20I squad ahead of this series, said after the game. “As a Kiwi, playing for the nation is great, and it’s fun to be back with the boys. You’re playing with the world’s best players, and it helps you to know your game. As a player, you’re definitely learning and getting better.”The start allowed New Zealand’s middle order to take their time, although Mark Chapman and Neesham fell for single-digit scores. Rauf, playing instead of spinner Abrar Ahmed, picked off Daryll Mitchell and Neesham in quick succession, but Mitchell Hay’s unbeaten 16-ball 21, and Bracewell’s winning boundary, took the hosts home with 11 balls to spare.”The ground was small, and we wanted to attack their bowlers from one end with the wind,” Bracewell said about the batting performance. “But the openers went big from both ends [smiles]. We’re pretty happy with where things are at overall.”Pakistan captain Agha said their own powerplay performances were a let-down.”It was a better game than last game – lot of positives – but few things more to do,” Agha told the broadcasters. “We batted better but we need to finish our batting better. Bowling was decent but we need to be more consistent. We need to understand and adjust to the bounce. After the powerplay, we bowled well. We bowled well in patches, [but] at the same time, we need to be more consistent in powerplay bowling.”

Kerala’s pace trio of Nedumankuzhy Basil, MD Nidheesh and Eden Apple Tom ensured that Vidarbha did not run away with the advantage on day two of the Ranji Trophy final in Nagpur. Aditya Sarwate, who is a bowling allrounder otherwise, was promoted to No. 3. The move came off as he finished the day unbeaten on 66 to carry Kerala to 131 for 3.Vidarbha, finalists from the previous edition, did post a challenging total, though. Nachiket Bhute, who came in at No. 11, scored a crucial 32 off 38 balls. The 44-run stand between Bhute and Harsh Dubey for the tenth wicket extended the first session from its scheduled two-and-a-half-hour duration to three hours and took Vidarbha to 379.Darshan Nalkande then took out both Kerala openers in his first two overs. They recovered, thanks to a 93-run stand between Sarwate and Ahammed Imran. The latter fell to a Yash Thakur bouncer close to stumps, but Sarwate and Sachin Baby ensured that Imran’s was the last wicket to fall on the day.The day started with Vidarbha on 254 for 4 and runs flew early on. Thakur flicked the first ball of the day to the midwicket boundary and the fifth ball of the next over to the square-leg boundary. Nidheesh found some swing and adjusted his lengths to keep the batters in check, but Apple Tom’s lines were inconsistent and he was driven when he bowled full.An attempted bumper to Danish Malewar was pulled behind square for the first six of the day. It brought up his 150, and reduced Apple Tom’s opening spell to a two-over stint, in which he went for 18 runs.Danish Malewar puts one away during his 153•PTI

Vidarbha slowed down after the introduction of Basil as he offered Nidheesh support and his team control. The latter induced an outside edge off Thakur in the 95th over but it didn’t carry to gully. In the next one, Basil got one to nip back and smash Malewar’s stumps to end his innings on 153.Bassil removed the other set batter, Thakur. He angled in a full ball from wide of the crease to beat Thakur on the flick and pin him lbw.Apple Tom’s return in the next over was rewarded with the wicket of Yash Rathod, who is Vidarbha’s highest run-getter this season so far. A length ball from around the wicket straightened off the pitch, took the edge, and was caught at first slip as Vidarbha slumped to 297 for 7.The Yashes were gone, but the two Akshays – Wadkar and Karnewar – kept the innings afloat with a 36-run stand for the eighth wicket. Wadkar punched Basil through the covers off the back foot, and Karnewar picked up a streaky boundary each off Apple Tom and Basil. Wadkar carved a six just over deep-backward point off Nidheesh before a streaky boundary came in the form of leg-byes.The stand was broken when Rohan Kunnummal took a sharp, low catch at cover to dismiss Karnewar. In what was supposed to be the final over before lunch, Wadkar went for a powerful cut but the length ball from Apple Tom seamed away, took the edge and led to a caught behind.Bhute smashed two sixes off Jalaj Saxena, the first of which took Vidarbha past 350. Dubey, his partner, was comfortable as he rotated strike and swept Saxena for four. The stand went past the 35-over session, which yielded 119 runs and five wickets, but ended 13 balls later as Bhute was out caught behind off Nidheesh while trying to run a back-of–good-length ball to deep third.Aditya Sarwate brings up his half-century•PTI

Nalkande speared in a yorker on off stump in the first over to catch Kunnummal by surprise. The ball dribbled onto the stumps off the bat and Vidarbha were rolling. From the other end, Thakur missed his line and went for three boundaries. That didn’t stop Nalkande, though, as he swung in a full ball to catch the inside edge of Akshay Chandran’s drive that clattered onto the stumps.Thakur overpitched again and Sarwate cover drove his way from 0 to 8. In his next over, he bowled a short ball that was cut past cover for four more. Kerala were 30 for 2 off six overs, with 28 runs coming off Thakur.A double-change nearly worked for Vidarbha after that as Bhute drew an edge off Imran’s bat but Atharva Taide, the substitute fielder, dropped the chance at second slip. Sarwate picked up two more boundaries through the off side as Kerala breezed through to tea on 57 for 2.The batters looked assured in the final session that began with spin. Parth Rekhade was replaced by Nalkande after being swept for two fours in consecutive overs. Dubey, the highest wicket-taker in the tournament by a distance, found turn and stacked back-to-back maidens with Nalkande. While Nalkande created two near chances in the 24th over, the batters were safe.Sarwate hit Nalkande for two fours in his next over and ended his spell. He brought up fifty and Kerala’s hundred in the 30th over. Thakur tried out the bouncer which cost him a boundary but earned Imran’s wicket soon after as the batter miscued a pull to midwicket. Sarwate picked up a couple more boundaries with Baby holding fort at the other end as Kerala finished the day trailing Vidarbha by 248.

Jos Buttler has resigned as England’s white-ball captain after their group-stage exit at the Champions Trophy, announcing on Friday that he will lead the side for the final time against South Africa in Karachi.England have already been eliminated from the Champions Trophy, after they lost their first two group games against Australia and Afghanistan. They prepared for the tournament with a trip to India which saw them win only one of their eight matches in Brendon McCullum’s first tour as white-ball coach.”I’m going to stand down as England captain,” Buttler said. “It’s the right decision for me and the right decision for the team. Hopefully somebody else who can come in alongside Baz will take the team to where it needs to be.” Harry Brook, Buttler’s vice-captain, is the early favourite to replace him.Buttler will continue to play for England, and said he wants to “get back to really enjoying my cricket”. He said: “The overriding emotions are still sadness and disappointment. I’m sure, in time, that will pass and I can get back to really enjoying my cricket, and [will] also be able to reflect on what an immense honour it is to captain your country and all the special things that come with it.”Related

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Buttler was appointed as Eoin Morgan’s successor in June 2022 and won the T20 World Cup in Australia later that year. But England’s results have declined sharply since and after three unsuccessful ICC events in a row – the 2023 50-over World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy – Buttler has decided to stand down.He hinted after England’s eight-run loss to Afghanistan on Wednesday – their ninth defeat in 10 white-ball games this year – that he would resign, saying he needed to “consider all possibilities” and work out whether he was “part of the problem or part of the solution.””It was quite clear that this tournament was going to be important: results-wise and for my captaincy,” Buttler said. “Two losses and being out of the tournament [was] a bit of a hangover of tournaments before. I’d just reached the end of the road for me and my captaincy, which is a shame and I’m sad about that.”With Brendon coming in only recently, I was really excited to work closely alongside him and hope for a very quick turnaround and to take the team forward. But it’s not quite worked out that way, so just feels like the right time for me and the team to have a change.”1:35

Buttler: ‘Right time for me and the team to have a change’

Buttler’s position came under increasing scrutiny after a sustained poor run of ODI form for England stretching back to the start of the 2023 World Cup. In defence of their World Cup title, England won just three group games out of nine and were the first team to be officially eliminated from the tournament. It began a run that has seen them lose 18 of the last 25 ODIs, including the two that put paid to their Champions Trophy campaign at the first hurdle.While he will likely go down as England’s best white-ball batter, Buttler’s ODI form, like that of the side he led, had been on a sharp downturn over the last 18 months. He averages 26.40 in his last 21 innings, with a strike rate of just over 100 – down from 115.97 over his ODI career. He managed starts in each of the two games this Champions Trophy, coming into the middle order while England had a platform to build off, but got out for 23 off 21 and 38 off 42.Brook is tipped to succeed him, though McCullum said England had not yet settled on a candidate. He praised Buttler’s leadership while saying he was “incredibly sad” to see him step down.”We’ve all seen over the last couple of years how much he’s invested in captaining his country and trying to get very best out of those guys around him,” McCullum said. “People forget that he literally won a World Cup only a couple of years ago, and that can never be taken away from him. It’s incredibly unselfish from Jos to step aside and to leave the post for someone else, and he’s still a huge player for us moving forward. I’m sure we will look at ways that we can get the best out of him in terms of his role, so he can have maximum impact as well.”Both Rob Key, managing director, England Men, and Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, paid tribute to Buttler’s time in charge.”Working with Jos has been a pleasure,” Key said. “He’s been dealt some tough challenges, but never once flinched trying to drive this team forward for the better. Nobody deserved that World Cup win in Australia more. I can’t wait to see him back in the ranks and at his best.”Gould added: “I’d like to thank Jos for all he has given in his two and a half years captaining England Men in white-ball cricket. Under his leadership, England became men’s T20 World Champions, and throughout his time as captain he has been a role model in the way he conducts himself on and off the pitch.”Jos is one of cricket’s all-time great white ball players. I’ve been lucky enough to follow his career from when he first came through as a youngster in Somerset, and I hope we still have many years to enjoy of him pulling on an England shirt.”

Mumbai’s Ayush Mhatre has set a new world record for the youngest player to score 150-plus in men’s List A cricket, during Tuesday’s Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Nagaland, bettering Yashasvi Jaiswal’s effort.Mhatre did it at 17 years and 168 days, while Jaiswal had been 17 years and 291 days when he achieved the feat, also playing for Mumbai against against Jharkhand in 2019.Related

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Mhatre, who made his debut for Mumbai earlier this season, clobbered 11 sixes and 15 fours to make 181 off only 117 balls while powering his side to an imposing 403 for 7 in their 50 overs. A local boy, Mhatre has been a regular fixture for Mumbai across formats since he broke into the squad earlier in the season.He was a part of the Irani Cup-winning Mumbai side which defeated Rest of India to take the title after 27 years in October. On his Ranji Trophy debut, Mhatre scored a fine 71-ball 52 but Mumbai lost that season opener to Baroda.With defending champions looking to bounce back, Mhatre led the charge with a brilliant 176 off 232 balls, which was studded with 22 fours and four sixes, against Maharashtra. Mumbai won that game by nine wickets. He had a couple of quiet outings against Tripura and Odisha but slammed his second first-class ton – 116 off 149 balls with 12 fours and three sixes – against Services and went on to represent India in the Under-19 Men’s Asia Cup.Mhatre kept the runs flowing with fifties (54 and 67 not out) against Japan and UAE, but fell for a single-digit score in the tournament’s final which India lost to Bangladesh.Having missed Mumbai’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title triumph, Mhatre began the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s premier domestic 50-overs competition, with 78 in a high-scoring contest against Karnataka.

Josh Inglis continued his outstanding start to the Sheffield Shield season with another century before Western Australia’s attack tore into Tasmania late on day three at the WACA to close in on victory.After Inglis’ 101 helped WA to a 55-run first innings lead, recruit Brody Couch starred with three wickets to leave Tasmania in ruins at 135 for 9. There were echoes of last season’s final when Tasmania disintegrated late on day four, but they hung on before bad light ended play early.With a lead of just 80 runs, Tasmania are facing an inevitable defeat in a disappointment after they had restricted WA’s lead. But their fightback was short-lived after Couch removed opener Jake Weatherald in his first over.Much like during his impressive performance in Tasmania’s first innings, when he claimed 3 for 33 from 17 overs, Couch reached speeds of 142 kph and also picked up the wickets of Charlie Wakim and Brad Hope.Allrounder Aaron Hardie enjoyed his first wicket of the Shield season when he removed Jake Doran with a superb delivery that angled across and caught the edge of the left-hander’s bat.Having bowled just six overs in Tasmania’s first innings, Hardie is building up his bowling loads as he works his way back from a quad injury that ruled him out of the season opener against Queensland.Touted as a potential like-for-like replacement for injured Test allrounder Cameron Green, Hardie bowled lively short spells either side of tea to finish with 1 for 12 from six overs.Offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli chipped in with the late wickets of Mitch Owen and Kieran Elliott as WA gained a stranglehold over a match that had ebbed and flowed over the opening couple of days.The start of the day’s play was delayed by 45 minutes due to light showers in what might be the last drops of rain seen in Perth for several months with oppressive heat imminent.WA eyed a sizeable first-innings lead as allrounder Cooper Connolly rolled to his third half-century from his first five innings in First Class cricket. After a watchful start, Inglis rediscovered his supreme touch from late on day two and cruised to his century following on from a rapid ton against Queensland.Inglis is arguably the in-form batter in the country, but does not appear to be in the Test frame given incumbent wicketkeeper Alex Carey is firmly entrenched. Such is his commanding form, Inglis could become a bolter to play as a specialist batter.But he fell shortly after his ton when he nicked off to allrounder Beau Webster, who led Tasmania’s rally having in his previous over claimed Connolly for 55.There had been uncertainty over whether Hilton Cartwright would bat after he dashed out of the ground at tea on day two with his wife in labour. She gave birth to a boy in the wee hours of the morning, but Cartwright shrugged off undoubted exhaustion to continue on from his unbeaten 52 after getting permission from the match referee and Tasmania to resume his innings.Cartwright was understandably scratchy and added 13 runs until he holed out off quick Riley Meredith. WA’s bid for a big lead evaporated, but it appears they are still headed for a comfortable victory after another vintage effort from their outstanding attack.

Pakistan have retained Shan Masood as their captain for the first match of their three-Test series against England, which begins in Multan on October 7. Aamer Jamal has found a place in their 15-member squad following his return from a back issue, while Khurram Shahzad, who took a six-wicket haul in the second Test against Bangladesh, misses out having failed to fully recover from an injury to his left side.Left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who didn’t feature in the Bangladesh series, returns to the side as a second frontline spin option alongside Abrar Ahmed.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

There was some scrutiny around Masood’s position in the aftermath of the 2-0 home Test series defeat to Bangladesh earlier this month, but he retains the role for now, with Pakistan looking to overturn a run of poor results in the longest format. They have lost each of their last five Test matches, all with Masood in charge, and they are on a 10-match winless streak in home Tests.One piece of positive news for Pakistan is the return of the fast-bowling allrounder Jamal, their most impressive performer on their 2023-24 tour of Australia. Jamal has been dealing with lower-back issues over recent months, and didn’t take part in the series against Bangladesh. He has since returned to 50-overs action in the Champions Cup.This is counterbalanced, however, by the absence of Shahzad. He picked up the side injury during the second Test against Bangladesh, and was expected to be fit in time for the England series when a fracture was ruled out, but he hasn’t yet staged a complete recovery.Top-order batter Kamran Ghulam and fast bowler Mohammad Ali, who were part of the squad for the Bangladesh series, have been left out. A PCB release said both “remain firmly in the selectors’ plans. However, due to the selection policy’s emphasis on consistency and continuity, and the belief that 15 players are sufficient for a Test, they have been advised and encouraged to continue representing their teams in the Champions One-Day Cup and the President’s Cup, starting on 3 October, to ensure they stay match-ready through competitive cricket.”The players selected in the Test squad have been withdrawn from the Champions Cup playoffs to enable them to rest before the start of the England series. The squad will assemble in Multan on September 30, with their pre-series training camp starting on October 1.

Pakistan squad for first Test against England

Shan Masood (capt), Saud Shakeel (vice-capt), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi.

There was confusion, and no little anger, as India were at the centre of an umpiring controversy during their women’s T20 World Cup match against New Zealand in Dubai on Friday, which India lost by 58 runs.They felt they had a legitimate wicket – a run-out of Amelia Kerr – but it wasn’t to be, with the umpires deciding the ball was dead when the dismissal was effected.The appeal for the run-out came after Kerr was caught short of her ground while attempting a second run at the end of the 14th over of New Zealand’s innings. Having hit the ball towards long-off off the last ball of Deepti Sharma’s over, Kerr and Sophie Devine took a single, and didn’t seem to have any plans to push for the second. Deepti asked the umpire to hand her cap back to her and was been given it.However, with Harmanpreet Kaur, the fielder, collecting the ball and ambling in with it in her hands, Kerr and Devine tried pinching a second. Harmanpreet fired the ball in, Richa Ghosh collected it, and broke the stumps with Kerr short of her crease.The umpires – Anna Harris and Jacqueline Williams – decided the ball was dead, and anything that came after, the dismissal in this case, would not count as having occurred with the ball “in play”. Section 20.1.2 of the dead-ball law says: “The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.”For that moment when the bowler collected her cap and the batters seemed happy with just the single, it is reasonable for the umpire to deem the ball dead. However, the umpires omitted to send the batters back to their respective ends. Kerr should have been back on strike for the start of the next over, but it was Devine who took strike against Renuka Singh and nudged a single. Kerr was out off the following delivery when she hit the ball to Pooja Vastrakar at extra cover, to be dismissed for 13 off 22 balls.Related

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Before that, though, play was held up for over seven minutes, with India head coach Amol Muzumdar visibly upset at the ruling, engaging in an animated chat with the fourth umpire, while Kerr was near the boundary before being called back.Speaking after the game, Jemimah Rodrigues said, “I was not there when the umpire gave the cap to Deepti, but, I mean, New Zealand were pretty sure that it was a double run and Amelia went for it, which showed that the over was not called out yet. And we all thought that, okay, we got that run-out.”What if that run-out wouldn’t happen? Would they give us a two for that. So I think, honestly, that’s not in our control at the end. We respect the decision of the umpire and we were okay with that. But yeah, it’s a bit harsh when Amelia herself walked out because she knew she was out.”Devine, who was batting alongside Kerr, explained she hadn’t heard the umpire call the over and they were trying to pinch a second run. “My understanding is that the ball is dead when the umpire calls ‘over’ and I didn’t hear the umpire call ‘over’,” she said. It was an interesting one, and I guess it broke a little bit of momentum and maybe stalled them [India] a bit.”That’s part of cricket. Interpretation is going to be slightly different. We were always trying to pinch runs here and there because you never know when one run is going to change things. The umpires have a job to do and we respect that, and I sometimes push the boundaries a little bit.””We know how important Amelia’s wicket was, at that moment it felt a little [like] why didn’t it go in our favour,” Rodrigues said. “But, at the same time, I think we did what we can.”We spoke to the umpire. Then we had to accept the decision of the umpire and move on. So I think that’s what we did really well, that we just moved on from that. And we got her out pretty soon. So that works for us.”

Afghanistan have named three uncapped players – opening batter Riaz Hassan, offspin allrounder Shams Ur Rahman and fast bowler Khalil Ahmed – in their 16-member squad for the one-off Test against New Zealand in Greater Noida, starting on September 9.In Rashid Khan’s injury-forced absence, Zahir Khan and Zia-ur-Rehman will lead the spin attack. Rashid had not played Afghanistan’s previous Test as well, against Ireland in February-March.Fast bowler Naveed Zadran, who picked up five wickets in the Test against Ireland, has been ruled out with a side strain. He has been advised to “rest for three-four weeks hoping that he gets better before the South Africa ODI series in the UAE”.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Naveed is one of the four players to miss out from the 20-member preliminary squad announced last month. The others are Gulbadin Naib, Fareed Ahmad and Yama Arab.Ikram Alikhil and Afsar Zazai will compete for the wicketkeeper’s position in the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side.”The squad is finalised based on players’ performance in the preparation camp,” the ACB said. “It is worth mentioning that 19 players participated in the preparation camp for around ten days in Greater Noida and eventually, after consultation with the captain and coaching staff, the 16-member squad was finalised.”

Afghanistan squad for New Zealand Test

Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Afsar Zazai (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Bahir Shah, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shams Ur Rahman, Zia-ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, Qais Ahmad, Khalil Ahmad, Nijat Masood

Harry Came scored a maiden List A hundred as Derbyshire moved to the top of Group A in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup with a thumping nine-wicket victory over Middlesex at Derby.Derbyshire’s second win in the competition was set up by Came and Luis Reece, 88, who shared an opening stand of 216 off 202 balls. Came was unbeaten on 110 from 130 balls as Derbyshire reached their target of 267 with seven overs to spare to condemn Middlesex to a second defeat.Joe Cracknell top-scored for Middlesex with 56 but the loss of three wickets in 19 balls undermined them before Martin Anderrson, 46, and the lower order lifted the total to 267, with Daryn Dupavillon taking 3 for 47.After being put in, Middlesex had looked on course for a more substantial total until a middle-order collapse forced them to regroup in the second half of the innings. Sam Robson appeared set before Sam Conners found some late movement to have him caught behind for 32 off 28 balls in the 10th over.Cracknell struggled initially but a pulled six off Conners got him going although he was dropped at slip off Dupavillon on 33. England Under-19 fast bowler Harry Moore again impressed with his control and he got one to lift to have Nathan Fernandes caught behind in the 17th over.Cracknell reached his 50 from 74 balls by lifting Reece over midwicket for his fifth four and with Mark Stoneman starting confidently, Middlesex were well placed at 117 for 2. But Stoneman then flashed at a wide ball from Dupvaillon and Jack Davies skied a pull to deep midwicket before Cracknell missed a sweep at Samit Patel to reduce the visitors to 131 for 5.Andersson and Luke Hollman had to temper aggression with the need to get their side up to a competitive score and they worked the ball around to add 61 from 77 balls. The return of Moore broke the stand when Hollman cut him to point but Josh De Caires helped Anderrson push Middlesex towards 250.He put a dent in Patel’s figures by launching him over long off for six but the Derbyshire skipper responded by bowling Andersson as he made room to cut. De Caires made 23 from 19 balls before he pulled Zak Chappell to deep midwicket but Middlesex were back in the game.To have a chance of building on the recovery, they had to bowl well from the start but both Noah Cornwell and Blake Cullen conceded five wides in their opening overs. Reece climbed into Cullen’s second over, pulling him into the car park and whipping him over the ropes at long leg before driving the last ball past mid off for four.Ethan Bamber also gave away five wides in his first over and Reece and Came sailed along serenely at six an over with Middlesex struggling to contain them. Reece reached his 50 from 48 balls and Came brought up his half-century off 72 by pulling Cornwell for his sixth four.Stoneman rotated his bowlers to no avail as the openers did much as they pleased with Came straight driving Hollman for six in the 30th over. The stand was finally broken when Reece was lbw sweeping Hollman but Came reached his century off 116 balls as Derbyshire cruised home in the early evening sunshine.