The series now moves to Paarl, where the first of three ODIs between the sides will take place

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2024Abandoned The third T20I between South Africa and Pakistan in Johannesburg was washed out by persistent rain without a toss. The game was initially delayed by lightning strikes in the area, before a steady drizzle set in. The drainage at the Wanderers is exemplary, and the groundstaff remained poised. When the rain briefly relented, an official inspection was announced and the groundstaff sprung into action. But before it could happen, the rain returned once more.Two hours after the game was due to officially start, it was finally called off, with Heinrich Klaasen and Mohammad Rizwan shaking hands by the dugouts. It means South Africa seal the three-match T20I series 2-0, having triumphed in the first game by 11 runs, and the second by seven wickets.The series now moves to Paarl, where the first of three ODIs between the sides will take place. It will be followed by a game in Cape Town and the Pink ODI back in Johannesburg, before two Test matches in Centurion and Cape Town.

After being dropped from the national side last November, she has been piling on the runs in the domestic circuit

Srinidhi Ramanujam14-Jan-2025Shafali Verma has been churning out runs with remarkable consistency in domestic cricket as she tries to make a comeback to the national side after being dropped from India’s white-ball squads last November. With a home ODI World Cup scheduled later this year, among other things, Shafali said that she has been working on playing long innings.Shafali is currently taking part in the Senior Women’s One-Day Challenger Trophy in Chennai, where she has led Team A to the final. She is the leading scorer in the competition after accumulating 388 runs in four matches at an average of 97.00 and a strike rate of 146.96. This includes scores of 115 off 70 balls, 87 off 58, 95 off 65 and 91 off 71.”Feeling very good,” Shafali said after smashing a hundred at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday. “First of all, the team is winning, that is a very big thing. So yes, all I am thinking is how much more I can build on and play [the] long innings.Related

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“As a player, it is our job to give our best for the team and fulfill the needs. That is what I try, to contribute and help the team win. And yes, if I play long innings, as you can see, team is winning.”Shafali is coming off a terrific run at the domestic one-day trophy played in December, where she scored 527 runs at an average of 75.28 and a strike rate of 152.31 for Haryana. This was after she was dropped from the ODI squad for the Australia tour, having scored only 108 runs in six ODIs at an average of 18.00 last year. Subsequently, she was also left out of the ODIs against West Indies and the ongoing series against Ireland. In her absence, opener Pratika Rawal has grabbed the opportunity, hitting 290 runs in five matches at an average of 58.Shafali conceded that she hasn’t changed her approach or technique heading into the domestic tournaments, but has focused on converting her starts and building her innings. She also revealed that the message from the India team management was clear: “Believe in your batting”.”As you all know, my starts are good but building an innings has been an issue,” Shafali said. “But now, I am focusing on how to get those singles, how to build the innings, how to do well for the team. That is what I am trying to do.Shafali Verma managed just 108 runs in six ODIs in 2024•ICC/Getty Images

“I think this is my job, to do well for the team. I know I am dropped from the [India] team, but it is my job to play well for the team [whichever I play for]. And now, my focus is on the Challengers and I want to do well in the final and win the trophy [on Wednesday].”They [India team management] just said ‘believe in your batting, believe in your strength’. They are very chill, very good. They are backing me, so yes. Every innings starts from zero. For the final also, the innings will begin on zero and, as I know, the team needs me a lot in the batting. So that is what I am trying, to try and build the innings well and win the trophy.”Both the one-day Challenger Trophy and the Ireland series will conclude on Wednesday with the focus soon shifting to WPL 2025. As of now, India’s next international assignment will be the tour of England in June-July. Will Shafali’s glorious domestic run be enough to get her back into the scheme of things when the white-ball squads for that series are picked?

The captains event is tentatively scheduled around February 16 or 17 in Karachi

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Jan-2025There is no clear answer to whether India captain Rohit Sharma will travel to Pakistan for the ICC’s official captains call to ring in the 2025 Champions Trophy. The captains event, which as per practice happens in the host country, is tentatively scheduled around February 16 or 17 in Karachi, but the BCCI is yet to get any official communication on it from the ICC.”It [Rohit travelling to Pakistan] has not yet been discussed. It is not on the agenda yet,” Devjit Saikia, the BCCI’s newly-appointed secretary, told ESPNcricinfo.It could not be confirmed whether the BCCI would need the Indian government’s permission for Rohit to travel to Pakistan.Related

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Due to the climate of political tension between the two countries, India and Pakistan have played no bilateral series since 2012, but continue to meet at ICC tournaments. While Pakistan have travelled to India for ICC tournaments in this period, India have not played any international cricket in Pakistan since 2008.With the BCCI insisting that India would not travel to Pakistan for their matches, the ICC in co-ordination with the PCB, the tournament hosts, decided upon a hybrid model for ICC events until 2027, with Dubai named as the host of India’s Champions Trophy games.While there is no recent precedent for an India player visiting Pakistan in an official capacity, there is one involving BCCI officials. In 2023, Roger Binny and Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI’s president and vice-president, travelled to Lahore for an official PCB dinner during the Asia Cup, after being invited by the then PCB chair Zaka Ashraf.It is understood that the PCB has requested the ICC to ensure that, as per standard practice, all teams and captains are available for the Champions Trophy photoshoot, opening ceremony and other pre-tournament engagements. The ICC, it is understood, is still finalising logistics and travel dates for teams.Incidentally, the ICC did not organise a captains event ahead of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup which was co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA. With teams playing warm-up matches in several countries, the ICC instead opted to do the official launch via a lighting projection show that featured all 20 captains beamed onto the Rockefeller Centre building in New York City. It is understood that like in the 2024 T20 World Cup, teams will have the option of playing up to two warm-up matches each depending on their arrival time for the Champions Trophy.

Saikia: ‘BCCI will follow every uniform-related ICC rule’

Saikia, meanwhile, has clarified that India will adhere to the dress code set by the ICC for the Champions Trophy, responding to media speculation that the BCCI had objected to the host nation’s name on their jersey. Player jerseys during ICC events usually include the tournament logo with the name of the tournament, host country and year below it.”BCCI will follow every uniform-related ICC rule during Champions Trophy,” Saikia told . “Whatever the other teams will do regarding the logo and dress code, we are going to follow in true letter and spirit.”

Connolly had played just four first class games and was wicketless from his 96 deliveries before his Test debut in Galle

Tristan Lavalette06-Feb-20250:40

Connolly: ‘I like to be aggressive while I’m playing red-ball cricket as well’

From the moment his clutch batting memorably lifted Perth Scorchers to the BBL title almost exactly two years ago, Cooper Connolly quickly became a fan favourite and there was plenty of intrigue over the potential of this promising left-arm spinning allrounder.But even his legion of admirers out west could not have foreshadowed his rise to Test cricket would be so swift. After just four first-class matches, the 21-year-old Connolly became Australia’s 471st men’s cricketer after he replaced offspinner Todd Murphy in Australia’s XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. He became Australia’s fourth debutant in as many Tests.With his emotional parents standing nearby, Connolly, 21, was presented with his baggy green cap by former Test batter and fellow Western Australian Simon Katich.Related

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• Sri Lanka's 'strength is spin', but it's a game Australia can play too

His selection for this Test had been murmured in recent days with expectations that the surface used for this match would be notably dry and especially favourable to spin.Connolly’s selection has raised some eyebrows given he is wicketless from 96 deliveries in his first-class career so far. But all three of his Shield matches have been at the pace-friendly WACA ground, while he bowled only six overs against India A in Mackay in early November which was his last first-class match.Albeit a different format, but Connolly did take six wickets in the recent BBL season – where he was named player of the tournament after scoring the most runs in the league stage – highlighted by a strong performance against Sydney Thunder in favourable spinning conditions at the Showgrounds.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

If the surface for the second Test does spin sharply, Connolly could prove dangerous and provides another left-arm spinning option alongside Matthew Kuhnemann, who had so much success in the series opener.”From what I’ve seen in the nets he bowls some really good balls,” stand-in captain Steven Smith said on Wednesday. “He was pretty consistent when he was bowling in Dubai and in the nets here.”That’s kind of all you’ve got to do in these conditions, just try and bowl as many good balls in a good area and let the conditions take over.”Connolly’s inclusion also underlines bolder selections from Australia’s hierarchy who have shown a willingness to experiment ever since picking 19-year-old Sam Konstas for the Boxing Day Test against India.Cooper Connolly receives his debut cap from Simon Katich•Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

With Australia’s spot in the World Test Championship final secured, Connolly edged veteran Glenn Maxwell for a spot on the Sri Lanka tour having made his T20I and ODI debuts in the backend of last year. Undoubtedly, selectors have an eye towards the future – Australia’s next tour of India is just two years away – but they will insist his selection in the second Test is a decision based on specific conditions.At this stage of his fledgling career, Connolly is certainly a much stronger batter and adds significant depth to Australia’s order at No. 8. He has already scored three half-centuries from his six first-class innings, starting with 90 off 115 balls on debut at No. 7 in last year’s Shield final between WA and Tasmania.It was an elegant knock on a tricky WACA surface that instantly drew comparisons to former WA great Shaun Marsh. But given his all-round skills and X-factor ability, with an uncanny knack of hitting the most mesmerising shots, Connolly has been likened to Maxwell and Travis Head.”It’s pretty cool to be honest. You dream of it as a kid watching them smack it around,” he told ESPNcricinfo last December about the comparisons to Maxwell and Head. “I feel proud of myself… it’s a dream to put on a baggy green.”

The new captain takes over at a time where the team has sunk to its lowest ICC ranking in 19 years

Mohammad Isam13-Jun-2025Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s natural leadership qualities face a significant test as he attempts to revive Bangladesh’s flagging ODI fortunes. The new captain takes over just as his team has sunk to its lowest ICC ranking in 19 years.Mehidy’s first assignment will be in Sri Lanka where Bangladesh play their hosts in three ODIs from July 8. He has said that he is targeting a series win in a country where Bangladesh has won just four out of 36 ODIs. Bangladesh will be playing 50-over cricket for the first time since the Champions Trophy in February this year, where they made a swift exit after defeats to India and New Zealand.”We want to win our first ODI series in Sri Lanka,” Mehidy said at the pre-departure press conference on Friday. “The first match is very important as we haven’t been playing a lot of ODI cricket lately. We didn’t play many last year. It is going to be challenging as we used to playing 15-20 every year usually.”Related

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Mehidy has previous experience of leading Bangladesh in the 3-0 ODI series defeat against West Indies in December, where he was deputising for Najmul Hossain Shanto, whom he has replaced this time permanently.”I made my captaincy debut in a different circumstance. I was the vice-captain so I had to step up as Shanto got injured. It is difficult to captain the side in that situation. It was Shanto’s set-up. I just had to run the field. I gathered experience in those four ODIs but captaincy is better on a long-term basis. I will try to get the team to a good position in 12 months.”Bangladesh are scheduled to play 23 ODIs during this period. Mehidy has been one of their standout performers, with his batting improvements highlighted since the 2023 World Cup. He has also been a steady operator with his offspin, but beyond those tangible details. Bangladesh are looking to his strong temperament to tide them through this tough time. His track record in leadership positions and his ability to fight back from adversity are good signs.Mehidy led particularly well at the age-group level. He is the most experienced Under-19 captain of all time, with a win percentage of 62.5 in Youth ODIs. Mehidy led Bangladesh to their first appearance in the semi-finals of the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, also winning the Player-of-the-Tournament award.He went from cricket for boys to men in the same year, taking 19 wickets in his debut Test series against England. Mehidy settled into the senior team quickly and gained a reputation as a fast learner and an avid listener.”I have learned a lot from my captains in the past,” he said. “I will use that knowledge as the ODI captain. I have always followed how they took their decisions strongly. A captain has to take strong decisions in tough situations. You might not get a second chance. How you take the decision, is an important thing.”I will help the younger players just like our senior players used to help us when we were starting our careers. It is now time for us to take the responsibility. I have gained a lot of experience playing for eight or nine years. Those in the dressing room must not feel he is alone, he should feel that I have others with me.”Mehidy: Those in the dressing room must not feel he is alone, he should feel that I have others with me•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Mehidy already has a high point as Bangladesh captain – a stirring Test match win over West Indies in Jamaica last November. Many of his team members were down with flu and others were battling poor form but they all rallied together to draw the series 1-1.Mehidy was battered by bouncers and verbals in both Tests, but he fought hard against West Indies’ fast bowlers. It was a short stint but it gave a window into Mehidy’s style of leadership.”The captain is responsible for the team result but he also has to perform himself,” he said. “We are giving priority to the team result. We want to play together, and take Bangladesh to a better stage. We used to be a very good team, and I hope we can go back there again.”Mehidy has been a successful top- and middle-order inclusion in ODIs since the 2023 World Cup, but he is open to a change if it suits the team better.”Runs from the top-order batters makes life easier for the middle and lower order. I want my top-order batters to do well in ODIs. It doesn’t matter whether I get to bat or not, the team must win regardless. I got three fifties batting at No 4. I think there are scoring opportunities if I bat up the order. My bowling is very important so if I bat too high up the order it might affect my bowling. I want to bat in a position that benefits the team and me.”Mehidy’s first real test, however, is off the field. His appointment was reportedly handled clumsily by the BCB, hours after Shanto told a press conference that he was waiting to hear from the board about the ODI captaincy. Mehidy and Shanto go back a long way, so it will be up to the pair to communicate clearly about the way forward.”Shanto and I have been playing together since our Under-15s,” Mehidy said. “We spoke about taking Bangladesh forward, it doesn’t matter who is the captain. I don’t think it will have an effect in the dressing room. We are all playing for the country. These things won’t bother Shanto and me. I helped him a lot during his captaincy. He will do the same. He will help me.”Shanto could feel hard done by, as he was averaging 51.27, including a century and four fifties, as the ODI captain. Bangladesh, however, won just four out of 13 games. Shakib Al Hasan, who was captain just before Shanto, also won just four out of 12 games.Mehidy has said that he appreciates the board appointing him for an extended period – 12 months – but whether he will continue till the 2027 World Cup is a different matter. “Longer term captaincy is always ideal, but I think it is up to the board (whether the captaincy goes on till the 2027 World Cup). The thinking is to get the team out of the current struggle. We have a number of ODIs in the next 12 months. Two senior players [Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim] retired from ODIs recently so those who will get the opportunity, have to get settled in the next 12 months.Bangladesh’s ODI performance has been its only saving grace in international cricket for the last 15 years. The steady captaincy in this format, for the better part of the last 11 years under Mashrafe Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal has had a positive effect on the ODI performances. They have now landed on their third captain in two years. A natural leader, Mehidy will be expected to bring back some consistency into the role.

Tasmania allrounder set for a middle-order role in ODIs after being called into Australia’s squad to face South Africa following his successful debut T20I series

Alex Malcolm04-Aug-2025Mitchell Owen says he will not change anything about his batting approach as he prepares to make his ODI debut for Australia later this month following a stunning debut T20I series in the Caribbean.Owen, 23, was an eye-catching inclusion in Australia’s new-look ODI squad for the three home ODIs against South Africa to be played in the northern Queensland towns of Cairns and Mackay starting on August 19. The ODI series follows a three-match T20I series against the same opponents in Darwin and Cairns starting next week, with Owen remaining in the squad following a successful debut series against West Indies where he made scores of 50, 36 not out, 2 and 37, striking at a phenomenal 192.30 batting at No. 6 across the series.Despite his BBL success opening the batting, Owen’s power and poise in the middle and death overs in the Caribbean, as well as his ability to chip in with some medium pace, saw him added to the ODI squad as Australia begins their build towards the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa in the aftermath of the retirements of Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis following the Champions Trophy.Related

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Owen revealed he had not been given any indication of where he will bat in the ODI team if he gets a chance, but he said his approach won’t differ from what he showcased in the Caribbean.”If I am opening the batting or if I’m batting down the order, not much will change,” Owen said in Hobart on Monday. “Not much really changes in any form of my cricket. I just try and hit the ball and I feel like if I sort of think ‘defend’, I go into my shell a little bit and it just doesn’t work. So yeah, I’ll be keeping that same mindset.”Owen has only played 17 List A matches for Tasmania. He batted at No. 7 in his first 10 with a highest score of just 16. Tasmania, with the same coaching staff as Hobart Hurricanes, shifted him to open in the Dean Jones Trophy (Australia’s domestic one-day cup) last summer, partly in preparation for him making the same move in the BBL.It was post his BBL success where he really found another gear in 50-over cricket, smashing 48 off 19 and 149 off 69 to set up two winning chases against eventual finalists Victoria and South Australia respectively to end the season.However, as was the case with his T20I debut, Owen is highly likely to get his ODI opportunity in the middle order despite his domestic success at the top. The loss of Maxwell in particular robs Australia of finishing power given Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey are set to retain their middle-order roles. Australia will need to re-jig their top four with ODI acting captain Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green returning after missing the Champions Trophy through injury. Matthew Short also returns to the squad after missing the semi-final against India through injury having made a vital 63 off 66 while opening alongside Travis Head in Australia’s record chase against England in Lahore. Cooper Connolly opened the batting in the semi-final but has not been retained in either the T20I or ODI squads for the South Africa series.There will be a squeeze on for spots in Australia’s T20I side with Head and Short returning after missing the Caribbean series. Australia will likely start to bed their best available top seven against South Africa ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup. It means Maxwell, who opened in four of the five T20Is in the Caribbean will return to the middle order as he forecast, with Head likely to partner Marsh at the top while Josh Inglis looks set to remain locked at No. 3 unless Short is trialed there which would change the balance of the middle order.Mitchell Owen has a strike rate of 145.53 in his 17 List A matches•AFP via Getty Images

Green was the Player of the Series at No. 4 while Tim David made a century at No. 5 in St Kitts and Owen looked a ready-made T20I No. 6. With Maxwell being added into the mix, Australia look primed to have a power-packed middle order but who bats where in their first-choice combination remains to be seen. Stoinis is not in the squad for the South Africa T20Is just as he wasn’t in the Caribbean, in part due to his Hundred commitments, but he too is understood to still be in consideration heading towards the T20 World Cup with Australia set to play two more T20I series in October against New Zealand and India where some Test batters like Head and Green might be rested at different stages.Owen will join the squad in Darwin on Wednesday after a rare few days in his own bed. Since the start of April, Owen has played 26 T20s in five different countries across the PSL, IPL, MLC and his international debut.He said he has learned a lot about his own game after experiencing the T20 franchise merry-go-round for the first time in his career.”What I learned was that I have to find my own process and my own training methods to get ready for each game, because you don’t have those chunks of training time to upskill your game, or try new things,” Owen said. “You’ve got to be ready to play every couple of days. So for me, I learned a lot about that and a lot about what I need to get ready. And then obviously, on the different wickets, sometimes you don’t know what you’re going to get, but I think going to the subcontinent for Pakistan and India that held me in good stead for some of the wickets in the MLC and some of the wickets in the West Indies. It’s all just experience and knowledge that I’ve been able to sort of bank.”

Sharma makes 82 for Northamptonshire but second-wicket stand breaks back of chase

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay21-Aug-2025Ben Dawkins struck a sparkling maiden List A century to steer Kent Spitfires to their second Metro Bank One Day Cup victory of the season, beating a youthful Northamptonshire side by seven wickets at Wantage Road as they chased down 244 with 32 deliveries to spare.The in-form England Under-19 opener struck an unbeaten 111 (105 balls, 12 fours, two sixes), sharing a second-wicket stand of 157 off 181 balls with Joey Evison who made a fine 82 (106 balls, 10 fours, 1 six).Young guns Aadi Sharma and Stuart van der Merwe (37) starred with the bat for the Steelbacks in a stand of 75 off 87 balls characterised by rapid running between the wickets. Sharma made an excellent 82 (90 balls, 8 fours, 1 six), his maiden List A half-century.Their stand came after Evison, who bowled his 10 overs straight through, removed Northamptonshire’s top order to finish with career best List A figures off three for 36.Matt Parkinson took two for 50 as Northamptonshire suffered a middle order collapse, before some lower order hitting from Dom Leech (36 off 35 balls), but the hosts’ eventual total of 243 all out proved insufficient.Earlier Luke Procter (15) was caught behind playing at a wide one from Evison. But Sharma was soon into his work, hooking and driving sweetly, although he rode his luck at times.James Sales fresh from scores of 117 and 98, fell cheaply, adjudged lbw to one that kept low from Evison, while Northamptonshire lost a third when George Bartlett was caught behind off Evison, cutting close to his body.That brought Sharma together with van der Merwe who tucked into Parkinson’s legspin, cutting through cover and swotting him over long-off for six.van der Merwe reverse swept Jack Leaning, taking Northamptonshire past 100, while Sharma uppercut Corey Flintoff over the vacant slip region to reach 50 off 58 balls.The drinks break brought a wicket when van der Merwe chipped Leaning straight to long-on, but Sharma continued to attack. He skipped down the pitch to deposit Leaning over extra cover and clipped Flintoff off his legs for six into the old signal box at deep square leg.The tide turned as Parkinson made a double breakthrough, three wickets falling for five runs in 17 balls. First Parkinson bowled Lewis McManus round his legs before spinning one past off-stump to take the edge of Sharma’s bat through to the keeper. Next delivery Mohammad Rizvi trapped Rob Keogh plumb lbw.With Northamptonshire 171 for seven, Leech found a good ally in debutant Aryaman Varma (30) in an enterprising stand of 59. Leech attacked the spinners, smiting Parkinson over midwicket before sweeping for six, while Varma deployed the cut shot to good effect.Leech smashed Rizvi straight to bring up the 50 partnership before Jaydn Denly struck twice in two balls, bowling Leech as he attempted to reverse sweep before bowling Yuzvendra Chahal. Fred Klaassen picked up the final wicket, Varma well caught by a tumbling Flintoff at mid-off.Dawkins started aggressively, punching several boundaries through the off-side and pulling Procter for a straight six. Denly (20) meanwhile sent a huge six flying over deep midwicket off Leech as Kent raced past 50 inside seven overs.Scoring briefly slowed against spinners Nirvan Ramesh and Chahal with the opening stand of 58 ended by a sensational one-handed diving catch by van der Merwe at cover off Ramesh.Dawkins reached 50 with a streaky boundary off Varma, while Evison collected boundaries against the spinners as he hit over extra cover, reaching his own half-century with a sumptuous cover drive off Leech.Runs kept coming for Evison as he smashed over midwicket, while Dawkins reached his ton with elan, pulling van der Merwe over midwicket for six.Evison crunched van der Merwe for a straight six before he holed out at long-on, Chris Benjamin following soon after in similar fashion off Keogh, but with the target in sight, Dawkins was there to see his side home.

Somerset implode despite flying start with the ball, to lose by 90 runs at Hove

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay21-Aug-2025Somerset produced an unlikely victory over Sussex in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at Hove, winning by 90 runs after being bowled out for a modest 243. It was their fourth victory in six matches.On a slow pitch that offered some sharp seam movement on occasions, but was far from unplayable, both sides were guilty of rash strokeplay, especially the Sussex Sharks when they lost four wicket for no runs in the course of eight deliveries.The Sharks were clear favourites at the halfway point of the match. And they reinforced their position when they reached 60 for one at the end of the first 10-over powerplay, almost twice as many as Somerset had scored (33 for 3) at the same stage of their innings. But then Sussex collapsed in a way that made their recent implosion against Lancashire, when they lost six wickets for 27 runs before winning a thrilling contest, look commonplace.From the start of the 11th over Charlie Tear flayed a wide delivery straight to cover. Next ball, Fynn Hudson-Prentice missed a straight one and was lbw. And three balls later captain John Simpson got one that cut back off the pitch and was also lbw. Tom Lammonby, who had made a three-ball duck when he had opened the Somerset innings, had bowled a three-wicket maiden.It got worse. Tom Clark, who had batted impressively, lobbed the second delivery of the 12th over to mid-on and Sussex were 60 for five. Jack Carson, heroic in the recent wins over Kent and Lancashire, hinted at another rescue act with a vigorous 35 before pulling to midwicket, and when Oli Carter was caught in the same area, to make it 128 for eight, it was realistically all over. Lammonby took five wickets for the first time in any competition.The Somerset total had looked insufficient, and they were happy to get there after being 82 for five in the 20th over. Their innings was revived by half-centuries from Josh Thomas and Finley Hill after the Rew brothers James and Thomas had both failed to build on promising starts.Somerset, who continued their rotation policy by bringing in Kian Roberts, Kasey Aldridge and Hill, made a frantic start to their innings. Archie Vaughan was caught down the leg-side first ball and Sussex missed two more chances in the first two overs. But they weren’t made to pay for their profligacy. In the third over Lammonby was caught at slip off Sean Hunt, coming back into the side in place of Bertie Foreman, and it was 21 for three in the sixth over when Lewis Goldsworthy, surprised by the bounce achieved by Hudson-Prentice, could only fend the ball off to Henry Crocombe at square-leg.Once again Somerset were looking to the Rews to pull them round. But captain James, attempting to turn Crocombe to leg, got a leading edge back to the bowler for just 29 and the same bowler jagged one back to bowl his younger brother through the gate for 30.At that stage significant recovery looked beyond an inexperienced Somerset side. But they were transformed by a sixth wicket stand of 59 between Thomas and Hill. Thomas, mixing bludgeoning blows with some sweetly timed drives – on a pitch where timing was difficult – was particularly impressive, stroking Crocombe square on the off-side to raise the hundred in the 24th over. He reached his fifty from 54 balls when he pulled Hunt for six but was caught behind in the same over. A seventh wicket stand of 67 between Hill and Roberts maintained the Somerset recovery.

By the end of last season, Leicester were one of the form teams in the Premier League. Up there with Manchester City who went on a fabulous run, but by then the title race was already over Leicester, on the other hand, did it when it mattered.

Then something strange happened. They sacked their manager. Now Nigel Pearson courted controversy all season, personally speaking I don’t think he seemed like the nicest of guys. But then I don’t know him personally – all I have to go on is the fact he called a journalist an ostrich and caught James McArthur in a choke hold. You can see why i’d jump to that conclusion.

Even so, his sacking was strange. There’s nothing wrong with changing your manager if you don’t like him. There may be some sort of legal or trade union problem with sacking people simply because you don’t like them, but in football managers are changed so often that any reason seems to go. How I wish Liverpool had simply sacked Luis Suarez – although that probably means I won’t ever be on the board of a successful club as sacking him would’ve cost the club somewhere in the region of £65-75m, depending on who you believe.

But the Leicester board sacked Pearson for reasons passing understanding. If they hated him before, they had plenty of opportunity so sack the man, so then sacking him because his son is an idiot – or a racist, or a sleaze, or whatever you want to call him – is simply mind-boggling. Many say the sins of the father should not be transferred to the son. I don’t even begin to understand how the sins of the son could transfer to the father.

Now Claudio Ranieri is Leicester manager. And a fine job he’s done in his opening game. Let’s not get carried away. It was one game against a Sunderland side who really weren’t up to much. Although Leicester still managed to concede two goals.

Two seasons ago, Hull started their first season back in the top flight brightly, and were basically safe by January. It was then that Steve Bruce decided to prioritise the FA Cup more than the league. That’s the kind of thing fans want to see, and it worked. Hull made their first FA Cup final, and made it into Europe too.

But then it backfired. Because end of season form is important too. It sets you up for the next season. If you’re on a bad run at the end of the season, it’s hard to get back on track. Bruce tried to add new faces to the side and kick on from their previous season. So a mix of players who couldn’t gel and off-form players already at the club meant a bad start to the season, and Hull could never get going.

Leicester have the opposite. They haven’t added too much to the side. After breaking their record transfer twice last season, they’ve been a little more quiet, but added some steel and flair to their side. And Ranieri hasn’t changed too much in terms of the setup. He knows that the team is on form and, ironically, he’s not going to tinker too much.

But let’s see what happens if things get tough. And they will get tough, this is football. You’ll always get a slump – you just have to hope that it’s not a long one.

It looks like Leicester have continuity, which was the worry after sacking Pearson. The worry was that Ranieri would come into the fold and change everything, and that it wouldn’t work. But if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And Leicester are – admittedly after only one game – finding that the saying holds true. But it remains to be seen if Claudio Ranieri will stick to his – or Pearson’s – guns if things go downhill.

With transfer fees and wages seemingly rising ever higher as clubs desperately jostle for supremacy, the idea of player power is increasingly discussed in the modern game.

It is thought that the stars of the day now call all the shots, as even the biggest clubs are manipulated by them and their agents.

This summer however, a couple of much-discussed, high-profile transfers failed to materialise despite the subject willing them to go through.

Saido Berahino is one such man. Who now holds the strongest cards in the stand-off between the forward and his club West Bromwich Albion? Who is prime position to dictate the player’s future?

Berahino is seen as a rising star in the Premier League and ticks all the boxes which culminate in a high valuation.

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Young, English and a goalscorer, it is reported that Tottenham tabled numerous bids for his services, including a couple in the final hours of the window.

The money on offer though, was not deemed sufficient by Albion and the move floundered.The player responded by allowing his frustration to spill over on social media, where he openly criticised the club for their treatment of him and appeared to vow never to turn out again for the Baggies under chairman Jeremy Peace.

The result is that while West Brom have successfully fended off interest in their star forward, there have been consequences.

They are left with a player filled with both resentment and disappointment. The 22 year old has not featured in any of the last three games, with manager Tony Pulis viewing the effects of the transfer fiasco as disruptive.

It appears then, that in keeping the player against his wishes, Albion now find themselves in a position the same or potentially worse than if they had lost him.

The Burundi-born man is refusing to play, his relationship with the club’s board in tatters. Even if he was happy to take to the field, there is no guarantee that he would perform, given the psychological effects of the transfer saga.

The player’s value will also plummet as the end of his contract will be five months closer when the next opportunity to sell him arises. If he is excluded from playing, self imposed or otherwise, that will also see his price tag reduce.

Despite all of this, when the dust settles on the closure of the transfer window, the Baggies can be assured that they are in control of the situation.

Player power on this occasion has failed for a variety of reasons.

Firstly, the striker is under contract at the Hawthorns until 2017. That would be a long time for any player to commit himself to a footballing exile.

Berahino is young but a Premier League career is far too short to waste any of it trying to prove a point.

He has thrown his toys from the pram before by announcing that he wanted to play for a bigger club after contract talks stalled in light of poor conduct. Albion have successfully now refused to be bullied by both the player and more recently, Spurs.

Secondly, the striker’s actions have seen a swell of opinion, from not only Albion fans, but also the general football public, backing the club on their position regarding the situation.

Berahino has been labeled stroppy, greedy and immature. If there is to be reconciliation, it will almost certainly need to be the player that gets the ball rolling.

Furthermore the club put a contingency plan in place during the transfer window with Salomon Rondon arriving for £12 million.

The Venezuelan appeared initially to have been signed as a replacement for Berahino and is already off the mark in the league, but with Rondon already on board before Spurs late Berahino bids, Jeremy Peace stood firm on his asking price; a sign that the club do not desperately need the money they could raise by selling him.

Talks between player and club are scheduled with Berahino on extended leave until then.

Tony Pulis has put the blame on Spurs for unsettling his star and has suggested that he now has a repair job on hand in order to bring the player back into the fold.

Behind the scenes though, it may well be the forward who has most repairing to do.

He has already been fined for his online outburst and will need to realise, that on this occasion, he might need to swallow his pride and move on from his disappointment for the sake of his career.

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