A father in Florida is being charged with murder after deputies found his 5-year-old daughter in a "pool of blood" in their townhome and his 8-year-old is "fighting for his life."
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said the incident happened at Armature Gate Townhome in Tampa, Florida on Monday night shortly after the children's mother returned home from dinner, according to FOX 13.
After the mother tucked her children to sleep, she heard gunshots, the sheriff said.
"While she goes to the bathroom, she heard several gunshots," Chronister said during a press conference. "She initially thought it happened right outside the residence."
FLORIDA DEPUTIES FIND BODY IN POND NEXT TO HOOTERS RESTAURANT
A father in Florida is being charged with murder after deputies found his 5-year-old daughter in a "pool of blood" in their townhome and his 8-year-old is "fighting for his life."
(FOX 13)
The sheriff said that the mother then realized that the gunshots came from inside the residence and went outside, where she saw a neighbor on the phone with 911.
"She takes over the phone call and starts talking to her 911 dispatcher," Chronister said.
Jermaine Lavanda Bass, who was identified as the husband, then came outside while carrying the couple's 8-year-old son, who officials say he was "cradling" when law enforcement arrived.
GEORGIA WOMAN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED WHILE TAKING A SHOWER AT LA FITNESS
Jermaine Lavanda Bass
(FOX 13)
Bass, according to Chronister, told deputies that "It was an accident. I don't know how the gun went off. I accidentally shot my son."
After deputies asked Bass if anyone else was in the home, the husband said that their 5-year-old daughter was in her room.
The daughter was found in a "pool of blood" by officials after entering her bedroom, Chronister said, adding that the children had 3-4 gunshots to their heads.
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"Our 5-year-old victim has been pronounced deceased. Our 8-year-old is fighting for his life," Chronister said. "The 8-year-old went into surgery."
Bass faces charges of premeditated murder, aggravated child abuse, and premeditated attempted murder.
The mother is speaking with detectives and providing them with details, Chronister said.
Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Adam.Sabes@fox.com and on Twitter @asabes10.
On Wednesday, on the eve of the second Test against South Africa, Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad were driving back to the team hotel after a round of golf at The Mere Golf Resort & Spa. It was here that Broad first heard he would not be taking the new ball at Emirates Old Trafford.
He wasn't told, expressly. Instead, his captain floated the idea to the 36-year-old, whose last appearance as the third seamer in a home first innings was 100 Tests ago, at Trent Bridge in the 2013 Ashes Test. Broad had a think and quickly agreed the logic was sound.
The response from Broad was to be expected for one who thrives on proving a point. His 3 for 37 in the first innings after being introduced first-change included Proteas skipper Dean Elgar. He ended up being the fifth option in the second innings, following an early foray for the spinners, but accounted for Aiden Markram, whom he'd earlier missed out on after overstepping.
He now has 559 Test dismissals, four short of his hero Glenn McGrath who sits fifth on the all-time list. It's not always the case that someone so decorated is so accommodating - indeed there have been times in the past when Broad might have contested the notion. But he took the demotion with grace, and Stokes lauded his senior man: "For Broady to understand the bigger picture about why I wanted that to be the option was an absolute credit to him."
What helped Broad see the bigger picture was that Stokes wanted to give the new ball to Ollie Robinson. Of all the quicks he has seen come through the changing-room door, Broad regards Robinson as one of the most skilful, which makes sense given that James Anderson was already inside when Broad himself walked in back in 2007. Despite Robinson being recalled for just his 10th Test, and his first since Hobart in January, Broad knew his team-mate was the better option.
The prospect of this switch emerged after the England Lions match against South Africa at Canterbury, where the feedback to the main group was of Robinson's joy against Sarel Erwee. After missing the series opener at Lord's, and getting match-ready in the shadow of England's innings defeat, the cord was pulled in Manchester to great effect.
Robinson was unlucky to just take just the one wicket for 48 on day one - "he was on the best none-for that I've ever seen," Stokes said at the post-match presentations - but bagged England's best figures of the match on day three, with 4 for 43 as South Africa folded for 179 to confirm defeat and make it 1-1 going into the final match at The Oval.
As it happens, despite the seed of an idea being planted at the start of August, and revealed to Broad on Wednesday, Robinson was only informed he was opening from the Brian Statham End after Elgar had won the toss on Thursday morning and opted to bat first.
"I got told 10 minutes before we were going out I was taking the new ball," Robinson said on Saturday night, "and then got the nod as we walked onto the field.
"I was buzzing because I feel that's my strength - making the batsman play as much as possible with the new ball. So it was a nice confidence booster from Stokesy and Baz as well."
For the 28-year-old, who now boasts 44 dismissals at 20.93 at Test level, this felt like the turning of a page in a 14-month international career that has already been punctuated with controversy and misfortune. Of the 10 matches he has missed since making his debut at Lord's against New Zealand at the start of the 2021 home season, one was due to a suspension after the emergence of historic offensive tweets, three were because he was not fit enough to cope with the rigours of a Test winter, and the four at the start of this summer were due to a combination of Covid-19, back troubles and a dental issue.
"It's been a tough six months with injury and a few doubts about myself," Robinson said. "So it's really satisfying to get the win here and make a decent contribution at the end.
"I've tried to keep my head up, be quite positive and try to work as hard as I can to just get back into this environment. I was chuffed to be in this squad before we played the first Test, and to play this one I was over the moon. It's just great to be back and that winning feeling - you just can't beat it."
The overriding narrative around Robinson has been about fitness, something made public during the Ashes. Bowling coach Jon Lewis said Robinson needed to be fitter after struggling in the fifth Test of the 4-0 defeat, stating: "He's got to get used to understanding what it takes to be a full-time year-round international cricketer."
It was a statement that resonated beyond the dressing-room because of the implication that Robinson was not as professional as he should be. But there were also some who felt the public chastising was not the best approach. Robinson, however, accepts nothing said was incorrect, and that Lewis, who remains part of the backroom staff but will be moved back to the ECB pathways at the end of the summer, was not saying anything he hadn't told Robinson in private. Since working together at Sussex, the pair have a strong relationship.
"It's not easy but we're an honest group," Robinson said. "I took that on the chin and took it as a wake-up call as well. So I've used that to drive me forward in the last six months and, when times have got tough, I've just used that as a drive to try and keep positive.
"I've always had that positive mindset that I would get back," he added. "I think people don't realise that me and Jon go back quite a long way. He was my bowling coach at Sussex for three, four years. So we do have that honest relationship. It's just hasn't obviously come out in the press before, but we do have that honest relationship where we can say what we feel and how we felt and we just moved on after that. We spoke about it, moved on, and like I said it drove me for the last six months to get to this place today."
It is a place where, now, training no longer feels like a chore. "I've become a bit of a gym freak," he added with a smile, "which I never thought I'd say.
"I wake up in the morning and I'm like, I've really got to go to the gym. Yeah, so it's become a bit of a habit, whereas before it was a chore and I think that's really helped me as well. The running three times a week, the gymming three times a week, it's just ingrained in me now, which hopefully will help for years to come."
The real change has been one of mindset rather than diet and behaviour, something triggered by chats with Stokes during the period in which Robinson was sidelined. Much of that was of the standards expected, but there was empathy, too. Stokes used himself as an example of someone who did not fully appreciate the importance of fine-tuning your body until later in his career.
"When he first started international cricket he wasn't in the shape he is now, and I spoke to him about how he got there - mentally, physically, the lot. And he really helped me in that stage of building back to this point today. Along with the England medical team and everyone behind the scenes, they really helped me. I'm not there yet, I'm not the finished article at all, but we're well on the way of getting there hopefully."
Robinson regards the last six months as something of a blessing in disguise. An intense first half of his career has given way to a much quieter one in which he has been able to improve his numbers without a ball in his hand.
"We've got obviously the last Test and then we've probably got six, seven weeks again before Pakistan," he said. "So I have the opportunity again to go to the next level again. So that's what I'm thinking at the moment, just using that time as wisely as I can to improve myself as best I can."
This realisation, authentic if overdue and all the more welcome for it, comes at a crucial juncture for the life cycle of this England side. As much as there has been a reinvigoration of Anderson and Broad, quite how long both have left is a constant fear, even if the pair state they are as happy and as willing as ever.
Beyond their world-class ability is longevity, which has offered England an earthing, even in troubled times. And while they are still around, Robinson says he will absorb as much of their knowledge as possible while also working out how he might replicate their endurance, popularity and, ultimately, legacy.
"Watching them two is so inspirational for me." he said. "That's how I want to be: I want the crowd cheering my name and that's what I'm driving to do.
"I had a point today when I was fielding at mid-off and I thought 'I don't want to do this for 18 months. I want to do this for five, six years' and I feel more driven today than I did at the start of my career. I feel in such a good headspace now, after this week's game, I can drive on and push on a lot more."
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor for ESPNcricinfo
India 148 for 5 (Kohli 35, Jadeja 35, Hardik 33*, Nawaz 3-33, Naseem 2-27) beat Pakistan 147 all out (Rizwan 43, Iftikhar 28, Dahani 16*, Bhuvneshwar 4-26, Hardik 3-25) by five wickets
Hardik Pandya cracked open the game for India with both ball and bat to take them to a tense win over Pakistan with two balls to spare. He bowled with pace and venom, using the short ball perfectly on a pitch with steep bounce to return figures of 4-0-25-3 and restrict Pakistan to 147. On a tacky pitch, India never really broke away from Pakistan until Hardik hit three boundaries in the 19th over. Even in the 20th, Mohammad Nawaz brought it to six required off three, but Hardik sealed it with a flat six over long-on to end up with 33 off 17.
This was a gruelling match played in oppressive heat and humidity. As a result, both teams struggled to keep time and were penalised for slow over-rate. But while Hardik's middle-overs wickets had made sure Pakistan couldn't really exploit there being only four fielders in the deep - instead of the usual five - Hardik was himself there to cash in with the bat.
Pakistan were further hampered by their key death bowlers - Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf - cramping up. In the end, they were left with Nawaz bowling the last over because India promoted Ravindra Jadeja when the two spinners - both turning the ball away from right-hand batters - had India in a choke hold in the middle overs. Jadeja immediately hit a six and a four off Nawaz, which meant they had to delay his final over. It also meant the asking rate never got to India because they knew they had that over left; as it happened, it was bowled with an extra fielder in the circle.
If it doesn't swing, dig it in
With grass on the pitch and also given the history of Dubai, it was a big toss to win for India. They expected swing, but didn't get any. While there was still seam movement on offer, Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a surprise bouncer to Babar Azam. It was a brave change-up with third and fine leg both inside the circle, but the line was wide, which meant Babar had to fetch it. He managed just a top edge for short fine leg to catch.
Just as Pakistan looked to make the most of the final powerplay over, Avesh Khan came back from a six and a four with another short ball that took the top edge from a Fakhar Zaman cut. At 43 for 2, Pakistan had fallen behind the game early.
Mohammad Rizwan just couldn't come to terms with the pitch, falling behind a run a ball. He could hardly time any of his attempted big hits. Iftikhar Ahmed, batting against spinners - not his stronger suit - still managed to score 28 off 22 in a 45-run partnership.
With eight overs to go, Pakistan needed to get a move on. This is when Hardik came back to bowl with great pace and bounce. The first ball was just too high and too quick for Iftikhar, taking a top edge on the hook. In the 15th over, Hardik took out both Rizwan and Khushdil Shah with the short ball to make it 103 for 5.
Dahani, Rauf give themselves something to bowl
Pinpoint knuckle balls from Bhuvneshwar then reduced Pakistan to 128 for 9, but Shahnawaz Dahani and Rauf managed to score 29 off 13 balls between the two of them. Dahani smacked two lovely sixes, one over long-on and another over midwicket, a hook to a slower bouncer.
Pakistan's fast bowlers impress The start of India's innings was hectic. Naseem had KL Rahul play on with the second ball of his T20I career. Then Virat Kohli was dropped for a duck at second slip. Edges went past the wicket. Rohit Sharma kept getting beaten on the outside edge, enduring the slowest powerplay he has had in T20Is. The ball kept fizzing around, but in between Kohli played a lovely front-foot pull over wide mid-on and a back-foot punch. When the powerplay ended at 38 for 1, Pakistan were right in the game.
Spinners strike, India disrupt India made a bold choice playing Kohli ahead of Rishabh Pant, the only left-hand batter in the top seven. It becomes tricky for India especially when Rohit and Kohli are batting together against spin. If there was any consolation, they didn't muck around. They went for their shots, but on this pitch Nawaz was good enough to have them caught on the boundary with the last ball of the eighth over and the first of the 10th.
Between those two wickets, India improvised, sending Jadeja in at No. 4. The purpose of that move is dual. They get to know how good Jadeja can be when given more batting responsibility, and they also force Pakistan to make a change. Of course all of this would only come to matter if if Jadeja could overcome his ordinary record against spin, which he did by using his feet against Nawaz to hit those boundaries and force Pakistan to keep his last over in the bank.
Both sides hang in Now Jadeja stopped taking risks. Suryakumar Yadav tried but seam movement for Nasem flattened his off stump. Hardik and Jadeja then picked risk-free runs to see how long Pakistan could delay the return of Nawaz. Hardik especially was good enough to accumulate at a healthy rate. The bowlers began to cramp up. India played the waiting game. Even Pakistan were found three overs short, which made 32 off three overs look easier than it should.
Pandya overcomes Naseem heroics When Naseem began the 18th, it was clear Pakistan were going to try their best bets first. However, Naseem's cramps became debilitating. He could hardly charge in, but conceded just five runs off the first four balls. He came close to getting Jadeja lbw but the batter got the decision overturned on review. The knockout blow came when Jadeja timed him over long-on for a six.
Hardik then used the extra fielder in to place his boundaries instead of muscling them. Three fours in the 19th over left India just seven to get in Nawaz's over. In a final twist, Jadeja was bowled trying to play the slog-sweep, and it came down to six required off the last three. If Pakistan could keep Hardik off strike they had a chance because Karthik's record against spin is ordinary. However, Hardik coolly hit a flat six over wide long-on to take India home.
Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
Ben Foakes admits fitting into this new England men's Test side can be a struggle but hopes Test century number two is a sign he is going about it the right way.
Foakes finished unbeaten on 113 on day two against South Africa at Old Trafford, as the hosts declared on 415 for 9 to establish a first-innings lead of 264. While it was by no means the kind of aggressive innings we have become used to under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, the Surrey wicketkeeper reaching three figures from 206 deliveries, it was a vital contribution when England needed it most.
It was an especially helpful knock alongside Stokes, who scored 103, as the pair put on 173 for the sixth wicket. Having come in on 147 for 5, still trailing the Proteas by four, the absorption of pressure and the subsequent accumulation of runs, which sped up when Foakes was batting with the tail, was a nod to a lot of introspection and hard work paying dividends for the 29-year-old.
His first century came in his first innings in this format, back in November 2018 in Sri Lanka. Since then, he has established himself as a reliable No. 5 for Surrey: seven of his now 13 first-class hundreds have come for the county - he began his career at Essex, for whom he has three - at an average of 43. While he struggled at first to truly get to grips with batting lower for England, and adopting an altogether different mindset, this was a sizeable step in the right direction.
"It's a different role, at Surrey I just bat five and just play," Foakes said. "When you get on quite challenging wickets batting at seven, obviously there's a good chance you lose wickets quickly and you have to play a different way. I think for me it's learning how to do that as well as I can. Just because it's not my natural game. Finding a way to be able to, quite early on in my innings, put pressure back on the bowler rather than just batting.
"When I bat at five hundreds are definitely something I think about, but at seven I think more about just trying to contribute because obviously you're not going to get as many opportunities to get a hundred. If I can get 40 with the tail and dominate that partnership, that's my job. Getting a big partnership here and getting a century definitely gives me some confidence going forward."
There was palpable relief at getting another significant score on the board 14 Tests and four years later, not just with the celebration of fist pumps to himself before receiving a warm embrace from his partner at the time, Ollie Robinson, and the appreciation of a packed out Emirates Old Trafford.
Since his debut, Foakes was either thrust in and out on a whim or missed out through injury, as happened at the start of 2021 when he tore his hamstring. Then, during the Headingley Test against New Zealand earlier this summer, a bout of Covid-19 ruled him out of the second-half of the match and the next Test against India. Twin failures at Lord's (6 and 0) heaped more misery on him, but he has come out the other side in impressive fashion. An average of 26.91 coming into this match has already improved to 31.82 thanks to the red ink.
"I just felt awful in that game [Headingley]," he said. "Getting the opportunity of being number one and then pretty soon after getting something like that is very frustrating, I've had a bit of stuff going on since I first played but I'm used to little setbacks like that
"To be honest, in my first 10 games I was kind of looking and thinking 'jeez how hard is Test cricket'. The West Indies tour [in 2019], the wickets out there - and then I came in for those three in India [last year] and it was obviously crazy to bat on and I guess this is a different role as well.
"I think it's just that I've been a little bit out of touch," he said of his performance at Lord's last week. "I haven't been lining it up as well as I'd like in the last couple of Championship games and then in the first one at Lord's. So for me it was just working out how to do that better. That's what I worked on between these two games. And I felt like I did line it up better and play better.
"Because it's not my natural game, it's just trying to work out how to play best. And I think sometimes I haven't got the balance right because I'm not an explosive batter. If I'm trying to get the score up I can start pushing at the ball and things like that and playing at balls I shouldn't be. It's been really clear, obviously practising in a different way for that role, but also being really clear when I am just going to bat or when I have to push the button... how I'm going to do it. Don't just throw my bat outside off stump. I'm happy to get out if I'm doing this or this, but not just giving it away."
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor for ESPNcricinfo
England 111 for 3 (Bairstow 38*, Crawley 17*) trail South Africa 151 (Rabada 36, Anderson 3-32, Broad 3-37) by 40 runs
Already you can sense England warming to the thrill of the chase, and the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford isn't yet 90 overs old. On another flawed, but captivating day of vibes-driven Test cricket, Ben Stokes' men were handed an opportunity to reprise the match situations that led to their thrilling run of four victories against New Zealand and India earlier in the summer, and by the close of an 13-wicket day, that man Jonny Bairstow was just beginning to tick once again.
At stumps, South Africa's bowlers had chipped off three top-order wickets in reply to their own malfunctioning innings of 151 all out - with Kagiso Rabada's extraction of Joe Root for his third single-figure score of the series the stand-out dismissal of the day. But Bairstow, with a bristling 38 not out from 45 balls, provided the steadying hand that Zak Crawley needed to dig himself through to the close in an uncharacteristically dour 17 not out from 77 balls, to reduce the arrears to a mere 40 runs, and set up the match in the reactive fashion to which England have become rather attached.
For, in a deviation from the tactics that brought South Africa such rampant success in their innings victory at Lord's last week, Dean Elgar chose to bat first after winning the toss, despite cloudy overhead conditions and to the clear delight of his opposite number, Stokes, who gleefully confirmed he'd have bowled first anyway. By the time James Anderson had marked his 100th home Test with England's stand-out figures of 3 for 32, it was shaping up as a very good toss to have lost.
Elgar's logic had been dictated to a large degree by South Africa's team selection, with Simon Harmer restored to the XI as a second spin option alongside Keshav Maharaj, and given his prowess for Essex in the County Championship over the past five years, he could yet come into his own later in the match, on a ground where he has claimed 15 wickets at 17.60 in his three matches against Lancashire.
For the time being, however, Harmer has been limited to an exploratory final over of the day, while the absence of the lanky left-armer Marco Jansen looks like a potential oversight on a pitch offering consistent seam movement as well as extra bounce for England's quicks - not least the restored Ollie Robinson, who utilised his high release point to challenge both edges of the bat, and hinted at a renewed commitment to his fitness levels in the quickest spell of his Test career to date.
Though he claimed a solitary wicket in his first outing since the Hobart Test in January, Robinson was a handful in each of his 14 overs, spread across three spells, not least for the opener, Sarel Erwee. Despite his key contributions to the Lord's win, Erwee was never allowed to settle as Anderson and Robinson hounded him in a probing new-ball pairing, and after playing-and-missing relentlessly in an unconvincing 12-ball stay, Anderson found his inside-edge to carve an opening in the fifth over of the day.
Elgar fared little better, even after a reprieve on 10 when Robinson was denied a catch at short leg after overstepping. After taking 16 balls to get off the mark, Elgar had been limited to a solitary punched boundary through long-off when Broad - entering the attack as the hour mark approached - hit a good length outside off with a hint of away movement. Jonny Bairstow at third slip stooped low to gather, and South Africa's captain was gone for 12.
Keegan Petersen connected with a trio of off-side boundaries - two of them firm cuts and one fat edge past the slips - in his innings of 21, but Broad's hungry introduction cut short his progress. This was the first time since the Cape Town Test of 2009-10 that he and Anderson had not shared the new ball when playing together, and in his third over, more steep bounce on a good length kissed the edge of the bat as Petersen got squared up with flat feet. Joe Root at first slip swallowed the edge to leave South Africa wobbing at 41 for 3.
Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen compiled the beginnings of a fourth-wicket stand to restore South Africa's hopes of reaching lunch without further damage. But Stokes, in a typically golden-armed intervention, had other ideas.
Stokes' first breakthrough was reminiscent of Ian Botham's maiden Test wicket in 1977 - a rank long-hop that deserved to get the treatment, but instead induced the error from the batter. Markram swung lustily across the line, but managed only a steepling top-edge to Foakes, running back towards fine leg.
One over later, van der Dussen was gone as well, to an each-way bet of an lbw decision from umpire Chris Gaffaney. The ball thumped the front pad very close to the inside edge, and carried through to the keeper. Van der Dussen reviewed, but the decision stood, with DRS returning an umpire's call verdict on both impact and the top of the leg bail.
It didn't take long after lunch for the wickets to flow again - two in two for Anderson, as first Harmer and Maharaj were nailed on the front pad for plumb lbws. Kyle Verreynne then became Broad's third, as he snicked another off-stump lifter through to Foakes for 21, but England's habitual struggles to see off the tail resurfaced before tea as Rabada took to the long handle with Nortje for company.
Straight after the break, however, Robinson earned his first wicket since the Hobart Test in January as Nortje was pinned plumb lbw, before Rabada - with only Lungi Ngidi for company - aimed a wild hack at Jack Leach to be caught at slip.
That left England with a full session in which to survive or thrive, and given neither of their efforts at Lord's had extended beyond 45 overs, there was no immediate guarantee that South Africa would not be batting again before the close. Sure enough, Alex Lees was caught behind in Ngidi's first over, before Ollie Pope's skittish attempts to force the pace came a familiar cropper at the hands of Nortje's genuine pace.
But it was Root's extraction, at 43 for 3 in the 14th over, that could truly have rattled England's cage. As at Lord's, his dismissal was prefaced by a loud groan of "oh no!" - such is the surety of his shot selection, he's equally sure when he's got his choices wrong - as Erwee at first slip juggled a full four times before clutching a precious chance to his chest.
Crawley by this stage was deeply entrenched on a dour 7 from 34 balls - a far cry from the flowing attributes for which he has been retained in the team. And yet, his innings was characterised first and foremost by good choices, a steadfast refusal to be lured outside the eyeline, and a blank-batted resolve to see off anything and everything that challenged the line of off stump.
He struck just one four in his first 69 balls - and that, off Ngidi, was a freebie into his pads - before picking off a sweep against Maharaj in the dying moments of the day. But, with the match situation set in stone by South Africa's early collapse, Crawley's lack of hurry was in itself a positive option, in the truest sense of the mindset shift that Brendon McCullum has set about instilling in his players.
It certainly offered Bairstow a bedrock from which to push into his own evening's work. This was not a return to the dashing displays that had lit up his efforts against New Zealand and India, but nor, in the circumstances, did it need to be. And yet, six peppered boundaries kept his innings ticking along at a strike-rate of 84, to ensure England as a whole were still easing along at a notch under four an over - and to ensure the sight of Broad in his pads on the pavilion balcony, ready to be unleashed as the "Nighthawk" if the need had arisen. In spite of the manifest flaws on display, they could not have dreamed of a match situation that plays more clearly to their strengths.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
South Africa's middle-order batters are "under pressure" to score runs at Old Trafford after none of them got an individual score over 25 at Lord's. While Test captain Dean Elgar supports backing the same batters who did duty in the first Test, he acknowledged that there needs to be more runs from them if South Africa are to play to their full potential.
"As long as we are still getting the results on our side, backing is extremely important for those guys. We have given them a decent run of late and I am sure they know they are under pressure to perform," Elgar said. "They are proper batters. They are here for a reason.
"If they are firing in the middle order and we conduct ourselves like we have been doing of late, our Test side can only grow. But they are here, they are being backed. I don't see a change. Consistency is key to success, and even consistency in selection. It's a tough series playing against England away from home. You need to back your horses that you've been backing for a while now."
South Africa have opted for Aiden Markram at No.4, Rassie van der Dussen at No.5 and Kyle Verreynne (who batted lower at Lord's after his grandfather took ill in the stands) at No.6. Between them, they scored 46 runs and, with Test vice-captain Temba Bavuma due to return from an elbow injury later in the year, could end up competing for two spots. The choice could become between Markram and van der Dussen, who have both had lean runs, and who selection convener Victor Mpitsang is particularly concerned about. Earlier in the week, Mptisang told South African media: "If they are putting up big numbers, and contributing it would help the conversation around them."
Markram has only recently moved into the No.4 role after effectively being dropped as an opener in New Zealand following a poor run. He had scored 140 runs at 15.56 in five Tests before that. But, Keegan Petersen contracted Covid-19 and missed the trip, which opened up a spot for Markram to bat at No.3. He scored 76 runs in four innings on that tour and 16 runs at No.4 at Lord's. Van der Dussen has done better, but only slightly. He has scored 233 runs in his last six Tests at 23.30 and has not scored a half-century since his unbeaten 75 in West Indies last year.
Verreynne is the player with a lot more slack. Not only is he the wicketkeeper and likely to be in that role for the long haul but he is one of only four South African batters to score a century in their last 11 Tests. His only serious competitor at the moment is Ryan Rickelton, though he is not thought to be South Africa's first-choice gloveman. While South Africa have won eight of those matches, they remain concerned with the line-up, especially in difficult conditions.
Though he has not said it outright, that was one of the reasons Elgar chose to bowl in cloudy, humid conditions at Lord's, even though he is usually a bat-first captain. England are expecting Old Trafford to present more challenges for batters with Ben Stokes explaining Ollie Robinson's selection as being due to extra pace and bounce in Manchester.
Elgar brushed that off as tactical talk, and, as he so often does, leaned on South Africa's stronger suit to counter that. "I love the mind games," he said. "If there is going to be extra pace and bounce, I am pretty sure our fast bowlers will extract it."
On Monday evening, members of the England men's Test squad taking part in the ongoing series with South Africa - and a handful of others - filed into the Ham Yard Hotel in central London for the premiere of Ben Stokes: Phoenix From The Ashes.
On the face of it, there's nothing particularly unusual there. The perks of being an English Test cricketer is being invited to these VIP events, and any distraction from the innings-and-12-run defeat to the Proteas in the opener at Lord's is more than welcome. And attendance to show support for a team-mate's endeavour, particularly one so raw and confronting about a world they know all too well, is a given for a group who have grown close after starting the season with four emphatic wins.
However, as England trained on Tuesday afternoon at Emirates Old Trafford, ahead of the second Test, which begins on Thursday, there was an unshakeable sense the players knew their talismanic captain a lot better. Maybe not with regards to persona or humour, or wonts and desires. But of why he is who he is, how he has come to be who he is. And, fundamentally, how the fact he is their leader and one of the best cricketers this county has produced is as much because of and despite circumstance.
Players left the theatre struck by being presented with the red-eyes and cold trauma of a man coach Brendon McCullum jokes is often regarded by those around him as "bionic". Some of those present who contributed to the film as a talking head knew the framing of the movie but were still affected by seeing a mate come forward about their anxieties on the big screen. Conversations in private brought into the brightest lights.
One of those was Joe Root, a close personal friend, who has had first-hand experience of much of what Stokes discusses. Root had not seen anything but the trailer until Monday night, and admitted to trepidation when he walked into the theatre because he feared he would have played the same old notes in his contribution: "Classic, 'I love batting; I love Ben again' from me."
Despite his humility, there is a lot more from the former captain than that. And of all the reviews published so far, perhaps the most important ahead of Friday's release comes from Root. He believes absolutely that the film will have enhanced Stokes' status amongst the group and thus inspire a dressing room to come good for him.
"I think it's very powerful what he's done, to be honest," Root said. "To share his journey and his story and everything that he's had to go through. Not just with us as team but the rest of the world. I think it's quite a powerful thing and, you know, I can't see how it won't better the environment that we're playing in. And it takes great courage and shows great leadership actually, that it's okay to not be okay sometimes, and to ask for help and go and do what he's done. So it can only be a good thing.
"When you see everything that he's dealt with and put it all together and think that's only in a four- or five-year period - wow. You can forget that. Everything that's engulfed that period of time and weighed upon him throughout that journey, and I think it's quite remarkable actually that he is where he is now having been through all that."
Root admitted there were topics even he wasn't aware of. Though he expected there would be some stuff Stokes kept to himself, even if the pair are thick as thieves. "You know Ben - he has not always found it easy to tell everyone where he's at, how he's feeling," Root said.
It will be fascinating to see how Root is with Stokes going forward in a professional capacity. So far he has focused on scoring runs, with 583 at 83.28 and three centuries across five Tests this summer, though a blip of 8 and 6 at Lord's coincided with the first defeat under Stokes and new head coach Brendon McCullum. It was put to Root that over the last two years, if he does not make one fifty in the Test, England lose. Typically, he lays that on himself: "Well, it's your job, to score runs, as a batter. It's something you pride yourself on, you want to contribute to wins. That's part and parcel of it. The better you get the more expectation there is."
But after watching the documentary, he might wonder how captaincy may exacerbate some of the issues Stokes has raised. Because no one knows better than Root just how the role can grind you down. The troughs across his five years in charge were such that acknowledgement of his undoubted quality as one of the best batters - if not the best Test batter - this country has produced was dwarfed by criticism of his captaincy.
By the end, the barbs and pressure, particularly off the back of a second demoralising Ashes defeat and then a loss in the Caribbean, had started to rob him and loved ones of his true self. "I had loved leading my country," he said in his exit statement. "But recently it's hit home how much of a toll it has taken on me and the impact it has had on me away from the game."
No one will be more aware of those signs than Root. And it might be that while Stokes takes it upon himself to captain by sympathy to his players and encourage them to show their best selves while at times sacrificing himself, the former skipper must bring the empathy to ensure his friend has all the necessary support in one of the most challenging jobs.
"I think it's just a great example to everyone that regardless of what may be perceived on the outside everyone has those vulnerabilities and can get themselves into a very difficult place. To come from there you do need help and support from others. It's a great wake-up call. You've got to make sure the guys around you [are okay] and do what you can to reach out when the time's right or if you see something.
"I love batting and I love Ben. I've said it enough times! I want to try to help us win as many games as possible and score as many runs as I can. It's very easy for me. I don't play cricket to be the best captain or score the most runs, I play to win games and enjoy that with the lads I play with."
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor for ESPNcricinfo
New Zealand 212 (Allen 96, Mitchell 41, Sinclair 4-41) beat West Indies 161 (Cariah 51, Joseph 49, Southee 4-22) by 50 runs (DLS method)
Finn Allen made 96 and Tim Southee took 4 for 22 as New Zealand beat West Indies by 50 runs in a rain-affected encounter in the second ODI to level the three-match series.
New Zealand made 212 batting first and the West Indies were in dire straits at 27 for 6, potentially facing their lowest-ever total in an ODI, until a long rain break and bold late-order batting changed the course of the match.
When the rain stopped late in the evening at Kensington Oval, West Indies, who were 63 for 7 at the break, were left to chase 212 from only 51 overs.
They found an unusual hero in Yannic Cariah who posted his first half-century in an ODI and shared an 85-run partnership with Alzarri Joseph (49) which raised the hopes for the home team.
Joseph fell with the total at 157 for 9 and Cariah was the last man out for 52 with the total at 161 to make Sunday's third ODI the series decider.
Trent Boult and Southee combined to crash through the West Indies top and middle order, leaving the home team six wickets down in the 10th over. Southee finished with 4 for 22 and Boult 3 for 18.
Earlier, Allen fell four runs short of a maiden century as New Zealand overcame the loss of its captain and a stuttering start to post 212 in 48.2 overs.
Skipper Kane Williamson was ruled out with a quad muscle strain suffered in the first match of the three-match series which the West Indies won by five wickets.
Stand-in captain Tom Latham was among three batters to fall early as New Zealand struggled to 31 for 3 in the 10th over. He was out for a three-ball duck while Martin Guptill fell for 3 and Devon Conway for 6.
Allen revived the innings with an 84-run partnership with Daryl Mitchell (41) for the fourth wicket. The pair stayed together for 20 overs to steer New Zealand into a stronger position at 115-4 when Mitchell top-edged an attempted slog over midwicket and was caught at square leg.
New Zealand failed to build from the promising position. Allrounder Michael Bracewell (6) and the power hitters Phillips (9) and Neesham (1) came and went quickly.
Allen finally was out for 96 on the first ball of the 41st over when New Zealand were 165 for 7. He had faced 117 balls and hit three sixes and seven fours.
"It was nice to get the team off to what we thought was a competitive total," Allen said after the match. "I was disappointed to leave us about 10 overs short. I thought there were stills a few runs out there which we could have put on the seal the deal a bit more."
The New Zealand innings again lost direction in his absence, though Mitchell Santner made an effort to rally the tail. He found an able partner in Boult who stayed with him for five overs during which the pair added a valuable 31 for the last wicket, guiding New Zealand past their total of 190 which proved inadequate in the first match.
Boult finally was out for 16, giving offspinner Sinclair his fourth wicket of the innings. Sinclair finished with 4 for 41 as spinners shared six wickets.
New Zealand 215 for 5 (Phillips 76, Mitchell 48, Conway 42, McCoy 3-40) beat West Indies 125 for 9 (Bracewell 3-15, Santner 3-15) by 90 runs
Glenn Phillips struck a half century from 31 balls to propel New Zealand to a 90-run win over the West Indies in the second T20I in Jamaica, clinching the three-match series with a 2-0 lead.
After reaching his fifth T20I half century, Phillips went on to 76 from 40 balls and led New Zealand to 215 for 5, exceeding the 185 for 5 that was a winning total in the first match of the series. His innings included six sixes and four fours.
West Indies managed only 125 for 9 in reply, lacking the partnerships that underpinned a New Zealand total which was the highest by a visiting team against the West Indies in a T20I in the Caribbean.
Phillips put on 71 for the third wicket with Devon Conway who made 42 from 34 balls and 83 with Daryl Mitchell who made 48 from 20, the latter partnership coming off just 34 balls. In all, New Zealand scored 130 off their second 10 overs.
West Indies' best were stands of 35 for the seventh wicket between Romario Shepherd and Rovman Powell which began when the home team was 40 for 6 and the match already lost. Hayden Walsh and Obed McCoy put on 38 in an unbroken stand for the last wicket.
Phillips put to good use his knowledge of conditions at Sabina Park, which is his home ground in the Caribbean Premier League.
"Coming back to Sabina Park is amazing. I've got great memories here," Phillips said in a television interview. "Being able to get a 50 for my country over here in front of a crowd which I really love is definitely very special for me.
"Credit to the West Indies for the way they bowled up front with the new ball which was really, really good in terms of taking the pace off the ball when it was new and harder. As it got older the pitch became a bit nicer to bat on."
Seven West Indies wickets fell to spin bowlers, including the first four of the innings.
Mitchell Santner, who was Player of the Match for his 3 for 19 in the first game, took a wicket with his first ball and two wickets in his opening over to set back West Indies' run chase.
Offspinner Michael Bracewell, who replaced fast bowler Lockie Ferguson in the New Zealand line-up, also took a wicket with his first delivery, dismissing captain Nicholas Pooran as West Indies slumped to 12 for 3 at the start of the fourth over.
Santner and Bracewell both finished with 3 for 15. Tim Southee took the only wicket which fell to a fast bowler, removing Odean Smith at the tail.
Shimron Hetmeyer was the first batter not to fall to a spin bowler, run out by a direct hit at the bowler's end by New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. West Indies were 28 for 5 at that point and couldn't recover.
"We just didn't show up today," Pooran said. "They batted us out of it and we couldn't see our way with the bat. We had to stay in the game. It just didn't start well for us. We are struggling but the more cricket we play our performance will grow."
The final T20I will be played on Sunday at the same venue, followed by three ODIs
Bangladesh's bowlers were out of sync with the plans that had been discussed, and repeated mistakes, according to head coach Russell Domingo, and that was the reason they failed to defend two decent totals in a row in the ODI series against Zimbabwe. Both matches were lost by five wickets, as 304 and 291 were chased down with enough to spare; this, after Zimbabwe won the T20I series too.
This was Bangladesh's poorest bowling performance in an ODI series in the last 18 months. And it came after their best performance, when they beat West Indies 3-0 last month.
"[Zimbabwe] were 60 [62] for 3 and 49 for 4 [in the first and second ODIs, respectively], but the boys didn't deal with the pressure well enough," Domingo said. "Too many knock-ons in the field, too many soft balls, too many balls bowled to the wrong field, wrong options taken. The boys are trying but they are not learning quickly enough. They are making those same mistakes over and over again. That's the most disappointing thing. Good teams will punish you in these conditions, where it is difficult to defend the scores. They got punished by four really good hundreds [two from Sikandar Raza, and one each from Innocent Kaia and Regis Chakabva] in the last two games.
"Bottom line is that you need hundreds to get match-winning scores. Some great lessons learned for us"
Russell Domingo
"You have got to give credit to Zimbabwe, particularly Sikandar, he has played fantastically well. Two of the better one-day hundreds you will find under pressure. We left 20 runs out [in both the ODIs]. It is very difficult to defend in the afternoon. Zimbabwe thoroughly deserved the win in both those matches."
Domingo pointed out Bangladesh could have been in a better position had one or more of their batters played long innings. In the first, Bangladesh's top four got fifties, but Litton Das' 81, before he retired hurt, was the best. In the second, Mahmudullah's 80 not out was the best effort.
"It is very difficult to criticise the one-day team, based on their performance of the last year-and-a-half," Domingo said. "They have had some amazing results and fantastic wins. Batting second here is a bit of a factor but there's a lot of work to be done. Zimbabwe has four hundreds, we have got none. Bottom line is that you need hundreds to get match-winning scores. Some great lessons learned for us.
"The World Cup is still a year-and-a-half away. Fortunately, these games don't count for [World Cup qualifying] points. We have got to see it as a great learning experience."
"We didn't have couple of important players in both formats. We didn't have Shakib [Al Hasan, for the T20Is], Mustafizur and Litton didn't play today. Hopefully they are back and fit," Domingo said. "The confidence is not high in T20s at the moment. Although we have made some improvements in our batting in the last couple of games, we have some way to go. It takes one or two wins in that format to get a bit of momentum."
Zimbabwe captain Regis Chakabva decided to field after winning the toss against Bangladesh in the second ODI in Harare. While the home side's good luck continues with the coin, having won all five tosses during this white-ball tour, opposition captain Tamim Iqbal said that he was happy to bat first on a used pitch, as it may slow down in the second half.
Bangladesh have made three changes by bringing in fast bowler Hasan Mahmud, opener Najmul Hossain Shanto and fingerspinner Taijul Islam, in place of the injured Mustafizur Rahman (soft tissue edema) and Litton Das (hamstring strain) and Mosaddek Hossain.
Among them, Chivanga was not in the original ODI squad named before the first game.
Mushfiqur Rahim and Shoriful Islam were passed fit despite suffering knocks in the first game. Bangladesh had already flown in Mohammad Naim and Ebadot Hossain as additions to the ODI side after Litton was ruled out of the tour.
Zimbabwe: 1 Regis Chakabva (capt & wk), 2 Innocent Kaia, 3 Wessly Madhevere, 4 Takudzwanashe Kaitano, 5 Sikandar Raza, 6 Tadiwanashe Marumani, 7 Luke Jongwe, 8 Brad Evans, 9 Tony Munyonga, 10 Tanaka Chivanga, 11 Victor Nyauchi
Bangladesh: 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 3 Anamul Haque, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahamudullah, 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Taijul Islam, 9 Hasan Mahmud, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Shoriful Islam
In the first T20I on a two-paced Tarouba surface , India racked up 190 for 6 despite the steady fall of wickets. In the second game, on a similarly challenging surface in Basseterre, India stayed true to their attacking batting approach, but it backfired this time as they were bowled out for 138 with four balls unused in their innings. India captain Rohit Sharma has insisted that Monday's batting failure isn't a cause for concern and that India will not veer away from their gung-ho approach.
"Really, really happy with how the bowlers bowled, but of course, there are certain things in our batting that we really need to look at," Rohit said after India suffered a five-wicket defeat. "But again, I will say that as well: we will continue to bat in that kind of fashion because we want to achieve something. Unless you try and do it, you will not achieve.
"So, I think, one odd result here and there, we shouldn't panic. It's just about giving those guys that clarity, and after one loss we are not trying to change anything. We will keep [up] the same intensity and same intent with the bat."
India lost three wickets in the powerplay after being sent into bat, but they still hit 56 runs during this phase. Soon after, Rishabh Pant dashed out of the crease against left-arm fingerspinner Akeal Hosein, only to be caught at deep midwicket. Hardik Pandya, then regularly sent the ball in the air and holed out as well when he dared to hit against the wind and clear the bigger leg-side boundary. Ravindra Jadeja and Dinesh Karthik, too, picked out the fielders while looking for boundaries. Rohit admitted that India's total was below par and hoped the batters would fare better in the next game, which will also be played at the same venue, and possibly the same pitch, on Tuesday.
"Firstly, there weren't enough runs on the board for us," he said. "We didn't bat well, and I thought the pitch was playing quite nicely, but we didn't apply ourselves. But that can happen. I've been mentioning it again and again that when you're trying to achieve something or when you're trying to do something as a batting group you're not always going to succeed. So, [in] games like this you could understand what you could've done. So, we will try to learn from what mistakes we made today and try and see if we can correct those mistakes in the next game."
India made a good fist of their defence, leaving West Indies needing ten off the last over. Rohit held back Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India's most experienced seamer, and instead tested out Avesh Khan, who had got a game in place of Ravi Bishnoi, the wristspinner. Avesh had yorked Brandon King, West Indies' top-scorer on the day in the 16th over but cracked under pressure in the 20th.
A front-foot no-ball off the first delivery gave Devon Thomas a free-hit, and he tucked into it by scything a six over extra-cover. Thomas applied the finishing touches with a four next ball, but Rohit wasn't too perturbed by the result and believed that Avesh would learn from this experience.
"It's all about giving the opportunity to these guys," Rohit remarked. "We know what Bhuvneshwar Kumar brings to the table for us. He's been doing it for so many years, but if you don't give opportunity to guys like Avesh, Arshdeep [Singh] and all those guys, you will never find out what it is like to bowl in the death overs for India. They've been doing it well for the IPL franchises, but this is a different ball game. These are the games [where] you try and see how they respond to those [pressure] situations, but yeah it's just one game.
"I don't think we need to… or those guys need to panic about stuff. They have the skills, they have the talent; it's just about backing it and giving them the right opportunity."
Arshdeep, the left-arm seamer, was central to India dragging the game down to the last over. He had also conceded a boundary via a free-hit, to Kyle Mayers, in the powerplay, but was outstanding at the death with his variations in pace, length and angles. He conceded just ten runs off the 17th and 19th overs, while Hardik Pandya and the spinners did their bit as well. Rohit was particularly impressed with India's late rally with the ball.
"That is something I'm really proud of the team [for]," he said. "When you are defending a target like that, it can get over in either 13-14 overs or you drag it till the last ball. I think that's what we did today. We dragged it till the last over. The guys kept fighting and it was important for us to keep taking wickets at the same time as well. So you've got to plan and see how you're going to take those wickets and I thought the planning we did - whatever we spoke of - the guys came and executed it."
Bangladesh 136 for 3 (Litton 56, Afif 30*) beat Zimbabwe 135 for 8 (Raza 62, Mosaddek 5-20) by seven wickets
Mosaddek Hossain's stunning opening spell set up Bangladesh's series-levelling win against Zimbabwe in Harare. The part-time offspinner completed his maiden five-wicket haul in just the seventh over of the innings, and became only the fourth Bangladesh bowler to take a five-for in T20Is, after Elias Sunny, Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan
With Zimbabwe in tatters, Sikandar Raza scored a fighting half-century - his second of the series - but a total of 135 proved inadequate. Opener Litton Das spearheaded Bangladesh's chase with a half-century and the target was achieved with seven wickets in hand and 15 balls to spare.
Five wickets in seven overs Opening the bowling for the first time in T20Is, Mosaddek struck with the first ball of the match - Regis Chakabva edging the wide, innocuous delivery to the wicket-keeper. Wessly Madhevere, who had struck a fifty in the first T20I, slammed one straight to cover-point where Mahedi Hasan took an easy catch off the last ball of the over.
In his second over, Mosaddek had captain Craig Ervine caught at slip while attempting a reverse sweep, reducing Zimbabwe to 6 for 3. Sean Williams was next to go, chipping one back at Mosaddek in the fifth over, with the bowler having to jump to complete the return catch.
Mosaddek completed his five-for when Milton Shumba dragged one towards deep midwicket, only to see Hasan Mahmud run hard and complete a diving catch. Mosaddek became the first Bangladesh bowler to take the first five wickets to fall in an innings, and 31 was the lowest score for which Zimbabwe had lost their first five wickets in a T20I.
Raza leads the recovery
Raza and Ryan Burl stopped the slide with an 80-run stand for the sixth wicket. Raza scored his second half-century of the series, hitting fours through cover and deep third, and also sixes over the leg-side boundary. He struck 62 off 53 balls before falling to Mustafizur in the 19th over.
Burl had fallen in the 18th, when Hasan Mahmud bowled him for 32. Towards the end of the innings, Luke Jongwe struck a late six, as Zimbabwe tried to capitalise on the recovery that Raza had led.
Litton starts quickly Litton got Bangladesh's chase off to a quick start when he struck Tanaka Chivanga for two sixes and a four in the third over. But he lost his opening partner Munim Shahriar cheaply for the second game in a row when Richard Ngarava bowled him through the gate.
Litton added 41 for the second wicket with Anamul Haque but got out shortly after reaching his half-century - his 56 off 33 balls included six fours and two sixes. Anamul struck two fours in his 16, but once again got out soon after getting set.
The final act Afif Hossain was unbeaten on 30 off 28 balls and Najmul Hossain Shanto made 19 off 21 balls to take Bangladesh to the target. Their unbroken 55-run stand for the fourth wicket ensured there were no more hiccups for Bangladesh, who had lost their previous two wickets in the space of four balls.
The seven-wicket victory brought Bangladesh level at 1-1 in the series, with the decider on Tuesday in Harare.
India's T20 machine is purring again. All the talk coming from within the team - from the coach to the captain to the players - is that they haven't done much different. But it is fairly clear that the early exit from last year's T20 World Cup has led to some sort of a revolution.
From being a team that totally relied on their big bad top three - to the point that Virat Kohli once straight up lolled at the prospect of ever dropping Rohit Sharma - India are now front-loading their finishers just to shake things up a bit. Rishabh Pant has had a stint as opener in England. Suryakumar Yadav too in the first T20I of this series.
India have also warmed up to the idea of picking super-specialists, with Arshdeep Singh forcing his way into the XI just to bowl his remarkably hard-to-hit yorkers at the death and Dinesh Karthik pretty much nailing his spot as the 12-ball 38 not-out guy. It's a brave new world out there.
And West Indies are still trying to find their place in it. They have the raw material for another world-beating team, but they haven't gained the kind of experience that Chris Gayle and company had under their belt when they took T20 batting and broke it down into the barest essential: six-hitting. So, in a way, all these games against seriously strong opponents, regardless of the result, are simply creating the next wave of Caribbean class. But given there is a series on the line, and they did kind of dominate the first 15 overs of the first T20I, these potential superstars will feel their own time is not too far away.
West Indies: LWWLL (Last five matches, most recent first) India: WLWWW
Harshal Patel had to make way in Tarouba because conditions demanded three spinners. But now that the T20 caravan has moved to Basseterre, he might find his way back into the XI. The 31-year old seamer has an uncanny knack of bowling exactly the ball that batters don't want to face in the final overs. And a captain will want an asset like that more often than not.
Kyle Mayers' all-round ability means he is never too far from the spotlight. And the fact that he opens for West Indies means that he's the sort of player who can define a cricket match. He has already done so in the toughest format of the game - remember Chittagong 2021 - so figuring out T20 cricket shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Brandon King and Romario Shepherd are set to slot back into the XI after missing the first T20I because of US visa appointments. Also, playing just one spinner in Tarouba backfired on West Indies, so they may be tempted to look at bringing in Hayden Walsh Jr on Monday
India rarely tinker with a winning combination, especially during a series that is still live, but will they need all three spinners again in Basseterre? The quicks have taken 71 wickets in 10 matches here, averaging just 17.
In addition to being fast-bowler friendly, Warner Park has also been a relatively low-scoring T20I venue. It was here, back in 2019, that West Indies recorded the lowest total (45 all out) by a Full Member in this format. The weather is expected to be clear for the duration of the match.
New Zealand 254 for 5 (Chapman 83, Bracewell 61*, Main 2-44) beat Scotland 152 for 9 (Greaves 37, Neesham 2-9, Rippon 2-37) by 102 runs
The world-famous Johnnie Walker highball forms the focal point of the award-winning whisky tour on Edinburgh's Princes Street. It is described by the Scotch blender's own website as a "balanced mix of smoke, fruit and fizz". A mile away at The Grange, it was New Zealand's own highball concoction on parade; and the liquid equivalent's tagline could easily have applied.
For it was a perfect balance of 18 sixes that saw New Zealand notch their highest ever T20I score of 254, and claim victory by 102 runs. Half-centuries for Mark Chapman and Michael Bracewell were the dominant ingredients, as both made their respective T20I career-bests. Chapman's 83 came in 44 balls, while Bracewell's unbeaten 61 was even sharper on the palate at 25.
Chapman smashed seven sixes - getting off the mark with a straight one - after having started watchfully with four dots. A straight-arm jab off birthday boy Mark Watt fizzed to the boundary, while Hamza Tahir dropped short and was smoked for first four and then six.
He also pulled a Chris Greaves drag down to Watt on the boundary in what was his first professional knock since mid-April but there was no apparent rustiness.
At the other end, Bracewell should not, in fact, have made any. Scotland captain Richie Berrington will lament a drop in the covers long into the night. A relative newcomer to international cricket, Bracewell's ball striking is as clean as it gets, and that was particularly apparent in Ali Evans' 19th over, which went for 26.
There was both deftness - slower balls waited on and tucked away either side of the wicket - and force as he plundered 4, 4, 4, 6, 6 off the last five legal balls of the over. The first six, which brought up Bracewell's maiden T20I half-century, was slog swept over deep square leg.
Meanwhile, Chapman and Bracewell were supported by several other flavourfully fruity knocks: Dane Cleaver made a quickfire 28, Daryl Mitchell smashed 31, and Jimmy Neesham - whose maximum from the first ball of the 20th took New Zealand past 243, their previous highest T20I total, which they hit twice in early 2018 - fell to the final ball of the innings for 28 from 12 deliveries.
Neesham had wandered to the middle early in the 16th over; his partnership with Bracewell was worth 79 from 29 balls. Such was the scoring rate that at times the in-ground DJ struggled to clip up The Proclaimers quickly enough to cope with the demand for musical fillers.
In the run chase, a trio of George Munsey boundaries in the first over gave Scotland hope. But they had lost four wickets by the by the end of as many overs. Debutant Michael Jones, fresh from 206 for Durham in the County Championship, holed out to Bracewell, before Munsey, Matthew Cross and Ollie Hairs perished within the space of six balls.
Munsey was served neat by Neesham, who did not even glance to see the finger measure. Three balls later, Neesham doubled up, with Cross giving Bracewell catching practice. Then Hairs was run-out by Cleaver trying to steal a sneaky dram.
Ten overs into the Scotland innings came another New Zealand entry into the record books. Michael Rippon, a left-arm wristspinner, became the first man to bowl, well, left-arm wristspin for his country.
Two deliveries in, with the DJ again in his element, a replacement ball was fetched after Greaves had slog swept on to neighbouring Arboretum Avenue. The over cost 17, as Greaves - who last Saturday on this ground made 79 against Stoneywood Dyce in the Easter Premier League - tucked in.
Greaves then fell for 37, Ish Sodhi taking a sharp return grab, while Rippon later claimed Michael Leask and Evans.
For Scotland, two trouncings in a row, have, in the words of head coach Shane Burger, been "a massive learning curve".
But in a World Cup year, he wants more rather than less: "The more times you get thrown into this environment when they are better than you, and you have to make sure you're playing at your best, the more we will get better. We need more international fixtures against really good teams."
