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Australian Aaron Finch revived Surrey’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the NatWest T20 Blast with a brutal hundred against Sussex at the Kia Oval.Finch muscled his way to an unbeaten 114 – his third hundred in the format – to help set up victory by 17 runs against Sussex Sharks in front of a crowd of 13,229.Aaron Finch soaks up the applause after a brutal hundred•Getty Images

The 30-year-old equalled the Surrey record of seven sixes in a T20 innings held by Mark Ramprakash, striking four of them in a remarkable assault on David Wiese in the 18th over.Finch cleared the ropes off four successive deliveries – two over midwicket and two over long-off – before hitting the last balls for four in an over which yielded 30 runs and transformed the Surrey innings.Finch and Jason Roy, whose 50 was his highest score in this season’s Blast, had posted 91 in the first ten overs, but Surrey only added 31 in the next five as Chris Jordan, whose four overs cost just 19 runs, and leg-spinner Will Beer (1 for 23) dragged Sussex back into contention.Then Finch launched his withering assault on Wiese as Surrey plundered 71 off the last five overs to get them to 193 for 2.Finch finished on 114 off 64 balls with seven fours and seven sixes, the other three struck during the Powerplay. Roy cleared the ropes four times in a 33-ball half-century before holing out to deep mid-wicket.

Finch oils his ‘rusty gate’

Aaron Finch, Surrey batsman: “It was in the back of my mind to try and bat through because on that surface I knew I could do some damage at the end.
“I knew David Wiese was going to bowl slower deliveries into the wicket. He got them a touch too full and I was able to swing through the line, whereas a few overs before I was swinging like a rusty gate and couldn’t make contact with them! That over really broke the game open for us.
“We seem to play our best cricket when our backs are against the wall. We have two games left and hopefully two wins will get us into the top four.”

A target of 194 was always going to be tough to get on a pitch already used twice this summer during the Champions Trophy but Chris Nash kept Sussex’s hopes alive with his fifth half-century in this season’s Blast.The opener struck 53 off 38 balls, with five fours and two sixes, but after he was caught on the long-on boundary in the 14th over Sussex’s chase fizzled out, although Jordan and Jofra Archer added an unbeaten 39 at the end.Nash played well without being able to match Finch’s power and while he and Stiaan van Zyl were adding 48 in 29 balls for the second wicket Sussex had a chance.But van Zyl was caught at deep mid-wicket for 29 off Gareth Batty’s first ball and it turned into a profitable afternoon for Surrey’s captain.Batty bowled his left-arm spin adroitly on a pitch giving him some assistance to finish with 4 for 24 including the key wickets of Nash, Ross Taylor, whose 11 continued a disappointing run of scores for the Sussex captain, and former Surrey player Laurie Evans (6).Taylor’s side must now beat Essex at Hove on Friday to have any chance of squeezing into the last four while Surrey will probably need to win both their remaining games. Both are among five counties locked on 12 points in the table.

Match Facts

June 25, 2017
Start time 2.30pm local (1330 GMT)Andile Phehlukwayo sealed South Africa’s dramatic win in Taunton to level the series•Getty Images

Big Picture

If the character and fortitude of the tourists were at all in question after their thumping in the first T20 (not to mention a dismal Champions Trophy), South Africa delivered an emphatic riposte in Taunton. Jason Roy’s dismissal for obstructing the field took the focus but the real story was of a tenacious fightback, inspired by a fired-up Chris Morris, to level the series at 1-1.England had appeared to be cruising to another comprehensive win, with Roy and Jonny Bairstow putting on a century stand for the second wicket – but, from needing 50 off 39 balls, they instead stuttered down a dead end as South Africa silenced a boisterous crowd enjoying their first sight of an England men’s international since 1983.AB de Villiers, South Africa’s stand-in captain, had demanded a response and his bowlers delivered, as Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo and Dane Paterson successfully tied down a succession of new batsmen. Morris spoke afterwards of fronting up to justify wearing the shirt and his impassioned intervention as the match appeared to be slipping away may just have turned South Africa’s tour around.England could take plenty from the debut performance of Tom Curran, Roy’s return to form – his 67 ended a run of 10 international innings without a fifty – and the continued run-harvesting of Bairstow, but Eoin Morgan will have been disappointed to see another clutch moment go the opposition’s way. Liam Livingstone, another debutant, suffered a difficult baptism and he will hope to get a chance to prove his talent in the decider at Cardiff.There may not be much tangible resting on the final match – and England are set to bring in a couple more new faces having previously indicated they will blood all five uncapped players in the squad – but the result may take on greater significance for battles still to come.

Form guide

England LWLLW (completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa WLWLL

In the spotlight

The rapid rise of Tom Curran looks set to continue after his impressive first outing in an England shirt. Already a senior member of the Surrey attack at the age of 22, Curran took to international cricket with aplomb, showing an extra lick of pace and good variety to pick up 3 for 33. On this evidence, certainly in white-ball cricket, there will be plenty more caps to come.David Miller is the second-most experienced member of the South Africa squad in T20 internationals and a player blessed with awesome ball-striking ability. He has had chances to shape both games so far but, apart from one effortless straight six in Southampton, the runs haven’t come. South Africa could do with him firing to improve their chances of an above-par score.

Team news

Bairstow has left the squad to head off on Yorkshire duty in the round of pink-ball Championship games, which should open up a spot for Dawid Malan to make his international debut. Craig Overton is the other uncapped man, with Chris Jordan perhaps likeliest to make way after an erratic performance, while Sam Billings could also be squeezed out as deputy opener by Alex Hales’ return.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Liam Dawson, 8 David Willey, 9 Craig Overton, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Tom CurranSouth Africa found a better balance to their attack in Taunton, with Morris winning the Man-of-the-Match award. They could be unchanged, but for the temptation to bring back the No. 1-ranked T20 bowler, Imran Tahir.South Africa (possible): 1 JJ Smuts, 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 AB de Villiers (capt), 4 David Miller, 5 Farhaan Berhardien, 6 Mangaliso Mosehle (wk), 7 Chris Morris, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Dane Paterson, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi/Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

England will return to the scene of their Champions Trophy semi-final defeat – hoping for a fresh surface this time. The short, straight boundaries at Cardiff often mitigate against spin, while a cool afternoon, with the chance of some rain early on, may assist the seamers.

Stats and trivia

• England have previously played three T20 internationals at Cardiff, winning all of them.
• Only eight batsmen have been given out obstructing the field in international cricket – four of them since 2013.

Quotes

“The last couple of seasons I’ve bowled a lot of overs that may have limited my pace. But I think I may have gathered a yard. I’m getting stronger, I know my action and I’m developing.”
“First and foremost there’s that honour of playing for South Africa and the honour of playing international cricket. Not many people have ever lived the dream that we’re living. But there was a lot for Russell. He’s going through a really tough time … Coach, this one’s for you.”
Chris Morris dedicates South Africa’s Taunton win to absent coach Russell Domingo, who has returned home to be with his unwell mother

Match facts

July 14-18, 2017
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)

Big picture

When last these teams met, Zimbabwe almost survived in the first game, but were rolled over in the second, taking Sri Lanka’s Test-match winning streak to five. The world has changed dramatically since. Heading into this match at Khettarama, the hosts have a new captain, and new-ish head coach, and a startling dearth of confidence. As was the case with the ODI series, this spells opportunity for Zimbabwe.Opportunity, because Sri Lanka will have only three days to recover from one of the most dispiriting losses in their recent history. Opportunity, because Zimbabwe, though they haven’t played Tests since last November, have batsmen in form, a better set of fielders (on recent evidence), and are clearly the happier outfit in this tour.The real test will be for Zimbabwe’s bowlers. Though they triumphed in the ODIs, they took only 24 wickets compared to Sri Lanka’s 35, and never bowled the opposition out. Also, in last year’s Tests in Harare, Sri Lanka had scored 500 in each first innings, and controlled both matches from virtually the first day onwards. Graeme Cremer and his cohort of allrounders offer Zimbabwe a serviceable spin-bowling contingent, but the fast bowlers such as Tendai Chatara may have to contribute with early wickets – and he often did in the ODIs – to give their side a chance.In addition to adjusting to a new leader, Sri Lanka may also do well to rediscover the old, infectious joy that once defined their cricket, but has been in short supply in recent months.That SLC thought this would be a walkover tour is reflected in the packed schedule – three ODIs and a Test will be played in the space of 13 days. The reality is that Sri Lanka find themselves scrambling to avoid slipping on another banana skin, while Zimbabwe smell their first potential upset since 2013, when they defeated Pakistan at home.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LWLLL (completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe LLLLThe triumph in the one-day series has put Zimbabwe in a good frame of mind•AFP

In the spotlight

While in ODIs, Dinesh Chandimal‘s form has been patchy, in Tests, he has been a markedly improved batsman. While once a flasher only capable of playing at a rapid tempo, Chandimal’s two most-recent hundreds – against Australia at the SSC and against Bangladesh at P Sara – were hard fought and wrung out of difficult circumstances. It is partly that new determination that has seen him promoted to the captaincy now, and a quality he will require plenty of in this Test, as he attempts to inspire a team in significant flux.On the opposite side, stands Graeme Cremer who in the ODIs made confident statements before the deciding game, then backed it up with brave performances with bat and ball. Whether Zimbabwe will have a realistic chance of victory at Khettarama may pivot upon the quality of his legspin. The pitch may provide assistance to the quicks to begin with, but usually holds its greatest rewards for the slow bowlers. Cremer has also had success against Sri Lanka in Tests, taking 11 wickets in that series last year.

Team news

Sri Lanka have decisions to make on the bowling front. Rangana Herath is certain to play, and Suranga Lakmal is likely. Lahiru Kumara may be the preferred second seamer, but it is unclear whether they will favour the experience of Dilruwan Perera for the role of second spinner, or if they will go with the more aggressive Lakshan Sandakan.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (capt.), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Lahiru KumaraZimbabwe are likely to choose Chatara in their attack, given his success in the ODIs. Sikandar Raza may also earn a place in the XI on form. Perhaps to Sri Lanka’s relief, Solomon Mire is not in the Test side. Regis Chakabva may partner Hamilton Masakadza at the top of the order, and it is possible Tarisai Musakanda will debut, at No. 3.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Regis Chakabva, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Tarisai Musakanda, 4 Craig Ervine, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Malcolm Waller, 8 Peter Moor (wk), 9 Graeme Cremer (capt.), 10 Tendai Chatara, 11 Donald Tiripano

Pitch and conditions

There was a light cover of grass on the pitch on the eve of the match, which suggests there will be assistance for the seamers early on. However, rare is the Khettarama surface that doesn’t become spin-friendly eventually. There have been periodic showers in Colombo over the past week, and more of the same is expected during the Test.

Stats and trivia

• Dinesh Chandimal becomes Sri Lanka’s 15th Test captain. In the past, he has led Sri Lanka’s limited-overs teams, as well as captaining the Under-19 side in his senior school year.
• This is Zimbabwe’s first Test in Sri Lanka since January 2002. In 17 Tests between the two sides, Zimbabwe have lost 12 without ever winning a game.
• This is Zimbabwe’s first away Test since 2014, when they had lost 0-2 in Bangladesh.

Quotes

“More than anything, we have the self-belief that we can actually push Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, which is big for us. We have the potential to score the runs as well as take wickets. Confidence is what we will take into the Test match most.””As a player and a captain I will sacrifice my time and my effort to make sure Sri Lanka reclaims a good place in world cricket. I need a little time for that. I am hopeful that with the players that I have, I can take Sri Lankan cricket to where it used to be.”

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh has asked for India’s domestic cricketers to be given contracts in order to ensure their financial security. The uncertainty over income, according to Harbhajan, was forcing some players to reconsider their future in the game.To ease such concerns, Harbhajan sought the intervention of India coach Anil Kumble, who is scheduled to meet the Committee of Administrators and BCCI office bearers in Hyderabad on May 20 and 21 to discuss the contracts of the international players.Harbhajan said he became aware of the issue while playing for Punjab over the last few years. “I hate that I’ve found constant struggle around me in the financial situation of my first-class team-mates,” Harbhajan told Kumble in a phone message reported by . “Even though Ranji Trophy is hosted by the richest cricket board in the world, I appeal to you as a player, who is an inspiration and role model for all Ranji players.”Harbhajan told Kumble that former India players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag needed to push for a hike in the match fees of domestic players. “Imagine in today’s day and age, how can you call yourself a professional if your ‘job’ doesn’t even tell you how much you will earn yearly?” he wrote. “How can you sign up and commit your life to a job which doesn’t promise you a fixed income every year. And that too, you are paid one year after you complete your work.”It is understood that Kumble acknowledged Harbhajan’s message and said he would look into the matter.The issue came to Harbhajan’s attention when a former Punjab team-mate highlighted his plight. Harbhajan realised the player had no money to support himself or his family. He was still young but not playing anymore, having been injured for two years. Harbhajan said the player had no insurance if he got injured during the season.”The guys can’t even plan their future because they don’t know whether they would earn Rs 1 lakh or Rs 10 lakh in that year, and it leads to huge issues in their lives and families and (affects) state of mind,” Harbhajan said. “Anyway, let’s try and gently make a change for our brothers.”According to Harbhajan, other countries have a support system in place for domestic players, something that the BCCI also needs to consider.”An international player has a contract, he has everything. But there are domestic cricketers I have played with who don’t have money to pay EMI,” Harbhajan told ESPNcricinfo. “There are some who played just two matches in which they did not perform well and then were in doubt about playing in the next season.”Harbhajan said he would be happy to talk with the COA if given an opportunity. “We need to make sure that the domestic players earn enough to run a household. We need to have domestic contracts in place, regardless of whether the cricketer plays or not. In case the player gets injured, the state association should bear his expenses and assure him about his future on his return.”A BCCI official agreed with Harbhajan but said it was the responsibility of the state association to create such contracts. “The BCCI does not have any control on the selections of players and such stuff. It is the state associations that manage that. The BCCI only pays the money to players.”The money paid to domestic players is in the form of two components: the match fee and a percentage of gross revenue from the media rights income the BCCI earns annually from the home season. The match fee is not standard and depends on the media rights income. The BCCI allots 13% of the media rights income to domestic players and junior cricketers. Domestic players get 10.40% and the rest goes to the junior cricketers. On an average, a domestic player might earn anywhere between INR 80,000 and 100,000 per first-class match.

Sanju Samson came into Indian cricket with the reputation that he could become the next big thing. He was 16 when he made his T20 debut for Kerala, and in little over a year, was part of an IPL franchise. The teenager’s temperament stood out, to the point that he made a half-century batting at No. 3 in only his second game for Rajasthan Royals. Eventually though, the surprise factor faded, and the pressure got to him. Two middling IPL seasons followed in 2015 and 2016 but, on Tuesday, he took a step towards putting those memories behind him with a maiden T20 hundred that set up Delhi Daredevils’ biggest ever win.”I am very happy about this day. It’s one of the special days of my life,” Samson said at the post-match press conference. “Every cricketer here in India, his dream is to play for Indian team, which is the world’s best cricket team. So if you want to get into it, you have to be something special, you have to do something special. So I’m happy that I played one innings but there’s a long way to go.”He was bought by the Daredevils in 2016, and despite playing all 14 matches that year, he was dismissed for less than 20 seven times and finished with an unimpressive strike-rate of 112. Now, after his team had begun the new season by losing a game they should have won, Samson walked out to bat in the second over and was 35 off 19 balls with six fours by the end of the Powerplay. Then after seeing off the Rising Pune Supergiant spinners, Imran Tahir, the No. 1-ranked bowler in limited-overs cricket, among them, he made 41 off 16 balls to help push the total to 205. There were times in the past when quality bowling would force Samson into choosing the wrong shot, but he was able to keep that weakness in check and later praised the Daredevils support staff for backing him.”I think Rahul Dravid, Zubin Bharucha, Paddy Upton and each member of the team who has supported me throughout,” Samson told . “Last IPL season was not a great season for me, but they supported me throughout and I dedicate this knock to them.”I was 17 when I was with the Rajasthan Royals and since then I have been working with Dravid and feel very blessed to be learning under his guidance. Not too many people get this chance and I feel I am extremely lucky to have him around and guide me.”This success came on the back of a disappointing first-class season for Samson. Besides the lack of runs – he averaged 30.36 from 11 innings for Kerala – he was pulled up for disciplinary issues by the state association. It was alleged that he had left the team in the middle of a match, after being dismissed for a duck, and did not return until 8 or 9 pm. This led to an in-house inquiry and a KCA panel let Samson off with a warning. On Tuesday night, he said lows like that helped shape the person he was.”You need to have bad times to learn what life is about, I think. If you keep on achieving success, I think, you do not learn. If you do mistakes in cricket, or if you do mistakes in life, you learn from it and you become a better person. I think my past has helped me become a better cricketer and a better human being.”

Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer has been called up to Dharamsala as cover for Virat Kohli, who still hasn’t completely recovered from his shoulder injury.Even as India maintained Iyer is cover – and not a replacement – for Kolhi, ESPNcricinfo understands that the team is sweating over the fitness of the captain, who took a pain-killing injection two days before the Test and didn’t bat in the nets.Iyer is expected to join the team on Friday, the eve of the match. Besides a hundred for India A against the touring Bangladesh side in Hyderabad, Iyer smashed an unbeaten double hundred against Australia in a tour game at Brabourne Stadium last month.”It made sense to have a back-up batsman because in case of a contingency it is very difficult to reach a place like Dharamsala,” a BCCI source told ESPNcricinfo. “We will know more on Virat tomorrow.”Kohli hurt his shoulder while making a diving stop on the boundary on the first day in Ranchi. He spent the rest of Australia’s first innings off the field, but batted at his usual No. 4 slot and fielded in the second innings – though at slip even against the spinners rather than his usual station in the covers or midwicket.Iyer had initially been named in the India Blue squad for the Deodhar Trophy one-day tournament scheduled to also begin on Saturday in Visakhapatnam. He had a breakout first-class season in 2015-16 where he scored 1321 run to become the leading scorer in the Ranji Trophy. He finished as Mumbai’s highest run-getter (725 runs at 42.94, including two hundreds) in Ranji Trophy 2016-17, when they finished runners-up.

Pat Cummins exceeded expectations of even Australia’s coaching staff by snaring three wickets on the third day in Ranchi, to add to his one from Friday. Cummins finished the day with 4 for 59 from 25 overs, bowling with pace and venom on a good batting pitch. Among his victims were Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, two key batsmen who fell cheaply.Sending Cummins to India to replace the injured Mitchell Starc was always going to be a gamble for Australia’s selectors, given his history of significant injuries. Although he was Man of the Match on his Test debut in Johannesburg as an 18-year-old in 2011, Cummins has spent such long periods in injury recovery that this Test is just his 10th first-class match.Earlier this month, he completed his first Sheffield Shield game in nearly six years. That game was also his first first-class game of any type since mid-2015. But with the series locked at 1-1 and a historic series win in India up for grabs, Australia risked rushing Cummins in for the Ranchi Test, and his efforts on day three have given them hope.”It’s superb. I thought last night he bowled particularly well, but today he backed that up and to produce some of the balls he produced to get wickets is pretty exciting,” David Saker, Australia’s bowling coach, said. “Hats off to the selectors to go with him. Ball speed in India is a big thing because the wickets don’t generate any pace. But he was way higher than the expectations we had.”Cummins has sent down the fewest overs of any of Australia’s four frontline bowlers so far in this Test, but has looked by far the most dangerous. Saker said no restrictions had been placed on Cummins’ workload in this Test, but they did not expect him to have too much to do over the next two days.”It’s a really important Test match for us,” Saker said. “If he ends up bowling more overs than first expected, then so be it. It’s tough cricket over here and because he’s bowling so well the captain will want to keep going to him. I can’t see him bowling too many overs tomorrow and maybe if we do have a bowl on the final day, I think it will be more a spinning wicket.”The return of Cummins at Test level has also coincided with a strong domestic comeback from James Pattinson, another injury-prone fast bowler who has thrived when available. Their respective returns will leave Australia’s selectors salivating over the prospect of having Cummins, Pattinson, Starc and Josh Hazlewood all available at the same time.”It will be a bit of a headache for the selectors when it does happen,” Saker said. “It’s really good to see. Patty [Cummins] today going really well, Josh and Mitch had a fantastic summer. Then we’ve got Jimmy Pattinson, the way he’s come back in the last few Shield games and he’s got another chance in a Shield final, so that’s really good for him and good for Australian cricket.”To be strong in world cricket and especially the Australian team you need a good crop of fast bowlers and we’ve got that at the moment. But we’ve had a lot of problems getting them on the park. There are still other back-up bowlers.”Jackson Bird is here, he does a fantastic job when he’s called upon. Peter Siddle’s been outstanding for long periods of time. Chadd Sayers again, probably one of the unlucky fast bowlers in Australian cricket. We’ve got a good crop so that’s exciting for me and the Australian cricket team.”

AB de Villiers was frustrated that South Africa lacked a “spark” in the field in Hamilton but defended the team selection believing an extra spinner would not have made a difference.The opening match of the series had been played on the same ground (this was the game moved from Napier due to their outfield problems) and batting was difficult throughout. The latest surface, an adjacent strip, was not expected to be quite so helpful but spin and the use of cutters was still likely to be a key weapon.New Zealand played two frontline spinners, plus cutters from Tim Southee and James Neesham proved effective in the middle of the innings, but South Africa chose Chris Morris over left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi to replace Andile Phehlukwayo who had a groin injury. There was also less variation from the South Africa pacemen in conditions that de Villiers felt had eased up towards the second innings.”They played Imran Tahir, who is the No. 1 bowler in the world, very well tonight. I’ve no reason to think it would have been different with another spinner,” de Villiers said. “I tried to bowl JP Duminy, but it didn’t turn as much as I expected it to. I felt there was more turn very early on in the afternoon, which was weird because in the last game it turned in the evening. But all in all, the wicket played pretty well over the 100 overs and we were beaten by the better team.”Given memories of the previous game, where conditions prompted de Villiers to call them the toughest he had faced, he admitted thinking South Africa’s 279 for 8 – which included 100 off the last eight overs – would be a winning total only for Martin Guptill to make it look wholly inadequate.”I thought it was enough because of what happened in the last game. The wicket started breaking up, turned a lot, got really slow, it was exploding, but there was not a lot of that tonight which means it was a really good ODI wicket. We just came unstuck against a better team and didn’t play our best especially in the second half. I wasn’t entirely happy with our skills. While in the rest of the series we have been bowling really well, there wasn’t a spark in the field [on Wednesday] so we need to get our act together for the final now.”Throughout the series, South Africa have needed de Villiers and the lower to bail them out of middle-order wobbles. In Hamilton they lost for 4 for 30 to slip to 158 for 6 before Chris Morris and Wayne Parnell helped haul the innings around. Duminy, who was promoted to No. 4 in this game, and David Miller have had a lean time with 108 runs in seven innings but they retained the utmost faith of their captain.”They are world-class players and will come to the party when it matters most which is hopefully the next game. We all go through patches but luckily we bat deep. There is no need to panic. I believe our top order is the best in the world.”