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Barbados pulled off a two-wicket win over Guyana in a low-scoring match at Bridgetown’s Three Ws Oval to seal a semi-final spot in the Regional Super50. Chasing 187, Barbados’ Kevin Stoute (51) and Shai Hope (63) consolidated their chase in a 70-run second-wicket stand but Raymon Reifer’s four wickets kept Guyana in the hunt.Barbados collapsed from 119 for 2 to 180 for 8 and went into the last over needing six runs, before Carlos Brathwaite (11*) and Jomel Warrican (2*) helped them cross the target with three balls to spare. Earlier, Guyana were all out for 186 off the last ball of their innings, failing to recover from a position of 100 for 5 after Ashley Nurse’s three wickets at the top. Six Guyana batsmen scored 18 runs or more but their top score came from Veerasammy Permaul , who scored 32 at no. 9.Jamaica defended 204 against Combined Campuses & Colleges in Bridgetown courtesy a spirited bowling effort led by Nikita Miller, who took 3 for 12 from nine overs. Miller’s haul saw CCC slip from 124 for 5 to 130 for 8, before they folded on 160 to give Jamaica a 44-run win that took them to second place in Group B.Jamaica reached 204 after fifties from Jermaine Blackwood (51) and Andre McCarthy (51), and a late surge from Jerome Taylor (41). Between these knocks, CCC took regular wickets to keep Jamaica in check. They lost their first two wickets for 26 and then slipped from 109 for 2 to be bowled out in the 46th over. Offspinners Mark Deyal and Vikash Mohan took three wickets each.For CCC, their top score came from the extras conceded by Jamaica (30, of which 24 were wides). Cassius Burton (28), Amir Jangoo (24) and Mark Deyal (21) got starts but, with regular wickets falling, Jamaica completed a win in the 42nd over.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:08

WATCH – What happened after Najibullah Zadran lost his footing?

Afghanistan continued their puppet-mastery of UAE in Twenty20 cricket with a gritty five-wicket win in front of 8000 fans at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. UAE had raced to 91 for 2 in the first ten overs after being sent in, but legspinner Rashid Khan sparked a revival in the field to limit UAE to 55 off the final 10 overs. The total could have been even less had Afghanistan not grassed five chances, including three by their fielder with the best catching reputation in the side, Mohammad Nabi.Just as the slow bowlers held UAE in check, the tandem of left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza and legspinner Imran Haider put the brakes on Afghanistan’s innings after captain Asghar Stanikzai had propelled them to 68 for 3 in the first ten. Samiullah Shenwari laboured through the middle overs scoring at less than a run a ball – he was on 23 off 35 balls at the 14-over mark – to leave Afghanistan needing 59 off the last six overs.Like Namibia 24 hours earlier, UAE struggled gripping the ball later on thanks to evening dew and loose deliveries helped Afghanistan keep the required run rate manageable. With 20 needed off 12 balls, Karim Janat struck a boundary over midwicket to begin the 19th and then swayed out of the way of one speared down leg by fast bowler Mohammad Shahzad that went for five wides and in less than 60 seconds the equation was down to a run a ball. An extraordinary six by Najibullah Zadran over extra cover left Afghanistan needing two to win and victory was achieved with seven balls to spare thanks to another wide followed by a single down the ground.Sedate ShaimanDespite entering in the second over and batting until halfway through the final over, Shaiman Anwar finished his innings scoring at just a run a ball. In fact the only two instances when he had more runs than deliveries faced occurred after cutting Dawlat Zadran through point in the sixth over to move to 12 off 11 balls and the tennis-style smash to a short ball back over mid-off for another boundary off Dawlat in the final over that took him to 52 off 51 balls. He was bowled by Dawlat’s next delivery.Shaiman struggled throughout his innings, dropped three times – on 7, 28 and 45 – as well as being caught off a no-ball on 12. UAE were only four wickets down after 17 overs with the score on 126, but Shaiman never showed a sense of urgency to switch into a more aggressive mode.Reliable RashidA crowd which had been roaring virtually non-stop in the win over Ireland on Saturday night was kept eerily quiet for most of the first ten overs while Mohammad Shahzad, Rohan Mustafa and Ghulam Shabber plundered the Afghanistan fast bowling. When Stanikzai tossed Rashid the ball to signal a bowling change for the 11th, the Afghanistan fans started to come to life with hopeful cheers. They expect Rashid to conjure up some form of magic on a regular basis now and the 18-year-old rarely lets them down.Rashid Khan’s figures of 2 for 12 revived Afghanistan’s bowling effort•Peter Della Penna

With every dot ball and appeal for leg before the south stand’s buzzing grew louder. Rashid’s first two overs were wicketless, but the crowd roared their appreciation for having conceded just five runs, with nine dot balls. The pressure he built resulted in Shaiman offering a chance on the following ball, to start the 14th over, before Ghulam was dismissed by Dawlat from the next one, top-edging a bouncer as Afghanistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad waited for a swirling chance to settle in his gloves.Rashid finally broke through in his third over getting Rameez Shahzad stumped. He barely celebrated, showing more energy in his lbw appeals and deliveries that just missed off stump. In his final over, he became slightly more animated when he bowled Muhammad Usman behind his legs, pointing Usman back to the pavilion after the batsman had walked across the stumps for a paddle scoop. By the time his spell of 2 for 12 had finished the in the crowd were back thumping in rhythm.Look ma, one hand!Najibullah has been a thorn in the side of UAE for the last month. In Afghanistan’s 3-0 T20I sweep over the same opponents in mid December, Najibullah scored 104 runs off 45 balls in three innings without being dismissed. After the stunt he pulled off here, UAE may be wondering if they will ever find a way to get him out.On the fourth ball of the 19th over, Mohammad Shahzad went round the wicket and bowled full and way outside off stump. It was well outside the tram lines and would have comfortably been called a wide had Najibullah left it alone. Instead, he chased after it and in the process lost his balance and his footing. He took his left hand off his bat to brace his landing but, rather than abort his shot, scythed away one-handed and sent the ball sailing five yards over the extra cover rope for an improbable six.In the manner of street basketball And1 Mix Tape legend Anthony Heyward, Najibullah may have just earned himself a new nickname: “Half Man, Half Amazing”. At the very least, his superhuman shot put a full stamp on another victory for Afghanistan.

Dale Steyn has joined convener of selectors Linda Zondi in endorsing AB de Villiers as South Africa’s permanent Test captain, and wants to see him back in the role once fit.”I think so, he is the captain. He is definitely the captain,” Steyn said at an exhibition match between the South African cricket and rugby teams at Newlands. “I know Faf has done really well for us right now, but AB is the captain. He has earned that spot. He has played for a long time, and he said he wants to do it and he got the opportunity to. Unfortunately, he got injured, but he is the man at the end of the day.”De Villiers was named Test captain in February after having taken the role temporarily when Hashim Amla stood down midway during the home series against England, but has yet to properly assume his new job. An elbow injury that required surgery kept de Villiers out of the home Tests against New Zealand in August and the series in Australia. He is expected to be fit for the Sri Lanka series, which starts on Boxing Day. But he has only had one net session so far and has yet to get any game time, which is why Graeme Smith felt de Villiers’ focus should be on getting match fit before he thinks about the captaincy conundrum.”The most important thing for AB now is just to focus on getting back and fit and playing cricket. I don’t think he should even engage in thinking about that (the captaincy) because he can’t captain from the sidelines,” Smith said. “Having had an elbow injury, it’s not an easy thing to recover from. It takes time, getting those tendons strong and all those muscles. That’s your primary arm that you use when you bat. He should focus on that. The sooner we can get him playing cricket for South Africa, the better.”Smith said he enjoyed seeing South Africa “streamline” the leadership, but explained they may be wary of appointing one captain across formats as T20s could create the space required for managing the Test and ODI captain’s workload. “It’s very difficult to captain all three formats, and the T20 format is a difficult one because you don’t play a huge amount of cricket. So is that the right time to rest your captain, with the workloads he is going to have in one-day and Test cricket?” Smith asked.”There should never be any question about who the real captain is,” Steyn said in support of AB de Villiers continuing in that role•Getty Images

Smith isn’t the only one to voice that concern. After de Villiers spent a significant period of the previous summer hinting that heavy workloads could send him into early retirement, the most obvious solution seemed to be him playing fewer, or even no international T20s. Du Plessis is the captain in that format, and with no ICC event scheduled until 2020, de Villiers may not get a chance to win a major trophy in T20Is, choosing instead to focus on Tests and ODIs. In that case, “keeping your captain fresh is an important part of maintaining success,” Smith said.The only problem with that is that South Africa’s recent successes, after the troubles in the previous summer, have come under du Plessis. He was brought back to lead the side, after being dropped for the final Test against England earlier this year. South Africa won both series’ they played under him to begin their climb from No. 7.Du Plessis’ leadership was widely praised, and the squad showed him an extraordinary level of support, particularly when he was charged with ball tampering. Du Plessis himself said he saw that as a sign they “respected him” as a leader. However, he was quick to dismiss suggestions that he was after de Villiers’ job, saying he was “100% behind” de Villiers when he returns as captain.Steyn, who will be sidelined for at least the rest of this season as he recovers from a broken shoulder, agreed. “When AB steps back into the side, there should be almost no question about it. I know there have been eyebrows raised because Faf has done well, but there should never be any question about who the real captain is or who the captain is, and he should just step back into it and continue what Faf has already started.”

South Africa coach Russell Domingo has not yet been given a mandate about the targets his bosses expect him to implement for the New Zealand Tests. The two-match series is the first South Africa play since last month’s announcement that CSA will impose selection criteria relating to the number of players of colour in all national teams in accordance with a memorandum of understanding signed with the country’s sports ministry.”There has been nothing officially documented to me at the moment. We will continue to do what we have always done and that is pick our best XI players,” Domingo said.South Africa have – officially between the late 1990s and 2002, and unofficially since then – adhered to a policy of an average of four players of colour in a starting XI. The most recent example of this application came during the 2015 World Cup semi-final when Vernon Philander, who had battled injury through the tournament, was picked ahead of the in-form Kyle Abbott after South Africa’s captain, coach and convener of selectors had met with the CEO, who reminded them of the need to pick the best XI “bearing in mind transformation guidelines.”In the immediate aftermath of the tournament, domestic targets in South Africa were increased. Each franchise was required to field at least six players of colour, of which at least two had to be black African, up from five players of colour the season before, but CSA maintained there was no pressure to do the same at the national level.However, in April this year, CSA became one of four national federations to be banned from bidding for or hosting major tournaments by the sports ministry as punishment for the slow rate of transformation. The ministry deemed teams that comprised 60% players of colour to be representative. Cricket fell short by 5%.In order to meet the 60% criteria, South Africa would need to field at least seven players of colour in the national team. The squad for the upcoming New Zealand series includes seven players of colour, of which two are black African, and Domingo insists all of them will play on merit. “We are fortunate in that it hasn’t been an issue for this particular side. If someone says to me Kagiso Rabada is playing because he is black, they can go and jump in the Indian Ocean because he is a world-class player,” Domingo said. “And if someone says Hashim Amla or JP Duminy or Dane Piedt is playing because of the colour of their skin, they are smoking something. They have proven themselves at domestic cricket and in international cricket. We are just going on business as usual.”However, several local media institutions have reported that CSA and the ministry have agreed on six players of colour as long as two are black African, which will present an additional challenge to team balance. Already, Domingo has indicated South Africa will field a specialist spinner, and with Piedt the only option in that department, he will fulfill that requirement while also filling up one of the players of colour slots.”We always want to lean towards playing a spinner. The wicket in Durban over the last five or six years has helped the spinners. Also, for the development of our team, it’s important that we give the spinner the opportunity to try and settle into that position,” Domingo said.With the top five settled – Stephen Cook, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy – and filling up another two of the player of colour slots, the competition will come in the lower order and bowling department. South Africa have two options for the allrounder’s spot in Wayne Parnell and Chris Morris, although they may opt to use Vernon Philander in that position at the outset. They also have four bowlers to choose from, including Dale Steyn, Philander, Abbott and Rabada, with Abbott the most likely to miss out.Although both Steyn and Philander sat out a significant part of the previous season with injuries, Domingo indicated they were in line for recalls on reputation alone. “Welcoming Dale and Vernon back after a long time with their experience, to go with the excitement of Rabada, is good for us,” he said. “We are very glad to have Dale back. He gives the side a lot of confidence and a lot of belief. Also, it puts the opposition under a bit of pressure, knowing that Dale Steyn is in the line-up.”Perhaps the only thing that will push Abbott ahead is that Kingsmead was his home ground – he has since moved to Warriors at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth – although like everyone else, he may not know what to expect from the conditions in August. Never before has a Test been played in Durban at this time of the year, and Domingo is expecting some unknowns.”For five or six days out, the pitch looks pretty good,” he said. “They’ve got to take more time because there’s not as much heat as there is in summer, but it looks really good. I am a little bit concerned with the outfield, it doesn’t look too good. We also don’t know how much the ball is going to swing in the morning, or if the field will be dry when we start in the morning. Those are the things we need to consider.”

Australia batsman Usman Khawaja has said transitioning to red-ball cricket after a long break from Tests will be his side’s biggest challenge in their upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Australia last played a Test in February this year, against New Zealand.”We haven’t played red-ball cricket for a while,” Khawaja said. “Weird seeing the red ball coming down the first time when it did [in an intra-squad practice game]. We were out in the field all day yesterday and you forget how tough being out on the field is. Going to have to do five days of it. Test matches is the hardest form, I reckon, mentally and physically. Going five days, especially in heat like this… If it goes that far, it’s going to be pretty tough. It gets easier the more you do it.”In a way it’s nice we have got three formats of the game. It can be a lot sometimes but I really enjoyed playing white-ball cricket. Now enjoying coming back for some Test stuff, doing something different.”Since the Tests against New Zealand, Australia have played T20s in South Africa, the World T20 and the ODI tri-series in the West Indies. Khawaja, who announced yesterday that he had got engaged following the tri-series, suggested Sri Lanka’s heat could also be an obstacle once the Tests start.”The weather is a big challenge. Very hot and humid. The conditions are different, similar to what you get in West Indies and India. Not too foreign, but one of those places where if you start scoring some runs, you’ll get comfortable. If the wicket deteriorates, though, it could get tough to score too.”Australia’s squad of 15 is playing intra-squad warm-up games in Colombo, leading up to the first Test in Pallekele from July 26. That will be followed by Tests in Galle and Colombo, before the limited-overs leg featuring five ODIs and two T20s.