West Indies call-up Tagenarine Chanderpaul insists he is focused on being himself ahead of a possible debut for the Caribbean team in the upcoming series against Australia next week.

On Thursday, the 26-year-old Chanderpaul made 119 off 293 balls during the team’s warm-up game against a Prime Minister’s XI, in the ongoing four-day tour match in Canberra.  The knock featured a risp 11 fours and a six on his way to reaching triple figures.

Chanderpaul, who was called up to the team last month, is widely expected to partner Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite at the top of the innings for the match-up with the world number-one ranked Aussies, following the suspension of John Campbell.

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Ahead of the player’s potential debut, comparisons to his famous father, West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul, are inescapable.  In an outstanding 164 Test match career for the West Indies, Chanderpaul scored 11867 runs, which puts him second all-time behind the great Brian Lara.  It’s a towering legacy to live up to.

“They’re big boots but I try and be myself.  I can only be myself, so I just try and be me,” the young Chanderpaul said after Thursday's match.

Like his father, Tagenarine has shown the propensity to be watchful and patient at the crease, which could bode well for the regional team.  The batsman, however, is hoping to eventually be recognized for his own style.

"I try and be myself. I can't replicate him, so I can only be myself. Fingers crossed… I'll try to get some runs if I'm selected."

New Zealand face a test of their ODI strength against 2023 World Cup hosts India – and they must do so without a mainstay in Martin Guptill.

Veteran opener Guptill, who has played 198 ODIs, has followed in the footsteps of fellow experienced stars Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme in seeking a release from his New Zealand Cricket contract.

That has been granted, and while Guptill insists he remains available for international duty as he seeks playing opportunities elsewhere, he will play no part in the series that starts on Friday.

The Black Caps return to their Eden Park stronghold for game one of a three-match series. They have won six of their last seven men's ODIs at the Auckland ground, including a 22-run victory against India in their last match at the venue, in February 2020.

New Zealand swept that series 3-0, but the last time they won back-to-back ODI series against India was when they prevailed in 1976 and 1981.

These are two of the titans of the ODI game, likely to be major contenders come the World Cup next October and November.

India have won seven of their last eight multi-game bilateral ODI series, including five in a row since losing 3-0 to South Africa at the start of this year, while New Zealand's recent run of four series successes was ended with a 3-0 loss to Australia in September.

New Zealand have not lost back-to-back ODI series since October 2017, when they were beaten 2-1 by India. Guptill featured then but sits this one out, and it remains to be seen whether he will be back, with 23-year-old Finn Allen preferred for now.

Home captain Kane Williamson said of Guptill on Thursday: "He's made a decision to explore a few other options, but as a player and as an experienced member of the group, he's added so much value over the years and been one of our best white-ball players ever.

"[He] absolutely will be missed, but he is not retired, so there's a lot to keep working through over the next period to get a real feel for how the picture looks."

India are under-strength, with captain Rohit Sharma leading the absentees, who also include Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah. Shikhar Dhawan captains the tourists.

New Zealand seek to avenge soggy setback in T20s

India won the three-match T20 series between these sides by a 1-0 margin after the first game was abandoned without a ball being bowled, and the third was called a tie on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern rules after rain arrived when it was evenly poised.

It has to be hoped the wet weather stays away this time, with Williamson one game away from equalling Daniel Vettori (82) for the second-most appearances as captain for New Zealand in men's ODIs.

Only Stephen Fleming, away and clear with 218 games as captain, has led the Black Caps more often.

India must prepare well for Bracewell

New Zealand batter Michael Bracewell has hit 17 boundaries (10 fours, seven sixes) during the death overs (41st to 50th) in men's ODIs in 2022, more than any other player from a Test-playing country this year.

If it comes to the crunch and Bracewell is at the wicket, New Zealand will fancy their chances.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul scored a hard-fought 119 off 293 balls on Thursday to lift his side to 234 for 7 at stumps on day two of the pink-ball match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.

The tourists made a bright start to their innings, moving to 94 without loss following strong efforts from Chanderpaul and Kraigg Brathwaite. But, when Brathwaite chopped on a Steketee delivery for 47, it sparked a collapse of 44 for 4 as West Indies began to fold.

Western Australia paceman Joel Paris found the edge of Nkrumah Bonner's bat to send him packing for a duck before spinner Todd Murphy bowled Devon Thomas and then trapped Kyle Mayers in front eight overs later. Chanderpaul held the innings together, striking 13 fours and one six on the way to posting his sixth first class century.

Victoria’s Murphy claimed 3 for 27 in an impressive display, while Western Australia’s Joel Paris also claimed three scalps.

Earlier, The PM's XI made 322 in their first innings, leaving the four-day clash delicately balanced.

The PM's XI added a further 25 runs to their overnight score of 297 for 9 before Mark Steketee was last man out for 15. Paceman Alzarri Joseph was the pick of the touring bowlers with 4 for 65, while spinner Roston Chase finished with 2 for 72.

West Indies wicketkeeping great Jeffrey Dujon believes the decision taken by captain Nicholas Pooran to step down is the best one for the player at this point in time.

The 27-year-old, who took charge of the region’s white-ball teams earlier this year, made the surprise decision to step down as captain, after just 7 months on the job.

As captain of the team, Pooran had faced severe pressure following the team’s poor showing at the T20 World Cup.  The West Indies failed to advance from the first round of the competition, following losses to Scotland and Ireland.  The results led to the resignation of the team’s head coach Phil Simmons but having only just been appointed to the post, Pooran was widely expected to keep the position.

Dujon admitted to being surprised but believes the player has done the right thing given the circumstances.

“I think it’s a good thing for him.  As a young player, you have been given responsibility but things haven’t worked out for him,” Dujon told the Mason and Guest radio program.

“He still has a career ahead of him and shedding this responsibility might just help his cricket as time goes on,” he added.

Pooran captained the T20 team for 23 matches, winning 8 and losing 14 for a win ratio of 35 percent.

Teenager Rehan Ahmed is in line to become England's youngest ever Test player, while Jofra Archer has moved closer to a return to the senior fold.

Leicestershire spinner Ahmed has been with the England Lions during their red-ball training camp and has now been added to the main team for their upcoming tour of Pakistan.

If selected for the opener in Rawalpindi on December 1, Ahmed would eclipse a 70-year-plus record held by Brian Close to become the youngest Test representative for the country.

Despite a rough performance with figures of none for 73 over eight overs for the Lions in their inter-camp match with England, coach Brendon McCullum has no hesitation in adding him to his party.

"We know he's not the finished article and has raw potential, but [captain] Ben [Stokes], myself and the rest of the coaches like how he approaches his game," McCullum stated.

"The experience of being part of the squad in Pakistan will be hugely beneficial for him, and he will add to the make-up of our squad."

Archer meanwhile, a member of the 2019 T20 World Cup-winning squad who subsequently parachuted into the Test setup, has struggled for a regular place with England amid a series of debilitating injuries.

Running out for the Lions alongside Ahmed, Archer posted figures of none for 38 off nine overs, having not played for the senior team since March 2021.

Archer has taken 42 wickets across 13 Test matches so far for England, and could be eyeing a return when the team travels to South Africa at the end of January next year.

West Indies bowlers toiled early but struck back late to restrict Australia’s Prime Minister’s XI to 297-9 from 89.3 overs at the end of the first day of their four-day match at Canberra on Wednesday.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, the Prime Minister’s XI got a solid start as openers Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris shared in an opening stand of 134 inside 42 overs.

Jayden Seales broke the partnership when he had Harris caught by Kyle Mayers for 73.

Renshaw made 81 for the Prime Minister’s XI, who also benefitted from 55 from the bat of Peter Handscomb as the home side looked set for a score above 400 at 250-4.

However, Roston Chase led the West Indies fightback when he dismissed Aaron Hardie for 23 and then removed Handscomb as the Prime Minister’s XI slipped to 253-6.

Alzarri Joseph then bowled Ashton Agar for 33, Michael Neser for 10 and Joel Paris for two with the last ball of the day to finish with figures of 3-52 from 17.3 overs.

Chase’s two wickets in 21 overs cost 72 runs while Kemar Roach, Mayers and Raymon Reifer had one wicket each.

David Warner believes he can stake a claim to play in Australia's next home ODI – even if that means he must wait until 2024.

The opener struck a terrific 106 in Australia's thumping win over England on Tuesday that sealed a 3-0 ODI series victory.

He joined Travis Head (156) in an opening partnership worth 269 runs, which set a record for the first wicket at the MCG.

Australia prevailed by 221 runs under Duckworth-Lewis-Stern rules at the Melbourne venue where nine days previously England celebrated winning the T20 World Cup. It was England's heaviest ODI defeat, runs-wise.

The latest century for left-hander Warner was his fifth against England and a first since the Boxing Day Test in 2017, taking him to 3,067 runs across all formats against Australia's great rivals.

That is the most runs he has scored against any opposition, albeit he has faced England 69 times and no other team on more than 50 occasions.

Indeed, Warner's all-formats batting average of 34.46 against England is the lowest he has achieved against any international team he has faced more than twice.

He was rightly jubilant to get to three figures this time, though, saying: "I think we played fantastic in this series.

"We know that with England [winning] the World Cup, and a long tournament, these games are quite hard to get up for.

"But we played exceptional cricket, the bowlers did a fantastic job and the batters just went out there and tried to execute as well as we could, especially in the power play, and we managed to do that."

Addressing a long wait for the next ODI to be played at home, which is set to come when West Indies tour in early 2024, Warner said: "Look, 2024 is a long time away. There's a lot of cricket to be played in-between there, obviously in all three formats.

"If I can keep keeping fit, scoring runs and doing the best I can for the team, yeah, I might be here."

Warner will turn 38 in October 2024 and has indicated he could retire from Tests after next year's Ashes series in England, but he evidently sees the short format as an area where he might sustain his career for longer.

England captain Jos Buttler is thriving as a limited-overs specialist, even if his team came a cropper during this series.

"We tried our best. We fell a long way short. I thought Australia outplayed us in every department and all credit to them," Buttler said.

Yet he and England will return home as world champions in cricket's shortest international format.

"We've got lots to be proud of," Buttler said. "You don't need a long memory to remember the scenes here last week. We got exactly what we wanted from coming here and we're very proud of that."

Travis Head and David Warner plundered stunning centuries as Australia crushed England by 221 runs at the MCG to seal a 3-0 ODI series sweep.

The openers forged an alliance of 269 runs as Australia posted 355-5 in a rain-interrupted match in Melbourne, with England only able to muster 142 all out in reply, suffering a third emphatic defeat.

Australia's innings was trimmed to 48 overs, which meant under the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern calculations England's target was set at 364 for victory, which they got nowhere near. Nine days after winning the T20 World Cup on the same ground, England's response to Australia's total was largely listless.

Head made an ODI career-best 152, while Warner was out for 106, his 19th century in this format. They put on the ninth-highest first-wicket stand in ODI history, second only for Australia to the 284 that Head and Warner themselves amassed in January 2017 against Pakistan.

It was their second 200-plus partnership, and only Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene and Upul Tharanga, who have managed three, have achieved more as a pairing in ODIs.

Olly Stone eventually removed both openers in the same over, the 39th of Australia's innings, on the way to bowling figures of 4-85 from 10 overs.

England's opening partnership, in stark contrast, was worth only 15 runs, with Dawid Malan falling for just two to Josh Hazlewood in the third over. Jason Roy top scored with 33, as Adam Zampa took 4-31 in the rout.

Warner beats Hayden record

Warner now has 6,007 runs from 139 ODI innings, becoming the 10th Australian batter to reach 6,000 runs in the format. He has reached the milestone in the fewest innings of all Australians, beating Matthew Hayden's previous record of 154 innings.

Head rush

Head's 152 goes down as the second-highest score by an Australian player in the history of men's ODIs against England, bettered only by Shane Watson's unbeaten 161 in January 2011. The thrashing gave Australia's men just their second whitewash of England in a multi-game bilateral ODI series, 29 years after the first, also a 3-0 victory.

Rain dashed New Zealand's hopes of a drawn T20 series with India, as the two sides tied their final match on DLS after the heavens opened at McLean Park.

Half-centuries for Devon Conway (59) and Glenn Phillips (54) helped the hosts post a total of 160 all out in Napier, as they sought to level their three-game contest with the tourists. Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj each took four wickets for India.

But hopes of a grandstand finish were dashed when both sides were pulled from the field with India on 75-4 in pursuit after nine overs.

That meant Hardik Pandya's side had matched the par score under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, ensuring that with no restart, the match became a rare tie in T20 international cricket.

After a washout in Wellington saw no result, India had run out convincing victors in Mount Maunganui on Sunday to take the lead heading into this final contest.

They therefore hold on to win the series 1-0, with the two teams now set to meet in a trio of ODIs starting on Friday in Auckland.

India restore pride after World Cup

Having fallen short in the T20 World Cup earlier this month, victory over the Black Caps has been a restorative process for India over the past week, despite the weather.

With four wickets down on the scoreboard, there would have been a question over whether they were likely to catch New Zealand's total – but the weather means they have a series win to their name.

Conway and Phillips' efforts in vain

With close to 75 per cent of New Zealand's total posted between them, Conway and Phillips rescued what could have otherwise been a worryingly low score for New Zealand.

Ultimately, with Tim Southee having taken 2-29 off three overs, their efforts might have been enough to see them home, had the weather not intervened.

“A nice and competitive game,” is what West Indies Test Captain Kraigg Brathwaite expects when his team continues their preparation for their two-match series against Australia by taking on an Australian Prime Minister’s XI in a four-day game warm-up fixture beginning on Tuesday in Canberra.

The Windies already have one warm-up fixture under their belt, a high-scoring three-day match against a combined NSW/ACT XI which ended in a draw on Saturday.

That game saw the Windies get scores of 424-9 declared and 114-4 while their opponents got 426-4 declared.

“Everyone is feeling good. We had a nice, competitive three-day game. The pitch was more batting friendly but I think our bowlers got a good run out as well.”

Australia’s PM’s XI will feature players with a lot of international experience and Brathwaite says this will give his side a big test ahead of the series.

“This second game is obviously a different team; a much more competitive team so we look forward to that challenge,” he said while also noting how important it will be to get used to the pink ball ahead of the first test.

“Gearing towards the first test, it will be good to get used to the pink ball and the conditions here in Australia. It will react differently off the surface, especially when the lights turn on. It tends to do a lot more at night so that is something we have to keep on our minds,” Brathwaite added.

The match gets underway on Tuesday at 10:00pm Jamaica time (11:00pm ECT).

Shaheen Shah Afridi's recovery from an injury suffered in the T20 World Cup final rules him out of Pakistan's 18-man squad to face England in a three-match Test series in December.

Afridi landed awkwardly while catching Harry Brook in Pakistan's defeat to England in the final, though he was cleared him of a serious knee injury and it was announced he would need a fortnight of rehabilitation.

However, the paceman then underwent surgery on his appendix and the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed he will not feature in a Test series that starts at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on December 1.

Haris Rauf's impressive white-ball performances have earn him a Test call-up, but Hasan Ali misses out after taking just five wickets in his past four Tests.

Fawad Alam is another notable absence after scoring only 58 runs in four Test matches in 2022, a distinct downturn in form from the previous year when he recorded 571 runs in nine matches.

Uncapped bowlers Mohammad Ali and Abrar Ahmed are included following some impressive displays in first-class cricket.

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood.

David Warner has welcomed the chance to have his lifetime ban from captaining Australia reviewed following a change in Cricket Australia's (CA) code of conduct, while lamenting the delay in allowing him to appeal.

CA ruled that the opening batter would never hold a leadership role again due to his part in the 2018 Newlands ball-tampering scandal.

Warner, who was said to have played a key role in Cameron Bancroft using sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball during the Test against South Africa in Cape Town, had been touted as a candidate to replace Aaron Finch as ODI skipper following his retirement from the format in September.

While Pat Cummins was named as Finch's successor last month, the door may be open to Warner captaining his country in the future after CA amended its code of conduct.

Players were previously unable to appeal against sanctions after accepting them, but Warner is relieved to have the opportunity to seek a review of his ban under a new policy.

"I'm not a criminal," Warner said on Monday. "You should get a right of an appeal at some stage. I understand that they put a ban in place, but banning someone for life, I think it's a bit harsh.

"Where it's been disappointing is it's taken this long to get to where it has. It was brought up in I think February this year. So it's been drawn out.

"It's traumatic for me and my family and everyone else that was involved in it. We haven't needed to go back into that detail. We don't need to relive what happened.

"But it's good to get in a position where we are now today. It gives me an opportunity to ring up the integrity unit to have a word to them and put forward my case of, I guess, the 100 hours [of community service] that I did in 2018.

"Basically, all this good behaviour stuff that I've done, I think I have to put forward, so I'm happy to do that."

In a statement released on Monday, CA said: "Players and support staff can now apply to have long-term sanctions modified.

"Any applications will be considered by a three-person review panel, comprising independent code of conduct commissioners, which must be satisfied that exceptional circumstances exist to justify modifying a sanction."

CA's new policy allows for the panel to modify punishments if it is felt the recipient has "demonstrated genuine remorse" or shown good behaviour since the ruling, while they will also consider the length of time which has passed since a sanction was issued.

The Jamaica Scorpions had two of the top three leading run scorers in the 2022 CG Insurance Super50 competition that ended on Saturday night with the Jamaican franchise defeated the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force by three wickets in a tense encounter at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

Captain Rovman Powell ended the tournament with the highest aggregate of 346 runs, just four more than Red Force captain Nicholas Pooran (342) and nine more than his teammate Brandon King (337). But it was success of his bowlers that led the Scorpions to their first regional 50-over title since 2012 when Tamar Lambert led Jamaica to victory.

Four Jamaican Scorpion bowlers are among the top 10 wicket takers in the tournament – Odean Smith and Nicholson Gordon each took 15 wickets and shared the prize of leading wicket taker with Red Force and former West Indies paceman Shannon Gabriel. Not far behind were spinner Dennis Bulli with 14 wickets and Jeavor Royal with 12.

Asked about the impact of Smith and Gordon, Powell said the two pace bowlers were key to the team’s success this season.

 “They were very, very important in the sense that every time I gave them the ball they delivered right throughout the tournament,” he said.

“As a captain, it is very good when you find bowlers that give you wickets in crucial times of the game and both of them have been fantastic throughout the entire tournament. Not the most fast-bowling friendly wickets to be honest but they have been very good.”

Smith took his 15 wickets at an average of 19.26 and economy of 5.25 wicket while Gordon was slightly more expensive at 21.26 and economy of 5.94.

Bulli snared wickets at an average of 18.64 and economy of 4.75 while Royal took his 12 wickets at an average of 21.91 and economy of 3.92.

Meanwhile, the team has been praised by the Jamaica Cricket Association on its triumphant season.

The Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) congratulates our national senior men’s team “The Jamaica Scorpions” on winning the regional CG United Super 50 Championship. This achievement is the end product of teamwork, intense preparation and exemplary leadership,” said President Billy Heaven in a statement released on Sunday.

“Under the astute leadership of Captain Rovman Powell and guidance of Head Coach Andrew Richardson and Assistant Coach Nikita Miller, the world witnessed the Jamaica Scorpions win five games back to back. The collective performance of the entire team has made Jamaica proud.”

According to Heaven, strategic planning by the JCA that places emphasis on a player centric approach built an ‘exceptional team’ that claimed the trophy in a year when Jamaica celebrates its 60^th year of independence.

“Cricket is known as the Gentleman’s Sport and on November 19, 2022, as the world celebrated International Men’s Day, Jamaica Scorpions provided the perfect celebration of the day winning the CG United Super 50 Championship in fine cricketing style,” Heaven said.

“This year Jamaica celebrates its 60th year of independence and cricket has always been a rich part of our history and legacy. The JCA is therefore extremely proud that our senior men’s team provided this gift to a proud nation on its diamond jubilee. Gentlemen we raise our bats to you.”

Jamaica Scorpions Captain Rovman Powell said he hoped fans of the team enjoyed their winning the 2022 CG Insurance Super50 title on Saturday night which ended a decade-long wait for the Jamaicans, who had not won a regional title since 2012.