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Test allrounder Beau Webster was knocked over cheaply while Mitchell Perry continued his outstanding start to the season with a five-wicket haul to hand Victoria a narrow but important lead over Tasmania at the Junction Oval.Perry claimed the second best figures of his Sheffield Shield career, 5 for 58, as Tasmania were bowled out for 232 on day two with wicketkeeper Jake Doran continuing his excellent start to the season with a fighting 73 on a difficult batting surface.Victoria turned a 24-run first innings lead into 59 by stumps for the loss of only Harry Dixon.Webster, in his first Shield innings of the summer, was clean bowled for 11 by a cracking delivery from Will Sutherland that snaked back through the gate off the seam as he tried to defend on the front foot.That backed up some great early work that Perry, Fergus O’Neill and Todd Murphy and left Tasmania struggling at 126 for 7. After Perry had made the big breakthrough on the first night dismissing Test hopeful Jake Weatherald for a duck, O’Neill took two key wickets on the second morning. He had nightwatcher Gabe Bell caught behind and then later trapped Tim Ward lbw from around the after he had played nicely for his 42.Ward and Caleb Jewell had put together a 50-run stand in challenging conditions in the morning against a ball that was still relatively new.The introduction of spin turned the momentum back in Victoria’s favour. Todd Murphy extracted some turn to have Jewell caught at slip as he lunged forward to defend.Mitchell Perry celebrates a wicket•Getty Images

Perry returned from the southern end and had Brad Hope and Jordan Silk caught down the leg side in almost identical fashion either side of Ward’s dismissal. Tasmania lost 3 for 2 and 4 for 18 in 11.1 overs. When Webster fell five overs later Tasmania were staring a three-figure first innings deficit in the fcae.But Doran and Nikhil Chaudhary dug them out of trouble with an excellent 60-run eighth-wicket stand. Doran rode his luck early, top edging a pull shot over the keeper. But thereafter he played with great control off the back foot to the quicks and handled Murphy with ease including launching him against the turn over long-on.Chaudhary struck five boundaries in his 38 and scarcely looked troubled as he rotated the strike beautifully. But he was the architect of his own demise when he fell for a short ball trap, pulling a Perry bouncer with no control to a well placed man at deep square.That left Tasmania 186 for 8, still 70 runs behind Victoria’s first innings total. However, Doran extracted another 46 runs with Kieran Elliot and Riley Meredith, who contributed just three between them. Doran was the last man out, clean bowled trying to lunch Perry down the ground. It handed Perry his third five-wicket haul in Shield cricket and made it 13 wickets in five bowling innings so far this season.Victoria’s lead swelled in a 14-over final session with Dixon and Campbell Kellaway playing positively. Dixon struck four crisp boundaries, including a couple of superb cover drives, in his 19 before the extra pace of Meredith caused a mistake. He attempted to leave a rising delivery outside off but failed to withdraw his bat in time and it came off the bottom edge onto the stumps.

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has rejected the notion that the Pakistan T20I side was in any kind of downturn, pointing out that they had won all but one of their previous four series.Speaking after his three-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, which took Pakistan to victory in Abu Dhabi and put them within one win of playing back-to-back T20 Asia Cup finals, he said the team was “ready to face whoever” in their pursuit of a first Asia Cup title in 13 years.”It’s not that we’re not winning,” Afridi said. “We’ve won most of our last dozen games. It’s true we haven’t won against higher-ranked teams, but most of our recent games haven’t been against them. We were here to win the tri-nation series, and we won that. We are here to win the Asia Cup, and that’s all we’re focused on now.”In Abu Dhabi against Sri Lanka, it was the different tactical approach Pakistan took while bowling that stood out. For the first time in 13 matches, no powerplay over was bowled by a spinner. Medium pacer Hussain Talat was given three overs and his two wickets in his first over – the eighth of the innings – were among the game’s turning points. Talat later revealed he’d been told he would play a role with the ball, but it represented a departure from Pakistan’s recent tendency to give spin bowling prime slots through the innings.Related

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Afridi, who bowled three overs in the powerplay on Tuesday, said it did not mean Pakistan’s quicks were playing second fiddle to the slower bowlers. “I don’t think our fast bowlers are struggling, but in T20 cricket on good wickets, batters have the license to go after the quick bowlers. We’ve been trying to vary our bowling more, and that’s something I’m working on. We were getting swing. Early on, I got breakthroughs, removing two of their main players. That’s the kind of attacking cricket we want to play – get your main bowlers on and finish the game quickly.Despite an upcoming game against Bangladesh on Thursday, which could be a knockout for a place in the final, attention has already begun to focus on Sunday. The possibility of a first India-Pakistan final in the Asia Cup is suddenly looking a lot more likely. Afridi, too, had his eye on it but repeatedly pointed out that neither side had made it that far yet.Shaheen Shah Afridi: ‘I don’t think our fast bowlers are struggling’•AFP/Getty Images

“Bangladesh has been playing good cricket of late,” he said of the only team to have denied Pakistan a T20I series win in the last four months. “Whenever you play such teams, you should try to strike first. You shouldn’t give them an opportunity. We’ll have to perform well in all three departments if we are to get past them.”The previous game did represent a stark contrast to Pakistan’s demeanor when compared to the one on Sunday. While there were warm handshakes and even embraces between the Pakistan and Sri Lanka players, against India, there appeared to be a coordinated intent to show their more bellicose side. There were several verbal spats on the field, particularly between India’s openers and Pakistan’s pace bowlers. The increased belligerence from Pakistan did not go unremarked upon by Indian opener Abhishek Sharma, who said Pakistan was “coming at us without any reason.”Following the game, India captain Suryakumar Yadav couldn’t resist a dig at the opposition, saying India’s recent dominance meant the game no longer constituted a rivalry. Afridi resisted the temptation to hit back when offered an opportunity.”That’s his opinion; let him say what he wants. Neither they nor we are in the final. We’ll see how things shape up for the final. We’re just here to win the Asia Cup, and we’ll give our all for that.”

Karabo Meso, the 17-year-old wicket-keeper batter, will go to her first World Cup after being included in South Africa’s squad for the ODI tournament in India and Sri Lanka which starts later this month.She has just two ODI caps to her name and has played seven senior internationals in all, but has featured in two Under-19 World Cups and won the SA20 Schools title with Steyn City earlier this year. Meso is one of two players who will play at a World Cup for the first time. Offspin-bowling allrounder Nondumiso Shangase, who was recalled to South Africa’s squad in May, is the other.Top-order batter Anneke Bosch and allrounders Nadine de Klerk and Annerie Dercksen will also feature in an ODI World Cup squad for the first time; they have previously been in T20 World Cup squads.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The rest of South Africa’s 15-player group is as expected, led by Laura Wolvaardt with significant experience in different departments. Allrounders Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus and Chloe Tryon and seamer Ayabonga Khaka all played important roles in South Africa reaching the last ODI World Cup semi-finals and will be present again.As reported last week, there was no room for former captain Dane van Niekerk, who was included in a training camp but her international comeback remains a while away.Others present in that camp but not making the squad are batters Lara Goodall and Faye Tunnicliffe, seamer Ayanda Hlubi, legspinner Seshnie Naidu and allrounders Eliz-Mari Marx and Luyanda Ntuza. Miane Smit, an allrounder who bowls offspin, has been included as the lone travelling reserve.”The make-up of the squad is underpinned by the consistent selection process that was adhered to during the recent ICC Women’s Championship cycle, while taking into account the subcontinent conditions and the different characteristics of the group required for a successful tournament of this nature,” Clinton du Preez, South Africa’s convenor of selectors, said.Under head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, SA have lost four ODIs in 10 outings•Cricket South Africa

This will be the first major tournament South Africa will play under head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, who succeeded Hilton Moreeng in a permanent capacity last year. In Mashimbyi’s tenure, South Africa have been inconsistent, with four wins in ten ODIs, including a series win over West Indies in June. Mashimbyi was occasionally without some senior players – such as Kapp for the tri-series in Sri Lanka – but will have one more opportunity to fine-tune his combinations before the tournament starts.South Africa tour Pakistan for three ODIs to be played between September 16 and 22 before moving on to India for their World Cup opener against England. Their recent tournament run has included two ODI World Cup semi-finals and back-to-back T20 World Cup finals, and there is expectation for them to take the next step and claim a cup. Mashimbyi is confident this group of players can deliver.”From the moment I joined this team, and even before my time when the squad went through the qualification phase, it was all about working towards this moment,” Mashimbyi said. “We can look back at the amount of preparation we have put in and know that we have done our best. We are ready to send a squad to the World Cup that will make South Africa proud.”We believe we have the squad of players that can go out there and deliver on the world stage. Now it is all about carrying that belief with us every step of the way, along with the support of the entire nation.”

South Africa squad for Women’s ODI World Cup

Laura Wolvaardt, Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Chloe Tryon
Travelling reserve: Miane Smit