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The selection-deadline checklist
Six things we check in the final ninety minutes before a deadline, with worked examples.
The final ninety minutes
The final ninety minutes before a deadline are the cleanest read on the team news. The press-conference round-up closes, the playing XIs are confirmed, and the late team-news window opens. The checklist below is the six things we check in that window.
The six
- The confirmed XIs. The first thing we check is the playing XIs, with the late swaps noted.
- The toss. The second thing we check is the toss, with the captain pick adjusted if the toss flips the batting order.
- The pitch report. The third thing we check is the pitch report, with the spinner-vs-pacer balance adjusted.
- The weather. The fourth thing we check is the weather, with the overs-reduction risk noted.
- The impact-player. The fifth thing we check is the impact-player, with the role adjustment noted.
- The captain pick. The sixth thing we check is the captain pick, with the role-vs-role matchup the final signal.
What we're watching
- Whether the playing XIs shift from the expected selections.
- Whether the toss flips the batting order.
- Whether the pitch report changes the spinner-vs-pacer balance.