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Warwickshire seamer claims career-best 5 for 17 after Essex make strong start, led by Alastair Cook

ECB Reporters Network13-Jul-2019Will Rhodes sliced through the Essex batting with four wickets in 26 balls either side of tea to claim career-best bowling figures of 5 for 17.Sir Alastair Cook and Dan Lawrence had put on 116 for the third wicket before Rhodes came on for his first prolonged spell and had both batsmen back in the pavilion in quick succession to precipitate a major collapse from 157 for 2 to 171 for 6. Essex revived belatedly but were dismissed for 245 just before the close.Cook was first to go, for a dashing 84, dabbing at a delivery outside off-stump, the ball lobbing tamely into Jeetan Patel’s hands at gully. Lawrence followed soon after, edging behind another wide-ish delivery.Rishi Patel was next, fencing outside off-stump to second slip, and four balls later Adam Wheater drove to Olly Stone at mid-off.Rhodes, who had a loan spell at Chelmsford three years ago, had taken just one wicket previously this season for 150 runs. The part-time seamer’s previous best figures were 3 for 42. Yet at the fall of Wheater’s wicket he had claimed four wickets at a personal cost of two runs for Wimbledon-style figures of 6-4-6-4.The carnage did not stop there. The parsimonious Oliver Hannon-Dalby, who had bowled six maidens in his first seven overs, took his first wicket of the innings when he trapped Simon Harmer lbw.Ryan ten Doeschate had watched from the other end while the wickets tumbled, but after reaching 26 from 43 balls he gloved Stone to the wicketkeeper. And Rhodes returned at the end to have Aaron Beard flashing at a delivery and being caught behind.Warwickshire’s decision to settle for an uncontested toss and bowl first had looked ill-advised when Cook and Lawrence were still together six overs before tea. But with the ball in Rhodes’s hands it suddenly looked a completely different proposition.Lawrence was the dominant scorer in the 39-over partnership with the former England captain. His half-century came from 68 balls compared to Cook’s comparatively pedestrian 122.Lawrence had used his feet to good effect against Patel, lofting him over long leg for six that set the tempo for his exhilarating 105-ball 61. He hit nine fours, the seventh an effortless drive through the offside to bring up his fourth Championship fifty of the season.Cook finished 16 short of celebrating his 300th first-class appearance with his 66th century. He mixed diligence with some elegant strokes, hooking, cutting and driving his 11 boundaries, during his 195-ball stay at the crease.Henry Brookes had made early inroads with the first two wickets to reduce Essex to 41 for 2 from 20 overs. Nick Browne hung around for 48 balls for six before he chased one from Brookes outside off-stump and chipped straight to Rob Yates at backward point.Brookes struck again three overs later when Tom Westley attempted to smash him over midwicket, only for Michael Burgess to mark his Warwickshire debut by pulling off a spectacular one-handed catch above his head.Burgess, signed on an initial loan from Sussex, was drafted into the team along with promising teenage 2nd XI batsman Dan Mousley to replace Warwickshire’s chief run-getters Dom Sibley and Sam Hain, both on duty with England Lions along with Essex seamer Jamie Porter.Stone picked up his second wicket when he bowled Peter Siddle with a leg-stump yorker before the players were taken off briefly when it appeared the air ambulance would need to land on the outfield to attend to a sick spectator. That proved unnecessary and Aaron Beard and Matt Quinn continued a last-wicket stand worth 34, of which Beard contributed an impressive 29.

South Africa are playing at their least-favourite Test venue at home, but it may not matter against a team in crisis

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Durban12-Feb-2019

Big Picture

South Africa are playing at their least-favourite venue on home soil, on a pitch that can often take significant turn, but so beleaguered are the opposition, that none of that may matter. Under better circumstances, Sri Lanka would go into a Kingsmead Test feeling they have a decent chance. If they had the experience of Angelo Mathews in their middle order, and their first-choice seam attack on tour, there could’ve been hopes of competitive totals mustered, and some testing spells could be put together.Instead they have their most inexperienced touring group in recent memory, a brand new captain, and a coach whose rock-solid contract now seems main safeguard against a summary sacking by the cricket board. This is not even to mention the ICC’s fixing allegations, social media squabbling, and ad hoc interference by the country’s Sports Ministry. There is no bigger challenge for visiting batsmen at the moment than playing fast bowling in South Africa. It’s difficult to think of a more fragile Sri Lanka batting unit this century.The hosts, meanwhile, are in excellent spirits following their domination of Pakistan over December and January. With Sri Lanka having crushed them on the island last year, there is also a little extra motivation for South Africa to ensure they do not ease off the opposition at any stage.South Africa will see this Test as an opportunity – not only to claim a rare win at Kingsmead, but also to fiddle with the team combination, with a view to bedding in a more versatile attack. Where against Pakistan they had fielded four frontline quicks and seven batsmen in two of the Tests, Sri Lanka’s seemingly modest bowling means South Africa will be more likely to pick one fewer batsman, in order to give themselves more bowling options.

Form guide

South Africa WWWLL (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LLLDL

In the spotlight

Keshav Maharaj is one of the most promising Test spinners in the world, but is in the frustrating position of having to sit outside the playing XI in many home Tests. Under Ottis Gibson, South Africa have strengthened their commitment to fast bowling, and their pace options are now as strong, perhaps, as they have ever been, with the likes of Duanne Olivier emerging over the past few months. Maharaj, though, has been collateral, and now must pick himself up and deal with the pressure of expectation. This being Kingsmead, and this being his home venue, South Africa will want wickets out of their lead spinner.It is difficult to think of a Sri Lanka captain who has had a more difficult first-up assignment than Dimuth Karunaratne. He has spoken about the role being a privilege, and of the excitement with which he is approaching his job, but if you look at the mess he has been saddled with, there is an element of cruelty in this appointment. What’s he to do, for example, with an attack with less than 20 Tests between them, and a batting order that produced only two fifties in their last series? Karunaratne had an outstanding series with the bat against South Africa, in Sri Lanka last year, outscoring the entire opposition in one of the Tests. If they are to stand a chance again, he will probably have to have a similarly sublime batting series.

Team news

Faf du Plessis said he would think of bringing in Wiaan Mulder as a seam-bowling allround option. If they do go in with one fewer batsman, Theunis de Bruyn, who did not cross fifty against Pakistan, seems likeliest to miss out. If Mulder plays, there’s also a question as to which fast bowler is dropped. With Duanne Olivier in excellent form, and Kagiso Rabada’s selection a no-brainer, one of Vernon Philander or Dale Steyn may have to make way.South Africa (possible): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt.), 5 Temba Bavuma, 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Wiaan Mulder/Dale Steyn, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Vernon Philander, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Duanne OlivierSuranga Lakmal has recovered sufficiently from a back injury to return to the XI, according to the team management. Sri Lanka do have a decision to make as to which fresh batsman replaces Dinesh Chandimal in order, however. It could be Angelo Perera, who recently became only the second batsman to hit two double centuries in a single first class match. Or it could be left-arm spinning allrounder Milinda Siriwardana, who has a little experience at the top level, as well as some decent domestic form himself.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt.), 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Angelo Perera/Milinda Siriwardene, 8 Lakshan Sandakan, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Vishwa Fernando

Pitch and conditions

Du Plessis is hoping this Kingsmead pitch has more pace and bounce than those seen in recent years at the venue, but admitted that spin probably had a substantial role to play as the Test wore on. The forecast for Durban is not great. Rain is forecast to interrupt the first two days of the Test.

Stats and trivia

• None of the Sri Lanka XI who defeated South Africa in Durban, in 2011, are in this current Sri Lanka squad, as Chandimal (who made his Test debut in that game) is dropped, and Mathews is injured.
• South Africa have lost six of the last seven result-Tests at Kingsmead, winning only against India, in 2013.
• In his previous series against South Africa, in 2016/17, Dimuth Karunaratne averaged only 21.33.
• Sri Lanka have lost six Tests and not won a single one, since defeating South Africa 2-0 in July last year.

Quotes

“If you look at a general Kingsmead wicket, it allows for a spinner. In a perfect world, when you’re playing against a subcontinent team, with the firepower we have in our seam attack, you’d like to have the option of possibly going in with four seamers, but the history tells me that you would need to go in with a spinner here.””It’s not an easy task, with the captaincy. I need to do my job first as a player and as a batsman. I’m here to play some good cricket and to get more runs in these conditions.”

Australia’s stand-in captain wants batters to take their time to avoid falling into the Indian spinners’ trap

Andrew McGlashan28-Feb-2023Steven Smith has admitted he had rarely felt the anger that he did at being dismissed sweeping against R Ashwin in Delhi during Australia’s match-losing collapse. The emotion was exacerbated by the fact that he believed India were “on the ropes” after the visitors had made a rapid start to their second innings and he addressed the challenge of not allowing India’s spinners to dictate terms.The sweep is a shot that Smith rarely plays but he was one of six Australians to fall that way in the dramatic collapse and the personal recriminations started as soon as he was walking off the Kotla and then watched as the rest of his team-mates fell in a heap to leave India with an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series.”I’ve played 95 [94] Test matches…and I don’t think there’s been too many times I’ve walked off the field and I’ve gone, ‘what the hell am I doing?’ I was pretty angry,” Smith said ahead of taking over the captaincy in Indore for the absent Pat Cummins. “There hasn’t been too many times in my career where I’ve actually come off and just been bedazzled by what I’ve done. It wasn’t my finest moment.Related

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“It wasn’t the way I wanted to play, particularly when I had the field set, for all of us actually, they had the field out. We probably just rushed things a little bit and it’s something we’ll talk about when we meet [on Wednesday]. When we’ve got them on the ropes, we can slow things down. We don’t have to play at such a high tempo and risky tempo. Because we had them where we wanted them, we had men out and the ability to get off strike. We just rushed it.”Australia have had time to take stock in the longer gap until the third Test and are determined to learn from their mistakes of Nagpur and Delhi, particularly the way their batting was engulfed in both second innings when they were unable to find a way to stem the collapse.That is not a problem only for Australia with many sides having been dismantled as Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja sense the opposition’s panic and hurtle through their overs before batters have time to realise what is happening. One of the themes of the last few days has been now to take the sting out of the situation to avoid one or two wickets becoming a defining collapse, such as the 8 for 28 on the third morning in Delhi.”It’s not easy,” Smith said. “That’s the way they go. They know when they are on top of you, they’ll try and rush you and play on their terms. For us, when we’re under pressure it’s about slowing it down as much as we can; maybe making them wait a little bit, walk away and regain your thoughts rather than just coming back and back. Certain things like that. And it will be different for everyone, the way they handle those moments. Think it’s [about] finding that in our game and hopefully that applies a bit more pressure on them.”One of the problems is that batters are so vulnerable in their first 10 or 20 balls, particularly when Ashwin and Jadeja have their tails up, while Australia’s lower order has been blown away in comparison to India’s which has performed exceptionally in both Tests.”I think starting your innings is as tough as anywhere in the world here in India,” Smith said. “We know if you get in, you’ve got to make it count. There’ll be odd times when you get a very good ball and get dismissed. I don’t like the term, ‘have one with your name on it’ so much, you’ve got to try and take that out of your mind.Steven Smith will lead Australia in Indore in Pat Cummins’ absence•Getty Images

“I got 30 in the first Test, Marnus [Labuschagne] has got a few starts, guys haven’t been able to go on and make a big total and two guys together getting that one partnership can make a difference. I think Pete [Handscomb] has been outstanding in both first innings and he’s been left stranded. If he had someone to bat with, and we make the most of those first innings a little bit more as well, things could certainly be different.”For the third time since Cummins became captain, Smith is slipping into the role and there is every chance he will be doing so again in Ahmedabad next week. He is battling a flare up of a back problem caused by a degenerative disc he has had since 2010 but is confident of being able to manage the situation. The only thing it prevents him from doing is bowling and he did not believe it played a part in his dropped catches at slip during the series.Smith’s batting record does not need any qualifiers, but he averages 67.73 as captain compared to 55.33 without the leadership. That is comfortably the highest figure of anyone who has led their side at least 30 times.”It normally brings the best out of me,” he said. “I’m excited about leading this week in Pat’s absence. I know these conditions well. It’s kind of like my second home playing over here, I’ve played a lot in India, I understand the intricacies of the game and what the wickets are likely to do. I’m looking forward to it.”But as has been evident in the last few weeks, knowing what is coming and playing it are proving to be two very different things.

Abhishek, Klaasen and Markande shine for Sunrisers to keep Capitals rooted to the bottom of the points table

Shashank Kishore29-Apr-2023In a game of high drama where both sides kept landing punches at each other with neither backing off, Sunrisers Hyderabad pipped Delhi Capitals to arrest a three-match losing streak on a low, slow pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.At one stage, Capitals were on track to gun down a 198-run target when Mitchell Marsh and Phil Salt put together 112 in just 11 overs after David Warner fell for a second-ball duck.Then one wicket led to another, and before Delhi could realise, Sunrisers had clawed back courtesy the guile of Mayank Markande, who picked up 2 for 20. Sunrisers now have three wins in eight games to Capitals’ two in eight, which keeps them rooted to the bottom of the points table.

Abhishek’s powerplay salvo

Back to open the innings after a game in the middle order, Abhishek Sharma began positively, lofting Ishant Sharma for two successive boundaries in the opening over. Mayank Agarwal’s dismissal to a short ball gave Ishant some joy in his second over, but Abhishek wasn’t in a mood to slow down. He took Ishant for four boundaries in the seamer’s third over, hitting 43 in Sunrisers’ 62 for 2 after the first six.The reverse scoop, Heinrich Klaasen way•BCCI

Capitals’ comeback

The next four overs belonged to Capitals as they conceded just 21. Marsh left his mark on the game during this phase by taking pace off, the short boundaries notwithstanding, and allowing batters to force the pace on a surface where the ball was holding up. Two balls after he had Aiden Markram picking out deep midwicket, Harry Brook toe-ended a pull to the edge of the ring, Axar Patel the catcher on both occasions.

The Klaasen kick

After Abhishek raced to a 25-ball half-century, Heinrich Klaasen got into the game by taking apart Mukesh Kumar as the 11th over went for 24. Abhishek began it with two back-to-back fours and Klaasen finished it with a monstrous six down the ground off a legcutter. Axar, though, proved difficult to get away as he varied his pace and angles to finish with 1 for 29 from his four overs, the reward being the big wicket of Abhishek for a 36-ball 67. It could’ve been far more impressive if Klaasen hadn’t belted him for two sixes to end his spell. A 53-run stand between Klaasen and Abdul Samad off 33 balls and some late runs from Akeal Hosein helped Sunrisers muscle 62 off the last five overs.Mitchell Marsh and Phil Salt’s 112-run stand had kept Capitals in the contest•BCCI

Warner falls but Marsh fires

Sunrisers couldn’t have asked for a better start; Bhuvneshwar Kumar got Warner to chop on second ball of the chase. But Marsh and Salt raised the half-century of their partnership in just 29 balls by going after Hosein’s left-arm darts. Sunrisers tried to get overs out of spin seemingly in a bid to negate dew, but Hosein was far too short and the batters helped themselves to a nice spread against the short square boundaries.After five overs, ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster pegged Capitals’ chances of victory at 19.43%, but after seven, this figure had jumped to 45.68%. The reason for that partly was Marsh’s take-off against Umran Malik. Malik kept bowling short and into the body for Marsh to get inside the line and simply help it to beat long leg twice for sixes in a 22-run over. Salt opened and closed that over with two bludgeoning fours of his own against the short ball. That put Sunrisers under the pump.

Markande leads spinners into it

Markande used the slowness of the pitch to string together dots before dismissing Salt with a return catch that he just managed to hold on to. It was a big wicket considering Salt’s maiden half-century had set the tone for the chase. Then seven balls later, Manish Pandey ran down the track only for Abhishek to shorten his length and beat him in the air and off the pitch.It was now all on Marsh to see Capitals home, but that wasn’t to be as Hosein hit back superbly after the early onslaught by dismissing him. After being walloped out of the ground on the previous delivery, he bravely tossed it up for Marsh to go again, except this one gripped and turned and Marsh sliced it to Markram. That, right there, was the game for Sunrisers. Axar muscled a few towards the end, but the middle-order slowdown after the Salt-Marsh stand proved to be the difference.

Changes could be made to England XI after half the squad is laid low by virus on eve of match

Vithushan Ehantharajah30-Nov-2022A decision as to whether England’s first Test in Pakistan for 17 years can get underway on time will be taken at 7.30am local time on Thursday morning, two and a half hours prior to the scheduled start, after a sickness bug swept through their camp on the eve of the match to cause upheaval in Rawalpindi.Having named their XI a full 48 hours ahead of the match, England’s plans were thrown into disarray on their final day of practice, with up to 14 members of their tour party, including half of their 16-man playing pool, reporting symptoms including diarrhoea and vomiting. They were subsequently confined to their hotel rooms for fear of spreading the virus.Emergency talks between PCB chairman Ramiz Raja and ECB officials Rob Key and Neil Snowball ensued, along with ECB medical director Nick Peirce and team doctor Anita Biswas, with the options discussed including a 24-hour delay to the start time, to allow the England players enough time to recover from what is hoped to be a 24-hour bug.”The Pakistan Cricket Board and England and Wales Cricket Board today discussed the outbreak of viral infection in the England men’s Test team camp and unanimously agreed to delay the decision on the commencement of the first Test, which is due to start on Thursday, until 0730 Pakistan time tomorrow [Thursday],” read a joint statement from the two boards.”The two boards made the decision based on medical advice from the England doctors, which revolved around the players’ health and welfare, agreeing that the England cricket team are able to select an XI for the first of the three ICC World Test Championship matches, which will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.”The two boards also agreed, subject to the England players not recovering well enough to take the field on Thursday morning, then the Test will commence on Friday and will be a five-day match. In this scenario, the schedule of the second Test in Multan and the third Test in Karachi will remain unaffected and will be played as per original schedule i.e. 9-13 and 17-21 December, respectively.”Ben Stokes, England’s captain, was among the players laid low on Wednesday, with only Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope and Joe Root attending an optional training session at Pindi Stadium. James Anderson, who is set to play his first Test in Pakistan at the age of 40, 17 years after featuring in the one-day leg of the 2005 tour, was also reporting symptoms.”I felt unwell yesterday and woke up feeling much better today so hopefully it is a 24-hour thing,” Root told reporters after training. “It is just one of those things that we have unfortunately picked up as a group. We’ve tried to do everything we can to get right for this game but sometimes life throws you these things at you. We have to see how we rock up as a squad tomorrow [Thursday].”England had attempted to mitigate against the risk of illness by appointment their own chef for the tour, Omar Meziane, who has previously worked with the England men’s football team. However, he was among those taken ill, with England confident that the outbreak was not food-related.

Babar Azam claims Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, Nat Sciver named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2023Ben Stokes has been named ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year, after leading England’s stunning revival in the format. Babar Azam collected the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy awarded to the ICC’s Men’s Cricketer of the Year, while Nat Sciver won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy as Women’s Cricketer of the Year.Stokes, who scored 870 Test runs and took 26 wickets in 2022, was also selected as captain of the Test Team of the Year. He led England to nine wins out of ten after taking charge of the team following defeat in the Caribbean in March.”I’d like to thank the ICC, the panel and the fans for voting for me as the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year,” Stokes said. “This is down to the England players and management for what has been such a positive year in Test cricket. We have played some incredible cricket with series wins against New Zealand, South Africa, a significant performance against India and a historic victory in Pakistan.Related

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“We are enjoying our cricket and love having fun wherever we play. The way in which we approach Test cricket is to excite the fans and making it a spectacle for everyone to get behind and enjoy regardless of the result for England.

Babar Azam wins the double

Babar was also named Men’s ODI Player of the Year, and is the second consecutive Pakistani winner of the Sobers Trophy after Shaheen Shah Afridi took home the award for 2021. Babar was the only batter to pass 2000 international runs across the three formats, averaging 54.12 with eight hundreds, and also led Pakistan to the finals of the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup.”I feel humbled to have been voted as winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and join the ranks of some of the most iconic and respected names who have previously won the biggest and most prestigious individual award in our great sport,” he said. “I continue to look up to these players as well as champions of the past for inspiration, motivation and improvement.”As cricket is a team sport, this recognition and achievement would not have been possible without the overwhelming support of my family, team, fans and the institution, to all of whom I am greatly indebted and thankful.”

Nat Sciver also bags two awards

Sciver was also a two-time winner, picking up the Women’s ODI Player of the Year award in addition to the Heyhoe Flint Trophy, having scored 1346 runs and taken 22 wickets for England across formats – including an astonishing innings 148 not out from 121 balls in the ODI World Cup final.”It’s lovely to have been awarded the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year, especially as Rachael was such a legend of the women’s game in England and Wales,” Sciver said.”It’s always a privilege to be given individual honours but no personal achievements are possible without the hard work and togetherness of the whole team. Picking up a trophy or a medal is all the more special when you do it alongside your teammates so hopefully that’s what 2023 has in store.”Other award winners included Richard Illingworth as Umpire of the Year, and Nepal wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh, who claimed the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award for his refusal to run out Ireland’s Andy McBrine after a collision with the bowler. India batter Suryakumar Yadav was unveiled on Wednesday as the ICC’s T20I Cricketer of the Year.

ICC awards winners for 2022

Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy: Babar AzamRachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Nat SciverMen’s Test Cricketer of the Year: Ben StokesMen’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Babar AzamWomen’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Nat SciverMen’s T20I Cricketer of the Year: Suryakumar YadavWomen’s T20I Cricketer of the Year: Tahlia McGrathMen’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Marco JansenWomen’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Renuka SinghMen’s Associate Cricketer of the Year: Gerhard ErasmusWomen’s Associate Cricketer of the Year: Esha OzaDavid Shepherd Trophy: Richard IllingworthSpirit of Cricket Award: Aasif Sheikh

Nicholas Pooran’s team was 53 for 1 in a chase of 161, but went on to lose seven wickets for 26 runs

Sreshth Shah17-Oct-20222:54

Takeaways: Is batting first the way to go at the T20 World Cup?

Two-time T20 World Cup champions West Indies were stunned by Scotland in their opening match of Group B in Hobart. With the bat, opener George Munsey scored 66 off 53 to hold Scotland’s innings together to help them post 160. With the ball, Scotland relied on their slower bowlers to rock West Indies to 118 all out and consign them to a 42-run defeat.It is the second time in two days that a Full-Member side has gone down to an Associate nation, with Namibia beating Sri Lanka on opening day.West Indies started their chase strongly and were 53 for 1 in 5.4 overs, but then lost their next seven wickets for 26 runs, with left-arm spinner Mark Watt producing a penetrative and economical spell to finish with 3 for 12 in his four overs. Offspinner Michael Leask also put in a stranglehold with the wickets of Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell, while right-arm seamer Brad Wheal got crucial breakthroughs at the top and then in his return spell.The loss puts West Indies under pressure with matches against Ireland and Zimbabwe next on their docket. Scotland, meanwhile, will be looking to build on this comprehensive win and will eye a second consecutive Super 12 spot at the T20 World Cup.Watt, Leask open West Indies’ woundsThe pitch wasn’t particularly difficult to bat on, and many of West Indies’ key batters fell looking to play their shots in a chase of 161. Kyle Mayers was the first to go, caught at deep midwicket going for a big hit even though he had just slammed a four and a six. Evin Lewis and Brandon King stayed positive through the rest of the powerplay, but Lewis perished after his pull found the only fielder on the leg side boundary.By now the skies were turning grey. Watt, who opened the bowling, came back after the powerplay. But a sizeable part of his focus – and the captain Richie Berrington’s – was on the DLS sheet. At that point, Scotland were marginally behind, but the tables turned when King was bowled trying to cut Watt off the back foot. With Scotland now slightly ahead of the DLS, it was West Indies who were trying to force the play, and in the process hurt their own game since rain never arrived in the second innings.Leask, from around the stumps, had Pooran bowled for 5 after he missed a pull shot. Powell soon followed, holing to long-on. And Shamarh Brooks was caught trying to heave a back-of-a-length delivery to the only boundary rider on the leg side to leave West Indies reeling at 77 for 6 after 12 overs.Brad Wheal had Shamarh Brooks caught•ICC via Getty Images

Akeal Hosein was then run out after a mix-up. Watt induced a nick from Alzarri Joseph for a first-ball duck to bring West Indies down to 79 for 8, and from there on, the result appeared to be a formality.Jason Holder at No. 7 did save some face for West Indies with his 33-ball 38 to take the team’s total past 100. He was the last man to depart in the 19th over, caught at long-off by Chris Greaves, prompting a sedate and composed celebration from the victorious Scotland side.Munsey holds Scotland’s fortScotland were asked to bat by Pooran at the toss. The West Indies captain said he wanted first use of the moisture on a fresh surface only to then toss the new ball to medium-pacer Mayers and left-arm spinner Hosein.Munsey and his opening partner Michael Jones took full toll, racing away to a wicketless 52 runs in 5.3 overs before rain stopped play for 45 minutes. Munsey, in particular, took on Mayers and Joseph in the early salvo, using his wrists to pepper the leg side with fours or leaning in to drive through the covers.However, a combination of a revamped bowling strategy, along with a sluggish post-rain outfield, slowed Scotland down. Holder got the first wicket just after the powerplay and made it two in his next over with Matthew Cross’ scalp. From the other end, Hosein and Joseph recovered from their opening spells with the latter removing Riche Berrington for 16.The set batter Munsey was struggling to find the boundaries with the field spread out, and Scotland appeared to be losing their momentum, but Calum MacLeod injected some pizzazz with four fours in his 14-ball cameo of 23. At the other end, Munsey slow-burned his way to fifty in 43 balls in the 17th over.At that time, Scotland looked set for a sub-150 score, a sharp decline from the position they were in after the powerplay.But they got a timely boost, with two big overs right at the end. The 18th over from Obed McCoy went for 12 runs and the 20th from Odean Smith cost 15 allowing them to post what turned out to be a more than match-winning total. Munsey contributed three of the five fours Scotland hit in those 12 balls, making what was comfortably the highest score of the match and even picking up an award for it.

Sanderson’s 5 for 16 helped bowl Gloucestershire out for just 62 in the morning session, their third-lowest total against Northants in the Championship

ECB Reporters Network21-Jun-2018
ScorecardBrett Hutton and Ben Sanderson bowled Northamptonshire to the cusp of their first Specsavers County Championship victory of the season as Gloucestershire closed the second day 245 for 8 in the pink-ball match, leading by only 25 runs.Sanderson’s 5 for 16 helped bowl Gloucestershire out for just 62 in the morning session – their third-lowest total against Northants in the Championship – to conceded a lead of 220. Then having been asked to follow-on, Hutton took six wickets as Northants looked like winning inside two days.Thankfully for the visitors, they found two solid partnerships to avoid the ignominy of an innings defeat and extend play into a third day. Gareth Roderick and Ryan Higgins shared 100 for the sixth wicket before Craig Miles and Matt Taylor – who added an unbeaten 73 – nudged Gloucestershire into a lead.The wickets began to fall in the first over of the day. Sanderson had the pink-ball on a string and struck first to remove Benny Howell caught behind before nipping two deliveries into Gareth Roderick, pushing forward, and Graeme van Buuren, shouldering arms, to win lbws.One bounced on George Hankins to bowl him via his gloves and when Ryan Higgins got a feather edge behind, Sanderson completed his first five-for of the season.Rory Kleinveldt took out James Bracey’s leg stump with a full ball that nipped back, Steven Crook had Craig Miles well caught at mid-off trying to pull and removed Matt Taylor’s middle stump before Hutton finished the job by bowling No. 11 Chris Liddle.Gloucestershire lost 9 for 37 in 18.1 overs and having been bowled out for their third-lowest total against Northants in the Championship, were asked to bat again and in the final over before lunch, Howell hooked at Kleinveldt and gloved a catch to Adam Rossington.Hutton then began his second-innings burst and at 72 for 5, Gloucestershire were staring down the barrel of a hammering. Bracey was lbw for 13, Chris Dent tried to cut and edged to second slip, Hankins drove at a wide one and also edged to Levi in the cordon before van Buuren was lbw first ball – completing a three-ball pair in the space of a few hours.But finally, Gloucestershire found a partnership as Roderick and Higgins repelled Northants for 25 overs either side of tea. Higgins, after being dropped by Levi on 4, went through to a career-best 63 – just his second first-class fifty – with 10 fours.Higgins eventually edged a lifter from Hutton through to Rossington as Gloucestershire lose three wickets in nine balls without scoring. A beauty from Crook seamed away to take Roderick’s edge to first slip before Kieran Noema-Barnett pushed at Hutton and edged behind for a duck.At 172 for 8, still trailing by 48, a two-day finish looked likely, only for conditions to settle as the ball went out of shape and was changed and Miles and Taylor battled Gloucestershire through to the close.

Australia are expected to hand a T20I cap to Tim David, while Pant has something to prove for India

Sruthi Ravindranath19-Sep-20223:48

Jaffer backs Karthik over Pant in the India XI

Big Picture

Post the 2021 T20 World Cup, India have played a total of 29 T20Is heading into this series. Australia, meanwhile, have played just nine. Irrespective of their prep, Australia might turn up in their usual confident manner at the T20 World Cup – but this time they’ll have to defend the title in their backyard. And they have quite a bit to figure out compared to their better-prepped opponents.In the age of packed cricket calendars and schedules, it does seem quite surprising that these two teams haven’t played each other in a T20I since December 2020. India won that away series 2-1, while Australia won the last T20I series they played in India, in February 2019. Also, how can we forget match in Mohali, when Virat Kohli left Australia speechless? Irrespective of the format, the meetings between these two countries have always been high-octane and largely competitive, and this series should be no different, provided Australia can overcome a few selection questions.Related

• Tim David's long-awaited Australia debut is finally on

• Fit-again Harshal adds more strings to T20 bow

• Smith to bat at No. 3 in India T20Is in Mitch Marsh's absence

• Rahul: 'No one is perfect; strike rate is something I am working at'

Their captain Aaron Finch’s recent form seems to be among the biggest of concerns. Steven Smith’s middling strike rate has also raised questions around his place in the XI. And, Australia are without the injured trio of Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis for this series, while David Warner has been rested. The team playing this series looks quite different from Australia’s first-choice World Cup side. But it does give Australia the space to experiment with the back-ups but they will also want to build a winning momentum. They have five more matches after this series – a two-match series against West Indies and three T20Is against England at home – before the T20 World Cup.It’ll be interesting to see how Tim David, who will be in Australia colours for the first time, fits into the international set-up. Australia are also likely to experiment with Josh Inglis, making him open alongside Finch. Finch said there will be a lot of “mixing and matching” ahead of the World Cup.India, meanwhile, have had some time to figure out what has worked for them and, more importantly, what hasn’t. They’re back home after some travelling, having won bilateral T20I series in Ireland, England and the Caribbean. But it was their most recent prep – at the Asia Cup – that left them with key takeaways.After the Asia Cup Super 4s exit, captain Rohit Sharma said India were “90-95% settled” ahead of the T20 World Cup. Their aggressive approach has largely worked out well. Kohli finally hit form, so his place in the XI is – at least for now – no longer a debate. They are entering the series with the strongest available squad and will be looking to mainly focus on making roles clearer.4:48

Hodge: Australia shouldn’t look back from this point when it comes to Tim David

The return of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel means Hardik Pandya no longer has to be the third seamer in the side. India will also want to see how they can use the likes of allrounders Axar Patel and Deepak Hooda better. Rohit was clear KL Rahul has his backing as the opener. As for Pant, India will be hoping he comes good in the series. India still have a home series against South Africa to go before the T20 World Cup to further firm up their plans.

Form guide

India WLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia LWWWL

In the spotlight

All eyes will be on Tim David, who will be looking to showcase his power-hitting skills, this time in Australia colours. The Singapore-born batter has impressed in various T20 competitions, most recently in the IPL as well, and he’ll be looking to replicate his success on the international stage. His big-hitting skills aside, his ability to take on spinners and quicks alike makes him a must-have in a T20 side. He averages 32.48 with a strike rate of 164.12 in T20s. He is likely to take up the middle-order spot in Stoinis’ absence in this series. But Australia will not be able to accommodate him if both Stoinis and Marsh are fit when the World Cup begins. It’s Smith’s position that appears a bit vulnerable as of now – but he too has the reputation of being the anchor in the XI – so it remains to be seen how Australia fit David into their XI at the World Cup.Rishabh Pant is yet to find his mojo in T20Is•Associated Press

Rishabh Pant has not quite been able to live up to the expectations in the T20 format. In T20Is since 2020, he has averaged just 27.63 and has struck at 129.95 in 32 innings. At the Asia Cup, Pant had to be brought into the XI in place of Dinesh Karthik following an injury to Ravindra Jadeja as India wanted a left-hand batter in the middle. But he could only make scores of 17 and 14 against Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively in the Super 4s. While having Pant and Karthik in the squad offers them flexibility, it looks like India can currently accommodate only one of the two in the XI. Pant will have to make use of his time in the middle in the upcoming T20Is to get back into form before the T20 World Cup.

Team news

Umesh Yadav, who was originally meant to undergo rehab for a quad injury in Bengaluru, has been called into the squad after Mohammed Shami tested positive for Covid-19. But with the return of Bumrah and Harshal, India are unlikely to play Umesh in the XI.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rishabh Pant/ Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/ Deepak Chahar, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit BumrahWith Marsh absent, Smith will bat at No. 3 against India. David looks set to make his Australia debut in the middle order. Australia are also likely to play Inglis – who has so far played at No. 3 and in the middle order in T20Is – as an opener and push Matthew Wade down the order. Cameron Green, who has been impressive with the ball and the bat, has been brought back into the T20I squad – having played a solitary match in April this year – and is also likely to find a place in the XI.Australia (probable): 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 Josh Inglis, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Matthew Wade (wk), 6 Tim David, 7 Cameron Green, 8 Adam Zampa, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Sean Abbott/ Daniel Sams

Pitch and conditions

It is expected to be partly cloudy and humid in Mohali tomorrow, with a 25% chance of precipitation in the evening. In T20s since 2018, the chasing team has won seven out of 11 matches at the ground. On the eve of the match, Finch said the wicket had “a bit of grass on it”.

Stats and trivia

• Kohli’s 718 runs against Australia are the most by any player against an opposition in men’s T20Is
• Australia have won each of their last three T20Is in India
• Jasprit Bumrah has dismissed Glenn Maxwell seven times in 15 meetings in T20s

Quotes

“… Only we know what role is expected of each person. Everyone is trying to give their best, and not every time will a player succeed. And that is the kind of environment we have created, that players are not afraid to play, or players are not afraid to make mistakes.”
“The last thing you want to do is have an injury derail your whole campaign because you’re pigeon-holed into playing one style of cricket or one structure of team.”

Assistant coach to fly home from Pakistan, ruled out of World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2022England have been forced to make a late change to their coaching staff for the T20 World Cup after Richard Dawson, one of their assistant coaches, sustained a groin injury during their tour to Pakistan.Dawson was carried off the pitch at Karachi’s National Stadium after pulling up during a fielding drill in England’s training session on Saturday night and returned to the team hotel in a wheelchair later that evening.”After being assessed in Karachi, he will be unable to continue during this tour of Pakistan and will fly home to the UK on Wednesday,” the ECB said in a statement.Dawson was one of Matthew Mott’s three assistant coaches for this tour along with Carl Hopkinson and David Saker, with Michael Hussey due to join the staff ahead of the World Cup in Australia.The ECB said that a replacement coach for the World Cup would be “announced at a later stage”.England have separated coaching staff between Test and white-ball cricket since Rob Key’s appointment as managing director earlier this year but Dawson’s injury may require one of Brendon McCullum’s assistants to be drafted in.