All posts by n8rngtd.top

Emily Windsor’s 84 goes in vain as Grewcock stars with bat and ball

ECB Reporters Network02-Jul-2023Jodie Grewcock haunted Southern Vipers for the second time this season as Sunrisers completed a double over the south coast franchise in this season’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.Grewcock, whose half-century was pivotal to the first win at the Ageas Bowl back in April, this time starred with bat and ball, scoring 76 before taking 4 for 45 as they won by 28 runs at Chelmsford.Emily Windsor threatened to undo Grewcock’s good work with 84 in the Vipers’ run chase, but Alice Monaghan, who earlier taken three wickets was left stranded on 34 not out as Sunrisers recorded just their second win in this competition.Both sides were understrength for the contest due to England call-ups and bloodied a number of youngsters.Grewcock and Lissy MacLeod began circumspectly before the former threw off the shackles with three boundaries in one over off Monaghan and a pair of gorgeous cover drives off Elwiss in the next.MacLeod briefly caught the mood, pummelling successive balls from Monaghan to the fence at mid-on and mid-wicket respectively, only to be trapped in front by Elwiss with the score on 66.The wicket didn’t stall Sunrisers’ progress as Cordelia Griffith scored at close to a run a ball and it came as something of a surprise when the right-hander was stumped for 29 by Rhiana Southby – a first wicket in Vipers’ colours for spinner Lee.Skipper Dane Van Niekerk didn’t stay long, but Grewcock, dropped on 38, moved to 50, courtesy of a seventh four, and with Mady Villiers, back from England A duty bedding in well the hosts looked set for a big score at 164 for 3.However, Villiers slog-swept Lee to deep mid-wicket and the tide of the innings turned. Grewcock’s excellent vigil ended when she sent a half-tracker from Nancy Harman straight to mid-wicket and wickets fell steadily before debutant Amu Surenkumar steered the hosts beyond 250 in company with Kate Coppack.There was joy for another debutant early in the Vipers’ reply as Esmae MacGregor castled Ella McCaughan. And the Colchester medium pacer might have had a second had Amara Carr clung on to an edge from the visitors’ own debutant Abigail Norgrove. The reprieve was short-lived as the youngster was soon bowled by Kelly Castle.Windsor though latched onto anything loose to keep the scoreboard moving and Elwiss proved an excellent foil, forcefully driving one from Grewcock to the mid-off boundary as the 50-partnership came up in 56 balls.Windsor caressed a sixth four through wide mid-off to reach 50 in 69 balls and another imperious drive was unfurled soon after the drinks break.Grewcock took a return catch to send Elwiss on her way, so ending a stand of 70 and later removed Freya Kemp, who injured her shoulder while batting, with the help of a catch in the deep, for a breezy 22.With 91 needed from the final 14 Windsor’s was the wicket Sunrisers wanted and Grewcock obliged here too, yorking her with the first ball of her next over and she wasn’t done yet as Southby chipped back the simplest of caught and bowled chances in a double wicket maiden.Monaghan and Harman threatened/produced another twist, the former hitting successive fours off MacGregor in a stand of 48. However, Coppack returned to have Harman caught and then ran out Taylor with a throw from the deep, before Surenkumar struck with successive balls to seal victory.

Openers put on record-breaking stand to see home side to safety on final day

ECB Reporters Network28-Jul-2023Luis Reece and Harry Came wrote themselves into the Derbyshire record books and ended Glamorgan’s victory hopes as the LV=Insurance County Championship match at Derby ended in a draw.Reece and Came set a new county record opening stand of 360 with the pair batting through the fourth day to finish on career-best scores. Reece made 201 from 338 balls and Came 141 off 336 as Derbyshire firmly shut the door on Glamorgan to close 157 runs ahead having begun the day 125 behind.Glamorgan used nine bowlers without success on a day of fruitless toil for the promotion hopefuls who took 13 points while Derbyshire finished with nine.The visitors started the day still in with a chance of forcing victory and overcast conditions at least gave their bowlers some encouragement. But the pitch was certainly offering little and it soon became clear that another high-scoring Derby draw was the most likely outcome.Timm van der Gugten did find the outside edge in his opening spell but few balls beat the bat as Reece and Came played with the same discipline and concentration that had been a feature of their first-innings partnership.The hundred came up in the sixth over of the morning and represented a significant milestone as it was only the third time in Derbyshire’s history that there had been two century opening stands in a match.Glamorgan skipper David Llloyd, who will be playing his cricket at Derby next season, used five bowlers to try and breakthrough but to no avail.Reece completed his second hundred of the game from 177 balls and became only the 20th player to achieve the feat for Derbyshire in the Championship.Mitchell Swepson thought he had got Reece with the last ball of the session which struck him in front as he played back but the appeal was turned down which summed up a thoroughly dispiriting morning for the visitors. They may have reflected over lunch that when a prayer room which is currently being built on the ground is open, bowlers of all faiths will be queuing to get in given the nature of Derby pitches.Reece and Came scored 107 runs in the morning to leave their side only 18 behind and they continued to bat Derbyshire towards safety in the afternoon. The 200 stand came up in the 68th over and Came went to his second Championship century of the season when he hit Kiran Carlson’s offspin over mid on for his 12th four.It was another highly promising demonstration of application from the 24-year-old who, appropriately for the son of a vineyard owner, is maturing nicely.By tea, Derbyshire were 94 ahead and the only question was if Reece and Came could break the county’s record opening stand of 333 set by Reece and Billy Godleman against Northants in 2017.Glamorgan came out for the final session with Colin Ingram replacing Chris Cooke behind the stumps and Sam Northeast opening with his occasional off-spin. The milestone was broken when Reece drove Billy Root for a single and he reached his double hundred by cutting Zain-ul-Hassan for his 20th four just before the teams shook hands at 4.40pm.

David Payne, Roelof van der Merwe and Haris Rauf contain hosts to sub-par total at Edgbaston

ECB Reporters Network10-Aug-2023Welsh Fire asserted their authority on the 2023 Men’s Hundred by thrashing Birmingham Phoenix by six wickets at Edgbaston.There is a real feeling around the Fire camp that, for the first time, they can mount a challenge in this year’s tournament and their dismantling of Phoenix certainly backed up that view.Phoenix chose to bat but mustered only 112 for 7, never shedding the shackles of a focused and fired up Fire attack. David Payne led the way with excellent sets early and late on to finish with 2 for 11 while strong support was lent by Roelof van der Merwe with 2 for 16 and Haris Rauf’s 2 for 20.Phoenix’s limp effort with the bat left them needing something dynamic with the ball but Fire blazed to 116 for 4 from 85 balls after Stephen Eskinazi launched their reply with a ferocious 18-ball 43. They charged to 50 without loss in 21 balls and never looked back.Phoenix found their early batting progress impeded by the skills of van der Merwe. The left-arm spinner removed Will Smeed, who sent up a skier, and Ben Duckett, caught at short fine leg.After Jamie Smith was bowled by an express yorker from Rauf, van der Merwe found himself under a top-edged hoik from Moeen Ali and held on at the third attempt.Roelof van der Merwe juggles a catch off Moeen Ali•ECB via Getty Images

Fire bowled with pace and purpose, encapsulated by the rapid, full-length delivery which eluded a crude attempt by Liam Livingstone to land one among the spectators in the Hollies Stand. That usually raucous throng was as subdued as could be and a cadaverous haul of just six runs from the last ten balls, skilfully delivered by Shaheen Shah Afridi and Payne, did nothing to lift the noise levels.Blaze took their momentum emphatically into the batting as Eskinazi improvised magnificently. He smashed, scooped, skewered and squeezed the ball to all areas on the way to 43 in an opening stand of 67 in 32 balls with Joe Clarke.A crumb of hope came the home side’s way when Benny Howell removed both openers in five balls. When Luke Wells fell lbw, reverse sweeping Moeen Ali, three wickets had fallen for six runs in ten balls, but Fire’s fine work in the field had earned them the luxury of withstanding a wobble.Tom Abell’s 23 not out from 18 balls saw the visitors home at a canter leaving the Hollies Stand as flat as a pancake and a distinguished, sombrero-wearing, first-time visitor to the usually ebullient venue reflecting that the highlight of her day was a nap in the sunshine during the first innings.

Comilla Victorians picked Imrul Kayes and Rahkeem Cornwall to add to their star-studded retentions

Mohammad Isam25-Sep-2023Fortune Barishal have acquired Mushfiqur Rahim as the most high-profile pick in the BPL draft held in Dhaka on Sunday. Led by Tamim Iqbal, the side that lost in the eliminator last season, also picked Yannic Cariah, Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Saifuddin during the draft.But it was defending champions Comilla Victorians who made some big-name signings. They were conservative in the draft because they already had Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine and Iftikhar Ahmed among their 11 overseas signings before the draft took place. During the draft, they picked the West Indian duo Rahkeem Cornwall and Matthew Forde, apart from bringing back their championship winning captain Imrul Kayes.Sylhet Strikers, who were runners-up last season, retained the talismanic Mashrafe Mortaza, while Najmul Hossain Shanto was their direct signing from among the local players. Mohammad Mithun and Rezaur Rahman Raja were their draft picks.Khulna Tigers went for the Sri Lankan duo of Dasun Shanaka and Kasun Rajitha among their overseas picks, having already named Nasum Ahmed and Nahidul Islam as their retentions.Big-spenders Rangpur Riders have Shakib Al Hasan as their main man, and they got Rony Talukdar and Shamim Hossain among their local picks in the draft. They also picked Michael Rippon, who moved from Netherlands to New Zealand recently, and USA allrounder Yasir Mohammad among their overseas names.BPL 2024 is scheduled to begin in mid-January, once again clashing with the BBL, ILT20 and SA20 which will run around the same time. Here are the draft picks, direct signings and retentions for each team:

Comilla Victorians

Retained & direct signings: Litton Das, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanvir Islam, Towhid Hridoy, Mohammad Rizwan, Sunil Narine, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Iftikhar Ahmed, Zaman Khan, Khushdil Shah, Johnson Charles, Noor Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Rashid KhanDraft picks: Imrul Kayes, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Zaker Ali Anik, Mahidul Islam, Rishad Hossain, Mushfik Hasan, Rahkeem Cornwall, Matthew Forde

Sylhet Strikers

Retained & direct signings: Mashrafe Mortaza, Zakir Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Ryan Burl, Ben Cutting, Harry TectorDraft picks: Mohammad Mithun, Rezaur Rahman Raja, Ariful Haque, Yasir Ali Chowdhury, Nazmul Islam, Shafiqul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Jawad Rowen, George Scrimshaw, Richard Ngarava, Dushan Hemantha, Sameet Patel

Khulna Tigers

Retained & direct signings: Nasum Ahmed, Nahidul Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Anamul Haque, Evin Lewis, Faheem Ashraf, Dhananjaya de Silva, Shai Hope, Dasun Shanaka, Mohammad Waseem JrDraft picks: Afif Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Parvez Hossain Emon, Habibur Rahman Sohan, Mukidul Islam Mughdho, Akbar Ali, Kasun Rajitha

Durdanto Dhaka

Retained & direct signings: Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Arafat Sunny, Mosaddek Hossain, Chaturanga de Silva, Sam Aiyub, Usman QadirDraft picks: Mohammad Naim, Saif Hasan, Irfan Sukkur, Sabbir Hossain, Alauddin Babu, SM Mehrob Hossain, Lahiru Samarakoon, Sadeera Samarawickrama

Chattogram Challengers

Retained & direct signings: Shuvagata Hom, Ziaur Rahman, Nihaduzzaman, Shohidul Islam, Mohammad Haris, Nazibullah Zadran, Mohammad Hasnain, Stephen EskinaziDraft picks: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Al-Amin Hossain, Shykat Ali, Imran Uzzaman, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Salahuddin Sakil, Curtis Campher, Bilal Khan

Fortune Barishal

Retained & direct signings: Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Ibrahim Zadran, Shoaib Malik, Paul Stirling, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Dunith WellalageDraft picks: Mushfiqur Rahim, Rakibul Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Soumya Sarkar, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Pritom Kumer, Yanik Cariah

Rangpur Riders

Retained & direct signings: Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Babar Azam, Matheesha Pathirana, Brandon King, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ihsanullah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Nicholas PooranDraft picks: Rony Talukdar, Shamim Hossain, Ripon Mondal, Hasan Murad, Michael Rippon, Fazle Mahmud, Yasir Mohammad, Abu Hider Rony, Ashikuzzaman

Champions Trophy qualification is also at stake – England wouldn’t want to miss out, while for Netherlands it could be a life-changing event

Andrew Miller07-Nov-2023

Big picture – Total Cricket meets Total Wipeout

That’s right, here’s one in the eye for all those glory-seekers in the upper echelons of the World Cup table, queuing up for their invite to the big dance in Ahmedabad in two weeks’ time. There’s a punier title up for grabs in Pune on Wednesday – so puny, in fact, that it’s not even an official title, unlike the one that an England amateur team claimed at European Cricket Championships in Malaga last month. And look who they beat by eight wickets in the final… none other than the defending champions, Netherlands! Call off this farce! Cricket’s come home already!In all seriousness, England would be all too happy to walk away from this miserable campaign right now. Saturday’s 33-run loss to Australia finally confirmed the end of their increasingly tenuous hold on the 2019 crown, but they’ve got two further opportunities for humiliation looming – here in Pune, and then against a late-surging Pakistan in Kolkata on Saturday, and they are in quite the psychological bind as they approach them. A brace of victories would be too little, too late for the torched reputation of an ex-world-beating team, but defeat in either could also confirm their elimination from the 2025 Champions Trophy; and that really would be the perfect BOGOF fall from grace.There could be no better time, therefore, for an upbeat, optimistic and hugely tenacious Netherlands team to face down a side against whom they have a proven reputation on the world stage. Both of their victories in this competition to date, against Bangladesh and South Africa, have showcased a never-say-die spirit (especially in their lower-order batting) that their next opponents have been singularly unable to replicate. And, having already eliminated three other Test nations – West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe – simply to emerge from a brutal qualifying tournament in July, they unquestionably have the pedigree, and the recent form, to land another haymaker on a supposedly superior nation.Related

• Mott chasing success against Orange to avoid being red-faced

• How Netherlands will plot for their best shot at Champions Trophy

• Moeen Ali: 'England didn't see writing on the wall'

And so, if desire – desperation almost – is an unquantifiable factor in sporting match-ups, you might almost consider Netherlands to be favourites for this contest – which is a preposterous notion when you consider what happened when these two sides met in Amstelveen 18 months ago, at the start of Matthew Mott’s reign as England’s white-ball coach. But the effortless surety of purpose with which England racked up that world-record 498 for 4 has evaporated, to be replaced by something stale and unfamiliar. “Maybe the writing was on the wall, and we just didn’t see it,” was Moeen Ali’s typically honest assessment this week, as he faced up to the notion that an ageing team had simply curdled on the eve of their final reckoning.What, then, will it matter to this set of players if they flunk their final assignment in this coming week? Moeen stressed the importance of Champions Trophy qualification for “potentially, the younger players coming in”, but altruism is an unlikely motivational tool if raw ambition couldn’t rouse them in the first place. And besides, if that challenge does prove to be beyond them, their absence would almost certainly be balanced out by a bonus Test tour of the West Indies – it’s not as if the ECB struggles for reasons to fill any given void.For Netherlands, however, a more existential opportunity has reared its head. Quite apart from the glory of beating England at a(nother) World Cup, Champions Trophy qualification would have the potential to transform their ever-precarious finances, to give them a reason to lock in some long-term sponsors and build through the 2025 event to access the 2027 World Cup beyond. “It adds a massive element to these two games,” Scott Edwards, Netherlands’ captain, told ESPNcricinfo on the eve of the match. And, he added, with England sitting below them in the standings, “it puts us on a little bit of a level-playing field”.

Form guide – England on a losing streak

England LLLLL

Netherlands LWLLW

In the spotlight – Jos Buttler and Roelof van der Merwe

In the wake of the Australia defeat, Jos Buttler acknowledged that his catastrophic loss of form had “really hurt us”, but insisted that he hadn’t stopped “believing” in his ability to influence the big moments of England’s campaign. “You guys will give up on me a lot earlier than I’ll give up on myself,” he told the media after that match. And yet, the evidence of his tournament tells another story. It’s not simply the runs that Buttler hasn’t made, or the lack of speed in his scoring rate (106 from 113 balls all told, at 15.14). It’s the lack of surety in his strokeplay that speaks most loudly. His indecision in the channel outside off has resulted in three caught-behinds and one inside-edge onto his stumps out of seven dismissals, and with all of his focus on that weakness, he hasn’t yet produced a single scoop, paddle or reverse sweep – three of the staples of the 360-degree game. In fact, he hasn’t looked this bereft at the crease since his agonising Ashes tour in 2021-22… and that was the last time he ever put himself forward for Test cricket.No-one epitomises the levels of vein-popping hunger in the Netherlands’ ranks quite like Roelof van der Merwe, one of the most pugnacious competitors ever created. He turns 39 on New Year’s Eve, but still bounds through every contest with an infectious optimism, allied to deep levels of skill and resolve. His stunning catch at point in the T20 World Cup sealed a famous victory over South Africa last year, and he was their heartbeat again as they completed the double in Dharamsala last month. His vital 29 from 19 at No. 9 gave his captain, Edwards, the belief to post a defendable total, before his left-arm spin closed down South Africa’s hopes with 2 for 34. And, as a proven winner with Somerset on the county circuit – including in this year’s T20 Blast – there is nothing about English cricket that holds any fears for him. Particularly at this anxious juncture of his opponents’ evolution.Scott Edwards: Champions Trophy qualification “adds a massive element to these two games”•ICC via Getty Images

Team news – Ben Stokes could sit this one out

Mark Wood will miss out with a left knee niggle, after wearing a brace during his exertions against Australia, which means Gus Atkinson could be in line for a recall after his solitary outing against South Africa last month. Brydon Carse, Reece Topley’s stand-in, is another alternative. Meanwhile, Ben Stokes’ various ailments could cause him to sit this one out, now that World Cup qualification is off the table. Either way, Harry Brook is certainly worth of a recall. Quite apart from being the future of the team across formats, he is the only specialist batter in the squad with a strike-rate above 100.England (probable): 1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 Dawid Malan, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Stokes/Harry Brook, 5 Jos Buttler (capt, wk), 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 David Willey, 10 Gus Atkinson/Brydon Carse, 11 Adil RashidMax O’Dowd and Wesley Barresi are likely to get another chance to settle as a new opening pair after the omission of Vikramjit Singh against Afghanistan. Saqib Zulfiqar was the weak link in the bowling attack in that same match, and may make way for fellow legspinner Shariz Ahmad.Netherlands (possible): 1 Max O’Dowd, 2 Wesley Barresi, 3 Colin Ackermann, 4 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 5 Scott Edwards (capt, wk), 6 Bas de Leede, 7 Logan van Beek, 8 Roelof van der Merwe, 9 Shariz Ahmad, 10 Aryan Dutt, 11 Paul van Meekeren

Pitch and conditions

There have been three World Cup matches to date in Pune, none of them especially close, although the evidence of two unfazed run-chases by India and Afghanistan is that middling scores of 250-odd are insufficient when batting first – South Africa fared rather better in the third game, in putting 357 for 4 on the board in their hefty win against New Zealand. England have some recent experience of this venue, having played three ODIs on their 2020-21 tour of India. They lost the series 2-1, but overhauled an imposing 336 with 39 balls to spare in game two, thanks to a Jonny Bairstow hundred and 99 from 52 from Stokes.3:09

Hopkinson: England struggled with executing under pressure

Stats and trivia – unlikely rivalry on the global stage

• England have not lost to Netherlands in six previous ODIs, three of which have come at World Cups, in 1996, 2003 and 2011.
• In all global tournaments, however, the rivalry is significantly more intense. The teams have met twice more, at the T20 World Cups in 2009 and 2014, where Netherlands pulled off shock victories on each occasion.
• Buttler needs another 71 runs to reach 5000 ODI runs, in 151 innings. That, however, would be eight more runs than he has managed in his last six innings of this tournament.
• David Willey, who has confirmed his retirement from international cricket at the end of the World Cup, needs five more wickets in a maximum of two games to reach 100 in ODIs.
• Bas de Leede, with 11 wickets, has struck more times in this tournament than any of England’s bowlers. Adil Rashid has been England’s best on show, with ten wickets at 30.40, but that mark has been matched by two further Netherlands bowlers, Logan van Beek and Paul van Meekeren, and at better averages too.
• England have lost five ODIs in a row, emulating their losing streak from this time last year against Australia and South Africa, as well as previous such streaks in 2011 and 2014. However, they have not lost six in a row since the 2009 home series against Australia, which eventually finished 6-1 after a consolation victory in game seven.

Quotes

“I’m not quite sure why I’m the man to explain. I think that I’m an assistant coach with the England team.”
“England are world champions. In South Africa, where I’m from, there’s a famous saying: ‘Never underestimate a wounded buffalo.”

New development deals for Mahika Gaur, Lauren Filer and Bess Heath

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2023Maia Bouchier and Danielle Gibson have been awarded ECB central contracts for the first time, while there were new development deals for teenager Mahika Gaur, Lauren Filer and Bess Heath, as part of the 2023-24 cycle for England Women.Top-order batter Bouchier, 24, has been in the England set-up for the last few years but announced herself with 95 from 65 balls in her third ODI against Sri Lanka in September. Gibson, the seam-bowling allrounder, made her full debut in the summer’s Ashes and hit the winning runs to seal the T20I series against Australia at Lord’s.Their elevation comes following the retirement of Katherine Sciver-Brunt after a 19-year England career, with seamer Freya Davies also missing from the 18-player list.Related

• Gaur hits her straps as England's next generation step up

• Jones credits youngsters' injection of energy for England turnaround

• Sciver-Brunt targets India bowling comeback after stellar batting form

• Beaumont, Brook named PCA Players of the Year

Left-armer Tash Farrant, who last played international cricket in 2021, was again retained, having suffered a recurrence of her back stress fracture, while Issy Wong also keeps her contract – evidence of the “scaffold of support” needed by the young fast bowler after a difficult summer in which she struggled for rhythm and was only picked once by England.The introduction of development contracts means extra support for the likes of 17-year-old left-arm swing bowler Gaur, following her switch to England after representing UAE since the age of 15, and the rapid Filer, whose extra pace was a notable feature of the women’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.The contracts, which run until October 31, 2024, include an enhanced family provision entitlement, bonuses for success against higher-ranked opposition, increased retainers and the equalisation of match fees, announced earlier this year by the ECB.”The central contracts are awarded to the players we feel will play a significant role over the next 12 months and beyond,” Jonathan Finch, the ECB’s director of England Women’s cricket, said. “We are at the start of an unprecedented busy period of international cricket and the group reflects the requirements of the multi-format schedule we face.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Maia Bouchier and Danielle Gibson have been part of our group over the summer, have performed well and will be important players for England moving forward.”The introduction of development contracts is a key step for us and allows us to support a wider group of players in their ongoing development and we will work closely with the regions to manage the players’ development and workloads.”After a record-breaking Ashes summer, we have a really exciting 12 months of cricket ahead and we feel this group of players will form the foundations of our side that will take us through various bilateral series, and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.”Our thanks as ever go to the England Women’s Player Partnership and the PCA who continue to play an important role.”England Women central contracts: Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt
England Women development contracts: Bess Heath, Lauren Filer, Mahika Gaur

David Bedingham counterattacked for South Africa with 87 off 96 balls, but they folded for 247 in pursuit of 529

Ashish Pant07-Feb-20242:36

Bedingham: ‘It was quite gutsy of me to take on the short ball’

Kyle Jamieson’s four-wicket haul backed up by Mitchell Santner’s three-for helped New Zealand record a mammoth 281-run win over South Africa in the first Test in Mount Maunganui – their second highest in terms of runs. The margin of defeat would have been much more if not for David Bedingham’s counterattacking 87 off 96 balls, where he took on the short ball with some aplomb.Jamieson struck twice each after the lunch and tea breaks, breaking important stands as South Africa, who were chasing 529 for a win, folded for 247 in 80 overs. There were good partnerships built, but South Africa lost wickets in clusters way too often to go down. Aside from Bedingham, Zubayr Hamza, Raynard van Tonder and Keegan Petersen all got starts but none of them could go on and get a big one.Earlier, New Zealand expectedly declared their second innings overnight on 179 for 4, setting South Africa an improbable target. Their bowlers Matt Henry and Tim Southee immediately found assistance under overcast skies to leave South Africa at 5 for 2 in the fourth over. While Southee troubled Edward Moore in the first over by curling the ball both ways, Henry seemingly had Neil Brand caught behind with his second delivery, as Tom Blundell took a stunning catch to his left. The South Africa captain, however, was saved on review.Brand’s stay at the crease was short-lived though, as Southee breached his defence with an incoming beauty. He got the ball to jag in from the around-the-wicket angle, and Brand, unsure whether to play at the ball or leave it, was late and saw his stumps in a mess. At that point, with the ball hooping around and the batters unsure, a collapse was on the cards. But Hamza and van Tonder hung around.Hamza, who had looked solid in the first innings, got the first four of the innings in the 11th over – a firm punch through covers off Jamieson – before cutting Southee square soon after. Van Tonder, on a pair on debut, got his first runs in Tests with a push past mid-on. He had his nervous moments though, as an edge fell short of second slip to along with a number of plays and misses, but he kept going. The pair soon brought up the first 50-run stand for South Africa in the Test, and moved to lunch unscathed.2:40

Southee: ‘Test cricket is as exciting as it has ever been’

But having fought hard, debutant van Tonder’s 83-ball vigil ended three overs after lunch when he edged a full-length Jamieson delivery straight into the hands of Tom Latham, who was stationed a tad wide at slips. Two overs later, it was Hamza’s turn to depart when his meek attempt at a pull could only go as far as Southee at mid-on.Bedingham and Petersen joined forces in the 33rd over with the score at 73 for 4, and added 105 for the fifth wicket, with the former doing the bulk of the scoring. Bedingham started nervously, swishing and missing at a couple of balls and then twice edging Jamieson past the lone slip Latham, who was positioned wide. But Petersen, at the other end, looked more solid.For 11 overs from the 35th to the 46th, South Africa could only manage 16 runs, with a single boundary. There were chances created, but none that really went to hand. Then came Matt Henry with a short-ball plan, and Bedingham decided to cut loose. Having decided to take his name out of the SA20 draft in a bid to play this series, Bedingham showed off his T20 ware in this Test – and in style. Henry went short at him four times in four balls, but was carted for a boundary each time by making room and stepping towards the leg side, in an over that went for 19.Rachin Ravindra was then tonked for a four straight down the ground – one that got Bedingham to his second fifty in Tests, before he took a liking to Southee. The fast bowler went short, and Bedingham’s back-away-and-swing-for-the-hills plan was executed to perfection. In the last ten balls that he faced off Southee before tea, Bedingham carted him for 28. In all, South Africa scored 111 off 28 overs in the second session, with 71 coming off the last ten.New Zealand went short at Bedingham for 22 balls, of which he whacked 48 runs, but the shot also brought about his downfall post tea. Not willing to change his approach, he went after Jamieson first over after the interval, but his miscued pull was caught at deep midwicket, with Bedingham falling 13 short of what would have been a maiden Test ton.In his very next over, Jamieson had Peterson caught off a short ball down to deep-backward square leg, with Ravindra taking a good, low catch, and the end was nigh. Clyde Fortuin’s innings was cut short in an unfortunate manner when he pulled a Glenn Phillips long hop straight into the knee of Latham at short leg, with the ball popping up for wicketkeeper Blundell to complete the catch.Duanne Olivier then edged Santner to first slip, before the left-arm spinner ended Dane Paterson’s enterprising innings on 15 to close out the game for the hosts and helped them take a 1-0 lead.Ravindra, for his 240 in the first innings, was named Player of the Match.

Kings kept alive their slim hopes of a playoff spot in the PSL

Associated Press06-Mar-2024
Fast bowler Hasan Ali grabbed 4 for 15 as Karachi Kings kept alive their slim hopes of a playoff spot in the Pakistan Super League with a thumping seven-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators on Wednesday.Hasan varied his pace to bowl out Quetta for this season’s lowest total of 118 in 19.1 overs after captain Shan Masood won the toss and elected to field.Karachi cruised to 121 for 3 with more than four overs to spare with opening batter Tim Siefert (49) notching the top score of the game.Quetta are still among the top two with nine points from seven matches while Karachi are at No. 5 with six points from three wins and four defeats.Blessing Muzarabani (2-27) gave Karachi an early breakthrough when Jason Roy (15) top-edged the tall Zimbabwean fast bowler to Hasan at third man in the third over.Hasan then struck twice in his first over when Saud Shakeel (33) and Khawaja Nafay (17) holed out in the deep as Quetta slipped to 68 for 3 in the ninth over.Former Quetta captain Sarfaraz Ahmed’s struggling season continued as he was run out for 7 in a mix-up with new skipper Rilee Rossouw while going for a tight single.Sarfaraz, who was relieved of the captaincy after Quetta failed to got beyond the league stage in the last four seasons, had scored only 22 runs in five innings.Rossouw also couldn’t accelerate against pace and spin in the middle overs before holing out in leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood’s (2-25) return spell. Hasan then rattled the lower order with his change of pace and claimed two more wickets in his last over.Masood’s run of poor form continued in his first season as the Karachi skipper edged Mohammad Amir in the second over when on 7.But Karachi’s overseas signings Seifert and James Vince (27) played confidently against pace and were hardly troubled by mystery spinner Usman Tariq. Quetta was also wasteful in the field with Sherfane Rutherford and Amir dropping sitters in the outfield.Seifert smashed six fours and two sixes before he missed out on the half century and was stumped but veteran Shoaib Malik carried Karachi to a convincing victory with an unbeaten 27 off 20 balls.

KKR and Royals are the only unbeaten teams in IPL 2024 at this stage, while Capitals have just won their first game after two losses

Ashish Pant02-Apr-2024

Match details

Delhi Capitals (DC) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Visakhapatnam, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)

Big Picture – Whose home ground is it anyway?

Visakhapatnam might be Delhi Capitals’ alternate home venue, but it was a sea of yellow when they played here a couple of days back. That was mostly down to them playing against Chennai Super Kings – more specially, MS Dhoni. When they play Kolkata Knight Riders, Capitals will hope for some more red and blue in the stands as they look to climb up the points table.Capitals know what it’s like to fall behind early in the IPL. They lost their first five games in IPL 2023, which made coming back into the tournament tough. The victory against CSK was important keeping that in mind.Related

• KKR vs Royals match moved to April 16

• Dhoni and Pant jazz up Vizag with modern classic

• Pant: 'Whatever happens, I had to be back on the ground'

They don’t have the batting depth that some of the other teams boast of, and will need their top order to fire again, and keep firing through the tournament.Crucially, Prithvi Shaw, who was among the runs in his first outing in IPL 2024 in the game against CSK, and David Warner have excellent numbers against KKR – no one has scored more than Warner’s 1075 against KKR, while Shaw averages 45 against KKR, and his highest score of 99 also came against them, in 2019.Rishabh Pant’s move to No. 3 against CSK showed positive intent from Capitals, and he repaid the faith with a quick half-century.But they will want runs from the other batters, too.It won’t be easy against KKR, who have won both their games so far this season. They had a scare in the opening game of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad but scored a clinical win against RCB. KKR don’t have a lot of holes to plug, but the one area that needs sorting is their powerplay bowling.It’s still early days in the tournament, but KKR have the poorest powerplay economy among all the teams so far – 10.75. That is partly down to Mitchell Starc having a nightmare start to his IPL season. The fast bowler has been taken for a combined 100 runs and is yet to take a wicket. In conditions which might aid swing and seam, Starc will hope for better returns.As will the batting pack with the exception of Andre Russell, Phil Salt and Venkatesh Iyer.Rishabh Pant scored a 32-ball 51 against CSK•BCCI

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Delhi Capitals
Capitals brought in Shaw for the previous game, a move that paid off. He was later subbed off with Rasikh Salam coming in. If Capitals bowl first, depending on the surface, there is a chance Salam or Lalit Yadav get into the first XI, with Shaw coming in later. Vice versa if they bat first.Kuldeep Yadav missed the game against CSK because of a niggle, and Capitals would hope he returns soon, for this game if possible.Another concern for Capitals is the form of their two overseas players Tristan Stubbs and Anrich Nortje. Stubbs was cleaned up for a first-ball duck against CSK, while Nortje has looked rusty in his two outings so far. Jhye Richardson bowled at full tilt in the nets ahead of Capitals’ previous fixture, and could slot in if they want to give a break to Nortje. Capitals could also consider bringing in Jake Fraser-McGurk in place of Stubbs.Probable XII: 1 , 2 David Warner, 3 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 4 Mitchell Marsh 5 Tristan Stubbs/Jake Fraser-McGurk, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Abishek Porel, 8 Anrich Nortje/Jhye Richardson, 9 Mukesh Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Khaleel Ahmed, 12 Kolkata Knight Riders
Varun Chakravarthy bowled just two overs in KKR’s previous game before being subbed off for Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Legspinner Suyash Sharma is another option for that spot, with Raghuvanshi the Impact Player once more swapping places with Suyash or Chakravarthy.Venkatesh seemed to have tweaked his back in KKR’s previous game and was seen hobbling, but bowling coach Bharat Arun confirmed he was “fit and rearing to go”.Probable XII: 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Venkatesh Iyer, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Anukul Roy, 11 Harshit Rana, 12 Mitchell Starc has had a horror start to IPL 2024•BCCI

Pitch and conditions

The pitch for the first game in Vizag had a decent covering of grass. It aided swing and seam movement almost throughout the 40 overs, and even swung even more under lights. Similar conditions could be expected for the DC vs KKR game, too. There’s also a warning for excessive heat and humidity in Vizag, so something for the teams to note.

In the spotlight – Can Mitchell Starc have an impact?

After being overlooked for the first two games, Prithvi Shaw “came out of the gate like a raging bull”, in the words of Mitchell McClenaghan on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut.Shaw has had a rough time of it on and off the field in the recent past, but on Saturday, as he strode out for his first hit in IPL 2024, he seemed to be in great touch, scoring a 27-ball 43. Shaw’s form is important to Capitals’ hopes of going deep in the tournament, and they will be delighted with the way he has begun.Every time Mitchell Starc comes on to bowl, it comes with that INR 24.75 crore price tag attached to him. Playing in the IPL for the first time since 2015, Starc has leaked runs big time. He went for 53 in his opening game against SRH and then 47 against RCB and is yet to figure in the wickets column. He will dearly hope to turn his fortunes around the next time he is out in the park.

Stats that matter – Rishabh Pant in sight of 3000

• Pant needs 65 runs to reach 3000 runs in IPL. If he gets there, he will be the 22nd player in the league to achieve the mark.
• Kuldeep picks up a wicket every six balls against KKR, his former franchise. In three matches to date, he has ten wickets with best bowling figures of 4 for 14.
• Warner has smashed Sunil Narine for 195 runs in 123 balls in 16 IPL innings, only falling to him twice.
• Pant strikes at 195.00 against Andre Russell in the IPL but has also fallen to the fast bowler three times in six innings.

  Quotes

  “I hope the crowd will be with DC this time and will support us. We will also make sure the crowd is enjoying. We want to finish on a nice note because it is our last game here in Vizag.”
  “He is one of the most experienced bowlers around the world and also someone who understands the conditions and adapts to them very well. You will see a different version of him in the future. He knows what it takes to succeed.”

Bhuvneshwar Kumar led the stifling of LSG’s batters, before Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma blew away their bowlers

Sidharth Monga08-May-20242:24

Deep Dasgupta: Quite a statement from SRH

Sunrisers Hyderabad obliterated Lucknow Super Giants, first stifling them with the new ball and then sensationally chasing down 166 in just 9.4 overs – the highest 10-over score in any T20. The massive win lifted them to No. 3 on the points table with 14 points in 12 matches, and also gave them a much-needed net-run-rate boost. The chase was so brutal that LSG didn’t even bother with their Impact Player.A lot will rightly be spoken of the explosive batting of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, who got to their fifties in 16 and 19 balls respectively, putting on a hundred between them inside the powerplay for the second time this IPL, both times the highest powerplay scores in all T20 cricket.Related

• 'I'm lost for words' – The Travishek show leaves LSG stunned

• Mumbai Indians knocked out after SRH demolish LSG

However, it was with the ball that SRH set up the win. Bhuvneshwar Kumar led the way with figures of 4-0-12-2, conceding only singles, completely shutting down the LSG top order, which scored just 66 in the first 11.2 overs. That the top order had not been enterprising enough was underscored by the unbroken 99-run stand off 52 balls between Ayush Badoni and Nicholas Pooran, which eventually proved to be hopelessly inadequate.Mumbai Indians were collateral damage on the night, knocked out of contention for the playoffs by this result, the first team at IPL 2024 to be officially out.

Bhuvneshwar gets stuck in

A word about the fear surrounding the SRH batters first. It was that fear which, in part, prompted LSG to bat first. And then they ran into Bhuvneshwar, who was unerring in his length and drew movement off the pitch. Quinton de Kock – 66 off 66 off Bhuvneshwar in T20 cricket overall – managed just 1 off 4 off him, those four balls inclusive of a near-dismissal and his wicket, caught superbly by Nitish Reddy at deep-square leg.Bhuvneshwar Kumar nailed his match-up against Quinton de Kock•AFP/Getty Images

It was a sensational catch made to look easy as Reddy took it over his head, threw it back in the field of play, stepped out and came back to complete the catch, but Sanvir Singh soon outdid him with a low catch diving forward at mid-on to send back Marcus Stoinis. Bhuvneshwar ended the powerplay with 3-0-7-2. Add Shahbaz Ahmed’s 2-0-9-0 to that, and LSG had had their worst powerplay of the year: 27 for 2.IPL debutant, the Sri Lanka legspinner V Viyaskanth, kept the lid on after the powerplay only for Krunal Pandya to inject some momentum into the innings by hitting Jaydev Unadkat for successive sixes, the tournament’s 999th and 1000th. The first one was an extraordinary straight hook to a head-high slower bouncer over long-on. Little did we know the shot would become a mere footnote by the time the night was done.

Badoni, Pooran rescue LSG

KL Rahul, 29 off 33, perished trying to hit the pace of Pat Cummins, and Krunal was run out by the SRH captain and birthday boy as he tried to steal a single when the boundaries were not coming. It had taken 9.1 overs for the first four of the innings, but Badoni and Pooran found the boundary regularly. Badoni led the charge by moving around in the crease and manipulating the field, getting to a fifty in 28 balls. Pooran joined in towards the end, using the pace of T Natarajan and Cummins. Two of the quickest bowlers on display, Cummins and Natarajan, went for 97 between them.Ayush Badoni gave LSG a much-needed lift•BCCI

Head, Abhishek deliver the knockout punch

LSG tried to make use of the slow pitch by bowling K Gowtham’s offspin to the two left-hand openers, which was a sound-enough plan. With Head and Abhishek, though, plans hardly seem to matter. Head pulled Gowtham away for four in the first over, and Abhishek took down Yash Thakur in the second. Again, even Thakur seemed to be bowling to a sound plan: sweeper cover and deep-square leg, bowl into the pitch, but Abhishek pulled him in front of square. So he put two men back on the leg side, and Abhishek made room and carved him through point. By the time they had reached 25 in two overs, plans ceased to matter at all.Head and Abhishek just picked their spots and sent the ball there no matter the pace on the ball, no matter the length, no matter the fields. All told, the ball took that journey to the boundary once every second ball. You can take your pick from among Head’s kneel-down six into the sight screen, Abhishek’s languid pick-up over wide long-on off Badoni’s offspin, or his extra-cover drive for six to end the game… But try as you may, you will struggle to find a shot more incredible than Head off-driving Ravi Bishnoi off the back foot for a huge six over long-off.Head ended up with 89 off 30, and Abhishek, 75 off 28. Gowtham’s economy of 14.50 was the best among all the LSG bowlers.