All posts by n8rngtd.top

Mumbai opener has not been in India contention recently, but has piled on the runs in the last two months for Mumbai, West Zone and India A

Shashank Kishore14-Oct-2022″Disappointed” at not being picked in India’s ODI squad for the South Africa series that finished last week, Prithvi Shaw smashed his maiden T20 century – a 61-ball 134 – against Assam at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Friday.Shaw, who is captaining the side in Rajkot with Ajinkya Rahane absent, hit 13 fours and nine sixes in his innings to help Mumbai post 230 for 3 after being put into bat. Friday’s knock followed scores of 29 and an unbeaten 55 against Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram previously.”I was disappointed. I am scoring runs, doing a lot of hard work, but not getting a chance,” Shaw had told earlier this month. “But it’s alright. When they [national selectors] feel I am ready, they will play me. Whatever opportunities I get, whether it is for India ‘A’ or other teams, I will make sure I do my best and keep my fitness levels up to the mark.”Over the past year, Shaw has slipped down the pecking order as far as openers for the national team go. He last played for India on the tour of Sri Lanka in July 2021 and hasn’t come close to being picked since. Shaw also had a relatively lean IPL 2022 for Delhi Capitals, scoring just 283 runs in 10 innings, with two half-centuries. He also missed four games towards the end of the season due to typhoid.In the time away, Shaw’s red-ball stocks have fallen considerably, with the national selectors preferring Priyank Panchal and Abhimanyu Easwaran as the India A openers for the first-class games against New Zealand A. Shaw was also left out of the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup that finished late last month. On his part, Shaw has used the time away to work on his fitness.”I did not work on different things in my batting, but did a lot of fitness work,” he said, when asked of the work he’d done during the off-season. “I worked on weight loss and reduced by seven to eight kgs after the last IPL. I spent a lot of time in the gym, did a lot of running, didn’t consume any sweets and cold drinks. Chinese food is totally out of my menu now.”Since the start of this season, he’s been in good form. Having begun with a bruising 113 for West Zone in their Duleep Trophy opener against Northeast, he followed that up with scores of 60 and 142 against a competent Central Zone attack, consisting of Ankit Rajpoot, Aniket Choudhary and Kumar Kartikeya, in the semi-finals. Then part of India A’s one-day squad that played New Zealand A in Chennai, Shaw smacked a 48-ball 77 to help clinch the series.”I am working hard on my game, fitness and performing consistently as well. Everything is on track, [but] let’s see. I am not thinking too much about the future. Whatever opportunities I am getting, I am trying my best.”

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.

South Africa lost to Ireland for only the second time in ODIs, with Jason Smith’s 91 in vain

Abhimanyu Bose07-Oct-2024Half-centuries from captain Paul Stirling and Harry Tector, and an all-round bowling effort helped Ireland to a consolation win in the third ODI against South Africa. This was just Ireland’s second win over South Africa in the format.Winning the toss for the first time in the series, Ireland put on their best batting display before their bowlers made the most of friendly conditions under lightsJason Smith, playing his second ODI, made a fighting 91 but it was an effort in vain after Ireland had run through South Africa’s top five inside 20 overs.In the last two ODIs, Ireland bore the brunt of having to bat under the lights and suffered collapses. But on Monday, South Africa found out just how different a proposition it has been to bat second in Abu Dhabi.With the new ball swinging appreciably more under lights than in the last two games (broadcast showed average swing of 2.1 degrees on Monday compared to 1.1 over the previous two games), Ireland’s quicks made early inroads after their batters got them to a competitive total. Mark Adair had Ryan Rickelton edging to the slips cordon in the first over and trapped Rassie van der Dussen in front three overs later.Reeza Hendricks, flown in from South Africa due to the injury to Temba Bavuma, lasted just seven balls as he edged Graham Hume to Andy Balbirnie at second slip.Kyle Verreynne counter-attacked with six boundaries, but was trapped lbw for 38 by Craig Young as he missed his flick after going across the stumps. Smith and Tristan Stubbs tried to rebuild but Young had the latter nicking off with a harmless length ball in the 20th over.There was another stand of resistance between Smith and Andile Phehlukwayo, but the latter scuffed a pull to fine leg to give Fionn Hand a first ODI wicket on debut.Jason Smith scored his first international fifty but in vain•Cricket Ireland

Smith then took charge of the scoring, driving with authority on the off side, but lost partners at the other end. Bjorn Fortuin hung around before being bowled by left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys. Young then had Williams edging it to the keeper as he tried to ramp a short ball.Smith also launched Young and Adair over the leg side for a couple of sixes after bringing up his maiden international half-century. He moved into the eighties with a powerful flick wide of long-on off Adair in the 43rd over, before flicking him through midwicket for another boundary. He finished that over by swatting the fast bowler over wide long-on as he quickly moved into the nineties.But Adair had the last laugh when he caught Smith at deep point to end his resistance as the batter sliced a wide yorker from Hume. He hit nine fours and four sixes in his 93-ball knock, which followed a duck on ODI debut. Hume wrapped up the win when he had Lungi Ngidi edging behind with 23 balls to go.Ireland built their score on the back of Stirling and Andy Balbirnie’s first 100-plus partnership in ODIs. They made the most of good conditions on a fresh pitch, with Stirling starting off with a powerful cover drive off Ngidi in the first over. There were some edges that either went in the gaps or didn’t carry as Ireland’s openers saw out the powerplay.Stirling even took on South Africa’s best bowler in the series, Lizaad Williams, hooking him for six. Balbirnie was slower to start, taking his time to settle in. It was in the 13th over that he really got going, flicking Ngidi through midwicket for a boundary. In Ngidi’s next over, Balbirnie hit him for six before getting a couple of boundaries off Fortuin.There were a couple of quiet overs that followed during which Stirling got to his half-century, but Balbirnie holed out as he miscued a pull off Williams. The 101-run stand between Stirling and Balbirnie was Ireland’s second-highest in ODIs against South Africa.Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie put up a solid opening partnership•Cricket Ireland

Stirling immediately tried to put the pressure back on South Africa as he drove Williams through cover before hitting Fortuin wide of long-on. Curtis Campher started quickly, picking two boundaries off a Williams over before clubbing Fortuin over wide long-on for six. Stirling and Campher added 58 runs for the second wicket before Campher tried to paddle Baartman only to see the ball crash into the stumps.Stirling went on to drive Ngidi over long-off for another six before crashing Baartman behind point for a boundary, but was then cleaned up by an in-ducker for the second straight game, falling 12 short of a century.Lorcan Tucker, fit again and back in the side, kept Ireland ticking alongside Harry Tector, picking up regular boundaries as they added 54 runs to Ireland’s score. The stand was broken when Tucker tried to scoop Phehlukwayo only to sky it behind, with Ryan Rickelton taking a good catch running back.Phehlukwayo struck again in his next over, as George Dockrell cut him straight to point.Tector lofted Ngidi over long-on before cutting him behind through point for four to reach his half-century in the 48th over. Williams, who was not having his best game of the series until this point, finally made his mark in the penultimate over. He left the middle stump broken as Adair went across the stumps to try and scoop him. He then trapped Hand in front next ball and yorked Hume off the final ball to finish the series with 11 wickets.Tector finished on 60 off 48 as he was run out in the final over trying to run a second to keep strike.

The captain Ashleigh Gardner chipped in with 52 as Giants chased down 144 with 12 balls remaining

Srinidhi Ramanujam16-Feb-20253:53

Mithali Raj impressed with Priya Mishra’s talent

Gujarat Giants were inspired by Priya Mishra’s three-wicket haul and captain Ashleigh Gardner’s breezy 52 to post a comprehensive six-wicket win over UP Warriorz in their second home game of the WPL 2025. Giants were a much-improved outfit with the ball and on the field, and followed it up with a clinical batting effort where the likes of Harleen Deol and Deandra Dottin also chipped in, to chase down a modest 144 in Vadodara with 12 balls remaining.With the injured Alyssa Healy not available and Chamari Athapaththu making way for Alana King, Warriorz lacked power up front. New captain Deepti Sharma’s 39 and Sophie Ecclestone’s excellent bowling performance went in vain as Giants bounced back from the opening-day loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru to get off the mark early in the tournament.Related

• Delhi Capitals take on RCB in a rematch of last season's final

• Run-out calls in MI-DC game turn focus on rules around LED stumps

• Sneh Rana replaces injured Shreyanka Patil at RCB

Gardner hits second fifty as Giants captain

Gardner carried on from where she left off, scoring yet another crucial fifty to lift Giants from 2 for 2. After her unbeaten 79 in the opener against RCB, Gardner came in to bat as early as the second over after Giants lost Beth Mooney and D Hemalatha early. She got going by scoring back-to-back fours off the debutant fast bowling-allrounder Kranti Goud in the third over.She was particularly brutal against Saima Thakor, who conceded 20 runs in the fifth over. Two of the three sixes of the over were hit by Gardner, one over long-on and another over deep midwicket. She used her feet well to charge down the ground when necessary and converted full tosses into fours or sixes. With Laura Wolvaardt, she stitched a crucial 55-run stand for the third wicket.She brought up her fifty off 28 balls, with a humongous six over deep square leg off Alana King after flicking away the previous ball to deep backward square leg for four. Overall, she hit five fours and three sixes.With 131 runs in two matches at an impressive strike rate of 195.52, Gardner is the leading run-scorer of the tournament as of now.

Dottin’s all-round performanceAfter Tahlia McGrath dismissed Gardner in the 12th over, Giants needed 58 off 49 balls. But Dottin came in and swung her bat straightaway over midwicket to collect her first six, off King. Putting her power game to use, she punished McGrath for two more fours in the next over and released pressure off Giants.The dew factor and a few dropped catches didn’t help Warriorz either as Deol also played the role of anchor to keep the chase at a healthy run-rate. Deol made an unbeaten 34 off 30 balls while Dottin hit a quickfire 33 that included three fours and two sixes.Earlier, with the ball, Dottin struck in the second over, dismissing Kiran Navgire with an inswinger and then knocked off Uma Chetry with a short ball in the tenth over when Warriorz were just trying to steady the ship after a few early wickets.Ashleigh Gardner smacked a fifty off 28 balls•WPL

Mishra’s momentum-changing over

Warriorz were 73 for 3 after 10 overs, and with McGrath and Grace Harris yet to come, they would have hoped for a lift-off. But Mishra landed a big blow by removing both the Australians in the span of three deliveries. For McGrath, she bowled a googly that skidded on in line of middle and off and scrapped past the batter’s inside edge and hit the pad first, and then off the bat and onto the pads. McGrath reviewed the lbw decision but it was struck down.A ball later, Mishra bowled another googly, a flighted delivery on off, and Harris went for a big slog across the line only to be beaten on the inside edge as the ball crashed onto the stumps. Mishra let out a loud roar after producing a statement performance.

Warriorz struggle with the bat

After being asked to bat, Warriorz decided to open with Kiran Navgire and Vrinda Dinesh, who had suffered a shoulder injury last season after playing four matches. But neither of them made an impact with Dottin and Gardner striking inside the powerplay.Uma Chetry, at No.3, also toiled to middle a lot of deliveries but utilised her strong bottom hand to smash four boundaries in her 27-ball 24. With Deepti at the other end, the duo produced a 51-run partnership to rescue Warriorz from early jitters. Deepti, who had hit an unbeaten 88 against Giants last year while batting at No.4 the only other time before Sunday, was the positive of the lot and smashed 39 off 27. She used her trademark sweep shots to good effect and also kept the scorecard ticking in the middle overs with pull shots and punches off the backfoot. Eventually, Deepti was also dismissed by Mishra in the 15th over.Despite the late flourish at the end of the innings thanks to Thakor and King, Warriorz finished with an under-par total.

The Ecclestone vs Wolvaardt battle

Wolvaardt was keen to charge down the track and disrupt the bowlers early into the chase but was challenged by Ecclestone. Though the scorecard might not offer a glimpse into the battle, Warriorz were briefly in the game, thanks to Ecclestone. After the England left-arm spinner picked up her first wicket off the second over, she was given another over in the powerplay.Wolvaardt shimmied down and smashed one down the ground for four after missing Ecclestone’s first ball of the fourth over. Four dot balls followed. Eventually, Wolvaardt fell to Ecclestone for 22 off 24 balls. In a moment of indecision that left her neither playing forward nor back, she was beaten on pace in the ninth over. Overall, Wolvaardt scored six runs off Ecclestone’s ten balls with only three scoring shots in it.
Ecclestone finished with figures of 2 for 16 but that wasn’t enough for Warriorz.

Fifties from Gaikwad and Kishan also play a part in hosts’ dismantling of South Africa in Vizag

Firdose Moonda14-Jun-20224:18

Jaffer: Wristspinners need to be brave and Chahal was

India needed their players to step up and put in a big performance to stay alive in the five-match T20I series and Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Yuzvendra Chahal and Harshal Patel did just that. Gaikwad and Kishan shared 97 – India’s highest opening stand against South Africa in T20Is, with each scoring half-centuries. Gaikwad posted a career-best 57 to set India up for a strong total before Chahal and Harshal took three wickets apiece to give India a comprehensive win.South Africa’s defeat was only their second in the last 15 T20Is and their first in the previous eight matches while chasing. They needed a strong start and someone to bat through, but were 38 for 2 in the powerplay and no-one scored more than Heinrich Klaasen’s 29.India’s spinners applied significant pressure for the first time in the series, on the slowest surface so far. Chahal and Axar Patel gave away only 45 runs between them for seven wickets to give Rishabh Pant his first win as captain.Five, four(s)…
 
India were off to a solid but unspectacular start until Anrich Nortje came on to bowl the fifth over and Gaikwad got hold of him. Nortje started in signature fashion – short – but also bowled it wide and Gaikwad only had to stand and cut to find the boundary. Nortje delivered the next ball on a length, and Gaikwad charged down and lofted him over mid-on, prompting Nortje to default back to the bouncer. His third ball came in viciously from outside off and took the grille of Gaikwad’s helmet and raced to the third-man rope. Gaikwad was given the runs, but later taken away as leg-byes, even as he had to have a concussion test.4:15

Steyn: Gaikwad bats pretty much like KL Rahul

He was cleared to continue, and seemed just fine, as he flicked away Nortje’s follow-up, a full ball, through midwicket. Nortje moved his line closer to the stumps for the fifth ball but Gaikwad made room and opened the face of the bat late to steer the ball to short third man. Tabraiz Shamsi was stationed there and although he would have had to make good ground to take the catch, he should have stopped the ball going through his hands and to the boundary. Gaikwad swung and missed the sixth ball as Nortje saved some face. Gaikwad went on to bring up his fifty off 30 balls.Shamsi v Shreyas

Shreyas Iyer has yet to look entirely convincing in this series and scored his first runs in this innings with a top edge off Nortje that went for six. Shreyas was much more in control of his next runs, when he skipped down the track to launch Shamsi over mid-off. The spinner had already been hit for 23 runs in his first two overs and was not having as good a time as he would have liked to celebrate his 50th T20I. But he thought he had turned things around when three balls later, Shreyas was given out lbw as he tried to sweep. Shreyas reviewed immediately, with replays indicating that he had gloved the ball. Just when Shamsi may have thought his night wouldn’t improve, Shreyas swept again, but didn’t keep it down and Nortje timed his jump perfectly at square leg to take the catch.Two drops and some damage
It’s not like South Africa to put down chances and it’s even less like Miller and Rassie van der Dussen but they were both guilty of mistakes. Miller’s was the simpler of the two, when Hardilk Pandya, on 1, sliced Shamsi on the off side and he only had to hold on, but couldn’t. van der Dussen’s required running in from deep backward point when Pant, on 4, slashed at a wide Dwaine Pretorius delivery. He got to the ball but it popped out of his hands. van der Dussen’s drop only cost two runs when, later in Pretorius’ over, Pant again lofted the seamer over the offside. Bavuma ran back from mid-off to take the catch. Pandya’s let-off was more costly. He went on to score 31 runs and help India take 41 off the last five, to push the total over 175.Harshal Patel rattled South Africa’s chase with a four-wicket haul•Associated Press

Poor in the powerplay
Without Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram, the spotlight was always going to shine brightly on South Africa’s opening pair and their strike rates. Temba Bavuma and Reeza Hendricks’ career strike-rates sit at 121.75 and 121.44 respectively and both struggled to get going against a classic Bhuvneshwar Kumar opening spell. He swung the ball both ways to deliver two overs for seven runs but was taken off by Pant, who has developed a habit of replacing bowlers who are applying pressure. Bhuvneshwar’s squeeze worked – Bavuma was caught at mid-on as he tried to clear the in field off Axar. Hendricks edged Chahal, but the chance didn’t carry to slip, before he swung at a Harshal slower ball and was caught at mid-off to end the powerplay on 38 for 2.No middle-order hero this time
van der Dussen was dismissed for 1 when he was caught behind off a Chahal delivery that turned away from him as he tried to cut and two overs later Pretorius went in a similar way but it was only when Miller was done in by a slower ball from Harshal that South Africa’s middle order was opened up for the first time in the series.Wayne Parnell came in at No.7, with South Africa needing 109 runs from nine overs. He had Klaasen at the other end but Chahal had the final say. In his final over, Chahal tossed it up, inviting Klaasen to go big but he could only get the ball as far as Axar at extra cover, to all but end South Africa’s chase in the 15th over. India proceeded to secure their biggest victory (in terms of runs) over South Africa in T20Is.

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.”

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.”

Gritty innings keeps hosts alive in low-scoring dogfight at Hove

ECB Reporters Network18-May-2024Second division championship favourites Yorkshire are within sight of their first win of the season after having marginally the better of the second day of their match against Sussex at Hove.After 17 wickets had fallen on the first day, matters were a little less frenetic in a tightly fought contest but Yorkshire took a grip on the match after tea. They had gained a first-innings lead of 45 in the morning and Sussex struggled to 194 for seven in their second innings, a lead of 149. Their innings was held together by a dogged five-hour unbeaten 77 by Tom Alsop, who was bowled by a no-ball at 39 and dropped at 58.Play started 45 minutes late in damp and murky conditions. Yorkshire resumed on 176 for seven, a lead of 26 runs, and Sussex took just 33 minutes to take the three remaining wickets for the addition of 19 runs.They broke through after 20 minutes play when Jordan Thompson, surprised by the bounce achieved by Ollie Robinson, deflected the ball onto his stumps with his elbow.For the next over Sean Hunt replaced Tom Haines at the sea end and from his fifth delivery he took a straightforward caught and bowled chance to dismiss Ben Coad. And in the over after that Dom Leech shouldered arms and had his off stump plucked out by a delivery angled into him by Robinson. Yorkshire were all out for 195 with Hunt finishing with career-best figures of four for 64. Robinson (3 for 25) has bowled well this season without much luck and this was the first time in four matches that he had taken more than two wickets in an innings.Yorkshire’s slender lead looked significant when they dismissed both Sussex openers inside the first three overs. Haines was out second ball, fluffing his attempted pull against Thompson to cover in the second over. And in the following over Tom Clark, short of runs and confidence this season, drove tamely at Coad and was caught by Matthew Revis at cover.Alsop and Cheteshwar Pujara brought Sussex back into the match with a third wicket stand worth 74 watchful runs in 24 overs. But then Pujara, playing his last innings at Hove this season, failed to get fully forward to one from Leech and was lbw for a 56-ball 33.Alsop and James Coles took Sussex to tea at 123 for three, a lead of 78, with Alsop unbeaten on 52. After the interval the Sussex batsmen battled hard against a disciplined Yorkshire attack. The visitors took the fourth Sussex wicket when Coles, who had added just two runs since the break, miscued his attempted pull off George Hill and was caught at square-leg for 28.John Simpson, struggling for runs in recent innings after his early season double hundred, was missed in the slips before he had scored but failed to make the most of his let-off. When Coad replaced Root at the Cromwell Road end he immediately had the Sussex captain caught at first slip for an uncomfortable six; 140 for five.Fynn Hudson-Prentice looked in the mood to take the attack to the Yorkshire bowlers but he was sixth out at 155, lbw shouldering arms to Thompson, and then Danny Lamb fell lbw for a duck to Coad.Before play got under way Yorkshire announced that they had signed the Sri Lanka left-arm fast bowler Vishwa Fernando for the next three championship matches.

Conway and Dube made merry as well as a record-equalling 33 sixes were hit at the Chinnaswamy

Deivarayan Muthu17-Apr-20232:10

Are RCB over-reliant on their top-three?

In February earlier this year Faf du Plessis was back in yellow, leading Jo’burg Super Kings to the inaugural SA20 semi-finals along with coach Stephen Fleming. Two months on in the IPL, du Plessis, in red and gold, launched an audacious assault with Glenn Maxwell as Royal Challengers Bangalore threatened to mow down 227 against Fleming and MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Kohli fined 10% of his match fee

Virat Kohli was fined for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during RCB’s fixture against CSK on Monday. “Kohli admitted to the Level 1 offence under Article 2.2 of the Code of Conduct,” said an IPL release. The statement did not go into details about the incident. “For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding,” the release further added.

After Super Kings had posted 226 for 6 on the back of Devon Conway’s 45-ball 83 and Shivam Dube’s 27-ball 52, they struck early through their Impact Player Akash Singh to dismiss Virat Kohli for 6 in the first over. Mahipal Lomror then fell to Tushar Deshpande in the next over, but du Plessis and Maxwell then tore into Super Kings’ inexperienced seamers to power them to 75 for 2 in the powerplay.Royal Challengers doubled that score by the 14th over, with du Plessis – bruised rib and all – riding his luck to push them even further ahead. Du Plessis had been dropped on 0, by Dhoni behind the stumps, and then on 52 by Maheesh Theekshana off his own bowling. Super Kings dropped two more catches in a lax fielding effort, but late wickets and nifty variations from the Sri Lankan pair of Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana saved the day for them.Theekshana had got rid of Maxwell for 76 off 36 balls with a fizzing 104kph carrom ball in a boundary-less over. Pathirana, who had been taken for 26 off ten balls from Maxwell, had Shahbaz Ahmed holing out in an 18th over that cost just runs to go with that wicket.Royal Challengers’ Impact Player Suyash Prabhudessai then heaved Deshpande for six in the 19th over, but Pathirana successfully defended 18 off the final over with his slingy, on-pace yorkers and slower cutters. He had Prabhudessai caught at deep midwicket last ball with his bowling coach Dwayne Bravo applauding him from the dugout.

Conway, Rahane turn up the tempo

Mohammed Siraj excelled in the powerplay once again, giving up just six runs in his two overs while claiming the wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad for 3. Conway and Ajinkya Rahane, too, had started slowly, but they turned up the tempo in the fifth over, bowled by rookie seamer Vyshak Vijaykumar. Conway manufactured a scooped four while Rahane hit the roof of the Chinnaswamy Stadium with a 91-metre six.Rahane then cracked Wayne Parnell for 4,6,4 in the last over of the powerplay, taking Super Kings up to 53 for 1 in six overs. He tried to keep up the attacking intent against Wanindu Hasaranga, but the wristspinner bested him with a wrong’un.3:07

Jaffer: Feeling secure at CSK has probably helped Rahane

Dube dazzles

Hasaranga bowled only two overs and didn’t return after dismissing Rahane because Super Kings had promoted their left-handed spin-hitter Dube to No.4 once again. Royal Challengers matched Dube up with Maxwell, but he got going by launching his own six into the roof of the ground.Conway brought up back-to-back half-centuries and looked good for a maiden IPL hundred, but Harshal Patel eventually cleaned him up for 83 with a dipping yorker. With Royal Challengers not having an out-and-out fast bowler in their ranks, Dube continued to find or clear the boundary. He charged to a 25-ball fifty before Parnell had him holing out in the 17th over.

The drama at the death

Despite the loss of Ambati Rayudu in the next over, Super Kings seemed on track for a total of 230. Siraj, however, nailed his wide yorkers in the 19th over that cost ten runs.Harshal started the final over, which was closed out by stand-in captain Maxwell; du Plessis was off the field during that time because of a side strain.After Harshal bowled two beamers, he had to be taken out of the attack. Maxwell brought himself into the attack, ahead of Hasaranga, and conceded nine runs, including a wide, for the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja off the last four balls.Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell controlled the chase after the early wickets•Associated Press

The du Plessis-Maxwell show

Royal Challengers were two down in two overs, but they still flew out of the blocks, thanks to du Plessis and Maxwell. They played to their strengths, with du Plessis taking down pace and Maxwell spin. Du Plessis was responsible for 45 of the 75 runs Royal Challengers had scored in the powerplay.Maxwell then took centrestage, lining up both Jadeja and Theekshana. Maxwell didn’t spare Pathirana either after the powerplay, shanking him for a 94-metre six over square leg.The pair took their team to 141 off 2 in 12 overs. Eighty-six from eight overs is a manageable ask at the Chinnaswamy, but Theekshana had Maxwell skying behind to set the scene for Super Kings’ comeback.