All posts by n8rngtd.top

“It always takes an individual to do something special to get the team back on track,” Australia coach says of Nathan Lyon’s eight-for in Indore

Andrew McGlashan04-Mar-20232:19

Chappell: Getting India out cheaply in the first innings was key

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald believes the team’s success in the Indore Test shows there is a core group of players who are learning what it takes to win in the subcontinent and can set the side up for greater success in the future.”One hour of chaos” in Delhi, as McDonald termed it, cost Australia the chance of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but having taken the opportunity to refresh and regroup during the long break before the third Test, they secured one of their finest overseas victories as they beat India at their own game on a pitch rated “poor” by the ICC.As a result, Australia have secured their place in the World Test Championship final, during a cycle that has also included Test wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and they now have the chance of levelling the series in Ahmedabad.Related

• Head's learnings: back your plans and stay calm

• Adaptable Australia get their act together in Indore

• India may not mind more turning pitches despite loss

They don’t head back to India for another Test series until 2027 and a number of a senior players are unlikely to return, but they will visit Sri Lanka in 2025 and the likes of Travis Head, Cameron Green, Marnus Labuschagne and Todd Murphy have many subcontinent tours ahead of them.”Usman Khawaja’s performances here are probably tied back to his first experience in the subcontinent, Steve Smith as well,” McDonald said. “Everyone’s journey starts at some point in time on the subcontinent, and I think there’s a core group of players that will come back here more experienced and, in theory, better equipped for the challenges. We’re talking about a series here where we’ve had certain conditions that probably aren’t relatable to any other subcontinent tour over time, so it’s always a different challenge when you do arrive here.”

Australia keep calm after another collapse

Australia did suffer another batting collapse in Indore, losing 6 for 11 on the second day to miss the chance to build an overwhelming lead. But they retained their composure and, led by Nathan Lyon’s eight wickets, kept the pressure on India before making a target of 76 appear simpler than appeared likely.”You have almost got to be near perfect against India in India. I think this game besides that 6 for 11 was near perfect,” McDonald said. “We had a little bit of luck. Marnus getting bowled off a no-ball, how critical was that at that point in time, [and] that allowed a partnership to flourish. We took our opportunities as well. Usman’s flying catch and then Smudge [Smith] winding back the clock with that one at leg slip. You compare that to the Delhi game where Smudge dropped one at first slip and then we dropped one at leg slip in Matthew Renshaw, and they were critical.”We had one hour of chaos there and that cost us that Test match when we’d played pretty good cricket. We came here and doubled down on what we’d set out to achieve at the start of the tour.”So on the back of Delhi, it was ‘how clear are we going to be in what we need to do next’. Is this team good enough? Yes. What do we need to do next? We’d lost 6 for 11, nothing we can do about that. We go out there and Nathan Lyon as the experienced spinner delivers one of his best performances. It always takes an individual to do something special to get the team back on track, no doubt about that.”Alex Carey whips the bails off to send Rohit Sharma back in the first innings•BCCI

Praise for Alex Carey’s wicketkeeping

Amid the headline-grabbing performances of Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann, Khawaja and Head, McDonald picked out Alex Carey for special praise after his display of wicketkeeping on the devilish surface. He only conceded three byes for the match where some deliveries leapt while others scuttled and McDonald viewed his stumping of Rohit Sharma, the first wicket of the Test, as a vital moment.”One part that hasn’t been spoken about enough is Alex Carey’s keeping,” he said. “I think that on day one, that ball to Sharma, that high take, that stumping, if he doesn’t execute that Sharma gets a look at the wicket, he plays differently and the game rolls in a different direction.”I think sometimes we are quick to criticise wicketkeepers. In this instance, I thought that day one was an absolute clinic and gave us control of the game. We saw [KS] Bharat miss a couple of half-chances, or get his leg in the way of balls that could have gone to first slip. So I thought that was a key moment in the game.””I think the more extreme the conditions, the less the toss is relevant”•Getty Images

Pitches make the toss irrelevant

McDonald remained diplomatic about the pitch in Indore, saying that all the players could do was perform on whatever surface they were given, but did say conditions had been “extreme”. However, as in Pune in 2017, it likely helped narrow the gap between the teams.”I think you can see that in the fact that all three games have been won against the toss, teams batting first have lost, and that’s rare,” he said. “It’s usually pretty hard to win against the toss but here we’ve seen three matches go that way. I think the more extreme the conditions, the less the toss is relevant.”Before the third Test, Rohit had floated the notion of India asking for a green pitch in Ahmedabad if they had secured their place in the WTC final. Now they still require a victory to be assured of meeting Australia at The Oval, although if Sri Lanka don’t win against New Zealand in the Test that runs concurrently in Christchurch, the result won’t matter. Regardless, McDonald felt the pressure in the series has now been switched.”I don’t think we know what we’re going to get in Ahmedabad, I don’t think anyone does,” he said with a hint of a smile. “But we’ve definitely put some pressure into that change room. Full credit to the guys. [It’s] great reward for a group that over the past couple of weeks have had their challenges.”

Dom Bess 79* in vain as Yorkshire Division One fate remains in balance

David Hopps28-Sep-2022The future has been confirmed: Shan Masood, the Pakistan batter shrewdly pilfered from Derbyshire, will captain Yorkshire in all formats in 2023. Masood brings hopes of a new beginning – and it needs to start as soon as possible. But, for the moment, the story at Headingley was of fear: fear of the present, fear of the future. And of a departing captain, much respected, who appeared to represent a bygone era.The majority of Yorkshire members who assembled in the Long Room before start of play at Headingley were of identical mind on the two great issues of the day: the Strauss Review should be consigned to the waste bin and Yorkshire had no chance of beating Gloucestershire to secure their place in Division One next season.Their view on the Strauss Review, which seeks a drastic reduction in the amount of county cricket, was voiced in no uncertain terms in a Members Forum as they gained assurances from the acting chief executive, Andy Dawson, that an EGM would be called as appropriate and that the vote would be binding. The members’ revolt around the country appears to be taking effect – although in Yorkshire’s case there may still be one or two complications ahead.They would be less thrilled that their pessimism about Yorkshire also proved well founded. Beaten by Gloucestershire by 18 runs after being dismissed late on the third day for 222, they have finished the season with six defeats in eight and will be relegated if Warwickshire, currently second bottom, fashion an unlikely victory against Hampshire at Edgbaston on the final day, so finishing above Yorkshire.For a while, though, as floodlights cut through thr early-evening gloom, a Yorkshire crowd surrendered to romance. By tradition, birthday flowers might still be hidden in shopping bags, or under overcoats, but invited to imagine that their 37-year-old former captain, Steven Patterson, would come in at No. 11 in the last innings of his career, and share in a match-winning last-wicket stand of 50, and they flirted with the notion with fluttering hearts.With every over blocked, poker faced, from the left-arm spinner, Zafar Gohar, they first applauded and then cheered. Patterson’s stumps were constantly imperilled, but the crowd was dancing to the fantasy. There were no whoops, to be fair, but this is Headingley after all. There is a place for whoops and it is several thousand miles west. Dom Bess, in perhaps his best innings for Yorkshire, picked off boundaries with some serene drives as the light began to fail. Surely, they would not have to come back in the morning?Then Gloucestershire removed Gohar from the attack and opted for pace at both ends. Patterson had nought from 26 balls, but his eyes lit up at a short, wide one from David Payne. He made good contact, but picked out Chris Dent at backward point. Bess was left stranded with an unbeaten 79 from 103 balls. Patterson had to make do with his third standing ovation of the day. Yorkshire had six defeats in eight, their only win coming against Gloucestershire in their opening game. This has been no summer for romance.Masood brings hope of success on the field and unity off it. It takes talent to heal breaches and the breaches could not be deeper.Ottis Gibson, the coach who dared to accept a hospital pass as Yorkshire began to rebuild after Azeem Rafiq’s racism allegations, knows the truth. “With one day to go, we hope things go our way in Birmingham, but you ask yourself the question, ‘Do we deserve that bit of luck from Birmingham?’ If we end up in the second division, it’s our own fault. We can’t blame any other factors.”The conversations we’ve had with Shan is that he is going to be club captain going forwards. The players know that. He will bring his own style of leadership.”Gloucestershire will still finish bottom, but they will find consolation over the winter that they have finished the season with back-to-back wins against the two counties who still fear they might be relegated alongside them.It was a difficult, but far from impossible Yorkshire chase, 241 on a sluggish surface allowing a degree of turn and seam, but Gloucestershire took a stranglehold from the moment Adam Lyth was sixth out at 119, deflecting to first slip off the shoulder of the bat after Pakistan left-arm spinner Gohar reared a delivery out of the rough. Gohar’s 4 for 69 gave him figures of 9 for 109 in the match.Lyth’s 49 was his second responsible innings of the match, and he watched most of his batting partners depart with the removal of his helmet and a crestfallen sweep of his hand over the most recognisable shiny pate in the game.Yorkshire would have been reasonably content at the way they polished off Gloucestershire’s last four wickets. They brought a further 29 runs, including Ollie Price, whose 68 ended when he chopped on against George Hill. Hill has been one of Yorkshire’s bright spots this season, arguably their Championship player of the year if you are minded to overlook Harry Brook’s excellent summer before England came a-calling. As for Patterson, an lbw decision against Gohar gave him his 489th and final first-class wicket.Yorkshire lost James Wharton to the fourth ball of the innings to a square drive off one knee against Tom Price’s inswinger, which he deflected onto his stumps. Lyth kept his helmet on for that one, and just rescratched his crease mournfully. Further damage against the new ball was averted and Yorkshire looked well set at 69 for 1, at which point Ajeet Singh Dale’s inswinger beat Hill’s drive.Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s Yorkshire farewell has been a skittish affair. His father, a dressing room attendant, walked out after the mass sacking of 14 employees in response to Rafiq’s racism allegations, and his departure for Somerset was confirmed in June. He did not appear to be overly restricted by fears of relegation: in the first innings, he holed out against Gohar’s first ball; this time he met the first five with diligent defence before slicing a lofted straight hit to long-off from the last ball of the over.Lyth’s helmet removal was accompanied by a Paddington stare. The crowd’s stony silence was meaningful enough, but somebody offered an opinion and Kohler-Cadmore was provoked into a reaction. He was fortunate that he wasn’t booed off. Unlike Patterson, his Yorkshire career had ended badly and one day he might even understand why.Payne added to Yorkshire’s plight, bowling both Jonny Tattersall and Harry Duke, the latter falling to an under-edge as he attempted a leave-alone. Jordan Thompson, who has allrounder status, made his first double-figure score in 12 innings, a run stretching back to mid-June before he turned Gohar to leg slip. The time had come for Bess to carry the fight and he did so in excellent fashion. But the Yorkshire dream never materialised and all eyes will be on Edgbaston on Thursday.

Imam’s unbeaten 50 steers visitors in a slightly tense and cloudy morning in Galle

Madushka Balasuriya20-Jul-2023It took a little over an hour for Pakistan to wrap things up, as they hunted down the remaining 83 runs in very un-Pakistan fashion – without fuss and little drama. Sure they lost three wickets, but from the very first ball – which was pulled for four – that they’d get there in the end was in little to no doubt. The result means Pakistan take a 1-0 lead against Sri Lanka in this two-match series, and get them off to the ideal start in this new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. It also gives them a first Test win in exactly a year – the last also coming in Galle.Imam-ul-Haq was unbeaten on 50 with Agha Salman for company when the winning runs – a sumptuous loft over long-off for six – were scored. Prabath Jayasuriya ended with figures of 4 for 56 to increase his ever-growing collection of scalps at Galle, but that will be scant consolation for the hosts.And while those of a Pakistani persuasion might have had doubts gnawing away in the back of their minds over a potential collapse, or a snatching-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory performance by the visitors this morning, this was a result that might force a rethink.Related

• Is Test cricket having its Pakball moment?

• Has shoddy fielding let Sri Lanka down? Yes, says assistant coach

• Unshackled Shakeel switches seamlessly between slow-burn and turbo

• Dhananjaya de Silva lining in Sri Lanka's far-from-elite batting line-up

• The fast bowling poetry of Naseem and Afridi

On the surface, a four-wicket win when hunting down 131 might point towards some jitters, but this was oddly enough a chase that seemed in control despite those losses.The first delivery of the day in fact provided a microcosm of how both these sides managed their respective briefs throughout this Test, as the sometimes-erratic Ramesh Mendis dragged one short for Babar Azam to put away easily to the boundary behind square leg; Pakistan needed quick runs, Sri Lanka needed to keep things tight, only one side followed the script.This boundary was followed by another later in the over, with the first five overs of the day eventually being plundered for 30 runs. Both Babar and Imam showed uncharacteristic intent during this period, using their feet to the spinners, while the Pakistan captain even gave the sweep a rare outing.When he fell, trapped leg before by Jayasuriya, some of those watching on, familiar with Pakistan’s history, might have been forgiven for bracing for a potential scare. After all, back in 2009, Pakistan had folded alarmingly fast when chasing a similarly paltry total at the very same ground. But this is a new Pakistan – or at least they’re trying to be.They had assured prior to the day’s play that they would play attacking cricket, and so they did, Imam pumping one handsomely over long-off the very next over after Babar’s fall, and Saud Shakeel – the first innings hero – also slashing one behind point.And as the deficit reduced, their intensity only increased. With a little over 20 runs left, Shakeel took Sri Lanka’s best bowler for a pair of boundaries on either side of the wicket. At this point, Shakeel’s average had risen above 100, but he settled for a little less in the end, nicking one through off Mendis before the innings was done.Sarfaraz was the last to fall, top-edging a sweep to deep square leg with just four left to get, but Agha rammed home the point, smoking one long and straight first ball to wrap up the game.As for how long this positive-Pete version of Pakistan carries on remains to be seen, but for the time being, it’s certainly something to be celebrated. Sri Lanka, for their part, have four days to recalibrate on how to combat this new beast and gather themselves for round two in Colombo.

“In many ways, I had already retired as a cricketer, but hadn’t been able to make a formal announcement”

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2021Harbhajan Singh has announced his retirement from all formats of the game. In a video message on Twitter, the former India offspinner said that “in many ways, I had already retired”, but because of his commitments with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, he was forced to delay the announcement.”There comes a time in your life when you must take some tough decisions and move ahead. I have been meaning to make this announcement for the last few years, but I was waiting for the right moment to share it with all of you: today, I am retiring from all formats of cricket,” he said. “In many ways, I had already retired as a cricketer, but hadn’t been able to make a formal announcement.”I haven’t been an active cricketer for a while. But I had a commitment to Kolkata Knight Riders, and wanted to spend the (2021) IPL season with them. But during the season itself, I had made up my mind to retire.”Harbhajan last turned out for India in March 2016, in a T20I against UAE in Dhaka in that year’s Asia Cup. Harbhajan, now 41, made his international debut back in March 1998, in a Test match against Australia in Bengaluru, picking up two wickets in an eight-wicket defeat. He went on to play 103 Tests, for a haul of 417 wickets – still the fourth-highest for India – at an average of 32.46, with an innings best of 8 for 84 and a match best of 15 for 217, both recorded in India’s two-wicket win over Australia in the Chennai Test of 2001, which gave them a 2-1 win in an iconic series. In the previous Test in Kolkata, made famous due to VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid’s batting all day while following-on – Harbhajan had played a major role too in India’s stunning come-from-behind win, bagging 13 wickets in the match.Harbhajan also turned out in 236 ODIs from 1998 to 2015, taking 269 wickets at 33.35 and an economy rate of 4.31. He played 28 T20Is, taking 25 wickets at an average of 25.32 and an economy rate of 6.20. His overall tally of 707 international wickets is the second-highest for India, behind Anil Kumble’s 953.Harbhajan has had great success in the IPL too, taking 150 wickets in 163 matches, fifth on the all-time list. Harbhajan also took 20 wickets in 22 Champions League T20 matches, leading Mumbai Indians to victory in the competition in 2011. Harbhajan’s longest association with a franchise was with Mumbai Indians, who bought him in the 2008 auction and retained him ahead of the mega auctions in 2011 and 2014. Released ahead of the 2018 mega auction, Harbhajan had two years with Chennai Super Kings before finishing up with Knight Riders.”It has been a beautiful journey over 25 years, right from the of Jalandhar to becoming the Turbanator of India,” he said in the statement. “Nothing has been more motivating for me than stepping out on the field while wearing the India jersey.”Like every [Indian] cricketer, even I wished to bid goodbye in an India jersey, but fate had something else in store for me. Irrespective of the side I represented, I have always given my 100% commitment to ensure my team finishes on top – whether it was India, Punjab, Mumbai Indians, CSK [Chennai Super Kings], KKR or the county teams of Surrey and Essex.””My first real happiness was the hat-trick I took in Kolkata”•Hamish Blair/ALLSPORT

Harbhajan had plenty of success across formats, including being part of two World Cup winning teams with India – in 2011 and in 2007 for the inaugural T20 World Cup. His greatest achievement, arguably, remains the performance in the series against Australia in 2001, where he bagged 32 wickets in three Tests, where no other Indian bowler took more than three wickets. Harbhajan’s feat included taking a hat-trick in Kolkata.”If you ask me about my cricket career, my first real happiness was the hat-trick I took in Kolkata, becoming the first Indian bowler to do so in a Test match. I also got 32 wickets in the three Tests in that series, which is still a record,” he said. “Following this, the T20 World Cup win 2007 and the [ODI] World Cup win in 2011 were most important for me. Those were moments that I can neither forget nor express in words as to how big that happiness was for me.”As for the future, Harbhajan said that he has “no idea” what he would do, but indicated that it would be connected to the game.”Cricket was, is and will always be an important part of my life. I have served Indian cricket for years, and will continue to strive to serve them in the future,” he said. “I have no idea about the future, but whatever I am today is because of cricket. I will be immensely happy if I can be of help to Indian cricket in any role in the future.”Now I begin a new chapter in my life, which starts with its own challenges. Believe me, your Turbanator is ready for the examination! Just keep showering your love on me.”

India Under-19 collapsed after a 133-run stand between Malhotra and Mhatre

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay22-Jul-2025Ralphie Albert sparked not one collapse but two in taking 6 for 53 as England Under-19 edged ahead in the rain-affected 2nd ‘Test’ against India at Chelmsford.The 17-year-old left-arm spinner reduced India from 170 for 1 to 181 for 4 before helping to secure the last six wickets for 37 as India were bowled out for 279 to trail by 30.This looked unlikely when Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra were compiling a dominant stand of 133 for the second wicket. Malhotra would go on to make 120 at nearly a-run-a-ball, but aside from this pair, only Harvansh Pangalia (28) and Kanishk Chouhan (23) reached double-figures, with five batters making ducks.England openers Ben Dawkins and Adam Thomas survived the odd scare to stretch that lead to 123 before bad light ended play 12 overs before the scheduled close.Rain delayed the start until 12.15pm before Malhotra and Mhatre dominated the pre-lunch session.Mhatre, dropped at cover on the second afternoon, was reprieved a second time when Alex Green failed to take a tough caught-and-bowled chance, but soon made the most of his good fortune, two sumptuous fours off the back foot and a huge six from the bowling of day-two centurion Ekansh Singh among the pick of his shots.Malhotra survived a big shout for lbw and being struck midships by James Minto. His cover drive off Green was a thing of beauty, and he raised the 100 of the innings with six over square leg. Another six took him to 50 as India scored 108 in the 75 minutes of play. England looked to be searching for wickets, and the result was too many four balls in a tardy effort.[File photo] Ralphie Albert triggered twin Indian collapses•Getty Images

Whether it was harsh words from the coaches or an inspired lunch choice, England emerged a different side. Tighter bowling brought a breakthrough when Mhatre missed one from Alex French, which angled in and spreadeagled his stumps. He scored 80.Door ajar, Albert produced some spin wizardry to strike twice in as many overs, wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu bunting back a caught and bowled before Rahul Kumar edged low to Thomas at slip.India’s response was to counter-attack, Pangalia dispatching a long-hop over the longest boundary before driving and cutting for successive fours.At the other end, Malhotra’s 16th four took him to his hundred in 101 balls and at 242 for 4 the visitors were back in the ascendancy.However, Pangalia top-edged a cross-bat slog into the deep and RS Ambrish became the third duck on the Indian card when he drove to cover in Albert’s next over.The Surrey youngster was on a roll, Malhotra becoming his biggest prize when perishing to a catch by Ben Mayes on the midwicket fence. Albert wasn’t finished there, Henil Patel his fourth wicket in 13 balls courtesy of Thomas’ second smart slip catch of the afternoon.Thereafter, only Chouhan held up the hosts for a while, Albert’s fellow spinner Mayes (2 for 17) picking up the last two wickets – a due reward for a tight spell.Dawkins and Thomas were both on a pair and began nervously, the former given a life when dropped at first slip off Aditya Rawat on 7.Rawat’s searching examination survived, the pair prospered, Dawkins clearing the ropes at midwicket, while Thomas drove and cut well to reach 50 with seven fours in the last over before the light closed in.

Australian quick wins compelling duel with his Victoria captain Peter Handscomb during four-wicket haul

Matt Roller13-May-2022There was a sense of inevitability as James Pattinson steamed in, the shadows of the Grandstand lengthening across Lord’s, and nipped the ball back off the seam to trap Luke Hollman lbw. A win this week should be enough for Nottinghamshire to replace Middlesex as Division Two’s leaders and Pattinson, the snarling spearhead of their seam attack, set them on the path towards that result.Pattinson signed for Notts on an initial one-year deal over the winter as an overseas player – despite the fact he holds a British passport – after retiring from international cricket at the age of 31. That status will allow him to return to Australia to play for Victoria and Melbourne Renegades later this year, at which point he will assess whether his body can cope with the strain of playing all year round.Notts’ resources are unmatched in the second division and their seam attack is so deep that they could afford the luxury of resting Pattinson in their three-day win against Worcestershire. The fixture list gave them a week off in the last round of games meaning that Pattinson had not bowled for 20 days.He looked fit – and fired up – throughout the 17 overs he bowled in the day, and his five-over spell from the Pavilion End after tea would not have looked out of place in a Test match. Three balls after the interval, he bowled Mark Stoneman through the gate with a nip-backer, going wide on the crease from around the wicket and angling the ball up the slope.And Pattinson’s duel with Peter Handscomb, his Victoria captain, was the highlight. Handscomb is yet to score a half-century at Lord’s since he arrived at Middlesex last summer but played fluently throughout his innings on a slowish pitch, scoring heavily square of the wicket.He came through a test against the short ball, pulling Pattinson for four when he came around the wicket, but was caught on the crease when he pitched full, trapped in front for 48. Pattinson roared in characteristic style in close proximity to Handscomb; rarely has a Championship dismissal at Lord’s lent itself to Victorian first grade cricket to such an extent.Relegated to first change with Luke Fletcher and Stuart Broad sharing the new ball, he had made the early breakthrough with the final delivery of his first over, zipping the ball up the slope to knock Sam Robson’s off stump back as he shouldered arms. He finished with 4 for 49, his best figures of the season so far.Middlesex ended the day wondering how things had slipped out of their grasp after Toby Roland-Jones started it with a spell of 9-4-18-4, trapping Steven Mullaney lbw with the first ball of the day and then removing Tom Moores, Liam Patterson-White (both bowled) and Pattinson (caught behind) in quick succession.But Fletcher and Broad held them up with a stand of 63 in 12.4 overs, with Fletcher tucking into Hollman’s legbreaks and clubbing his way to a sixth first-class fifty from No. 11. He was eventually caught behind for 50 off 54 when he tried to scythe Martin Andersson through point; Broad, unusually, played second fiddle, unbeaten on 11.Both men were involved in Middlesex’s second wicket, one which summed their afternoon up. Stoneman tucked Broad off his hip straight to Fletcher at midwicket and set off for an unlikely single, but Fletcher swooped, threw and hit. He set off with both arms raised, mobbed by his team-mates. “I’ve seen run-outs here before,” Mike Atherton murmured with a wry smile at the back of the press box, after his son Josh de Caires had trudged off.Broad’s own contribution was limited to three late wickets as Middlesex’s tailenders looked to swing their way towards the follow-on target: Roland-Jones and Andersson were caught on the pull, while Murtagh was cleaned up poking at a full ball. Broad is candid enough to admit that he is using the early stages of the Championship season as preparation for England’s first Test of the summer, against New Zealand here in two weeks’ time.He will be grateful, then, for some rest before he bowls again after Notts opted not to enforce the follow-on. Unfortunately for him, it seems unlikely they will still be batting by the time his beloved Nottingham Forest close out the first leg of their play-off semi-final against Sheffield United after tea.

Bell twice on a hat-trick as she and England team-mate claim seven wickets between them

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2023Lauren Bell took 4 for 37 as the Southern Vipers routed the South East Stars by 158 runs in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Beckenham.Bell was twice on a hat-trick as she wiped out the Stars’ top order, before Charlie Dean then took 3 for 18 to bowl the hosts out for 129.Earlier Ella McCaughan hit 67 and Maia Bouchier 59 in an opening stand of 117, before Georgia Elwiss came in and made 59 to set a stiff-looking 287 for 6.Alice Davidson-Richards had the best figures of the Stars’ nine bowlers with 2 for 30, but it was a chastening afternoon for the home side after last week’s emphatic 131-run win at the Thunder.The Stars had lost all six of their previous 50-over games with the Vipers, including last September’s Eliminator at Beckenham, but any hopes their opponents might still be reeling from last Saturday’s shock defeat to the Sunrisers were ephemeral.The Vipers chose to bat and took full advantage of both a benign wicket and a sub-optimal display by the Stars with the ball, which included 27 wides. They offered few chances and when they did the hosts couldn’t take them.Bouchier was on 42 when she pulled Alexa Stonehouse to mid-wicket and was dropped, while McCaughan survived a difficult stumping chance off Bryony Smith when on 34.Paige Scholfield finally broke the partnership when she bowled Bouchier, who played on and Scholfield then caught McCaughan off Ryana MacDonald-Gay in the covers.Davidson-Richards was the ninth bowler the Stars used, but she struck in her first over when she had Danni Wyatt caught at backward point by MacDonald-Gay for 22.At that point the Vipers were 170 for 3, which was the closest they came to a wobble. Elwiss and Adams responded with a stand of 76, the latter bringing up the 50 partnership with a six off Tash Farrant.Farrant subsequently had Adams lbw for 31 and Dean made four when she chipped Freya Davies to Phoebe Franklin, before Elwiss hit the penultimate ball of the innings, from Davidson-Richards to Smith on the mid-on boundary.The Stars made a bright start to the chase, racing to 26 without loss, only for Bell to strike twice in as many balls. She hit the top off Alice Capsey’s off stump to bowl her for 18 before getting MacDonald-Gay lbw for a golden duck.Smith flicked the hat-trick ball to square leg for two but was out in Bell’s next over, the victim of a brilliant tumbling catch by Dean at extra-cover for 7.Bell found herself on a hat-trick for the second time in the match when Davidson-Richards edged her to Bouchier in the slips but Kira Chatli blocked her next delivery. It was a short-lived reprieve for Chatli, who was caught by Linsey Smith for 20 off Alice Monaghan.Scholfield and Farrant hung around for a while but the former was bowled by Adams 31 and Dean then began to mop up the tail.The end was nigh when she beat Farrant in the flight for 21, beating her in the flight and bowling her leg stump. She then had Alexa Stonehouse caught by Adams for a duck and Franklin snared by McCaughan for nine and the victory was sealed when Freya Davies holed out to Monaghan and was caught by a diving Adams at long off.

They had slipped to fifth after the defeat in Hyderabad, but are now firmly back on top

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2024 • Updated on 11-Mar-20242:35

How significant is this series win for India?

India have extended their lead at the top of the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) points table by beating England in Dharamsala to win the five-match series 4-1.The 4-1 series win also helped India overtake Australia at the top of the ICC’s Test rankings and they remain No. 1 even though Australia beat New Zealand in Christchurch. India are also the top-ranked ODI and T20I side at present.How the WTC points table looks after the conclusion of the New Zealand vs Australia Test series•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India had slipped to fifth place in the WTC points table after losing the first Test of the series against England in Hyderabad, but climbed back up to No. 1 by winning the next three matches. The innings victory in Dharamsala extended their percentage points to 68.51%, having earned 74 out of 108 points after playing nine matches (six wins, two defeats, one draw) in the ongoing WTC cycle.According to the WTC points system, a team gets 12 points for a Test win, six for a tie, four for a draw, and nothing for a defeat. And they are ranked according to the percentage of points won because each team plays a different number of Tests in the WTC cycle.Points are also deducted for slow over rate penalties, which is why England have only 21 points despite winning three Tests in this WTC cycle. They have lost 19 points for slow over-rate penalties and are in eighth place with only 17.5 percentage points after playing ten Tests.Related

• Rohit's batting shines spotlight on value of instinct and adaptability

• Lyon talks up Australia's 'belief' in tough chase

• Ashwin bags nine in 100th Test as India cruise to innings win

• Dravid after series win: 'We've always found people to step up'

• Stokes: 'We're man enough to say that we've been outplayed'

Australia are presently second with 62.50% points and New Zealand are third at 50%. With only a Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Test series to go before the IPL season begins on March 22, India are set to remain No. 1 for a few months.Bangladesh, on fourth place behind New Zealand in the WTC points table, have played only one series in the ongoing cycle. They are followed by Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa, England and Sri Lanka.The top two teams at the end of the WTC cycle will play the final at Lord’s in June 2025. India had qualified for both the previous WTC finals so far, but lost to New Zealand in 2021 and Australia in 2023.

Opener makes 85 as visitors give themselves hope of securing first-innings lead

ECB Reporters Network13-Apr-2024Keaton Jennings put behind his disappointment at missing out on England’s Test tour to India by beginning his Vitality County Championship campaign with a half-century.Opening batter Jennings impressed as part of the England Lions squad acting as support for the Test squad in the sub-continent this winter, but was not considered for the main event, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley remaining Ben Stokes’ and Brendon McCullum’s preferred opening pair.He totted up 85 with only one dropped catch as a blemish in an otherwise authoritative innings, with his opening partner Luke Wells reaching 55.Lancashire ended the day on 233 for four, 134 runs behind Hampshire’s first innings total on a placid Utilita Bowl pitch.Having bowled the hosts out for what felt like an about-par 367, Wells and Jennings made hay in good batting conditions.Mohammad Abbas’ battle with Wells was intriguing, with the Pakistan fast bowler sending down 16 challenging dot-balls before the batter could manoeuvre himself off strike.And from that point, the former Sussex opener slowly put himself on top of the home side’s bowling attack to rush towards his first half-century of the season.He found straight driving particularly profitable as he needed just 65 balls to reach the milestone – the 68th fifty of his career.Wells fell to end an 87-run partnership, of which he had notched up 55 when he clipped Abbas to Tom Prest at short midwicket – in doing so becoming the fifth batter to 50 but not 100.Jennings was far less aggressive in his approach but never looked in too much danger as the Kookaburra ball quickly went soft.His main approach to the lack of pace in the pitch was to bat further and further out of his crease, with Lancashire’s general tactic of hitting down the ground in opposition to Hampshire’s square domination.Jennings was dropped at point on 36 by Nick Gubbins, who lost his trousers in the process, before slowly closing in on 57th first-class half-century – which eventually arrived in 122 balls.Josh Bohannon made 30 out of 38 with Bohannon before chopping James Fuller onto his own stumps, after a big build-up of pressure from the Pavilion End – started by Kyle Abbott and continued by Fuller.Jennings then teamed up with George Balderson in an 86-run stand which appeared to be never-ending until Balderson recklessly slogged to deep midwicket for 38, before Tom Bruce was brilliantly caught at first slip by Liam Dawson to give Holland two wickets in two balls to turn the momentum.George Bell narrowly avoided edging the hat-trick ball before surviving to the close with Jennings.Earlier, Hampshire added 62 runs to their overnight score as they extended their first innings by an hour and a half, with three batting points pocketed.Dawson had gone to bed on 61 having begun his season in the sort of form that 2023 was remembered for, and continued to tick along with Ian Holland and James Fuller in 38 and 45-run partnerships.Barring a little scamper to reach 350 in plenty of time – which included Dawson pulling Will Williams for six – there was hardly any deviation from a placid tempo.Holland fell leg before to Williams before Fuller edged a drive off Wells to a helmeted Jennings at first slip, while Dawson fell for an innings-high 86 by a smart catch behind off Tom Bailey. It meant none of Hampshire’s four fifty-makers were able to convert to three figures.Nathan Lyon completed the innings when Kyle Abbott was caught at long-on by Jennings – the Australian ending with three for 110 from a backbreaking 38.1 overs.From then on in, Lancashire bedded in and made the most of a pitch and ball that was suited for patient long-form batting.

Sanju Samson and Phil Salt will hope to get back among the runs as the series nears its climax

S Sudarshanan30-Jan-20252:30

Ten Doeschate: ‘Suryakumar a couple of shots away from regaining form’

Big picture: Series alive, using contrasting methods

The five-match series between India and England was expected to be a high-scoring one. A battle of sixes if you will. But three games in, this hasn’t been the case, but the series has by no means been devoid of thrills.It’s 2-1 going into Friday night in Pune, and it’s the bowling attacks that have stood out, in contrasting ways. While India have stacked their side with as many as four spin options, England have primarily relied on hitting the short-of-good lengths and undoing India with high pace: Mark Wood and Jofra Archer have tried to soften up the batters in the powerplay before handing over to Brydon Carse and Jamie Overton to pound the hard lengths through the middle overs.Related

• Left-right combination the reason behind Jurel batting at No. 8, says ten Doeschate

• Shami back without a bang, but it's still a big deal for India

• Adil Rashid's simple trick to wreck India's batting

India have fielded just the one frontline quick – Arshdeep Singh in the first two games and the returning Mohammed Shami in the third – and used every type of spin at their disposal. England have not really found a way past them, but remain alive in the series thanks to their great escape in Rajkot led by Adil Rashid, who bowled a wily spell of legspin following a last-wicket rescue act alongside Wood.With the track in Pune also likely to favour spin, Rashid could revel once again, but it will only present Varun Chakravarthy and his spin colleagues another chance to get at England’s struggling batters.

Form guide

India LWWWW
England WLLLWSanju Samson will hope he can find answers to Jofra Archer and Mark Wood•PTI

In the spotlight: Sanju Samson and Phil Salt

Last October, Sanju Samson was given the chance to claim ownership of a top-two slot in India’s T20I line-up. And he set about it in fine fashion, scoring three centuries in five outings. One of them was in Johannesburg on a bouncy surface against the likes of Gerald Coetzee and Marco Jansen. But Samson hasn’t quite mastered the pace of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer in this series. He has scores of 26, 5 and 3 so far, and has tended to get dismissed while being late on his shots. This may not yet be a cause for alarm for Samson or the India team mangement, given the next T20 World Cup is a fair distance away. But runs in a game India need to win to seal the series could go a long way towards raising both Samson’s and the team’s confidence.Having given blazing starts to champions Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024, Phil Salt was expected to set the tone for England on his first tour of India since. His last international series was also a productive one, bringing him an unbeaten 103 and a 55 against West Indies in the Caribbean. But his three outings in this series have yielded 0, 4 and 5, even if he hasn’t really looked out of touch. Can Salt overturn this run of scores as England look to push the series into a decider?

Team news

India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said Rinku Singh batted on Thursday and is fit. This could mean Dhruv Jurel misses out. India could also look at an additional seam-bowling allrounder in Shivam Dube or Ramandeep Singh instead of Washington Sundar.India (probable XI): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Sanju Samson (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Washington Sundar/Ramandeep Singh, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.England did not train on the eve of the match. Jamie Smith had walked off in the third T20I with a stiff calf, so there could be a straight swap with Jacob Bethell, whom he had replaced in Chennai. England could also look at giving either Wood or Archer a break and play Saqib Mahmood.England (probable XI): 1 Phil Salt (wk), 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jos Buttler (capt), 4 Harry Brook, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jamie Smith/Jacob Bethell, 7 Jamie Overton, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Adil Rashid.Adil Rashid has enjoyed an excellent series with the ball•Associated Press

Pitch and conditions

Evenings in Maharashtra have been on the cooler side with temperature in Pune expected to be in the late teens through the duration of the game. Teams batting first have tended to win more matches at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium: 35 times in 64 men’s T20 matches. The pitch is generally a black-soil one that favours spinners. Mitchell Santner picked up 13 wickets in a Test against India in October 2024, and then the only Ranji Trophy match here this season saw spinners take 34 of 39 non-run-out wickets.

Stats and trivia

• India’s run-rate in the middle overs (7 to 16) in T20Is since the start of January 2024 is 9.45, the best among Full-Member teams.
• India have picked up 30 first-over wickets in T20Is since the start of 2022, the most by any team. They’ve done this over 91 innings, which means they’ve struck in the first over almost once every three innings.
• England have lost the only previous T20I they’ve played in Pune, while India have won two and lost two at the venue, including their previous one against Sri Lanka in 2023.
• Only two of Mohammed Shami’s 24 T20I appearances, including the outing in Rajkot, have come in India

Quotes

“Regardless of how it went, it is so happy to see him playing for India again. It’s been a long time since he has played. He has been such a performer for the team. I thought he bowled well, apart from maybe that full-toss. Nice to see him build up in training again tonight.”
“We are moving in the right direction. I am really happy with the style we are trying to play and continuing to be aggressive and taking the shots on.”