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Jayawardene will be joined by his Mumbai Indians colleague Shane Bond on the staff, while Edwards steps into her first head coach role

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2019Charlotte Edwards and Mahela Jayawardene have been appointed as the head coaches for the Southampton-based teams for The Hundred.Jayawardene is the sixth coach to have his appointment confirmed for the tournament for a men’s team. The two men’s sides yet to have their head coaches announced are the Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets, with Tom Moody and Stephen Fleming expected to fulfil the respective roles.That means than none of the men’s sides will be coached by Englishmen, which Andrew Strauss, who stepped down as England’s director of men’s cricket last year, has labelled a “great opportunity” missed.ALSO READ: The Hundred a ‘great opportunity’ missed for English coaches – Strauss“Personally I think that [The Hundred] was a great opportunity for English coaches to be appointed,” Strauss said. “Each of those teams will have their own reasons for appointing experienced coaches, who have coached in T20 cricket elsewhere in the world.”You can completely understand that, but there is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation in that unless English coaches get an opportunity, how do they get the experience?”Jayawardene, who has coached Mumbai Indians to two of the last three IPL titles, will work alongside another member of their staff in Shane Bond. Bond is bowling coach at Mumbai Indians, and head coach at Sydney Thunder, and will be an assistant coach in The Hundred.Former Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams and former England assistant Richard Halsall will also be part of the staff.The job is first head coach role for Edwards, who has spent the past two season as director of women’s cricket at Hampshire. She has also worked as batting coach in the Big Bash for Adelaide Strikers, and said “it’s the right time” to make the step up to head coach.”I feel like I’ve learned a lot from coaching overseas and working with the Southern Vipers,” she said. “It’s my time to have a go and see what I can do.”I think The Hundred is going to have a positive impact on the game at a grassroots level. I’m really looking forward to being there from the start and watching it all unfold. It’s really exciting because I’ve been to Australia and seen the impact the Big Bash has had and you just feel like we can do exactly that and more.”Jayawardene said that the tournament would be “innovative and exciting” and that it was a “great privilege to be head coach of the Southampton-based team.”I think The Hundred will interest the world’s best players because England is a great place to play cricket,” he said. “The structure of the tournament is good and that means most of the guys will put their name in the hat because this is a tournament that excites them.”Mark Nicholas has been appointed as the franchise’s chairman.

Liam Dawson also impressed with four wickets in front of England head coach Trevor Bayliss while India’s spinners had a poor day

David Hopps at Derby22-Jun-2018
ScorecardTrevor Bayliss, England’s coach, is taking time out from the T20 series against India and Australia to run the rule over England Lions and if the results stay like this in their triangular series against the A teams of India and West Indies he could get to like it. Nick Gubbins was the first member of England’s shadow squad to make a favourable impression with an unbeaten hundred as India A, who were expected to be daunting opponents, were despatched by seven wickets with 8.1 overs to spare in Derby.This was Derby at its most inviting. Once renowned as the coldest, most windswept ground in England, it has improved beyond measure and a gorgeous summer’s day and a slow, slightly abrasive pitch seemed designed for India A. But an exciting batting line-up malfunctioned and India A lacked the spin-bowling threat to defend their modest total of 232. Gubbins was at his smoothest in making 128 not out off 132 balls”I think the wicket got better throughout the day as the sun baked it,” Gubbis conceded. “It looked a bit sticky early on, maybe because we were bowling well. A good toss to lose.”Gubbins has been on the fringes of the England Test side for a while, only for Keaton Jennings to win the right to partner Alastair Cook at the top of the order after the selectors dispensed with Mark Stoneman: a partnership that looks certain to begin the Test series against India later this summer. Bayliss rarely bursts into raptures, but he will have been quietly impressed with what he saw.Gubbins’ season has been disrupted by injury. He made hundreds in the first two North v South challenge pre-season challenge matches in Barbados, but tore a hamstring while fielding in the final match and has managed only two Championship matches for Middlesex. He did return in the Royal London Cup, leaving him well attuned to the 50-over game.Only in the 90s, during an eventful over from the offspinner Krishnappa Gowtham, did he look vulnerable. He should have been stumped by Rishabh Pant on 91 when he came down the pitch, struck a boundary through the hands of mid-off as Gowtham flung his arms aloft in frustration, and finished the over by bringing up his fifth List A century with a dance-down-the-wicket six over long off.Sam Hain also made a composed half-century in a second-wicket stand of 134 in 24 overs as no India A bowler managed to exert much pressure and the result was signalled long before the end. A few disconsolate India ex pats chanted their loyalty to Ravi Jadeja as defeat loomed. India can be expected to put up much stiffer opposition in a triangular where sides play each other twice before a final at Kia Oval a week on Monday.Two India U-19 starlets departed in the first hour: Prithvi Shaw fell to a catch at the wicket off Tom Helm, who had earlier struck him on the forearm, causing a delay for treatment, and Shubman Gill’s impressive 37 from 40 balls came to grief perhaps because of slight over-confidence when he was bowled, playing inside a ball from left-arm spinner Liam Dawson which had no discernible turn.In between there was also an excellent catch by Ben Foakes, way to his right, which provided respite for Reece Topley after an uncertain start.Dawson, now 28, and with ten internationals behind him across three formats, was one of three players in this Lions side qualifying for the description of wily old pro, a designation that could also apply to the captain, Steven Mullaney, who is having his first taste of senior representative cricket at 31, and Chris Jordan, who managed only one match for Sunrisers in this season’s IPL.Dawson eased the chase by taking 4 for 30, a miserly spell despite only a semblance of turn, and one which turned out to be the best analysis by a Lions spinner in England. Dawson bowled Gill for 37 as he played inside a straight one and had Shreyas Iyer, India’s captain, stumped for 42 – a wild swing across the line caused by his failure to reach the pitch of the ball. There was a first-ball duck for Vijay Shankar as he pushed forward, Gowtham also falling in similar fashion.Pant’s 64 from 55 balls was the third India A knock to threaten destruction. He struck Dawson over the low-slung, brick-built bar, but he fell to the offspin of Liam Livingstone when he swept to deep backward square. Seven down for 180, with 18 overs left, India A had been architects of their own downfall.With the same surface destined to be used in England’s match against West Indies on Saturday, England could give an outing to Lancashire’s legspinner Matt Parkinson with India also likely to re-examine their spin options.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jordan Clark are two deeply contrasting cricketers, but on a gloomy day at Kia Oval they forged a wonderful alliance to change the complexion of the opening day

Tim Wigmore at Kia Oval14-Apr-2017
Scorecard
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jordan Clark are two deeply contrasting cricketers, but on a gloomy day at Kia Oval they forged a wonderful alliance to change the complexion of the opening day. While Chanderpaul neared his 74th first-class hundred, Clark scored a long-awaited maiden ton, brought up with a towering hook for six off Mark Footitt: a shot in keeping with the spirit of élan that infused this innings.In a cricketing world in flux, the sight of Chanderpaul furiously knocking a bail with his bat to take guard has a reassuring familiarity. Some were underwhelmed at his recruitment for a summer in which he will turn 43. This, though, was the sort of crisis for which he was signed, after Lancashire lost half their side before lunch.Chanderpaul’s response was to do as Chanderpaul does: playing the ball late and with great care and, above all, knowing when not to play it, dangling his bat inside the line as if to tease the bowler. With Clark, who gallivanted to his century by advancing from 82 to his hundred in the space of five balls from Footitt, he forged a match-turning alliance.Where the left-hander Chanderpaul batted in his own gilded cage, inoculated from the changing face of the sport, right-hander Clark bristled with intent, breezily overtaking his partner in spite of giving him a 62-ball head start. Where Chanderpaul favoured precise late cuts, glides and flick, Clark preferred to sweep against spin or thunder drives or hooks against pace.Where Chanderpaul resolved to keep the ball on the ground, save for one clip over mid-on, Clark is not the sort to be perturbed by the presence of fielders, and harrumphed two straight sixes against spin before the hook over square leg off Footitt that led to his moment of delight.”It’s pretty hard to describe right now,” he said, elated, after play. “If I try and survive it’s not one of my strengths. If I come out and play with intent, but don’t play rashly, it’s going to work better for me.”The only pressure that comes with batting with Chanderpaul is you’ve got such an experienced bloke at the other end it makes you work harder because you can’t throw your wicket away – you’ve seen him bat for days. You’ve got to put your foot down and bat with him in partnership.”Here was a reminder that this is a game for all sorts. And in adding an unbroken 172 to lift Lancashire from the debris of 122 for 6, Clark and Chanderpaul let Lancashire lay claim to shading the opening day.Four years ago, Clark hit six sixes in an over in a Roses 2nd XI match. Broad-shouldered and lacking neither shots or the confidence to play them, he is a cricketer ideally suited to Twenty20; indeed, he had to wait four years between his T20 debut and his first-class bow.Surrey, though, are well-aware that Clark is determined to be viewed as more than just a limited-overs cricketer. For the third season in a row he scored a half-century at The Oval – three of his five first-class scores of 50 or more have come here. Some of his shots – a square drive off Tom Curran, an imperious short-arm jab through mid-on off Sam Curran, and the disdain with which he hooked Footitt in the last throes of the day – hinted at talent too great to be batting at No. 8. On the first day for 18 years on which all first-class counties played Championship cricket simultaneously, it was Clark who made the solitary century in the land.What gratitude Liam Livingstone must feel. Captaining Lancashire for the first time, he had opted against inserting Surrey, and, undeterred by an overcast morning and Surrey’s potent pace attack, decided to bat first.The conditions demanded Haseeb Hameed’s adhesiveness; instead, he wafted at his second delivery to be caught behind off Sam Curran. Bowling an immaculate line, elder brother Tom soon elicited Luke Procter to poke to second slip too.Six days on from dismantling Warwickshire with 6 for 14 at this ground, there was anticipation and fascination in seeing Footitt bowl again. He was indeed utterly compelling throughout. Three wickets came in a first spell that interspersed balls sprayed around with those of great peril, embodied by four byes down the leg side coming the ball before Alex Davies was lbw, playing across his pad to an inswinger that jagged late.Livingstone shaped to counterpunch in response to the early wickets; a scampered single to mid-on would have run out Chanderpaul with a direct hit. Two balls after flicking Footitt for four, Livingstone clipped a delivery straight to square leg, so disgusted with himself that he started walking off as soon as he hit the shot.It was the sort of shot one could never imagine Chanderpaul playing. Here he erred only in edging Tom Curran to second slip on 47, where Scott Borthwick, whose pyrotechnics in the position last week had gone viral, shelled the chance. As Footitt toiled under floodlights at the end of this truncated but intriguing day, Surrey had even more reason to rue their moment of generosity.

The Beausejour Cricket Ground in St Lucia will be renamed as the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, following West Indies’ dramatic World Twenty20 title win in India

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2016The Beausejour Cricket Ground in St Lucia will be renamed as the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, following West Indies’ dramatic World Twenty20 title win in India.The announcement was made in St Lucia at a welcome reception organised by the prime minister Kenny D Anthony to honour locals Darren Sammy and Johnson Charles. In addition to the stadium’s name change, one of the stands will be renamed in honour of Charles, who is also due to a receive a plot of land.”I am truly honoured, I am humbled and blessed,” Sammy, who became the only captain to win the World T20 twice, said. “Thank you, we always know St. Lucians love their own and the love and respect and admiration I have just received at the airport, oh my God, thank you very much”.The Beausejour Stadium, situated on the outskirts of the tourist resort area of Rodney Bay, has hosted international matches since 2002. In 2006, the stadium became the first ground in the West Indies to stage a floodlight ODI when Zimbabwe were the visitors. The stadium has a seating capacity of 15,000 including 18 hospitality suites and a modern pavilion that offers each team its own gym, lounge, balcony and conference room. It last hosted an international game in September 2014 – the second Test between West Indies and Bangladesh.”Both are fitting tributes to the hard work and dedication of the players who just completed an exciting victory to win the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 Men’s title. The honour is fitting, and we salute the players,” the WICB said in a statement.

Rangana Herath was rewarded for a stand-out year by picking up honours at the SLC Awards for Best Cricketer of the Year and Best Test Bowler of the Year

Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Sep-2013

SLC Awards 2013 recipients

Men’s International awards
Cricketer of the Year: Rangana Herath
Best Test Batsman: Kumar Sangakkara
Best Test Bowler: Rangana Herath
Best ODI Batsman: Tillakaratne Dilshan
Best ODI Bowler: Lasith Malinga
Best ODI Allrounder: Angelo Mathews
Emerging Cricketer: Dinesh Chandimal
Women’s International awards
Cricketer of the Year: Shashikala Siriwardene
Best ODI Batsman: Chamani Seneviratna
Best ODI Bowler: Deepika Rasangika
Best ODI Allrounder: Shashikala Siriwardene
Premier League Tournament (First Class)
Best Batsman: Kaushal Silva (SSC)
Best Bowler: Malinda Pushpakumara (Moors)
Best Allrounder: Dilruwan Perera (Panadura)
Premier Limited Overs Tournament (List A)
Best Batsman: Kusal Perera (Colts)
Best Bowler: Ajantha Mendis (Army)
Best Allrounder: Geeth Kumara (Chilaw Marians)
Under-23
Best Batsman: Shihan Kamileen (Colts)
Best Bowler: Dulanjana Mendis (Navy)
Best Allrounder: Shehan Jayasuriya (Moors)

A rich year in Tests earned Rangana Herath the top prize in Sri Lanka Cricket’s annual awards, for the first time in his career. Herath got the nod ahead of last year’s Best Cricketer and current ICC cricketer of the Year, Kumar Sangakkara, who took home the People’s Player of the Year award for the fourth year running. Sangakkara has also won the ICC’s People’s Choice award for the last two years. Herath and Sangakkara won the Best Test Bowler and Best Test Batsman awards respectively.Herath took 46 Test wickets at 22.13 during the period under consideration, and had been the top wicket-taker in the world in 2012. He also became the third Sri Lankan to 200 Tests wickets during the Bangladesh series in March. Sangakkara, meanwhile, hit 441 runs in the only two Tests he played in 2013, including three centuries in four innings.Tillakaratne Dilshan won the award for Best ODI batsman, while Lasith Malinga was given the nod for Best ODI Bowler. Angelo Mathews was the ODI Allrounder of the Year, with Dinesh Chandimal picking up the Emerging Cricketer of the Year for the second year in a row.Sri Lanka Women’s team captain Shashikala Siriwardene bagged the top award for women in a groundbreaking year for the women’s team. She was also awarded ODI Allrounder of the Year, while Deepika Rasangika was Best Women’s Batsman in ODIs and Chamani Seneviratna took home the bowling prize. The Sri Lanka women’s team had caused the upset of the women’s World Cup in February, when they defeated England by one wicket, and went on to place fifth at the tournament.In domestic cricket, Kaushal Silva, who top scored in the first-class tournament, was SLC’s Best Premier League batsman, with top wicket-taker Malinda Pushpakumara nabbing the first-class bowling award. Dilruwan Perera was selected as Best Allrounder, while Sri Lanka players Kusal Perera and Ajantha Mendis also took home domestic cricket honours.

Niall O’Brien scored his first century of the season as Northamptonshire had the better of the first day of their Division Two clash against Glamorgan at the Swalec Stadium.

29-Aug-2012
ScorecardNiall O’Brien scored his first century of the season as Northamptonshire had the better of the first day of their Division Two clash against Glamorgan at the Swalec Stadium.The Irishman ended the day on 114 not out with Northamptonshire on 241 for four. Alex Wakely also chipped in with 75, sharing in a 154-run partnership for the third wicket with O’Brien.After Andrew Hall won the toss his early order batsmen made rather pedestrian progress as they reached 58 for two from 31 overs at lunch on a slow wicket.James Harris, linked with a move to top flight Nottinghamshire, got the opening breakthrough to remove Stephen Peters – who was bowled via an inside edge.And after replacing Harris at the Cathedral Road end Graham Wagg, from around the wicket, had David Sales caught behind attempting an expansive shot outside the off stump. That left the visitors 34 for two.The introduction of slow left-arm bowler Dean Cosker saw a massive reduction in the run rate. He recorded pre-lunch figures of 10-7-10-0 , opening with five maidens – with O’Brien rarely coming out of his shell on the dead surface. The usually attacking batsman went into lunch with 23 from 99 balls.The run rate improved after lunch as O’Brien reached his fourth Championship half-century of the season from 143 balls with four fours.He was given a life on 51 when he was dropped at fine leg by Huw Waters from a hook off Graham Wagg with Northamptonshire on 103 for two at the time.Cosker, who had been relatively economical, was hit for a straight six by Wakely – who survived a couple of confident leg before wicket appeals from the slow left-armer.O’Brien and Wakely brought up their 100 partnership in 39 overs, reaching tea at 147 for two.That became 150 in the evening session just before Jim Allenby claimed the first bonus point of the contest by bowling Wakely for 75.
That brought Rob Newton to the middle, fresh from scoring back-to-back centuries against Derbyshire. But he was out four overs later snared leg before by Harris for only three, leaving Northamptonshire 196 for four.O’Brien reached his first century of the season just before the close from 265 balls with nine fours in six hours 35 minutes.

Intikhab was appointed manager in October 2010 for the series against South Africa in UAE and his position will be taken by Naveed Akram Cheema, a member of the PCB’s governing board

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2011The PCB has replaced former coach Intikhab Alam as Pakistan’s team manager for the tour of Zimbabwe. Intikhab was appointed manager in October 2010 ahead of the series against South Africa in UAE. Taking his position is Naveed Akram Cheema, a member of the PCB’s governing board. Assistant coach Aaqib Javed and assistant manager Shahid Aslam have also been left out of the Zimbabwe touring party.”Changing the manager is not performance related,” Subhan Ahmed, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told . “We appoint a manager on a series by series basis. Intikhab is also head of the development programme at the National Cricket Academy and wants to devote more time to the ongoing programmes. Cheema is a member of the governing board, so he has been appointed manager for the Zimbabwe series.”Intikhab also said his focus was now on working on the development of the game at the academy level. “We have started several programmes in the country which many upcoming players are attending. The Under-16s talent-hunt programme is underway in more than 45 districts throughout Pakistan and we are working on some more programmes for the winter. While I have enjoyed working as team manager, I need to dedicate more time to the programmes in our academies.”Cheema had accompanied Pakistan A on their tour of the West Indies last year and he is the managing director of the country’s largest power supply corporation – Water and Power Development Corporation. He said he would ask Intikhab for advice to help the team. “I will be seeking advice from my predecessor Intikhab Alam, who is also a dear friend,” he said. “Our collective aim is to ensure that the team do well on the tour and that there is harmony and unity among the squad members.”Intikhab’s tenure as manager coincided with a difficult time for Pakistan cricket. During the series against South Africa, wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider fled to the UK, later claiming he was threatened by bookmakers. Earlier this year, following Pakistan’s return from the Caribbean, Shahid Afridi was removed as ODI captain and he responded by retiring “conditionally” from international cricket. Intikhab, in his tour report, acknowledged a rift between coach Waqar Younis and Afridi. He described Afridi as a “highly hyper-active personality who lacks [the] temperament to listen to other people’s point of views or look for solutions for the betterment of the team.”The ICC’s Pakistan Task Team (PTT) in its recommendations to the ICC and the PCB, including ways to improve governance of cricket in Pakistan, questioned Intikhab’s multiple roles in the board. In addition to being the team manager at the time the report was submitted, Intikhab was also the chairman of the cricket committee, director of game development and a governing board member.

Kent recorded their third win of the Clydesdale Bank 40 campaign in emphatic style with an eight-wicket drubbing of Leicestershire with more than 13 overs in hand

08-Aug-2010

ScorecardKent recorded their third win of the Clydesdale Bank 40 campaign in emphatic style with an eight-wicket drubbing of Leicestershire with more than 13 overs in hand.Having won the toss and elected to bat, Leicestershire made a stunning start to reach 41 without loss after four overs, only to be dismissed for 148 in 30.1 overs. Opener and top-scorer James Benning (37) and Jacques du Toit ensured the Foxes did well against Kent’s makeshift new-ball pairing of Darren Stevens and Amjad Khan.Matt Coles, back in the side in place of Azhar Mahmood, accounted for du Toit (13) lbw but it was the introduction of spin at both ends that turned the game in Kent’s favour. Sri Lankan leg-spinner Malinga Bandara did the early damage with 5 for 35 – his best figures since joining the county – two of them to sharp stumpings by wicketkeeper Geraint Jones.Off-spinner James Tredwell turned one through the gate to bowl Danny Masters as he played back, then occasional off-spinner Martin van Jaarsveld chipped in with 3 for 23.Having been set a modest target at a rate of 3.8 an over, Kent had 50 up on the board through openers Rob Key (26) and Joe Denly (39) in nine overs before Key clipped a return catch to Denning. Having hit five boundaries in his 51-ball stay, Denly followed seven overs later when he was bowled by James Taylor, but it was to prove Kent’s last slip up in an otherwise ruthless display.Vice-captain Martin van Jaarsveld, with an unbeaten 56 scored at a run-a-minute, and Geraint Jones – with a cameo 25 from 24 balls – duly eased Kent home to victory to inflict a fifth defeat of the campaign of Leicestershire.

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.”

Teenagers to the fore as England dodge delays and DLS to go 1-0 up in series

Alan Gardner31-Aug-2023England slipped and slid to victory on a damp evening in Hove, with Alice Capsey’s rapid half-century and a wicket on debut from Mahika Gaur underlining the sense of promise for a young, experimental side. Although the winning margin was eventually just 12 runs, after Duckworth-Lewis-Stern brought Sri Lanka’s target down to 68 from six overs, there was rarely any doubt that England were the side in control.Capsey equalled her career-best T20I score with 51 from 27, including five fours and three sixes, as England bludgeoned their way to 186 for 4 from 17 overs. Danni Wyatt continued her flying form from the Hundred with 48 from 30 at the top of the order and there were sparky cameos from Freya Kemp and Heather Knight as Sri Lanka’s attack struggled for control in the wet.Sri Lanka had opted to bowl after heavy rain during the day led to the start being delayed by an hour, but there was little assistance from the conditions as Udeshika Prabodhani’s opening over went for 12 and England rattled along at a rate in excess of 10 for the rest of the innings.The upshot was a record chase for Sri Lanka in T20Is, but the weather returned to lend an air of jeopardy to proceedings. Heavy rain took the players from the field with only 3.1 overs bowled – 11 balls short of a result – and the DLS calculations left Sri Lanka with a puncher’s chance, particularly with belligerent skipper Chamari Athapaththu at the wicket. But the 17-year-old Gaur had Athapaththu caught behind and the requirement of 45 off 17 balls proved too much for the tourists.Opening gambit
With Sophia Dunkley rested for this series, and the England selectors opting not to bring Tammy Beaumont in from the cold despite her scintillating Hundred form, Maia Bouchier walked out alongside Wyatt to open the batting for the first time in international cricket. Bouchier had batted exclusively in the lower-middle order during her 19 previous T20Is but was given an opportunity on the back of impressive form at No. 3 for Hundred champions Southern Brave.But it was Wyatt, Brave’s barn-burner and the Hundred’s leading run-scorer, who set the tone. Her first ball was stroked nonchalantly through the off-side ring for four, and three more boundaries came in next over – including a hoick on to the concrete over deep backward square leg – as Wyatt took Sugandika Kumari for 16. Kawya Kavinda’s opening over was even more costly, featuring seven wides and 18 runs all told, and it took two tight overs of offspin from Athapaththu to limit the damage as England cruised to 55 without loss from the powerplay.Bouchier, for her part, launched her third ball down the ground for four but was largely content to rotate the strike and let Wyatt tear it up. She struck a second boundary in the seventh over, slog-sweeping Inoka Ranaweera for six towards the scoreboard – but was then run out looking for a single off the bowling of Kavisha Dilhari, the spinner scampering to her right and throwing down one stump with Bouchier inches short to end a stand worth 77 off 45 balls.Mahika Gaur was presented with her T20I cap•Getty Images

Capsey cashes in
Wyatt fell short of her fifty in the next over, missing a swipe at Ranaweera to be bowled. That heralded the arrival of Kemp, the 18-year-old allrounder making her first England appearance in almost a year after a back stress fracture – an injury that means she is being deployed as a specialist batter in this series. Pushed up above the captain, Heather Knight, she launched a towering six into the Sharks Stand at long-on as Kumari’s second over went for 18.Kemp was stumped off Dilhari a few balls later but Capsey, the third teenager in the XI, took up the cudgels. Having moved to 23 off 17, she triggered Beast Mode with a trio of leg-side sixes in the space of four deliveries from Ranaweera. Having charged out to slug the spinner over long-on, she swivelled on a pull that only just cleared the fielder at deep midwicket and then, after Ranaweera had overstepped, crunched a huge blow high into the crowd in front the pavilion.The 14th over had gone for 22 and the next, delivered by the veteran Prabodhani, cost 17 as Capsey slapped two more fours to go to a 26-ball half-century. She didn’t add to her score, bowled aiming a reverse at Athapaththu, but England were already formidably placed.Gaur gets going
Knight indicated before the game that this was the beginning of a new World Cup cycle for her team, just over a year out from next year’s tournament in Bangladesh, with Gaur the most eye-catching member of the next generation. A 6ft 3in left-armer, Gaur was born in Reading but made her international debut for UAE at the age of 12, and has impressed in the Hundred for Manchester Originals and with Thunder on the regional domestic circuit.In the end, the rain limited her to just two overs but the attributes that saw her fast-tracked through the system after being scouted by Lancashire in 2020 – bounce and swing from a high, left-arm action – were on full display. Her first ball was a nervy leg-side wide that evaded Amy Jones but she soon found her rhythm and, after the resumption, hit back from being clubbed over long-on by Athapaththu to find the Sri Lanka captain’s outside edge for her maiden wicket in England colours.