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Rovman Powell will lead the team, with Alzarri Joseph named vice captain

Nagraj Gollapudi03-May-2024Shimron Hetmyer has been named in West Indies’ 15-man squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Shamar Joseph, the 24-year-old fast bowler who has played only three T20s and is yet to make his international debut in the format, has also been called up.Alzarri Joseph has been named deputy to captain Rovman Powell, while Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell and Jason Holder have all made the squad.Hetmyer was dropped from the 2022 T20 World Cup squad after he missed his flight. He played in the series against India and England last year before he was dropped for the final two T20Is of the England series and was subsequently left out of the white-ball squads for the Australia tour.West Indies, who have won the T20 World Cup twice (2012 and 2016), have had an underwhelming run in the last two editions of the tournament. In 2021, led by Kieron Pollard, they failed to make the knockouts after winning just one match in the group phase. A year later in Australia, they failed to make the main round under Nicholas Pooran’s captaincy. They also missed out on qualifying for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India after failing to progress through the Qualifier.”I’m making it very clear to everybody that whatever team that you hear us put out today, that team we feel is going to win the World Cup,” Desmond Haynes, West Indies’ chairman of selectors, said after the squad announcement.Hayes pointed out that while the selectors had jotted down names for the reserves, a final list would be worked out post West Indies A’s tour of Nepal and the home T20I series against South Africa. A preparatory camp is set to be held in Antigua from next weekend for the South Africa series. White-ball head coach Sammy also said CWI has requested the BCCI to release West Indies players from the ongoing IPL as soon as possible.

Why was Shamar Joseph included?

Haynes said that the inclusion of Shamar and Hetmyer was role-specific, something Daren Sammy had stressed upon.”You really can’t question Shamar Joseph’s skills,” Haynes said. “You saw him in Australia. We were looking at someone up front bowling the first powerplay and he ticks the boxes.”Shamar Joseph was named the Player of the Match in his second Test, helping West Indies win at the Gabba•AFP/Getty Images

Shamar, who made his name with a stunning seven-wicket haul that helped West Indies seal a historic Test win at the Gabba, is one of several West Indies players at the IPL. He was signed by Lucknow Super Giants as a replacement player, but had a difficult debut, where he conceded 47 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders. In his three T20s, he has conceded 9.91 runs an over and is yet to take a wicket.Sammy said that picking the squad was “difficult” as they had several contenders to parse through. One of them was fast bowler Matthew Forde, who made his West Indies debut against England in the home white-ball series following a successful 2023 CPL. However, Sammy echoed Haynes’ comments on how Shamar had pipped other new ball contenders including Forde.”Shamar Joseph has the pace, he has skills with the new ball,” Sammy said. “Not saying Matthew Forde doesn’t, but when you look at the role, it makes it easier for us to now pick the personnel to fit that role.”

Haynes: ‘Very close decision between Hetmyer and Kyle Mayers’

Haynes admitted that it was a “very close decision” picking Hetmyer over Kyle Mayers, who has been a regular opener in the past while doubling up as a handy medium-pace bowler. The selectors felt having a finisher was more important than a top-order batter like Mayers, who is currently in IPL as part of LSG.Left-arm spinner Fabian Allen, who is playing in Nepal with the West Indies A team, is another player West Indies selectors have their eye on.Sammy also said that Brandon King, who missed West Indies A’s ongoing tour of Nepal due to knee injury, will be playing the T20 series at home against South Africa which will serve as preparation for both teams ahead of the T20 World Cup starting from June 1. In case King remains unfit, West Indies have until May 25 to make changes to their provisional 15.As for the inclusion of Roson Chase, the lone offspinner in the squad, Haynes highlighted that numbers proved he was the “most economical bowler” in addition to being a capable allrounder and can play a “similar role” to Marlon Samuels when West Indies won the T20 World Cups.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Sammy had ‘conversations with Narine’

When asked whether Sunil Narine was in the running considering his outstanding all-round form in the ongoing IPL, West Indies head coach Sammy said: “Ever since I became coach I have had conversations with all players who took part in (2023) CPL that I thought that could have an impact for us this World Cup. So yes, I had conversations with Narine. (But) as the news clearly stated, Narine is retired.”

Sammy: ‘Have 15 X-factors’

Sammy was the captain when West Indies won the T20 World Cup, first in Sri Lanka in 2012 and then in India in 2016. Johnson Charles and Russell, who returned to play for West Indies during the Australia series in January after a long hiatus, were both part of those wins. Sammy admitted he was motivated by the prospect of becoming the first team to win a T20 World Cup at home.Asked who he would single out as an X-factor player in the West Indies squad, Sammy said: “This period here reminds me of when I was captain, Ottis Gibson or Phil Simmons was coach, sitting down in selection, having a healthy performance squad to pick from and you look at all angles, which 15 men you put on the park, and what every single angle could give you an advantage. I have 15 X-factors there. Dessie [Desmond Haynes] reminded me in the meeting we have matchwinners, And the world knows it.”

West Indies schedule for group phase

West Indies are in Group C along with Papua New Guinea (PNG), Uganda, New Zealand and Afghanistan. Their first two games are in Providence, Guyana, against PNG on June 2 and against Uganda on June 8. They then play New Zealand at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on June 12, before their last group game against Afghanistan on June 17 in St Lucia.

West Indies squad for T20 World Cup

Rovman Powell (capt), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Shai Hope, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford

Iqbal Qasim will take over the role as head of the PCB cricket committee, replacing Wasim Khan

Umar Farooq31-Jan-2020Nearly two months after Wasim Khan stepped down as head of the PCB’s cricket committee, the board recalled Iqbal Qasim back to the set-up to take over the key position. The panel is now entirely independent from figures that hold other roles in the PCB, with one exception – Urooj Mumtaz, the PCB women’s chief selector, is still a part. The other three members on the panel are Ali Naqvi, Umar Gul and Wasim Akram. Wasim Khan and Zakir Khan will serve as co-opted members, the PCB announced.The cricket committee has run into roadblocks right from the time it was formed in 2018. Akram’s inclusion in the committee was followed by PCB chairman Ehsan Mani turning his back on the Qayyum Report on match-fixing, which led to Akram being fined and censured, as well as removed from the Pakistan captaincy. A few of Mohsin Khan’s public statements also put the PCB in an awkward position, especially the scathing personal criticism he levelled at then head coach Mickey Arthur.ESPNcricinfo understands that PCB had begun to re-evaluate its decision to appoint Mohsin to the committee, and reportedly forbade him from making public statements – it didn’t stop him from calling for Sarfaraz Ahmed to be relieved of the Test captaincy. During this time, Mohsin headed three meetings but failed to develop any sort of consensus on any outstanding cricketing issue.After eight months – during which he presided over just those three meetings – Mohsin resigned from the committee for reasons he never made public, leading to Wasim Khan taking on the additional role of heading the committee.Qasim played 50 Tests and 15 ODIs for Pakistan, and as an administrator accumulated vast experience working as a director in the National Bank of Pakistan sports department before retiring in 2015. He has also been involved with the PCB in various roles, as team manager, chief selector and member of the domestic tournament monitoring committee.”I am pleased the PCB has considered me for this important assignment and will try to utilise all my cricket and corporate experience and knowledge in the successful delivery of my responsibilities,” he said after being given the new role. “The PCB Cricket Committee comprises members who are avid followers of the game, are on top of all matters related to the game in Pakistan and, therefore, with collective wisdom, will make recommendations that will help the PCB to improve its strategic direction.”The game belongs to the people of Pakistan and we all are equal stakeholders in this. I think anyone who thinks can make a positive and meaningful contribution to Pakistan cricket, should come forward and play an active part.”PCB has also increased the number of members in the committee from four to five, not including co-opted members. Gul replaced Misbah-ul-Haq – who, soon after applying for the Pakistan head coach job, resigned from the role. Naqvi is the fifth member, with the former Pakistan batsman presently a member of the PCB elite panel for match referees.”I welcome all the distinguished members in this PCB Cricket Committee and look forward to working with them,” Wasim Khan said. “I am delighted we have been able to put together a wide-ranging, knowledgeable, experienced and respected group whose commitment and involvement in the game is second to none.”These members are representatives of all key stakeholders within the game. More importantly, and in line with our policy, they are completely independent, which, in turn, will assist the PCB management to further improve the health of the game in Pakistan.”

Liam Livingstone was picked up in the £125,000 bracket, while Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga were overlooked

Alan Gardner20-Oct-2019There were big-name omissions, surprise picks and several bumper paydays for local players as the draft for the Hundred took place in London. Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan legspinner, was the first name selected in what is a ground-breaking exercise in British sport, while Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga were among the top-bracket overseas stars to be overlooked in the opening round.With England Test players and a pair of ‘local icons’ already selected earlier this month, the eight teams each had to fill 12 more spots in their squads for next year’s inaugural competition. The format allowed 100 seconds for the team management to settle on their choices, with the Trent Rockets kicking things off by taking Rashid.West Indies allrounder Andre Russell was second out of the hat, selected by Southern Brave, followed by Aaron Finch going to the Northern Superchargers and Mitchell Starc to Welsh Fire. Australia players were popular – the Future Tours Programme leaves them available for the whole of the Hundred – with Steven Smith, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and D’Arcy Short all among those taken at £125,000 (USD161,000).ALSO READ: The Hundred draft – as it happened“It’s going to be exciting to be in the first ever hundred-ball comp,” Smith told Sky via a satellite link. “I’m looking forward to joining the Welsh Fire, Jonny [Bairstow] and Starcy and the boys there – it looks a good squad that they’ve picked up so far so I’m looking forward to it.”There were also eye-catching deals for domestic players, with Liam Livingstone picked up in the first round by Birmingham Phoenix – more than doubling his earnings after setting a £60,000 (USD78,000) reserve price – while the Manchester Originals went down the local route by taking Dane Vilas, Lancashire’s captain, for £125,000.The second round, with contracts pegged at £100,000 (USD129,000), saw young English batsmen Phil Salt and Tom Abell make their way north to Manchester, while World Cup winner Liam Dawson was signed to play at his local ground, the Ageas Bowl, for Southern Brave. England wicketkeeper Sam Billings was picked up by the Oval Invincibles and experienced allrounder Ravi Bopara went to Birmingham Phoenix.With overseas players unable to be purchased at below their base price, there were several notable omissions – perhaps influenced in part by availability. Alongside Gayle and Malinga, South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada was overlooked in the £125,000 bracket, while the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Trent Boult missed out on the £100,000 slots.Shakib had been touted as a popular pick but Bangladesh’s programme of Tests against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in July and August next year rendered his availability uncertain; similarly, Babar Azam had entered with a £75,000 price tag after a finishing as the leading run-scorer in this year’s Blast, but is likely to be involved in Pakistan’s Test series against England.”Coming here I was confident that I would get picked up,” Russell said. “Not sure which team but I was confident. If I didn’t get picked up then I’d be surprised. But I’d understand that because you’ve got a lot of good players all around the world and they’re all here in the draft to be picked. With the likes of Chris Gayle, Bravo, Malinga and those guys that didn’t get picked up, I would have that feeling right now like them.”The draft took place in Sky’s west London complex, using a bespoke studio featuring eight three-man pods from which the teams could make their deliberations. The head coaches were all in attendance, accompanied in most cases by an assistant and the team’s analyst, with the early rounds concluded relatively quickly – few picks took anywhere near 100 seconds as the top targets were snapped up.The Hundred main draft picks•Getty Images

Darren Lehmann, head coach of the Northern Superchargers, was pleased to have got his top three picks – Finch, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Chris Lynn – while Shane Warne, his counterpart at London Spirit, said there had been a few “surprises” but he was happy with how things had panned out.”To have [Mark] Wood and [Mohammad] Amir as opening bowlers, the spin of Mason Crane, [Roelof] van der Merwe and Maxwell is pretty good, gives a lot of variety and we’ve got some guys that can bash it – and I think the Hundred is going to be about bashing it,” Warne said.With 96 picks to be made and 571 names in the draft, there were bound to be more losers than winners on the night. England quick Olly Stone missed out, having set a reserve price of £50,000 (USD65,000), as did former internationals such as Samit Patel, Steven Finn, Ian Bell and Morne Morkel, who was available as a domestic player via his Kolpak deal with Surrey.Other noteworthy picks included Essex’s Blast-winning pair of Simon Harmer and Ryan ten Doeschate going to Welsh Fire, where they will be joined by Liam Plunkett and Ravi Rampaul (but no Welsh players). Birmingham signed New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi – although his availability could also be in question – while Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi went to London Spirit. West Indies allrounder Fabian Allen won a deal at the Invincibles, and New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner heads to Manchester.There were some early trends that stood out. Southern Brave looked to stock up on pace, adding Russell, Tymal Mills and George Garton to the previously selected pair of Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan. Several teams picked along local lines – Trent Rockets going for Nottinghamshire pedigree in Steven Mullaney, Luke Fletcher, Matt Carter and Tom Moores, while the Superchargers added Durham bowlers Brydon Carse and Nathan Rimmington. Birmingham Phoenix left their choice of wicketkeeper until the final round, before picking up two in Riki Wessels and Chris Cooke.Manchester Originals, meanwhile, set their focus on the longer term, adding Salt, Abell, Joe Clarke, Ed Pollock and Ed Byrom to ‘local icons’ Matt Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood – all of whom are 25 or under. Under the rules for the competition, up to 10 players will be allowed to be retained for the second season in 2021.”I really like the fact that the teams are planning for the future a lot. You look at our side, you’ve got a lot of guys that are in their young 20s,” said Jos Buttler, who was allocated to Manchester before the draft. “It’s fantastic to see all the coaches and staff look at it in that way rather than just the here and now.”You look at Saqib [Mahmood] and [Matt] Parkinson they could be Manchester Originals players for the next 10 years.”

Two late wickets gave the Redbacks hope after the batting struggled again

Daniel Brettig19-Oct-2020Tasmania made a rare departure from their usual formula by including a specialist spin bowler for the only the third match since the 2016-17 season, but it was their trusty seamers’ collective that rolled South Australia for 195 on the opening day at Karen Rolton Oval.The Redbacks’ captain Travis Head won the toss and chose to bat first after the hosts had dropped Tom Cooper for Callum Ferguson, only to see the ball move around helpfully for the Tigers both through the air and off a fresh pitch and slip to 4 for 61 by lunch.Only a partial recovery could be managed thereafter, through a doughty 64 from the wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen with support from Chadd Sayers. Peter Siddle and Nathan Ellis shared the plaudits for their spells to the top order, before Jackson Bird and the part-timer Beau Webster – making good use of his height in switching to medium pace from his offspin – cleaned up the rest.On a fine day in Adelaide, South Australia would have hoped to bat through the day, but were still inside the opening half hour when Jake Weatherald edged a beautifully pitched delivery from Siddle into the slips cordon. Brad Davis was victim to a similarly precise delivery from Ellis, moving away just enough to claim an edge that was wonderfully taken by Australia’s Test captain Tim Paine, diving in front of first slip.Disastrously, Head was to become the second South Australia batsman to be run out in a first innings in as many games, after Davis against Western Australia. Henry Hunt called Head through for a quick single to cover, giving Alex Doolan the chance to throw the stumps down and trigger wild celebrations.Hunt fought well for most of the morning session, but in the final over before lunch was tempted to push at a fullish delivery from Siddle that moved away just enough to take a thin edge through to Paine. As well as he bowled, Siddle might well have claimed a few more victims had he prevented the batsmen from shouldering arms by offering a few more balls of similar length.Ferguson, seeking a more consistent run in the XI after some recent struggles to keep his place, made it as far as 29 before he smeared unattractively across a stumps-seeking ball from Ellis that hit the back pad for a clear lbw. Liam Scott looked composed before fencing at a Webster delivery that bounced a little more than expected and being pouched in the gully, and at 6 for 107 the Redbacks were looking at a tally no better than 150.Sayers, however, dug in alongside Nielsen, and they were able to combine for a stand worth 55 valuable runs against the older ball. Sayers made it to 30 before he dragged Webster onto the stumps, and the tail did not hang around long enough to take the Redbacks beyond 200.That left Tasmania with an awkward 11 overs to the close, and Jordan Silk had reason to be nonplussed at being given lbw to a Sayers delivery that seamed and bounced to be clipping the top of leg stump at best. Doolan made it all the way to the penultimate over of the day, before he glanced Kane Richardson into Nielsen’s gloves.

Pakistan’s lower order wagged impressively, but Mitchell Starc took a six-wicket haul before the follow-on was enforced

The Report by Danyal Rasool01-Dec-2019Pakistan ended the third day needing 248 more runs simply to avoid an innings defeat, with the scorecard reading 3 for 39. However, they arguably won the day, and unarguably enjoyed their best one all tour as Yasir Shah produced one of the more unexpected Test centuries.That there’s no contradiction in those statements tells you much about how the previous two days might have gone. With Pakistan having bowled – and then batted – themselves out of any prospect of winning or probably drawing, they emerged unburdened from expectations and, for the first time, made Australia work for their wickets. Babar Azam agonisingly missed out on back-to-back hundreds by three runs, with the standing ovation the Adelaide Oval gave him suggesting they wouldn’t have begrudged him getting there.Yasir Shah brings up his maiden Test hundred•Getty Images

But for the faithful in Pakistan who rose early on a Sunday morning, the reward would come in the form of a deliciously insouciant maiden first-class century from Yasir, whose assured strokeplay did little to flatter his team-mates already back in the pavilion. Partnerships with Azam and Mohammad Abbas took Pakistan up to 300 in their first innings, before much of that good work was undone by yet another top-order capitulation. Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali and, most damagingly, Azam had all been dismissed in a rain-interrupted final session that keeps Pakistan on life support for one more day.The pitch appeared to have flattened out significantly from the previous evening, any hint of lateral movement having disappeared. Azam and Yasir found themselves more confident when driving on the up with little variable bounce to concern them. There was, perhaps, less intensity in the field from Australia, and an expectation (not exactly unreasonable) that Pakistan would just give up their wickets tamely. But Azam was digging in, as he always does, while Yasir had quickly realised batting here was much more fun than bowling, and determined to be remember in this game for all the right reasons.There was fortuitousness for the legspinner; he was missed on no less than three occasions – on 35 (a stumping), 43 (a dolly of a caught-and-bowled to Marnus Labuschagne) and 106 (another simple chance to Labuschagne at short leg) – while Steven Smith’s position at slip to Nathan Lyon meant a couple of potential chances fell short. But just when Azam began to take on Labuschagne and move inexorably towards three figures, one lapse in concentration would cost him. Mitchell Starc angled one across and Azam drove on the up, only to get an edge that would see Tim Paine take a sharp diving catch. In denying Azam his milestone, Starc got his: a five-wicket haul that would become six the very next delivery when he pinned Shaheen Afridi lbw.Mitchell Starc acknowledges his five-wicket haul•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

However, instead of folding, Abbas had some scores to settle, too. The sort of unfashionable patience and grit he reserves for his bowling came in handy with the bat as the scoreboard ticked over. Even as the new ball was taken, Abbas held firm, ensuring Yasir would be allowed to complete a remarkably unlikely century in a ninth-wicket stand of 87. Yasir looked for all the world to have scooped one to mid-on when one run short, but the ball went over, and Yasir roared exultantly.Much of the day had been dominated by speculation of when exactly it would rain and whether it would impact Paine’s decision to enforce the follow-on. With Pakistan having hung around longer than anticipated, Australia were expected to bat again, but with the evening session under lights looming Paine put Pakistan back in for a tricky four overs before the dinner break.It was too long for Imam, who failed to keep out a Josh Hazlewood inswinger on his ninth delivery. When Azhar nicked off to second slip soon after, moments before a cloudburst forced everyone off the field, the feel-good factor that had accompanied the wagging of the tail had long since evaporated.The rain came and went for much of that final session, but there was still time to deal the heaviest body blow to the solar plexus of the Pakistan line-up. It takes an exceptionally good delivery to leave Azam flat-footed, but that’s exactly what Hazlewood delivered with his slightly short length around off stump that drew the edge.Azam would be forced to trudge off for 8, the sixth time Hazlewood had dismissed him at the cost of just 69 runs. It might have been the cue for the rest of the side to begin packing their suitcases, but the rain ensured there is at least one more day before another sorry chapter can be added to the miserable book that chronicles Pakistan’s tours to Australia over the past quarter century.

Sunrisers had 300 within their sights at the start but even 266 proved to be too big for Capitals

Karthik Krishnaswamy20-Apr-20241:56

What has given the Sunrisers batters so much freedom?

It would have been the highest total in the history of the IPL if it had happened last season, but on Saturday night in Delhi, 266 for 7 almost felt anticlimactic. That’s how far Sunrisers Hyderabad have moved the window of batting possibilities this season. It was the fourth-highest total in IPL history, but it was only the third-highest total achieved by Sunrisers in IPL 2024.At one point it had felt like they could have finished with so much more, with 300 looking like a frighteningly realistic prospect. Sunrisers had gone where no team in any competition had ever gone before in a T20 powerplay, with Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma raising a hair-raising six-over score of 125 for no loss. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, fortified by the relaxation of field restrictions, brought Sunrisers’ innings back to the earthly realm thereafter, but that awe-inspiring beginning would remain the defining passage of the match.Related

• When Head and Abhishek caused carnage at Kotla

• 125 in 6 overs: Head and Sunrisers shatter T20 powerplay records

• When Head stopped worrying and turned a corner

Delhi Capitals began their reply by racing to the joint second-highest powerplay score of IPL 2024, but it was 88 for 2. Jake Fraser-McGurk bettered Head’s 16-ball effort by one ball to bring up the season’s quickest half-century, but his dismissal in the seventh over effectively ended the contest. Capitals had suggested they might run Sunrisers close when they began their chase, but they slumped badly through its back half, against some excellent defensive bowling led by T Natarajan. In the end they were bowled out for a symbolic 199, with Rishabh Pant struggling for fluency before he was last man out for 44 off 35 balls.

A powerplay from another planet

The first over of the match went for 19, and ended up being the lowest-scoring over of Sunrisers’ powerplay.Head was batting on 84 off 26 balls at the six-over mark, and his opening partner was scoring significantly quicker than him: Abhishek was batting on 40 off 10 at that point.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The hitting was a relentless blur, and no line, length or style of bowling seemed to have any power to stop it. So true was the pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, which was hosting its first game of the season, and so single-minded the two openers in their desire to hit every possible ball to the boundary. Of the 36 balls bowled in the powerplay – Capitals could have given themselves an ironic pat on the back for bowling no wides or no-balls in that time – 13 went for four and 11 for six.

Kuldeep, Axar intervene

Abhishek hit the first non-powerplay ball of the match for six too, stepping out to Kuldeep and going through his shot despite not reaching the pitch of the ball. This had happened in the fifth over too, off the same bowler, and it seemed to reiterate to Capitals’ bowlers that they were on a hiding to nothing.But sometimes a wicket can come out of nowhere, especially if the batters are going after everything, and this is what happened off the next ball, as a diving Axar intercepted an uppish drive at cover.Aiden Markram came in at No. 3 ahead of Heinrich Klaasen – who is more noted as a spin-hitter – and fell in the same over, slapping a not particularly good ball from Kuldeep – shortish and wide – straight to cover. But sometimes, even an ordinary ball from a wristspinner can behave oddly, sticking in the pitch slightly longer, or bouncing a little more than expected.Kuldeep’s value came to the fore again in his next over – after Klaasen hit him for a pair of sixes – when Head failed to get hold of a ball that wasn’t quite short enough to pull. He had put that length away easily in the powerplay, but there was a man back at long-on now and he was out for 89 off 32.Klaasen is a master at pulling not-quite-pullable lengths against the spinners, but on the day he was done in by an Axar skidder that beat his inside edge to bowl him. Sunrisers were a surreal 154 for 4 in 9.1 overs.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shahbaz apply the finish

Given how many runs they already had on the board, and given the time that remained in their innings, Sunrisers’ fifth-wicket pair could afford to bat in a relatively conservative way and make sure that Abdul Samad, a specialist death-overs hitter, wouldn’t be called upon too early. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed did this, putting on 67 off 47 balls.1:48

Moody: No risks in Sunrisers’ game

Shahbaz broke free at the finish, hitting Khaleel Ahmed for two sixes in the 19th over and taking two fours and a six off Mukesh Kumar in the 20th to finish unbeaten on 59 off 29 balls. It was the Bengal allrounder’s first fifty in the IPL.

A chase of two halves starring Fraser-McGurk and Pant

Prithvi Shaw hit Washington Sundar for 4, 4, 4, 4 off the first four balls of the chase in a battle of Impact Players. Then Washington had his revenge, looping up a delivery with plenty of overspin – the kind of ball that’s rarely seen in T20 cricket, but one delivered now with the hope of stemming the run-flow giving way to the desperation of somehow prising out a wicket – and getting him to miscue a lofted hit.That first over set the tone for Capitals’ powerplay. They also lost David Warner early, but they kept going hard, because they had to, and because Fraser-McGurk knows no other way. His smooth, unfettered golfer’s swing was in perfect rhythm on the day, and Washington – handed the unforgiving task of bowling two powerplay overs – was at the receiving end of 4, 4, 6, 4, 6, 6 in the third over. Abishek Porel then carved Pat Cummins through and over the off side with abandon in a 20-run fifth over, and Capitals were somehow keeping themselves in the game.Fraser-McGurk finally mis-hit one in the seventh over, off Mayank Markande, but despite that wicket Capitals’ win probability kept rising, with Porel crunching three fours and a six in the next over off Shahbaz. At that point, ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster gave them a 21.23% chance of victory, astonishing given the target they were chasing.But that was more or less that, as their run-scoring ground to a halt after Markande – who had a similar effect to Kuldeep, conceding runs but inducing just enough false shots with his wristspin – had Porel stumped in the ninth over.Thanks in part to skillful bowling from Natarajan, Cummins and Reddy – they varied their pace nicely while bowling into the pitch, and used the wide line outside off stump effectively to Pant in particular – and in part to the struggle for fluency that Tristan Stubbs and Pant endured on the day, Capitals went nowhere. From the start of the ninth over to the end of their innings, they scored just 68 runs in 67 balls. The match was long over as a contest when Natarajan took out three wickets in the 19th over to finish with figures of 4 for 19.

Board braced for postponement and cancellations of marquee events as implications for summer gather

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2020Joe Root, the England captain, says that his team’s overwhelming reaction was one of “relief” after their two-Test tour of Sri Lanka was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The tour’s postponement was confirmed with England midway through the second day of their final warm-up match in Colombo, ahead of the first Test in Galle that had been due to get underway on March 19.The players left the field at P Sara Oval at 3.40pm local time, and immediately departed for the team hotel ahead of their flight back to London on Saturday morning.And speaking to PA prior to the departure, Root said that the team’s concerns for their friends and families back home had made it nigh on impossible to focus fully on the task of preparing for a Test series.”There was an element of relief,” Root said. “The right decision has been made.”You could see looking at the players that their minds were elsewhere thinking about people back home. Now that we can go and look after families and be with loved ones that’s put a lot of guys at ease.”Naturally there was a lot of talk in the dressing room and it got to a stage where it overshadowed the cricket. Looking at how quickly things have happened at home, you’re thinking about family and friends who might be a bit more vulnerable and that’s hard when you’re a long way away.”It was clear it was getting in the way of performance and affecting the mental well-being of the guys.”The postponement was reluctantly agreed to by Sri Lanka Cricket, who stand to make a significant financial loss, but with 3000 England fans expected in Galle for the first Test, the likelihood of a spike in Sri Lanka’s recorded cases of COVID-19 was high.ALSO READ: Counties’ pre-season plans in the spotlightAnd with that in mind, the England team had been briefed on the quarantine arrangements, should any players or staff have contracted the virus while on tour. They would have had to be removed from the team environment and placed under the jurisdiction of the Sri Lanka government, a prospect that Root said had alarmed the squad.”There were a number of different scenarios we could have found ourselves in that were pretty scary to be honest,” said Root.”You think how things might have gone – being in isolation here, disconnected from the team, without the security we would usually have around us at the ground or the hotel. If one of the lads was to get it in these conditions, or a member of the public travelling, it could be quite a scary experience.”England’s next scheduled international series is a three-Test home campaign against West Indies, with the first Test slated to begin at The Oval on June 4.But, with the UK government stating that they expect the peak of the virus to come in 10-14 weeks, right at the height of the tour, there is an increasing expectation that that tour will also fall victim to the pandemic. The ECB on Thursday outlined contingency plans to mitigate the financial, logistical and scheduling implications for the English season.Although mass gatherings in the UK have not yet been banned, the government have indicated that that may soon be on the cards. One prospect for English cricket would be for certain matches to be staged behind closed doors, as happened with Australia’s recent ODI against New Zealand in Sydney.”It would be very strange if that was to happen but if these things have to happen so be it,” Root said.
“We always get supported extremely well and that has played a big part in our results in recent years. They have a big impact on the way we play our cricket, we like to interact.”We don’t know when we’ll play again. I suppose you can’t have mass gatherings so there won’t be many training camps. I’m sure over the coming weeks we’ll prepare and do everything we can to be as ready as possible but until we know more it’s just a case of common sense. Look after yourself, condition well and be ready to start.”

Openers reach close without loss after Gleeson’s 3 for 32 help skittle Durham for 180

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2020Lancashire finished on top at the end of day one of their Bob Willis Trophy match against Durham after bowling out the home side for 180 at Emirates Riverside.Richard Gleeson was the standout bowler for the visitors, claiming figures of 3 for 32, while the rest of the wickets were shared around the attack. Alex Lees provided the only meaningful resistance for the hosts with a patient half-century, while Ben Raine was left stranded on 24 not out at the end of the innings.The Red Rose had a tricky spell to negotiate before stumps, but they closed the day 33 for 0, trailing the home side by 147 runs heading into day two.Despite their struggles in the first innings against Yorkshire last week, Durham skipper Ned Eckersley opted to bat first on a glorious summer’s day. However, the home side’s top-order problems continued, with Sean Dickson falling to a fine one-handed catch from Alex Davies behind the stumps from a swinging Tom Bailey delivery.Cameron Steel was then pinned lbw, leaving a straight delivery from Luke Wood. David Bedingham scored an impressive half-century against the White Rose, but on this occasion he gave his wicket away, playing a loose cut shot to a wide delivery from Gleeson and Davies claimed a simple catch behind the stumps.Resistance came from Lees, who displayed the same patience at the crease as he did scoring a century against Yorkshire. The left-hander and Gareth Harte put on 52 for the fourth wicket, which was only ended by a run out. Harte’s hesitation cost him his wicket when George Balderson connected with a direct hit from backward point. Lees maintained his poise and notched his half-century from 151 deliveries.After Lees reached his milestone, a clatter of wickets ensued. Jack Burnham fell lbw to Gleeson after narrowly surviving an outside edge that bounced short of Keaton Jennings. Lees was put down by Jennings on 61 after Wood found his outside edge, but it only cost Lancashire five runs as Lees became the second run-out victim of the session, Dane Vilas and Davies combining for the dismissal.Eckersley then knicked off to Balderson for 8, leaving Durham seven down before the 150-run mark.Raine provided aggression before being penned back by the Lancashire attack. His attempt to cut loose off Liam Hurt resulted in an edge that just looped over Liam Livingstone at second slip. Hurt’s persistence paid off when Brydon Carse pulled a short ball straight into the hands of Vilas at square leg.Gleeson’s return from the Finchale End yielded the wicket of Matt Salisbury lbw for 1 before Livingstone wrapped up the Durham innings by removing Chris Rushworth caught behind.Lancashire enjoyed a solid start to their reply with Jennings and Davies blunting the new-ball attack of Rushworth and Carse, who struggled to find his rhythm following his return from England’s white-ball squad earlier this month. It allowed Jennings and Davies to settle and leave the visitors unscathed from a nine-over burst at the close.

Leg-spinner’s 4 for 23 proves decisive after Ami Campbell’s fifty

ECB Reporters Network09-Jul-2022Sarah Glenn played a starring role as Central Sparks inflicted a 22-run defeat upon Western Storm in a sun-drenched Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy encounter at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium.Chasing a target of 207, Storm came up short at 184 for 9, their cause fatally undermined by the 22-year-old leg-spinner from Derby, who took 4 for 23 from 10 overs. New ball bowler Grace Potts weighed in with 2 for 33 and seamer Elizabeth Russell took 2 for 48 as the top and middle order were blown away. Only tailenders Lauren Filer and Sophia Smale offered any kind of resistance, these two contributing 58 not out and 32 respectively, and staging a defiant ninth wicket stand of 73 by way of consolation.Ami Campbell proved the mainstay of Sparks’ innings, top-scoring with 50 from 75 balls, while captain Evelyn Jones and wicketkeeper Abi Freeborn grafted their way to 44 and 35 respectively in a total of 206 all out from 50 overs after the visitors had won the toss.Impressive with the new ball and again at the death, Lauren Filer claimed 3 for 36 from 10 overs and was ably supported by Niamh Holland, who took key wickets during the middle overs to return figures of 2 for 17.But Storm lacked the application required with the bat on a typically slow and low Bristol pitch to follow up last week’s opening win over Lightning, handing their opponents the opportunity to atone for defeat at the hands of Southern Vipers in their first game.The game was all but over as a contest when Storm lurched to 48 for 6 inside 14 overs, the victims of poor shot selection and some outstanding bowling.Potts set the tone, having Georgia Hennessy caught at the wicket without scoring and then inducing Alex Griffiths to hole out to mid-off as the hosts forfeited both openers inside seven overs with 17 runs on the board. Fran Wilson was next to go cheaply, bowled playing back to Elizabeth Russell and missing a straight one, at which point Storm were 31 for 3 in the tenth over.A difficult situation became positively parlous when Sophie Luff and big-hitting Dani Gibson succumbed to the first and sixth balls of Glenn’s opening over from the Ashley Down Road End. Caught in two minds, Luff was pinned lbw, while Gibson played across the line and was bowled. When Nat Wraith edged a catch behind off Russell in the next over, Storm were in dire straits.There followed 18 dot balls, a passage of austerity that culminated in Glenn having Holland held at slip. Katie George was then bowled by Glenn, terminating any fanciful notion Storm supporters might have harboured of an against-the-odds triumph.Understanding the risks associated with pushing too hard on a worn surface, Sparks’ top-order batters had earlier demonstrated a willingness to graft for their runs, a quality that set them apart from their opponents.Filer served early notice that this was far from a batting paradise, mustering impressive rhythm and pace from the Bristol Pavilion End to remove Davina Perrin and Thea Brookes while the fielding restrictions were still in place.Campbell rode her luck against Storm’s main strike bowler, cutting hard to backward point and being put down by Wilson before she had scored. She certainly made good her escape, the left-hander surviving a sticky start to match Jones blow for blow in a stand of 64 for the third wicket as the visitors reasserted themselves.Prepared to wait for the bad ball, these two were severe on anything short or wide, advancing the score to 109 for 2 at the halfway stage of the innings. Just when a half-century appeared to be hers for the asking, Jones blotted her copybook, playing across the line to a straight delivery from off spinner Chloe Skelton and departing bowled for 44.Skelton’s clever variations on pace and flight almost produced another wicket, but she was unable to hold onto a hard return catch offered up by the fortuitous Campbell, who went on to raise 50 from 74 balls, with eight fours.Dropped catches looked likely to cost Storm dear when George fumbled at deep square leg to allow Freeborn a life on three, much to the chagrin of the returning Filer. Yet partial salvation was at hand for the home side in the form of Holland, who claimed two wickets in the space of 13 deliveries after being introduced in the 34th over. Campbell clipped a swinging ball to Skelton at short fine leg, while Glenn was bowled for two as Sparks were reduced to 156 for 5. Ria Fackrell contributed 16 in a partnership of 32 in seven overs with Freeborn before being bowled by Gibson as Storm turned the screw.As Sparks attempted to accelerate, so Filer struck to remove Freeborn, caught at the wicket by Wraith having hewn 35 from 58 balls. Gibson ran out Georgia Davis and then bowled Potts, while Wraith ran out Hannah Baker off the final ball of the innings.Campbell’s demise in the 35th over proved a turning point, Sparks adding a mere 63 runs for the loss of six wickets in their final 15 overs thereafter. Yet once Glenn went to work, it proved more than enough.

Results clear to see after Bairstow encouraged to channel white-ball mojo

Matt Roller27-Jun-2022Ben Stokes said “wow” was the only word to describe Jonny Bairstow’s recent form after his unbeaten 71 off 44 balls took England to a whitewash-clinching seven-wicket victory against New Zealand on the final day in Leeds.Bairstow is the world’s leading scorer in Test cricket this year with 774 runs – including four hundreds – at an average of 64.50 in 2022, and scored 394 runs off 328 balls this month, including 77 and 95-ball centuries at Trent Bridge and Headingley respectively. His strike rate against New Zealand (120.12) was the second-highest in Test history by a batter scoring more than 300 runs in a series.Related

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Stokes said that his plan with Bairstow had been to make him feel “comfortable” with his role in the side as an attacking middle-order batter at No. 5. “Just take him to the role in the white-ball team: he’s very clear, very specific, he knows exactly what he’s doing every time he steps out there to play,” Stokes said.”And I feel what we’ve managed to do – not just with Jonny – is just instill [the idea that] ‘this is what we want this team to be about’. Not specifically individuals, but what it’s done is allow people to feel comfortable in the role that they are in at the moment.”I’d never heard a bloke get 130 off 90 balls [136 off 92] the week before and then ask his head coach, ‘how shall I go out and play?’ Baz [Brendon McCullum] then said, ‘go and get your Sudoku book and come and sit next to me and shut up’, basically. Whatever you did last week worked, go and do it again.”With Jonny, he knows what he’s in the team to do now and he knows how he wants to play and that’s something that he’s managed to do with the white-ball group. He’s literally playing like he’s got the colours on. He’s just ‘wow’. That’s how I can explain the way he’s playing at the moment. It’s just phenomenal.”Stokes added that Bairstow’s first-innings hundred was “even better” than his innings in the run chase at Trent Bridge, after England had slipped to 21 for 4 and then 55 for 6. “To back up that amazing knock at Trent Bridge with the performance in both innings this week was something very special,” he said.”The Trent Bridge innings was obviously amazing to watch. But personally, I think the hundred in the first innings was even better than last week. The circumstances he found himself in at 55 for 6 and being out there and still managing to score a hundred at over a run a ball is something very, very special and should never be overlooked.”The most pleasing thing for me about this week was the situation we found ourselves in and how we continued to play. To end up with a lead after being 55 for 6 and now, to end up winning the game, is something very special. I know that the confidence that it’s going to give the group: it’s going to give us a hell of a lot of confidence going forward, especially when we find ourselves in tricky situations as well.”Meanwhile, McCullum said he will continue to encourage Zak Crawley to “chase great moments” despite a lean series against New Zealand which saw him make 87 runs in six innings and culminated in a frenetic, shot-a-ball 25 in the run chase at Headingley. Crawley’s career average dipped to 26.68 as a result but he has been retained in the 15-man squad to play India at Edgbaston on Friday and looks set to win his 25th Test cap.”[I’ll] talk to him the same way as if he’s come off three hundreds,” McCullum told Sky Sports. “To me, he’s a rare talent and I don’t think there’s too many people in world cricket that can play like he does. When I first came in and saw him play in the nets, and watched some of his old innings and some of the footage to get an understanding of him as a player, it pretty quickly stood out that he’s got something that other players don’t have.”So my message was, ‘there’s 10,000 players out there that can play the other way [but] there’s only a handful that can play how you do, so just be the best version of yourself.’ And I’ll keep trying to encourage him to do that.”And the other thing is just to chase great moments. He’s never going to be a consistent type of cricketer; it’s just that he’s that dynamic that he’s not going to be consistent but when he has his day, he’s going to win matches and we’ve just got to make sure that he’s courageous enough to keep stepping up, even if things don’t haven’t necessarily gone that well. I’ve got confidence in him for sure.”