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Pat Cummins claimed the key wicket of a well-set Kane Williamson but a late dropped catch could hurt Australia

Tristan Lavalette09-Mar-20243:12

Spotlight on Carey even as New Zealand fight back

Matt Henry claimed a seven-wicket haul to restrict Australia before Tom Latham and Kane Williamson struck half-centuries to continue New Zealand’s stirring fightback in the second Test at Hagley Oval.But Williamson fell late on day two for 51 after succumbing to the first ball of a new spell from Pat Cummins, dragging a delivery onto his stumps that had deceptively decked back.Related

• Matt Henry, New Zealand's man of steel, drags his team back into the contest

• Labuschagne felt under no pressure during lean run of form

• Hazlewood dismantles New Zealand but Henry gives home side hope

• Hazlewood's mastery floors NZ at Hadlee's hometown

• Henry on NZ's batting – 'It's not a concern'

Just before stumps, Latham edged a delivery from Josh Hazlewood that shaped away only for wicketkeeper Alex Carey to spill a chance after diving low down in front of Usman Khawaja at first slip.Latham finished unbeaten on 65 from 154 balls in his highest Test score against Australia. He entered averaging just under 28 against them compared to 40 overall. Rachin Ravindra had some anxious moments, but fought hard to reach 11 not out with New Zealand leading by 40 runs.As was expected ahead of the match, the pitch appeared to be flattening out, but there was still enough movement and bounce for the seamers to exploit. Australia used six bowlers with Cummins and Hazlewood, who was the standout with a five-wicket haul in the first innings, looking threatening before the close.New Zealand’s batting has been under the microscope having failed to reach 200 runs in their three previous innings in the series. After opener Will Young fell early to Mitchell Starc, Williamson and Latham erased New Zealand’s 94-run first innings deficit with a 105-run partnership.Pat Cummins claimed the huge wicket of Kane Williamson•AFP/Getty Images

Williamson, in his 100th Test, played elegantly and unfurled trademark drives to reach his half-century off 105 balls. Having made just 26 runs in the series, Williamson was in a determined mood and looked set for the long haul having converted his previous eight fifties into centuries.There was extra fuel for Williamson, whose career average of 37 against Australia is modest compared to his overall mark of 55. But he was left in despair after falling to Cummins following a rare sedate period of a play in what has thoroughly been a bowler-dominated series.Relatively quiet in the series with just two wickets previously, Cummins produced a hostile spell late in the day amid cloudy conditions. But Latham and Ravindra held firm to continue New Zealand’s turnaround after they made just 162 in the first innings.Henry dominated the earlier part of the day to claw New Zealand back in the contest and restrict Australia to 256. His figures of 7 for 67 from 23 overs were the second best by a New Zealand bowler against Australia and only behind Sir Richard Hadlee’s famous 9 for 52 at the Gabba in 1985. It was Henry’s second consecutive five-wicket haul after being a shining light in New Zealand’s hefty first Test defeat.Australia’s stuttering batting-order once again weren’t able to muster a formidable effort and let their stranglehold slip, with Marnus Labuschagne the only batter to score more than 30 runs in the innings. He superbly anchored the innings to emerge from a form slump with 90 off 147 balls.Labuschagne, who has only made two of his 11 hundreds away from Australia, had endured lean form over the last 12 months, and has seen his Test average drop below 50 having once soared above 60. He had suffered four consecutive single digit innings before this match.Other than Labuschagne, a number of Australia’s batters could not go on with starts although cameos from Cummins, Starc and Nathan Lyon lifted them to a handy lead.Matt Henry finished with 7 for 67 to restrict Australia’s lead to under 100•AFP/Getty Images

New Zealand were frustrated initially by Lyon, the nightwatcher, who underlined his form with 20 before edging Henry to Daryl Mitchell, who made amends after dropping a chance earlier in the day. Henry continued his excellent series when he trapped Mitchell Marsh on the crease in a decision overturned on the DRS when captain Tim Southee decided to review at the last second.It was Marsh’s second consecutive duck, while Carey’s struggles against spin continued when he gifted Glenn Phillips – who had been brought into the attack in an inspired move by Southee – a wicket after a poorly executed paddle stroke on 14.With Josh Inglis breathing down his neck, Carey’s place in the team will further be in the spotlight having only made two half-centuries in his last 18 innings.Labuschagne held the innings together and his determined work in the nets in the lead-up paid off with well-executed plans evident. He made an emphasis to counter the movement by getting across the stumps and hitting into his favoured on-sideBut Labuschagne’s tactics of walking down the pitch, especially to Henry, raised the eyebrows of the umpires who got together to discuss whether he was moving into the protected area of the pitch.Labuschagne’s bid for his first century since the Ashes Test in Manchester last year was cut short by a spectacular catch from Phillips at gully after leaping high to his right on the last ball before lunch.

Arshdeep, Varun ran through Bangladesh’s batters before India got home with 49 balls to spare

Sidharth Monga06-Oct-20243:12

Takeaways: Mayank-Varun too hot to handle for Bangladesh

A young Indian side outgunned an experienced Bangladesh to start off the three-T20I series. Two debutants in their XI, only three men retained from the side that won the T20 World Cup earlier this year, but India were too good for Bangladesh, who wore the same look of the side from the World Cup.From the moment they lost Litton Das to a slog in the first over, Bangladesh never really looked like they had the batting for the Gwalior pitch with slightly uneven bounce and an accurate Indian attack. After Arshdeep Singh’s early strikes, Mayank Yadav started his international career with a maiden over before the returning Varun Chakravarthy scythed through the middle overs. Chasing a paltry 128, a dominant India got home with 49 balls to spare.

Arshdeep on the money

Leader of the attack, fast approaching the top of wickets chart for India, Arshdeep started on the money with just enough swing to keep the young Parvez Hossain Emon, one of the few new players tried by Bangladesh, honest. Das then opened the face for a four first ball, which led to short third going back and a fielder on the leg side coming up. He looked to play the field second ball only to be defeated by the angle of it. In his second over, Arshdeep had Parvez, who had whipped Hardik Pandya for a six, playing on. Bangladesh 14 for 2 in 2.1 overs.

Pace and mystery

Already behind the game, the combination of Mayank and Varun, high pace and mystery spin, was hardly the ideal one to force the pace against. Bangladesh’s only hope was ring rust: this was the first time Mayank was playing any competitive cricket since his injury during the IPL, and Varun was coming back to the India XI after three years. Neither of them was rusty.Varun Chakravarthy showed no ring rust on T20I return•BCCI

Varun created an opportunity second ball, but the other debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy lost the ball in the floodlights of the debuting stadium in Gwalior. Mayank bowled the last over of the powerplay, becoming the third man to start his India T20I career with a maiden. The other two are the current chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, who has fast-tracked Mayank, and Arshdeep.Soon the duo was rewarded with a wicket each. Towhid Hridoy, the beneficiary of the earlier drop, pulled Varun straight to long-on, and Mahmudullah spooned Mayank to deep point. They really didn’t have many options but to play these low-percentage shots as the runs were hardly coming.Varun continued to be incomprehensible, doing Jaker Ali in on the inside edge and Rishad Hossain on the outside.

No kick at the death

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was forced to play the anchor role, but even he fell to the introduction of the offspin of Washington Sundar, who denied him room and had him caught and bowled. Mehidy hasan Miraz prolonged the innings, but there was no impact to be had against the accuracy of Arshdeep, Pandya and Mayank at the death.Mehidy Hasan Miraz made 35 off 32 balls•Associated Press

None of the last seven overs yielded double figures as the wickets kept falling. Arshdeep ended the innings with the off and middle stumps splayed with a pinpoint yorker. He is now India’s fifth-most prolific T20I wicket-taker with 86 scalps, hot on the heels of the leader Yuzvendra Chahal at 96.

India end it in a hurry

The hosts were not going to be satisfied with just a win. They wanted a big win. Sanju Samson, with another shot at opening the innings in the absence of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, got off to a great start with two boundaries driven either side of the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Abhishek Sharma was less touch and more power as he took Taskin Ahmed down for a six and two fours in the second over. Almost as though he was on an adrenalin rush, he ran himself out looking for a non-existent single.India, though, continued to leave Bangladesh helpless. Samson kept driving down the ground while Suryakumar Yadav manufactured shots behind the wicket. The result was India’s best powerplay against Bangladesh in T20Is: 71, which is just the fourth-highest they have conceded in powerplays. His dismissal in the final over of the powerplay didn’t slow India down although Samson will be disappointed he fell to a hoick the first ball of offspin he faced. Both of them scored quick 29s.Pandya, 39 off 16, continued to have his way with Bangladesh, topping the chase with a no-look ramp over the keeper’s head.

A round-up of the WICB Regional 4 Day Tournament games played between December 7-10, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2017An unbeaten half-century from Denesh Ramdin helped Trinidad and Tobago salvage a draw against Jamaica at Sabina Park after the visitors had been reduced to 123 for 6 on the back of a Reynard Leveridge three-for following Jamaica’s first-innings lead of 292.Ramdin stitched together an unbroken 40-run stand for the seventh wicket with Imran Khan (17*), playing out 26.3 overs to take T&T to 163 for 6 at the close of play on the final day, even as Odean Smith, Damion Jacobs and John Campbell abetted Leveridge’s strikes with one wicket apiece.That T&T found themselves staring at defeat on the fourth day was largely down to the twin centuries from John Campbell and the Jamaica captain Paul Palmer, whose 156 and 136 respectively, contributed to the hosts’ mammoth first-innings tally of 535. The duo pinched a combined 23 fours and eight sixes, and were aided by fifties from Brandon King (63), Smith (54) and wicketkeeper Aldane Thomas, who fell one short of his maiden first-class half-century. Despite a four-for from Daniel St Clair and Khan’s 3 for 180, the 157-run third-wicket stand between King and Campbell and three other fifty stands from the Jamaica batsmen ensured the home side had taken a lead more than double the total T&T had put on the board in their first dig.Having elected to bat, T&T had could only amass 243, despite a 71-run opening stand between Amir Jangoo (39) and Jeremy Solozano (62). A four-wicket haul each from medium-pacer Derval Green and allrounder Campbell meant T&T could put only one more fifty stand – worth 73, for the third wicket – before being bowled out inside 82.5 overs on the opening day.Rahkeem Cornwall took a five-for against the Indians•AFP

Jomel Warrican’s 6 for 89 nearly snared a win for Barbados at St Kitts, but Devon Thomas’ fourth first-class century and some plucky lower-order resistance from Gavin Tonge and Jeremiah Louis ensured Leeward Islands scrambled to a draw in the closing hours of the final day.Barbados’ decision to declare on 163 for 4 – having set Leeward a target of 312 – on the final day found validation as Warrican and Kenroy Williams removed the openers inside 11 overs with only 57 on the scoreboard. Subsequent strikes from Warrican and Hayden Walsh reduced their opponents to 133 for 4, before Thomas’ 103 steered a 108-run fifth-wicket stand with Akeem Saunders (64), to put Leeward 71 runs away from victory. Saunders’ dismissal, however, led to Leewards losing 4 for 47 in the space of 11.5 overs but Tonge and Louis played out 32 balls for their unbroken eight-run stand to stave off any possibilities of a defeat.Earlier, despite having dealt the first blow through Rahkeem Cornwall in the 12th over of the match, Leeward struggled to follow up with regular strikes as Sheyne Moseley anchored a 133-run second-wicket stand with captain Shamarh Brooks (79) with his 303-ball 117. Moseley added another 52 with Jonathan Carter for the third wicket, to take his side to 221 for 2, before Barbados lost five wickets for 36. Justin Greaves’ unbeaten 79 helped lift Barbados from 257 for 7 to 394 as Cornwall completed his 13th first-class five-for 116 runs.Leeward’s response was headlined by a solitary half-century from Montcin Hodge (82) as Hayden Walsh and Kevin Stoute cleaned up the opposition line-up with a six-for and a four-wicket haul respectively. Leeward could only manage 246, with Hodge barely finding any support from the other batsmen – none of whom could notch up a score beyond 31 – and ended up conceding a 148-run first-innings lead.

Tim Paine suggests Australia won’t go far from plans that succeeded in first Test as team moves on to London

Daniel Brettig09-Aug-2019Australia’s captain Tim Paine and his touring party ventured from Worcester to London on Friday with a fierce resolve to play to the strengths that they showcased at Edgbaston, even if it means again spelling Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood at Lord’s for the second Ashes Test.Starc and Hazlewood both had their moments in a match curtailed on the final day by rain that fell overnight and then returned in early afternoon, signalling an early end to the fixture but also a chance for the Australian tour bus to beat the heaviest of the traffic on the trip back to the British capital.Paine, who did not keep wicket in the game, suggested that his men were intent on maintaining a sense of control on proceedings that did not give up the search for wickets but instead kept it in balance with restricting the flow of runs on fast-scoring English grounds – something Starc and Hazlewood did with mixed results against Worcestershire.ALSO READ: Hazlewood dares England to dish out greentops“We’re always bowling to a plan to get batsmen out, but I think sometimes perhaps we’ve set slightly more defensive fields than we have when we’ve come here in the past,” Paine said. “There’s a balance between doing that. We don’t want to have everyone out on the fence and have no fielders in positions where we think we can get batsmen out.”So it’s about trying to find a balance between attacking their weakness and also controlling their strengths and also where they can score quickly. In England, with the grounds being a bit smaller and the outfields being a bit faster the game can get away from you a little bit quicker.”I thought that was one of the pleasing things that we did in the first innings at Edgbaston, is that we controlled the scoreboard and if you can do that, when you do get a bit of run-on or a little change in weather when the ball starts to swing you can get well ahead of the game. So there’s certainly an element of control but we still want to be making sure that we’re working to get their batsmen out all the time as well.”To that end, Paine stressed that Worcester was less a selection trial for Starc, Hazlewood, Michael Neser and company than a chance for them to keep engines revving at a pitch that would see them ready if needed. That need will depend very much on the character of the Lord’s pitch, which will be the source of plenty of mystery to England as much as Australia after results so far this year.”Mitch has obviously come in off a World Cup so it was good for him to get another red-ball bowl,” Paine said. “As Josh said, it seems every time he’s bowled [he’s improved]. He has had a pretty long layoff with his back injury, so every time he’s bowled on this tour he has got better.
“I thought his first spell here – both their first spells here were really, really good. So we know the high-quality bowlers they are, Michael Neser the same – we know if he gets the right
conditions in England with the Dukes ball he can be a real handful.”So as we’ve said all tour, it’ll be conditions based. They’ll play a part in the Ashes if and when the conditions suit. We weren’t looking at Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc thinking ‘gee I hope they bowl well’. We know how good they are. We know what they can do.”Having spent most of the tour match observing things from mid-off or the team viewing area – he did not bat – Paine mounted a cogent counter-argument to the long held view that wicketkeeper captains had it tougher than their batting contemporaries.”I didn’t really enjoy it, it was a bit boring,” Paine said. “It’s different because you don’t see what the ball is doing. People have said in the past that being a wicketkeeper and a captain might be a disadvantage. Now that I’ve done it a bit more, I see it as more of an advantage. I can see ball movement, I can see or feel when a bowler’s getting tired from the way he’s hitting my gloves.”And I can see exactly where a batsman is moving to, or what mark he’s batting on and stuff like that. So I found it a little bit harder in this game, when you can’t see exactly what’s happening. You’re relying on other people’s information a lot, I found. It was nice to have a bit of a spell from wicketkeeping but I’m looking forward to getting back behind them.”In London, the Australians will reconnect with their most indispensable batsman, Steve Smith, refreshed by a few days away and doubtless eager for a few thousand more throwdowns to regroove his game for Lord’s. Paine received talk of fresh English plans for Smith with precious little discomfort.”Steve Smith averages over 60 in Test cricket, so I think the beauty of Steve is you can come up with a plan but he’s good enough to adapt really quickly,” Paine said. “I’ve seen him do it between balls, I’ve seen him do it when guys have targeted him from one end a certain way and a completely different way from the other end. I think that’s what makes him the best player in the world, his ability to adapt to any plan that is thrown at him. I think he processes it quicker than other players and adapts on the spot.”Resuming at 92 for 1, the tourists played out only another 13 overs before the rain returned. Marcus Harris got as far as 67 before his exit, but Cameron Bancroft is expected to retain his opening spot alongside David Warner for Lord’s.

Kent slip six down in reply despite fifties from Feroze Khushi and Jack Leaning

ECB Reporters Network01-Jul-2024James Vince completed his fourth Vitality County Championship double-century before Hampshire’s bowlers cemented the host’s advantage on day two.Hampshire captain Vince showcased the very best of his aesthetically pleasing batting to go from 149 overnight to 211. He was able to declare on 505 for 8, following attacking duo James Fuller’s 41 and Keith Barker’s 43, before Barker, Mohammad Abbas and Kyle Abbott chipped away with wickets.Feroze Khushi and Jack Leaning bagged contrasting fifties for the visitors but they ended the day still 299 runs behind on 206 for 6.Vince had turned the shape of day one with a mesmerising century, and came out for a swaggering encore. He reached 150 with the third ball of the day via the first of eight cover drives, each caressing the middle of the bat and whistling to the boundary.It was the kind of Vince innings which had it taken place a decade ago would have created a clamour for an England call-up. But despite 1000 runs last season and back-to-back hundreds, his Test days appear behind him.Ben Brown took his partnership with Vince to 259 – Hampshire’s all-time best against Kent for the fourth wicket – before inside edging onto his pads to loop to second slip, before Liam Dawson was bowled by Joey Evison.Despite Vince’s prowess, this was the first time since 2018 that he had scored two Championship centuries in a season, and he continued to smash the ball around Utilita Bowl. His 200 came up in 262 balls, with only Phil Mead, Gordon Greenidge and Jimmy Adams scoring more doubles for Hampshire.Vince was only quelled on 211 when the tireless Grant Stewart found a trampoline on a length to take the shoulder of the bat through to second slip.James Fuller and Keith Barker took on Vince’s mantel and further upped the run-rate with some aggressive batting either side of lunch. The pair put on an entertaining 69 with both crashing scores in the 40s to keep Kent’s bowlers in the dirt. Both were bowled before Vince called Felix Organ and Kyle Abbott in after an unbroken 35 partnership to declare on 508 for 8.Feroze Khushi, on loan from Essex, was eye-catching in reply. Whether it was the shot a ball, having the ball thrown at him by Mohammad Abbas – who was docked five penalty runs – or insisting that a ball hadn’t carried to third slip.The piece de resistance was a see-it-to-believe-it whipped six over square leg on his way to a 38-ball fifty.But wickets kept falling. Ben Compton was leg before in the third over to Barker while Abbas ended his first four overs having gone for 31 but hit back with a snorter to have Daniel Bell-Drummond caught behind in a wicket maiden.Khushi fell over a full Barker delivery, Evison edged Abbas behind before Barker picked up his third when Tawanda Muyeye dangled to Ben Brown. But throughout, Leaning bedded in and found little problem to slowly take his side away from a complete collapse. His fifty coming in 89 balls and ended the day unbeaten on 73.Harry Finch was sharply caught and bowled by Abbott off the final delivery of the day with Kent miles from avoiding the follow-on.

A taxing few months and a desire to spend time with family led to the decision to sit out of KKR’s campaign, the opener said

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2024Jason Roy has revealed that he opted out of the ongoing IPL 2024 with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to put his “mindset and body” first.Roy had joined KKR in 2023 for INR 2.8 crore (US$341,000 approx.) as an injury replacement. After scoring 285 runs at an average of 35.62 and strike rate of 151.59, he was due to return this season until he pulled out at the start of March citing personal reasons. He was subsequently replaced by England and Lancashire batter Phil Salt.It has been a challenging 18 months for Roy. Having missed out on selection for England’s T20 World Cup squad in 2022, he endured the same fate last October when he did not make the squad for the defence of the 50-over title he was integral to in 2019. He also went undrafted for this year’s Hundred following his release from 2023 champions Oval Invincibles. Last May, Roy had terminated his ECB incremental contract to play the inaugural season of Major League Cricket (MLC).After finishing the year in the T10 for Chennai Braves, Roy started 2024 in the SA20 for Durban’s Super Giants before playing two ILT20 games for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. Five days later, he embarked on a ten-match stint with Quetta Gladiators in the PSL.Speaking on the latest podcast, Roy explained that a taxing second half of the winter and a desire to spend quality time at home with his family led to the decision to sit out this edition of the IPL.”Missing this year’s IPL was a huge decision, I think,” Roy said. “KKR put so much trust in me by retaining me after a decent year last year and being available for them throughout the year and all the other competitions, you know, I felt like I owe them a huge amount. It was a very big decision, but a decision I came to just because it was my daughter’s fifth birthday as soon as our first game was, there were a few things going on, I was quite tired after the start of my year.”I’ve come off the back of not a huge amount of cricket, so the last couple of months have really taken it out of me. And so I was very honest to KKR and we’ve got a fantastic relationship, so we were able to come to an agreement and stuff like that on why I wasn’t coming. They completely understood so I’m very grateful to them for that. But I just had to put myself first, you know, just mindset and body.”Roy’s withdrawal was also informed by a period two years ago in which he found himself “in a dark place”, which resulted in him taking an indefinite break from the game and missing IPL 2022 with Gujarat Titans. It was around this time – in March of that year – that the 33-year-old was reprimanded by the ECB for “conducting himself in a manner which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the game of cricket, the ECB and himself into disrepute”. Roy, who admitted to the charge, was fined £2,500 and handed a suspended two-match ban.Jason Roy wasn’t selected by England for the defence of the 50-over title he was integral to in 2019•Getty Images

“A couple of years ago, I went through an extremely bad patch with my mindset,” he said. “With my mental health and stuff, and I pulled out of the IPL when I was signed with Gujarat, and you know that was for a completely different reason. That was because I was in a dark place, I was in a shocking headspace, and it was sort of my own doing.”I kind of said to myself, ‘I’m okay, I’m okay’, and I kept going, and I kept playing, and I stayed away from home. And you know, I ended up just shooting myself in the foot. This year and from that point, I basically said to myself, I’m just going to listen to my head, listen to my heart and figure it out from there on in.”That was a huge learning curve for me, to be able to make decisions like I have this year, you know, and it can look a certain way. But it’s nothing to do with anyone else, it’s absolutely nothing to do with anyone else.”It’s your decision – I’ve got a young family, I’m a grown man and I’ve made the decision off the back of a lot of thoughts. I’ve not just woken up one morning and thought, ‘You know what – I actually don’t feel like getting on that flight to India’. A lot of thought has gone into it, and yeah, it’s become far easier to talk about and a far easier decision, just because you know, especially from past experiences, what that can do to you.”

Pakistan allrounder goes straight into squad for upcoming fixture against Nottinghamshire

Matt Roller25-Apr-2024Warwickshire have signed allrounder Aamer Jamal on a multi-format contract until the end of July, after he was left out of Pakistan’s ongoing T20I series against New Zealand.Jamal announced himself to the world by taking 18 wickets in three matches in his maiden Test series for Pakistan in Australia late last year, and has also played six T20Is. He was part of a training camp at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul earlier this month, but does not appear to be part of their T20 World Cup plans after missing out on selection against New Zealand.He will be available until the end of the T20 Blast group stages and has been named in Warwickshire’s 14-man County Championship squad to face Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston from Friday. “He’s jumping out of his skin to be on the park on Friday,” Gavin Larsen, Warwickshire’s performance director, said.Related

• Aamer Jamal leaves Warwickshire early after injury-blighted stint

Mark Robinson, their coach, said he would make a late call on Jamal’s inclusion after he arrived in Birmingham on Thursday. “He’s raring to go. It’s fantastic he’s itching to get straight into action with us but he hasn’t played a competitive game for a few weeks, so we’ll see where he’s at and make a decision tomorrow.”Larsen said: “He really captured the cricket world’s attention in Australia. He took the Aussies on with good pace, bounce, and a combative approach, all attributes you want in a fast bowler. Pat Cummins was named player of the series but you could have made a very strong argument for Jamal to have been awarded that title.”Jamal joins his compatriot Hasan Ali in Warwickshire’s squad, who was also left out of the ongoing New Zealand series after being invited to Pakistan’s recent training camp. They will fill Warwickshire’s two permitted overseas spots until the end of July, while Hasan’s contract includes an option to extend into September.Warwickshire will be without Moeen Ali, their T20 captain, for at least the first half of the Blast as he is expected to be named in England’s provisional T20 World Cup squad next week. The club said in January when Alex Davies was appointed club captain that a decision over the T20 captaincy would be made nearer the start of the Blast.They have strengthened their T20 bowling attack significantly in the off-season with the additions of George Garton and Richard Gleeson, though Gleeson could yet miss the start of the Blast. He was recently signed by Chennai Super Kings as an injury replacement at the IPL, and they are on course to qualify for the play-offs which run until May 26, five days before Warwickshire’s opening match.Sam Hain, who has missed the start of the Championship season due to personal reasons, played for Warwickshire’s 2nd XI but does not feature in their first-team squad this week. For Notts, Olly Stone – who left Warwickshire at the end of the 2022 season – is back in the squad after a groin injury and could play his first Championship game since May 2023.Elsewhere, Sam Cook will lead Essex for the first time this week when they face Durham, with club captain Tom Westley on paternity leave. They have brought in Harry Duke on a short-term loan deal from Yorkshire with Adam Rossington and Michael Pepper both injured and Jordan Cox unable to keep wicket after breaking his finger during the Hundred last year.Ollie Pope and Gus Atkinson are both in Surrey’s squad to face Hampshire at The Oval, though Ben Foakes has been rested by the ECB. In Division Two, Rehan Ahmed is back in Leicestershire’s squad after two weeks away on a pilgrimage, while Josh Hull – a tall left-arm seamer recently name-checked by Rob Key as an England prospect – returns from a side strain.

But series win will be scant consolation for England, WI’s failings in 50-over cricket this year

Alan Gardner08-Dec-2023

Big picture – Final throes for 50-overs in 2023

Ding and then dong. Punch and then counterpunch. The series set up for a decider in Bridgetown. England found their feet after being wobbled in the first game but West Indies can still come back off the ropes with the aim of landing a knockout blow under the Kensington Oval floodlights this weekend.If they do so, it would result in a rare bilateral ODI series win – their first against Full Member opposition in more than two-and-a-half years, and their first against England since 2007. It would also be the most significant success of Shai Hope’s tenure, after he took charge of the one-day side earlier this year. Hope has led from the front so far, scoring 177 runs from 151 balls for once out, but needs greater consistency from the rest of the team if they are to once again expose English uncertainty in the format.There was some fight on display in the second Antiguan bout, most notably during a stand of 129 between Hope and Sherfane Rutherford – who hinted at an aptitude for longer formats with his first international half-century – to lift the home side from the penurious position of 23 for 4; and again with the ball, chiefly through Gudakesh Motie, to check another rampaging England start. But they could not sustain the challenge for long enough.In part that was due to England taking their game up a notch following a tepid first outing. Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone dealt with the double-edged sword of their allrounder status to share six wickets – Curran’s new-ball burst laying the early groundwork before Livingstone removed West Indies’ two top-scorers. Then, after a gamebreaking assault from Will Jacks at the top of the order, England’s white-ball kingpin finally reasserted his status: Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 58 from 45 ended a run of 13 innings without a fifty and eased the chase to a swift conclusion.Buttler described himself afterwards as “fed up” with his lack of runs, and you suspect he would be similarly dischuffed if his team were to let the momentum slip again. England have lost 11 of 22 completed ODIs this calendar year, and will not play the format again until September 2024. Taking the series spoils would scarcely make up for the disappointment of the World Cup but it would at least mean they can put 50-over cricket to bed with a mug of cocoa before thoughts to the T20s and another looming title defence.

Form guide

West Indies LWLWL
England WLWWL

In the spotlight – Phil Salt and Alzarri Joseph

Phil Salt has been the coming man – and a man in a hurry – for England in limited-overs cricket for a couple of years, but he is yet to fully nail himself on as the natural successor to Jason Roy. Salt has the highest batting strike-rate (134.27) of anyone to have scored 500-plus ODI runs, and the method he employs at the top of the order is perfectly attuned to the way England want to get back to playing. But, after scoring a maiden hundred in the Netherlands last year, he has managed just one half-century in his last 11 innings. A hefty contribution to underline his status before England turn their thoughts back to T20 would be timely.West Indies’ new-ball bowling has come under as-Salt in both games, and it has needed the introduction of spin to calm things down. At 27, Alzarri Joseph is the most experienced member of this attack and, newly appointed as Hope’s vice-captain, he carries a weight of extra responsibility during this series. He bowled better than figures of 1 for 65 in the first game suggest, but was manhandled during the opening exchanges in the second ODI – a three-over spell of 0 for 38 setting the tone for England to race away. With Oshane Thomas playing international cricket for the first time in two years and Romario Shepherd more of an all-round option, West Indies need Joseph to be their cutting edge.

Team news – Pope to pop in?

West Indies were unchanged in Antigua but could look to stiffen the batting by bringing in Kjorn Ottley for his first appearance since 2021. Roston Chase offers an allrounder option on his home ground.West Indies (probable): 1 Alick Athanaze, 2 Brandon King, 3 Keacy Carty/Kjorn Ottley, 4 Shai Hope (capt & wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Sherfane Rutherford, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Yannic Cariah, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Oshane ThomasEngland, too, have stuck with the same XI and might see little reason to tinker for the deciding match – otherwise Ollie Pope, ostensibly in the Caribbean to continue his rehab from a shoulder injury, and John Turner would perhaps be pushing harder for debuts in the format. Jofra Archer also trained with England on Friday but won’t be in contention.England (probable): 1 Will Jacks, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Zak Crawley, 4 Ben Duckett, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Rehan Ahmed, 11 Gus Atkinson.

Pitch and conditions

The surface at Kensington Oval tends to offer a bit of something for everyone, though rain during the build-up might assist the bowlers. In the last four years, six of the ten ODIs played in Bridgetown have seen the team batting first bowled out for less than 200 – but prior to that, it was the scene of England’s record ODI chase, after West Indies racked up 360 for 8. “It can be slightly unpredictable at times, the surfaces here at Kennington,” Hope said on Friday. “From what I can see it looks like a decent surface, so I think it should be a nice cricket wicket.” The forecast for Saturday is clear.

Stats and trivia

• England have won eight and lost six of their 14 ODIs at Kensington Oval. Their most recent visit resulted in a 26-run loss, with Shimron Hetmyer scoring a century.
• In the previous game, on that same 2019 tour, England achieved what is still their highest successful chase – reeling in a target of 361 with six wickets standing.
• West Indies’ last bilateral series win against a Full Member came in March 2021, when they beat Sri Lanka 3-0 at home. Since then, they have only been victorious against Netherlands and UAE.
• Hope is 18 runs shy of overtaking Gordon Greenidge and moving into the top ten of West Indies men’s ODI run-scorers.

Quotes

“We’ve got to start better with the ball, especially at the top to see if we can get some early inroads. We’ve been struggling a little bit to get those early wickets and put teams under pressure, so that’s a certain highlight for us going forwards.”
“I still feel like I can affect games of cricket for England and that’s the major bonus for me at the moment. The ball’s coming out of my hand really well and I know for a fact that things are going to change around with the bat.”

The latest round-up of how the Australians are performing in the IPL and county cricket as the World Cup and Australia A tours edge closer

Alex Malcolm30-Apr-20192:54

Tait: Sunrisers a special team for David Warner

Who’s in form and who’s notAnother week brought another stack of runs for David Warner. He finished his IPL campaign with 81 from 56 balls against Kings XI Punjab last night. In 12 innings overall, he made 692 runs at 69.20, striking at 143.86, with a century and eight fifties. He made half-centuries in six of his last seven innings, including two in the last week. He is in red-hot form heading to the World Cup.Marcus Stoinis has found some touch after getting to spend a bit of time in the middle in the last two games for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was part of an outstanding unbeaten 121-run stand with AB de Villiers in a win over Kings XI. Stoinis took 20 off the last four balls of the innings to make 46 not out from 34. He then bowled frugally, taking 1 for 13 from two overs including the key wicket of Mayank Agarwal. He bowled well again in the loss to Delhi Capitals, conceding just 24 from three overs. He made 32 not out from 24 balls having walked to the crease with 77 runs needed from 42 balls in the chase, but Kagiso Rabada’s yorkers proved mightily difficult to get away.Steven Smith made 2 and 22 in his last two innings for Rajasthan Royals, but the 22 was important in a victorious chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad, coming off just 16 balls with three boundaries. He also took a spectacular catch running back with the flight of the ball to remove the in-form Warner in a significant moment in the match. He plays his last IPL match against Royal Challengers, and hopes to finish with a flourish.David Warner has made 500-plus runs every season he’s played for Sunrisers•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Glenn Maxwell was starved of opportunity in his last two 50-over matches in England before heading home, mainly due to Lancashire’s dominance. He bowled ten overs for 60 against Northants before the chase was reduced to 164 due to rain. He made 20 not out at No. 3 following an opening stand of 130. Against Leicestershire, he bowled five overs and took 1 for 9 and didn’t get a bat as Leicestershire were all out for 80. He is being replaced in Lancashire’s 50-over team by South Australian Jake Lehmann.Jason Behrendorff has not played in the last fortnight for Mumbai Indians. Cricket Australia’s medical staff will be pleased that he got enough cricket in the IPL without putting a strain on his lower back and he should be fresh for the training camp and warm-up games against New Zealand.Chris Lynn made a blistering 54 from 29 balls in Kolkata Knight Riders’ high-scoring win over Mumbai. He has not been at his absolute best in this IPL. He failed to score against the Royals in his previous game but has posted four half-centuries in his last seven innings.#AsheswatchThe Royal London One-Day Cup continued in England this week as the County Championship remains on hold with World Cup preparations ramping up. Although 50-over white-ball form may not carry as much weight towards Ashes selection, there were some noteworthy performances for the Australian selectors to ponder.James Pattinson showed some great signs playing three games in five days for Nottinghamshire and contributing with bat and ball. He made 33 off 25 and then took 2 for 22 from seven overs against Warwickshire. He made 13 not out from seven balls including a four and a six against Leicestershire too, before taking 1 for 46 from eight over. He bagged 2 for 42 from ten overs, with a maiden, in Notts’ fifth straight win over Yorkshire.Peter Siddle back in the wickets for Essex•Getty Images

Peter Siddle had a good week for Essex. He was the standout bowler in a heavy loss to Somerset. He took 4 for 60 in a lone hand as Somerset made 5 for 353 at Taunton. He was even better at Chelmsford on Sunday against a talent-laden Hampshire side, taking 2 for 18 from ten overs as Essex won easily.Cameron Bancroft’s stunning form for Durham stalled with scores of 20 and 3 before making 45 from 65 balls in a successful run chase against Derbyshire. He is also keeping for Durham, on top of captaining the side, and has taken six catches in the last three games.Matt Renshaw didn’t get the chance to bat last week as his only game for Kent was washed out. Marnus Labuschagne was 27 not out for Glamorgan when rain ended the match without a result. Labuschagne had been sent back to Glamorgan’s 2nd XI prior to that innings to find some form, but he only made 8 against Somerset’s 2nd XI. He missed out again over the weekend against Surrey, trapped lbw for 5 by Morne Morkel. But he did bowl ten overs for just 51 as Glamorgan comfortably defended 323.Did you see?Steven Smith’s spectacular catch to get rid of Warner in their IPL meeting proved how valuable his agility in the field is ahead of the World Cup. Warner sliced a ball over cover and Smith ran back from the circle and took the chance diving at full stretch.Ashton Turner finally broke his string of ducks in T20 cricket against Sunrisers. Again he walked out in a tough scenario but managed to survive to make 3 not out to help team-mate Sanju Samson guide the side home.Injury listThere were some concerns about Smith’s injured elbow after he landed on it while completing the catch. But he was able to bat later that night without issue and there were no concerns post-match.Performance of the weekWarner had claims to this title every week but his ninth 50-plus score of the IPL on Monday was another exceptional display. He destroyed the spin of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and R Ashwin in making his third 80-plus score of the tournament. He struck seven boundaries and a six but once again his supreme running between the wickets was a feature post the Powerplay onslaught, running 11 twos and a three.

The former wicketkeeper batsman talks of his switching ties to New Zealand, his Australian team-mates’ reactions to his decision, and his match-winning knock on Test debut

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-20174:50

Archive – ‘Moving was easy, not trying would’ve been a lot harder’

It was a “dream to play more international cricket” that made the newly-retired Luke Ronchi switch allegiances from Australia to New Zealand back in 2012.Steady performances since his first-class debut for Western Australia in 2002-03 – and an untimely injury to Brad Haddin – shoehorned Ronchi into Australia’s tour of the Caribbean in 2008. He showed promise with a 22-ball fifty in only his second ODI innings but then his numbers dipped. Eventually, he found himself out of favour.Ronchi returned to his country of birth – New Zealand – in a bid to restart his career. A first-class century on debut for Wellington in March 2012 might well have assured him to keep at it. “In the end, it wasn’t really a hard decision,” he told ESPNcricinfo last year. “I wanted to play international cricket and I wanted to play more. It wasn’t like I had retired or wasn’t playing or dropped and wasn’t getting picked. The thought of not trying in New Zealand would’ve been a lot harder for me.”Everyone was right behind me, even players from Western Australia and coaching staff. That was a nice feeling. You get a bit worried about what might happen, but everyone was fully behind me.”

In 2014, Ronchi made his ODI and T20I debut for New Zealand. He fell for ducks in both those games but was persisted with until he smashed 170 not out off 99 balls against Sri Lanka. That innings remains the highest score by batsman at No. 7.Ronchi played his first Test in May 2015. Coming in with his side trailing England 0-1 in a two-match series, he struck 88 and 31 at Headingley, to help spearhead a memorable victory. “It was something I always dreamed of and wanted to do well in,” he said. “Leading up to the match, I thought I shouldn’t go in nervous, because if you go in nervous and muck it up, that might be the only time you ever get to play. So I sort of went out there, just being relaxed, and, just free off whatever happens. To get the win in the end was pretty cool. It was pretty cool to be one from one (win-match ratio).”As for career highlights, Ronchi said “you can’t get past the World Cup.” New Zealand, fuelled by passionate home support, earned their first ever final after beating South Africa in the semis – a game that went down in history as an ODI classic.”To be involved in semi-finals, to get into the finals, even thought that wasn’t our best game of the tournament… For the New Zealand team to get into a World Cup final and play in front of 90-odd thousand people, the whole six-eight weeks was a fantastic time to be playing cricket.”Having been on both sides of the Trans-Tasman production line, Ronchi, in 2016, believed “Australia has got a little more depth and more money to put into development and facilities.”But having said that New Zealand cricket has been doing fantastically well at the moment in all three forms,” he added. “So, depth doesn’t always make a big difference but if you want to stay consistent – like how Australia have – you need to have the depth to keep pushing guys and making guys perform and getting better. I think New Zealand’s getting there. We still have a little way to go, but we’re doing pretty well at the moment.”