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England have slipped from second to third place on the WTC table

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-20254:06

‘Couldn’t take your eyes off it’ – Lord’s Test among the most engrossing

England have been docked two World Test Championship (WTC) points for their slow over rate during the slim 22-run victory in the third Test against India at Lord’s. England’s tally has, as a result, fallen from 24 points to 22 on the WTC points table, and the percentage points have slipped from 66.67% to 61.11%, taking them down a spot from second to third, behind Australia and Sri Lanka.England were also fined 10% of their match fees for falling short of the allotted time for over rates.As per Article 16.11.2 of the WTC playing conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short after time allowances are taken into consideration.England captain Ben Stokes pleaded guilty to the offence, which meant there was no need for a formal hearing.The third Test, which England won to edge ahead in the series with a 2-1 lead, was a high-octane and thrilling game full of heated battles in which players often came face to face, intensity that surged towards the end of the day, individual brilliance that saw one of the fastest spells from Jofra Archer in Tests, centuries from Joe Root and KL Rahul, and a five-wicket haul from Jasprit Bumrah.The intensity of the Test went up soon after the teams went toe to toe with identical first-innings scores of 387 that reduced the Test to a second-innings showdown. Once India were set 193 to win, they took the the game to the last session with vital lower-order partnerships that Ravindra Jadeja stitched with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj before Shoaib Bashir, with a broken finger on his left hand, dismissed Siraj in dramatic fashion to spark off England’s celebrations as Indian hearts were left broken.Bashir has now been ruled out of the series, and replaced by Liam Dawson for the fourth Test, which begins from July 23 at Old Trafford.

BCCI anti-corruption unit helps player lodge police complaint

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Jan-2022Former Tamil Nadu batter R Sathish has filed a police complaint in Bengaluru after allegedly being approached on social media to fix a match.In the complaint, filed on January 14 and seen by ESPNcricinfo, Sathish has mentioned that on January 3 he was approached by a person named Bunny Anand, who “offered” the player INR 40 lakh (USD 53,000 approx) to “fix” a match. In the complaint, filed in the Jayanagar police station in Bengaluru, Sathish has also alleged that Anand told him “two other” players had “already agreed” to fix the match. The statement said that Sathish politely declined to entertain the offer.Sathish also declined to respond to ESPNcricinfo when asked about which match or tournament Anand was referring to concerning the alleged fix. While Sathish, who turned 40 on January 14 (the day he lodged the complaint), last played on the Indian domestic circuit in 2017, he has continued to be an active player featuring in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he represents Chepauk Super Gillies.Having received Anand’s message, Sathish is believed to have alerted all the concerned authorities, including the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and the BCCI, before being advised by the board’s anti-corruption unit to approach the police. According to BCCI ACU chief Shabir Hussein Khandwawala, the board’s ACU officer B Lokesh facilitated Sathish in lodging the FIR. Khandwawala said that the BCCI had informed the ICC’s ACU. “For the offer made of 40 lakh in an attempt to fix the games, abetting a crime and thus cheat the game of cricket, the complaint is accepted,” the police’s first information report (FIR) said.Sathish gained more prominence in the first half of the 2010s, when he featured in the IPL. In all, he played for three IPL teams. He was part of Mumbai Indians in 2010 and 2011, having been picked up after the players who had joined the banned and now-defunct Indian Cricket League were allowed back into the BCCI’s fold. He then played for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2013, and his final IPL stint was with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2016.

BCCI medical team to take a call on his thumb injury to see if he can make the second Test, with Abhimanyu Easwaran called up

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2022India’s captain Rohit Sharma will not be part of the first Test against Bangladesh which starts on Wednesday, as he continues treatment for a thumb injury that he sustained earlier this week.A BCCI press release on Sunday said Rohit had met with a specialist in Mumbai, and is working towards being fit enough to join the team for the second Test which starts on December 22. The final call on his availability will be taken by the board’s medical team. In Rohit’s absence, KL Rahul, the stand-in captain, and Shubman Gill are likely to open the batting with Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was leading India A in Bangladesh, waiting in the wings.Related

• Unadkat earns first India Test call-up in 12 years

• Jadeja, Shami likely to miss Bangladesh Test series

Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami have been ruled out of the tour altogether, still nursing shoulder and knee injuries. Once again, two India A players are stepping up in their stead, with Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar and Delhi fast bowler Navdeep Saini joining the senior squad.Saurashtra’s Jaydev Unadkat has also been brought in to reinforce a pace attack that includes Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur.Rishabh Pant, who had gone to Bangladesh with the ODI squad only to be released ahead of the first match last Sunday, has rejoined the team in Chattogram.India’s squad: KL Rahul (capt), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-capt), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat

Strikers will travel to the Gold Coast and face Brisbane Heat in the Challenger on Monday

Tristan Lavalette20-Jan-2024Legspinners Lloyd Pope and Cameron Boyce starred on the traditional pace-friendly Optus Stadium surface as Adelaide Strikers ended Perth Scorchers’ historic bid for a hat-trick of BBL titles with an upset victory in the knockout final.Strikers will travel to the Gold Coast and face Brisbane Heat in the Challenger on Monday, with the winner to meet Sydney Sixers in the final at the SCG.It was a remarkable turnaround for Strikers, who were in big trouble at 48 for 4 before a hard-hitting 56 off 32 balls from Jake Weatherald ignited a comeback.Strikers then superbly defended 155 for 7 with Boyce and Pope combining for seven wickets, including stars Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis, to stun Scorchers.It was a shock exit for Scorchers, who had a late-season fadeout after losing to Sixers in a last-ball defeat that cost them second spot and the double chance.Scorchers and Western Australia had swept all six domestic titles over the last two seasons. But they could not stop red-hot Strikers, who defied the absences of ILT20-bound Chris Lynn, Adam Hose and allrounder Jamie Overton.After being sent in, Strikers’ hopes of setting a big target rested with skipper Matthew Short who was coming off scoring the most-ever runs in a 10-game regular season. He had also blasted Scorchers for a pair of 70s during the season. But it was his namesake D’Arcy Short who came out blazing before falling to a brilliant return catch from left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff.Matthew Short looked in ominous form when he whacked a short delivery from speedster Lance Morris to the boundary. Something special was needed to dismiss Short cheaply and veteran seamer Andrew Tye stepped up with a gem of an inswinging yorker that rattled the stumps.Strikers were seemingly shaken by the dismissal with Thomas Kelly struggling to score in the overs before drinks. In an inspired move, Hardie reverted to left-arm spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly who hadn’t bowled in Scorchers’ last three matches.Connolly justified the faith by dismissing Kelly before Hardie brilliantly ran out Harry Nielsen with a direct throw from mid-on to leave Strikers in ruins at 48 for 4.Jake Weatherald counter-attacked with a quick fifty•Getty Images

Veteran Weatherald has grabbed his opportunities since being a late-season inclusion and dominated after drinks. He used his feet superbly against left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, whose home struggles continued in contrast to his miserly bowling on slower surfaces on the east coast.Weatherald raced to his half-century in 30 balls, but fell shortly after when he failed to execute a reverse scoop against Hardie, who then dismissed James Bazley to put Scorchers well on top.But their death bowling woes against Sixers reared with Strikers smashing 45 runs off the last five overs. Ben Manenti, who in recent seasons has been a thorn to Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield, and Henry Thornton effectively threw the bat as Strikers finished with a competitive total.Strikers’ strong attack sensed an opportunity against a revamped Scorchers opening partnership of Sam Fanning and Marcus Harris, who were both late-season signings.Debutant Fanning started with a fearless approach to continually bludgeon through the offside. Fanning, 23, made a duck against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield in his only innings in domestic cricket this season. But he had entered with a century in local grade cricket and carried over that form with an assault on the new-ball, where he cracked two sixes off left-arm seamer David Payne in the fourth over.Fanning overshadowed Harris, who played sedately in his first innings since being overlooked for Australia’s Test team. It appeared like a fairytale was unfolding until Fanning holed out in the fifth over after scoring 31 of Scorchers’ first 38 runs.But it triggered a collapse of 4 for 10 capped by Hardie being clean bowled by Pope, who bowled well in tandem with Boyce in the middle overs.The pressure fell on Inglis, who plays aggressively against spin but he succumbed to a rampant Boyce as Scorchers crashed to 70 for 5 in the 12th over.Boyce was pumped up and Strikers were further buoyed when skipper Short took a spectacular diving return catch to dismiss Nick Hobson. Strikers were on fire as Bazley took a tough juggling catch on the boundary to snare Connolly to leave Scorchers’ faithful stunned and quickly heading for the exit.

Pennington puts Lancashire on brink of ignominious defeat with three second-innings wickets

ECB Reporters Network12-May-2024Haseeb Hameed struck a record-breaking career-best 247 not out as Nottinghamshire took control of their Division One match against Lancashire in the Vitality County Championship at Trent Bridge.The sometime England opener scored almost half his side’s runs as Nottinghamshire, all out for 503, turned an overnight deficit of 52 with seven wickets down into a first-innings lead of 172 before the visitors closed in deep trouble on 100 for 6 in their second innings, still 72 behind.Hameed’s score is the highest by a Nottinghamshire player carrying his bat through an innings in the county’s first-class history, eclipsing the 239 not out made by opener Charlie Harris in 1950 in an all-out score of 401 against Hampshire at Trent Bridge. There have been only 10 higher carried-bat innings in the history of county cricket.Hameed, who is in his first season as Nottinghamshire’s red-ball captain, was at the crease for 10 hours and 21 minutes and found brilliant support from an unlikely source in England fast bowler Olly Stone, his overnight partner, who made a career-best 90 in stand of 163, an eighth-wicket record in matches between these sides.”I wasn’t aware of the record until you told me just now,” Hameed said. “I guess it’s one of those things that maybe I’ll look back on down the line and be proud of the achievement. To break a record that had stood for 74 years is pleasing. And it’s my first double-hundred at first-class level too, so it is nice to get that one ticked off”I know Stoney is a very capable batter. We had a nice little partnership in the same fixture last year. I know he can play having seen him bat in the nets, so it came as no surprise.”Stone’s new-ball partner Dillon Pennington then followed up his three first-innings wickets with three more as Lancashire made a woeful start to their second innings, before Dane Paterson and Lyndon James combined to take another three, with all six casualties caught in the slips or behind the wicket.It was Hameed’s maiden double-hundred, yet Stone’s performance came as the biggest surprise of the day. Prior to this match, the 30-year-old had only once gone past fifty in his whole career, making 60 for Northamptonshire against Kent in 2016.Indeed, as he dusted off a few shots from his batting repertoire at the start of the day, it was easy to imagine that the back end of the Nottinghamshire innings might follow a similar pattern to Lancashire’s 24 hours earlier: a quick dart at an extra batting point or two before the opposing bowlers brought things to a conclusion.Dillon Pennington removed three of the Lancashire top four•Getty Images

But where Lancashire’s tail was done wagging within 26 balls of the restart, with 25 extra runs that gained nothing in terms of points before Stone picked up the last two wickets, a Nottinghamshire game-plan that must have had roughly the same goals turned into the biggest partnership of the match, tipping the balance in the home side’s favour.Indeed, it was Stone who played the lead role. As Hameed, whose fluent striking had taken him to 137 not out on day two, found himself scratching around by comparison, perhaps wary of a deteriorating pitch, Stone played as if big scores were second nature to him.While Hameed was taking 11 overs to find the 13 runs he needed for the second 150 of his career, Stone was profiting so readily from authentic shots across a fast outfield that he clearly felt he may as well see how far it would take him.The answer was undoubtedly much further than he could have imagined. Nottinghamshire increased their batting bonus points tally from one to three and by lunch they were 63 runs in front, Stone having gone past his eight-year-old career-best. Hameed, ever patient, was on 182.Lancashire finally broke through 65 overs into the day as Tom Bailey uprooted Stone’s off stump. As he walked off, Stone must have wondered if such a chance to make a first-class hundred would come his way again but surely allowed himself to enjoy the appreciation of the crowd. He had hit 15 fours, with scarcely a false shot among them.Hameed, meanwhile, was just past his own milestone, a double-hundred of which half the runs had literally been run. It beat his previous best of 196 against Derbyshire in 2022.Remarkably, it is the third double-hundred in consecutive matches by a Nottinghamshire batter following Joe Clarke’s unbeaten 213 against Somerset and Ben Duckett’s 218 versus Warwickshire last month.Even with the eighth-wicket stand broken, Lancashire still needed another 19 overs to finish the job. Pennington was leg before without scoring but Paterson stuck around for almost an hour, finding the boundary four times before he was bowled by leg-spinner Luke Wells for 18.Wells was the first casualty of Lancashire’s second innings, caught at third slip by a diving Will Young off Pennington, who struck again three balls later as Josh Bohannon nicked into the gloves of wicketkeeper Clarke.Pennington struck for a third time when George Bell edged to second slip before Paterson had Lancashire skipper Keaton Jennings caught at first slip, the South African almost grabbing what would have been a brilliant catch off his own bowling when George Balderson was on four.Lyndon James had the visitors in more trouble when New Zealand batter Tom Bruce was caught behind for 15, Paterson further reducing them to 61 for six as Balderson was grabbed at third slip, having not added to his score.

Hobson smashed Bartlett for 24 in the final over of Scorchers’ innings and they carried the momentum thereon

Tristan Lavalette26-Dec-2024Nick Hobson again proved a thorn in Brisbane Heat’s attack before Perth Scorchers produced an outstanding effort in the field to claim a pivotal 33-run victory at Optus Stadium.In front of 41,921 fans, Scorchers struggled after being sent in to bat on a fast and bouncy surface before Hobson smashed an unbeaten 47 off 16 balls to lift them to 165 for 6.They carried over the momentum in the field and their disciplined bowling performance was highlighted by rapid bowling from speedster Lance Morris. Heat were never in the hunt after early wickets and were bowled out in the final over.Related

• Ashton Turner signs four-year contract extension with Perth Scorchers

Scorchers ran out easy winners to convincingly halt a two-match losing streak, while defending champions Heat suffered their first defeat of the season.

Hobson’s late heroics overshadows Allen’s struggles and Hardie’s return

Finn Allen was Scorchers’ big recruit this season and he started the season with a first-ball six against Melbourne Stars but it’s been all downhill since then. In his previous three innings, reaping just 10 runs, Allen has gone for broke from the get go but he started watchfully against left-arm quick Spencer Johnson. After failing to score off his first four deliveries, the pressure built and an edgy Allen then threw his bat hard at a full delivery only to edge Johnson to backward point.Cooper Connolly has been Scorchers’ best batter this season and made 37 off as many balls, but struggled to strike the ball with his usual fluency. Scorchers did regain allrounder Aaron Hardie, who made his season debut as a specialist batter at no.4 – a spot lower than his customary position which has been filled by Connolly.Hardie has been sidelined since the Pakistan white-ball series last month due to a nagging quad injury. He looked understandably rusty until giving himself room and smashing seamer Xavier Bartlett for a huge six over long on. It proved his best shot with Hardie holing out off left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann. He made 24 off 23 balls before Scorchers gained a late flurry from Hobson, who famously provided heroics in the epic BBL12 final between the teams.Hobson, well known for being an accountant in his day job, has been working very hard in recent times to build up his power-hitting and become a specialist finisher. His ever-improving muscular game was on show as he smashed Bartlett in the final over for 24 runs to lift Scorchers to a total that seemed implausible just moments earlier.

Johnson stars, spinners bowl well in tandem

Heat did start well through a superb opening spell from Johnson as Scorchers scored just 18 runs in the powerplay. He enjoyed a successful return in his season debut after missing their opening two matches with a toe injury.Spencer Johnson upped the heat with a four-wicket haul•Getty Images

Skipper Colin Munro turned to spinners Kuhnemann and Mitchell Swepson in the middle overs and they bowled with control to ensure the run-rate didn’t blow out of control. Swepson, particularly, mixed up his speeds well to ensure the batters could never find rhythm. Heat’s bowlers were backed up by slick fielding and catching until being swamped late by Hobson.Kuhnemann dropped a very high ball off Ashton Turner in the penultimate over before a rattled Bartlett lost his radar against Hobson.

Morris fired up, spectacular fielding

Morris had a point to prove. After being dropped from the team following a pummelling at the hands of Hurricanes opener Mitchell Owens, Morris returned to favourable conditions and unleashed on the fast and bouncy surface. He was perhaps fortunate after dismissing Tom Banton on his first delivery with a strangle down the legside. It was the confidence boost Morris needed as he bowled a hostile spell with the new ball and reached speeds of 148 kph.Scorchers were aided by brilliant fielding. Firstly, Ashton Agar produced a moment of magic in the field when he ran out Jimmy Peirson with a direct hit from point after initially pulling off a stop with his right hand before transferring the ball to his favoured left arm for the throw.Allen also spectacularly threw down the stumps from backward point to run out Nathan McSweeney. It was Allen’s most significant contribution this season and might be the tonic he needs for a turnaround with the bat.

Renshaw, Bryant shine briefly

Heat’s batters struggled to handle the conditions with the surface noticeably quicker than the season-opener between Scorchers and Stars. The exceptions were Matthew Renshaw and Max Bryant, who both clubbed the ball sweetly.After he was given an early life when wicketkeeper Matt Hurst dropped a catch off Agar, Renshaw looked in awesome form and smashed quick Matthew Kelly for consecutive sixes.But the task proved too great as Renshaw holed out to Andrew Tye in the 11th over after he smashed 36 off 24 balls. Bryant hit 35 off 20 balls but it was in vain.

Captain says they’ll use the series “as a way to gather a lot of info leading up to that T20 World Cup”

Daniel Brettig08-Feb-2021Australia’s T20I captain Aaron Finch freely admits that the squad currently in New Zealand will be enormously different for the World Cup meant to be played in India later this year, meaning the tour lengthened considerably by a two-week quarantine period will be largely about fact-finding on fringe players and his own recovery from a dreadful Big Bash League.Finch did his best to completely avoid cricket during a 10-day sabbatical following the Melbourne Renegades’ second underwhelming BBL campaign in succession, the difference this time being that his own returns also dropped away alarmingly, tallying just 179 runs at 13.76 across 13 increasingly harried innings.Having crossed the Tasman on Sunday, the squad helmed by Australia’s senior assistant coach Andrew McDonald will provide an opportunity for Finch and the touring selector George Bailey to get a closer look at their options while the likes of David Warner, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are still at home.”The top three will be [Matt] Wade, [Josh] Philippe and myself,” Finch said. “Maxi [Maxwell] and Stoin [Stoinis], four and five, around that area. It’s pretty simple I’d imagine. When you look at the squad list, Josh Philippe has been in great nick and it’s great to see him playing well. Matty Wade, we know how dynamic he is along with Maxi. We’re going to be flexible with that top order as well. If that means Wadey or myself or Josh, whoever bats at three, it’ll be a great opportunity.”We’ll use this as a way to gather a lot of info leading up to that T20 World Cup, which means there might be a little bit of shuffling. But we’ll try to stick closely to the guys playing their roles that they’re accustomed to or where we’ll see them in the future playing. The result is not the be all and end all. I think building up and finding information, finding different ways our team can structure up is almost more important.”That sort of attitude will undoubtedly help Finch emerge from his BBL fog also. “Literally didn’t touch a bat during the 10 days I think I had off,” he said. “I’m feeling a lot better about my game – the one thing about when you’re out of nick or not getting any runs, you’re not quite sure where to turn, so putting the bat down for a while, just looking at some footage and assessing where you think your game was at and being realistic about it was as much as I needed to do.”I know I can still play, so it’s just about making sure when I turn up for these isolations training sessions I’m working on specific things and not just training for the sake of it. I feel pretty good to be honest, and that might sound pretty stupid coming off the back of not many runs. But it’s international cricket and I’m ready to go.”Finch on Josh Philippe: “When his head is still, he’s playing beautifully, and his wicketkeeping has been really good as well”•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Philippe and the prodigiously talented young wristspinner Tanveer Sangha are two players Finch is particularly eager to get a closer look at. Assessing Philippe, Finch reckoned he was witnessing a future staple of the Australian top order at a key time in which he was learning how to balance good days and bad.”He’s someone who has obviously got all the shots but he’s starting to get to that point of his career, and I think a lot of that was on the back of having a couple of months of IPL where he spent a lot of time with AB [de Villers] and Virat [Kohli], talking about batting with myself,” Finch said. “He’s taken his game to a new level because he’s just getting past that period when he’s not hitting them well. When he’s playing well, it’s lights out, it’s brilliant.”But just those days when he’s not feeling 100%, he’s getting through that little danger period and still having a big impact on the game which I think is so important in T20. It’s such an up-and-down game, you’re not going to be consistent all the time but you can still contribute and he’s doing a brilliant job, he played fantastically well. When his head is still, he’s playing beautifully, and his wicketkeeping has been really good as well. That’s a great position for him to be in, coming here with a huge amount of confidence off the back of another Big Bash title.”As for the vacant Renegades coaching role, likely to be bid for by a wide array of candidates including Trevor Bayliss, David Saker and Simon Helmot, Finch did not hide his wish that there was more than one McDonald available, the better to play a key role for both club and country.”I would love Andrew back coaching the Renegades but I also think there’s a job for him to do with the Australian team and that’s the most important,” Finch said. “He’s doing a brilliant job around the group and with the bowlers as well, so yes and no is the answer. I’d love him back but what he’s doing at the moment is outstanding, he’s head coach of this tour, he’s as good as you get. I can understand if he’s not coach of the Renegades, but yeah.”The five-match T20I series will start on February 22 in Christchurch.

Rinku Singh nearly pulled off a stunning chase as KKR’s campaign came to an end

Hemant Brar20-May-2023Lucknow Super Giants 176 for 8 (Pooran 58, Shardul Thakur 2-27, Narine 2-28) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 175 for 7 (Rinku 67*, Roy 45, Bishnoi 2-23, Yash Thakur 2-31) by one runLucknow Super Giants survived a Rinku Singh scare to become the third team to qualify for the playoffs of IPL 2023 as they beat Kolkata Knight Riders by one run at Eden Gardens. They ended with 17 points, tied with Chennai Super Kings, but LSG’s inferior net run rate meant they finished third. They will now face the fourth qualifying team in the Eliminator in Chennai on May 24.At the start of the day, LSG had a chance to secure a top-two finish. However, CSK’s 77-run win over Delhi Capitals in the earlier game meant LSG needed to beat KKR by a margin of around 97 runs to go above CSK. That was not going to be easy, especially after LSG posted 176 batting first. At 73 for 5 in the 11th over, they didn’t look like scoring even that many, but Nicholas Pooran’s 30-ball 58 lifted them.KKR had a flying start before they lost their way in the middle overs. It came down to 56 needed from the last four overs, and then 41 from two. Rinku took 20 off Naveen-ul-Haq in the 19th, leaving 21 for the last.Vaibhav Arora took a single on the first ball of the final over, bowled Yash Thakur. That was followed by two dots and two wides, making it 18 required from three balls. Rinku hit the next one for a six but could pick up only a four off the fifth. A six on the final delivery only reduced the margin of defeat.

LSG’s hit-and-miss start

After being sent in, LSG lost a wicket in the third over of the innings when Harshit Rana bounced out Karan Sharma for 3. Prerak Mankad tried to attack but he was more like a cat on a hot tin roof. After being on 4 off eight balls, he picked up five fours in the next two overs but hardly looked comfortable. Once the powerplay ended, his attempted upper cut against Arora was taken at deep cover. Two balls later, Arora bounced out Marcus Stoinis for a duck, making it 55 for 3.Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine dragged LSG back further. Narine had Krunal Pandya mistiming a slog sweep to deep square leg in the tenth over, and Varun got Quinton de Kock to top-edge to deep midwicket. De Kock, who picked up two sixes in the powerplay – his only boundaries on the night – ended with 28 off 27 balls.

Pooran hits them beyond the boundary

Pooran came in at No. 7, a ball after the halfway mark in the innings. Varun induced an outside edge straightaway but Pooran had played it with soft hands, resulting in the ball falling short and to the left of first slip and going for four. The next ball, though, was too short, and Pooran cut it for four. Varun then overcompensated, erring on the fuller side and was duly smashed for a straight six.With another six in the spinner’s next over, Pooran moved to 23 off just ten balls. KKR had brought in Suyash Sharma as the Impact Player for Harshit, who had bowled three overs for 1 for 21. Pooran welcomed Suyash with yet another six, and ended the over with a four, making sure the legspinner didn’t bowl another over in the game.In the 19th over, Pooran brought up his half-century with a six off Shardul Thakur. He sent the next ball over the boundary line as well, but Thakur had him caught at deep third when the batter attempted a hat-trick of sixes. Andre Russell conceded only three off the first four deliveries of the 20th over before K Gowtham hit the last two for a six and four to take LSG past 175.

KKR quick out of the blocks

KKR had an almost impossible task in front of them: they needed to win in 8.5 overs to lift their net run rate above Rajasthan Royals’ to stay alive for the playoffs. Jason Roy and Venkatesh Iyer smashed 30 in the first two overs but the next two brought only 15. Roy did hit three fours off Krunal’s first three balls in the fifth over but Iyer fell to Gowtham in the next, and KKR finished the powerplay on 61 for 1.

Rinku takes it close

As far as this match was concerned, KKR were well ahead of the required rate. After eight overs, they were 78 for 1, but could score only 30 in the next six for the loss of three wickets. Ravi Bishnoi had Nitish Rana caught at extra cover, Krunal bowled Roy for 45 off 28, and Yash Thakur’s slower ball accounted for Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 10 off 15.With 63 needed from 28 balls, Russell hit Bishnoi for a six but was bowled on the next ball. Rinku was still in the middle, and if there is one thing this season has taught us, it is that no game is over till Rinku is batting. En route to his unbeaten 67 off 33 balls, he took Naveen for three fours and six in the 19th over but with 18 needed from three balls, he could hit only 6, 4 and 6.

Wafadar Momand, who is uncapped in T20I cricket, and Sediqullah Atal also part of 16-member squad

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2023Rashid Khan, who had been rested for the one-off Test in Mirpur last month, will return to captain Afghanistan in the two-match T20I series against Bangladesh. Rashid is also part of the ODI squad that will be led by Hashmatullah Shahidi.Mohammad Shahzad, who last played international cricket for Afghanistan at the 2021 T20 World Cup, was recalled to the T20I side that also included Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran. Hazratullah Zazai, who had been left out for the T20Is against Pakistan earlier this year, also returned to the squad.Related

• 'Quality of our spinners shone through' – Afghanistan coach Trott pleased after opening win

• Rashid back in Afghanistan squad for Bangladesh ODIs

Wafadar Momand, who is uncapped in T20I and ODI cricket, too found a place in the squad alongside Sediqullah Atal, who made his T20I debut against Pakistan in Sharjah in March. Naveen-ul-Haq, who has taken a break from ODI cricket, but is active in T20 cricket, will form the seam attack along with Fazalhaq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai , Fareed Ahmad and Karim Janat. Rashid will be assisted by Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad in the spin attack.The two T20Is against Bangladesh will be played in Sylhet on July 14 and July 16.Afghanistan squad: Rashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad, Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Sediq Atal, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Wafadar Momand, Farid Ahmad, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

He overcame illness and a lack of sleep to produce one of his most stunning displays

Alex Malcolm26-Oct-20234:10

How did he do it? Maxwell’s blow-by-blow account of the mayhem

Glenn Maxwell admitted he is very aware of the fastest century records and sometimes chases them to his own detriment, after clubbing the quickest ODI World Cup hundred off just 40 balls in Australia’s thumping win over the Netherlands in Delhi.Maxwell obliterated the record set by South Africa’s Aiden Markram just a couple of weeks ago at the same ground. Maxwell also has the fourth fastest World Cup century off 51 balls against Sri Lanka in 2015, which was one ball shy of Kevin O’Brien’s then-record of 50 against England in 2011.Maxwell conceded he has gone overboard in the past trying to set such records.Related

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“I’m very aware of them,” Maxwell said. “I’m very aware of balls faced. I love the fastest 50, fastest 100 records. I think they’re pretty cool records. Sometimes to the detriment of myself, I’ve always probably pushed the boundaries a bit too much.”I think against Afghanistan in 2015, I was 88 off [38] and I was like ‘I’m getting it in the next two balls’. I hit one straight to cover and butchered it. I think I got my fastest hundred next game.”I’ve been in those positions before where I could make fast hundreds when I get on the run – I know I’m difficult to bowl to. It’s just about getting past the first ball.”Maxwell revealed that the situation of the game and his own health helped calm him down after falling to a crazy first-ball slog in the previous game against Pakistan, where the perfect platform had been laid for him to do something similar.Glenn Maxwell’s record-breaking ton earned him a photoshoot•Getty Images

He revealed he had been feeling unwell in the lead-up to the Netherlands game and had not had much sleep following the arrival of his wife and infant son to India.”I was sitting in the changing room and I didn’t really want to bat, which is a bit different than last game where I was way too eager to get out there,” Maxwell said. “We talked about over-arousal levels and I probably reached double maximum [against Pakistan] if you couldn’t tell. But I was a little bit more chilled when I got out there. I didn’t have many high hopes. I’ve been pretty cooked the last couple of days.”Australia’s innings had also stalled badly. They had slipped from 244 for 2 after 36 overs, to 267 for 5 in the 40th over when David Warner picked out fine leg just after reaching his century. Maxwell did not face his first ball until the 41st over. Australia fell to 290 for 6 when Cameron Green was sensationally run out by a direct hit from Sybrand Engelbrecht running in from long-on.It forced Maxwell to play conventionally in the early part of his innings, which set him up perfectly. His first five boundaries featured three glorious drives along the ground, a leg glance, and a stock paddle sweep to a ball drifting down leg.”It’s a bit weird that I had to calm myself down for the first 20-odd balls and rebuild,” Maxwell said. “I think the circumstances of, I suppose, the timing of the wickets probably changed the way I would have gone about it if it was just me and Davey at the back end. I felt like I was just super selective. Even with the boundaries I was hitting, until I got to about 50 or 60, I was literally hitting them flat through the gap or picking my spots pretty clearly where I wanted to go and it was only the back end where I tried to just pump everything.”It wasn’t until Maxwell was on 35 after 21 balls that he unfurled the first of three outrageous reverse swats over backward point. He admitted that he thought he had got himself out with the second one when he picked the wrong length off Bas de Leede but still managed to reverse flick it into the stands at backward point to bring up his half-century off 27 balls.”I thought it was going to be slower into the wicket or back of a length and he bowled it full at I think middle and off and luckily enough my hand speed got me out of trouble,” he said. “I feel like tonight, I actually gave myself a chance to be able to play those shots at the back end, where circumstances and pitch types, I suppose, in the first few games probably didn’t allow me to.”I was in the stage of rebuilding and trying to get through and trying to bat as long as I possibly could, and just haven’t probably had the opportunity. And as I said last game, had the opportunity and threw it away.”