All posts by n8rngtd.top

Kamindu notched up his fourth Test ton and New Zealand fought back with late wickets

Madushka Balasuriya18-Sep-2024Sri Lanka 302 for 7 (Kamindu 114, Kusal 50, O’Rourke 3-54, Phillips 2-52) vs New ZealandKamindu Mendis continued his phenomenal start to Test cricket notching up a fourth Test ton, but a couple of late wickets at the end of play ensured that New Zealand were not completely out of it after an engrossing opening day’s play in Galle.That one of those wickets was that of Kamindu will have brought the visitors particular joy, though the nature of the wicket – with it spitting out of the rough outside the left-handers off stump, to catch his glove – might give New Zealand’s left-hand heavy batting line-up some pause.Kamindu’s 114 off 173 was part of two key partnerships, the first worth 72 with Angelo Mathews and the second for 103 with Kusal Mendis. Around those New Zealand did what they do best. They put their best foot forward, set up solid plans, and threw themselves at everything.It meant Sri Lanka were unable to take complete control of the game having won the toss and elected to bat first on an unusually grass-strewn surface.Will O’Rourke was the pick of the bowlers, grabbing three wickets, including that of both Sri Lanka openers within the first hour of the morning session, while Glenn Phillips was the pick of the spinners with figures of 2 for 52. Mitchell Santner was wicketless, though that was less a reflection of his efforts and more a case of bad luck.Ramesh Mendis was unbeaten on 14 off 42 at stumps, alongside him was the Prabath Jayasuriya, but this was a day that belonged to Kamindu.His best work was done alongside the other Mendis in the lineup, Kusal, whose 50 off 68 provided the ideal foil to Kamindu’s steady hand. While missteps were rare for New Zealand, one in particular – a missed chance off a Kamindu miscue when he was still on 21 – might linger a little longer in the memory. That was also a rare Kamindu misstep, as for the most part, he dealt with whatever the visitors threw at him with consummate ease.William O’Rourke got his third wicket on the stroke of tea•Associated Press

The most striking feature of his innings was the ease with which he used his feat against the spinners, a concerted ploy geared towards not allowing them to settle on their lines and lengths. It meant the use of sweeps was more targeted than prolific, hounding out gaps in the field for a consistent flow of runs.His partnership with Mathews offered a much-needed period of consolidation after Sri Lanka had slumped to 106 for 4. Mathews had looked far from his best during a laboured 36 off 116, and it meant the scoreboard also wasn’t moving as swiftly as the hosts might have hoped.However once Mathews fell, edging behind off the excellent O’Rourke, it also brought up Sri Lanka’s best period of the day.With the ball softening and Kamindu already settled, Kusal’s natural aggression ran a tiring attack ragged. It took a freak dismissal to break the stand, as a hard pull off a Phillip’s long-hop saw the ball loop up off an evasive short leg and balloon to midwicket. Kusal looked on in disbelief, though by then Sri Lanka had already played themselves into a considerable position of strength.New Zealand though had started the day the better of the two sides with O’Rourke lighting up a gloomy morning session with a menacing opening burst full of pace, bounce and lateral movement. Through it he accounted for the wickets of Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka, while he also wrought some pain on Mathews, after one seamed back in sharply to strike his right forefinger. That knock forced Mathews to retire hurt, but he was able to return later on to complete his innings.New Zealand’s persistence continued to pay off after lunch, as they grabbed a further three wickets to bookend the session. Dinesh Chandimal fell right at the start, chipping to midwicket for a sharp catch, while Mathews fell on the stroke of tea. In between, Dhananjaya de Silva had a ripper from Phillips turn right through bat and pad to clip the top of off.On another day, all that might have signalled a successful day for the visitors, but Kamindu ensured that it was the hosts that would take home honours on a hard-fought opening day.

Off-spinner’s 5 for 7 and Sophie Ecclestone’s 4 for 11 snuff out Phoenix for 87 before hosts make hard work of chase

Vithushan Ehantharajah07-Aug-2023Fi Morris picked up the best figures in the Hundred outright as Manchester Originals triumphed over Birmingham Phoenix at Emirates Old Trafford in their first outing of the season.A remarkable 5 for 7 from the off-spinner’s 16 balls, in tandem with Sophie Ecclestone’s 4 for 11, snuffed out the Phoenix for 87, which Originals eventually overcame with a ball to spare. In the process, Morris more than doubled her wicket tally in the competition, having previously taken four for Southern Brave. She did not bowl in either of her two matches for Welsh Fire last summer, but on Originals debut has now bagged the standout Hundred figures for a man or woman. This also tops her best return in Twenty20 cricket.”I knew I’d got the first women’s five-for, but I didn’t know it was the best in either competition,” Morris beamed when informed she had better Josh Little’s 5 for 13, also for Manchester Originals, in the men’s competition. “I’ll take that!””I think it’s probably my best-ever day in cricket, to be honest,” she added. “How the last couple of years have gone, not playing much in last year’s Hundred, to come in and do that first game I’m absolutely buzzing.”I got a bit of help from the pitch. Having Sophie (Ecclestone), Wello (Amanda-Jade Wellington) and Mahika (Gaur) bowl so well up front, I kind of had the easy job. All I needed to do was bowl straight, and I seemed to do it alright.”Victory capped off the individual performance, though it was harder than it should have been. Laura Wolvaardt and Ami Campbell did the brunt of the work with a stand of 69, but a cascade of dot balls and unnecessary dismissals saw the chase go deep into the final set, with the hosts eventually getting over the line by five wickets.After two abandonments, Originals won the toss and set about putting in a near-perfect performance in the field. Maybe there was a hint of pent-up frustration at being one of two teams, along with London Spirit, to have not taken the field this season. But at no point did they clutch or over-stretch. Indeed the key to restricting Phoenix to such a low total was drying things up initially.Gaur sent down all 20 of her deliveries inside the first 30, for just 18 runs. The hype around the tall left-hander is justified, and though she went wicketless, the control assumed, particularly against Sophie Devine, gave a few reasons why England capped her at “A” level this summer.In a patchy Phoenix line-up, Devine either had to do something spectacular, or bat through. But after Ecclestone picked up her first, spinning one between bat and pad and having her stumped by Ellie Threlkeld, the White Ferns legend’s attempt to slog-sweep the left-arm spinner over square leg resulted in a smart catch by Morris on that boundary. Two deliveries later, Erin Burns was caught behind to leave Phoenix 52 for 3 from 53.Morris came on for the next set, and early confirmation this would be her day came when Amy Jones’ was hit on the full in front of middle and leg attempting a reverse sweep. Phoenix unravelled, losing their last six for 30 runs in 40 deliveries, squeezed by Originals as much by Ecclestone’s captaincy as her frugality with the ball.Emily Arlott, trapped on the crease, was the skipper’s fourth wicket, and if anyone was going to get five this afternoon, it would surely be the world’s best white-ball bowler. But Morris had taken three in eight deliveries by the time Ecclestone returned for her final five. And when those passed without incident, Morris needed just one more to bank her five-wicket haul and put Phoenix out of their misery with four of their 100 balls to go.Sophie Ecclestone bagged four wickets•ECB via Getty Images

What jeopardy there was in the chase came first ball when Emma Lamb gloved down the leg side after Tess Flintoff found a bit of lift off the pitch. Jones’ immaculate take had the orange shirts up and about. Had the keeper-batter affected a stumping when Ami Campbell (on seven) advanced down the track and found nothing but air when 77 were needed, or had there been a direct hit at the non-striker’s end when Campbell (13) set off for an ill-judged single, things might have got a bit tastier.Originals, however, wilfully chose a spicy ending by complicating what should have been a bland procession to the finish line. Wolvaardt, responsible for some of the more mouth-watering moments, whether skipping and driving over the top, slapping through point, or working behind square on the leg side, could have seen things home. But in opting for a quick finish, the Proteas opener was trapped lbw by Hannah Baker when she tried to swipe the leg-spinner across the line.Campbell then also passed up that opportunity, skipping down and hitting Katie Levick to midwicket. As Morris arrived, you wondered if this would be her full day out. Alas, a two-ball duck later – to Levick – served as a reminder the game only loves you for so long.The equation of 13 needed from 23 when Ecclestone joined Deandra Dottin should have been a formality, and yet this match somehow ended in the final set of five with two to get. Dottin, by now, had been run out at the non-striker’s end to close out a dire six off 12.Ecclestone then drove down the ground to tie and, after playing out seven dots, Kathryn Bryce squeezed a drive through backward point for four to put everyone out of their respective miseries.

Allrounder admits absence from five-Test tour is ‘fair decision’ given overseas record

Cameron Ponsonby11-Dec-2023Chris Woakes has said that he is “at ease” with being left out of England’s Test squad for India, with the all-rounder describing it as “a fair decision”.After spending a decade fighting the reputation of being a home specialist, Woakes has given in and joined the groupthink. Woakes at home, good. Woakes away, bad.It is just four months since Woakes won the Compton-Miller medal for man of the series during The Ashes, but rather than the award teasing him into flogging a 34-year-old bowler’s knee in India for five Tests, it has instead assured him of his value to England in home conditions and the fact that when West Indies and Sri Lanka arrive for Test cricket in 2024, his will be one of the first names being considered.”It’s mixed emotions,” Woakes said, a day out from the start of England’s five-match T20I series against West Indies. “Whenever there’s a Test squad announcement, you’re always desperate to be in it. But at the same time, at my age, with my away record – particularly in the subcontinent – I feel like it’s a fair decision.”The topic of Woakes the home phenomenon vs away pedestrian is well rehearsed. With the ball, an average of 21.88 in familiar conditions is paired with an average of 51.88 when overseas. There have been moments when the trend looked to be broken, with impressive performances in New Zealand in 2019 and South Africa in 2020, but overall, the exceptions have proved the rule.The low point came in the Caribbean 18 months ago, when the omission of James Anderson and Stuart Broad saw Woakes promoted to the role of opener. Three Test matches brought just five wickets, an average of 48.80 and an operation.”I tried to bowl my heart out and really struggled with my body,” Woakes said, reflecting on the trip and the hope that missing certain England tours will extend his career by a number of years. “My knee was sore at the time, I ended up having surgery after that and I missed six months of cricket.”I wouldn’t want that to be the same case going to India, bowling on tracks which are unresponsive to my type of bowling; slamming the front knee down at 34 is not really ideal when I want to play a lot of white-ball cricket moving forward. It’s different when that’s just your sole focus but when you want to play all forms, it makes it a wise decision.”Woakes didn’t go as far to say he’s happy to be considered a home-specialist, with his inability to crack cricket overseas something that will remain a point of frustration in what has otherwise been a quietly decorated career – and he still hopes to be considered for selection when England tour more seam-friendly nations such as New Zealand. But in the modern day where workloads are there to be managed and white-ball World Cups come around every year, it makes life for Woakes simpler, if not better.”I’ve said that in the past and it’s not through lack of trying, because in the white-ball game my away record is almost probably better than my home record. So it’s not just purely those conditions, but with the red ball, I have found it a little bit difficult. So frustrating, but at the same time, it’s not through lack of effort.”Related

• England pick uncapped 20-year-old Shoaib Bashir in Test squad for India

• Pope fit and ready to deputise for Stokes if needed

• Liam Dawson could turn down England Test recall in favour of lucrative SA20 deal

• No England contract, but Jacks feels wanted here and now

The positives for both Woakes and England in the current situation is that England get the best of Test Woakes, the best of white-ball Woakes around the world – and Woakes gets to have his paydays too.In January, rather than tour India, he will travel to the ILT20 to play for Sharjah Warriors, the competition which spurred England into multi-year central contract action after Mark Wood was offered £400,000 to play for the Dubai Capitals.”We had conversations about where my best cricket is likely to be played moving forward and naturally in Test cricket, it looks likely to be at home. It doesn’t mean to say that when there’s not subcontinent tours that I won’t be available. But I feel at ease with the decision, if that makes sense. The communication was good, I know where I stand so it’s fine by me.”Woakes’ focus is now on the five T20I matches ahead of him, with England’s preparations for the T20 World Cup to be hosted in the Caribbean and the USA well under way. The 2024 World Cup will be Woakes’ seventh for England – but at 34, he has no intention of declaring it his last.”I think it would be stupid for me to look any further than this series, that’s the way I’ve always tried to approach the lead-ups to World Cups. As we’ve seen in the past, players can get left out at the last minute.”We’re in the thick of a series which is going to be quite important for us going forward with the T20 here in six months. You naturally need to focus on that. But as you said I haven’t retired from ODI cricket and the next ODI stuff for England isn’t until September….the call isn’t mine but I’ll do everything I can to be available for selection.”This series against West Indies will also see the launch of the ICC’s stop-clock trial, where teams will need to be ready to bowl the first ball of their next over within 60 seconds of the previous over being completed. Failure to do so on three occasions will lead to a five-run penalty.”I think it’s a good idea,” Woakes said. “I know it annoys you guys when we’re a bit slow. But when you’re out there in the middle, the game does feel fast. Even though at times guys might be taking drinks or swapping gloves and things, but the game does feel pretty quick. But naturally we’re in the entertainment business and we need to make sure that the viewers are happy as well.”

Abhishek Sharma is set to open with Gill; India likely to hand a number of debuts in this series

Alagappan Muthu05-Jul-20242:07

Gill: ‘Difficult for me to try and achieve what Rohit and Kohli have’

Big picture – Opportunities galore

The new T20 World Cup champions were given a rousing welcome on their return home but even as the country celebrates their history-makers, one eye turns towards the future.Fifteen of India’s promising colts – captained by Shubman Gill – are in Zimbabwe now laying the groundwork for the time that they too may one day experience: the high of an open-top bus parade with fans as far as the eye can see serenading them.Related

• Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Nitish Reddy in India's T20I squad for Zimbabwe tour

• After T20 World Cup euphoria, India begin quest for a new generation of champions

• Riyan Parag: 'I wanted to know more about my game, because I've been lost inside those 22 yards too many times'

There are spots up for grabs. Two of them, in particular, which Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be trying to make their own. Rinku Singh was there in Barbados but only as reserve. He’ll want to fix that. Riyan Parag is starting to make good on his promise. Washington Sundar is 24 and injury-free with India potentially needing a new spin-bowling allrounder in their first-choice XI.Zimbabwe will see opportunity too, not least in upsetting the newly-minted champions after being unable to make the World Cup. Hosting an India series brings an influx of money and no shortage of eyeballs, some of whom might be on the lookout for skills that can translate to success in the various franchise tournaments happening around the world. These days, a cricket match is not just a chance to bring glory to the team.

Form guide

Zimbabwe WLLLL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
India WWWWW

In the spotlight – Shubman Gill and Sikandar Raza

Shubman Gill is in the middle of a bit of a blip. His first real brush with captaincy, through April and May, didn’t go as planned with Gujarat Titans finishing eighth out of ten teams in IPL 2024. His time with India at the T20 World Cup in June was very brief but now in July he finds himself with the power to do what he likes, at least for the course of these five matches. Will he bat like India want their players to, with aggression from the first ball, or will he do something different?Sikandar Raza will look to find form•AFP/Getty Images

Zimbabwe tripped up, badly, in the Africa T20 World Cup qualifiers in November 2023. Sikandar Raza was captain. They hosted Ireland in December, but after an excellent all-round contribution in a one-wicket victory, he was suspended from the rest of the series due to an on-field altercation. Then Raza lost his form, with four single-digit scores in six T20I innings, but his last one was a match-winning half-century against Bangladesh. He’s also produced good showings for Northamptonshire in the Vitality Blast (206 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 153). Raza’s back on the up and he wants his team to be as well.

Team news – Count the debuts

This India squad is very much a work in progress so the XIs that come out of it might not have all their bases covered. The batting, for example, might only go down as far as No. 7 which certainly does not encourage the hit-every-ball-out-of-the-park philosophy they are trying to perfect. Also, the players themselves haven’t proven themselves at this level. Then again, they haven’t been exposed to it all that often either. Look out for debuts. There could be four or five. Gill confirmed Abhishek Sharma will open the batting alongside him.India (probable): 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Dhruv Jurel/Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Khaleel AhmedZimbabwe are searching for new talent themselves. Some of their better-known players like Sean Williams and Craig Ervine weren’t considered for this series and Ryan Burl has been dropped. Wessly Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta, though, are back in contention after serving out four-month suspensions for drug use.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Brian Bennett, 2 Tadiwanashe Marumani, 3 Sikandar Raza (capt), 4 Johnathan Campbell, 5 Antum Naqvi, 6 Clive Madande (wk), 7 Wessly Madhevere, 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Faraz Akram, 10 Wellington Masakadza, 11 Blessing Muzarabani

Pitch and conditions – Runs at a premium

This will be Harare’s first T20I of the year. First-innings totals in the recent past have been a bit middling, with only five of the last 12, going past 150. In those last 12 matches, spinners (69 wickets at 19.71 and economy rate of 6.6) have done better than the fast bowlers (80 wickets at 25.92 and an economy rate of 7.82). There is no threat of rain with temperatures in the mid-20C.

Stats and trivia

• India have faced Zimbabwe in only eight T20Is over the course of 14 years. They’ve won six and lost two.
• Raza needs 53 more to become the first Zimbabwean to score 2000 runs in T20Is.

MCC criticised for hosting annual Eton-Harrow fixture but solitary women’s ODI since 2017

Matt Roller26-Jun-2023The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) were “alarmed” by the “truly appalling” fact that England Women have never played a Test match at Lord’s, making the damning assertion that: “The ‘home of cricket’ is still a home principally for men.”In a 317-page report published on Tuesday, the ICEC highlighted the “public function” of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the private members’ club which owns Lord’s and said that recent decisions made by the club’s members have sent “a very public signal about the club’s values”.Specifically, the ICEC recommended to MCC that the annual Eton-Harrow and Oxford-Cambridge fixtures should no longer be staged at Lord’s after 2023, and that they should be replaced by a national Under-15 state school finals’ day for boys and girls, and a national university finals’ day for men’s and women’s teams.”We respect and value many of the traditions of cricket generally, and Lord’s in particular, but not all,” the commission wrote in its report. “Some no longer have a place in contemporary Britain.”Guaranteeing a tiny number of schoolboys the right to play at Lord’s every year when millions of children are denied that right is completely unacceptable. So too is the fact that the schoolboys of two expensive and elite institutions get to play at Lord’s every year when the England Women’s national team have yet to play a Test Match there.”The Oxford and Cambridge match has also had its time and should no longer be played at Lord’s. It sends a similar message of elitism, entrenching the position of certain institutions to which only a small minority of school pupils will gain access.”Related

• Heather Knight unsurprised by ICEC report after experiences of sexism

• ECB issues 'unreserved apology' as ICEC report reveals deep-rooted discrimination within English cricket

• English cricket prepares for release of ICEC report

• Commission recommends 'fundamental overhaul' of women's cricket pay structure

• Ten key recommendations of the ICEC report

England Women have played at Lord’s only once in any format since they won the 2017 World Cup final there six years ago – though are due to return on July 8 for the third T20I of the ongoing Ashes series.England Men, by contrast, have played two Tests and at least one limited-overs international at Lord’s every year since 2000 – except for the pandemic-affected 2020 summer.Richard Thompson, ECB chair, told BBC Radio 4’s programme: “That’s unacceptable, and we’re going to ensure that there will be a Test match by the England Women in 2026 – and that should have happened sooner. So that has been addressed and will be addressed in 2026 when we also host the Women’s T20 World Cup which is a real moment for women’s sport in this country. Clearly, we hope that will be a celebration of cricket.”The commission highlighted the successful attempt by MCC members to challenge the decision of the club’s committee to move the “historic fixtures” away from Lord’s as “an illustration… of the obstacles placed in the way of those seeking to modernise the game”.It added: “MCC may be a private members’ club, in which some members may resent ‘interference’ with their right to make their own decisions, but it is also a club that benefits from substantial amounts of money from the general public through ticket sales for major matches, with all the accompanying publicity and prestige.”Those who argue for the continuation of the Historic Fixtures do not seem to understand the damage they are doing to the reputation of MCC and Lord’s in the public imagination – compounding a view, whether fair or not, that MCC members are out of touch, elitist and unrepresentative of both the wider population and those who play cricket.”As the game strives to become more inclusive, as it clearly must, decisions such as these at ‘the home of cricket’ do more harm than some people appear to realise.”Lord’s was also singled out as the only major venue in the country that does not permit the use of musical instruments, which the commission gave as an example of “ways in which authorities have sought to sanitise the atmosphere at grounds”, saying the ban “had a disproportionate impact on ethnically diverse communities, particularly those from Caribbean communities”.In a statement, the MCC Chief Executive & Secretary, Guy Lavender said: “Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) received the report published by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) earlier today. We recognise that it will make very difficult reading for everyone involved in cricket in this country. This is a vitally important piece of work and all stakeholders in the game must now reflect on the contents of the report.”MCC is named in the report and we will be analysing the findings in detail. We are committed to playing our part in ensuring cricket is the most inclusive sport in this country and that Lord’s is a place where everyone feels welcome.”

The two boards have agreed to add an extra match to the original schedule

Andrew McGlashan07-Dec-2024Australia will play three Tests on their tour of West Indies next year after the two boards agreed to add an extra match to the original schedule.It will be the first time the two sides have faced each other for three Tests or more since 2015 and the first time in the Caribbean since 2012 when Australia won 2-0. The series will be the first in the next cycle of the World Test Championship for both teams, which brings a minimum requirement of two Tests.The previous series between the teams played in Australia earlier this year finished 1-1 after Shamar Joseph inspired West Indies to a seven-run win at the Gabba. It was West Indies’ first victory over Australia in 21 years.Initially reported by newspapers, the extension of the Test series was confirmed by Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley on Saturday.”I am really glad that is going to manifest,” he told radio. “We’re still waiting for an official announcement from the West Indies Cricket Board around precise dates and precise locations but it will be a three-Test series which is obviously big.”It’s another great opportunity. The World Test Championship prescribed that we needed to play two, at least two. But really, for the fans and for the players, you don’t want to be stuck in the position when it’s one-one and everyone is feeling unsatisfied.”Hockley, who will step down in March and be replaced by Todd Greenberg, has previously stated a preference for a minimum of three Tests in a series. “We’ll keep advocating and championing that. Really advocating for three-Test series as an absolute minimum,” he said earlier this year.ESPNcricinfo understands that Barbados, Grenada and Jamaica are possible locations for the three matches which are expected to take place from late June. On the current Future Tours Programme, the schedule also includes three ODIs and three T20Is.Australia are in the race for a place in this year’s WTC final which will take place at Lord’s from June 11-15.

The tourists went to tea at Edgbaston on 182 for 3, thanks largely to Jaiswal’s 87

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2025Yashasvi Jaiswal fell 13 short of a sixth Test century – and fourth against England – as Ben Stokes prized out the opener as the only wicket in what was an otherwise solid middle session for India on day one of this second Test.The tourists went to tea at Edgbaston on 182 for 3, thanks largely to Jaiswal’s 87 that kept up the left-hander’s steak of scoring at least 50 in all seven of his Tests against England. But the home skipper was able to cap the damage caused by the opener, who slashed at a wide delivery outside off stump through to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.Related

• Bumrah rested; Washington, Reddy, Akash Deep in for India after England bowl

• Rishabh Pant rises to No. 6 among Test batters; Travis Head also gains in rankings

• Gill wants top order to take 'more responsibility' after Leeds loss

Shubman Gill remains unbeaten on 42 at the interval, with plenty on his shoulders already as India made sweeping changes after going 1-0 down in the series. The big news was that Jasprit Bumrah would sit out this Test, with Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar drafted into the XI.Those changes give India a completely different feel from the defeat at Headingley, with Sai Sudharsan and Shadrul Thakur dropped. Explaining the decision to rest Bumrah, Gill revealed the India management felt Lord’s will offer Bumrah more than this track.So far, it has offered more to bat than ball. Jaiswal negotiated what early movement there was, watching Chris Woakes prise out KL Rahul early for a torturous 2 from 26 deliveries in an impressive new ball spell which read 1 for 15 from seven overs, including four maidens on the bounce. Woakes was unlucky not to make more inroads after standing umpire Sharfuddoula turned down two close LBW appeals – the first against Jaiswal on 12, the second against Nair on 5. Both were reviewed only to come back with fractional Umpire’s Call on the predicted path into the stumps.Fellow opening bowler Brydon Carse had to wait until six minutes before lunch to get his reward, when hard length surprised Karun Nair (promoted to No.3) on 31, splicing to Harry Brook at second slip. That ended a productive stand of 80 for the second wicket which Nair had driven initially before Jaiswal took the wheel.Yashasvi Jaiswal missed out on a century•PA Images via Getty Images

He moved to his half-century off 59 deliveries, accelerating into it with the help of some wayward bowling from Josh Tongue. Three boundaries from the Nottinghamshire quick’s third over were followed by three-in-a-row from what turned out to be Tongue’s sixth and final one of his spell, as Stokes ordered his quicks to instigate their usual bumper ploy.A hook took Jaiswal to 49, before he leapt into a vicious cut high over point to pass fifty, followed by a celebratory four – his 11th – carved past third. And he showed patience through the middle session, driving Carse through cover five balls after lunch, and later guiding Tongue past the cordon for the last of 13 boundaries to take him to 81.Perhaps he ran out of patience when going after Stokes. Nonetheless, there is a foundation for a big score, that Gill and Rishabh Pant preserved. The latter in particular seemed watchful, with 14* off 28, showing one moment of malice when he stepped out to Shoaib Bashir and lifted him over wide long on for the first six of the innings.

Gloucestershire trail by 117 overnight after ex-England opener posts 195, his Durham best

ECB Reporters Network11-Jul-2023Durham 433 for 8 (Lees 195, Clark 82) lead Gloucestershire 316 by 117 runsAlex Lees gave the England selectors a gentle nudge after scoring his third century in as many innings to guide Durham into a strong position against Gloucestershire in their LV= Insurance County Championship clash.Lees anchored the innings with a flawless knock of 195, posting his highest score as a Durham player since his move to Seat Unique Riverside in 2018. Graham Clark provided the perfect complement with 82 as the two shared a stand worth 195 after the hosts were reduced to 109 for four in reply to Gloucestershire’s 316.The two batters rebuilt the innings and propelled Durham ahead in the game, having skittled the visitors’ tail within the first half-hour of day two. It allowed Brydon Carse to tee off late in the day to push the hosts into a 117-run lead at the close with two first-innings wickets remaining.Resuming on 280 for six, Gloucestershire put their foot down before the arrival of the new ball. Zafar Gohar smashed three boundaries off Carse’s first over, while Josh Shaw cleared the rope with a huge strike over long-on against Parkinson to earn a second batting bonus point.Durham answered fire with fire as Carse responded with a hostile spell to make the breakthrough. Shaw could only glove behind to Robinson down the leg-side and the next ball was too good for Matt Taylor. Zaman Akhter survived the hat-trick ball and another barrage from Carse before the arrival of the new ball.Ben Raine then wrapped up the innings within three deliveries with the new Kookaburra in hand by bowling Gohar and pinning Dominic Goodman lbw, securing maximum bowling points for the hosts.Shaw made quick inroads for the visitors to remove Michael Jones, but Lees responded by taking the attack to the Gloucestershire bowlers. The left-hander shared a stand worth 67 with Scott Borthwick before the Durham captain picked out substitute fielder Jack Taylor as he aimed to clear the short boundary, presenting Shaw with his second wicket.Lees worked his way to his fifty from only 56 balls, but Durham had issues at the other end when David Bedingham emulated his captain’s dismissal falling three balls before the lunch break. Ollie Robinson continued the procession after the interval as fell caught and bowled to Goodman, leaving Durham in trouble at 109 for four after losing three wickets for 32.The home side required patience at the crease and Lees duly delivered without taking any risks on his march to three figures. He showed composure in a slow grind through the nineties before bringing up his third hundred of the term after striking Gohar straight down the ground to the fence.Clark offered a useful foil at the other end to support the former England opener. After a period of consolidation, the two batters upped the ante and cranked up the pressure on the Gloucestershire bowlers.James Bracey turned to a variety of options, but could not stop the onslaught from the fifth-wicket stand, especially from Lees who powered his way to his highest score of the season by passing 150 with three-straight pulls to the boundary against Akhter.Ben Charlesworth took the ball in the 70th over and finally broke the stand for 195 when Clark drilled the ball straight to Chris Dent at short mid-wicket, falling narrowly short of a deserved century. Carse and Lees guided the hosts to their third batting bonus point before the new ball.Matt Taylor found his rhythm from the off with the new ball to end Lees’ brilliant knock for 195 and then Raine first ball to give the visitors hope of skittling the hosts late in the day. But, Carse stamped his authority in the final hour, reaching fifty from 45 balls and smashing three sixes in the process, ensuring Durham ended the evening in command closing in on maximum batting points.

Dutch discovering that “good cricket in patches” not enough to upset the big teams

Firdose Moonda09-Oct-20231:07

McClenaghan on the mistakes Netherlands made with the ball

It is “only two games in” to the World Cup, as Colin Ackermann noted, but concerns that Netherlands may be overwhelmed by the quality of the opposition at this tournament are already emerging after big defeats.Make no mistake, the Dutch have not disgraced themselves in any way – far from it – and they’ve had their moments in both games. But their ability to keep the pressure on is under the spotlight.”We’ve played some good cricket in patches, we just haven’t put together enough phases where we dominate,” Ackermann, top-scorer against New Zealand, said after the 99-run defeat. “We need to put together all three phases of the game to win.”This is going to be the challenge for Netherlands throughout this tournament, and they know it. They’ve already come through a World Cup Super League, where they played series against five of the teams they will face at this World Cup, and lost them all. In the aftermath, they said the learnings from those defeats helped them at the qualifying tournament, where they beat a Full Member (West Indies) and qualified ahead of two others (Zimbabwe and Ireland). But now that they are at the big dance, they can see that it will take more than what they did in Harare three months ago to cause similar upsets.Related

• Can Netherlands surprise red-hot South Africa once again?

• Five-star Santner and batters make it two in two for New Zealand

• New Zealand stockpile World Cup positives but face problem of plenty

• Being 'aggressive' the way to go for Santner in spinning conditions

For a start, they seem to be setting up their game incorrectly in choosing to chase in both their matches. Fielding first, without the kind of potency of attack that some of the teams at this tournament have, means they are chasing the game – literally – all the time. If they are given the opportunity to decide what to do in future games, they may want to consider setting the target, even if the opposition attack is intimidating, in order to establish a different kind of control.In this match, though, Netherland were banking on putting New Zealand under pressure early on, as they did with Pakistan. “Against Pakistan we took three wickets in the powerplay and pegged them back pretty well,” Ackermann said. “It didn’t work out that way today for us. I think we probably were looking to follow the same blueprint.”And even in the Pakistan game, it only worked briefly. Netherlands had Pakistan 38 for 3 inside the first 10 overs before a 120-run partnership between Mohammed Rizwan and Saud Shakeel laid the platform for the lower order. Against New Zealand, it took 12.1 overs before the Dutch got the first wicket and they then allowed New Zealand to score at more than six runs an over throughout the middle period.Colin Ackermann made 69 off 73 balls•ICC/Getty Images

Netherlands missed Logan van Beek, especially because Ryan Klein does not have the same pace, and stuck to their tactic of opening with a spinner, something which only Afghanistan have also done at this tournament. Again, it seemed a tactic that was as premeditated as bowling first and Ackermann all but confirmed that. “Aryan Dutt poses a massive threat with a new ball on these wickets,” he said. “He poses a big threat for the left-handers up front. We saw today he got three maidens in the first three overs. It’s all about match-ups for us.””Match-ups” and “blueprint” are the kind of tactical buzzwords you hear on commentary and analysis shows and occasionally in team meetings but from the noises other teams are making, they also talk about being adaptable and flexible and that vocabulary was not present in Ackermann’s post-match press conference. Perhaps he just wasn’t asked about it. But for argument’s sake, if Netherlands are not thinking a little out of the box, now is a good time to start, because the big teams will keep coming and they will have to find ways to compete more evenly with them.It’s still far too early to come to too many conclusions about the way Netherlands will go in this tournament, and a common trope is that they are bound to upset someone, but to do that small improvements are needed quickly. In chasing big scores, they have yet to properly challenge and they understand that if they are in the same situation again, they can expect it to be just as difficult.”Sometimes you’ve got to try and take it as deep as possible, but then the rate keeps climbing. These bowlers do make it difficult for us,” Ackermann said. “They’re not just going to give us easy boundaries in the middle overs. We lost by 100 runs today but I think we just gave them too many runs. We shouldn’t have chased 320. Maybe 280 – 290 would have been a decent chase today. We needed to set a firm base.”And that suggests improvements with both bat and ball are needed before Netherlands next game, against South Africa in a week’s time.

New Zealand batter set to be available for full season across formats

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2024Lancashire have signed New Zealand batter Tom Bruce as their second overseas player for 2024. The 32-year-old will link up with the club in April and, like Australia’s Nathan Lyon, is expected to be available across formats for the full season.Bruce, who has been capped 17 times in T20Is, averages 49.85 in first-class cricket and his arrival will help cover for the departure of Dane Vilas after seven seasons at Lancashire.Bruce’s most-recent New Zealand appearance came in 2020, while he captained the A side to victory in two four-day games against Australia A last September. His likely availability while the T20 World Cup is being played was cited as a factor in his signing by Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s director of cricket performance.”Tom will be available throughout the 2024 season, and this was a big draw for myself and Dale [Benkenstein] when going into the market for our overseas signings for this year,” Chilton said. “This will allow Tom to settle in, become part of the squad and create consistency and stability in our team selections throughout the summer.”Tom is a hugely experienced cricketer, and we feel that his skillset will be a good fit within our squad. He has had a hugely impressive few years with the bat in domestic cricket over in New Zealand – with an outstanding record in both the Plunkett Shield and Super Smash competitions as well as for New Zealand A and is very close to full international selection.”With the ICC T20 World Cup taking place in June and July this year at the same time as the Vitality Blast, the availability of overseas options is at a premium. Therefore, Tom’s quality, experience and full season availability makes him a strong addition to the squad.”We believe that Tom will offer us a lot of options as he strengthens our middle order in the County Championship whilst his powerful hitting will give our batting line-up a new dimension towards the backend of an innings in the Vitality Blast and Metro Bank One Day Cup.”Lancashire finished mid-table in County Championship Division One last year, after back-to-back runners-up spots, and were beaten at the quarter-final stage of both white-ball competitions.That led to the departure of Glenn Chapple as head coach, with Benkenstein recruited from Gloucestershire during the off-season.”This is a really exciting opportunity for me, and I can’t wait to get over to England in a few months’ time,” Bruce said. “To have the opportunity to spend a full county cricket season with a club like Lancashire is a dream come true and to have Emirates Old Trafford as my home ground was another massive draw for me once I heard about the interest.”I feel that I have a lot to add to Lancashire and after speaking to Mark Chilton and Dale Benkenstein I am really excited about what we can achieve together with such a talented group of players in the 2024 season.”