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Prithvi Shaw’s fluid attacking style and Umesh Yadav’s fitness are attributes that India will find useful down under, says India captain

Alagappan Muthu in Hyderabad14-Oct-20181:59

At 18, none of us were even 10 percent of the player Prithvi is – Kohli

The series against West Indies is done now. Six days of cricket yielding a 2-0 result that takes India to a record-equaling ten successive series wins at home. The focus now shifts to Australia and it looks quite likely that the 18-year old opener Prithvi Shaw and the fast bowler who rarely plays overseas –
Umesh Yadav – are a part of the plan.Virat Kohli wants to make India’s bowling their strength. And he wouldn’t mind a batting line-up that can take it to Mitchell Starc and company when the Tests begin in Adelaide. He felt Umesh gave India the pace a bowling attack needs to be effective in those conditions and Shaw…well here are the exact words from the India captain: “I don’t think any of us were even 10 percent of what he is at 18-19.””The guy has grabbed his chance beautifully. He looks like someone that can get you off to the kind of start that you require, especially to make the first mark in any series that you play. So from that point of view it’s great to have a guy who’s so fearless. And he’s not reckless. He’s very confident about his game. You might feel like he’s going to nick off one now. But he hardly nicks the ball. That we saw in England as well when he was batting in the nets. He was really attacking but in control throughout which is a very rare quality against the new ball. To play so many shots and be in control of all of them is a great sign.”Praise for Umesh, who became only the third fast bowler to pick up a ten-wicket haul at home, flowed just as freely. “It’s good to have all guys confident and raring to go because four Tests in Australia can be brutal because the ball doesn’t do much like England. You have to come in and run in all day, bowl in the right areas, with pace. So I think from that point of view, Umesh is right up there to be featuring in Australia because he’s got the pace. He’s got the fitness levels to run in all day to pick us wickets at crucial times and he gets good bounce as well.”Not many people realise but he’s a very very talented bowler. He can bowl you unplayable deliveries every now and then. He’ll bowl a ball which you feel like you couldn’t have done anything else apart from getting out. It’s just that he’s gaining more confidence about his own game, especially in Test cricket, I think he’s come a long way and he understands his bowling really well.”It’s a great sign, as I said, to have four guys bowling so well who can pick up wickets. That’s something we want to keep as a consistent part of our team. Obviously the batting is something that we’re learning from the last tour we want to improve on collectively. But bowling is something we need to keep as a major strength in order for us to feel like we have a chance to win a series when we travel away from home.”The two top-scorers from the series for India were aged 18 and 20 and Kohli took that as a positive as well. “We were looking at the youngsters playing with a lot of freedom. Prithvi was outstanding. Rishabh was really fearless. Areas that they need to work on, they’ll obviously be spoken to in that regard. Overall both those guys are really good, solidifying their place in the team and understanding how to play at this level. I know the conditions might not be as challenging as they might get in future. But in Test cricket the first and most important thing is confidence and understanding that you can score runs in Test level. I think from that point of view we’re very happy that they’ve taken their chances so well. Getting Man of the Series [like Prithvi Shaw] in the first series regardless of where we play or how you play, its an outstanding achievement.”

The opener felt the team was a few runs short against Pakistan, but said they would readjust their targets in the coming games

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2018Australia opener Alyssa Healy said her team should have scored more than they did in their Women’s World T20 opener against Pakistan in Providence, and backed a powerful batting line-up to push for 180 or more in the coming games.Healy smacked 48 off 29 balls at the top of the order, and Australia made 165 for 5, a total they defended by 52 runs.”I think if we’re honest, we probably left a few out. I think they bowled really well in the middle period and sort of shut us down a little bit,” Healy said after the game. “In saying that, chasing 160, 170 on that wicket was never going to be easy. So I think batting line-up did a really good job in the end, but I think moving forward we’ll look to push 180.”I think the other night sort of scared us off a little bit. When we played South Africa, we were a bit worried about the conditions we were potentially going to get. But watching the game before us today on the telly, and watching [Harmanpreet] Kaur just bomb them into the stands, gave us a little bit of hope that the wicket was going to be pretty true, and that turned out to be the case. And it looks like a fantastic cricket wicket, and hopefully it will stay that way all four round games.”Healy’s was the first wicket Australia lost against Pakistan, but her innings had powered them to 72 in eight overs. “It’s a bit of see ball, hit ball at the moment. I’m just really enjoying the role at the top of the order,” she said. “It’s something that I love doing back home in domestic cricket, and it’s something that I’ve really relished over the last 12 months for the green and gold.”Healy said she was a better player now than she was a year ago, and that she had worked on opening up more scoring areas in the field. “I think I went away actually after the 50-over World Cup, there was a game against England in the round games, and we probably should have won that and we didn’t. And I went back and looked at the innings that I played and realised there was a big area with the ground that I wasn’t accessing. And if I had accessed that, potentially we would have won that round game and we would have been in the finals.”For me it was a real eye-opener and I went away and worked really hard and developed a sweep shot and opened up a whole other area of the ground. And I’m really enjoying it at the moment. It’s such a natural hockey swing for me. It’s just allowed me to manipulate fields a little bit more.”While some teams might struggle for a successful opening combination, Australia’s problem is one of plenty, with several of their batsmen opening for their WBBL teams. Healy said she was enjoying the freedom to go after the bowling at the top of the order, in the knowledge that there was lots to come after her.”Every single batter in our top eight opened the batting in our WBBL team. So it’s a fairly formidable line-up. And I’m sure that the six after us [openers] are chomping at the bit to get out there and get that new ball.”Yeah, Pez [Ellyse Perry] has a serious case of pad rash at the moment. Padded up in every single game for us and not really got a hit or come in really late. To have a world-class – I think she’s still one of the best players in the world – sort of missing out and not getting a hit, shows the depth and flexibility of our line-up. I think for every single player in our top, I guess, 10 to just put their ego aside and come out and play a role and do their job for the team is really exciting. That just shows the character of our team at the moment and I guess that’s why we’re so excited about where we’re at.”Australia’s next Group B game is against Ireland on November 12, and Healy was confident that their good form would continue because of recent results leading into the Women’s World T20.”I’ve been saying all along that momentum is really key in T20 cricket,” she said. “And I guess to carry on for a pretty convincing series against Pakistan in Malaysia, and then to come here and play all right against South Africa, but then play even better tonight, I think we’re building really nicely.”

The England wicketkeeper-batsman made a superb 89, but a century opening stand put Hobart Hurricanes on course for victory

Alex Malcolm28-Dec-2018Bat finally dominated ball for one of the rare times in this tournament, and the best opening partnership of the season from Matthew Wade and D’Arcy Short helped the Hobart Hurricanes outgun Sydney Thunder in Hobart.Asked to chase 194, following a masterful innings from England star Jos Buttler, Wade and Short clubbed a chanceless 120-run opening stand in just 12.1 overs to set up the superb chase. Wade made 85 from 49 balls, his highest T20 score, while Short clubbed 58 from 39 balls. The partnership only ended because of a horror mix-up.The chase stalled for a moment off the back of the mix up but Wade and Ben McDermott reignited things before Sam Rainbird claimed both men in the 18th over to leave the Hurricanes needing 26 from 12 balls before a sublime cameo from George Bailey got the home side across the line.Earlier, Buttler made the most of an early reprieve to put Hobart to the sword. He played with supreme control, and produced a full array of strokes to make 89 from 54 balls and underpin Thunder’s excellent total of 6 for 193. But his dismissal at the start of the last over likely saved the Hurricanes from chasing more than 200.Expensive ButtlerSydney Sixers paid a heavy price for dropping Buttler in the Sydney derby. The Hurricanes paid a heftier price. Johan Botha is an outstanding fielder, but he dropped a sitter at mid-off that Buttler offered from the first ball of the last over of the Powerplay. Buttler then went on a rampage striking two fours and a six from the next three deliveries to lead the Thunder to the highest Powerplay score of the BBL so far (1 for 65). Thereafter he controlled the innings magnificently. He didn’t score a boundary between the start of the 10th over and the end of the 15th, but having lost Joe Root and Jason Sangha he knew he had to be there for the last five overs. He struck five fours and two monstrous sixes in the next four overs. The quality of the ball-striking was at a different level to his team-mates. He looked set for a century before gifting a return catch to Jofra Archer in the last over, falling for a brilliant 89.Hurricane fielding horrorsBotha’s fielding error spread like an epidemic through the team. Clive Rose missed two balls at short third man that went for four, one went through his legs and the other spun past him as he failed to pay attention to how it would react off the bat. James Faulkner missed a simple caught and bowled chance offered from Sangha when he completely misjudged the pace of the ball as it lobbed back to him in his follow-through. Faulkner then spilt another simple chance that was far more expensive. Chris Green top-edged a sweep shot off Short to square leg, Faulkner cruised around from short fine leg and grassed the relatively simple catch. Green was on 7 at the time with 19 balls left in the innings. He struck a six and a four to finish with 26 not out from 14 balls and help the Thunder to a healthy total.Opening salvoWade and Short put on the best opening stand of the tournament with clinical precision. The Thunder predictably opened with spin from both ends and the required run-rate went from 9.7 to 10.1 after the pair took just five runs from the first two overs. But they didn’t panic, instead using the opening overs to sum up the surface. They exploded taking 51 from the next four overs. The control of the hitting was the most impressive aspect, both used stable bases and didn’t try and overhit the ball. They targeted the short boundary but picked the right balls to do so. They respected the Thunder’s dangerman Fawad Ahmed’s first two overs before nailing his third. Two balls were lost and Wade broke a bat. Wade reached 50 off 28 balls before Short made his half-century in 35 balls. The 120-run stand was broken by a horror mix-up, where an easy two turned into Short being caught well short after a lack of calling resulted in costly hesitation.Bailey’s biffThe game looked in the bag with three overs to go but Rainbird halted the momentum. Wade sliced a catch to third man and then McDermott was knocked over with a low full toss. Bailey only had two sighters before being asked to score 26 from the last two overs. He took 22 off the penultimate over from Daniel Sams’ with three powerful blows and some outstanding running. Sams helped the Hurricanes by bowling a no-ball above waist height that Bailey crushed onto the hill. Rainbird also bowled an above waist height no-ball at the start of the last over and Simon Milenko ended things off with the resultant free hit.

The duo racked up centuries in a yet-to-be broken 246-run stand to leave Sri Lanka with a fighting chance of securing an improbable draw

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando18-Dec-2018

Kumara picks up demerit point for ‘audible obscenity’

Lahiru Kumara, the Sri Lanka fast bowler, has been fined 15% of his match fee and been handed a demerit point for a Level 1 breach of the ICC’s code of conduct. He was found to have violated Article 2.3, which relates to “use of an audible obscenity during an international match”.
The on-field umpires, Rod Tucker and Michael Gough, heard him utter the obscenity when Tom Latham edged him to the boundary in the 96th over of New Zealand’s innings. It was also picked up by the stump mic.
Kumara admitted to the offence and the sanction proposed by match referee Richie Richardson, which meant there was no need for a hearing.

On day four in Wellington, facing a monumental first-innings deficit, and in what seemed like a hopeless match situation, Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews went to the trenches. They absorbed New Zealand’s many attacks. They delivered a few glancing blows of their own. They made a hundred apiece, and for only the 22nd time in the history of Test cricket, they batted out an entire day without losing a wicket.Their partnership – 577 balls in – is worth 246. It is easily Sri Lanka’s best against New Zealand, and has allowed the visitors to go into the fifth day of an intriguing Test with a fighting chance of securing a draw. They are still 37 runs away from making New Zealand bat again, but will be buoyed no doubt by the weather forecast, which suggests rain will arrive around mid-day, if not before.Mathews was in a dogfight virtually the entire time he was at the crease, hit by balls last night and in the first session on Tuesday, defending with astounding stoicism – but Mendis played a more attractive innings, at least in the morning. While Mathews was struggling to work himself into the innings, playing and missing, and failing to get out of the way of some of New Zealand’s many bouncers, Mendis struck sublime straight boundaries to prevent the quicks from settling, and made sure to climb into a few commanding pull shots as well.

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There were a few occasions through the day when Mendis slowed down, and Mathews took the scoring burden upon himself, but after lunch, both had basically decided that nothing New Zealand sent their way – not another spell of Neil Wagner bodyline, not another spell of Tim Southee probing outside off, not Ajaz Patel’s disciplined lines and lengths – were going to shake them out of their calm.Mathews has batted like this before, of course, and has played several match-saving innings in his career, though it has been a while since the last one. For Mendis, this was a new sort of innings entirely – one which, at least since after the lunch break, was focused largely around his defence. Fittingly, the pair were separated only by a run at the end of the day. Mathews had 117 off 293 balls; Mendis 116 off 284. The younger partner had led Mathews for much of the day, but Mathews took more of the strike in the third session.Getty Images

Central to both batsmen’s survival was their judgement of length. Both Wagner and Southee repeatedly went to the short ball attack, with virtually no seam movement on offer from this surface now. Mathews had the tougher time in the morning, copping blows on the bicep and the chest. But soon enough, he was ducking and weaving expertly, and on the occasions that he did play a cross bat shot, he uniformly ensured he had rolled his wrists over it, and hit it towards the ground. Although Mathews was always striking at less than 50, he never seemed bogged down, finding shots to get himself off strike regularly enough. Mendis followed Mathews’ lead with the short ball for much of the day, crouching beneath plenty, to let them fly harmlessly over the shoulder.With their seamers unable to break the overnight stand, New Zealand looked to left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, who bowled unchanged through the middle session, but here again, the batsmen had his measure. Occasionally, the ball turned off the straight to beat the bat, but this didn’t happen often enough to comprise a serious problem for Mendis and Mathews.Interestingly, Mendis didn’t venture the sweep – his favourite shot – choosing instead to knock Patel into the open spaces from an upright position, perhaps because there wasn’t much turn on offer anyway. So perfect were these two in defence, that through the course of the day, there wasn’t so much as a strong lbw or caught behind appeal. The likeliest form of dismissal seemed a run out – with two batting miscommunications leading to several tense moments mid-pitch, through the latter half of the day.Mendis had gone to tea on 98 and was the first to his century soon after resumption. He raised his bat and held up six fingers to signal his sixth ton. Mathews, though, provided by far the more colourful celebration, in the final hour of play, whipping a four to wide long-on to reach triple figures for the first time in over a year, before dropping to the ground and reeling off 10 push-ups. This was the latest in a string of gestures to the dressing room, and to coach Chandika Hathurusingha in particular, about his fitness. Mathews had been hurt by his axing from the limited-overs teams in September over fitness and running issues.Sri Lanka remain vulnerable in this Test – a collapse on day five could still lead to a big New Zealand victory. But by getting through day four unscathed, they have showed they have the ability to compete, and the hunger to stay in the fight.

With Virat Kohli and KL Rahul not around, India might want to try out Shubman Gill at No. 3 in the first T20I

The Preview by Ankur Dhawan05-Feb-20192:48

Pant can take the game away very quickly – Dhawan

Big Picture

After a hard-earned win in the final ODI in Wellington underscored India’s domination over New Zealand in the format – in a World Cup year at that – what value can a T20I series hold for the visiting side?

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Followers in the United States can watch the first T20I live on ESPN+

For one, India haven’t yet won a T20I match in New Zealand, losing the series 2-0 in 2009, the only previous time they played the format in the country. Secondly, the old chestnut: winning is a habit. It might be worth revisiting, especially since India have the core of their ODI team for the T20Is.In the last two years, most teams have chopped and changed their openers, but India, along with England, have used the least number of players for the two spots. With good reason too, as their top two – three actually – have been the most prolific in the world in this period. Although with both Virat Kohli and KL Rahul out of the squad, for different reasons, the No. 3 position is vacant, and that’s cause for excitement with the back-up talent India have.While New Zealand will hope the change of format helps them turn things around after an underwhelming ODI series, their recent record isn’t the best. They have only won two of their last seven T20I series, and were whitewashed in the UAE by Pakistan not too long ago. Among the three formats, New Zealand are at their lowest, No. 6, in T20Is.They also go into the series against India without top-order stalwart Martin Guptill, meaning Kane Williamson might have to open the innings. But they will expect the batsmen in the mix to raise their game, and use these matches to rediscover their best with the World Cup not too far away.

Form guide

New Zealand (completed matches, most recent first) WLLLLIndia WLWWW

In the spotlight

After Kohli talked him up, Shubman Gill scored just nine and seven in his two ODI appearances. But those were tough conditions that tested even the more accomplished players. Ravi Shastri has since attributed the failures to Gill’s eagerness to play shots, besides clarifying that the team has a lot of time for a talent like him. With Kohli and Rahul away, India may want to try Gill at No. 3, which should give him a chance to prove that there is more to him than met the eye in the Hamilton and Wellington ODIs.New Zealand lost the ODI series against India 4-1•Getty Images

Kane Williamson will likely promote himself to open the batting alongside Colin Munro in the absence of Guptill, but he goes into the series with an average of just over 32 in his last ten 10 ODI innings. Williamson has opened the batting in 27 out of his 54 T20I appearances, averaging 38.52 in that position as opposed to an overall average of 31.64. Furthermore, New Zealand have gone on to win 17 of those 27 matches. Good portents there.

Team news

India could have a few interesting calls to make. MS Dhoni is around, unlike the last time India played T20I cricket, in Australia. So does he slot in, as is likely? If he does, who goes out, assuming Gill gets in too? Or does Gill sit out? Similarly, Hardik Pandya was missing in that series in Australia, and might walk into the XI here.India XI (likely) Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya/Kedar Jadhav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep YadavApart from Guptill, New Zealand are also without Trent Boult, but the squad is brimming with exciting all-round talent. James Neesham, who played the Wellington ODI and looked in good batting form, was named a late replacement for Guptill, and could be a key cog in the wheel.New Zealand XI (likely) Kane Williamson (capt), Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (wk), Ross Taylor, James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson/Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at Westpac Stadium in Wellington remains a mystery, with its tendency to behave contrary to its appearance. The last T20I at the ground was a high-scoring affair, where the hosts defended 196 by just 12 runs against England. Dew could play a part, since it’s a night game, and the ball should slide on to the bat, as it was in the latter part of New Zealand’s chase in the final ODI.

Stats and trivia

• India haven’t lost any of their last ten bilateral T20I series
• India have lost only one of the 12 T20s when captained by Rohit Sharma

Quotes

“Without knowing just yet, there’s probably a number of guys that potentially could play that role, there’s number of power players that could potentially move up the order, or it could be me”
“Tennis ball drills are for repetitive skill training, it helps with muscle memory, today we were using tennis balls to get used to swing

An impressive bowling performance on an oppressively hot day meant New Zealand didn’t have enough runs to play with on a good batting surface

Daniel Brettig at Junction Oval03-Mar-2019Australia shrugged off New Zealand and enervating heat to complete a 3-0 sweep of the Rose Bowl ODI series with a consummate team display in front of 1725 spectators at Junction Oval on Sunday.The legspinner Georgia Wareham’s two wickets in consecutive balls to break a strong opening stand by the visitors and slow the run rate was a pivotal moment on a day where the captain Meg Lanning, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry all contributed useful runs to a comfortable chase.They were able to cruise home with 2.1 overs to spare due to an even and committed bowling display in the harshest of the day’s 36C heat, before afternoon clouds and a brief rain break provided some respite for players on both sides.Apart from Wareham, Ashleigh Gardner, Megan Schutt, Jess Jonassen and Perry all put in parsimonious spells, meaning that Lauren Cheatle’s relatively expensive four overs for 23 were not particularly damaging to the Australian cause.By contrast, New Zealand were left to ponder numerous ill-timed dismissals, not least the run out of the captain Amy Satterthwaite just as she appeared set to take control of the final overs and lift the tourists to a tally beyond the 250 mark.Satterthwaite had won the toss and batted first in her team’s effort to avoid a 3-0 series margin, having won the Governor General’s match at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney on Thursday. New Zealand’s early progress was serene, as Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine put on 70 at close to five per over.However, the introduction of Wareham, a burgeoning force as a wristspinner following her selection in last year’s T20 World Cup winning squad in the Caribbean, brought the wickets that left Satterthwaite’s team playing catch-up for the rest of the day.Bates tugged the last ball of the 17th over to Perry at midwicket for the first wicket of the day, and from the first ball of Wareham’s next over Lauren Down was flummoxed by a leg break that held up off the pitch and induced a leading edge. Perry, sprinting in from her midwicket position, dived forward to complete a stunning catch.Wickets followed regularly thereafter, leaving Satterthwaite and her team hoping for early breakthroughs in defending a target that looked well below the sort of level required by a flat pitch and fast outfield at the Junction.Instead, the Australians put together a pursuit that was impressive in its consistency and partnerships, even if no member of the top five progressed beyond Perry’s unbeaten 54. Haynes and Healy ensured the run rate would never be an issue by rattling to 84 for the first wicket, and after Healy’s exit Perry and Lanning put together a steadying 62.When Lanning was taken by Satterthwaite at mid-off, Beth Mooney joined Perry to hunt down up the remainder of the target, bringing the Australian international season to an end and also allowing Healy to be presented with the ICC trophy as the world’s best T20 performer of 2018 – yet another garland in a summer of plenty.

Quinton de Kock is the only specialist wicketkeeper in the squad, with David Miller available for back-up should de Kock be injured during a game

Liam Brickhill18-Apr-2019After months of speculation around his form and place in the ODI side, Hashim Amla has been included in South Africa’s 15-person squad for the World Cup in England and Wales. Amla’s inclusion, along with Aiden Markram, means that top-order batsman Reeza Hendricks missed out on selection for the tournament.With South Africa opting for Amla’s experience, and Markram’s imposing domestic form, there were no major surprises when the squad was announced on Thursday afternoon.”We’re looking for players who are prepared to die on the field for their country,” Cricket South Africa president Chris Nenzani said. “We’re looking for quality. We’re looking for integrity. And we’re looking for players who are prepared to entertain the country.”As expected, Faf du Plessis will captain the side that includes only one specialist wicketkeeper in Quinton de Kock, with David Miller available for back-up should de Kock be injured during a game. Miller was trialled in the role during Sri Lanka’s visit earlier this year.”Everyone has been on our case for not having a back-up keeper, but as a panel we felt it was important, when looking at the batting and bowling we have, some of the keepers we’ve been looking at, their performances weren’t quite there in terms of looking at our bowling back up and the batters we currently we have,” National Selection Panel Convener Linda Zondi said. “Hence we went with David Miller. In the Sri Lanka series we gave him the gloves to make sure that if anything happens to Quinton de Kock within the World Cup, Miller can fit in and play that role.”South Africa World Cup squads comparison•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

There was no place in the squad for allrounder Chris Morris, who is currently playing for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, and who is one of several South Africa players taking part in the league, with Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir currently topping the wicket charts there.Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje, who would also have been at the IPL were it not for late-season injuries, have been included in the squad. Zondi explained that both were on the mend, and are expected to be fit to join South Africa’s pre-tournament camp on May 12.CSA confirmed that if any of the South Africa players featuring in the IPL should be required to play in the league final on May 12, they will be available and will join the national squad immediately afterwards. “The plan is for guys who make the final to join us on the 13th,” a CSA official said.
Five of the players – du Plessis, Amla, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir and Dale Steyn – made their World Cup debuts at the tournament in the sub-continent in 2011 and will be playing in their third World Cup. De Kock and David Miller made their debuts in the 2015 tournament in Australasia and will be going to the World Cup for the second time.”We feel that Faf’s team is well equipped to handle whatever conditions are presented to them, bearing in mind the weather extremes one can encounter in the British Isles,” Zondi said. “We have also been highly encouraged by the form shown by those of our players who are currently in action in the Indian Premier League and there is no doubt that there is a great sense of anticipation and determination among our players.”When CSA appointed Ottis Gibson, he came with his own philosophy. Part of that was playing confident cricket. For years as South Africa we were playing conservative cricket. It was important for us as a panel to make sure that you can then take a team where everyone from [No.] 1 to 6 is going to play confident and attacking cricket. We’re confident, looking at his philosophy and the kind of players we’ve picked. They are winners in their own right.”I am also very happy to announce that two of our fast bowlers currently on the injured list, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje, are well on the way to recovery and we expect them to be ready for our pre-tournament camp next month”.Squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), JP Duminy, David Miller, Dale Steyn, Andile Phehlukwayo, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius, Quinton de Kock (wk), Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Hashim Amla, Tabraiz Shamsi

Nottinghamshire move a step closer to qualifying for the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup with a brutal batting display

ECB Reporters Network26-Apr-2019Nottinghamshire moved a step closer to qualifying for the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup with a brutal batting display against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge.For the sixth time in three years Notts went past 400 in one-day cricket, before closing on 433 for 7. Ben Duckett and Steven Mullaney led the assault upon the Foxes attack but the four other member of the Outlaws top order also hit punishing half-centuries. Duckett scored 86 from only 61 balls and Mullaney went even faster, bludgeoning 81 from 41 balls.The run chase was interrupted by rain, resulting in a revised target of 347 from 37 overs but the soaring run rate counted against the visitors, as wickets began to tumble at regular intervals. Luke Fletcher claimed figures of 3 for 53 as the Foxes were bowled out for 259 in 33.2 overs, leaving the home side as victors by 87 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.Earlier, Notts’ initial plans were thrown into disarray just before the toss when the in-form Ben Slater was withdrawn after picking up a slight niggle in the warm-up. His deputy at the top of the order, Chris Nash, proved to be an able replacement and an ideal foil for Joe Clarke as the hosts added 82 in the opening 10-over Powerplay.Clarke had been spilled on 26, driving Chris Wright to the finger-tips of Paul Horton at cover but he offered very little else to the fielding side until clipping to short fine leg for 55. Nash, who had helped add 108 for the first wicket, then fell to the spin of Colin Ackermann for 56.Duckett went through his full repertoire of shots, hitting boundaries all around the wicket as he reached his 50 from 41 balls. The left-hander dominated a third-wicket partnership of 106 with Jake Libby, before tamely ramping the ball straight into the hands of wicketkeeper Lewis Hill. Libby had reached his first one-day 50 from 45 balls and advanced his score to 66 before holing out.The impetus was maintained with a thrilling partnership of 91 in only 7.3 overs between Mullaney and Tom Moores. Both eventually lost their wickets to Gavin Griffifths, the most successful Leicestershire bowler with 3 for 92, leaving James Pattinson to club the 14th and final six of the innings.The Outlaws total was their second highest in history, falling just short of the 445 for 8 that they made against Northants in 2016.Mark Cosgrove and Harry Dearden put on 106 for the first wicket in only 13.2 overs as the Foxes tried to lay the foundations for an unlikely victory chase. Pattinson broke their stand, pinning Cosgrove lbw for 59, shortly before Mullaney bowled Ackermann.At 152 for 2 from 21.5 overs, a shower of rain forced the players from the field and left a revised target of almost 13 runs per over. Dearden, who had become the eighth player in the match to pass 50 fell in the quest for quick runs and was immediately followed back to the pavilion by two team-mates.Sharp work by Pattinson ran out Paul Horton for 36 and Arron Lilley was bowled first ball by Patel. Hill scored a defiant 21 from only 10 balls but was one of three wickets to fall in the same Fletcher over.The outcome means that Notts have taken maximum points from their first four matches for the first time since 2013. Leicestershire’s defeat leaves them on two points from five matches and unable to qualify from the group.

A win against Kings XI will help them finish the league stage on top. A two-two finish would still be within their grasp even if they lose (by a slender margin)

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu04-May-2019

Big picture

How did it come down to this for Kings XI Punjab (again)? After winning four out of their first six matches in IPL 2019, they managed just two wins in their next nine games to be ousted from the playoffs contention. They now run into Chennai Super Kings, who had knocked them out last season. Super Kings were the first to qualify for the playoffs this year, and they now have a chance to finish No. 1 and firm up their place in the first qualifier at their fortress Chepauk.

Form guide

Kings XI Punjab lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets, lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 45 runs, lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 17 runs
Chennai Super Kings: beat Delhi Capitals by 80 runs, lost to Mumbai Indians by 46 runs, beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets

A two-two finish would still be within Super Kings’ grasp even if they lose (by a slender margin) in Mohali on Sunday. However, they wouldn’t want to let net run-rate decide their fate. While Dhoni is in stellar form and Suresh Raina returned to form against Delhi Capitals, there are still questions over Kedar Jadhav and Ambati Rayudu.Shane Watson has had one match-winning innings at the top, but he should relish this Mohali track, where the bounce is largely consistent and the ball slides onto the bat. Kings XI’s middle order is rickety as well, but that’s partly down to mismanagement of resources. David Miller got 10 matches, but has scored only 213 runs at a strike rate of 129.87. Nicholas Pooran, a more versatile performer and an excellent player of spin, who deftly tackled sluggish surfaces in the Caribbean Premier League, has got only five innings this IPL, making 132 runs at greater strike rate of 155.29. Pooran v Super Kings’ spinners could well turn out to be a mouth-watering contest.

In the news

Super Kings released their reserve wicketkeeper-batsman N Jagadeesan to turn out for his club Vijay CC in Chennai. Dhoni has been bothered by a back niggle and illness through this season, so should the team management rest him again, part-timer Rayudu will take over the wicketkeeping gloves.

Previous meeting

R Ashwin unleashed his bag of tricks in his first IPL match as part of the opposition in Chennai, but New Zealand quick Scott Kuggeleijn adjusted to the slower-than-usual Chepauk pitch and muzzled Kings XI’s middle order, defending 160.

Likely XIs

Kings XI Punjab (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Mandeep Singh, 6 Sam Curran, 7 R Ashwin (capt.), 8 M Ashwin, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mujeeb Ur Rahman/AJ TyeChennai Super Kings (probable) 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Kedar Jadhav, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Ambati Rayudu, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Harbhajan Singh, 11 Imran Tahir

Strategy punt

• Pooran’s release shot against spinners is the big loft over long-off. After mastering it in the CPL, he has also shown glimpses of the loft in IPL 2019. Super Kings could try to counter that by placing a straightish long-off – like they did back in the day against Mumbai Indians’ Kieron Pollard.
• R Ashwin has had Rayudu’s number in the IPL. He has dismissed Rayudu four times in 11 innings, while conceding 65 runs off 59 balls. So, there’s a case for Ashwin to save himself for Rayudu in the middle overs.
• Harbhajan Singh v Chris Gayle is the more obvious match-up. The offspinner has got Gayle four times in 10 IPL innings. All told, Gayle has managed only 97 off 97 balls from Harbhajan in the IPL.

Stats that matter

• Mayank Agarwal has got to eight 20-plus scores this IPL, but he has been able to convert only two of them into half-centuries. And he has been dismissed seven times by spin in 12 matches.
• Kings XI’s overseas seamers – Sam Curran, Andrew Tye and Hardus Viljoen – all have an economy rate of over 10 in the end overs. Among them, they have leaked 284 runs in 25 overs at the death.
• Dhoni’s strike rate of 216 in IPL 2019 is his best since IPL 2015.
• Dhoni fancies batting against Kings XI. He has struck five fifties against them – his most against any opposition in the IPL.
• If Super Kings win on Sunday, it will be their 100th IPL victory. They will be the second team to get there after Mumbai Indians.
• Imran Tahir needs two scalps to reach 300 T20 wickets. Shahid Afridi, Sunil Narine, and Shakib Al Hasan are the only other spinners to have achieved this milestone before.

Australia captain praises Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma for “swallowing their pride” against new ball

Osman Samiuddin at The Oval09-Jun-20191:16

Hussey: India’s pacemen didn’t allow Australia to get away

The key, Aaron Finch had said the day before this game, was to bowl well early against India’s top order. To be on the ball from the very first ball. For nearly the first ten overs, Australia did bowl well, maintaining tight lines usually just back of a length to Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. It made no difference.The pair saw off early spells from Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, put on yet another century stand, and essentially set the game up. It was that early wicketless phase, according to Finch, that was key.”Yeah, I think they took their time, obviously, and they assessed the conditions really quickly and probably identified that they were going to be the two hardest or the two biggest threats early on in the innings,” Finch reflected later.ALSO READ: Relaxed Dhawan slips back into his batting groove“It felt as though they swallowed their pride and really pulled back a gear and made sure that they got through them first 10 overs, and when you’ve got world-class players on good wickets and you’ve got 10 wickets in hand, you can start to up the ante a bit earlier.”I think not getting wickets early on was probably key there. To have them guys batting deep into the innings, that just gives them so many options where they can shuffle [Hardik] Pandya up the order and [MS] Dhoni, so yeah, I think they played it really well, and probably negated our biggest threats early on.”It turned out that equally challenging opening spells from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah when Australia began their reply were just as vital. Australia kept themselves within touching distance of a mammoth chase until late in their innings. But there was always the sense that they were leaving the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Alex Carey just a little too much to do.Half-centuries from both David Warner and Steven Smith were made at steady pace but more tellingly, they both fell at moments when Australia could think about launching.”I thought if we could have some wickets in hand and some batters in toward the back end of the innings, we could potentially do some damage,” Finch said. “But we probably just kept losing wickets when we were trying to up the run rate, and then as you know, when new batters come in, the run rate creeps up slowly. When it gets to 10, 12 and over, it cranks up pretty quickly, as well.”Warner’s innings, in fact, could even be said to be slow – by the standards of the chase and certainly in the context of the kinds of innings he can produce. That makes two, what could be called, un-Warner like innings in the tournament – his 84-ball 56 following a 114-ball 89 not out against Afghanistan.It was in part, Finch said, down to the nature of The Oval surface, a used wicket. Finch had wanted to bat first because he knew the pitch would slow down, playing into the hands of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.”They bowled really well to him early, and I think particularly playing on a used wicket again for our second time in three games played a little bit of a part in that,” he said. “Their spinners probably had a bigger impact than what ours did. Well, they did have a bigger impact than what our spinners did, through the middle overs in particular where the ball was just starting to hold up.”They bowled nice and straight, back of the length, where the ball was just skidding quite low to start with, and to myself, as well, they just didn’t give us any width to get away or any length to really work with, either over the top or get a drive away. Their bowling plans were pretty simple but really effective on a wicket like that.”