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Starc and Alyssa Healy were named ODI players of the year while Mitchell Marsh and Beth Mooney took the T20I awards

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2022Mitchell Starc and Ashleigh Gardner have taken the top honours for the first time at the Australian Cricket Awards.Starc was named the Allan Border Medalist and Gardner the Belinda Clark Medalist having topped the voting period of the awards from January 26, 2021 through to January 18, 2022.Starc, who took 43 wickets across all formats in the 12-month period and 19 of which came in the men’s Ashes, pipped Mitchell Marsh to the honour by one vote. He was the only specialist fast bowler to play all five Tests against England. Gardner, the first Indigenous player to take one of the top awards, came in seven votes ahead of last year’s winner Beth Mooney.The awards for international cricket are based on votes from players, umpires and the media on a 3-2-1 basis from each match.Across 10 innings Gardner struck 281 runs at an average of 35.10 that included four half centuries claimed nine wickets.Getty Images

Starc also took the male ODI Player of the Year award, albeit Australia played only three games in the format, while Marsh was an unsurprising winner of the T20I title – 24 votes ahead of second-placed Josh Hazlewood – after his starring role in the T20 World Cup victory and the lead-up matches.Travis Head took the male Test player award ahead of Scott Boland, who only missed out by two votes despite playing just three matches, and Starc. Head was named Player of the Series during the men’s Ashes having made 357 runs at 59.50 including two centuries.Alyssa Healy was named female ODI player of the year for the third year in a row and Mooney took the T20I honour.One the domestic front, Head and Elyse Villani took the respective Player of the Year titles while Darcie Brown and Tim Ward were named the Betty Wilson and Bradman Young Cricketers of the Year.

The duo rescued Mumbai from 44 for 3 in Ahmedabad

Edited PTI version17-Feb-2022His Test career under scrutiny, India batter Ajinkya Rahane compiled a much-needed century to keep himself in India reckoning while guiding Mumbai to 263 for 3 against Saurashtra in their Ranji Trophy opener on Thursday in Ahmedabad.Choosing to bat, Mumbai were also boosted by Sarfaraz Khan’s unbeaten 121 off 219 balls on the first day of their Elite Group D match.The focus was, however, firmly on Rahane who ended the day on an unbeaten 108 from 250 deliveries.Rahane, who had a mediocre Test series against South Africa recently, got to his century in 212 balls, hitting 14 fours and two sixes along the way. He had managed just 136 runs in six innings in India’s 1-2 defeat in the Test series in South Africa earlier this year.With the Test series against Sri Lanka set to be played from March 4 after the T20Is starting on February 24, this century will provide the confidence that he needs and could ensure that he retains his place in the Indian team.Another struggling senior India batter, Cheteshwar Pujara, who is playing against Rahane in this match, will also look to get a big knock in the game to ensure the national selectors retain him for the series against Sri Lanka.With new-ball bowlers Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya operating well, Mumbai found themselves in trouble early on, losing openers Aakarshit Gomel (8) and Prithvi Shaw (1) with just 22 runs on the board.First-change Chirag Jani had No. 3 Sachin Yadav trapped in front as Mumbai slipped to 44 for 3.However, Saurashtra failed to make any more inroads after that as Rahane and Sarfaraz added 219 runs for the fourth wicket to put their side in a comfortable position at stumps.Rahane took his time before starting to play freely and got to his 36th first-class hundred.He got to 99 with a big six against left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, before getting to the century with a single.Rahane’s 479 Test runs in 2021 came at an average of 20.82, leading to his sacking from the vice-captain’s post for the tour of South Africa.

ICC has adjusted playing conditions in an attempt to enable matches to take place as scheduled

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2022Matches at the Women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand could go ahead with nine players in a team in order to keep the competition going amid Covid-19.ICC’s head of events Chris Tetley confirmed on Thursday that the playing conditions would allow teams to field a reduced side should they be struck by a Covid outbreak in their squad, supplemented by substitute fielders from within the management and coaching staff.”If it becomes necessary we would allow a team to field nine players as an exception for this environment,” Tetley said. “And if they had female substitutes from within their management team, we would allow two substitutes to play – non-batting, non-bowling – to enable a game to take place.”Related

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Teams had already been permitted to bring up to three travelling reserves with them for the tournament who can be switched in and out of the main 15-player squads if anyone contracts Covid.Tetley added that rescheduling fixtures would be considered if needed, although said there were “logistical constraints” around the tournament.”We’ll be asking teams to show maximum flexibility and we’ll be as flexible as possible if the need arises to fulfil our objective, which is to get the games on,” he said.New Zealand is currently experiencing a steep rise in Covid-19 cases since the Omicron variant got into the community with more than 6000 reported on Thursday.The country is operating under a ‘red’ setting of a traffic light system which severely reduces attendance at sports evenings, but tournament CEO Andrea Nelson said that they were hopeful of being able to have small numbers of spectators at group matches.”Under the red traffic light setting we can currently operate in pods of 100. We are taking it week-by-week as we work our way through, but in the first week it is likely there will be some availability at matches,” she said.”Unfortunately, at some venues we will have to cancel existing ticket holders. That’s not something we want to do, and we are working really hard to see how many people we can get into the stadiums.”The tournament begins on March 4 when hosts New Zealand face West Indies in Mount Maunganui.

Wicketkeeper nudges runs – and the selectors – in strong first-innings showing for Surrey

David Hopps08-Apr-2022The three rivals for the England Test wicketkeeper’s position were in the news and, habitually these days, only one of them was playing in the LV= Championship. Compared to the blare of the IPL, Edgbaston felt like a place to Not Get Yourself Noticed, but Ben Foakes did his utmost to challenge that notion and he will have stirred the interest of those who matter (whoever they turn out to be) with a century at the first time of asking.Foakes’ unbeaten 132, from 265 balls with 18 fours and a six, was a hard-working, spruce affair, neat of thought and deed. It enabled Surrey to declare 12 overs before the end of the second day on 428 for 8. Warwickshire, although two down, will still envisage a high-scoring draw as a stable enough start to their title defence, although watching Dom Sibley, a natural stonewaller, thick-edging a wide one from Reece Topley on to his stumps, first ball, will not exactly have filled them with joy.It was Foakes’ final decisive contribution, though, as the skies darkened, that provided a reminder of why Surrey’s director of cricket, Alec Stewart, who is not someone given to hyperbole, regards him as the best wicketkeeper in the world. Will Rhodes’ dismissal against Kemar Roach could easily be routinely described as an unfortunate strangle but for Foakes, after batting for six hours on the second day, to show such anticipation and light-footedness as he moved down the leg side for a ball dying in front of him was a reminder that here is England’s true representative of the wicketkeeper’s art. For many keepers, including those against whom he contests an England place, it might well have gone down as a near miss.Foakes is England’s man in possession, although there is little certainty in that fact considering that he had a disappointing tour of the West Indies and was part of an experimental squad, selected by an interim panel, that lost the series 1-0 and as a result caused general consternation over England’s Test failings. He deserves to play a first home Test against New Zealand at Lord’s at the start of June and has six matches to underline the fact.Related

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The more celebrated contenders, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow are in the IPL, Buttler having already made the first hundred of the tournament, and Bairstow coming out of quarantine to play his first game on Friday, making 8 for Punjab Kings, a match in which he kept wicket and batted at No. 3.As Foakes brought order upon the day, Buttler also figured in an ECB media release about England’s new T20 shirt. Indeed, he was described as “integral to the design” of a high-stretch, recycled poly-elastane little number that apparently will leave England “ready to perform at their best”. It was not revealed whether this highly attractive solution, which appears to obviate the need for coaches or tactics, will also work for the Test team. The ethos of the sportswear company (Castore), incidentally, is “Better Never Stops”, which must be what appealed to the ECB which doesn’t really believe in time off.Foakes, who appears to be more of a 100% cotton sort, began the second day on 9 and needed two escapes in the slips, a tough chance to Rob Yates on 37, a more acceptable offering to Rhodes on 54. Those blemishes apart, he showed good judgment and placement, scoring primarily with flicks and clips. When he did drive down the ground, he relied more on timing than weight of stroke. “I was happy how I batted,” he said. “It was a bit of a hard slog at times.”His entire game is based on understatement in an age of overstatement. Such decorum will delight many in Frinton, the genteel Essex seaside town and home of his first club. Frinton does not do excess. Its 19th century town charter banned pubs, ice creams and other vices. When the 21st century dawned, and a pub was finally allowed, a resident consoled himself that they don’t really see too much of “the tearaway element”. It’s tough to escape your childhood.What England will be grateful to see is that Foakes’ appetite to bat for long periods remains high. This was an innings where the most important message lay in the “minutes” column. He has told how he has had to contend with burnout in several previous county seasons, a player on the fringes of the England side, seeking the highest standards yet surviving on a circuit that puts quantity above quality. Connoisseurs of Test cricket, and wicketkeeping, will be delighted to see an early indication that he is approaching the season with vigour.Warwickshire, those dropped chances apart, rarely extended Foakes on a surface where Surrey will struggle to force a victory. They did not resemble a Championship-winning attack. Oliver Hannon-Dalby, in his first competitive bowl since June, managed to cut the ball back at times to finish with 4 for 78, bowling Ollie Pope through the gate, as he had done Hashim Amla on the first day, and also finding purchase to have Will Jacks lbw, but the other seamers were finding their way again.The partnership that carried the game away from Warwickshire was 86 in 28 for the seventh wicket as Jordan Clark struck a confident half-century before he swept at Yates and became his fifth first-class victim (he added Roach later) and James Taylor rubbed it in as he and Foakes added another 78 for the ninth wicket.Surrey will be strong until England come calling, and if Topley stays fit, and need a flying start to the season. They have also had the independence of thought to omit Sam Curran, on form grounds, even though he had been made available by England, and if the Championship is to regain its reputation, then such self-determination is essential. It will be tough to achieve victory on this surface, but little is certain before the trees are in leaf.

One win will put Super Giants within touching distance of the playoffs, while a defeat for KKR will all but eliminate them

Hemant Brar06-May-20222:50

Do Lucknow Super Giants have the most balanced XI in IPL 2022?

Big picture

Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders are two teams on opposite ends of the points table. Super Giants are currently second with 14 points from ten games. One more win and they will be within touching distance of the playoffs.Knight Riders are placed eighth with four wins from ten games. If they lose on Saturday, they will be all but out of the race.

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You can watch the match on ESPN+ in English and in Hindi.

In Super Giants’ last two games, they replaced a struggling Manish Pandey with a bowler. That gave Deepak Hooda a chance to bat at No. 3, where he notched up scores of 34 off 28 and 52 off 34.But with their middle order still underperforming, playing one batter fewer could also backfire, as it almost did against Punjab Kings before Dushmantha Chameera and Mohsin Khan rescued them with some lusty blows towards the end.Their bowling attack, though, is without any holes. They have the pace of Chameera, the left-arm angle of Mohsin, and the death-bowling skills of Avesh Khan and Jason Holder. When it comes to spin, Ravi Bishnoi’s fast legbreaks, sliders and googlies are there, as is an upgraded version of Krunal Pandya’s left-arm spin. While their batting has largely revolved around KL Rahul, six of their bowlers have picked up eight or more wickets in the tournament.Knight Riders put an end to their five-match losing streak with a seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals, but there is no end to their problems. Their openers haven’t fired. Their bowlers, with the exception of Sunil Narine, have had mixed returns. They have even dropped two of their retained players, Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Chakravarthy.However, if their bowlers can dismiss Rahul and Quinton de Kock early, they can surprise Super Giants, as a lot of other match-ups are in their favour.

In the news

Avesh didn’t play Super Giants’ last match as he had just recovered from a “small injury” and the franchise didn’t want him to play back-to-back games. But after a further gap of six days, he should be back in the XI on Saturday. If so, K Gowtham will have to miss out.Deepak Hooda and KL Rahul have given Lucknow Super Giants stability at the top•BCCI

Likely XIs

Lucknow Super Giants: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 KL Rahul (capt), 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Krunal Pandya, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Avesh Khan/K Gowtham, 9 Mohsin Khan, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Ravi BishnoiKolkata Knight Riders: 1 B Indrajith (wk), 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Anukul Roy, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Shivam Mavi

Strategy punts

• Knight Riders can bowl Narine and Andre Russell in tandem against Super Giants’ middle order. Narine has dismissed Hooda twice in 20 balls while giving away only 19 runs. He has also troubled Marcus Stoinis (23 balls, 21 runs, one dismissal) and Pandya (24 balls, 25 runs, two dismissals). All combined, it’s 65 runs off 67 balls for five dismissals against those three batters.The real bogeyman for Stoinis, though, has been Russell. He has got Stoinis out three times in 19 balls while conceding only 12 runs. Jason Holder too has struggled against him, getting out four times in 18 balls for 21 runs. For Hooda, it’s one dismissal in ten balls for just four runs. The only Super Giants middle-order batter with a favourable match-up against Russell is Pandya, who has hit him for 32 runs off 22 balls for one dismissal.
• So far in IPL 2022, Holder has bowled across all three phases of the innings but against Knight Riders, Super Giants should avoid bowling him when Russell is out in the middle, as Russell has taken him for 42 runs off 24 balls for just one dismissal.

Stats that matter

• In each of the ten games in Pune, captains have opted to bowl after winning the toss. However, their teams won only three of those games.
• Among those who have bowled at least ten overs in the middle phase this season, Narine (5.00) has the best economy rate. Pandya is second on that list with 5.95.
• Rahul has taken Narine for 131 runs off 72 balls (strike rate 181.94) for two dismissals.
• So far, Knight Riders have tried five opening pairs, the most by any team in the competition, and their average opening stand of 14.40 is the worst in the tournament.

New captain acknowledges success won’t come overnight but pleased with winning start

Valkerie Baynes05-Jun-2022Two players, great mates, both winners. But the contrast in the joy expressed by Ben Stokes and Joe Root over England’s first-Test victory over New Zealand was palpable at Lord’s on Sunday.Root, by his own admission, unburdened by the captaincy – not so much in terms of his personal performance after notching up yet another century, his 26th in Tests to bring up 10,000 runs – but free from all the sundries wrapped up in the role he relinquished after the ill-fated spring tour of the Caribbean, looked like a man thoroughly relieved.Stokes, on the other hand, exuded all the enthusiasm of a man who had just won his first game since taking over the captaincy and starting work with new coach Brendon McCullum, along with the resolve of a leader who knows his team has “a long road ahead of us”.”It’s not an overnight thing,” Stokes said. “This is what me and Brendon are trying to work towards and we know that, but a great start to win.”Related

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So while England heralded a new era with victory – ending a run of nine Tests without – it wasn’t a complete turnaround. Some of the old problems remain.They were bowled out for 141 in their first innings, only marginally better than New Zealand’s 132, and they were 69 for 4 in their second, chasing 277, before Stokes and Root steadied things with a 90-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Root and Ben Foakes then sealed the result just over an hour into the fourth day with an unbroken stand of 120.But, as can be expected, Stokes seems to have genuinely bought into all that McCullum has introduced in terms of mindset and tactics. For example, Stokes revealed that the plan had been to send Stuart Broad in at No. 8, ahead of debutant Matthew Potts, if needed on the third evening.”When Foakesy went out to bat, he was going to send Broady in if we lost the wicket to go and have a slog, just to score 30, 40 runs, game’s done,” Stokes said. “That’s the kind of stuff that we’re not used to in the dressing room. Those kinds of things filtering around will do us the world of good.”The confidence and the energy that he brings about, his mindset towards the game, he’s just going to make everybody feel 10-foot tall in any situation that we’re in and I’ve really enjoyed working with him so far this week.”Towards the end of Root’s tenure, during the failed Ashes campaign, there was a sense that his working relationship with veteran seamers Broad and James Anderson had soured and, sure enough, the duo were dropped for the tour of West Indies.One of the first moves by the new regime was to bring the two straight back into the fold to face New Zealand, and Anderson and Potts took four wickets apiece in the first innings while Broad’s three wickets, particularly his two in three balls as part of a team hat-trick, turned the match on its head during the third morning.Asked what he was most proud of during his first match at the helm, Stokes highlighted his use of Anderson, Broad and Durham team-mate Potts.”Everybody knows what Jimmy and Broady are all about,” he said. “The only difference in the role that Matty played was obviously he normally takes the new ball for Durham. But throughout the whole summer, Scotty [Borthwick], Durham’s captain, has turned to him to get the wicket, to get the breakthrough, to change the game, and that’s how I wanted to use him this week. And he did it every time I chucked him the ball.Matthew Potts’ impact was one of the big plusses for England•PA Photos/Getty Images

“Always looking to be positive and just really staying true to what I was saying and how I want to captain and not letting the game dictate what I did. I was just making sure that I still stuck to my guns and was always looking to be positive in the way that I wanted the bowlers to bowl, the fields that I set… stick to everything that you’ve been talking about because you know actions speak louder than words.”Stokes was full of praise for Root, but also Foakes, who played a mature knock for his 32 not out from 92 balls.”We’re not in a position to not select world-class players at the moment,” said Stokes, “and Ben is the best wicketkeeper in the world. That’s not just my own opinion, that’s a lot of people’s opinions.”Batting at seven, which he does for England, is different to the role that he plays for Surrey because he bats higher up, but going in last night for 45 minutes was a very, very big part in the game and he handled it very well. And him walking off there not out with Joe at the end no doubt will give him a lot of confidence going into the rest of the summer.”He took some catches which he made look very easy but they weren’t and to have a gloveman like Ben behind the stumps gives me a lot of confidence and it gives the bowlers a lot of confidence.”Asked how he had managed to park the captaincy ‘after hours’ so to speak, in light of Root’s searingly honest press conference moments before in which he detailed how heavily the role had begun to impact his life outside of cricket, Stokes was relaxed.That said, he also admitted he had a relatively easy job on what turned out to be the final morning, having lost his wicket the previous evening after contributing a valuable, if somewhat streaky half-century.”It’s been fine,” he shrugged. “It was my birthday last night and I didn’t have to do that much today so it was nice to go out and have dinner with the family and a couple of beers, so I slept quite well,” he said.”It’s a great start, we’ve won, there’s obviously going to be you know, ups and downs. And it’s just about dealing with that but I think having me and Brendon in charge, it’s going to be really important how we operate when things don’t go well.”Despite England’s success, McCullum declined to front the media following the match, presumably to allow his new captain Stokes and match-winner Root to revel in the moment.

England rue missed chances after unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 149

Valkerie Baynes10-Jun-2022Stumps As far attempts to negate a swinging ball go, Daryl Mitchell’s display of long-range beer pong was inventive to say the least.Assisted by the ale or otherwise, he and Tom Blundell managed to see out the latter stages of a tricky middle session for New Zealand then navigate their side to the close of an intriguing first day at Trent Bridge at 318 for 4.The duo, who shared 195-run stand in the second innings of New Zealand’s five-wicket defeat at Lord’s last week had put on 149 by stumps in this second Test, Mitchell unbeaten on 81 and Blundell 67 not out.During a morning session when the ball presented little movement through the air or off the seam but bounced appreciably from a good length, New Zealand openers Will Young and Tom Latham started brightly with an 84-run partnership before Ben Stokes and James Anderson struck with consecutive deliveries to remove both.Those same two bowlers managed to get the ball talking after the lunch break, however, combining again to remove a fluid-looking Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls as all of New Zealand’s top-four made starts but none breached fifty.Related

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England, whose fielding in the first Test had been noticeably sharp, were left to rue missed chances which would have made the equation considerably worse for their visitors. Zak Crawley dived from second slip across Joe Root at first and managed only to parry Nicholls’ thick outside edge off Stuart Broad away from both of them. Nicholls was on 17 at the time.Root then shelled a regulation slips chance off Mitchell, on 3, which wobbled ever so slightly as it came off the bat, and a tougher one off Blundell when he was on 2, Root thrusting his right hand out but failing to hold on.Mitchell and Blundell resumed after tea on 20 and 7 respectively and, with Jack Leach continuing after bowling the penultimate over before the break, Mitchell plundered the England spinner down the ground for six, the ball landing in a spectators’ full pint cup.Matthew Potts, clearly more disappointed than amused, indicated that the ball had been completely submerged as the umpire ran over with a towel and set about trying to dry it off. Sure enough, the ball didn’t do much for the bowlers after that until Potts managed to get it moving a little again on the evening breeze.Blundell, on 39, survived England’s attempt to overturn a not-out lbw decision on umpire’s call off Leach and Mitchell top-edged another six off Broad over the keeper’s head.England took the second new ball with about half an hour left in the day’s play and Broad was left cursing yet another missed opportunity when Blundell moved to 67 by edging him through the cordon where Crawley and Jonny Bairstow remained virtually motionless at second and third slip as the ball shot between them to the boundary rope.Earlier, Stokes allayed concerns over his ability to bowl, raised when he showed some discomfort in his side while training on Wednesday, bringing himself on in the 19th over. He opened with a loose delivery outside off stump which Young punished to the boundary through point and which turned out to be the first of two front-foot no-balls for the over.Leach followed Stokes into the attack, having recovered from the concussion he suffered while fielding on the opening day of the first Test at Lord’s, but it was Stokes who made the breakthrough in his second over.Having conceded two more boundaries to Young on the drive, the second misfielded by Leach in the covers, Stokes bowled a tight off-stump line and got the ball to kick into the splice of Young’s bat with Crawley collecting a good catch low at second slip.James Anderson laughs after his long-hop has Tom Latham caught at midwicket•AFP/Getty Images

Potts took a strong catch at midwicket to get rid of Latham, who slapped a short ball straight to him at pace as soon as Anderson returned to the attack and New Zealand had lost two wickets in as many balls, although cause for concern to England was the fact that they conceded 20 boundaries in the first session.After lunch, Stokes accounted for Nicholls with a ball that nipped away off the seam, drawing a prod to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and ending a 77-run stand with Conway.Conway had produced some eye-catching drives and pulls en route to his score which included seven fours before he was undone by an excellent Anderson delivery that looked like shaping away before jagging back off the seam and finding a big inside edge through to Foakes.Anderson thought he had Conway out for 41 when the batter picked out Potts at midwicket but a soft signal of not-out was upheld when third umpire Rod Tucker ruled that the ball had gone to ground.After losing the toss, Latham – standing in as captain for Kane Williamson who tested positive for Covid-19 on the eve of the match – said he would have liked to bowl first on a green-tinged pitch which he said looked dry underneath, although he would no doubt have taken New Zealand’s score at the end of the day.Willamson’s absence, and that of Colin de Grandhomme who injured his foot while bowling in the first Test and was ruled out of the series, forced two team changes for New Zealand, who also left out left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel. They brought in Nicholls, back from a calf injury followed by a bout of Covid, and added Matt Henry in a four-pronged seam attack, with Michael Bracewell, the left-handed batter who also provides an offspin option, making his Test debut.

“Sometime in between, I was not enjoying because sometimes you take a lot of pressure”

Sruthi Ravindranath07-Jul-2022India’s white-ball captain Harmanpreet Kaur has attributed her current form with the bat to a bit of “self-talk” and the fact that she has “enjoyed” being in the middle. She is also glad she now has the “freedom” to bowl regularly, something she said wasn’t possible earlier because of the “game plans”.After playing a crucial role in India’s 2-1 win in the T20I series, Harmanpreet racked up 119 runs across the three ODIs, including an 88-ball 75 in the third ODI, to take her team to a clean sweep in her first series as the full-time captain in the format. She bagged Player-of-the-Series awards in both formats. While admitting that she wasn’t enjoying her cricket for a while in the past, she is “relaxed and happy” all the plans worked out well on the tour.”For me, it’s always important that I should enjoy each and every moment,” Harmanpreet said. “Sometime in between, I was not enjoying because sometimes you take a lot of pressure – it happens with anyone. I was going through those things but now I have made a plan that I have to enjoy. Whatever the situation, I’ll try to stay there and give the start the team needs. That’s what I’ve been trying in the last few months.”Moreover, the way the team is responding is something I’m enjoying more. Because when you have experienced players with you, they want to support you in all the parts. Our medium-pacers – I actually wanted to give more opportunities to them. I’m happy they have grabbed that opportunity. We were always depending on spinners in the first few overs but they took the responsibility and gave those results. When whatever you have planned goes your way, you are going to enjoy it. Maybe that was the reason I was more relaxed and happy because everything was going according to our plans [in the series].”Harmanpreet also contributed with the ball in both series, taking two wickets in the three ODIs with her offspin. Out of 121 ODIs she has played so far, she has bowled in 68, taking 31 wickets, but she hinted that she could be bowling more regularly in the coming days. In the third ODI, she bowled five overs and picked the crucial wicket of Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu.”I think before we came here, I had a self-talk that I have to give my 100% and it was important that I get runs in this series,” she said. “I’m very happy I got wickets also because I want to bowl and I was always keen to bowl. I was really happy that I was able to do both things.”I had also told our head coach [Ramesh Powar] that I was available for bowling [earlier] but because of some game plans, I didn’t get to bowl. I was lucky that in the last game [India played at the 2022 World Cup], I got a few overs to bowl. I have been planning for a long time that I should get to bowl [more]. I am glad I was able to get those breakthroughs. I always wanted to bowl and I’m glad I [now] have the freedom to bowl.”Earlier this year, Harmanpreet spoke about being more comfortable batting at No. 4 than No. 5 but on Thursday, she walked in at No. 6. She later revealed that the plan was to bat even lower down the order so that others can get a chance to bat in the middle ahead of the Commonwealth Games, which begin later this month. But she had to come out at No. 6 after India lost the wickets of Shafali Verma and Harleen Deol in space of three balls, leaving them 94 for 4.”We wanted to give chance to our top five batters… if Harleen [Deol] can get some time at the wicket and Richa [Ghosh] also. But we lost two wickets early and I had to go otherwise we were only looking if others can get a chance to bat. The CWG is very important, and for me, it’s important that the batting unit should get enough balls to bat. That’s the reason we shifted my batting order because I got a good amount of batting in this tournament.”She was also impressed with Pooja Vastrakar, who negotiated Sri Lanka’s spin threat and scored an unbeaten 56 off 65 balls from No. 8.”She [Vastrakar] has been showing she can bat also. One thing we discuss in the dressing room is that whoever is going to bat, that person is capable of getting runs for the team [regardless of their batting position] and whoever is bowling can take a wicket. Whoever is in the playing XI is capable of doing both things. Pooja Vastrakar has done really well so far and I think that batting order really suited her and in future, if we need to change something, we will take charge accordingly.”

Long-serving batter regarded as among the best of his generation not to win an England cap

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2022James Hildreth, the long-serving Somerset batter, has announced that he will retire from professional cricket at the end of the season, almost 20 years after making his debut for the club.Regarded by some as the best batter of his generation not to have represented England, Hildreth amassed more than 17,000 first-class runs for Somerset, putting him third on the county’s all-time list behind Harold Gimblett and Marcus Trescothick. He currently averages 40.98, with 47 first-class hundreds, but the closest he came to being capped was a handful of Lions appearances more than a decade ago.He is Somerset’s leading run-scorer in T20 cricket, with 3906, and also tallied more than 6000 runs in List A games. Hildreth hit the winning runs when Somerset won the 2005 Twenty20 Cup, aged 20, and then did the same at Lord’s 14 years on to secure the Royal London Cup.Related

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Hildreth will turn 38 next month, and has only managed 256 runs at 25.60 in this year’s County Championship. He was not involved at all in Somerset’s Blast campaign.”It feels like the right time to start a new chapter in my life and I’m excited about what the future holds,” Hildreth said. “I left school at 18 and have spent the last 20 years with the club. It’s been my life and I’ve loved every minute of it.”The club and cricket as a whole has given myself and my family so much over the last 20 years, and I’ve got nothing but fondness and love for the club and that will continue for the rest of my life. I’m looking forward to being a Somerset supporter and to coming down to watch the guys with my family and my children.”The thing I’ll miss most is the pride that you feel when you pull on that shirt to represent the club and the whole of the south west. The Somerset members and supporters have been incredible to me. They’ve always been so supportive, and I’ve always felt that, whether that’s walking through town or being out on the pitch. I’d like to thank them for their support over the years, and hopefully I’ve managed to bring a little bit of enjoyment into their lives with what I’ve done on the pitch.”Hildreth, who was awarded his county cap in 2007 and a testimonial year in 2017, has made 715 appearances for Somerset – more than any other player – and was a central figure as the club regularly pushed for their first Championship pennant during the 2010s, five times finishing as runners-up.Somerset’s director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said: “James Hildreth will go down in history as one of the best players ever to represent this club. His stats speak for themselves, but his contribution to Somerset cricket has been so much more than that.”During his time at the club he has proved himself to be the model professional and he is the perfect role model for any aspiring player. The way that he has conducted himself both on and off the field has been exemplary, and as such he has become one of the most respected players within the domestic game over the last 20 years.”His name will forever be synonymous with Somerset County Cricket Club, and everyone associated with SCCC wishes James and his family well in their future endeavours. On behalf of everyone at the cub both now and in the past, thank you for so many incredible memories.”Somerset’s head coach, Jason Kerr, recalled two of Hildreth’s “outstanding” innings for the club – a 53-ball T20 hundred against Glamorgan in 2012, and his century on one leg during the final game of the 2016 Championship – while Gordon Hollins, the chief executive, described him as one of the finest batters of his era and a “mainstay of the success that this club has achieved over the last 20 years”.Kerr added: “I guess all good things have to come to an end, but James has had an outstanding career and I’m sure that we’ll see a deserving outpouring of best wishes and superlatives for him over the next few weeks. There’s no doubt he’ll be missed, first and foremost as a person, but obviously also as a cricketer. Players of Hildy’s calibre are few and far between.”

Every batting record up for grabs on a daily basis in absence of The Hundred elite

ECB Reporters Network23-Aug-2022Derbyshire 312 for 2 (Reece 106, Godleman 87, Masood 53*) beat Northamptonshire 311 for 7 (McManus 107, Zaib 62) by eight wicketsLuis Reece scored his second century of this year’s Royal London Cup campaign to set up a Derbyshire victory by eight wickets against Northamptonshire on a day of records and big runs at Wantage Road.It was Derbyshire’s highest successful run chase in all List A cricket, beating their previous best of 309, also against Northamptonshire, in 2017.Reece (106) shared a mammoth opening partnership worth 204 with his captain Billy Godleman (87) as Derbyshire chased down 312 to win. It was a record stand in List A games between these two sides and the highest for any Derbyshire wicket beating the previous best between Kim Barnett and Chris Adams in 1997.When both fell, Derbyshire were behind the run rate but Shan Masood (53) and Harry Came (44) kept up the pace, making short work of the remaining runs in a blaze of boundaries with seven balls to spare.That meant subdued celebrations for Lewis McManus, who had hit his maiden List A century (107 off 111 balls). The keeper shared a stand of 161 with Tom Taylor (75 off 54 balls) who also hit his highest score in all formats in Northamptonshire colours.Related

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Statisticians could take delight at least. It was the biggest Northamptonshire List A partnership for any wicket against Derbyshire, beating the previous best of 158 between David Sales and Alex Wakely in 2012. It was also the highest fifth-wicket partnership in List A cricket for Northamptonshire against any opposition, beating the previous record set by Allan Lamb and David Capel.Derbyshire made an immediate breakthrough when Ben Aitchison struck in consecutive overs to remove the dangerous pair of Ricardo Vasconcelos, who was caught off a top edge, and skipper Will Young who edged to the keeper.Saif Zaib and Emilio Gay led the recovery, putting on 58 in 10 overs, with Zaib stroking boundaries off three consecutive deliveries from Sam Conners before Gay (29) chipped Reece straight to short midwicket.After putting on 59 with McManus, Zaib (62) reverse swept Mattie McKiernan straight to Mark Watt behind square. It was to be the last wicket for some time as Taylor joined forces with McManus.McManus’ first 50 included just three boundaries but he ran sharply between the wickets and reached the milestone off 79 deliveries. From there he accelerated with the rest of his runs coming off just 32 balls. He hit Watt straight down the ground for six and hooked Nick Potts and Conners behind square for two further maximums. Conners went the distance again when McManus struck him high over deep midwicket and smashed him down the pitch.Taylor smote Watt over long-on for six but was content to let McManus have the strike initially. He took a liking to Potts though, playing a stinging drive through the covers and whipping him through midwicket. He crunched Connors down the ground for four and scooped him over the keeper to bring up his fifth List A half-century. The carnage continued when he swung Reece high over long-on into the stands for six.The pair were finally parted when McManus was run out while Taylor fell when he missed an attempted scoop and was bowled by Conners.Derbyshire got off to a bright start in the chase. Reece soon found the boundary, playing a brace of perfect on-drives down the pitch off Taylor, scooping him for another boundary and whipping Nathan Buck over backward square leg for six. He advanced to his half-century off exactly 50 deliveries with his eighth boundary.Godleman too was timing the ball beautifully through the covers and reached his half-century by pulling Buck aggressively for four.The Falcons otherwise breezed past 150 without loss in the 26th over with neither batter looking troubled or needing to take many risks, most of the boundaries coming along the floor rather than through the air. Northamptonshire’s largely inexperienced attack seldom looked threatening after almost drawing the edge in the opening overs. Wickets looked most likely to come through spin with Zaib having three lbw appeals turned down in two overs.Derbyshire passed 200 in the 35th over but when Reece attempted to force the pace, coming down the pitch to Taylor, he could only pick out Gay who took an excellent tumbling legside boundary catch. He had faced 120 balls and hit 13 fours and one six.Four overs later Godleman (99 balls) departed too, run out thanks to some sharp work by Sales with Derbyshire still needing 91 with nine overs to go.Shan Masood held the key to Derbyshire’s hopes and he came out determined to play his shots, whipping a legside half volley from Sales off his pads for six, supported by Came who struck two big sixes as the pair added 50 in five overs to leave Derbyshire needing 36 off the last five.