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At least six debutants are expected to feature in South Africa’s first Test in over seven years

Firdose Moonda17-Jun-2022Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee and Sinalo Jafta have all been included in South Africa women’s squad to play their first Test in more than seven years, against England later this month. The trio missed out on the white-ball tour to Ireland – Kapp after contracting Covid-19 for the fourth time – but have been named in both the Test and ODI squad for the England series. The T20 squad, along with the group for the Commonwealth Games, will be named next month.South Africa last played a Test against India in Mysore in 2014 and four of the members of that XI – Kapp, Trisha Chetty, Lizelle Lee and Chloe Tryon – are in the current squad. Only one other current South African player has featured in a Test – Shabnim Ismail in 2007 against Netherlands – which means South Africa will field at least six debutants against England in Taunton. Chetty is the only player to have two Test caps.Related

• Tryon wants South Africa's concentration higher than usual against England

• Shabnim Ismail's three-for, fifties from Andrie Steyn, Lara Goodall help South Africa take unassailable lead

• Kapp, Lee and du Preez ruled out of Ireland white-ball tour

Dane van Niekerk, the other current South African women’s player who has played a Test, remains unavailable for selection as she continues to recover from the ankle injury that has sidelined her since January. She has returned to training with the aim of being available for the T20Is and Commonwealth Games. Masabata Klaas, who injured her shoulder at the World Cup, is also unavailable. Tazmin Brits, Raisibe Ntozakhe, and Delmi Tucker, who are involved in the ongoing series against Ireland, will return home.South Africa will play a red-ball warm-up match next week, in preparation for the Test.”With the red ball, the main thing is to find our feet as a team again in the format and we take it one day at a time, then we can only progress into it and players can have an opportunity to go into a three-day prep,” coach Hilton Moreeng said. “Those that haven’t had the opportunity when we were back home can also start getting their aim of the red ball. Post that we know we are heading into ODI cricket and T20Is to build up into the Commonwealth Games.”South Africa beat Ireland 2-1 in the T20I series and lead the one-day series, which is part of the ICC Women’s Championship, 2-nil. Their matches against England do not form part of the Women’s Championship (South Africa are due to host England for Women’s Championship matches) but are an opportunity to solidify their strategy as a squad.”We are happy that we could come to Ireland and be able to play in these conditions which are similar to where we are going to. It has been very good and the exciting thing is that the crop of youngsters have started to put in the right performances. Now that we are going to England, we know that we are going to start with a format that most of them haven’t played in a while other than the preparation that we had, so it is exciting times, especially as a young cricketer in the squad,” Moreeng said.”We are up against a very competitive team, a team that plays well in their conditions. It’s going to be tough as we go along but at the end of the day, we are excited with the group that we have and we now have an opportunity against the hosts to be able to win a series in England.”South Africa squad for England tour (Test and ODIs): Anneke Bosch, Trisha Chetty (wk), Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Lizelle Lee, Sune Luus (capt), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Andrie Steyn, Chloé Tryon, Laura Wolvaardt

A round-up of the Inter-State T20 matches played on February 5, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2017East Zone
Opener Shreevats Goswami’s 53-ball 81 helped Bengal chase down 178 with five wickets to spare against Jharkhand in Kolkata. Goswami was the common factor in two half-century stands – 73 for the second wicket with Abhishek Raman, and 71 for the fourth wicket with Pramod Chandila – and he brought Bengal to within ten runs of the target by the time he was dismissed in the 18th over. Chandila, who was unbeaten on 37 off 21 balls, helped the side reach 178 with five balls to spare.Sent in to bat, Jharkhand posted 177 for 6 riding on contributions from Saurabh Tiwary (44), Virat Singh (42) and Pratyush Singh (39), before wicketkeeper Sumit Kumar and Anand Singh added 30 off nine balls for the sixth wicket in a late burst.File photo – Biplab Samantray’s fifty pushed Odisha to 143, but they lost by six wickets•BCCI

Opener Pallavkumar Das’ 51 off 30 balls, including eight fours and a six, helped Assam chase down 144 against Odisha in Kolkata. The result meant Assam finished second in the East Zone points table while Odisha finished third. Bengal topped the table with four wins from four matches.Assam lost Rishav Das and Sibsankar Roy cheaply in their chase but Pallavkumar and Amit Verma put the team back on track with a 34-run partnership for the third wicket. The stand ended in the tenth over when Pallavkumar was dismissed by left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh. Verma then added 34 with captain Arun Karthik to take the team closer to victory. By the time Verma was removed, Assam needed 31 off 30 balls and they eventually won by six wickets.Having opted to bat, Odisha were reduced to 48 for 3 inside nine overs. Biplab Samantray, the captain, then rescued the innings with his second T20 fifty, which contained five fours and a six. When Samantray fell, Assam were 117 for 6, but a string of cameos from the lower order pushed the total to 143. Verma impressed with the ball too, picking up 3 for 19 in four overs.File photo – Akshadeep Nath’s fifty was not enough for Uttar Pradesh to put it across Vidarbha•BCCI

Central Zone
Vidarbha won their second game in two days after completing a comfortable four-wicket victory against Uttar Pradesh in Jaipur. Lower-order batsmen Apoorv Wankhade (27 off 14 balls) and Shrikant Wagh (14 off 9 balls) added an unbroken 38 runs in 19 balls for the seventh wicket after Vidarbha were reduced to 133 for 6.Having opted to bat, UP put up 169 for 4 thanks to half-centuries from opener Eklavya Dwivedi and Akshdeep Nath. Wagh was the pick of the bowlers for Vidarbha, claiming 2 for 17 in four overs. Ambati Rayudu and Ganesh Satish then laid the groundwork for the chase with thirty-somethings before the lower order sealed the deal. Nath and fast bowler Ankit Rajpoot took two wickets each for UP.Fifties from allrounder Mahipal Lomror and wicketkeeper Dishant Yagnik powered Rajasthan to 184, a total they defended by 21 runs against Railways in Jaipur.After opting to bat, Rajasthan lost three early wickets, but Lomror and Yagnik offset the early wobble and then gave the innings muscle with a 78-run stand in 52 balls. Lomror struck seven fours and three sixes during his 65 while Yagnik hit three fours and three sixes on his way to 60, before he was the eighth Rajasthan batsman to be dismissed.Railways started positively in their chase with opener Saurabh Wakaskar scoring 55 off 29 balls, but the middle order could not sustain the momentum, despite an unbeaten 42 off 32 balls from captain Karn Sharma. They ultimately fell short with seamers Tanvir Ul-Haq and Deepak Chahar taking two wickets each.

Meg Lanning’s team will ramp up their preparations over the next week ahead of the T20I series

Andrew McGlashan20-Mar-2021There could be some fiercely-contested training sessions among the Australia squad in New Zealand over the coming days as players stake their claims for a spot in the side for the first T20I later this month.Having now reached the stage where the squad can train during their managed isolation in Christchurch, there will be a number of centre-wicket sessions ahead of the series in lieu of any practice matches – Australia complete their isolation the day before the first T20I in Hamilton.Coach Matthew Mott has said how tough it will be to select the final XI with Tayla Vlaeminck and Ellyse Perry available again after injury, comments echoed by captain Meg Lanning, while the need for an enlarged squad in the current era means there is no shortage of options including the uncapped seamers Darcie Brown and Hannah Darlington.Related

• Australia want to keep evolving to avoid being 'caught out' at World Cup

• Australia have an eye on pace to stay ahead of the pack

• Mott on starting XI: 'Going to be one or two very disappointed players'

It is the competition for bowling slots that could make for some challenging sessions for Australia’s batters as the young pace bowlers look to make an impression.”We’ve got a couple of centre-wickets coming up where everyone will have a chance to push their case and see what they’ve got,” Lanning said. “They’ll certainly be a few spots up for grabs, a little bit will be dictated by conditions and where we are playing. The next 10 days really does give us an opportunity to see some players, see Darcie Brown, Hannah and Tayla, where they are at and how they can fit in and play a role for us.”There is no huge changing of the guard taking place in the Australia squad ahead of a 2021-22 season that includes a visit by India, the Ashes and the 50-over World Cup, before next year’s Commonwealth Games and the defense of the T20 World Cup in early 2023, but one eye is being kept on ensuring the group does not stagnate.Getty Images

The depth available to the selectors has been further highlighted by a record number of centuries in this season’s WNCL and Lanning hopes the competition for places pushes those in possession to improve their games.”I think it shows we are keen to evolve our squad and keep bringing new skillsets in,” Lanning said. “We have been successful over the last few years with that squad but it’s important that we are able to add some new things. We feel like we are adding different skillsets all the time and that’s challenging the players who are in the team to keep getting better.”I think it’s really important as a team that we continue to challenge ourselves by adding new members to the team, especially young players with so much energy and no real fear. If it means the senior players have to take their game to another level then that’s only going to be a good thing.”

“If you’re not motivated to play a normal game but extra-motivated to play a game with some incentive, that’s unacceptable”

Karthik Krishnaswamy03-Mar-20219:32

Mute Me: Virat Kohli – where have all the centuries gone?

India versus England. The last Test of the last-but-one series in the current World Test Championship cycle. Everything is on the line. For India, it’s simple: win or draw, and they book their place in the final, alongside New Zealand. For England there’s the incentive of playing spoiler: if they win, India will miss out, and Australia will make the final instead.When you throw in all the conflicting emotions of Australia fans cheering England, you have just the sort of scenario the ICC and its member boards may have hoped for when they came up with the concept of the Test Championship.Related

• Virat Kohli – 'If rules change when you're in lockdown, nothing is in your control'

• Move over WTC, the World Bad Behaviour Championship has a winner

• It's coming home. Maybe. Who cares, really?

• Virat Kohli: 'The defensive aspect of the game has fallen behind'

• Ishant: Winning WTC will be the same feeling as winning the World Cup

And yet, on the eve of the Test match that will determine India’s fate in the tournament, their captain didn’t sound like a man dreaming about glory in the final.”If you want me to be brutally honest, it might work for teams who are not that motivated to play Test cricket,” Virat Kohli said, when asked what he thought of the Test Championship as a concept. “Teams like us, who are motivated to play Test cricket and want to win Test matches and keep Indian cricket team at the top of the world in Test cricket, we have no issues whatsoever, whether it’s a World Test Championship or not. I think for teams like us, it’s only a distraction when you start thinking of the World Test Championship.”Eventually it’s only a game of cricket. Even that game, a World Cup final, semi-final, anything you take, it’s a game of cricket at the end of the day, and if you’re not motivated to play a normal game of cricket and you’re extra-motivated to play a game of cricket which has some incentive to it, for me, as an individual, that’s unacceptable, and we as a team have never played with that mindset.”For us, any game is important, we are going to go for a result whenever the opportunity presents itself, and that’s why people want to watch us as a team now. You could ask some of the teams that probably wouldn’t have looked at Test cricket as a priority, but for us it really doesn’t change anything. As I said, if we start thinking too much about it, then that is a distraction from our process and plans.”Virat Kohli – “Teams like us who are motivated to play Test cricket, we have no issues whatsoever, whether it’s a World Test Championship or not”•Getty Images

Now there are a couple of things to keep in mind when you read that quote. One, Kohli may well have expressed himself more harshly than intended while trying to communicate his single-minded focus on the immediate task at hand – winning the fourth Test against England – and play down the significance of the prize that awaits his team if they complete it successfully.And it’s not that the view expressed here is shared by everyone in the India dressing room. Ishant Sharma, for instance, has spoken of the Test Championship final as being the equal of a World Cup final for him, now that he only plays one format for India. Others may share that view too.But for Kohli to express himself as he did was a departure from his early enthusiasm for the Test Championship. When it was introduced, he suggested the Championship would add a whole new level of spice to Test cricket.”I think for all the cricketers involved now, every session and every game will be more intense, there will be more on the line,” he had said. “So it will be challenging, but all the more exciting and all the teams I am sure are going to enjoy a lot through this whole journey of the Test Championships.”Since then, global events – chiefly the Covid-19 pandemic – have conspired to take some of the gloss off this first cycle of the Test Championship. From all teams playing an equal number of series, a spate of cancellations led the boards to agree to a system that ranked teams based on the percentage of points they had contested. India ended up needing to do more to get to the final than most other teams, since they were one of only two teams who weren’t affected by cancellations.It was always going to be an imperfect solution in an imperfect situation, and Kohli expressed his displeasure after India lost the first Test against England, leaving them in a delicate situation as far as reaching the final was concerned.”If suddenly the rules can change when you’re in lockdown, nothing is in your control at all,” he said then. “So we’re not bothered at all about the table or the things that are going on on the outside. For some things there’s no logic, for some things you can have a debate for hours, as much as you want, but the only thing that you can control as a side, to an extent, is playing good cricket, and that’s our only focus, regardless of who’s on top of the table.”If India fail to reach the final, Kohli will probably remain lukewarm about the Test Championship, and that’s only natural for someone in his situation. But if they get there, it’s not inconceivable that he’ll sing its praises again.

BCCI president Anurag Thakur has been asked to submit a “personal affidavit” to clarify whether he had sought ICC intervention against the Lodha Committee’s recommendations

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Oct-20162:49

Supreme Court wants BCCI president to clarify approach to ICC

The Supreme Court has put BCCI president Anurag Thakur in what could be a difficult position by asking him to submit a “personal affidavit” to clarify whether he had sought ICC intervention against the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.Last month ICC chief executive Dave Richardson had told that Thakur had verbally asked the ICC for a letter asking whether implementing one of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations would constitute government interference in the BCCI. The Lodha Committee had said that one of the nine members on the Apex Council should be a nominee from the Comptroller and Auditor General’s office, a government organisation. The ICC does not permit any government interference in its member boards.Richardson had said that ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, Thakur’s predecessor at the BCCI, had refused to intervene unless the Indian board put its request in writing.Amicus Curiae Gopal Subramanium had drawn the Supreme Court’s attention to the issue while reading out from the Lodha Committee’s status report on Thursday. “Interview aired by media with ICC CEO David Richardson showing that President BCCI had requested ICC to issue a letter stating that the intervention by this Hon’ble Court amounted to Governmental interference,” the status report said.Subramanium told the court that the BCCI had denied that Thakur had asked the ICC for a letter and instead said Richardson was “confused”. “It is being incorrectly alleged that the President BCCI made a request to the ICC to issue a letter stating that this Committee amounts to Governmental interference. This suggestion is denied,” the BCCI affidavit, submitted in court on October 5 as a response to the status report, had said.The affidavit said Richardson “falsely” stated events. “It appears that an interview was given by Mr. David Richardson the ICC CEO falsely stating that the BCCI President had requested the ICC to issue a letter stating that the intervention by this Hon ‘ble Court amounted to Governmental interference. It is submitted that no such letter or oral request was ever made to the said gentlemen either by the BCCI President or any office bearer of the BCCI. It is apparent that Mr. Richardson has confused himself in relation to the issue.”The Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, leading the three-judge bench, wondered if Richardson was aware of the BCCI’s remarks. “Is he [Mr. Richardson] still the CEO? Does he know that he is being maligned … the accusation is that David Richardson made a false statement that the BCCI asked him to issue a letter,” Chief Justice Thakur was quoted as saying by the on Thursday.The BCCI’s affidavit also said that during his tenure as board president Manohar had also expressed reservations against having a CAG nominee on the Apex Council. According to the BCCI, Manohar had changed his stance since becoming ICC chairman.”This issue is required to be considered in the light of the fact that Mr. Shashank Manohar Senior Advocate had clearly opined as the BCCI President that appointment of the CAG in the BCCI shall result in suspension of the BCCI as it would constitute governmental interference. In fact the same had been submitted on affidavit before this Hon ‘ble Court.”However, as Chairman of the ICC, Mr. Manohar had taken a contrary stand and clarification was sought by Mr. Anurag Thakur during an informal discussion on what the exact status would be if the CAG was inducted by the BCCI as part its management and whether it would amount to governmental interference as had been advised and affirmed by Mr. Manohar during his stint as BCCI President,” the board’s affidavit said.Chief Justice Thakur then asked Subramanium who had sworn to the BCCI affidavit. When he was told it was Ratnakar Shetty, the board’s administrative and game development manager, the court was curious as to how Shetty had been privy to an alleged conversation that took place between Thakur and the ICC.The court then asked Shetty to file a separate undertaking stating how he was allowed to sign the affidavit as a response to the Lodha Committee’s status report. It asked Shetty to, “place on record a copy of the authorisation/resolution passed by the BCCI on the basis of which he has filed the affidavit supporting the response of the BCCI to the status report.”BCCI president Anurag Thakur is set to leave for Cape Town to attend ICC board meetings between October 10 and 14, where he will meet Richardson and Manohar, the ICC parties mentioned in the Lodha Committee’s status report and BCCI affidavit.

Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni will both be keen to get two shots at a place in the IPL final

Alagappan Muthu03-Oct-20216:11

Polite Enquiries: Will Dhoni retain himself for CSK next year?

Big picture

There isn’t a great deal of jeopardy in the contest. Both Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals have qualified for the playoffs but there is the small matter of confirming a place in the top two, which offers an extra shot at a place in the IPL final.A scrappy victory over the defending champions, led by their former captain, may well be just the kind of tonic the Capitals need as they move into the final stretch of the IPL. Mumbai Indians were in full-on fightback mode on Saturday but Shreyas Iyer weathered the blows like a grizzled old pro who knew just when to go for the KO. This team already has a great pair of openers and a phenomenal bowling attack. Now they’ve found their middle-order marshal.

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Super Kings also learned a valuable lesson, albeit in a loss to Rajasthan Royals. After going down in that high-scoring game, they will be better informed about what to do and what not to when batters come at them as hard as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube did.

In the news

Marcus Stoinis has spent three games on the sidelines as a result of injury. It is as yet unclear if he has recovered well enough to take part in tomorrow’s match.1:52

Has R Ashwin underperformed this IPL?

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Josh Hazlewood/Sam CurranDelhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk) 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Avesh Khan

Strategy punt

• Prithvi Shaw is a destructive batter, when the ball comes down perfectly straight. Bowlers capable of moving the new ball have troubled him in the past. So he might want to be off strike when Deepak Chahar has the ball. The head-to-head reads 55 runs off 50 balls and five dismissals.
• South Africa may not want him in their T20 side anymore but Faf du Plessis is among the first names down on the Super Kings team sheet. He sets the tone for their entire innings, so taking him out assumes top priority. Enter R Ashwin (45 runs off 45 balls, three dismissals) and Kagiso Rabada (31 off 28, three dismissals). Capitals will do well to open the bowling with this pair.

Stats that matter

• Super Kings have been the best six-hitting team in the IPL. They have cleared the ropes 96 times with Ruturaj Gaikwad topping the list of players (20) with the most maximums this season.
• Shikhar Dhawan appeared invulnerable in the India leg of the tournament, averaging 54 and striking at 134. But after four matches in the UAE, those figures have gone down to 20.5 and 114.
• The Delhi franchise is one shy of 100 wins in the IPL.

Eoin Morgan has accepted that his commitment to limited-overs cricket may have ended his hopes of winning back a place in England’s Test team

George Dobell01-Jun-2016Eoin Morgan has accepted that his commitment to limited-overs cricket may have ended his hopes of winning back a place in England’s Test team.While Morgan, England’s captain in limited-overs cricket, insists he would love to add to his 16 Test caps, he admitted he “couldn’t see it happening” without a major change of commitment in the coming months.Morgan, 29, returned from a 12-week trip to India on Tuesday. As well as reaching the final of the World T20 with England, he was a member of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad – albeit a non-playing member in the final – that won the IPL. He will feature in Middlesex’s NatWest Blast side on Thursday. But he has not played a first-class match since July and reasons that he is unlikely to play more than three or four this season. As a result, he has little realistic chance to win a Test recall.Such is his confidence in the England’s limited-overs squad, however, that it is a sacrifice he is happy to have made. He believes his young team could “do something special” over the next few years and he is happy to have prioritised that ambition.

Eoin Morgan on…

James Anderson’s ODI future
“He’s still available for ODI selection, he is unbelievable in English conditions and he has great experience, so you can’t say that he won’t play. But Jimmy is at a stage of his career where he’s made it to No. 1 in the world in the Test rankings and where he is going to be remembered as a great of English cricket and world cricket. And with the injuries he’s had in the past, focusing on that is going to be really good for him.”
The captaincy
“With the players we have and the stage I’m at in my career, it feels right captaining this side. It’s just a young side and I happen to be the most experienced player within it. I feel I’ve a lot to offer. I see stages where other people have taken over different teams around the world and they’ve had to come in and captain guys who have played 200 one-dayers or 100 Tests and I can understand that presents completely different challenges. But I haven’t had that with this side.
The Champions Trophy
“I certainly believe there should be an expectation of England there. The sooner we have expectation, the better. The experience of playing WT20 and getting to the final will put us in an early position where we’re able to deal with that expectation.”

“Do I still want to play Test cricket?” he said “Absolutely. How I’m going to get there? I’m not sure yet. I would have to cut back my white-ball commitments. And at the moment I don’t see it happening because of what’s happened for me in white-ball cricket in the last year.”There is a huge opportunity to take this England side forward. Even if I’m not captain in the future, with the crop of players we have at the moment I still believe we could do something special. And that for me in my career at the moment is my priority.”I don’t play a red-ball game until August, so at the moment it’s not at the forefront of my thinking. I average about three or four games a year, for the last six years, so playing it and actually focusing on it when you look at the amount of white-ball cricket I play can be difficult.”Crucial to England’s improvement in limited-overs cricket has, Morgan’s says, been the selection of young players who are largely unscarred from previous defeats. While he remains adamant that the message given to players at the 2015 World Cup – a low ebb even in the context of England’s inglorious recent history at such events – was the same as that given to the team now, he believes that this side has little baggage to hold them back.”It does make it unique that there aren’t any guys around who have scars from the past,” Morgan said. “I remember the first time I went to Australia in 2010-11, the guys who had been there previously all had stories about going there, but a lot of them were bad stories. They had not won over there. The experience of copping it everywhere – out in the crowd or out and about – rubbed off.”I remember it was quite intimidating hearing it from a senior player or someone who had played 90 Tests. The fact that we don’t have that now gives us a bit of a raw factor.”Having an unscarred side to do something we’ve never done before and play in a manner we’ve never played before has been important. But the way the guys have performed has been outstanding.”Morgan also suggested that the current England limited-overs team had a better attitude than some of those in which he featured previously. “The big thing that’s changed is the attitude,” he said. “The will to always want to be better.”It’s quite easy for a side, when you do well against strong teams, to sit back and reflect on how good you are as a side. But the will to improve in the side is something different that I’ve experienced in the last 12 months as opposed to the last six years. That’s the thing that’s changed for me.”The character has changed with the personnel. A lot of the guys in the side now are extroverts, but that’s just coincidental.”As well as crediting the influence of T20 cricket on the new England side – for the first time, the entire side were developed in the era of the newest format – Morgan also believes an abandoned English domestic competition, the 40-over league, might have played an unheralded part in recent improvements.The 40-over competition was introduced in England in the late 1960s. But, after many alterations and adaptations, it was finally discontinued at the end of the 2013 season with the ECB reasoning that domestic List A cricket should, as much as possible, mirror that played internationally.By that time, though, many of this England squad had taken their first steps into professional cricket and Morgan feels the influence of the 40-over competition continues to be felt.”The 40-over league has a lot to say for itself,” Morgan said. “And the manner it was played. In 50-over cricket you often used to have a lull towards the back end for rebuilding. But in 40-over cricket you don’t have that. You just keep going. If you lost wickets you might rebuild for five overs. But you kept going.”A lot of the guys in the team are products of that competition. It’s not just T20 cricket that contributes. It’s 40-over cricket as well.”

Bess admits being dropped was ‘a tough pill to swallow’ after role in Chennai win

George Dobell03-Mar-2021Dom Bess has admitted that being dropped from the England team was “a tough pill to swallow” but said that he accepted, in retrospect, that it might have been the best thing for him.Bess claimed five wickets in the first Test of England’s series in India and said he did not see his omission from the next game coming. But while he said it has been “tough” to watch the last couple of Tests – in which spin bowling has played a prominent role – from the sidelines, he also admitted that the break has “freshened” him and was “probably the best option.”Although Bess claimed five wickets in the first Test, he also struggled with his length and delivered several full tosses. The England management subsequently concluded that, as an inexperienced 23-year-old who had played three Tests in the previous month, he was exhibiting signs of both mental and physical tiredness, and replaced him with Moeen Ali for the second Test.But with every chance of winning a recall, Bess insisted that he is “ready” and “in a great space right now” ahead of Thursday’s fourth and final Test in Ahmedabad.”It was certainly a tough pill to swallow,” Bess said about his omission ahead of the second Test. “I didn’t see it round the corner. Personally, I didn’t think I needed a break. But as time went on, it was probably the best option.”I do think a lot about the game. I’m always trying to get better, whether thinking about the game or doing it physically. The hardest part for me was getting away from it.”I guess the management sort of did it for me. It has freshened me up. I’ve thought about things and then had time to work on them. I look back over the period now and think it’s actually been a real success heading into this last game. I was happy with that break.”Related

• Leach: Bess will be 'more than ready to go' if selected

• Fourth-Test victory would be a 'phenomenal' achievement – Joe Root

• Kohli: 'The defensive aspect of the game has fallen behind'

• Bess' fate sealed by inconsistency and fatigue

• Silverwood 'not worried' about Dom Bess

Joe Root, England’s captain, confirmed that Bess was being considered as a realistic option to return to the side. “He’s been training really well,” Root said. “He’s used time out of game for the last two Tests to work on few things and he looks very good. He’s practised hard and he’s a very good character. If he gets a chance to play, I’m sure he’ll be desperate to exploit the surface if it’s anything like the last two games.”Has his confidence been knocked? I don’t think so. When you do get taken out of the side, it’s really important you look to use the opportunity to evolve as a player and get better all the time. He’s done that; he’s used that time to work on his game and become a better player for it. I think that’s exactly what you want from your players: you want them to go away and try and improve themselves.”Despite his disappointment in missing the last couple of matches, Bess was positive about both Moeen, who replaced him in the side, and the team’s management.”It was actually really nice to see Moeen come back into it and perform the way he did,” Bess said. “He showed the qualities he has. He was quality with how he went about things. As a young spinner, learning from him was really important.”It was a shame to miss out but it’s part and parcel of sport. I had to look for opportunities to get better when I was out of the team. I had to come away from the main stage and look to improve. What was explained to me [was that the decision] was about looking ahead and things I could work on. I definitely took it in my stride in terms of opportunity.”It’s only little things I’ve been working on. It’s making sure I’m in the groove with my timings and making sure my action is running as smoothly as possible. There’s not been too much to search for. And having a bit of a break, as well. If you can, try to get away from it out here, which is hard to do. So, I could just freshen up and hopefully look forward to the last game.”Bess struggled for consistency in the first Test in Chennai•BCCI

While Bess said the tour, as a whole, has contained “positives and negatives”, he also said that he had learned a great deal from the experience.”It’s been, at times, really exciting,” he said. “It’s been a massive learning curve with positives and negatives. I’ve certainly enjoyed bowling on spinning wickets. Potentially, at times, I need to improve and there have been tough times out here. Overall I’ve been pretty happy with how it has come out. But as a youngster, aged 23, I’m always trying to keep striving forward.”Am I ready if I’m selected? I certainly am. I’m in a great space right now to come back in. We’re under a bit of pressure but it’s a great opportunity to perform. I know I’m ready. It’s very exciting if I get the chance to head out with 10 other blokes to try to draw the series.”To draw the series is so, so important. To come back from two heavy defeats would show a lot about our character. To potentially finish on a high and not lose a Test series out here would be a big achievement.”

Michael Lumband Dan Christian powered Notts Outlaws to an eight victory over Leicestershire Foxes, under the Duckworth Lewis method – and also helped establish a new county record

ECB Reporters Network29-Jul-2016
ScorecardDan Christian was in murderous mood [file picture]•Getty Images

Dynamic batting from Michael Lumb and Dan Christian powered Notts Outlaws to an eight victory over Leicestershire Foxes, under the Duckworth Lewis method – also helped establish a new county record.The Outlaws romped to their eighth straight win, the first time they have done that in the NatWest T20 Blast, with Lumb scoring an unbeaten 69 from 26 balls and Christian clubbed his way to 54 not out from just 16.After both innings of the match had been interrupted by bad weather, Notts were left to score 141 from 14 overs. Thanks to Lumb’s start – which saw him reach his 50 in only 17 deliveries – and then Christian’s brutality which saw him get to his half century from a ball fewer, the home side raced to 146 for 2 in only 10.3 overs.Put in, after Christian had won his eighth straight toss, Leicestershire Foxes made 170 for four, after an interruption had initially reduced the contest to 18 overs.Mark Cosgrove made 53 from 34 balls for the visitors, having hit six fours and a six and Farhaan Behardien made an undefeated 48 from 26 balls.After sharing in an opening stand of 50 with Cosgrove, captain Mark Pettini perished in the seventh over, lifting Patel into the hands of Christian at short extra cover.Imran Tahir’s leg spin was held back until the eleventh over and he made up for lost time by immediately ending Cosgrove’s stay with a googly, which had the batsman groping forward and unable to get back and beat the Read stumping.Cameron Delport presented the ‘keeper with another scalp in the next over, hoisting Steven Mullaney high into the skate grey skies.Behardien hit the same bowler high over the midwicket ropes and appeared set to mount an assault in the closing overs but deteriorating conditions soon forced the players back to the pavilion with 115 for three on the board.Despite a lengthy delay the umpires found time for the Foxes to have three more overs, which produced 55 runs.
Lewis Hill hit 30 before hitting Luke Fletcher out to Jake Ball on the leg side fence, one delivery after the same fielder had spilled a diving effort in the same vicinity.Behardien monopolised the strike from then on, clubbing 25 from the final over, bowled by Ball.Notts began their romp to the finishing line with an explosive start from Lumb and Riki Wessels. They blazed their way to 60 from just 4.3 overs,at which point Clint McKay bowled Wessels, heaving across the line, for 19.Lumb had given the innings a real impetus by hitting three sixes in a Richard Jones over, which went for 26 runs. Neil Dexter’s introduction into the attack cost a further 16 as Lumb moved to his 50 from 17 balls, with seven fours and three sixes.Rob Sayer sent back Greg Smith, lbw for 4 but his next ball was smashed back over his head for another maximum as Christian stylishly announced his arrival in the middle.The Australian then went on a super-charged offensive. He hit Sayer for three sixes in a row before his sixth maximum, off Clint McKay, sealed the victory for his side.Whilst the defeat leaves the Foxes at the foot of the table, Notts Outlaws can now look forward to a home quarter final against Essex, the fourth placed team in the South Group.

The weather forecast for the Hobart Test indicates reverse swing will be less of a factor than it was in Perth

Firdose Moonda in Hobart11-Nov-2016The week leading up to the Hobart Test has been dominated by talk of contrasting success with reverse swing. Australia, through Josh Hazlewood, have made clear their envy of South Africa’s ability to get the ball moving. South Africa, through Dean Elgar. have admitted their attack enjoys the reverse-swinging ball but distanced themselves from having any special ability to get the ball to scuff up.Now Faf du Plessis has rendered the debate irrelevant, with his verdict that he does not think reverse-swing will come into play in Hobart.”Perth was really dry, the wicket was hard. That second new ball we took on the last day, it was three overs in and there were big chunks out of the ball,” du Plessis said. “Here will be different. It’s lush, it’s green, it’s soft, it’s wet. It will seam and swing, it won’t reverse that much.”Rain is forecast for the first three days of the match but on the off chance things dry up, du Plessis said he believed Australia were just as capable of working on the ball. He knows as much from personal experience, having faced a reverse-swinging ball as early as the 25th over in Perth.”To say it was only for us is definitely not true,” du Plessis said. “I faced a brilliant spell from Starc, bowling around the wicket, reversing the ball a hell of a lot. It was extremely difficult. I think it was exactly split down the middle 50-50 in terms of reverse.”We were watching the first innings and they got the ball to reverse in the 25th over. I was quite impressed. I was trying to see how they were doing that because it meant they were getting something right. They were getting it to go early.”The difference, according to du Plessis, was in how the two batting line-ups fared. “We had batters that were in and batted for long periods of time,” he said. “When you’ve got big partnerships, it just looks easier. I remember in the second innings I came in and the first ball nipped and swung and I was like, ‘What is going on here? These guys have got a partnership of about 300, it should be a lot easier than this’.”If you get a wicket, reverse-swing will always be more difficult for guys coming in. That’s a fact. They just lost more wickets, that’s why it was a little bit harder for them.”But now that the series has moved on, du Plessis does not want to dwell too much on reverse-swing and focus instead on seam movement and conventional swing, which will come into play at the Bellerive Oval. “I think, to be really honest, it’s been blown out of proportion a little bit,” he said.