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Lead swells to 275 at stumps on day three, despite Dubey scoring a century for Madhya Pradesh

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2023
Services offspinner Pulkit Narang picked up a four-wicket haul to help dismiss Madhya Pradesh for 294 and hand Rest of India a first-innings lead of 190 on the third day of the Irani Cup in Gwalior. Mumbai batter Yashasvi Jaiswal followed up his first-innings double-hundred with a 46-ball half-century to swell Rest of India’s overall lead to 275 at stumps. Jaiswal was unbeaten on 58 along with Abhimanyu Easwaran, who made 26 not out off 51 balls.From an overnight 112 for 3, MP fought their way towards 300, thanks in no small part to Yash Dubey, who scored his fourth first-class ton. However, his dismissal by Narang sparked a collapse as MP lost their last five wickets for 53 runs. Narang also accounted for Saransh Jain, who was the second-highest scorer for MP with 66 off 150 balls. Jain and Dubey added 96 for the sixth wicket before Narang ran through the lower order.Earlier in the day, Harsh Gawli converted his overnight 47 into a half-century, but Navdeep Saini cut his innings short at 54 off 149 balls. Saini, who is working his way back from injury, proved his fitness and form by taking 3 for 56 in 20 overs. As for Narang, he ended with 4 for 65 in 25.5 overs.Rest of India then had a wobble at the start of their second innings, losing their captain Mayank Agarwal for a duck to left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya. However, Jaiswal and Abhimanyu struck up an unbroken 84-run stand for the second wicket off 102 balls to help their team re-establish command over MP. Jaiswal struck eight fours and a six, including three in a row off fast bowler Avesh Khan in the fourth over. Jaiswal was also severe on Ankit Kushwah, taking him for 19 off 13 balls.

He says the backing from the team management has helped “take a bit of pressure off” as he makes a return to India’s squad

Shashank Kishore18-Sep-20225:50

How Harshal Patel has used his injury to become even better

Training without the fear of competition has been liberating for Harshal Patel.Having recovered from a rib injury that ruled him out of the Asia Cup that just finished in the UAE, Harshal is looking forward to life on the road again, which will soon include a maiden World Cup appearance. But first he has to deal with the T20Is against Australia starting on Tuesday in Mohali.Related

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Harshal has spent the past four weeks in rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. The first two weeks were spent working on his physical conditioning, before he resumed bowling. One of his key focus areas has been to be ahead of the curve and continue as the X-factor bowler teams yearn for.”I want to be tighter with my execution,” Harshal told ESPNcricinfo in August. “And I achieved that more or less last IPL [19 wickets in 15 matches]. I will continue to strive for that. If I’m bowling one or two bad balls out of 24, [I want to see] if I can completely eliminate that.”You’re not going to be able to do that every single game, but if I can do that in two games out of five, or three games out of five, that will be a goal worth striving for.”Known for his terrific slower balls and a potent dipping yorker, Harshal vaulted to the top of the wicket-taker’s charts at IPL 2021 and has ridden that wave all the way to an India cap last November.Nearly a year on, he’s emerged as a key member of India’s T20I arsenal. The time off due to injury, he believes, has helped him explore different facets of his craft apart from working on their execution, which is the “tougher bit.” Two of those areas are his new-ball bowling and variations in lengths.”I’ve explored a little bit in terms of the lengths I can bowl with the slower ball,” he explained. “Usually when I bowl the slower balls, it’s mainly fuller or at the good length. But now I’ve started bowling more shorter slower balls which are working out very well for me. That’s one thing obviously.”I’ve also been working on my new-ball skills for a while. I started doing that mid-IPL. Just because in the IPL, what I was supposed to do [mainly middle-overs and death bowling], all my skills were top notch, so I didn’t need to work on them.”So, every time I’d go to practice, I’d take a new ball and start bowling with it because it’s good to have a skill and not need it than the other way round,. It’s just something I’ve been working on and if I get an opportunity, for India or for RCB [Royal Challengers Bangalore], I would love to do that.”Harshal is deeply analytical, and challenges himself to keep getting better. That the team management has been clear of what they expect of him has helped, too.Harshal Patel: My ability to bat at No. 8 is something they [team management] really value•Getty Images

In the 30 T20s this year, he has bowled 54 overs in the middle phase for 19 wickets at an economy rate of 6.61 and 41.1 overs at the death for 18 wickets at 10.17. In comparison, in the 11 innings where he came on in the first six, he has averaged just one over per game.”They [India coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma] have been nothing but supportive,” Harshal said. “Whatever the team ethos is, they have taken precedence over individuals, which is a great thing.”They told me my role exactly. They said, ‘we want you to be able to bowl in all three phases, not just middle and death’. They’ve been bowling me once at the end of the powerplay every single game just to get used to that.”It isn’t just his bowling that Harshal has been working on. He takes great pride in his ball-striking too. “My ability to bat at No. 8 is something they [team management] really value,” he said.”I have not been working a lot on my batting because of time constraints, because you’re constantly in competition. But during rehab, I’ve had a chance to hit 500-700 balls over two-three weeks. It’s something I’ve wanted to work on for quite a while because I really want to contribute in that capacity as well.”What has helped along the way is clarity of roles and backing from the captain and the coach. Harshal believes this is critical for individuals from a mental standpoint, because it helps in better decision-making, especially when players return from injuries.”It does take a bit of pressure off you,” he said. “Because sometimes people make foolish decisions when they’re returning to play. They’re either trying to do too much or trying to push too hard because they feel that their place is in danger or for whatever reason.”But if you know for a fact the team management will remember what you’ve done prior to getting injured, and those performances and contributions are not forgotten, then that gives you a sense of calm or comfort that once you go back into the team – obviously you will have to perform again and again and that goes for every single cricketer – you know that you will hold that place in the team.”As Harshal looks ahead, the mention of ‘World Cup’ brings a smile to his face. He grew up like any other kid dreaming of playing in one, and in about a month’s time, it will all come true.”Obviously I am super excited,” he said. “I will get nervous at some point, but at this point of time, I’m just excited. The two World Cups India have won in 2007 and 2011, I vividly remember where I was and what I was doing.”After we won the World Cup, like every kid, we took our scooters and went onto the roads to dance and jump and shout. It would be great if I could play and if we end up winning the World Cup, to have that circle completed would be a great feeling. But [right now] it’s going to be a lot of excitement and nervous energy.”

Tom Bailey took 3 for 24, Will Williams and Luke Wood picked up two wickets each with Robson not out 56

ECB Reporters Network10-Sep-2023Middlesex’s Sam Robson batted over four hours for an unbeaten 56 but could not prevent Lancashire having by far the best of the first day of the LV= County Championship Division One match at Emirates Old Trafford.By the time a combination of rain and bad light had shortened play by 38 overs, Robson’s relegation-threatened side had struggled to 132 for 8 and their problems were in sharp contrast to the prosperity Kent were enjoying at Canterbury, where Zak Crawley’s century had helped Kent make up three of the seven points between the sides at the bottom of Division One.However, Middlesex supporters could be grateful their plight was not worse. Their close-of-play position represented a recovery from 19 for 5, the score when Ryan Higgins joined Robson to put on 64, the only substantial partnership of the innings to date.Lancashire’s bowlers, on the other hand, enjoyed a fine day. As though keen to capitalise on their opponents’ decision to bat first under cloudy skies, Tom Bailey took 3 for 24 from 16 overs, and both Will Williams and Luke Wood picked up two wickets.Predictably, perhaps, Middlesex’s innings began dreadfully. Mark Stoneman was out for nought in the third over when he edged Bailey to the safe hands of Tom Hartley at fourth slip and nine balls later Joe Cracknell was bowled for one when Williams brought one back from outside off stump to defeat his loose drive.Robson and Jack Davies then defied the Lancashire seamers for 45 minutes but that was merely the prelude to the fall of three wickets in 16 balls. Davies was caught by Phil Salt off Wood for four when he gloved an attempted pull down the leg side; Max Holden was out first ball when his hesitant push to a good ball from Wood merely edged a catch to George Bell at first slip; and then, having made just a single, the normally reliable John Simpson nicked a George Balderson delivery to Salt.Ryan Higgins joined Robson and the sixth-wicket pair effected modest repairs either side of lunch with Higgins’ committed strokeplay a refreshing change from the indecision that had gone before. Seven overs after the resumption, though, he was bowled by Williams for a 50-ball 41 and by the time rain arrived to interrupt play for 90 minutes Josh de Caires had also departed, caught at first slip by Bell off Bailey for 14.Play resumed under cloudy skies and with five slips posted but the next wicket fell in unconventional fashion when Jayant Yadav marked his Middlesex debut by pulling Bailey straight to Luke Wells at slip and departing for four.The visitors’ hopes of making a competitive first-innings total now rest on Robson, the only batter to have made a first-class century this season for a team that has gained just two batting bonus points in 12 innings.

“There are quite a few players who have never beaten India in a Test series. It’s quite astounding,” Hazlewood said

Andrew McGlashan18-Aug-20242:42

Why they said it – “It’s been ten years of unfinished business”

Nathan Lyon hopes to make use of the knowledge gained from England’s Tom Hartley during his spell with Lancashire when he comes up against India later this year as Australia look overcome a decade of “unfinished business” against them.Australia have not held the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since 2014-15 when they won 2-0 and that period includes consecutive series defeats on home soil. In 2020-21, India came from 1-0 down after being bowled out for 36 in Adelaide to take the series with famous wins at the MCG and Gabba alongside a stirring draw in Sydney.Related

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A series victory over India is a major missing piece for this generation of the Australia side, with current captain Pat Cummins among those yet to hold the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, although they did claim the World Test Championship (WTC) title in the one-off contest at The Oval last year.”It’s been ten years of unfinished business, it’s been a long time, and I know we’re extremely hungry to turn things around especially here at home,” Lyon said. “Don’t get me wrong, India is an absolute superstar side and extremely challenging but I’m extremely hungry to turn things around and make sure we get that trophy back.”Feel like we are a different team to a couple of years ago, we are on a journey of becoming a great Australian cricket team. We’re definitely not there but we are along that journey and have been playing some decent cricket.”1:38

Cummins explains why he will miss the September tour to England

Lyon lauded India’s ability to continue to find world-class players, and singled out opener Yashasvi Jaiswal among the newer names. But the offspinner has made use of his time in county cricket this winter to pick up some intel.”I haven’t come across him [Jaiswal] yet, but that will be a massive challenge for all us bowlers,” he said. “The way he played against England, I watched that quite closely and thought that was quite amazing. I had some really good chats with Tom Hartley about different ways he went about it to different guys which I found quite interesting.””I love talking about cricket, so if I can talk to someone who has played Test cricket I might be able to pick up something I’m not aware of. There’s so much knowledge floating around this game that we can always tap into.”Lyon knows that could also work in reverse for next year’s Ashes, but asked if he thought the conversations about India would prove valuable, he added: “If the plans we’ve spoken about come to true, then I think it will be.”Along with Lyon, Josh Hazlewood is another survivor from the 2014-15 series and conceded Australia’s recent results against India was a significant hole in their record.Tom Hartley and Nathan Lyon have a chat in the field•Getty Images

“There are quite a few players who have never beaten India in a Test series. It’s quite astounding to say that,” he said. “That’s one we need to tick off, definitely, in particular at home – we should pretty much win every series here at home.”That last series we obviously bowled them out for 36 in Adelaide and we thought here we go, [we are] back at home [and] confident on these grounds. People say we played India B in that last Test, but they can sometimes be stronger than the best team. They’ve got unbelievable depth in all formats and we are starting to see that now.”The five Tests against India will also be key in shaping the race for the WTC final at Lord’s in June 2025 with Australia aiming to defend their title and it’s something that has extra significance for Hazlewood who missed last year’s final.”It’s always in the background, we have the table up [to see] where we are sitting and what we need to tick off,” he said. “For me, it’s a big one because I didn’t get to play the last one in England so that’s a burning one for me.”Hazlewood will be part of the upcoming T20I and ODI tour of the UK. He is then looking at playing one Sheffield Shield match before the first Test against India. Lyon, meanwhile, is earmarking up to three Shield outings for New South Wales early in the season.

Pathum Nissanka is part of the squad but is racing to recover from a groin strain

Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Jan-2025Sonal Dinusha, a 24-year-old left-arm spinning allrounder, has been named in Sri Lanka’s Test squad for the two-match series against Australia, which begins in Galle on January 29.Opening batter Lahiru Udara has also been been included, potentially as cover for Pathum Nissanka, who is racing to be fit for the first Test, after picking up a groin strain while batting during the third ODI against New Zealand in Auckland on January 11.Related

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Captain Dhananjaya de Silva is nursing an injury as well, having retired hurt from a first-class game with a side strain less than two weeks ago.Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay and offspinner Nishan Peiris make the squad too, with Prabath Jayasuriya to lead the spin attack. On the seam-bowling front, Sri Lanka have four options – Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, and Milan Rathnayake.The batting options are as expected, despite the underwhelming tour of South Africa in November and December. Dimuth Karunaratne is set to play his 100th Test in the second Test, with Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, de Silva, and Kusal Mendis likely to make up the remainder of the batting lineup. Sadeera Samarawickrama is in the squad, likely as the spare middle-order batter and keeper.Dinusha’s inclusion comes on the back of both an impressive domestic record and recent form. He’s been outstanding with the bat for Colombo Cricket Club over the past few weeks, hitting two first-class hundreds in the last month. He was also among the runs for the Sri Lanka A side in November, against Pakistan A. After 44 first-class matches, he averages 40.08 with the bat and 24.06 with the ball.Unlike Dinusha, who has never made a Sri Lanka senior squad before, Udara has been a domestic performer for years and has been on the fringes of the team. He is uncapped in Tests, however, though he has played 97 first-class games. He also makes the squad on the back of decent form, having made a 142 and a 65 in his last five innings.Sri Lanka have no serious hope of making the World Test Championship final, having lost six of the 11 matches they have played in this cycle so far. Australia have won 11 of their 17, with two draws. Australia have all but sealed a spot in the WTC final alongside South Africa, and can only lose it if they incur an unlikely number of over-rate penalty points during the Sri Lanka Tests.Both Tests will be played in Galle.

Sri Lanka squad for Australia Test series

Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka (subject to fitness), Oshada Fernando, Lahiru Udara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sonal Dinusha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nishan Peiris, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Milan Rathnayake.

South Africa promise to be potent foes as Buttler’s men brace after 48-hour turnaround

Vithushan Ehantharajah18-Jul-2022

Big picture

In many ways, the Ben Stokes farewell ODI at Durham will be a welcome distraction for England.Two series defeats to India, both 2-1, the last of which, in the 50-over format, was confirmed on Sunday in a comprehensive five-wicket defeat at Emirates Old Trafford, has made life after Eoin Morgan seem a little tougher sooner than most anticipated. And unfortunately for the ones who had to take the team on after their skipper’s departure, the pressure on them has ramped up over the last fortnight.That’s not to say captain Jos Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott are in any real danger of being cast aside. The reason they are in their roles was for continuity for the defending ODI champions and, what we know of this new era under managing director Rob Key, is everyone will get the opportunity to work things out.Nevertheless, a swansong for the team’s talismanic allrounder is exactly the kind of headline grabber that England need for a bit of breathing room. Not to mention playing in front of a Chester-le-Street crowd that will be focussed more on saying goodbye to one of their own rather than a loss of clarity for the hosts in a format of the game they used to nail in their sleep.Even with ball having more of a say than bat in the last week of ODIs with India, it was damning that no England player scored more than 100 runs across three innings and that there was just one half-centurion in Buttler. And it is far from ideal that the stand-out for the hosts, Reece Topley, will miss Tuesday’s game on account of workload management. The left-arm quick and his nine wickets, almost all big names, were the only bit of cutting edge England showcased and the hope will be Matthew Potts can offer the same on debut. The return of legspinner Adil Rashid, after taking time off for Hajj, will give some much needed teeth to the attack in the middle overs.As far as South Africa are concerned, they seem in a more stable place, even if they are coming off the back of a series defeat to Bangladesh in March, and a tied T20I series with India last month. A shellacking at the hands of the England Lions side in Taunton was followed by a reverse in Worcester in a pair of warm-up matches that were more about getting rid of any ring rust than anything else.There are many players in South Africa’s ranks who are trying to establish themselves at international level, but they will be supported by two experienced campaigners in Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen, who have averaged 65 and 73 in ODIs since the start of 2021 (the second and third highest among those who have 500 runs or more). And quicks such as Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje will continue testing an England line-up who have yet to find an appropriate method for this season’s edition of the white Kookaburra ball.To judge by the scenes at training in Chester-le-Street, the South Africans have a great deal of focus and, crucially, energy which will hold them in good stead against an England side that looks particularly weary and are coming straight into this fixture with just a single travel-day off. That Stokes cited an inability to carry on in all three formats in his farewell statement is worth heeding with as we go into the first of six white-ball games in the space of 12 days.

Form guide

England LWLWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)

South Africa LWLWW

In the spotlight

The idea of picking a player with just 10 List A matches to his name and expecting him to have a big impact for the national team would usually be foolhardy. But off the back of four Tests, against New Zealand and India, in which he hurried batters throughout long spells without losing enthusiasm, you can see why Matthew Potts may be regarded as a shot in the arm for a fatigued group. There isn’t much to extrapolate from Potts’ 18 dismissals at 26.72 with the red ball beyond a desire to seize the big moments and make each delivery count. And maybe those are good enough reasons to pick someone who has played just one 50-over game since the start of 2021. Nevertheless, the Durham local’s ability to do significant work with the older ball means this could be the start of a fruitful career as a Liam Plunkett-a-like.To call Janneman Malan an old fashioned one-day opener is perhaps doing the 26-year-old a disservice. But with a strike rate of 87 and an average of one six an innings, he is one of the more watchful in the modern era. Yet no one can argue with his output so far, in a career that is only two years and 17 caps old and has already featured three ODI centuries and as many fifties. Given how relatively tough batting has been this summer, Malan’s stickability could pay dividends provided he can out-last any early movement. An average of 59 suggests there’s every chance the reigning ICC Emerging Player of the Year finishes the three ODIs having picked up the 172 runs he needs to make it to 1000 in the format.

Team news

Matthew Mott basically confirmed Potts would debut when praising the energy and fresh legs he brought to the group over the last couple of days. That looks to be a straight swap for Reece Topley, while Adil Rashid is likely to come in for Brydon Carse, who has been ineffective so far, despite his valiant efforts in the middle overs.England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Craig Overton, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Matthew PottsDe Kock missed the warm-ups with a bruised finger but has been passed fit and will reprise his usual role as the tempo-setter at the top of the innings. Expect a decision to be made on whether Keshav Maharaj plumps for the extra spin of Tabraiz Shamsi or left-arm pace of Marco Jansen.South Africa (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Janneman Malan, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 David Miller, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Keshav Maharaj (capt), 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi/Marco Jansen

Pitch and conditions

Chester-le-Street has always been one for the seamers though recent precedence has seen batting scores rise – Sri Lanka have the venue’s highest score of 338, against West Indies in the 2019 World Cup. That is probably down to a more attacking approach globally rather than any environmental shifts. That being said, temperatures will hit a high of 35 degrees Centigrade which may influence how many spinners are selected and indeed who will bat first with the 1pm start time.

Stats and trivia

• Ben Stokes will play his 105th and final ODI on Tuesday. Coincidentally, he needs 81 runs to pass 3000 for the format, and (assuming he is dismissed) to finish with a career average of 40.
• England have won nine of their 13 completed ODIs at Chester-le-Street, including eight of the last nine – the exception being Sri Lanka’s victory in 2014.

Quotes

“Jos brings a nice calmness. He’s a hugely empathetic person. He won’t be someone who stands up and makes big speeches, he’ll do it in his own quiet way, one-on-one, working out what makes players tick. And he’s an amazing player – that helps.”

“There are two ways to look at it. They’ve been playing more cricket than us and have found combinations, but it is a point we could capitalise on and build some confidence in our ODI unit before the World Cup next year.”

Boundaries flowed in Hobart but Paddy Dooley played a key role with the ball to deny a former Tasmania player

AAP31-Oct-2023Caleb Jewell’s century laid the foundation for Tasmania’s 28-run win over Queensland in a high-scoring Marsh Cup clash.Jewell’s run-a-ball 137 enabled Tasmania to post a mammoth 376 for 8 before the left-arm spin of Paddy Dooley (2-47) put the screws on the Bulls’ run chase at Blundstone Arena.A magnificent 143 from 112 deliveries by Queensland opener Ben McDermott against his former team wasn’t enough to get the Bulls home as they were dismissed for 348 with one delivery of their innings remaining.The visitors were 258 for 1 in the 35th over and on track for victory but Tasmania skipper Jordan Silk used crafty Dooley and the rest of his bowlers superbly, with Joe Burns run out for 2 at a crucial moment. Queensland captain Jimmy Peirson lacked support in the final 10 overs to get his side home.Veteran Matthew Wade was due to return for Tasmania from a two-match suspension for slamming his bat on the pitch during the Marsh Cup-loss to Victoria in September. A back complaint forced his late withdrawal and Charlie Wakim was a late inclusion at No. 3.Wakim made the most of his chance and combined with Jewell to add 158 for the second wicket. Jewell punished the ball square of the wicket and was masterful at cashing in on the short boundary on one side of the pitch.Silk was in complete control when he joined Jewell. His innings was highlighted by a memorable short-arm jab over midwicket off James Bazley and a glorious cover drive to the boundary off Gurinder Sandhu.Queensland made a statement early in the run chase with openers McDermott and Sam Heazlett reaching 100 in the 11th over. Heazlett was caught and bowled by Dooley, the pick of the bowlers on either side on a day dominated by the bat.McDermott went to his half-century from just 30 deliveries and celebrated by walloping Nathan Ellis over mid-on and out of the ground.His century, off just 75 balls, was highlighted by shots all around the ground but when Beau Webster dismissed the former Tasmania player with an offcutter they lifted their intensity and dried up the runs.

A look at the 2023 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy teams, key matches and players to watch

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2023

Diary dates

April 22: Season starts with all eight teams in action. Sunrisers, winless over the three-year history of the competition, take on two-time champions Southern Vipers at the Ageas Bowl, Thunder host South East Stars, defending champions Northern Diamonds are home to Western Storm and The Blaze, the newly named Nottinghamshire side which has replaced Loughborough-based Lightning, welcome Central Sparks.
July 22: Southern Vipers vs Northern Diamonds. We’ll have to wait until well into the competition before these sides meet for the first time since the 2022 final, in which Diamonds prevented a Vipers three-peat. By then we’ll have a good idea of where each side stands this year. Diamonds are unlikely to lose as many players to England duty through June and July. These sides play each other again immediately after the August pause for the Hundred.
September 21: Play-off between the sides placed second and third after the group stage to determine who faces the top side in the final.
September 24: The final. Will it be another Vipers-Diamonds clash, as has been the case over the first three seasons, or will another team break into the reckoning?

Key signings

Central Sparks have secured Australian batting allrounder Erin Burns from May until the start of August, bolstering their addition of left-arm quick Katie George (Western Storm) and top-order batter Chloe Brewer (South East Stars) during the off-season.Diamonds have lost a lot of experience with Linsey Smith going to Vipers and Nat Sciver-Brunt to The Blaze. They added batter Rebecca Duckworth to their line-up from Thunder but it is Chloe Tryon, the South African batting allrounder, who looms as the biggest fillip during a substantial stint from April-August.South East Stars have brought in allrounder Paige Scholfield from Vipers after Eva Gray’s move to Sunrisers.Southern Vipers welcome back Smith, their Kia Super League OG, from Diamonds but have lost wicketkeeper Carla Rudd (retired), Scholfield and Tara Norris (Thunder).Sunrisers received a much-needed boost when they managed to sign Dane van Niekerk, the hugely experienced former South Africa captain, following her international retirement. She will be with them from May until late July, when she joins Oval Invincibles for the Hundred, while Gray bolsters the bowling stocks.The Blaze Along with Nat Sciver-Brunt, Blaze have added legspinner Sarah Glenn and South Africa allrounder Nadine de Klerk after an impressive off-season recruitment drive.Thunder have also been active in the market, securing former Vipers left-arm quick Norris while retaining former West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin. Naomi Dattani and Fi Morris have also joined from Sunrisers and Western Storm respectively.Western Storm have handed Academy product Sophia Smale her first professional contract after a breakout season in the Women’s Hundred, where she was Oval Invincibles’ leading wicket-taker.

Players to watch

Central Sparks: Grace Scrivens, England’s captain, may have taken the clutch wicket that edged her side past Australia and into the Under-19 T20 World Cup final, but that narrow victory was set up by legspinner Hannah Baker’s 3 for 10 which allowed England to defend a paltry total of 99 and showed she has plenty of gumption.Diamonds: Fast bowler Lizzie Scott was also part of the England U19 team which finished as T20 World Cup runners-up to India in January, building on her performance in last year’s final where she took the important wicket of No.3 Georgia Elwiss in just her third RHFT appearance.South East Stars: Tash Farrant’s season was ruined by a back stress fracture last year, just as she had worked her way back into the England side, so it will be interesting to map her return.Southern Vipers: Opener Ella McCaughan played a couple of excellent knocks in 2022, including a half-century against Lightning and 47 in a 98-run stand with opening partner Maia Bouchier their play-off victory against Stars.Sunrisers: Grace Scrivens is a player the Sunrisers can build their hopes of winning some games on and the confidence she has gained from leading her country at U19 level could see her take the next step sooner rather than later.The Blaze: Grace Ballinger, the 21-year-old left-arm seamer, was joint-leading wicket-taker for Lightning last season alongside the experienced Kirstie Gordon and has been awarded her first full professional contract this year.Thunder: Left-arm swing bowler Tara Norris, who represents United States, won wider international recognition as the first player to take a five-wicket haul at the WPL, although Vipers fans are familiar with what she can bring to a side after she finished 2022 as the competition’s third-highest wicket-taker with 12 at 19.75 and an economy rate of 4.08.Western Storm Experience gained from the Hundred and England’s runner-up finish at the Under-19 T20 World Cup stand Sophia Smale in good stead to make the next, exciting step in her career.

The consensus among the TV commentators following the decision was that a mistake had been made

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-20241:54

‘Karthik’s first-ball reprieve was a hasty decision’

The TV umpire Anil Chaudhary’s decision to overturn an lbw decision from out to not out in Dinesh Karthik’s favour came under heavy scrutiny during the Eliminator between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Ahmedabad.The incident took place in the 15th over of RCB’s innings. After Rajat Patidar had just been dismissed, Avesh Khan swung the ball into Karthik, and the batter was given out lbw by the on-field umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan.Karthik did not immediately review the decision and only made the DRS signal after a chat with his partner Mahipal Lomror. The replays showed the bottom of the bat close to the front pad at the same time as the ball passing the bat, and striking the pad as Karthik came forward.The question was whether the spike on Ultra Edge was the ball hitting the inside edge of the bat or the bat hitting the pad. TV umpire Anil Chaudhary thought it was bat on ball and asked the on-field umpire to change his decision to not out, though it seemed like there wasn’t conclusive evidence to do so.The consensus among the TV commentators following the decision was that a mistake had been made and cameras showed the RR director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara unhappy while talking to the fourth umpire outside the boundary.Speaking at the press conference after the game, Avesh, however, was fine with Karthik getting the benefit of the doubt.”When you are bowling, the emotions are running quite high. If you look at any bowler, they always ask for reviews, they feel the batter is out [if it’s close],” he said. “But when they showed the replay on the screen, there was some doubt – I suppose DK got the benefit of the doubt. The decision the umpire took must have been the right one, the umpiring is always fair.”If Karthik had been given out, RCB would have been 122 for 6, but he went on to score 11 off 12 balls in a partnership of 32 off 24 balls with Lomror. Karthik was eventually dismissed in the 19th over, and RCB finished on 172 for 8 fore going down by four wickets to be eliminated from the tournament.

“That is why I had tears in my eyes; without my father, I would be nothing. He has never left my side”

Shashank Kishore and Afzal Jiwani23-Jun-2022Behind the warm smile, the runs and the , there is a deeply emotional side to Sarfaraz Khan. It comes up almost always when he talks about his cricket. No conversation ever passes without the mention of his . On Thursday, after scoring his fourth hundred of the season, and eighth overall in first-class cricket, Sarfaraz was a man in demand.Sunil Joshi, the national selector, caught up and had a lengthy conversation with the Mumbai batter. Then, it was Harvinder Singh’s turn. A few minutes later, as he jogged up the stairs towards the dressing room for a team meeting, he promised to return shortly to chat with journalists waiting besides the boundary.Related

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Sarfaraz was chirpy, candid, and spontaneous, just like his batting. Over the past three weeks, no two interactions with him have felt alike. It can with so many cricketers of the current generation, because they’re always focused on the ‘process’ and not the ‘results.’ Sarfaraz is driven by results. Driven by the desire to score big runs, every time he goes out to bat. This perhaps explains why six of his eight hundreds are all 150-plus scores.One moment, Sarfaraz had everyone in splits with his jokes and how a “yes, I’ll hang in, you bat your way” from Tushar Deshpande can only mean a wild slog off the next ball. Next, he was teary eyed and ever-so-grateful to his , for his sacrifices in making Sarfaraz and Musheer Khan, his younger brother who is also part of the Mumbai squad, cricketers of some standing.Musheer, incidentally, is yet to make his first-class debut, but recently led Mumbai to the final of the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy, a tournament where he made 670 runs and took 32 wickets to be named Player of the Tournament.Sarfaraz’s tears stemmed from a sense of gratitude and respect towards his .”You all know the roller-coaster ride I’ve had, if not for my father, I wouldn’t have been here,” he said, wiping tears off his face. “When we had nothing, I used to travel with my father in trains. When I started playing cricket, I dreamt of scoring a century for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. That was fulfilled.”Then I had another dream of scoring a hundred in a Ranji final when my team needed it the most. That is why I got emotional after my century and had tears in my eyes, because my father has worked very hard. All the credit for my success goes to him. Without him, I would be nothing. He has never left my side.”Many times, I feel bad thinking about him, because he has always stood by me. He is very happy. In life, some dreams get fulfilled even if it takes time, but I’m happy I have my dad who has bailed me out of tough situations.”The century, Sarfaraz said, was dedicated to late Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. As he got to the landmark, Sarfaraz slapped his thigh, pointed his index right finger to the sky – Moosewala’s signature move – and then belted out a roar towards his applauding teammates.”I have a mindset that to score a century, I need to play at least 200 balls. I can’t have that mindset that this can be achieved hitting consecutive sixes. I can score big only after playing many balls. I tried to play three-four overs from each bowler. Once I start getting used to the pitch and know their plans, I know the runs will flow because I have all the shots.”Sarfaraz hoped Mumbai would display “tremendous discipline” on Friday, the third day of the final, if they are to restrict Madhya Pradesh, who went to stumps comfortably placed at 123 for 1 in response to Mumbai’s 374.”This match is not over yet, there’s a long way to go,” he said. “I’ll be jumping the gun if I say anything right now. I’m confident we can take the lead, but even if we don’t, MP will be batting last in the fourth innings, and it won’t be easy for them.”After two successive seasons of 900-plus runs, Sarfaraz is now firmly on the radar of the national selectors. However, he is focused firmly on the present. “As far as Team India’s selection is concerned, I’m working hard. My focus is to only score runs. Every person has dreams. It will happen if it is written in my destiny.”