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Worcestershire need 71 to make Surrey bat again after being bowled out for 212 in their first innings

ECB Reporters Network25-Jun-2024Worcestershire 212 (Libby 77, J Taylor 3-19, Lawrence 3-49) and 207 for 5 f/o (Kashif 66, Roderick 63, Clark 3-31) trail Surrey 490 by 71 runsLeaders Surrey remain on course to win their fifth Vitality County Championship match of the season despite prolonged resistance from Worcestershire’s Gareth Roderick and Kashif Ali on day three at Visit Worcestershire New Road.Surrey achieved the first objective before lunch in claiming the final three Worcestershire first innings wickets and enforcing the follow on with a lead of 278 despite resistance from top scorer Jake Libby, Ben Allison and Adam Finch.Opener Roderick and Kashif then dug in to add 135 from 34 overs in relatively untroubled fashion for the second wicket. But three wickets then fell in three overs to turn the game firmly back in Surrey’s favour in the final session of the day.Jordan Clark was the chief thorn in Worcestershire’s side with three wickets as they closed still needing 71 to make Surrey bat again.England spin bowling coach, Jeetan Patel, was at New Road and put Shoaib Bashir, on loan to Worcestershire from Somerset, and Dan Lawrence through their paces before the start of play.He saw Lawrence quickly strike for a third time in the innings after only nine runs had been added to the overnight 147 for 7. Allison, having added 54 for the ninth wicket with Libby, pushed forward to the spinner and edged to Surrey captain Rory Burns at slip.Finch provided Libby with staunch support during a stand of 15 overs before the latter’s five hour resistance came to an end. He was on the receiving end of a fine delivery from Gus Atkinson which left him and Foakes gobbled up a fifth catch of the innings.The innings was wrapped up when Shoaib Bashir pulled James Taylor straight to square leg to leave Finch unbeaten on 27 spanning 71 balls. The final three wickets held out for 43 overs – the same as the first seven dismissals.When Worcestershire followed on, Libby did the bulk of the scoring but after making 28 out of 33 he went for an expansive drive and was bowled via an inside edge by Jordan Clark.Roderick cut and cover drove Taylor for four but was fortunate when he mistimed a drive against Clark which flew in the air past the bowler and Lawrence at mid-on.Kashif Ali needed treatment after being struck on the hand by Gus Atkinson and then nicked the same bowler for a fortunate four but he also played some delightful late cuts.Roderick was first to his half century off 114 balls with seven fours and just ahead of Kashif whose fifty was completed off 85 balls.The century partnership was completed off 167 balls but the two batters fell in quick succession. Roderick (63) edged Clark and was caught low down at slip and then Kashif (66) went to pull Atkinson and lobbed up a simple catch to square leg.Rob Jones (0) fell to a diving catch by Foakes off Clark from a delivery that was too full to attempt a cut. Ethan Brookes also nicked through to Foakes when trying to force Abbott off the back foot – his eighth catch of the match.

Luke Wood three-for puts seal on comfortable victory at Wantage Road

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jun-2023Steven Croft smashed his maiden T20 century to power Lancashire Lightning to an imposing 204 for seven and set up a 35-run victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Wantage Road.Croft took the attack to the Steelbacks attack, blasting seven sixes and five fours in his 101 and shared a 146-run partnership in 12 overs with Daryl Mitchell (48). The pair had led a belligerent fightback after Ben Sanderson (2 for 29) had raised home fans’ hopes by removing England power hitters Jos Buttler (0) and Phil Salt (12) in his first two overs.With Luke Wood (3 for 39) taking three wickets in an over in the powerplay, the hosts’ hopes rested once more on Australian big hitter Chris Lynn but when he fell for 21, it was left to all-rounders Tom Taylor (40) and AJ Tye (35) to entertain the crowds in a lively stand of 58 in five overs as the Steelbacks fell to their sixth defeat of the campaign. Lightning now have five wins from nine games, keeping them firmly in contention for a playoff spot.The Steelbacks’ evening had started promisingly when they restricted Lightning to just 39 for three off the powerplay. Sanderson trapped Buttler leg before in his first over and removed Salt in his second thanks to keeper Lewis McManus who took a diving legside catch. Wells became the third wicket to fall when he holed out off Taylor with Willey taking a well-judged catch.That though brought Mitchell and Croft together who were quick to go on the attack. Mitchell hit his first delivery for four and later dispatched Tye high over extra cover.Croft hit the first six of the game over long on off Sanderson and greeted Freddie Heldreich by sweeping him over square leg for two sixes and a four in his first over. He pulled Taylor over deep square for six and then hit the next two balls he faced, both from Heldreich, for two further maximums.Mitchell was also clearing the ropes, smashing two sixes down the ground off Zaib’s only over. He offered the bowler a sharp return chance though, but the bowler could not hold on.Justin Broad, playing his maiden first-team game for Northamptonshire finally made the breakthrough in his only over, accounting for Mitchell who was caught by Lynn off an attempted scoop.Croft fell soon after reaching his century thanks to Zaib who held onto a steepling chance at deep backward square off Tye, who also removed Tom Hartley in the final over.Liam Livingstone (25) played some big shots, clubbing England teammate Willey down the ground for six before he was run out off the final ball of the innings.Northamptonshire’s new opening pair Ricardo Vasconelos (15) and Emilio Gay (13) took 22 off the first two overs. Gay hit three consecutive boundaries off Jack Blatherwick before he was caught off the leading edge off the first ball of a highly eventful over from Wood.Vasconcelos pulled a free hit from Wood for six but departed to the next delivery when the bowler took a sharp low return catch. Wood then accounted for Willey next ball, caught by Salt, before Zaib safely survived the hattrick ball.Zaib hit Blatherwick into the top of the Turner Stand but was caught behind by Buttler off the next delivery to leave the Steelbacks in real trouble on 47 for four.Broad (14) looked unfazed on the big occasion, reverse sweeping Hartley for four and crunching Wells through extra cover before he was put down at long-on. Wells soon had his man though when Broad was caught by Mitchell at long-off.Lynn needed to play another powerhouse innings for the Steelbacks and had a stroke of luck when he was put down on the boundary off Hartley with the ball running away for four. But Hartley struck soon afterwards when he had Lynn caught off a top edge attempting to hook. Three overs later Wells picked up his second wicket when he bowled Lewis McManus (11).Tye and Taylor were determined to go down all guns blazing and took on the bowlers to give the home fans something to cheer. Tye dispatched Livingstone over the ropes and hit Blatherwick for an even bigger six over deep square leg. The fun ended when the Australian tried to uppercut Mitchell over the infield on one leg and was caught by Blatherwick for 35 (two sixes, three fours). Mitchell then had Sanderson caught and bowled two balls later.Taylor continued to blaze away, ending the game with an enormous six over deep midwicket to finish unbeaten on 40 (one six, two fours).

Missing Caribbean tour may have prolonged career, fast bowler admits

Vithushan Ehantharajah11-Feb-2023It was in New Zealand back in 2008 that Peter Moores pulled the cord on the future of English Test cricket. Out went the experience of Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard for the second Test at Wellington. In came 25-year-old James Anderson and 21-year-old Stuart Broad.The pair would play the next match in Napier, too, going on split 16 wickets between them as England secured what remains their last series victory in these parts. A month shy of 15 years on, and 1,225 more dismissals between them later, they return to the country where it all truly began.It’s tempting to fawn over such Origin Story shtick with Anderson and Broad, as per their three visits since. With good reason, mind, given their longevity is a key part of their legacy, specifically a sense they had as much control over their own destinies as the seam on a ball. But this tour carries the whiff of something a little different. That maybe now they are ceding a bit of that control and allowing themselves to be slaves to fate, just like the rest of us. Particularly Broad.When both Broad and Anderson were dropped last March for the tour of the Caribbean after another disastrous Ashes Down Under, retirement came into their minds. It’s hard to gauge who was closer to making that call, but Broad was being pencilled into the rota for Sky Sports’ Test coverage in the 2022 summer, which suggests feelers had been put out.A permanent move from the pitch to the commentary box will have to wait a little longer, though Broad did occupy the couch as a pundit for the Pakistan tour, which he missed for the birth of his first child, Annabella. Now, sitting as comfortably as ever in England training gear outside the team room of the Novotel Hotel in Hamilton, he sees a different side to missing that West Indies series.”Arguably that decision saved my career,” Broad says. “If I had gone there on those pitches I’m not sure I’d be here now.” The series ended in a 1-0 defeat after two high-scoring draws in the opening matches in Antigua and Barbados. “I don’t think it was designed like that by the selectors but I count myself as pretty lucky.”Now here we are: Rob Key as men’s managing director, Brendon McCullum as red-ball coach, Ben Stokes as Test captain and a run of nine wins out of 10 after just one in 17. English cricket is in an wonderfully absurd place right now, catalysed to an about-turn few saw coming. Broad has been a key part of that, particularly as the leading wicket-taker of the 2022 summer with 29 at 27.17.He knows his numbers, of course – there aren’t many in the game quite as invested in the minutiae of their statistics as Broad. “If I’d have gone on the two tours I missed [West Indies and Pakistan] I would have ended up the leading wicket-taker in the world [in 2022],” he says, assuming of course that first tour hadn’t finished him. He ended up with 40 in the calendar year, seven shy of the joint-leaders Nathan Lyon and Kagiso Rabada.Stuart Broad was England’s leading wicket-taker in the 2022 summer•Getty Images

As much as the new environment has helped, in particular the attacking mantra in the field of progress over preservation, Broad admits to a shift in his general outlook. After a period of “waking up more confused and angrier with each passing day” as he wrote in hiscolumn following his axing, came the decision to focus on what was right in front of him.”When I got left out of the Caribbean I changed my mindset to just attacking a week at a time, because it can be quite tiring looking too far ahead all the time, and we got in a habit of doing that. It is so refreshing just to have a crack at the week in front of you and sign it off.”Looking back a year, I would not have chosen to miss the Caribbean but it was a good thing that has happened for me. I never decided I was not going to play for England again but, when I got back to playing for Notts, I decided to give it everything, put my heart and soul into this week, try and get a win, sign it off, recover and move on.”With me going down that mindset, and Baz and Stokes taking over, it has been incredible for my enjoyment levels and me personally. I bowled well and felt I did my thing for the team instead of saying ‘I’ve got to do this to try and play at Edgbaston in July’. I’m very relaxed. If and when I get selected, I will give it everything, charge in, sign it off and go again.”The “if and when I get selected” is sincere. Since the emergence of Ollie Robinson, Broad’s place is no longer guaranteed. He is now as likely to play alongside Anderson as he is to deputise for him.It’s something he accepts, in terms of the reality of the situation right now rather than a reflection of his skills. And as such, the last year has been spent workshopping a new gather (when a bowler “loads up” their arms before delivery). If his usual action has his right (bowling) hand under his chin before coming back over his shoulder, like he’s tucking a napkin into his shirt before going to town on some soup, this new variation has his right hand cocked out just in front of his nose, like a T-Rex about to catch a sneeze.The idea is to improve his wobble-seam delivery to right-handers. The new method is still a work in progress, with Broad having used it sparingly at the end of last summer, but he gave it another go during the warm-up match against New Zealand A.Related

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“It came about at the start of last year with the Dukes ball,” Broad said. “it didn’t necessarily swing a huge amount in those first four Tests. The wobble wasn’t getting a huge amount of reaction, so I wanted to change my seam position and the way I wanted to do that was just change my shoulder position.”So it almost looks a bit like Dominic Cork, how he used to have that high load, and used to twist his shoulders around. I’ve got quite an open front side, so the aim of it is to load high, to twist my shoulders earlier, to be able to hold my front side and get the ball to bounce away more to the right-hander. So it’s something that I’ll use against right-handers with the red ball a little bit more, but it’s just a technical tweak to get my shoulder a little bit more aligned to the batter.”Popey spotted it when he batted [in the nets] but a few of the guys didn’t really notice it too much. So I’m hoping that opposition batters won’t be able to spot anything. It’s just a real flow through the action to relax the arms and try to get a bit more flick.”Whether Broad plays in Mount Maunganui on Thursday or is saved for the second Test and a return to Wellington on February 24, Broad’s return will come off the longest break he has had since his school days. His domestic season ended at the end of September as Nottinghamshire sealed promotion to Division One. Then came the newborn and the associated loss of free time. “I didn’t do a huge amount because even having a shower was quite a big commitment to be honest.” he says. “Bowling six overs indoors just wasn’t going to happen.”He probably could do with a few more sessions ahead of the first Test if selected, though Cyclone Gabrielle is expected to wash out any hope of meaningful outdoor practice on Monday and probably Tuesday, too. But there are no regrets for Broad after what he regards as an incredibly fortunate few months at home.”I feel very lucky and blessed for Baz to have let me miss that period away from cricket,” he says. “I watched it [the Pakistan tour] intensely as a great tour to watch, and the guys really enjoyed it. I feel very lucky to have been around for the birth and the first 12 weeks of Annabella’s life. It’s certainly life-changing, that is for sure. It’s incredible. But I’ve enjoyed being back with the group here and it’s been a great first two weeks.”Unfortunately, Broad’s time away was also a period of sadness as his father-in-law passed away after a short illness. Missing the tour meant he was able to be there for his partner, Mollie, and her family.With anyone else, becoming a father and suffering loss might offer a reminder that there are more important things than cricket. But Broad has never lacked for perspective or taken what he has for granted, which is exactly why he finds himself back here in New Zealand, on the cusp of his 160th Test, with 566 wickets to improve upon, and an 11th Ashes series on the horizon.Though he may have less control over his own destiny, with uncertainty over how much road there is to go, he is arguably the embodiment of a team living in the moment and wanting to test the limits of what they can achieve.

RCB physio Evan Speehcly hopeful of getting him ready “soon”

Shashank Kishore26-Oct-2020Navdeep Saini, the Royal Challengers Bangalore fast bowler, has suffered a split webbing in his right hand while bowling in the match against the Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. He got hit on the right thumb while fielding off his own bowling, forcing him to immediately leave the field after the 18th over of the Super Kings’ chase in Dubai.A plastic surgeon was instantly called to stitch his right webbing. This puts him in considerable doubt for the Royal Challengers’ next game against the Mumbai Indians on October 28, even though Evan Speechly, the team physio, says he’d be working overtime to get him ready.”Saini has split his webbing in the last ball there,” Speechly told after the match. “He obviously got hit on the right thumb. Fortunately, we had a good hand surgeon who stitched up nicely. We will monitor overnight and check whether he can ready for next match. I cannot be sure when he is good to go but hoping he will play next match.”The injury is similar to what Virat Kohli suffered in the 2016 season. At the time, Kohli had nine stiches on his right hand but continued to play. He finished that season with 973 runs, the most by a batsman in a single edition.”Virat four-five years ago had it in Kolkata. We managed to stop the bleeding and he smashed a 100 [113, against the Kings XI Punjab] after we got a plastic surgeon who had stitched it. Unfortunately, you cannot compare the two injuries,” Speechly explained. “Some people manage it and some can’t.”It’s also because Saini’s injury is on his bowling hand, so it puts a lot of pressure on him. I cannot be sure when he will be good to go. I am hoping that he will be good to play in the next game and the rest of the tournament.”Saini has been key to the Royal Challengers’ turnaround this season. He has so far played in all 11 games, and while he has only picked up five wickets, he has been among the most economical pacers in the team, conceding just 7.95 runs an over.If Saini isn’t fit enough to take the field, the Royal Challengers’ have Umesh Yadav as a like-for-like replacement. Yadav, however, has struggled for consistency, featuring in just two games so far. They also have a spin-bowling allrounder in Shahbaz Ahmed on the bench.Only their net run rate separates third-placed Royal Challengers with table-toppers Mumbai. They’ve won seven out of their 11 games and are primed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, when they finished runners-up. The Royal Challengers play two of the top three – Mumbai and the Delhi Capitals – to round off the league stages.

Suryakumar, Wadhera hit fifties as Mumbai win with 21 balls and six wickets to spare

Shashank Kishore09-May-20232:29

Moody: RCB will be shattered as a bowling unit

If ever you needed an example of a team walking home in a 200 chase without any stress, this was it. And in doing so, Mumbai Indians fired their IPL 2023 campaign into orbit as they made a stunning climb from No. 8 to No. 3 after razing Royal Challengers Bangalore in another six-fest at the Wankhede.At the forefront of their march were Suryakumar Yadav and Nehal Wadhera, who put together 140 off just 64 balls in a sensational spell of on-demand boundary hitting that had seasoned bowlers such as Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga and Harshal Patel searching for answers.From 101 needed off 60, Suryakumar’s pyrotechnics that brought him his IPL best – a 35-ball 83 – brought the equation down to 8 off 26 when he walked off to a standing ovation. It was his fourth fifty-plus score in his last six outings, marking a sensational turnaround in fortunes after a cold first half.Suryakumar’s partner for much of that innings, Wadhera, made the most of his promotion up the order in Tilak Varma’s absence due to a niggle. The ferocity of their partnership had a deflating effect on RCB, who now join a cluttered mid-table that has four teams on 10 points with a possibility of a fifth joining there on Wednesday night.

Behrendorff’s powerplay act

Long before there was an inkling of what was to come, Jason Behrendorff set the stage alight at Wankhede by stinging his former team with the wickets of Virat Kohli and Anuj Rawat. Kohli was out giving him the charge off his fourth ball, nicking a heave that was overturned through DRS, while Rawat’s top edge to an attempted scoop landed in Cameron Green’s lap as he ran back from slip.Prior to the double-strike, Behrendorff could’ve also had du Plessis first ball if Wadhera hadn’t dropped him at midwicket. Du Plessis, though, made them pay along with Glenn Maxwell as the pair quickly offset RCB’s early losses to fire them from 16 for 2 to 56 for 2 after six overs.

The Maxwell-Faf show

RCB’s soft middle order has been a cause for concern all season, but Maxwell and du Plessis weren’t going to die wondering. In fact, du Plessis took two fours off Chawla and continued the attack against Green. On the other side of the powerplay, Maxwell welcomed Chris Jordan – Jofra Archer’s replacement in the XI – by pumping him for two sixes in his very first over to raise the half-century of the partnership off just 25 balls. As it turned out, it was just the start of the mayhem that was to follow.Du Plessis was all muscle, backing away to swing cleanly if he wasn’t lofting through the line on instinct. Maxwell was a mix of the inventive and the ridiculous, switch-hitting, slog-sweeping, scooping and reverse-ramping his way, treating the bowling with such disdain that you wondered if Mumbai were in for a target in the vicinity of 230. The pair had put on 120 off just 60 balls when Maxwell dragged one across the line to deep midwicket for a 33-ball 68.Suryakumar Yadav celebrates after bringing up his half-century off 26 balls•BCCI

The RCB slowdown

RCB would lose Mahipal Lomror and du Plessis, for a 45-ball 61, in the next two overs to expose that brittle lower middle order. It’s at this point that RCB decided to summon their Impact Player by bringing in Kedar Jadhav. It was now on him and Dinesh Karthik to give the finishing kick.Karthik struggled for rhythm, but flicked a switch from 8 off 7, to slam Kumar Kartikeya’s left-arm spin in the 18th over. But his dismissal with 11 balls left had RCB shortchanged. Akash Madhwal, the rookie seamer, delivered an excellent final over, only his second in the game, that went for six as RCB finished with 199; the last five had just brought them 48 runs.

The Kishan turbocharge

Five runs, four innings, two ducks.Rohit Sharma shredded that with a ferocious flat-bat off Hazlewood first ball. Ishan Kishan followed Rohit’s cue to take the attack to Mohammed Siraj, flicking and whipping his way to sixes. In trying to sustain his onslaught against spin, he was out to Hasaranga after hitting him for a four and six. Two balls later, Rohit was out lbw to a delivery he tried to nudge against the turn to one that didn’t turn as much as he expected. Mumbai were up against it at 52 for 2 in five overs.

SKY takes over

Over the next five overs, Suryakumar and Wadhera kept up with the asking rate by playing risk-free cricket, before the flick was well and truly switched on. Hasaranga’s return to deliver the 11th with Mumbai needing 101 more led to a torrent as both batters picked a six apiece.Du Plessis now went back to Hazlewood to stifle the scoring, especially with Harshal Patel struggling for rhythm. But Suryakumar’s grand hitting behind the V, where he used pace to takedown Hazlewood and Siraj for sixes behind square on either side, left everyone awestruck. He brought up his half-century off just 26 balls, and then raised the tempo even more by nonchalantly lofting a slot-ball from Siraj into the second tier down the ground.By now, Suryakumar was seeing it like a football, so big that even a beamer aimed at his body was swatted away for six like it was child’s play. His dismissal to Vyshak Vijaykumar in a double-wicket over was somewhat of an anti-climax at the end, but by then the result was a foregone conclusion.Wadhera fittingly finished it off with a lofted six over cover to bring up a second-straight fifty. By then, Mumbai had razed down the fastest 200 chase in IPL history – with 21 balls to spare – and the second-fastest overall.

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.

A former SL sports minister has alleged corruption, though no evidence has been made public

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Jul-2020Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Aravinda de Silva and Upul Tharanga have all been summoned to appear before a special investigations unit set up by Sri Lanka’s Sports Ministry, over allegations of match-fixing in the 2011 World Cup final. The allegations were made by Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who was the sports minister at the time, and is seeking re-election in parliamentary polls next month.Although Aluthgamage has claimed that he is in possession of evidence that fixing occurred, nothing substantial has been made public. The ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has never stated the final was under suspicion either. A senior ICC official at the time has told ESPNcricinfo that they do not recall having received any complaints about possible corruption in that match. And separately, a senior official from the tournament organising committee has also confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that no complaint related to corruption has been filed regarding that game.Broadly, Aluthgamage’s allegations appear to be about the four changes Sri Lanka made to their XI for the final. However, Sangakkara (who was captain), Jayawardene (who was vice-captain) and de Silva (who was chief selector) have repeatedly said that those changes were precipitated by injuries to two players – Angelo Mathews and Muttiah Muralitharan – sustained during the semi-final. Muralitharan was able to play the final, but has since said he had not been fully fit. Mathews, meanwhile, was the player who provided balance to the XI, and his exit from the side is said to have changed the batsmen/bowler composition that Sri Lanka had been using for much of the World Cup.That the sports ministry can summon these players before a special investigations unit is due to the “Prevention of offences related to sports act”, which was passed last year with the aim of curbing fixing. The ICC’s ACU is understood to have worked closely with the Sri Lankan government during the drafting of that bill.De Silva had given evidence before the investigations unit on Tuesday, while Tharanga had appeared before the unit on Wednesday. Sangakkara and Jayawardene will make their appearances either side of the weekend.

Vice-captain backs team-mate to turn on the style at some point in coming series

Vithushan Ehantharajah10-Jun-2023Ollie Pope has backed Zak Crawley to make an impression in the Ashes, believing the England opener can strike a run-a-ball hundred against Australia’s much-vaunted attack.Crawley remains a point of contention in a team that has won 11 out of their last 13 Tests under Ben Stokes’ captaincy. He’s been a constant selection since the start of last summer, but heads into the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston this week averaging just 27.69 in that period. There have been just four scores above fifty – including a century against Pakistan back in December – the last of which came against Ireland at Lord’s last week.Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum remain huge advocates of the 25-year-old, citing his potential as a reason not to judge him solely on output. During a poor run last summer, McCullum stated that Crawley’s skillset “is not to be a consistent cricketer”, encouraging him to continue playing his way at the top of the order for the team’s good.And last week at Lord’s, faced with an 11-run chase in the fourth innings against Ireland, Stuart Broad related how the talk in the innings break had been about the possibility of Crawley winning the game with consecutive sixes. “The conversation in that 10 minutes was ‘can you do it two balls?'” he said. “Don’t take four overs, don’t worry about getting out …” In the end, Crawley sealed the chase with three fours in four balls.Such sentiments are echoed by Pope. Though the vice-captain cedes Crawley himself has not been happy with his returns so far, Pope feels the Ashes, and the bowlers England will face, provides the perfect opportunity for the Kent batter to show just how high his ceiling really is.”The player that Zak is, he could have a tough first game, have a tough first innings of a second game and then go and blast a hundred off a hundred, because he’s got the ability to do that against Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon – these guys,” said Pope. “That’s the exciting thing about Zak as a player – you know he can take the game and, in the space of a session, set the tone or break the back of a run-chase.”We chat about it openly and he wouldn’t mind me saying – there have been times when he hasn’t scored the weight of runs that he has wanted. But there have also been times where he has played some knocks that have gone under the radar. He’s scored his three hundreds (in his career) but he’s also had a lot of big knocks at the top of the order.”Pope cites knocks against India and South Africa last year as examples of Crawley’s under-rated contributions. The former was 46 at Edgbaston, part of an opening stand of 107 with Alex Lees, which provided a platform for a chase of 378. The latter was 38 from 101 deliveries in the second Test against South Africa that, following centuries from Stokes and Ben Foakes, led to a first innings of 415 for 9 declared that England were able to fashion into an innings victory to square the series at Old Trafford.Related

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There is also Crawley’s only score of note against Australia, a 77 compiled at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It is this knock, against Cummins, Starc, Boland and Green, that coaches and team-mates believe showcase the scale of Crawley’s ability, more so than the 267 against Pakistan in 2020. “He’s obviously a player who can deal with 90mph bowling at his head,” said Pope on that innings.Crawley is clearly at the end of his tether with constant criticism of his selection. Last month he stated he did not care for the views of “the average punter” questioning his place on social media. That noise will only get louder with the heightened interest in the Ashes bringing greater scrutiny.Pope sympathised with his team-mate’s situation and feels greater focus on the five matches against Australia should not make the next six weeks the be-all and end-all. Not just for Crawley, but for the rest of an England side angling to claim the urn for the first time since 2015.”Firstly, Zak is a top bloke and a very well-liked bloke in the changing room,” Pope said. “There’s a lot of media around it, because of the numbers. There’s been a lot of chat. Coming in after someone like Alastair Cook and the way he played – what a legend of the game he is, averaged 40-odd – there’s probably a bit of a stereotype maybe as to that England opening spot, you need to be averaging 40 and batting this way.”Just because it is an Ashes series, there’s more on it because there are more public eyes watching. But it doesn’t have to be a make-or-break series. There’s pressure on us all going into this series. We’re playing one of the best teams in the world in our home conditions, so we’re desperate for everyone to do well. But at the same time, if it doesn’t go to plan, what we’ve done as a team in the last year and a bit … for nobody is it a make-or-break series.”

“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.”

SA’s white-ball captain says they don’t want to rush 19-year-old Brevis into international cricket

Firdose Moonda31-May-2022South Africa will tap into the confidence of IPL champion David Miller when they kick off a busy 2022-23 season with five T20Is in India next week.Miller, who was the sixth-highest run-scorer in IPL 2022, had his best IPL showing in 10 years and was particularly successful against spin, which has often been a weak spot in South Africa’s batting.”It’s always nice to see guys in form. A guy like David lifting the trophy with the Gujarat Titans – the confidence that he will bring into the team, we look forward to that,” Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s white-ball captain said on the eve of the team’s departure to India. “David has performed exceedingly well at the IPL and I’m sure that will do a world of good for his confidence.”Related

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Milller’s most notable improvement at the IPL was the way he dealt with spin. He went from scoring 226 runs at a strike rate of 98.68 against spin between 2016 and 2021 – which was the second-worst return in that five year period – to scoring 206 runs at a strike rate of 145.07 this year. He was one of only five batters to average over 100 against spin this IPL.But there are also other reasons for his prolific run. Miller said he felt “extremely backed,” by Titans, indicating that it wasn’t always that way at other IPL franchises. But what about the national side?”The conversations that I have had with David, he has never expressed those types of feelings to me,” Bavuma said. “As far as I know, David is still an integral member within our team and we trust his performances will continue well into the future.”While it’s never been expressed whether Miller feels his role in the South African set-up is secure, it’s often been a talking point that he doesn’t get enough time in the middle and that, as is the case with many finishers, a lot rests on him at the end. But, by Bavuma’s own admission in a wide-ranging upcoming interview with ESPNcricinfo, South Africa’s top order has not always done their bit, and as they look to improve their combinations ahead of the T20 World Cup, they may consider using Miller differently.While Miller has mostly batted between No.5 and No.6 for South Africa, he consistently batted at No.5 for Titans and may want to make a case for a permanent role at that position for the national side too. Bavuma indicated that South Africa would consider it, if it brings the best out of Miller.”In terms of him batting a bit longer, that has always been the conversation over the years when David has done well,” Bavuma said. “He understands where he fits in within the team. If he feels he can add more value within a different position, a conversation can be had in that regard. There is no way we are going to stifle him or restrict David in any manner. That’s how we try to treat all the players. We try to set them up in positions where they can succeed and make strong plays for the team.”‘Brevis should be given time and space to hone his game’
The same applies to those who are not in the team at all. Dewald Brevis is the only South African from this season’s IPL who was not selected for the T20I squad, despite setting the Under-19 World Cup alight.Bavuma explained that South Africa did not want to rush the 19-year-old into international cricket and hoped to see him perform well in the domestic set-up this summer. Brevis has been contracted to the Titans (the Centurion-based South African domestic franchise) for the next two seasons.”In all fairness to him, he hasn’t played a first-class game,” Bavuma said. “In terms of expectation but also allowing the boy to grow within his game, it would be fair to allow him to play a couple of first-class games where he can really get an understanding of his game. It will be a lot of pressure to throw him into the international set up and expect him to make plays. He will be treated like any other exciting young prospect that comes onto the scene. He will be looked after as well as he can. He should be given time and the space to hone his game within the system and ease into the international side of things.”