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“Hindsight is a beautiful thing, and obviously, I wish now that I didn’t play that shot and get out,” Harry Brook says

Matt Roller04-Aug-20251:58

Bangar: Brook largely responsible for what unraveled

Harry Brook was “very confident” that England would win The Oval Test when he arrived at on Monday morning, but ended up looking back on his own dismissal with regret after their six-run defeat.Brook scored a swashbuckling 111 off 95 balls in a seemingly game-changing fourth-wicket stand with Joe Root on Sunday, taking England to 301 for 3 in pursuit of 374. But he miscued to mid-off while charging down and trying to hit Akash Deep over extra cover for a third consecutive boundary, and his dismissal was the first domino to fall in a collapse of 7 for 66.”My thought process was just to try and hit as many runs as quick as possible,” Brook said at the post-match presentation. “Like I said, the game’s done if we need 40 runs with me and Rooty in there; if I get out there [with 40 to win], the game’s still done. Obviously, it didn’t work. Hindsight is a beautiful thing, and obviously, I wish now that I didn’t play that shot and get out.”Related

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He told the BBC’s : “At the time, I was obviously very confident. If I’d have got a quick 30 off the next two overs, then the game is done. That was my thought process. I always try and take the game on and put them under immense pressure… I wish I was there at the end, but you can’t write them things.”I had no idea that we were going to lose seven wickets for 60 runs. You’ve got arguably the best Test cricketer in the world out there at the time as well in Rooty, and in the back of my mind, [I thought] I’d try and get as many runs as quickly as possible and the game is done. I had every faith in Rooty that he was going to be there at the end.”But while Brook said he regretted his shot, Ben Stokes sprung to his player’s defence and highlighted the wider value of his attacking approach. “Harry got us into that position by playing a particular way, putting the Indian bowlers under immense pressure to take them away from being able to consistently bowl the areas that they wanted to bowl in,” he said. “I’m sure everyone was applauding him when he brought up his hundred in the way that he did. Some of the shots he played were unbelievable. The dismissal and the way that he got out was a shot that we’d seen a lot of him do in that innings, which I’m sure was getting a lot of praise.”7:00

Stokes: ‘Series great for the wider game’

Brook had a life early in his innings, picking out Mohammed Siraj at long leg on 19 only for the fielder to tread on the advertising cushion on the boundary rope while steadying himself. “I thought the match was gone,” Siraj later said. “Had we got Harry Brook out before lunch, things would have been different. There would have been no fifth day.”Instead, Brook blitzed a brilliant hundred, doubling down on his attacking approach to reach a 39-ball 50 before shifting down a gear and rotating strike with Root. His second fifty took 52 balls and brought the requirement down into double figures. Despite his dismissal, he had put England on course to complete what would have been the second-highest successful chase in their history.They were clear favourites as long as Root was at the crease, but he was caught behind for 105 late on the fourth day – looking to steer a Prasidh Krishna outswinger away for a single – before rain intervened. Even then, with 35 runs required and four wickets in hand, Brook said he was sure Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton would see England home.”I came into the day this morning very confident,” he said. “We had two very good players out there at the time, and I just thought we were going to easily see it home. The way that the Indians fought back there and the way that Siraj bowled especially, I think he deserved every success there.2:19

Miller: Woakes’ bravery epitomises the value of Test cricket

“We were thinking the bowlers would stiffen up a bit [overnight] and the pitch would be a little bit flatter, but obviously with the overcast conditions – lights on again – it started to zip around a bit. Like I said before, Siraj, he’s played five Test matches in a row, bowled 85mph-plus every ball, and he’s had a phenomenal series. I respect him a lot for what he’s done this series.”Brook was nominated as England’s Player of the Series by India’s coach Gautam Gambhir after scoring 481 runs at 53.44 in nine innings, including hundreds at Edgbaston and The Oval and 99 at Headingley. “I’ve played all right,” he said. “I could have won that game yesterday, which is devastating, but I’m just happy to contribute to as many games [as I can].”He plans to play the full Hundred season as Northern Superchargers captain – starting this week – before leading England into white-ball series against South Africa (at home) and Ireland (away). He will then finally get a short break before travelling to New Zealand for a white-ball tour, leading into the main assignments of the winter: the Ashes, then the T20 World Cup.”My first game is on Thursday, so it’s a fairly quick turnaround. We’ll see how I get on. It’s a completely different ball game,” he said. “I’ll go out there and try and work on a few things and get ready for another long winter ahead. It’s going to be awesome. We’ve got a lot of cricket to be played… There’s a lot to look forward to. Hopefully, everybody stays fit and we’ll be raring to go.”

England batter leads way as Eagles come close to breaking their drought on damp night in Hove

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay13-Jun-2025Essex’s hopes of claiming their first win of the season in the Vitality Blast were thwarted by the rain when they were well on top against Sussex Sharks at Hove.In a game reduced to 17 overs a side, Jordan Cox – making only his second appearance in the competition this season after being involved with England Lions – hit four successive balls from offspinner Jack Carson for six on his way to a 47-ball 82 in an imposing total of 177 for 4.Shane Snater then took three wickets without conceding a run as Sussex slumped to 23 for 3 after 3.1 overs when the rain which had delayed the start returned at 9.35pm. Umpires Martin Saggers and Hassan Adnan abandoned the game shortly afterwards as the rain set in.It was a frustrating outcome for an Essex team who did not play like a team beaten in their first five games and that was largely down to a high-class contribution from England international Cox.Together with left-hander Paul Walter, he added 115 in 9.1 overs for the third wicket with Walter contributing 35 from 22 balls, after opener Dean Elgar had got the innings off to a rumbustious start with 33 from 18 balls, seven of which he hit to the boundary.The best way to describe Sussex’s bowling effort would be mixed, with three overs costing a combined 70 runs. Skipper Tymal Mills had to take himself out of the attack after bowling two bouncers in his first five balls, which went for 25 and had to be completed by Tom Clark.The eighth over went for 30 as Cox struck Carson for three leg-side sixes before going down the pitch to loft the off-spinner for a straight maximum and Cox hit another six off James Coles in the tenth over which went for 15.It wasn’t all bad. Ollie Robinson was economical and Henry Crocombe, in his first T20 appearance for nearly two years, finished with 2 for 28 and picked up both Walter – lbw to a fast, full and straight delivery – and Cox, who was well caught at deep backward square by Harrison Ward off the first delivery of the final over. Cox’s runs came from 47 balls and he also hit six boundaries.Carson had the consolation of removing Elgar with his first ball, courtesy of a juggling catch at long-off by Robinson but Sussex were left to score at 10.40 runs an over.Sussex made the worst possible start. Zimbabwean Snater bowled Ward through the gate with the first ball of the reply and skipper John Simpson was taken at short fine leg off the fifth. Cox then took a terrific catch standing up off the first ball of Snater’s second over to remove James Coles and at 23 for 3 Sussex were in considerable strife before rain saved them.

The challenge of opening, keeping and captaining is one that few players have managed successfullly

Firdose Moonda10-Mar-2020Quinton de Kock is a man of few words and he had just one when he was appointed South Africa’s permanent white-ball captain and asked if he would consider giving up the wicketkeeping gloves to accommodate the extra responsibility:”No.”It was one of the few times de Kock has been adamant, even aggressive, when answering questions. He usually mumbles and stumbles his way through in that charmingly naive way that people who don’t like to speak in public have when they are forced to. But on the issue of the triple-task of leading the team, opening the batting and keeping wicket, de Kock was unequivocal that he wanted to do it all.It’s a job only three other players have done for more than 10 matches across all formats and one that, if it goes well, could see him involved in every ball of every match. Rather than express concerns about overload, de Kock said it was essential that he does it that way because he regarded glovework as “the one thing that helps me with my captaincy and my batting”. And the early evidence suggests he is not wrong.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In 16 matches in his new super-role, de Kock has a marginally higher-batting average than in the 194 in which he has not been a three-in-one. He has scored a century and seven fifties, has caught everything that has come his way and though he led South Africa to three series defeats, he also oversaw an ODI clean-sweep over Australia – no mean feat in their toughest summer since readmission.But is it sustainable? Andy Flower, who did the same job 13 times between 1993 and 1996, tells ESPNcricinfo that it could be, if it’s cleverly done. “It’s hard work. It’s quite a load which doesn’t mean it’s not doable, but you have to be smart about the way you expend your energy,” Flower said. “One of the key strategies will be how he recovers, rests and re-energises.”Player workload is a much-talked-about subject for all professional cricketers and rotation policies are commonplace in national squads. The trouble is that it’s difficult to rest someone who wears as many hats as de Kock, especially as South Africa are still working on their combinations and could do with the certainty of having three roles taken care of. “You don’t want anything to give,” Flower said.
“A player of Quinton de Kock’s quality gives your incredible flexibility on selection. He is a genuine allrounder and allows you to balance your side easily.”Beuran Hendricks and Quinton de Kock celebrate the end of Jason Roy’s knock•Getty Images

Some of the pressure can be taken off him through a strong core of senior players, something South Africa barely have but are trying to hang onto. That’s one of the reasons Faf du Plessis has travelled with the ODI squad to India. “For any captain, his lieutenants are important, not any more necessarily for a keeping captain.” Flower said. “But for any captain to have a core nucleus of influential players is important.”South Africa are also in the process of building that so, for now, de Kock is the fulcrum around which everything turns. He is likely to continue captaining, keeping and opening the batting for the foreseeable future and Flower has some advice: while captaining and keeping wicket go hand-in-hand, captaining and batting may not.”The physical positioning of being behind the stumps is a wonderful place to assess the game from; it’s the prime place,” Flower said. “From there, you can see if its swinging, reverse-swinging, read the pitch and the bounce. It’s about the skill of compartmentalising after that. It’s about being able to take off the captaincy hat and put on the batting helmet and shifting from leader to batsman. If he can keep his thoughts as simple as that, and be disciplined in making that switch, he will fine.”And yet despite this, if any aspect of the triple role is likely to suffer, it will probably be de Kock’s glovework, as Flower himself experienced when his concentration on the specific role wavered. You don’t want to make any mistakes and I didn’t feel like I could dedicate enough time to it in training and on the field,” Flower said. “Because of the flow of the game, that really close focus on expecting every ball to come your way and taking every sharp chance, can be lost sometimes. Any mistake you make is highlighted and you feel like you are letting everyone down. Maybe it’s a little easier in a fifty-over game.”ALSO READ: South Africa should do “anything” to get de Villiers back for T20 World Cup – RhodesFlower captained and kept wicket for 16 Tests (albeit he didn’t open), averaging a creditable 49.28 with three hundreds. However he gave up the gloves when Tatenda Taibu broke onto the scene and he was only too happy to do so. “It was so much easier to be lolling about on the outfield and I had so much more time and energy,” he remembered.That’s not advice de Kock will want to hear but it’s something for South Africa’s management to keep in mind. Luckily, they have two other wicketkeeper-batsmen in the current squad who could step up if needed. Heinrich Klaasen, who was the leading run-scorer against Australia, is one option while Kyle Verreynne, who impressed in his debut series with scores of 48 and 50 in two of the three games and stunning outfield work, is another. Both of them are relatively new to the international scene and need time to find their feet and secure a spot before any of talk of them taking over from de Kock can be entertained.Meanwhile de Kock has to keep trying to turn South Africa’s fortunes around, after their worst summer since readmission and as they build for major white-ball tournaments. There’s three in the next three years with back-to-back T20 World Cups and the 50-over World Cup in 2023 and the new management staff were appointed with that as their end-goal. South Africa’s obsession with winning a World Cup will only end when (if) they finally succeed, and until then, they will have to deal with every criticism, from team composition to mental fortitude. That will be de Kock’s biggest test of all.”He is very physically talented and looks fit, and he is a beautiful batsman to watch,” Flower said. “But it will also be about how he deals with criticism about himself, and how he deals with that emotionally on behalf of the team.”

Essex steal a march in grim conditions but Bresnan endures for Warwickshire

Andrew Miller20-May-2021Warwickshire 159 for 7 (Bresnan 47*, Sibley 43, Siddle 4-36) vs EssexThat long-awaited return to a county cricket ground proved to be slow, bleak and joyless. And that was just Dom Sibley’s innings. But by the time a filthy squall of rain blew across Chelmsford at 4.30pm to coat the ground in an unseasonably wintery glow of floodlights (and drive away each and every one of the 100-odd diehards at the Hayes Close End of the ground) Sibley’s stereotypically dour 43 from 120 balls had been trumped by another notable returnee to the fray.When Essex won the 2019 County Championship title, amid emotional scenes at Taunton two years ago, Peter Siddle’s presence had been conveyed via a cardboard cut-out in the corner of the dressing room. He had played an integral role in the triumph with 34 wickets at 20.08 in the first half of the campaign, before departing for his Ashes swansong, and then remaining sidelined by the pandemic throughout last summer’s Bob Willis Trophy triumph.And so this was Siddle’s first outing at Chelmsford since July 2019 – when, as it happens, he’d claimed a first-innings five-for, also against Warwickshire – and his first chance to take formal receipt of that elusive winner’s medal, along with his county cap (No. 164, for those who like to keep tabs) during an on-field presentation during the lunch interval.But before he’d had a chance to try out that new headgear for size, Siddle’s impact on the day’s events had been more than just ceremonial. The first of his four wickets took just three balls to arrive, as Will Rhodes fenced to fourth slip having withstood the new ball for 10 dour overs, and Siddle had doubled Warwickshire’s jeopardy before the end of his second over, as Rob Yates lost his middle stump to a nip-backer.Jamie Porter added a third before lunch, as Pieter Malan kissed a beautiful angled delivery through to Tom Westley at third slip, but throughout a grim first session, Sibley endured with painstaking attrition – parked on the front dog like the part-man, part-bollard that he has been brought up to be, refusing to let the bowlers see anything but the maker’s name as he made up for lost time after his early-season finger break.Sibley’s runs were scarce and hewn from granite – a first-ball clip for four off Porter was a freebie that never looked like tempting him into thinking his eye was in, and in fact almost a sixth of his final total came in one bizarre moment when Adam Wheater fielded a return from the deep and winged a shy away through fine leg, to gift his quarry a lesser-spotted seven.Timing has never been at the core of Sibley’s game – although you might argue that his comic timing was spot-on in the circumstances. What more hearty fare could the Chelmsford faithful have wished for on such a blustery and soul-sapping morning, than the sight of 55 runs being chiselled out in 28 overs of the session, with Sibley himself dripping along at a personal rate of exactly one for every over, like the inexorable impact of gravity on the panes of a stained-glass window.Even though he was dropped on 32 at leg slip (a position that Kane Williamson will no doubt have inked into his battle-plan) it still came as something of a shock when, in the first hour after lunch, Sibley was turned inside-out by the ever-excellent Sam Cook to give Simon Harmer the easiest of his two catches at second slip.For the most part, Sibley had treated his stay like a live net. But, on a day when those in action of England’s probable middle order at Lord’s – Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes – contributed 0, 0 and 0 between them, the barnacle tendencies of their incumbent opener were made all the more valuable by hindsight.Talking of hindsight, it seems extraordinary that Warwickshire would inflict such a scenario on themselves by choosing to bat first in such conditions, although given the knowledge of what Harmer tends to do on this ground in the fourth innings, it was perhaps a question of which bullet they would prefer to dodge. As it was, a scoreline of 76 for 5, on a day when barely any other contest had got beyond the opening pleasantries, was less than ideal by any standards.But Warwickshire, to their credit, refused to buckle to the conditions. In the 40th over, Harmer’s first-ball proper (after a sighter over before lunch) was blatted high over long-on by a pre-emptive Michael Burgess, who manned the barricades alongside the inestimable Tim Bresnan with a gutsy 56-run stand for the sixth wicket.But just when Burgess seemed to have weathered the worst of Essex’s threat, he was undone through a combination of bowler skill and personal misjudgement, as Siddle nipped a length ball off the seam to pluck out his off stump as he shouldered arms for 35.Olly Stone – who would surely have relished cranking it up in these conditions – didn’t last long as Harmer swooped brilliantly to prise him out for 4, his right hand almost behind him as he plucked the edge to give Cook his second of the day.But Bresnan, his stock seeming to rise as a county batsman with every passing year, endured through two closes – the first at tea when the apocalypse appeared to have ended any prospect of further play, and then after a further 2.4 overs in the late evening, in which time he flipped Porter over midwicket to finish as the day’s top scorer on 47 not out.By then, Essex’s paltry returning crowd had fled for home. The circumstances of the post-lockdown reboot could not be less ideal for Chelmsford, a tight ground with a cramped perimeter, where numerous choke-points render social distancing impossible and so have limited their numbers to a handful. But at least those that were present were able to witness their table-topping outfit doing the needful on the field once again – in spite of Sibley and the weather doing their best to be further killjoys.

Phoenix recover from 71 for 6 as pair put on 48 off 30 balls

ECB Reporters Network13-Aug-2021Erin Burns, the Australian allrounder, hit 38 from 26 balls and Emily Arlott 22 from 14 to keep Birmingham Phoenix in with an outside chance of qualifying for the final stages of the inaugural women’s Hundred.Phoenix recovered from 71 for 6, needing 55 with 42 balls left, to pip Trent Rockets by three wickets with six balls to spare after Burns and Arlott had put on 48 from 30 deliveries.Left-arm spinner Kirstie Gordon took 3 for 26 to make it 12 wickets in the tournament as Rockets Women totalled 125 for 7 from 100 balls, Abbey Freeborn (30) and Heather Graham (26) adding 54 in 39 balls for the fifth wicket. But despite Sammy-Jo Johnson taking 3 for 22 to increase her tally to 15, the total was not enough.Trent Rockets Women remain one of three teams on seven points with a home match against Manchester Originals to come, while Phoenix, on six points, travel to Northern Superchargers on Thursday.Second and third in the final table will meet to decide who meets Southern Brave, who are already through to the Lord’s final.Rachel Priest and Johnson gave the Rockets innings a strong start with 34 from 20 balls, both hitting sixes, but the innings lost some momentum as Johnson was lbw trying to reverse sweep off-spinner Burns, Katherine Brunt was bowled by Gordon and Nat Sciver was run out by a direct hit arrowed in from deep midwicket by Katie Mack to be 63 for 4 from 52.Graham had an escape on nine when she was dropped at cover off Emily Arlott before she and Freeborn added 28 in 15 balls. But both were dismissed in the space of three balls by Gordon, who beat Freeborn’s swing before Graham hit her straight to mid-off in a final set that cost only one run.Shafali Verma, on 16 from nine balls after her match-winning 76 not out against Welsh Fire on Monday, was caught at deep midwicket in an early setback for Phoenix, giving Brunt her wicket for the second time in the tournament and the fifth time this summer after a battle between the two that began in the England-India international series.Katherine Brunt roars after dismissing Shafali Verma•Getty Images

The innings seemed to be going nowhere as Eve Jones was leg before to Georgia Davis’s off spin and skipper Amy Jones to a poor shot that saw her caught at short third man off Johnson, who quickly added a second wicket with a low return catch to remove Mack. When Sarah Glenn had Gwenan Davis caught behind they were 58 for 5.Izzy Wong top-edged to short third man but Burns and Arlott turned things round. Burns swept ball No. 88 straight to deep backward square but Arlott, who survived a tough caught-and-bowled chance to Johnson, kept her cool to win the match with back-to-back boundaries.

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.

Visitors lurch to 9 for 4 as rain halts play after 14 balls on third day

ECB Reporters Network22-Sep-2022Durham took one wicket at Seat Unique Riverside before rain intervened to halt their charge for victory against Sussex and take the game into the final day.On a day which only saw 14 balls delivered, Ben Raine still found time to pin Dan Ibrahim lbw for a duck before showers ended the session and eventually the day after just 10 minutes of play, Sussex adding three runs to their overnight score to be 9 for 4.The inclement weather continued to keep the players off the field when eventually the umpires called the close at 3:40pm local time, with the visitors still 288 runs behind and likely needing to bat the final day out to rescue a draw.

“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.”

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

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• 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

David Willey claimed 2 for 20 and Jack Brooks 3 for 23 from their respective four overs in a ruthless all round display

ECB Reporters Network31-Jul-2018
ScorecardNew Zealand captain Kane Williamson hit a superb 77 and showed why he was this season’s leading run-scorer in the IPL as Yorkshire brushed Leicestershire aside by 60 runs at Headingley to get their Vitality Blast campaign back on track.The Vikings had lost their last two matches to Derbyshire on Saturday and Monday, but they returned an impressive performance with bat and ball to secure a fifth win from nine matches.The Foxes chase was ruined as they slipped to 49 for 5 inside six overs as David Willey and Jack Brooks excelled with the new ball. They finished on 127 for 9, with No. 9 Callum Parkinson’s 27 not out the top score.Willey claimed 2 for 20 and Brooks 3 for 23 from their respective four overs in a ruthless all round display.Yorkshire are now back into the top four in the North Group on 10 points alongside Lancashire, Worcestershire and Durham. But they are the only team to have played nine.Williamson’s 77 off 41 balls, his first fifty since returning to the club for a fourth spell as their overseas approximately a fortnight ago, was backed up Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s 53 off 44 at the top of the order.They shared 67 in eight overs to advance from 71 for two in the eighth.Williamson topped the 700-run mark in the IPL earlier this year for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and he hit five leg-side sixes in a classy knock.Yorkshire lost their last six wickets for 11 runs in defeat against Derbyshire here 24 hours earlier, but they were much more measured with the bat after Steve Patterson won a fifth successive toss.Williamson and Kohler-Cadmore were happy to accumulate through the middle overs. The former then put his foot down late on before being bowled around his legs by Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas in the last over. He had reached his fifty off 30 balls.Five Leicestershire bowlers took a wicket apiece, although nobody was able to create any pressure.The Foxes were then blown away inside the first four overs of their chase as Willey, who earlier hit 31, and Brooks struck twice apiece to leave the score at 30 for four.Willey removed Cameron Delport and Mark Cosgrove, the latter superbly caught behind by Jonny Tattersall, in the third over before Brooks got Ben Raine and Colin Ackermann, the latter who had his off and middle stumps removed.From there, the Foxes, who have now lost five of eight matches, were fighting a forlorn battle to avoid a first defeat away from Grace Road.Brooks, back in the side for rested Tim Bresnan, struck for a third time to get Neil Dexter caught behind for 20 as he matched Delport’s score, with the visitors now 49 for five after six.Azeem Rafiq claimed two wickets and Steve Patterson and Jordan Thompson one apiece as the Foxes staggered beyond 100.