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Claire Polosak to stand with Paul Wilson in the List A contest between New South Wales and a Cricket Australia XI at Hurstville Oval on Sunday

Daniel Brettig04-Oct-2017Claire Polosak was a Goulburn teenager with a love of cricket when a schoolmate gave her a new idea for getting involved in the game. “A friend came to school with a flyer and she said ‘Dad says you like cricket, you should give this a go’,” Polosak said. “She thrust the flyer into my face and it was a course for umpiring. So I thought ‘oh I’ll give this a go’ and it grew from there.”From that abrupt introduction, her career did indeed grow, to the point that Polosak, 29, will on Sunday become the first woman to officiate as an on-field umpire in an Australian domestic men’s fixture – standing with Paul Wilson in the List A contest between New South Wales and a Cricket Australia XI at Hurstville Oval.In doing so, she will join the likes of Kathy Cross (New Zealand), Jacqueline Williams (West Indies) and Sue Redfern (England) as women to have umpired at the men’s first-class level. Polosak’s progress also follows significant progress for female officiators in other sports. In May, the South Australian Eleni Glouftsis became the first woman to stand as a field umpire in an AFL men’s match.”A little bit nervous, but if you don’t have a little bit of nerves, you don’t care,” Polosak said in Sydney. “So it’s all about getting all the butterflies going in the same direction. Planning on going out there and having my routines, get through the first ball and go through it from there. I love the challenge, watching balls, being out there, the camaraderie between umpires as you’ve come through is really good, it’s a family, the challenge of having to answer decisions is always good.”I never played cricket, but I always followed cricket, and my parents got me into it [umpiring], Dad used to drive me up from Goulburn to do the umpires course here. It took a few times to pass but it was something I was determined to do and I just kept working through the grades in Sydney competition.”I got a phone call from Simon Taufel [to say I would umpire on Sunday]. I followed Simon when I was a lot younger growing up, he was at his peak, so to have the phone call from him was quite special.”Having umpired men’s and women’s matches extensively, Polosak is in a unique position to compare and contrast. She has found that the women’s game can be more difficult to judge as the high standard of fielding often catches out runners between the wickets, while the greater speed of the ball in men’s matches means that nicks off the edge of the bat can be more easily heard. But either way, she is yet to meet an angry fast bowler or irritated captain she has not been able to “deal with”.Equally, Polosak has not yet joined other colleagues in wearing much in the way of protective equipment when standing. “Cricket Australia is very open to if you want to wear a helmet or protective equipment, they’re happy to provide that,” she said. “At the moment I’m fortunate that I haven’t been in that situation. But if you’ve got good positioning and watching the ball, hopefully that reduces your chance of any injury.”Asked whether her pathway had been anymore difficult than for a male equivalent, Polosak paused. “A bit hard to tell, as I’ve come through the grades, I’ve come through at the same speed that players have, so now in first grade in Sydney I’ve seen players I’ve worked with all the way through, so I’m not a novelty anymore,” she said. “The way the appointments work are based on merit, so I can never ask for anything extra.”I’ve probably had to work a little bit harder [than men] but it’s all part of the enjoyment, and being able to do well makes it even better.
It just shows there is a pathway now, there are increased opportunities. Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW are really increasing the amount of support available for female umpires, and I think that’s showing in other sports as well.”In addition to her own umpiring, Polosak works in female engagement and umpire education at Cricket NSW, where she is intent on building the number of females coming through the ranks of the game’s arbiters. “We’re looking to improve the numbers,” she said. “There’s now an increased awareness of women’s sport and an increased pathway so it’s really exciting.”As for whether the road, that started with that flyer waved in her face, can lead to standing in a Test match, Polosak said she was not putting any limitations on what could be achieved. “There always is [a dream to umpire a Test match],” she said, “but if you ask players or referees from any sport, you just want to go to the highest possible opportunity that you can.”

Following victory in this year’s World Cup, the ECB has announced an expanded programme for 2018, which will also see an increase to the Kia Super League fixture list

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2017England women will take on South Africa and New Zealand in limited-overs series next summer. Following victory in this year’s World Cup, the ECB has announced an expanded programme for 2018, which will also see an increase to the Kia Super League fixture list.The two touring teams will take part in a T20 tri-series, although there is no room for England to host a Test, despite the success of the day-night Ashes game in Sydney earlier this month.Although the scene of England’s World Cup final triumph was a packed-out Lord’s, women’s games will continue to be hosted largely at the smaller county grounds. Worcester, Hove, Canterbury, Taunton, Bristol, Chelmsford, Derby and Leicester will all be venues, while Headingley will stage an England women’s game for the first time since the 2001 Ashes Test.

England women ODI fixtures

• June 9 v SA, 1st ODI, New Road

• June 12 v SA, 2nd ODI, Hove (D/N)

• June 15 v SA, 3rd ODI, Canterbury (D/N)

• July 7 v NZ, 1st ODI, Headingley

• July 10 v NZ, 2nd ODI, Derby (D/N)

• July 13 v NZ, 3rd ODI, Grace Road (D/N)

South Africa will arrive first, for three ODIs in June – with World Cup qualification points at stake – to be followed by the tri-series and then another three ODIs with New Zealand in July. The T20s will feature an innovation in that two fixtures will be played back-to-back at each ground.The third edition of the KSL will then follow in August, with Finals Day to be held at Hove once again. In 2018, the six teams will play each other twice in the group stage, rather than just once.”We are very excited to be staging two different series against high-class opposition next summer with an expanded fixture list reflecting increased spectator interest in watching the England Women’s team in action,” Clare Connor, ECB director of women’s cricket, said.”Last summer’s World Cup success must be the watershed moment for our game that everyone is saying it could be. We will measure that through on-pitch performances, ticket sales, numbers of viewers and listeners and our ability to attract new fans and participants.

T20 tri-series fixtures

• June 20 Taunton, SA v NZ, 1pm; Eng v SA, 5.40pm

• June 23 Taunton, Eng v SA, 1pm; Eng v NZ, 5.40pm

• June 28 Bristol, SA v NZ, 1pm; Eng v NZ, 5.40pm

• July 1 Final, Chelmsford

“The 2018 schedule is an exciting one across both white ball formats and will ensure that more people around the country have the chance to watch the team.”Both South Africa and New Zealand will be tough tests for England and we can expect a competitive and exciting summer of cricket ahead in both formats.”As well as being broadcast live on Sky Sports and BBC radio, England women will make their terrestrial TV bow, after Channel 5 bought the rights to show highlights from next summer. Tickets for the games will go on sale on December 12.

Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza and manager Khaled Mahmud will share additional responsibilities in the absence of a permanent head coach

Mohammad Isam01-Jan-2018Bangladesh will be without a head coach for the upcoming ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, as well as the Test and T20 series against Sri Lanka. BCB president Nazmul Hassan said Richard Halsall, the assistant coach, will be in charge of coaching the side while manager Khaled Mahmud, Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza will share responsibilities in the absence of a permanent head coach.Hassan said the BCB is still looking for a permanent coach, after the position became vacant in November when Chandika Hathurusingha resigned.The BCB has spoken to Andy Flower, Justin Langer, Tom Moody, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara as possible candidates for Hathurusingha’s replacement. All five declined. The BCB then interviewed Richard Pybus and Phil Simmons, who was named as Afghanistan’s coach on December 31.Hassan said while the coaching staff will remain in charge of their particular areas, Halsall will take an overall role. Mahmud, meanwhile, will work in a new role.”The existing support staff will remain as it is,” Hassan said. “We will still be looking for a permanent coach during this time. But for this series, Khaled Mahmud, who has been working as a manager and an inter-link between the board and the players, is given a designation. I think Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza will act as coaches. A lot of it will depend on the senior players; they are confident that they can take up the challenge. Richard Halsall will be in charge of coaching.”Mahmud has been seen overseeing day-to-day activities during the first week of the preliminary camp in Mirpur in the absence of Halsall, bowling coach Courtney Walsh and spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi.

Despite a strong English presence in the IPL auction pool, franchises are having a keen look at these players’ availability over the next two seasons before deciding on whether to pick them at all

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Jan-2018The IPL franchises are taking a careful look at the availability of England players over the next two seasons before deciding on whether to pick them at all. The franchises’ concern is serious because England’s Test players will leave the upcoming season on May 17, ten days before the final. Next year, the ECB has told the IPL that the players will need to leave by May 1 to prepare for the 2019 World Cup, which will be played from May 30 in the UK.There is a strong English presence in the auction pool – 21 players across both the capped and uncapped categories. Chief among the lot are allrounder Ben Stokes and Test captain Joe Root, both of whom are part of the two sets of marquee players who will come up first for bidding on Saturday. Other prominent England players who will come up for bidding on the first day of the auction include Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Alex Hales, Sam Billings, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow.Stokes remains a hot pick after his phenomenal IPL debut last season with Rising Pune Supergiant, who finished runners-up. However, Stokes’ availability has been clouded by the legal proceedings concerning a charge of affray against him. Stokes is likely to appear for the first hearing of the trial on February 13. The IPL has already assured the franchises that in case Stokes is not available for the entire season, a replacement can be sought. However, that won’t be applicable if he’s unavailable for only a part of the tournament.Stokes is one of three England Test players, along with Root and Woakes, that the franchises are likely to be keen on procuring. Unlike Stokes, and Woakes, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Root has never featured in the IPL. However, various franchises have said he is a “good” player and will be a part of their auction strategy.In an e-mail sent to the franchises last week on the availability of players from various countries, the IPL had a special alert on the English contingent’s participation for the next two seasons. “If the Player is selected for the 1st Test Match vs Pakistan commencing on 24th May 2018, he will be required to return to UK by 12 noon on Thursday, 17th May 2018,” the IPL said. “If not required for England duty as outlined above, the Player will have full availability for IPL 2018 through to 27th May 2018.”In 2019, when the IPL would be played for the first time before the World Cup, the ECB wants England’s players to leave by May 1 to prepare for the tournament, as well as the home limited-overs series against Pakistan that precedes it.Considering it is a World Cup year, the IPL would need to end two weeks prior to the global event, as per the Supreme Court of India judgement. ESPNcricinfo understands that the 2019 IPL is likely to end by May 15, which means England’s players would depart two weeks prior to the final. “It is anticipated that any players selected in the England ODI squad will be required to return to UK by 1st May 2019 to participate in 5 ODIs and 1 IT20 vs Pakistan in the lead up to CWC 2019,” the IPL said.On the eve of the two-day auction, there was mixed reaction from the franchises. “Stokes is a tricky one because, from the availability point of view, the English players are a huge challenge,” a franchise chief executive officer said. “They have to return well before the tournament is over.”Next year is going to be a huge challenge too. World Cup starts on May 30. We are told England players have to leave in early May. If that is the case, there is no point picking an English player in your squad because you can’t be picking players for less than half the tournament and then start worrying.”The franchise CEO admitted Stokes was on his list of prospective buys, but the trial was another hurdle. “The trial is about to start. We never know where he stands.”One franchise official said he will not “take the risk” to hire a Root in case of partial availability. “If you are leaving 10 days before the final… I wouldn’t take that risk. If I take, say, a Root, and he is leaving on May 17, then I need a back-up too.”Incidentally, the ECB recalled England’s players last season, too, to prepare for a limited-overs series against South Africa. Stokes, Buttler and Woakes were allowed by the board to play the entire league phase of the IPL only. Hence, a franchise analyst reasoned, the case wasn’t any different now. “If he [Stokes] plays 14 matches, then it is fine. He will once again end up as a top-buy if franchises are ready.”A team director at a franchise said Root could be a smart buy and could come handy if he is bought cheap. A good price, he said, would be INR 3 crore (USD 472,000 approx). Root has set his base price at INR 2 crore (USD 315,000 approx). “People could think of buying him because he will come cheap. He is good. Although he has not played too much T20, he is capable. He can bat for sure, and he can be a part-time bowler as he showed recently against Australia in the ODIs.”

Earlier in the one-day series, the India captain batted according to the match situation, did just what his team needed. Now, with the result of the game holding little value, he had the licence to let himself go, and boy did he put on a show

Sidharth Monga in Centurion17-Feb-2018After sealing the series in Port Elizabeth, with the temptation of a clean sweep not alive, Virat Kohli suggested he might rest some of India’s key players, not least because there are players in that ODI squad who haven’t had a go in the series. Come game day in the dead rubber, India were full strength again. The only man missing out was Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who hasn’t been at his best and was showing signs of fatigue. Despite having played in every match on the tour, Jasprit Bumrah continued to play on.And so did captain Kohli. You could see sense if Kohli wanted to rest it out before the T20I series in two days’ time, but after having watched him bat, you are thankful he didn’t. How could he miss this? He had played tough, tense cricket on the tour so far; now was the time to celebrate, to show South Africa what he was truly capable of after having batted in a certain role through the series, mindful of a slightly weaker lower-middle order.Through the series, it has looked impossible to get Kohli out once he has batted for 10 to 15 balls. In Durban, he offered a catch second ball, which claimed Faf du Plessis’ finger on the way to the boundary. In Cape Town, he was given out lbw third ball only for DRS to save him. That’s about the only two times he has looked in trouble. Yet he has mostly batted within himself. In Cape Town, for example, he kept losing partners, which meant he had to delay his charge. The Durban chase didn’t need any big hitting but required one big innings, which meant he had to play within himself again. In Johannesburg, he fell just as he was hitting a higher gear. In Port Elizabeth, he was run out.On Friday night, though, Kohli had the licence to let himself go. The target was small, the pitch wasn’t demanding, and South Africa were in no mood to play the long game. They were going to gamble with attacking fields. If he hadn’t already done it, Kohli was going to dominate on this night. And dominate he did with joyful stroke-play, scoring 129 off just 96 balls. For a change, Kohli hit the ball in the air early on in the innings. For a change, he scored 88 of his runs in boundaries. In Cape Town, with the series alive and a wicket gone in the first over, it had been the opposite: hitting in the air only towards the end and running 100 of his 160 runs.This was as if to show the world he could bat much more aggressively, but, in the better interest of the team, in adjusting to match situations, he batted the way he did earlier in the series. He still managed a small matter of two centuries in five matches.Still, Kohli wasn’t done. He had another score to settle. After celebrations, he walked to the same press-conference room where he had a run-in with reporters even as he nursed his wounds from the Test series. He was hurting that day, and clearly hadn’t forgotten the unpleasant press conference or the reporting thereafter. “One month back we were a very bad team,” Kohli said when asked if this was the biggest ODI series win for him. “Now we are being asked these questions [which glorify the team]. We haven’t changed our mindset. We have just focused on our cricket.”I don’t want to get lost in such thoughts: whether this is the biggest win or no. Our work is to play the game, strive hard, our work is to perform and try to win every match. Now whether this is the biggest win or not, whoever wants to analyse, write, [they] will do so. For us as a team, our only motive is to give 120% effort, strive hard in practice, keep our mindset good on every day of the tour and prepare so well that we can go and win. We have achieved that this series, and that gives us most happiness. Creating these tags or headlines is not our work. We just wanted to play cricket, which we have executed perfectly this series.”I know for a fact that 90% of the people didn’t give us a chance after two Tests. I was sitting in the same room giving a press conference. So we understand where we’ve come from. I’m not going to live in a dreamland right now and accept all the praise and sit here and feel good about this because it doesn’t matter to me. Honestly, it doesn’t. It didn’t matter when we were 2-0 down [in the Tests], it doesn’t matter when we’re 5-1 up. Because what matters is the respect in the change room. What matters is what the management thinks about me, what I think about the players and what the players think about me. That’s all that matters to me. These things do not matter. I know the headlines change day in and day out. Tomorrow I play a bad shot and get out for zero, everyone will conveniently do what they want to do.”Sitting next to Kohli, coach Ravi Shastri was in no mood to see the series win in the light of a weakened South African opposition, which missed three gun players in two of the six matches, two in three and one in one. “One thing history tells me, I have been coming here since 1992, there is not one South African side in the world that anyone can say is a weak side,” he said. “You just look at their bilateral record, and they are one of the great sides in bilateral cricket. I have followed this game for a long time. I have been a broadcaster as well and covered a lot of South Africa games, and I know how they play. So I would like my boys to enjoy every bit of this series win. Whatever the scoreline is, they must enjoy because it doesn’t happen every day.””We had the same mindset when we played in Sri Lanka recently, we had the same mindset when we beat Australia,” Kohli said. “When we beat Sri Lanka 9-0, everyone said it’s a weak team. When we beat Australia, they still said Australia is not a good ODI side. Then we beat New Zealand, then we beat Sri Lanka again, and we’ve beaten South Africa here again. So the focus has always been on the team. It doesn’t matter who is playing, who is not playing. Whether the team is what it is supposed to be or it’s not, it’s not in our hands and it’s none of our concern.”

New South Wales needed just 29 runs with three wickets in hand when the legspinner turned the game, which Victoria won by 23 runs to move one step closer to a fourth successive Sheffield Shield final

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2018
ScorecardFive wickets from legspinner Fawad Ahmed helped Victoria move one step closer to making a fourth successive Sheffield Shield final after a nailbiting win over New South Wales at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.The Blues needed just 29 runs with three wickets in hand when Fawad turned the game. He had Trent Copeland caught behind with a big, fizzing legbreak. Four balls later he completely deceived Sean Abbott. The Blues quick shouldered arms to a wrong ‘un and was clean bowled.In Fawad’s next over he lured Peter Nevill down the track and did him with flight and spin to have the Blues keeper stumped to end the game.Earlier, the Blues had put themselves in a strong position despite making some mistakes. Daniel Hughes trod on his stumps without adding to his overnight 59. Kurtis Patterson made a half-century before he was run out by Glenn Maxwell while Moises Henriques was trapped in front by Peter Siddle for 49.The Bushrangers now move seven points clear of the Blues in second spot on the table but there are still two other matches to be completed in the penultimate round.

Sophie Devine swept both ODI and T20I awards in the women’s category while Ross Taylor and Colin Munro took home the men’s ODI and T20I awards

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2018Trent Boult was the biggest winner at the 2018 NZC Annual Awards, where he was named Test Cricketer of the Year and awarded the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for best International player of the year.

Full list of winners

Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for Player of the Year: Trent Boult
Men’s Test Player of the Year: Trent Boult
Men’s ODI Player of the Year: Ross Taylor
Women’s ODI Player of the Year: Sophie Devine
Men’s T20 International Player of the Year: Colin Munro
Women’s T20 Player of the Year: Sophie Devine
Winsor Cup (First-Class Bowling): Neil Wagner
Redpath Cup (First-Class Batting): Ross Taylor
Men’s Domestic Player of the Year: Ajaz Patel
Super Smash Player of the Year: Anton Devcich
Ruth Martin Cup (domestic batting): Maddy Green
Phyl Blackler Cup (domestic bowling): Holly Huddleston
Bert Sutcliffe Medal for Outstanding Services to Cricket: Pat Malcon

Boult took 77 wickets across all formats during the period under consideration, during which he became the sixth New Zealand bowler to take 200 Test wickets and also became the sixth-fastest from anywhere to take 100 ODI wickets.Other big winners included batsmen Ross Taylor and Colin Munro who took home the awards for ODI and T20I Cricketer of the Year respectively. While Taylor averaged 78 in ODIs during the period, Munro averaged 57 (at a strike-rate of 182) in T20Is.Sophie Devine, opener and vice-captain of the New Zealand women’s team, collected awards for both ODI and T20 Player of the Year. During the same period, she averaged 55 in ODIs and 31 in T20s while also taking a combined 15 wickets across the two formats.Taylor also won the Redpath Cup for best first-class batting while left-arm pacer Neil Wagner clinched the Winsor Cup for best first-class bowling. Ajaz Patel, the left-arm spinner and lower-order batsman from Central Districts, took home the award for Best Domestic Cricketer while his team-mate Anton Devcich, the hard-hitting opener, won the Super Smash Player of the Tournament.In women’s domestic cricket, Maddy Green and Holly Huddleston collected awards for best domestic batsman and bowler, and were given the Ruth Martin and Phyl Blackler Cups respectively. Seventy-one-year old Pat Malcon was awarded the Bert Sutcliffe Medal for Outstanding Services to Cricket.

Both MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, who are recovering from injuries, trained on the eve of the match against Rajasthan Royals and could be fit to play on Friday

The Preview by Akshay Gopalakrishnan19-Apr-20184:31

Agarkar: Royals missing the X-factor

Big Picture

Much has changed since Chennai Super Kings last played Rajasthan Royals in 2015. Shane Watson has switched camps. Suresh Raina has missed an IPL game in yellow jersey. Ajinkya Rahane hasn’t conformed to the hold-my-end-up-and-let-the-rest-hit-around-me norm. And the MA Chidambaram Stadium will not host CSK’s home matches this season.

Form guide (most recent matches first)

Chennai Super Kings: lost to Kings XI Punjab by four runs, beat Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets, beat Mumbai Indians by one wicket
Rajasthan Royals: lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets, beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 19 runs, beat Delhi Daredevils by 10 runs (D/L method)

It’s the last two of those that have the most bearing presently. This new-found aggression of Rahane has been abrupt. T20 logic dictates that your most effective batsmen get the maximum opportunities to score. With a smart strike-rate of 109, Rahane didn’t fit that bill. But with 72 runs off the last 39 balls he has faced, Rahane has understood the need of the hour better. It is a significant shift in strategy, which could have a ripple effect on the rest of the batting line-up.This isn’t the first time that CSK have had to move to a new home – MS Dhoni’s hometown of Ranchi hosted them in 2014 and 2015. But with 34 wins in 48 IPL matches, the MA Chidambaram Stadium has for long been a stronghold, and how they adapt to a forced change of venue will be key to the remainder of their season. With a run rate of 13.22 in the last five overs so far, CSK have redefined death-overs batting, with each of their innings being characterised by manic late surges. But it is their bowling – they have conceded an average total of 188 so far – and fielding that will worry them the most.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the news

• MS Dhoni batted through a back injury in their previous match against Kings XI Punjab, but he trained with the team on the eve of the game against Royals. Raina, who had missed CSK’s previous match because of a calf injury, also resumed training and could return to the team on Friday.
• David Willey, who was Kedar Jadhav’s replacement player for CSK, was seen bowling extensively in the nets on match eve. Does that mean an IPL debut for the England allrounder?
• Ben Laughlin has fared poorly, going at 10.39 an over. Royals have a potential replacement in Jofra Archer, although it isn’t clear yet if he has recovered from the side strain that kept him out of much of the Pakistan Super League and the start of the Indian Premier League.

The likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Ambati Rayudu, 3 M Vijay/Suresh Raina, 4 Sam Billings (wk), 5 MS Dhoni/Dhruv Shorey, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Imran TahirRajasthan Royals: 1 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 2 D’Arcy Short/Heinrich Klassen, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Rahul Tripathi, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 K Gowtham, 8 Shreyas Gopal, 9 Dhawal Kulkarni, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Ben Laughlin/Joffra Archer

Strategy punt

• While opening with spin has become a common theme this season, CSK will want to have enough overs of spin left when Ben Stokes arrives. In four innings this season, Stokes has fallen twice to spin, and has managed only 22 runs off the 25 balls from spinners.
• Royals have steered away from using their spinners in the slog overs so far, but they may be forced to change that. Laughlin and Jaydev Unadkat, their two strike bowlers, have fared poorly in this phase. While Laughlin has conceded 46 runs off 3.5 overs and doesn’t have a single wicket, Unadkat has fared worse, going at 16.5 an over while also being wicketless.

ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Stats that matter

• Both teams have had an equal level of success and failure in Pune. While CSK have won one and lost one, Rajasthan Royals have won and lost two games each.
• While CSK have an overall record of 11 wins and six defeats against Royals, the last five matches between these two teams have been more closely fought, with CSK winning three and Royals winning two.
• Ben Laughlin has dismissed Dwayne Bravo on each of the three occasions he has bowled to the batsman in T20s. Off the nine balls he has faced from Laughlin, Bravo has seven runs.
• Sanju Samson needs 66 more runs to become the fifth batsman to score 1000 runs for Royals in the IPL.
• Imran Tahir has an excellent record in Pune, averaging two wickets per match, with an average of 15.1 and economy rate of 7.8.
• Both Sanju Samson and Ben Stokes’ only T20 centuries have come in Pune.

ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Fantasy picks

• Big hitter, electric fielder, and a bowler who can give you four overs: Ben Stokes is an excellent T20 package. Even if he does fare badly in one of those areas, there are plenty of other ways he can help you recover those points.
• Sanju Samson has a good record at Pune, where he scored his only T20 century. That, coupled with his current form – he has scores of 49, 37 and 92* in four innings – should make him a tempting pick.

Quote

“It looks a good pitch to me. Nice covering of grass, more grass than probably what we are used to seeing on an Indian pitch.”

On the same ground where England plundered the previous record England thrashed 21 sixes and 41 fours in becoming the first side to reach 450 in ODI history

The Report by George Dobell19-Jun-20180:42

‘Very proud day for us as a group’ – Morgan

England 481 for 6 (Hales 147, Bairstow 139) beat Australia 239 (Rashid 4-47, Moeen 3-28) by 242 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEngland thrashed the highest score in the history of ODI cricket to set up the most crushing defeat – in terms of runs – ever inflicted upon Australia.On the same Trent Bridge ground where they plundered the previous record – 444 for 3 against Pakistan in August 2016 in the most recent completed ODI on the ground – England thrashed 21 sixes and 41 fours in becoming the first side to reach 450 in ODI history. Only once in the 56-year history of List A cricket – when Surrey scored 496 for 4 against Gloucestershire at The Oval in 2007 – has any side scored more.The result means England have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. Australia have now lost five ODI series in succession and eight of their last nine ODIs against England. Indeed, they have won only two of their last 16 ODIs against all opponents. It is the first time England have won back-to-back ODI series against Australia since 1986-87 and, with two games to go, they now have a chance to complete their first 5-0 whitewash over them. They won 4-0 in 2012 with one game abandoned due to poor weather.The foundation of England’s total was high-class centuries from Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales and the quickest half-century in their ODI history from Eoin Morgan. For Bairstow, in magnificent form, it was his fourth ODI century in six innings and his sixth in 19 since his recall less than a year ago. He now has the highest batting average – 65.76 – of any man to open in ODI cricket on more than 10 occasions. The fact he is one of only two men in the top 50 of that list with a strike-rate in excess of 100 (his is 114.19) demonstrates how well he is batting. The fact that the other is his opening partner, Jason Roy, demonstrates how the game has developed and how England have been at the vanguard of that change.The pair combined perfectly here. With Roy murderous against the short ball – he played a hook in the opening overs that travelled far enough to require a visa – and Bairstow in the sort of form that makes a length delivery an opportunity to drive or pull, they posted an opening stand of 159 in 19.3 overs; the 10th highest opening partnership against Australia in ODI history.There were a couple of nervous moments. Australia called for a review when they thought they detected an inside edge on one from Stanlake that nipped back at Roy (replays showed the ball brushed his trousers), while Bairstow was dropped on 30 by Marcus Stoinis running back from mid-off and reprieved on review having been given out leg before attempting to sweep Ashton Agar.Those moments apart, this was one-way traffic. On the sort of pitch that most batsmen would like to whisk to Paris for the weekend – and most bowlers would like to never see again – England gorged and feasted on runs until they dripped down their chins.Hales soon dispelled any thought that the wicket of Roy – attempting an unwise second run – would ease Australia’s pain. A day after he had admitted – quite rightly – that he was likely to be the man to make way once Ben Stokes returned, he provided a strong case for his retention with a 62-ball century; the sixth-fastest in England’s history, all of which have come since the 2015 World Cup. Back on his home ground – the ground where he thrashed 171 against Pakistan in 2016 – he showed tremendous power but also nice placement and shot selection. Nearly two-thirds of his runs were heaved through – or over – the leg side.It looked, for a while, as if England might reach 500. Despite losing Bairstow, heaving down the throat of deep midwicket, and Jos Buttler, deceived by a slower ball, Morgan thrashed a 21-ball half-century. Having recovered from the back spasm that kept him out of the Cardiff match, Morgan not only recorded the quickest fifty in England’s ODI history but passed Ian Bell’s record to become England’s most prolific ODI run-scorer in the process.While Australia tried just about everything in the field – going round the wicket, bowling short, bowling full, even trying eight bowlers – none of it made much difference. AJ Tye, who became just the 11th man to concede 100 in an ODI innings and just the fourth to do so in fewer than 10 overs, had the ugliest figures but this was a day all of them will wake up screaming about in years to come.Australia’s reply started well enough. D’Arcy Short carved David Willey’s first ball for six and his second for four, while Travis Head brushed off a painful blow from a Mark Wood bouncer (Wood exceeded 91 mph in that first spell) to help Australia keep up with the rate for the first 12 overs.But that target – that vast target – required endless risk-taking. And after Short chipped one to mid-on, Head poked a return catch to Moeen Ali and Shaun Marsh lofted to long-on. Aaron Finch, attempting to repeat a six clobbered over long-on, was deceived by one nicely held back by Adil Rashid (Finch, moved into the middle-order to combat spin, has been dismissed by it three times in 13 balls this series) and Marcus Stoinis attempted an unwise second to Bairstow’s arm in the deep. By the time Glenn Maxwell was brilliantly caught at long-on by a leaping Liam Plunkett, it was clear this was to be a rout. Never had England won by such a large run margin in ODI cricket. England’s spinners – a key point of difference between the sides in this series – finished with seven wickets between them.Are such conditions – white balls offering little lateral movement and surfaces offering certainty of pace and carry – good for the game? The debate will continue. Certainly there were aspects of this match – mostly some outrageous hitting – that created an entertaining and memorable spectacle. And there is no doubt that the groundstaff at Trent Bridge have produced exactly what was asked of them. We can expect more of this – and not just at Trent Bridge – during next year’s World Cup.There is, though, an inflationary aspect to boundaries. At some stage, they begin to lose just a little of their novelty and, perhaps, appeal. Suffice to say, all pretence of maintaining a balance between bat and ball disappears in such circumstances. Bowlers compete in much the same way a clay pigeon does when someone goes shooting. It was a remarkable day’s cricket, but you wouldn’t want every day to be like this.There are a couple more caveats, too. This Australia attack, missing at least three first-choice seamers as it is, is not the strongest and the relatively short boundaries meant that, a couple of times, top-edges carried for sixes. On Australian grounds they may have gone to hand.But there have been weaker attacks and shorter boundaries. This was still an incredible effort from a remarkable England batting line-up that is playing wonderfully fearless, innovative and powerful cricket. As this series has progressed, it has become hard to fathom how roles have reversed since the 2015 World Cup when one of these sides lifted the trophy and the other was humiliated. It will amount to little until England do it in a global tournament but you can be sure that no side – and certainly no bowling attack – will relish facing them in conditions like this.

Taylor has created herself a portfolio of superb leg-side stumpings including two this season

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2018Adam Gilchrist rates England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor the best in the world across all formats of the game.Responding to a question in a interview during the ODI in Durham, Gilchrist highlighted Taylor’s work up to the stumps which has regularly been world-class.Taylor has created herself a portfolio of superb leg-side stumpings, alongside other examples of outstanding glovework, including two this season one of which was a breath-taking effort to remove Dane van Niekerk when she gathered a half volley from pace bowler Katherine Brunt.”I tweeted, no longer than a week ago, that she is the best wicketkeeper in the world at the moment – male or female,” Gilchrist said. “She’s done some work over the years in the Big Bash in Australia and with social media now you can see these little snippets.
“It’s a pretty bold statement, because there are a lot of fine wicketkeepers around – Alyssa Healy is another from the women’s game, just so skilful with soft hands effecting these leg-side stumpings.”[They] spend so much time up to the stumps with a little less pace on the ball in the women’s game [and are] so skilful, I’ve seen a lot and a couple in the internationals over the last week or two have been brilliant pieces of work.”