Category Uncategorized

Lancashire produced a county-record run chase success in the Friends Provident t20 at Old Trafford to claim bragging rights over Roses rivals Yorkshire

Cricinfo staff09-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Stephen Moore launched Lancashire’s chase with 59 from just 32 balls•Getty Images

Lancashire produced a county-record run chase success in the Friends Provident t20 at Old Trafford to claim bragging rights over Roses rivals Yorkshire. Backed by a sell-out crowd, Stephen Moore blasted a rapid half-century as the Red Rose chased down 163 to claim a five-wicket win. Earlier, new England Lions spinner Stephen Parry claimed 3 for 19. The victory consolidates Lancashire’s top-three position in the North Division and keeps them on course for the quarter-finals.Herschelle Gibbs passed 50 for the third time this season and with Adam Lyth’s rapid 36, Yorkshire looked at one stage set to reach 200 having won the toss. But Parry, who accounted for Lyth thanks to a great catch from Simon Kerrigan at mid-on, led the Lancashire recovery with wickets at key times.Sajid Mahmood also bounced back from conceding 21 off his first over to finish with 3 for 30 as Yorkshire lost five wickets for 32 runs. Gibbs became the first batsman to pass 400 runs in this group, blasting his half-century from 34 balls.But he was caught well for 51 by Nathan McCullum in Parry’s first over, bringing an end to a 50-run partnership with Jacques Rudolph. Rudolph followed in the same manner six overs later as he went for 16 – again caught well by the New Zealander.At that stage Yorkshire were 119 for 3 after 13 overs and still going well. However Parry, Kerrigan and Tom Smith began to make runs hard to come by, backed up with some good fielding.And once dangerman Gibbs had gone, Yorkshire fell apart with Anthony McGrath soon following him as he was caught by Mahmood off Kerrigan for 10. In the final over McCullum pulled off his third catch of the innings as Jonathan Bairstow holed out for 13 and then, two balls later, Adil Rashid went for 13 as he chipped one to Steven Croft at mid-on.Mahmood then ran out Clint McKay as Yorkshire finished on 162 for 8. Moore made a powerful start in Lancashire’s reply, smashing 14 from Steven Patterson’s first over including a huge six into the pavilion, and then hitting three consecutive boundaries off Rich Pyrah.Fellow opener Smith had a rare failure as he fell to Pyrah for just four. But Moore and Croft continued the onslaught with the former Worcestershire opener racing to his fifty in just 24 balls with nine boundaries.They had put on 49 when Moore went for 59 in the ninth over, caught by Andrew Gale off Pyrah, who finished with 3 for 33. Croft then took over and, after guiding Lancashire safely to three figures, belted a straight six back of Rashid’s head.He fell to the next ball though when trying to repeat the trick and was caught by Rudolph for a 28-ball 36 with Lightning still needing 46 off 36. And although McCullum and Gareth Cross were both dismissed before the end, Paul Horton saw Lancashire home with an unbeaten 37 from 30 balls.

Opening the batting may not be ideal berth, but after 17 Tests on sidelines, any role will suffice

Vithushan Ehantharajah19-Aug-20240:53

Dan Lawrence: Ollie Pope doesn’t need to try to be Ben Stokes

“I’d bat No.11, if I had to.”It’s a line Dan Lawrence has used before, which is as much a reflection of three years spent largely carrying drinks as his 11 caps spent ticking off every slot between No.3 and 7. But its airing on Monday in the press conference room at Emirates Old Trafford had an altogether different twist.Lawrence will not be batting at No.11 in the first Test against Sri Lanka – he will be in at No.1. As a designated replacement for Zak Crawley, he is due to face the first ball this week when he walks out to the middle with Ben Duckett. And while batting last comes with a specific kind of bitterness that Lawrence says he would have been willing to swallow, going in first may not be all that much sweeter. Like the ends of a horseshoe, they are closer together when it comes, say, to the kind of reticence a middle-order batter might have for such an unfamiliar position. Not that Lawrence has articulated any of that.”I was just waiting for an opportunity,” he said, having spent 17 Tests on the outside looking in, instead carrying drinks, bowling his tidy home-spun offies in the nets and, ironically, often batting first in pre-match sessions.”And wherever that was, in the order, I was going to snap their hands off for it,” he added. “So I’m just going to enjoy these few weeks and hopefully score some runs and put my name in the hat for future selection.”A month captaining London Spirit has clearly given Lawrence a professional level of diplomacy. Then again, when your last Test appearance came on a depressing tour of West Indies, months before the breakout Bazball summer of 2022, why wouldn’t you be appreciative of an invite to the party? Even the recently retired James Anderson, fresh from a month commentating on the Hundred, was donning keeping gloves on the Emirates Old Trafford turf during Monday’s training session as the quicks tore in on a practice strip from the end bearing his name. He was eventually relieved of those duties once Jamie Smith had finished batting in the nets.That’s not to say Lawrence is anything but sincere in his desire for an opportunity, or that England are simply rewarding his perfect attendance over the past two years. Truth be told, everything that this team has been since 2022, even in a summer where they are veering away from their previous brat ways, is very Lawrence. Outlandish strokeplay wedded with bloody-mindedness. A ruthless take on carefree abandon. Everything in moderation, including moderation.Dan Lawrence has been recalled to England’s Test team in Old Trafford•Getty Images

Even earlier this year, Lawrence was hustling for a hit. Out for the full tour of India, he was granted permission by the ECB to turn out for Desert Vipers in the ILT20 during England’s break in Abu Dhabi between the second and third Test. His switch to Surrey has seen him operate as a spin-bowling allrounder, a role that England often threatened to replicate during the India tour last winter but never quite settled upon. At a time when English cricketers seem to be able to have their cake and eat it too, Lawrence has had to choose.It is easy to forget that when he first arrived on the Test scene in Sri Lanka at the start of 2021, he was the new radical. Wristy beyond belief, yet with an appreciation of the grind. He was reared on spicy Chelmsford decks – initially as an opener, which is where operated for most of his brief second-team career – before emerging as a vital cog in a County Championship title-hoovering beast.That did not quite translate to his first stanza with England, in part because Lawrence was trying to make his way during the dregs of Joe Root’s era, most of which was levelled in the great rebuild. That he has four half-centuries and five ducks speaks appropriately to that indifferent start. It also explains why, despite only operating as an opener in seven out of his 203 red-ball innings, he views this week as a new beginning.”I think in my first stint, I showed glimpses of what I can do. I was certainly fairly inconsistent. There were definitely some glimpses of what I can do. And there was some low scores as well in there, but I think that all came with being quite young. I wasn’t completely sure of my game at that time.”And, yeah, I look back on it, and I’ve got some really good memories, and I’ve got some memories where I thought it was really challenging. So I’m treating this as a bit of a fresh start.”It is not a stretch to suggest that, had Sri Lanka won more than three of their last 11 away Tests since the start of 2021 – all those against Bangladesh, too – Lawrence’s wait for a starting berth may have gone on. And it is not unthinkable that this all ends in pretty unedifying fashion. Sri Lanka’s seamers operate with full, attacking lines by default and are likely to have conditions in their favour with a bleak summer set to peter out in dank fashion, starting in Manchester (of course). And, well, there’s the very real fact that Lawrence just isn’t an opener.In a recent column in the , Michael Vaughan articulated his justified reservations over the selection, while highlighting Lawrence’s strengths. “Well, thankfully it’s not up to me to make those decisions,” came Lawrence’s understandable response when the former England captain’s thoughts were put to him. “I got asked to open the batting, and I’m definitely going to say yes. So obviously people are going to have their opinions, but I’m obviously chuffed to get the opportunity.”Shoaib Bashir and Dan Lawrence during a training session•PA Images via Getty Images

At this juncture, that, ultimately, is all that matters, especially at a time when Lawrence’s opening partner, Duckett, has thrived by not leaving anything outside off stump. It has also been made cleaner by the decision to replace Stokes with Matthew Potts. It would have been awkward to select Jordan Cox, the uncapped Essex batter – who was signed from Kent to cover for Lawrence’s departure to the Kia Oval – as he would have likely slotted in at No.6. Lawrence would have been within his rights to feel aggrieved if that had come to pass, as if he had braved a long queue for the hottest restaurant in town, settled for a cramped seat at the bar, only for the person behind him to bag a recently vacated booth.Nevertheless, Lawrence is finally through the door for his first taste of Test cricket under the jurisdiction of Brendon McCullum and Stokes, albeit in a stand-in capacity as Ollie Pope takes the reins. And he is glad for it.”I think ultimately, the best thing about this environment is allowing players – or new players – to go out there and be as free as possible,” Lawrence said at the end of his media engagements. “Whereas, necessarily, in the past, it might not have been like that.”But watching all the boys go out there and debut and take five-fors and score loads of runs, it’s quite evident that boys are going out there and just relaxing and having a good time. And that’s what I’m going to try and do.”

Home side begin final day needing 33 runs with two wickets remaining

David Hopps13-May-2023Durham 227 and 213 for 8 (Jones 56, Lees 38, Fisher 4-56, Thompson 3-40) require 33 runs to beat Yorkshire 254 and 218 (Raine 4-36, Potts 4-61)Yorkshire have not won a Championship match for 17 matches. The 18th is in abeyance after they claimed the extra half-hour, but failed to force victory against the leaders Durham at Chester-le-Street. Durham begin the final day needing 33 runs with two wickets remaining. A riveting match remains in the balance.This sounds appallingly like hindsight, but Yorkshire would have been better leaving the last two wickets until the morning when the weather is overcast and the ball might swing. Their impatience to finish the job was understandable, but their seam attack (or at least those seamers the skipper Shan Masood entirely trusted) was weary, the sun was shining (no, really, it was) and their impetus was already on the wane.Durham added another 18 in nine overs as Ben Raine and Matthew Potts resisted gamely. Durham need a win to stay top of Division Two and their supporters talk proudly of a side in good shape; Yorkshire need a win to help them block out the perpetual grumbling from the outer and convince themselves that promotion is a realisable objective. Both sides have been a credit to Division Two.To add to the uncertainty, Brydon Carse will walk out at No.11, if needed, after having scans on a “trunk injury” that restricted him to only five overs in Yorkshire’s second innings. The results of those are not yet known. Carse, fully fit, would be a danger. Carse, severely restricted, might be impotent. Nobody really knows.Matthew Fisher, who holds four wickets overnight, said: “We chucked everything at them, we just needed one to roll. As much as it’s stressful and you’re knackered, we know that we need to go again in the morning. I didn’t really want the extra half hour because it would have been nice to get off and freshen up.”Durham’s target was 246, a tall order that had sizeable chips removed from it during a new-ball assault by Alex Lees who made 38 from 37 balls, driving in carefree fashion as Fisher and Jordan Thompson began timidly and inaccurately as if a long run without success had crept into their consciousness. A failed to attempt to change the ball after 3.5 overs summed up their state of mind as there was little swing to be had.Masood dealt with the situation shrewdly, withdrawing Fisher from the attack after two overs, giving him time to reflect and reintroducing him at the Lumley Castle End. If the ball was not swinging, there was soon further confirmation that it would occasionally keep low as Fisher seamed one through Lees’ gaping gap.Lees dealt with, Durham abruptly slowed as Michael Jones took the long view. Scott Borthwick clipped Thompson to short midwicket, but Jones gradually expanded his range, Mickey Edwards looked too leaky for such a tight match on a surface where accuracy was essential and, at 126 for 2, Durham were edging the match as a series of borderline lbw shouts did not fall Yorkshire’s way.Then came a random moment to shift the emphasis. Bess’ career has stalled at Yorkshire, not helped by the county’s appetite for internecine strife. Runs have eluded him and his bowling average is in the mid-40s. Unsurprisingly, he had struggled to hide his disfavour as several lbw decisions did not fall his way. Then he was clunked on the knee when Graham Clark pulled Matthew Revis fiercely into the ground and limped off with four overs to his name, returning later to sound effect.Masood was forced to return to Hill, who was carrying an onerous responsibility on his slender frame. It immediately paid dividends as David Bedingham was held by Jonny Bairstow, an excellent one-handed scoop as the ball died in front of him.Fisher’s return came with a sense that the game could be turned. So it was as he took wickets in three successive overs: Ollie Robinson’s flashing drive flying to first slip, Jones falling lbw by virtue of the totting-up procedure, and Bas de Leede joining the growing list of bowlers to chop on.If there was ever a time for Jordan Thompson to live up to his somewhat optimistic nickname of “the man who makes things happen” it had arrived and he added two in two as Graham Clark also dragged on and Axar Patel, who had tormented Yorkshire in the first innings with some last-man tomfoolery, losing his magic upon his promotion to No.9 and immediately falling lbw.Bess deserves credit for returning later, ice and painkillers applied, and maintaining an excellent holding operation against admittedly obsessive Durham defending. Against tiring bowlers, in bright sunshine, Durham might have been better giving it a go. But they will ridicule that notion if they steal the game in the morning. A new ball is only 10 overs away and they will surely want to wrap things up by then.Yorkshire had been evenly placed at the start of the day – their closure at 91 for 3 giving them a lead of 118. With Malan and Bairstow at the crease – a rare Championship alliance between two England internationals – they had a chance to kill the game. Just as it seemed they might, Ben Raine dismissed both in successive overs courtesy of excellent catches by Ollie Robinson.Ollie Robinson is quite an upgrade for Durham, released by Kent because the presence of Sam Billings and Jordan Cox meant limited opportunities. He sprang a long way to his left when Malan chased a wide one and then even further to his right when Bairstow edged an attempted drive. Both had scrapped for around two-and-a-half hours, but the first half-century of the match was still awaited.That fell to Hill, who continued an excellent all-round match with 51 from 52 balls until Potts had him caught at second slip with a wide outswinger on the stroke of lunch. A more graceful player than when he first appeared in the side, he made light of the introduction of spin, in the shape of Patel, and played Potts in an assured fashion as anybody.Whatever the outcome, Yorkshire could recognise his growing importance by immediately capping him. They can’t afford it, but then they can’t afford to turn the lights on.

Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Ellis are among the pace bowlers included

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2022Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and David Warner have been rested from the limited-overs leg of Australia’s tour of Pakistan while Matthew Wade has not been included with there only being a single T20I in the schedule.Travis Head has an opportunity to play his first ODI since 2018 while Josh Inglis will be in the mix for a debut after his impressive start in the T20I side against Sri Lanka. With Wade not included, Inglis is likely to take the gloves for the one-off T20. Glenn Maxwell was not available for the tour due to his wedding.In the absence of the big three quicks, Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Ellis are part of the pace attack. Allrounder Cameron Green will also have the chance to resume his white-ball international career which has so far been limited to one ODI.CA contracted players with IPL deals – included those not part of this series – will not be available to take up their contracts until April 6. Of the touring party, Abbott, Ellis, Behrendorff, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis have IPL teams.”We have picked a talented and versatile squad with a number of challenges to juggle, including the tour structure of predominantly 50-over games, management of several multi format players in the medium to long term; and our need to build experience and depth in preparation for two short form World Cups within the next 18 months,” national selector George Bailey said.”There’s no doubt it’s been a pretty intense schedule the last six months and even if you look ahead the next 18 months so it’s about working with those individuals and the squad as a whole that you are trying to meet the needs of everything. This [squad] was a bit of a challenge.”The ODI series will be just Australia’s second in the format in more than a year having only played three matches against West Indies during 2021. They had been due to play home matches against New Zealand but that series was postponed to due quarantine requirements.Squad Aaron Finch (capt), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Rashid Khan, meanwhile, produced the most economical spell of IPL 2020, finishing with 4-0-7-3

Alagappan Muthu27-Oct-20204:54

Bishop: Current scenario astoundingly good for IPL

The Sunrisers Hyderabad came into this game having to win everything to stand even the slimmest chance of qualifying for the playoffs. One wrong move could have ended their entire campaign right here, right now. That is a lot of pressure. And yet, they reveled in it.David Warner batted like he used to. Hard hands hitting through the line and eyes only for the boundary. He made 66 off 34 balls. Wriddhiman Saha provided another example of why he shouldn’t be underestimated as a batsman in T20 cricket. He made 87 off 45 balls. On the back of those two knocks, the Sunrisers put up 219 for 2 and smothered the Delhi Capitals with scoreboard pressure.The Sunrisers are now sixth on the points table with 10 points, just two behind the Kings XI Punjab and the Kolkata Knight Riders.Warner, Saha, Bang, Bang
Eleven fours. Two sixes. And 77 runs in the powerplay. Even as the world was debating why the Sunrisers had dropped Jonny Bairstow, their new set of openers were tearing it up out in the middle.Saha bosses the first six overs in the IPL. And he did it again. He faced only 10 balls in that period, but sent four of those to the boundary. He matched Warner shot for shot in an opening partnership of 107 in 58 balls.The Capitals did try to one-up their tormentors. R Ashwin, for example, concentrated on denying Warner any room outside off stump. After trying to manufacture some, the left-hand batsman decided to simply stand still and whack that ball angled into his pads over deep square leg for six.Anrich Nortje, the fastest bowler of the tournament, dropped his pace and attempted to hide the ball from Warner. And this was as early as the fourth over. But it didn’t work. The Sunrisers captain practically skipped across his stumps and cut the ball for four with such class that for a moment a cricket match felt like a Broadway musical.Sunrisers keep the party going
On the back of such a dominant start, and with one of those openers batting deep into the innings, the Sunrisers reached incredible heights. Only once in their history have they ever put up a bigger total than the 219 they racked up in Dubai.The biggest contributor to that total was Saha, who was hitting a boundary every 3.2 balls. He didn’t slow down even after the field restrictions were lifted. Heck, He wouldn’t even let a bout of cramps come in the way of his helping his team win.Saha felt that twinge in his groin fairly early during his partnership with Manish Pandey. And yet, he found the strength to hit 47 of the 63 runs that the Sunrisers made in that time – at a strike rate of 223.Pandey managed just 11 off seven in that stand, but he finished with 44 off 31, to cap off a near-perfect batting effort. There were only three boundary-less overs in the entire innings.Rashid all the way
He’s dangerous even without scoreboard pressure, but with it behind him, he is unplayable. In a chase that required the batsmen to go at nearly 12 an over, Rashid Khan’s figures were incredible. Four overs. Seven runs (!) and three wickets.The Capitals had front-loaded their batting. They had Shikhar Dhawan, who has hit four successive 50-plus scores this season, including back-to-back hundreds.Sandeep Sharma sent him back for a duck.They promoted Marcus Stoinis at No. 3 and Shimron Hetmyer at No. 4.Spin consumed them.When Rashid took his third wicket, the Capitals were 83 for 6 in the 13th over. The slide from there was slow but completely inevitable.

New Zealand’s demolition of Sri Lanka in Cardiff was a powerful display by a team that always seems to figure at the pointy end of World Cups

The Report by Daniel Brettig01-Jun-2019
As it happenedYes it was a good toss to win. Yes it was a green pitch. Yes it was a beautiful morning on which to bowl. All that said, New Zealand’s demolition of Sri Lanka in Cardiff was a powerful display by a team that always seems to figure at the pointy end of World Cups, demonstrating too that the climes of an early English summer (albeit in Wales this day) will only add to the their prospects of progressing to the final four.Equally, Sri Lanka’s meekness – apart from a doughty innings by their captain Dimuth Karunaratne, who was the 12th cricketer and second Sri Lankan to carry his bat in an ODI – underlined the somewhat listless state of their cricket presently. A few months after the horrific Easter terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka, the island nation would have hoped for some good news; instead Karunaratne’s men looked overwhelmed by their opponents, the conditions and the occasion.This was also the third match in a row at the World Cup to finish well ahead of schedule with a yawning gap between the sides. On that evidence, notions of a 10-team format reducing the number of “mismatches” and increasing “competitiveness” are already looking shaky.Watch on Hotstar (India only): All the wickets the New Zealand bowlers tookOpportunity often brings discovery, a point underlined by how Matt Henry responded to keeping his place ahead of a not-yet-fully-fit Tim Southee. Taking the new ball, Henry struck with his second ball to put Sri Lanka off balance from the start, and his command of line and length set a strong example for others to follow – something recognised by the match award.Lockie Ferguson’s undoubted pace also turned heads, scything through the Sri Lankan middle order to ensure that Colin Munro and Martin Guptill had only a modest chase to gobble up. Gobble they did, sprinting home with a whopping 203 balls remaining.Matt Henry appeals for the wicket of Lahiru Thirimanne•PA Images via Getty Images

There was a time, after Henry’s initial breakthrough, where Sri Lanka looked capable of more. As Karunaratne dropped anchor, Kusal Perera flayed a quartet of boundaries through the cover and gully regions with the axeman’s relish of a latter-day Sanath Jayasuriya.At 46 for 1 after eight overs they were well and truly in the game, but Perera’s eagerness to get to grips with the New Zealand pacemen got the better of him when consolidation may have been wiser, skying Henry to open up an end. When Henry got his areas exactly right for Kusal Mendis’ first ball, squared up and edging to a diving Guptill at second slip, the game was more or less up.Some may argue that Karunaratne might have tried to exert more of an influence, but he largely played the kind of sensible innings that needed only to have been mirrored at the other end to allow the Sri Lankans to wriggle their way to a tally beyond 200. As it was, only the Pereras, Thisara and Kusal, made it as far as double figures, while a trio of ducks were registered.ALSO READ: Fernando: Cricket can’t undo the horror, but it can be a balmFerguson’s sheer speed to beat Dhananjaya de Silva was one of the more arresting moments of the remainder, and when New Zealand were briefly denied the final Sri Lankan wicket due to hesitance to rule that Mitchell Santner had cleanly caught Karunaratne, the fast bowler responded by rattling Lasith Malinga’s stumps the very next ball.There were a couple of edgy moments at the start of New Zealand’s pursuit, but they were brief. Sunshine and warmth had helped calm the surface and Malinga slipped obligingly into the driving and hooking zones of Guptill and Munro. While a packed Cardiff crowd were able to fill the ground with plenty of time to see the majority of the match, they were left only with memories of New Zealand dominance and Sri Lankan struggle. Some closer games, please.

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.

The Preview by Sidharth Monga18-Jan-2017

Match facts

Thursday, January 19, 2017
Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)

Big picture

With so much cricket happening these days, you don’t get to savour incredible performances for long. Two days later, you are again staring at the prospect of a gruelling ODI. They are gruelling on the players because so much is packed into those 100 overs. Teams are mentally stronger than they used to be, and hardly carry negative momentum from defeats, but England have got to wonder after Pune what more they need to do. They scored 350, had India at 63 for 4, and didn’t really bowl awfully, but still lost with 11 balls to spare.India will enjoy that England might be worried now. Remember Virat Kohli’s statement after Pune? He said he told Kedar Jadhav that England would panic if India reached 150 for 4. Part of England will be doubting themselves, but another part will be telling them that the kind of chase India put up is not as repeatable as England’s performance in the first innings. England had almost everybody performing for them; India relied on individual brilliance, that too batsmen stretching themselves. Kohli had to play a game he doesn’t like: take risks early by stepping out and premeditating. England will tell themselves they at least made India play low-percentage cricket.Both sides will have identified areas of improvement. India will want more from the other batsmen. England wanted to start their final surge around 36th over, but Hardik Pandya bowled a good spell, taking the wicket of Jos Buttler, and India conceded just 40 in the next seven overs. Both batting units will be looking to iron out these kinks, and bowlers will have to find new ways to stay in the game.

Form guide

India WWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England LWLWL

In the spotlight

Since last February, in the 14 limited-overs matches that he has played, R Ashwin has not been called upon to complete his allotment on eight occasions, including in Pune where he went for 63 runs in eight overs, his economy rate of 7.88 his worst when he has bowled five overs or more. Ashwin had decided to bowl defensively, and never veered off that plan. These are important matches: at a time when finger spinners are generally struggling to stay relevant in limited-overs cricket, Ashwin has to figure out what he wants to do to buck the trend. India need wickets in the middle order, and Ashwin took the place of a man who took five wickets in the last ODI India played. Of course the pitch was different when Amit Mishra took five, but generally wrist spinners are more effective in current limited-overs cricket. It will be interesting to see how Ashwin approaches the rest of the series. Does he still look to just contain or go for wickets proactively?This might be the era of wrist spinners in limited-overs cricket, but India’s turnaround began when they took 26 runs off Adil Rashid‘s first three overs. It was just the time England needed magic from their legspinner, their highest wicket-taker by some distance in 2016, and also second-highest overall. Rashid had a bad night, which can raise self-doubt after a disappointing Test series. How well Rashid bounces back could determine if England come back into the series.After conceding 0 for 63 in Pune, will R Ashwin still look to just contain or go for wickets proactively?•Associated Press

Team news

India generally aren’t fickle with their batsmen. All four who failed should retain their spots. It’s with the ball that India will debate whether Amit Mishra should replace Ashwin.India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 MS Dhoni (wk), 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin/ Amit Mishra, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Jasprit BumrahDid England play one spinner too many considering the flat pitch and the psychological hold the India batsmen have on them after the Test series? Should they go for the tall Liam Plunkett instead of Rashid? The answer will be in whether Rashid feels confident of bouncing back. England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Jos Buttler (wk), 5 Eoin Morgan (capt.), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 David Willey, 10 Adil Rashid/Liam Plunkett, 11 Jake Ball

Pitch and conditions

Another high-scoring match will not be a surprise, considering the small boundaries at the Barabati Stadium. There was a thin layer of grass on the pitch on the eve of the match; there are chances it could be trimmed further. Dew could be a factor too, and the toss could play a decisive role.

Stats and trivia

• India have achieved three of the seven successful chases of 350 or more.
• Kohli has scored centuries in six of India’s nine successful chases of 300 or more since his debut.
• Ben Stokes’ 33-ball fifty in Pune was the fastest by an England batsman against India.
• In the last match in Cuttack, the venue for the next ODI, India scored 363 against Sri Lanka.

Quotes

“As a batsman I wouldn’t complain if both teams are getting runs. We try to put a great show for the crowd.”
“He’s probably one of the first revolutionary players for England and that probably shows in the group, in the way the people look to him, the way he’s taking his career forward and the way he champions guys to play.”

A fractured left thumb has ruled Bhuvneshwar Kumar out of the T20 series against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2016A fractured left thumb has ruled Bhuvneshwar Kumar out of the T20 series against Australia. Rishi Dhawan, who is part of India’s ODI squad, will stay on in Australia as Bhuvneshwar’s replacement.Bhuvneshwar picked up the injury while trying to stop a David Warner straight drive off his own bowling during the fourth ODI in Canberra. The injury forced him out of the fifth ODI in Sydney, with India picking the debutant Jasprit Bumrah in his place.Ajinkya Rahane also sat out the Sydney ODI with an injury, having split his webbing while fielding in Canberra. Gurkeerat Singh has been named as cover for Rahane in the T20 squad.The three-match T20 series will begin on Tuesday in Adelaide.

South Africa captain AB de Villiers has said there is a “good chance” Dale Steyn will be in the playing XI for their semi-final against England on Wednesday

Firdose Moonda at The Oval18-Jun-2013South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn’s participation in the Champions Trophy semi-final against England is in some doubt due to fitness concerns. The team management will take a late call on his inclusion on the morning of the match on Wednesday.The fast bowler missed a day’s training and did a lighter than usual load on subsequent days because of “stiffness in the groin area” according to team manager Mohammed Moosajee. However, South Africa captain, AB de Villiers, was confident of Steyn’s inclusion in the playing XI on Wednesday.”It looks like we’ve got a good chance [of playing him tomorrow],” de Villiers said. “He’s taking another day off just to make sure we rest him really well. I said before that I don’t believe we’re lost without him. We can definitely beat England without him.”De Villiers conceded they are managing his workload as they have been playing a lot of cricket of late.”He’s got a few niggles around, which is very worrying, but we’re going to do all we can to get him on the park tomorrow,” he said. “He’s close to 100%, he’s running around. We didn’t want to run him too much today because we knew he’s one of the best in the world and he’s got the skill to just rock up and do the business. He’s working on his rehab making sure we give him the best chance to play tomorrow.”De Villiers discounted the fact that Steyn’s absence would be a big psychological factor and said the team has enough to do well without him, which they have in the past.”I don’t think it’s got anything to do with mental games, anything like that,” he said. “He’s good against any team in any format. We’re still a very good ODI unit. We’ve won games without him and with him. It’s a big knock-out game, and there will be a lot of pressure around, a lot of hype. Not having him on the side will be big for us, but then again, like I said, we’re playing good cricket.”In case Steyn is declared unfit on Wednesday morning, South Africa will have the option of bringing in an extra batsman and play with a seven-four combination for the first time in this Champions Trophy, or give another chance to left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso. They may also consider playing four seamers with one spinner.If Steyn is unavailable and South Africa still want to field four seamers, Rory Kleinveldt will be recalled to the starting XI. The other option would be to include Aaron Phangiso to give South Africa an additional tweaker or to bring in an extra batsman in Farhaan Behardien.Steyn was said to be struggling a little after their last league game against West Indies on Friday. Moosajee also confirmed that the new concern for Steyn’s fitness is not related to the side strain which kept him out of the first two matches against India and Pakistan.Steyn bowled six overs in a rain-affected match and finished with 2 for 33 from six overs in a tied game which secured South Africa’s place in the semi-final from Group B along with India. He has been under the careful watch of physiotherapist Brandon Jackson as South Africa hope to do all they can to ensure he plays.