No risks from champions as Nottinghamshire’s overnight ascendancy is thwarted

ECB Reporters Network13-Jul-2023Brett Hutton’s fifth five-wicket haul of the season was the highlight of the final day at The Oval as Surrey’s LV= Insurance County Championship fixture with Nottinghamshire petered out into a draw.Hutton, who spent a portion of day one off the field with what proved to be cramp, took 5 for 91 to take his tally for the season in the Championship to 41, putting him alongside Durham’s Chris Rushworth at the top of the wicket-taking standings.South African leg-spinner Calvin Harrison provided great support for Hutton with 3 for 99 to bowl out the hosts for 340 40 minutes after lunch. This was a heroic effort from the visitors who, already without the services of Jake Ball, injured in the first innings, then lost Dane Paterson to what appeared to be a hip injury after just one delivery with the new ball.Will Jacks led the run-scoring for Surrey with a largely subdued 60, while there a maiden first-class 50 for Tom Lawes, but Surrey’s batting was overly cautious for too long.The eventual chase was 297 from 52 overs, but despite a solid start from Ben Slater (39) and acting captain Haseeb Hameed (44 not out ) a draw was agreed with the visitors 118 for 1.Surrey began the day 156 ahead with five wickets down, so were understandably keen to avoid a collapse which would have afforded the men of Trent Bridge a more comfortable chase. Consequently, progress from Lawes and Jacks was at best steady, the main talking point being an accidental beamer by Paterson to Lawes from a ball which clearly slipped out of his hand.The arrival of the new ball led briefly to a change of approach as Jacks attempted to break the shackles with two fours from a Hutton over. Paterson’s unfortunate injury appeared to help the host’s cause, but Hutton responded magnificently in adversity, trapping Jacks lbw before sending first-innings centurion Jordan Clark packing by the same means.Surrey went to lunch on 299 for 7, 255 in front but anyone hoping they would have a quick dart on the resumption were disappointed as they chewed up more than 11 overs in adding a further 41.Lawes reached 50 in 106 balls before Harrison had him superbly caught at slip by Matthew Montgomery. The leg-spinner then turned catcher to remove Sean Abbott and give Hutton his fourth victim.The run-chase may have been more tempting had Jamie Overton been given out caught at mid-wicket soon afterwards, but the square leg umpire ruled the catch hadn’t carried and consequently another seven overs slipped by before Hutton wrapped up the innings.Hameed and Slater saw off the early swing from the Kookaburra in the run-chase, the latter more than once despatching the short ball to the fence. However, the run-rate required which had begun at almost six continued to rise. By the time Slater cut Jacks into the hands of Abbott at point from what proved the last ball before tea to depart for 39, that rate was almost seven.A barrage of short balls from Overton immediate post the tea interval slowed down Nottinghamshire’s progress still further and Hameed and Young batted with few alarms before the 5pm handshakes.

India, who are already through to the final, may be tempted to rest some players

Hemant Brar14-Sep-20233:35

Kumble: ‘If fit, bring in Shreyas Iyer and give Hardik Pandya a break’

Big picture: A chance to test bench strength

India have already qualified for the final of Asia Cup 2023. Bangladesh are no longer in contention. And that means Friday’s match between these two sides is a dead rubber. However, with the ODI World Cup less than a month away, it’s a chance for both teams to test their bench strength and try out any new combination they want to.India have already ticked most boxes. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli have been among the runs at the top. Ishan Kishan’s gritty knocks in the middle have given the team management a happy headache. KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah have not only proved their fitness but also shown excellent form. The only thing left to see is when and how Shreyas Iyer returns from back spasms he suffered just before the Super Fours game against Pakistan.Things couldn’t have gone in a more opposite direction for Bangladesh. Besides registering just one win in the tournament so far, they have also had tough luck with injuries.Related

• Shreyas Iyer shows no signs of discomfort during optional training session

• Mushfiqur Rahim to miss Bangladesh's game against India

• Supporting actor Hardik delivers a hit with his fire and intensity

Tamim Iqbal and Ebadot Hossain were ruled out even before the tournament started. Litton Das missed the first round because of illness. After scoring 89 and 104 in successive games, Najmul Hossain Shanto suffered a hamstring injury and went back home. Now even Mushfiqur Rahim is unavailable; he has been granted an extension of leave to be with his wife, who is recovering after giving birth to their second child.With so many first-choice players unavailable, Bangladesh may look to try out a new combination. At the same time, they would like to finish on a positive note as well.

Form guide

India WWWWL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLWLW

In the spotlight: Axar Patel and Mohammad Naim

On a turning track in Colombo, where India lost all ten wickets to spin, and Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja picked up six between them, Axar Patel went wicketless in his five overs while leaking 29 runs. Before the match, Anil Kumble said on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day that with Jadeja already in the World Cup squad as a left-arm spin-bowling allrounder, he would have considered picking R Ashwin or Washington Sundar instead of Axar. Can Axar repay the selectors’ faith?Mohammad Naim has scores of 16, 28, 20 and 21 in the tournament•Associated Press

Bangladesh opener Mohammad Naim has played all four matches for his team so far in the tournament. He got starts in every innings, and reached 20 on three occasions, but failed to convert any of them into a substantial score, with a best of 28 against Afghanistan. In his fledgling ODI career, Naim has 95 runs in eight matches at an average of 13.57 and a strike rate of 60.50. Is it time for Bangladesh to look beyond him?

Team news

On Thursday, Iyer batted in the nets during India’s optional practice session. If 100% fit, he could come in for either Kishan or Rahul. Bumrah could also be rested with Mohammed Shami replacing him. The pitch could once again decide if India go with Shardul Thakur or Axar.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer/KL Rahul, 5 Ishan Kishan (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur/Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Mohammed Shami/Jasprit BumrahBangladesh could consider bringing in Tanzid Hasan for Naim and Afif Hossain for Mushfiqur. Litton Das could don the wicketkeeping gloves.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 2 Tanzid Hasan/Mohammad Naim, 3 Litton Das (wk), 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Shamim Hossain, 8 Nasum Ahmed, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Hasan Mahmud

Pitch and conditions

With Colombo having hosted four games in six days, expect the pitch to be on the slower side. There’s a slight chance of rain throughout the duration of the match.

Stats and trivia

• Jadeja is one strike away from becoming the seventh Indian with 200 ODI wickets, and the first Indian since Kapil Dev (3783 runs and 253 wickets) to complete the double of 2000 runs and 200 wickets.
• Shubman Gill needs 96 runs to become the first batter to 1000 mark in ODIs this year.
• Since the start of 2022, Kohli has an average of 13.00 against left-arm fingerspinners, with eight dismissals in 11 innings.
• While India lost the two bilateral ODI series they played against Bangladesh since 2015, they have a 100% win record against them in multi-nation tournaments during this period.

Quotes

“Personally very happy with the way Hardik [the bowler] has shaped up, something that we worked for a long time. We have been planning on this, managing his workload, making sure he is fit first and is able to achieve what we expect out of him. That you could see in the last game. He has been doing that consistently – hitting that 140kph mark. Once he does that, he is a different bowler. From the team’s perspective, he is a wicket-taking option that we have.”

Another Rohit Sharma special the icing on the cake for a packed house in Ahmedabad

Danyal Rasool14-Oct-20231:32

Urooj Mumtaz bemoans Pakistan’s batting

The game that always promises and rarely delivers came and went once more, promising plenty at various stages, and ultimately delivering what a blue mass of humanity had come to see: a crushing India win. A stunning middle-overs collapse from Pakistan which had them lose eight wickets for 36 runs turned what should have been an enthralling run chase into a dull formality.Each India bowler played a part in their own way, five different players splitting the ten Pakistan wickets evenly. With Pakistan folding for 191, India – spearheaded by captain Rohit Sharma – dazzled and sizzled, though really, it was like bringing a gun to a knife fight. Pakistan had already checked out of this game, and were bystanders as India romped home in front of around 100,000 supporters to go to pole position in World Cup race for which they look favourites.India won the toss and opted to bowl, flying in the face of one of the features of their historical ODI World Cup dominance over Pakistan: making them chase. Just in one of their previous seven World Cup encounters have India triumphed by chasing, but on a slow, low pitch, India left the job of figuring out the par score to Pakistan’s batters. Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq batted with impressive calm in a cauldron early on, negotiating Jasprit Bumrah while putting away Mohammed Siraj with relative ease. And when Shafique fell victim to low bounce and Imam to a slightly wild shot, Babar and Mohammad Rizwan stepped in, and began to steady the ship once more.Pakistan weren’t being flashy, but it felt like they were being mature, taking the emotion out of the game and accepting the task ahead would require steel and grit. India’s bowlers, for their part, never really let them out of sight. A couple of expensive overs would be followed by several tight ones, the first-change bowlers backing up the openers, and Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja executing their tight-fisted roles to perfection. But none of it appeared to be unsettling Pakistan’s two best batters much, who struck up a sedate 50-run partnership, and began to assume a position of dominance when their captain brought up his first half-century of the tournament.Related

• Blockbuster Siraj once again shows he is no longer a sidekick

Pakistan sat pretty at 155 for 2, but the blue touchpaper was about to be metaphorically lit in Ahmedabad. Siraj had been expensive in his second spell, too, but as Babar tried to angle one down to deep third, that devilish low bounce struck again, knocking back his off stump. Next ball, Saud Shakeel called for a run that was never there, saved only by an errant throw. After 30 overs of calm, Pakistan’s nerves began to fray.And Kuldeep knew just how to exploit them. He would say later he knew Shakeel liked the sweep shot so he dragged his length back and skidded one on, trapping him in front. The same over, Iftikhar Ahmed was unfortunate to chop one on to his stumps – bowled around his legs – off his gloves. India had introduced panic into an eerily calm Pakistan, and it would never be the same again.Bumrah, curiously wicketless until then, cleaned up Rizwan one shy of a half-century with an unplayable offcutter, before a quicker one – equally impossible to negotiate – toppled Shadab’s off stump. Hardik Pandya put paid to Mohammad Nawaz and Ravindra Jadeja mopped up the tail. A taut Ahmedabad suddenly had all the pressure released, and with India due to bat soon, a carnival-like atmosphere took hold.Mohammed Siraj knocking over Babar Azam initiated a collapse of 8 for 36•ICC/Getty Images

There was reason for Indian fans – and there were almost exclusively Indian fans in this colosseum – to be excited for what would follow. Rohit came out in the same creamy, luscious form he demonstrated against Afghanistan, taking the attack to Pakistan’s vaunted pace unit early, biting chunks out of the low target. Shubman Gill, recovered from a nasty bout of dengue fever, was similarly enterprising, and the pair struck five fours off the first two overs before one slash off Afridi flew straight to Shadab at point.It meant Virat Kohli and Rohit were united at the crease, just like they had been during that decorated-procession-like chase against Afghanistan. While Kohli timed the ball well enough, this was the Rohit show. Haris Rauf came into the attack and was greeted by a monstrous tonk over mid-on for Rohit’s 300th ODI six. Three balls later, he would play perhaps the shot of the game, a sliced six over cover after perfectly reading an attempted slower ball.Kohli miscued one to mid-on off Hasan Ali, but India were under no pressure whatsoever. Shreyas Iyer was a useful accomplice to the devastating beauty at the other end, which had Rohit bring up a 36-ball half-century. Next over, Rauf was pulled over square leg in another sumptuous display of strokemaking by Rohit as India sped towards the target.Rohit Sharma did not let Shaheen Afridi settle•AFP/Getty Images

Shadab, hopelessly out of form, was never going to alter the trajectory of this game. After a couple of tight overs, he was bulldozed out of the attack by Iyer and Rohit, his last delivery a loopy waist-high full toss which was such a gift it may as well have come with a bow on it. Rohit would dispatch it into the stands over midwicket, and the first ball next over, Iyer was treating Nawaz the same way.Ahmedabad now waited expectantly for another Rohit ton, though in that aspect, they would be disappointed. Afridi returned and found a way to make the Indian captain miscue one to midwicket, and he perished 14 short. But that was as good as it would get for Pakistan, as KL Rahul and Iyer eased home, the latter bringing up his unbeaten half-century with the winning shot, a straight drive for four.It was the exclamation mark on a win that had been scripted a few hours previously in a manic ten-over spell.

Megan Schutt, Shabnim Ismail and Sophia Dunkley among the big overseas players not retained by their respective teams

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2023

Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals have retained 15 of their 18 squad members. Among the three released are Tara Norris, who was the only Associate player across teams in the inaugural season, and Jasia Akhtar, the Jammu and Kashmir batter known for her power-hitting in India’s domestic circuit. Capitals will go into the 2024 auction with a purse of INR 2.25 crore to fill up to three slots.Squad: Alice Capsey*, Arundhati Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen*, Laura Harris*, Marizanne Kapp*, Meg Lanning*, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniya Bhatia, Titas SadhuReleased: Aparna Mondal, Jasia Akhtar, Tara Norris*

Gujarat Giants

Gujarat Giants, who finished at the bottom of the points table last season, have released more than half of their squad members, including four overseas players: Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth and Sophia Dunkley. Laura Wolvaardt, who was an injury replacement for Beth Mooney, has been retained, as is Mooney.That means they have ten vacancies now, and will have the biggest purse at the mini-auction – INR 5.95 crore – to fill those.Squad: Ashleigh Gardner*, Beth Mooney*, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt*, Shabnam Shakil, Sneh Rana, Tanuja KanwarReleased: Annabel Sutherland*, Ashwani Kumari, Georgia Wareham*, Hurley Gala, Kim Garth*, Mansi Joshi, Monica Patel, Parunika Sisodia, Sabbineni Meghana, Sophia Dunkley*, Sushma VermaESPNcricinfo Ltd

Mumbai Indians

Defending champions Mumbai Indians released just four players, out of which only Dhara Gujjar had played any part last season. Since they had only 17 players last time, they have five slots available and a purse of INR 2.1 crore, the smallest among the five franchises.Squad: Amanjot Kaur, Amelia Kerr*, Chloe Tryon*, Harmanpreet Kaur, Hayley Matthews*, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong*, Jintimani Kalita, Nat Sciver-Brunt*, Pooja Vastrakar, Priyanka Bala, Saika Ishaque, Yastika BhatiaReleased: Dhara Gujjar, Heather Graham*, Neelam Bisht, Sonam Yadav

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Megan Schutt, Dane van Niekerk and Erin Burns were the biggest names released by Royal Challengers Bangalore. Schutt played seven out of eight games last season but could pick up just four wickets at an economy of 8.46, while van Niekerk had spent the whole season on the bench. They have seven slots vacant, and INR 3.35 to fill them.Squad: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry*, Heather Knight*, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine*Released: Dane van Niekerk*, Erin Burns*, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt*, Poonam Khemnar, Preeti Bose, Sahana Pawar

UP Warriorz

UP Warriorz retained their core; Shabnim Ismail, who played just three games last season because of the team combination, was the only overseas player released. Among Indians, the franchise let go of Devika Vaidya, Shivali Shinde and Simran Shaikh. Vaidya, who was signed at INR 1.4 crore, managed just 77 runs and one wicket in seven matches. Warriorz will have INR 4 crore at the auction to fill five slots.Squad: Alyssa Healy*, Anjali Sarvani, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris*, Kiran Navgire, Lauren Bell*, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, S Yashasri, Shweta Sehrawat, Sophie Ecclestone*, Tahlia McGrath*Released: Devika Vaidya, Shabnim Ismail*, Shivali Shinde, Simran Shaikh

“We wanted to take that semi-final out of the equation, not to think too much about it”

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-20232:35

Is Shami India’s greatest ODI bowler of all time?

India have made it ten out of ten at the World Cup. They have been clinical pretty much all the way, dominating with the bat and with the ball, but that wasn’t quite the case on Wednesday in Mumbai in the semi-final against New Zealand, even if the margin of victory – 70 runs – sounds comprehensive enough. Captain Rohit Sharma acknowledged that it was among the toughest matches India played at this World Cup, adding that his side had to “stay collected” and take the “semi-final off the equation” to stay in the game and pull off a win.”The way our bowlers came and bowled up front with the new ball, getting those wickets… when you have a target [India scored 397] like that, you’ve got to take wickets upfront. And we did that exactly,” Rohit said on Star Sports after the game. “Today being the semi-finals, I wouldn’t say that there was no pressure. Whenever you play the game, there is always pressure, and obviously semi-final adds a bit of extra there. But I think the guys were doing the job.”To be honest, we wanted to take that semi-final out of the equation, not to think too much about it. We just wanted to keep doing what we’ve been doing in the first nine games that we played, and things came off for us really nicely in the second half as well.”Despite their big total, India were put under pressure by Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson, who put together 181 runs together in 149 balls in their third-wicket partnership, silencing the Wankhede crowd in the process, with Mitchell bringing up an 85-ball hundred and Williamson a resolute half-century.India also dropped Williamson – Mohammed Shami spilling a sitter at mid-on – and also missed a run-out chance when the two were batting together. At that point, New Zealand were in control of the chase. But Shami, who had picked the first two wickets, came back in the 33rd over to provide the breakthrough with Williamson’s wicket.”When the scoring rate is above nine all the time, you got to keep taking your chances,” Rohit said. “Sometimes it comes off and sometimes it doesn’t. They gave us chances, we didn’t take them. But credit to them as well in the middle, Mitchell and Williamson batted brilliantly.”Again, for us, it was important to stay calm. At one point, the crowd went absolutely silent, that’s the nature of the game. But we knew that we had to pull something up from our sleeves and need a magic, either a good catch or a run out or maybe a magic delivery. But we tried everything we couldn’t [break through], but again, Shami was brilliant.”I’ve played a lot of cricket here [at the Wankhede]. So I know any score on this ground… you cannot relax, you got to get the job done as quickly as possible and stay at it. We knew there will be pressure on us at some stage there will be partnership. We just got to stay collected and I think that’s what we did. We were calm even though we were a bit sloppy on the field. But that can happen. We’ve got nine perfect games on the field. So, these things are bound to happen. But I’m glad that we could get the job done in the end.”Virat Kohli gets the crowd going as India close in on their win•AFP/Getty Images

The Wankhede is known for being batting-friendly, and it didn’t play any differently on the day.India were off to a rollicking start, with Rohit and Shubman Gill putting up a 75-run opening stand off just 50 balls. Kohli registered his record 50th ODI century and Shreyas Iyer brought up a century of his own, hitting 105 off just 70 balls. India plundered 110 runs off the last ten overs to get to their third 350-plus total of the tournament.”The top-five-six batters, whenever they’ve gotten an opportunity, they’ve made it really count,” Rohit said. “Very, very pleased to see what Iyer has done for us in this tournament. Gill, the way he batted up front was brilliant. Unfortunately, he started getting cramps so we had to bring him back.”Kohli was brilliant as usual, played his trademark innings and got to that landmark milestone as well. All in all, the batting was superb, and that is the kind of template we want to bat with and move forward with.”

Laura Wolvaardt has been confirmed as the full-time captain, while Ayanda Hlubi and Eliz-Mari Marx have earned their maiden national-team call-ups

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2023South Africa have handed T20I call-ups for the first time to Ayanda Hlubi and Eliz-Mari Marx for the three T20I at home against Bangladesh. Marizanne Kapp, playing for Sydney Thunder in the WBBL, has been rested for the T20Is but will return for the ODIs that will follow.Injuries will force fast bowler Ayabonga Khaka (knee), and allrounders Chloe Tryon (groin) and Nadine de Klerk (side) to miss out altogether.Meanwhile, as reported by ESPNcricinfo earlier this month, Laura Wolvaardt has been confirmed as the full-time captain of the team, taking over the reins from Sune Luus. Wolvaardt had earlier led South Africa in their away assignment in Pakistan and at home against New Zealand in an interim capacity.Related

• Lata Mondal back in Bangladesh squad for South Africa tour

• Wolvaardt to take over as full-time South Africa captain

“Having Laura Wolvaardt as the official captain, together with a blend of young and experienced players bodes well for our succession planning,” Clinton du Preez, convenor of selectors, said. “It will also assist within the excitement we have around the squad in giving young players an opportunity and therefore we are looking forward to seeing them put up their hand and make impactful performances in this upcoming tour.”Hlubi is a seamer and was part of South Africa’s squad at the Under-19 T20 World Cup earlier this year, and returned three wickets in four matches in the competition. More recently, she began the CSA Women’s Division One T20s with two wickets in two outings at an economy of 4.56.Marx is part of the South Africa emerging side’s tour of Zimbabwe, and has picked up three wickets in three matches and has a strike rate of 103.57 with the bat. She is also Titans’ leading wicket-taker in the domestic T20s this season with four strikes.”The inclusion of Ayanda Hlubi and Eliz-Mari Marx gives great confidence to rewarding performances at the professional level,” du Preez said. “They have been instrumental with their domestic performances in the past season for their respective provinces.”Marizanne Kapp will take a break after the WBBL and link up with the team for the ODIs•Gallo Images/Getty Images

Following impressive outings on the emerging tour and in the domestic T20s, seam-bowling allrounder Annerie Dercksen also returned to the 15-member side after completing full recovery from the finger fracture that kept her out of the Pakistan tour.”For the T20Is, this is where we are going to look, where possible, to blend in youngsters and give an opportunity to expose them at this level to keep growing the base,” head coach Hilton Moreeng said. “Overall, we have a lot of good youngsters coming through and the squad is becoming stronger and stronger every day with a more challenging environment, so we as a team are looking forward to that.”It’s another opportunity for some of these youngsters to show what they can do while not losing sight of what we want to achieve overall when it comes to the entire tour.”The three T20Is will take place in Benoni and Kimberley between December 3 and December 8, with the three ODIs to be played between December 16 and December 23 in East London, Potchefstroom and Benoni respectively.South Africa squad: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Lara Goodall, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Delmi Tucker

Hurricanes finished the season in fifth place, with Stars sixth, as both teams missed out on the finals

AAP15-Jan-2024Hobart Hurricanes salvaged some pride at the end of another disappointing BBL campaign, holding off Melbourne Stars by seven runs at the MCG.Like Stars, Hurricanes entered their final match of the tournament on Monday night without a chance of qualifying for the finals after Adelaide Strikers sealed the last spot in the top four with victory over Sydney Thunder the previous night.Beau Webster (55 not out in 43 balls) and Marcus Stoinis (48 in 32) looked a chance of pushing Stars past Hurricanes’ 187 for 8. But Stars’ hopes faded when Stoinis was out to Chris Jordan in the 18th over, and Stars finishing their 20 overs on 180 for 4.After being sent in to bat, Hurricanes flew out of the blocks courtesy an 86-run opening stand between Matthew Wade (63 in 41) and Ben McDermott (50 in 35). The stand was broken on the last ball of the tenth over. Hurricanes then regularly lost wickets for the remainder of their time at the crease, falling short of what they had looked like reaching.Stars allrounder Dan Lawrence collected 4 for 35 – the second four-wicket haul of his T20 career – with his gentle right-arm spin to boost Stars’ prospects.Matthew Wade scored 63 off 41 balls to finish the season•Getty Images

Hurricanes captain Nathan Ellis had an eventful night, but proved crucial in his team securing their fourth win of the campaign.After smashing 16 from five balls batting at No. 9, Ellis dropped two catches in the first two overs of the Stars chase, appearing to hurt his ribs after putting down one chance when he fell on the ball.But Ellis (2 for 29) pushed through the pain barrier to continue bowling, dismissing opener Thomas Rogers for 10.The match completely swung in Hurricanes’ favour when Ellis bowled Glenn Maxwell (32 in 18) after the Stars captain had threatened to produce a trademark match-winning knock.Once perennial BBL title contenders without ever winning the tournament, Stars missed out on the finals for a fourth straight season. Since they lost the 2019-20 final to Sydney Sixers, Stars have finished seventh, sixth, last and fifth.Hurricanes’ record isn’t much better – they have made the finals just once in the last four seasons.

The 14-member squad also includes the returning Daryl Mitchell and Scott Kuggeleijn

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2024New Zealand captain Tim Southee and his predecessor Kane Williamson are set to play their 100th Tests together during the upcoming home series against Australia. March 8 will mark the occasion, the start of the second of two matches in the series, which follows a set of three T20Is.The 14-member Test squad also includes Daryl Mitchell who has been on the sidelines recently tending to a long-term foot injury. Scott Kuggeleijn gets a look in as well, replacing Kyle Jamieson who has picked up a back problem and is looking at a year out of the game.The NZC press release with the squad which arrived on Saturday also said, “Trent Boult, who will feature in the T20I series against Australia, was not considered for Test selection due to minimal recent red ball cricket – his last Test coming in June 2022 against England in Leeds.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Southee and Williamson grew up playing cricket alongside each other, rising up the ranks from the Under-19 levels to become their country’s second-highest wicket-taker and leading run-scorer respectively. The two of them had also played their 50th Test together, against Zimbabwe in 2016, and will join Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor as the only other New Zealand men with 100 Tests to their name.”Their achievements at Test level speak for themselves,” head coach Gary Stead said, “And they are undoubtedly two of the greatest players to have ever worn the New Zealand Test shirt.”Southee will follow Taylor, Virat Kohli and David Warner as just the fourth player in history to have played 100 matches in each format.The first Test will begin on February 29 in Wellington and will signal the return of a vital member of this team. Mitchell has become such a dependable fixture in this Black Caps team that among those who have played 20 Tests, the only person who averages more than his 53.46 is Williamson with 55.90.”[Mitchell] is a key member of the group and has proven, with his performances over the past 12 to 18 months, how much value he adds to the Test team,” New Zealand selector Sam Wells said. “Daryl will keep focusing on his rehabilitation over the next week and will be fit and ready for the first Test in Wellington.”Kuggeleijn has been picked on the back of his performances for New Zealand A against Australia A last year, including match figures of 9-113 and an unbeaten 101 to lead the team to victory in the first four-day game. The Northern Districts seamer has continued his form in the Plunket Shield, leading the bowling charts with 22 wickets at 16 from the first four rounds.Will O’Rourke retains his place after leaving one of the more lasting first impressions – the 22-year old quick claimed the best match figures by a debutant for New Zealand when he picked up 9 for 93 against South Africa in Hamilton earlier this week.Mitchell Santner continues as the specialist spin bowling option, while recent Test double-centurion Rachin Ravindra and allrounder Glenn Phillips lending support.Meanwhile, Matt Henry and Tim Seifert have been ruled out of the T20I series. Their replacements will be Ben Sears and Will Young.Henry suffered some hip soreness following the second Test against South Africa and will undergo a short period of rest and strengthening ahead of the Test series. Seifert has been withdrawn due to a torn abductor suffered while training for Northern Districts earlier in the week.”Matt’s understandably disappointed, but a break for the T20s will ensure he’s fully fit and ready to go for the Tests against Australia later this month,” said Stead. “We’re gutted for Tim who has been a strong performer over recent series and is an important part of the squad.
We’re hopeful he’ll make a swift recovery ahead of an important period of T20I cricket for the team.”

New Zealand Test squad vs Australia

Tim Southee (capt), Tom Blundell, Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, Will Young

Updated New Zealand T20I squad

Mitchell Santner (capt), Finn Allen, Trent Boult (games 2 & 3), Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (game 1), Will Young

Tash Farrant seals contest with half-century for South East Stars

ECB Reporters Network24-Apr-2024England seam-bowling prospect Ryana MacDonald-Gay took a career-best five for 31 before opener Tash Farrant continued her fine start to the season with an unbeaten 68 as South East Stars made it two wins from two by thumping The Blaze in their Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy clash in Leicester.England star Farrant, who hit a career-best 94 as Stars opened with a victory over holders Southern Vipers last weekend, led the way as Bryony Smith’s side eased to an eight-wicket win with a 159 balls to spare.It could have been more comfortable still but for a competition-record partnership saving The Blaze’s blushes after they had been reduced to 49 for nine after winning the toss and choosing to bat. Skipper Kirstie Gordon and number 11 Grace Ballinger’s stand of 77 was the highest for the 10th wicket by any side since the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy was launched in 2020.England’s Sarah Glenn returned for The Blaze for her first action since suffering a concussion injury a month ago but last season’s runners-up were still without four first-choice players because of international commitments with three others injured.Badly depleted at the top of the batting order, The Blaze were in trouble from ball one as opener Marie Kelly, one of the more experienced of their available batters, reached for MacDonald-Gay’s opening delivery and bottom-edged into her stumps.Wickets two and three came in each of her next two overs as MacDonald-Gay fixed her aim with Sophie Munro and Ella Claridge having no answer to balls arrowed in at the stumps.A rocky start for The Blaze rapidly became worse as MacDonald-Gay’s new-ball partner Phoebe Franklin found enough away movement to remove South Africa all-rounder Nadine de Klerk and Glenn in the space of four deliveries, with neither making a run, the former caught behind before Glenn edged to second slip, as 16 for three became 17 for five.Teresa Graves was dropped at extra cover off Franklin but the Stars were soon celebrating again as MacDonald-Gay trapped Daisy Mullan in front.A boundary apiece from Graves and Bethany Harmer gave The Blaze momentary encouragement but it was promptly nipped in the bud as another straight ball from MacDonald-Gay accounted for Graves and handed the England A bowler the reward of a first five-wicket haul in women’s List A cricket.The Blaze were 39 for seven and there was no respite as England seamer Alice Davidson-Richards took over at the Bennett End and picked up a wicket first ball as Harmer was caught at backward point, MacDonald-Gay adding to her impressive morning’s work by taking a fine one-handed catch.When Davidson-Richards then dismissed Cassidy McCarthy, The Blaze were 49 for nine with barely 75 minutes played and the end seemed to be coming quickly.But Gordon and Ballinger had other ideas, the last-wicket pair holding up the Stars for more than an hour and a half, taking a mature, measured approach that saw them resist any temptation to throw the bat and concentrating instead on working the gaps in what is English domestic cricket’s largest playing areas, with only a quarter of their runs coming in boundaries.Ballinger passed her previous List A best of 18 before she was leg before to the off-spin of a palpably relieved Smith, with Gordon’s unbeaten 41 her best List A score in English domestic cricket.Their efforts had at least given themselves and their fellow bowlers a bigger total to defend than had seemed likely but it was still nowhere near enough to deny the Stars, for whom Smith made 34 from 33 balls before Farrant took charge, hitting five fours and two sixes in her 81-ball innings.Both Farrant and Smith made good use of the shorter, straight boundaries before Smith holed out to mid-on following an 82-run opening stand, with Gordon bowling Scholfield for The Blaze’s only other success.

Bangladesh believe they are still in with a chance if they can bat out the third day

Mohammad Isam31-Mar-2024The Chattogram Test has progressed at a slow pace so far, with only 11 wickets falling over the first two days, and both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka believe the third day will be pivotal. The home side hope to bat out the entire day; the visitors want early wickets.Sri Lanka are 476 runs ahead after posting a total of 531. Bangladesh lost one wicket in the 15 overs they had to negotiate on the second evening, but there was enough evidence that it will continue to be a hard grind for the bowlers. Kamindu Mendis, one of six Sri Lanka batters to score half-centuries, said his team would push to take a couple of early wickets on the third morning to continue dominating the Chattogram Test.”The pitch, compared to the last game, is quite good for the batters,” Kamindu said. “But I think it’ll become more advantageous for the spinners going forward. I think I got to bat on a good day in that sense. Some balls did turn today, but I think tomorrow the spinners will play a bigger role. At the same time we have three very good fast bowlers – one wicket was already taken by them – so I think the combination is good. If we can pick up two-three wickets in the morning we’ll be on top.”Bangladesh’s batting coach David Hemp said the home team would have to bat out the third day to stay in contention in this game.”We are still thinking about winning the game,” Hemp said. “It might seem a bit bizarre considering we are [476] runs behind. The key bit will be to negotiate tomorrow. If we do that well, then we negotiate the day after. If we do that, from a batting point of view, you never know what can happen. First things first, we have to make sure we bat well for three sessions tomorrow.”Bangladesh can take a leaf out of Sri Lanka’s approach. The visitors strung together five 50-plus stands, two of them going past the century mark. Kamindu added 65 for the seventh wicket with Prabath Jayasuriya, and then batted out an additional 17.1 overs alongside Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara and Asitha Fernando, the last three batters.Kamindu has batted commendably with the tail through this Test series. After his 173-run seventh wicket stand with Dhananjaya de Silva in the second innings in Sylhet, Mendis batted for another 26.2 overs with the last three batters.Bangladesh’s difficult time in the field was compounded by seven dropped chances•AFP/Getty Images

“When you bat at No 7 or 8, you have to trust the tail-enders,” Kamindu said. “I think I did that. They did a good job supporting me. Our top-order batters did really well in this innings. We have a few half-centuries. They gave a good contribution to the team.”I think in cricket, someone can get a big hundred, someone won’t be able to. We have six half-centuries in our first innings. It is still a good contribution for the team. We put a 500-plus total on to the board. I think we fulfilled our plan.”Dinesh Chandimal and captain de Silva also struck fifties as Sri Lanka looked hardly in trouble through the second day. Bangladesh also dropped four catches, to take their total to seven across Sri Lanka’s innings.The catching reached its nadir when Jayasuriya edged Khaled Ahmed to Najmul Hossain Shanto at first slip. The ball burst out of his hand, only to reach Shahadat Hossain at second slip, who parried it to Zakir Hossain at third slip, who finally dropped the chance. Khaled was left fuming, kicking the turf twice.”I thought [Shahadat] Dipu had the best chance to get that [catch],” Hemp said. “Both those fielders field at short leg so their reactions are pretty good. I thought when it popped out, one of them would be able to get it. But unfortunately not. We don’t see that often.”It is a difficult job to be a slip fielder. A lot of it is anticipation and expectation. You have to expect the ball to come to you every ball. Unless you’ve got that mindset, it makes life a bit difficult. The more you will practice, you give yourself a better chance when it comes in a game situation.”Catching is one of many concerns for Bangladesh. The main one will be their batting line-up, which is coming off four failures on the trot. Zakir and Joy began positively before the latter fell to Lahiru Kumara’s dipping inswinger late in the day. The opening pair hasn’t put on a single half-century partnership yet, having batted together nine times so far.Hemp said Bangladesh believe in the pair, who have shown signs of improvement. “We didn’t negotiate [Sri Lanka’s bowlers] well enough [in Sylhet] last week. I think that’s the big move forward. It is what we practiced in the three days [before this Test]. Joy’s dismissal was disappointing. It would have been nice to be none down at the end of the day. They are a young partnership, so it takes a bit of time to get into it. I am just pleased with the way they applied themselves.”