Somerset captain posts sixth first-class hundred to leave his side in total command at Taunton

ECB Reporters Network03-Aug-2020 Glamorgan 131 (C Overton 5-38) and 126 for 5 need another 329 runs to beat Somerset 296 (Davies 81, Brooks 72) and 290 for 8 dec (Abell 119, Green 54, Hildreth 45) Tom Abell registered his sixth first-class century as Somerset moved to within sight of victory over Glamorgan on the third day of the Bob Willis Trophy match at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.Unbeaten on 44 overnight, the home skipper batted through the morning session before finally being dismissed for 119, having faced 167 balls and hit 13 fours and 2 sixes.With Ben Green, a concussion replacement for George Bartlett, contributing a solid 54, Somerset were able to declare their second innings on 290 for eight, a lead of 455.At tea, Glamorgan were 29 for 3 in their second innings and facing the possibility of defeat inside three days. But Chris Cooke’s battling half-century frustrated the hosts as the Welsh county closed on 126 for 5, still 329 behind.Only one wicket fell in the morning session after Somerset had set out on 131 for two in their second innings, 296 ahead. It came from the first ball of the day when James Hildreth, on 45, nicked a ball from Michael Hogan through to wicketkeeper Chris Cooke.That brought in Green, involved because Bartlett had been struck on the head by a delivery Marchant de Lange while batting on the opening day.It was only the 22-year-old Devonian’s third first-class appearance and he showed good temperament to grab the unexpected opportunity with both hands.Abell moved to a stylish half-century with a back-foot boundary through point off de Lange, having faced 88 balls and hit seven fours. His partner provided sensible support as both batsmen were tested by a probing spell from Graham Wagg in which the experienced left-arm seamer enjoyed no luck.Green moved steadily past his previous best first class score of 26 and by lunch his partnership with Abell was worth 82, the scoreboard reading 213 for 3.The afternoon session saw Abell bring up only the second of his first-class hundreds to have been scored at Taunton, successive boundaries off Kieran Bull taking him to three figures off 163 balls.He celebrated by dispatching the next two deliveries from the off-spinner for six and then hit another four before being caught at deep mid-wicket off the final ball of an over that cost 24.Green reached his maiden first class fifty off 150 balls, with 4 fours, before becoming the first of several Somerset batsmen to perish in the quest of quick runs before the declaration.Glamorgan had to face 16 overs before tea and Craig Overton was soon carrying on where he had left off in the first innings.He sent back Nick Selman, lbw playing no shot for the second time in the game, and Kiran Carlsson, before brother Jamie caught and bowled Charlie Hemphrey for 20 miscuing a pull shot.Glamorgan looked in disarray at tea. But Cooke and Billy Root then produced a defiant stand of 66 to restore an element of pride.Having looked comfortable, the pair were parted with the score on 95 when Root inexplicably attempted three reverse-sweeps in the opening two overs from left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe.Having failed to connect with the first two and survived a loud lbw shout, he was bowled trying the third, having made 26.Cooke played some fine shots to bring up a 76-ball half-century, which featured 8 fours, and was largely content to stick to the textbook as he reached 67 not out by the close.But Dan Douthwaite fell lbw to a Jamie Overton yorker to end play for the day, leaving his side facing a massive task when play resumes in the morning.

Cricket mourns county stalwart who played 15 Tests and 23 ODIs between 1987 and 1990

Andrew Miller02-Sep-2020David Capel, the former England allrounder and stalwart of Northamptonshire as player, captain and later coach, has died at the age of 57 following a long illness.Capel, who played 270 first-class matches for Northants between 1981 and 1998 as well as 300 List A games, enjoyed an unbroken 32-year association with the club. In 1999, he was appointed the club’s director of excellence in the wake of his retirement, and later succeeded Kepler Wessels as head coach in 2006.In 2018, the same year in which he was diagnosed with a brain tumour, Capel was inducted into the club’s hall of fame – joining such illustrious club names as Frank Tyson, Colin Milburn, Allan Lamb and Bishan Bedi. It was due recognition for a player who, in 1987, became the first Northamptonshire-born cricketer to play for England since George Thompson in 1910.Capel played 15 Tests and 23 ODIs for England in a brief but eventful career, in which time he was saddled – as with several other players of the era – with the burden of stepping into Ian Botham’s shoes as an international allrounder.He did, however, play a part in a success that at the time had eluded even Botham, in England’s astonishing victory over West Indies in the first Test of their 1989-90 tour of the Caribbean – a result that remains one of the most remarkable upsets of all time.Selected as one of four seamers in a new-look England attack under Graham Gooch, Capel claimed 2 for 31 in West Indies’ first-innings 164. He would later be one of England’s not-out batsmen in the final moments of the third Test at Port-of-Spain, where England claim so close to securing a 2-0 series lead, only for rain and some controversial West Indies delaying tactics to deny them their final victory push.While Capel’s eventual Test averages of 15 with the bat and 50 with the ball told their own story, he did have a habit of getting the better of the great Viv Richards, whom he dismissed three times out of his total of 21 scalps.On Test debut against Pakistan at Headingley in 1987, Capel came to the crease with England reeling at 31 for 5, with Imran Khan and Wasim Akram on a roll. He responded with a gutsy half-century, and added a Test-best 98 against the same opponents in Karachi five months later. However, he never again passed 40 in Test cricket.Domestically, however, Capel remained an immense influence at Northants, for whom he scored 10,869 first-class runs and claimed 467 wickets. After joining the county staff as an apprentice in 1980, he made his debut against the touring Sri Lankans at Northampton in 1981 and claimed an illustrious first Championship victim the following summer against Yorkshire when he dismissed Geoffrey Boycott at Middlesborough.In limited-overs cricket Capel scored 6,274 runs and 237 wickets. He was named Man of the Match on five occasions including the NatWest Trophy semi-final against Leicestershire at Grace Road in 1987, in which he made 46 not out and claimed 3 for 43 in an 85-run win. He scored 97 off 110 balls against Yorkshire in the Benson and Hedges Cup final at Lord’s that same year, but finished on the losing side after Yorkshire’s Jim Love blocked the final ball of the match with the scores level, and secured the title on fewest wickets lost. “This is hugely shocking and sad news for the English Cricket family and particularly those connected with Northants CCC,” said Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive. “David was one of the finest allrounders of his era and spent an astonishing 33 years at Wantage Road.”I had the privilege of playing with David, a hugely competitive and determined cricketer who was never beaten – an attitude he took into his battle with his illness. A complex and private man on the surface, a kind and gentle one to those who knew him well. I will miss his friendship.”Following his departure from Northants in 2012, Capel remained actively involved in cricket, taking up a role as assistant coach to England women’s team in 2013. He went on to serve as Bangladesh women’s coach from 2016 to 2018.”Very sad to hear my former team mate passed from a long suffering illness,” wrote Lamb, Capel’s team-mate for Northants and England, on Twitter. “”David Capel all round person and a true gentlemen both on and off the field we are going to miss you buddy . RIP and condolences to your family.”

County’s new blood makes inroads into Derbyshire’s batting at Aigburth

Paul Edwards07-Sep-2020
Liverpool’s pavilion might have been designed to host cricket in the Covidian age. For one thing it is huge. The three-storey pile was one of the largest in England when the ground was opened in 1881 and even now it could be mistaken for a venerable county headquarters. Certainly it was a splendid location for scenes in . During this game Lancashire have been allotted the enormous dressing rooms on the third floor while Derbyshire have the use of the squash changing rooms at ground level plus The Century Pavilion, which is normally used for hospitality, and a small tent on the boundary. The umpires have their own facilities so there is no need for either teams or officials to come into contact beyond the boundary.But after yesterday morning’s play Derbyshire probably appreciated the chance to have time to themselves. A score of 17 for 4 hardly creates the ideal atmosphere for small talk over the melon and couscous. Billy Godleman’s men probably preferred to take tea alone, too, given that by the second interval they had subsided to 71 for 7 against a Lancashire attack four of whose five members had not played any first-class cricket before the Bob Willis Trophy began.Facing a deficit of 138 and with only three wickets in hand, it was easy to see how Lancashire might build a position of Vizigothic dominance by the close. Too easy, perhaps. There has been a healthy helping of Peak District grit about Derbyshire’s cricket this season and this was apparent again in a gloomy and glorious evening session during which Harvey Hosein and Mattie McKiernan added most of the 59 runs in their unbroken eighth-wicket partnership. It may not be enough to save Derbyshire from defeat in this match, much less give them a hope of the victory they need to qualify for the Bob Willis Trophy final. But it was fine cricket and all it needed to make it perfect was the appreciation of supporters who knew good stuff when they saw it.Qualification for the final at Lord’s final must wait for the third or fourth day of this game when the results of the games at Chelmsford and Worcester are known. To judge from various discussions everything seems to depend on a range of factors, which may include the Doppler Effect, the Turkish bank rate, the Brexit withdrawal deal, Jurgen Klopp’s inside-leg measurement, the average temperature in the Atacama Desert, the mating pattern of Mexican spiders, Priti Patel’s IQ and the length of time it takes to cook a cheese soufflé in the Hindu Kush. At some stage we will add the points up and see who’s got the most.None of it troubles Lancashire’s coaches. Their side’s chance of reaching the final has long since disappeared and they are enjoying the sight of a fine crop of young cricketers making the most of their opportunities. And no one did this with greater relish during this heavily clouded Monday on Merseyside than Danny Lamb and George Balderson, both of whom took three wickets.In the second over of Derbyshire innings, Lamb pitched one on off stump and the left-handed Luis Reece edged a catch to George Lavelle, thereby becoming the keeper’s maiden first-class victim. In Lamb’s next over Godleman departed in like fashion except that his snick was taken by Keaton Jennings at first slip. Three balls later Leus du Plooy played across a very full inswinger to give Steve O’Shaughnessy another easy decision. And just before the persistent rain showers prompted a two-hour lunch break Wayne Madsen played outside a straight ball from Balderson and was leg before to one of Lancashire’s most promising cricketers.On the resumption Matt Critchley and Fynn Hudson-Prentice attempted to rescue the innings. It was not a foolish quest; Derbyshire’s short season has contained many wonders. But having helped Hudson-Prentice add 27 for the fifth wicket Critchley fell, and was nearly felled, when he ducked into a full toss from George Burrows and was leg before wicket for 14 when patently playing no shot.Some thought the ball might have been missing off stump but their number did not include Graham Lloyd. And there was no doubt about the slip catches taken by Tom Hartley and Jennings which subsequently removed both Hudson-Prentice and Anuj Dal off the bowling off Balderson. Hartley’s low catch was particularly fine and there is currently scarcely a session that passes without him or Balderson showing something which proclaims their professional pedigree. Lancashire will not win the Bob Willis Trophy but this has been a valuable season for the club. It is good news in these febrile times.

Notts seal place in decider against Surrey

Paul Edwards04-Oct-2020
Given the timings and length of games on what became Finals Half-Day, two teams were bound to be leaving Edgbaston around Sunday evening wondering why they had waited around for a day and a half. In the first semi-final it was Gloucestershire; in the second it was Lancashire after the match between the sides with the most T20 victories in the history of England’s shortest format was ended in the most brutal fashion by Dan Christian, who whacked four consecutive sixes into the Hollies Stand off Liam Livingstone’s eighth over of the innings. The Outlaws skipper thus made good use of the short boundary and capitalised on Dane Vilas’s decision to bowl the off-spinner after a similar choice at Chester-le-Street last summer was the prelude to an onslaught by Ravi Bopara and his Lancashire’s quarter-final defeat to Essex. With four overs to go Notts needed 29 runs. It looked a decent game until then.Croft’s Original SkillsLancashire’s batsmen maintained a steady rate of around eight runs per over throughout their innings. After nine balls they had scored more runs than Gloucestershire had managed in the 20 of their earlier Powerplay and Alex Davies’ two straight-driven boundaries were a declaration of intent by Old Trafford’s batsman of the season in short-form games. But having thus declared, Davies quickly departed, well caught above his head at backward square leg by Steven Mullaney off Samit Patel for 15.Notts Outlaws stuck to their spin attack – four of the first six overs were sent down by twirlers – but Lancashire tucked in when they could and collected singles when they couldn’t.Steven Croft smacked his first ball for four through the covers and his third over long on for six. And after six overs Lightning appeared decently placed on 54 for 1. Livingstone lifted Matt Carter over backward square leg but then perished in the same over and same region, caught by Jake Ball on the boundary for 22.At no point in the first half of the game did Lancashire’s innings lose momentum yet at no point did they really cut loose in the fashion later managed by Notts. Croft’s 22-ball 33 was a noble effort from a loyal cricketer but he perished in the tenth over, caught at deep midwicket by Zak Chappell who was subbing for Chris Nash who had earlier gone off with a leg injury.Imad Wasim was clearly the pick of the Notts attack: he bowled his three overs at a cost of 18 runs while his four colleagues all of whom bowled two overs went for between 16 and 20. Nonetheless, Lancashire’s total of 94 for 4 looked a fair target; they had after all scored 20 runs off the last 17 balls of their innings without hitting a boundary.Christian BrutalityAt no stage of their innings were Nottinghamshire behind the required rate. Ben Duckett’s six over long-on in Tom Hartley’s first over helped and so did Alex Hales’ cut for four off Luke Wood’s second. But the Notts batsmen had hardly started; when Saqib Mahmood came on at the City End Hales upper-cut him into the stands at third man. Duckett departed in the same over, caught by Croft at deep midwicket for 13, but Joe Clarke lifted his second ball from Mahmood for six over long-off and at the end of the Powerplay the Outlaws were 41 for 1. It was a substantial 13-run advantage and it looked even better when they had racked up 49 off four overs.Hales was bowled for 29 by a classic leg-spinner from Matt Parkinson but any impetus or inspiration Lancashire took from that seemed to have been dispelled a few minutes later when Clarke lifted Hartley into the stands. However, Hartley, whose emergence has been one of the successes of Lancashire’s season, responded by having Tom Moores caught at long-on by Vilas for 1 and then by bowling Clarke with a ball of full length for 17. After another tight over from Parkinson, Notts needed 29 runs off 24 balls, at which point Christian eyed the short boundary and saw that an off-spinner was coming on. Parkinson had Christian stumped for his 13-ball 30 only for Imad Wasim to end the game next ball.

Mumbai will look to confirm a top-two spot in the points table

Sruthi Ravindranath30-Oct-20206:59

Should Delhi Capitals bring back Shaw?

Big picture

About a couple of weeks into the tournament, these were the two sides that were among the favourites to make the top four. It was all going according to plan for the Delhi Capitals until the game against Kings XI Punjab about 10 days ago. A loss in that game was followed by two more defeats, in the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. As a result, they had to give up their top position to the Mumbai Indians, who are sitting pretty with 16 points having earned their playoff qualification.The Capitals had a major meltdown in their last match against the Sunrisers. A brilliant Rashid Khan made sure their batting never took off and their go-to wicket-taker Kagiso Rabada had a bad day. He went wicketless for the first time in 25 IPL games and was the most expensive bowler on the day. Another thing ailing the Capitals is their batting, especially the top order. Ajinkya Rahane was brought in place of Prithvi Shaw but that has not effected a substantial turnaround. Shikhar Dhawan’s brilliance won them a couple of games but the rest of the batsmen haven’t been able to get going. A win in this match would give them a spot in the playoffs. But a loss here and in their final group match could possibly eliminate them if other teams in fray finish on 14 points with a better net run rate.Meanwhile, a Rohit Sharma-less Mumbai are doing alright. They arguably have the best batting unit in the tournament: Ishan Kishan is enjoying his best IPL season yet, Quinton de Kock has been ably supported by his partners at the top of the order, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard have helped with superb cameos and Suryakumar Yadav has been consistently brilliant. Plus, if the batting order has a rare day off, they’ve got Jasprit Bumrah, their ultimate weapon of choice, who has been lethal especially in the death overs, where he got 12 of his 20 wickets this season.Mumbai have an excellent net run rate, and after their win against Royal Challengers Bangalore, they’ve also all but sealed a top-two finish. All the pressure is definitely on the demoralised Capitals in this encounter.

Likely XIs

Mumbai Indians: 1 Ishan Kishan, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Saurabh Tiwary, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt), 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 James Pattinson, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.Delhi Capitals: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Prithvi Shaw/Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Harshal Patel/Tushar Deshpande, 8 Axar Patel, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Anrich Nortje

Previous meeting

Fifties from Suryakumar Yadav and Quinton de Kock, and a 15-ball 28 from Ishan Kishan, helped Mumbai chase down 162 with two balls remaining.

Strategy Punt

• The Capitals have been using Shimron Hetmyer as a floater this season and he has been quite impressive in his role, striking at nearly 150 and also providing the finishing touches. Given how the Capitals’ batting order has struggled in the last few games, Hetmyer can probably be given the No. 4 spot, which is usually reserved for Rishabh Pant, and use the latter as a floater instead. Hetmyer has done well in the middle overs in T20s this year, averaging 68.8 and striking at 140 in overs 7 to 15 in addition to tackling spinners well.
• The Royal Challengers might have missed a trick in their previous match Mumbai by not bowling Washington Sundar to the left-handed opening pair of Quinton de Kock and Ishan Kishan. The Capitals can take a cue from this and get R Ashwin to bowl from one end and share the new ball duty with Rabada. Ashwin has dismissed Quinton de Kock thrice in four meetings.

Stats that matter

• Ishan Kishan is one among the five players to have a strike rate of 140-plus against pacers and spinners in IPL 2020
• Rishabh Pant needs 11 runs to reach 2000 runs in IPL
• Kieron Pollard needs 27 runs to reach 3000 runs in IPL

The visitors have a golden chance to clinch a 3-0 win without really hampering their preparation for the Tests

Alex Malcolm07-Dec-20206:45

Moody: Hardik Pandya has emerged as a genuine top-order finisher

Big Picture

India have a golden chance to claim a 3-0 series sweep in Australia without really hampering their preparation for the upcoming Test series.Neither Jasprit Bumrah nor Mohammed Shami were required in the series-clinching win on Sunday night with India’s attack doing the job in pegging back Australia after conceding a fast start. T Natarajan was outstanding again with the ball while Shardul Thakur played a role as well in controlling Australia through the middle overs after Matthew Wade’s onslaught.ALSO WATCH: Hardik Pandya tees off for 42 off 22 (India subcontinent only)Both have the chance to embed themselves in India’s T20 set-up while Tuesday could provide an opportunity for India to experiment with their batting line-up with the series won thanks to Hardik Pandya’s heroics.Australia have had their selection hand forced throughout the series due to injury and have no reason to risk any Test players. Australia will be very happy with how the legspin pairing of Adam Zampa and Mitchell Swepson went on Sunday night, but the pace stocks have been tested with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Kane Richardson all absent.Sean Abbott, Daniel Sams, and Andrew Tye have all showed glimpses of handling the level but also have been exposed at times. All can only benefit from more opportunities albeit without a series on the line.

Form guide

(last five completed matches)
Australia LLWLL

India WWWWW

In the spotlight

D’Arcy Short‘s place in Australia’s broader T20 plans ahead next year’s World Cup may well be under review after his two outings in this series. In fairness to Short he has been on the fringes for some time and was not initially selected in the squad. He only came into consideration when David Warner was injured, but despite remaining a dominant force in the BBL he has failed to translate that form to international cricket. In his last 11 T20 internationals over a two-year period he has scored just 190 runs at 17.27, without a half-century, at an alarming strike-rate of just 95.95. He also hasn’t bowled a ball in this series.ALSO WATCH: T Natarajan gets D’Arcy Short in his first overT Natarajan could make a case to be player of the series on Tuesday if he continues his stunning form. Hardik Pandya thought he should have been Player of the Match in the second T20I at the SCG producing stunning figures of 2 for 20 on a surface where most of the fast bowlers copped a hiding. His left-arm variety, exceptional skills, and ability to execute under pressure could make him a vital part of India’s T20 attack heading into the World Cup.

Team news

Australia coach Justin Langer said captain Aaron Finch was a chance to return for Tuesday’s clash despite missing Sunday’s loss due to a minor glute strain. If Finch does return, Short would be the obvious man to either slide down the order or make way altogether. Steven Smith could also be rested which would open the door for Marcus Stoinis to move up to No.3 and perhaps give Alex Carey another opportunity after he was dropped for Wade in England. The attack may well be unchanged with no need to risk Hazlewood who missed Sunday’s match with back soreness.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch/D’Arcy Short, 2 Matthew Wade, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Moises Henriques, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Sean Abbott, 8 Daniel Sams, 9 Mitchell Swepson, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 AJ TyeIndia have no reason to make a change unless anyone needs a rest before the Test series. There is no need for India to play Shami or Bumrah and both could get an extended break to prepare themselves for their Test workloads.India (possible) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Sanju Samson, 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Shardul Thakur, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

The SCG has produced runs, runs, and more runs in this series and it is unlikely that much will change on Tuesday. Conditions will be very mild and possibly cool on Tuesday with a southerly change bringing a strong wind that may affect bowling and batting tactics at certain stages.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have been whitewashed twice in three-match T20I series: once by India and once by Pakistan
• The second T20I was the highest-rating cricket match on Australian subscription television – beating the record set last weekend with the second ODI.

Quotes

“We haven’t probably finished with the ball as well as we wanted over the last couple of games but we are playing good T20 cricket. We have good players, unfortunately, we didn’t have guys like Starc and Hazlewood last night which will hurt any team, but on the flip side it’s a real positive that guys are getting experience at international level.”
Matthew Wade

From looking like favourites to win the Adelaide Test, India crumbled spectacularly on day three

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-20207.6 Cummins to Bumrah, OUT Got him, Cummins has taken very little time to take out the nightwatchman. Fullish, angling into off stump and straightening. Was it the slower legcutter? Possibly. Either way, he gets Bumrah to push at it in front of his body, without much of a stride prior to that, and the ball pops back for a return catch at waist heightJJ Bumrah c & b Cummins 2 (17b 0x4 0x6) SR: 11.76; India 15 for 2James: “I wonder if this game might turn out a little bit like the Leeds test Ashes test match last year, not in regards to the drama and the Stokes innings, but in the sense that the game moved so fast that the pitch was actually at its best for batting during that 4th innings.”Virat Kohli walks back, the key wicket in the middle of an India collapse•Getty Images

11.2 Cummins to Pujara, OUT Cummins is bringing Australia right back into this game. Superb delivery, angling into middle and off and straightening. Pujara absolutely has to play, the length is perfect. The feet don’t go anywhere, and even though he plays as close to the body as possible, it moves just enough to take his edge and no more. His bat face is ever so slightly closed, suggesting he was playing the initial angleCA Pujara c †Paine b Cummins 0 (8b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0; India 15 for 311.5 Cummins to Kohli, no run Back of a length in the corridor, straightens past the edge as Kohli steps back and across to defend. This is fiery stuff12.1 Hazlewood to Agarwal, OUT And he strikes first ball. Wow. The most Josh Hazlewood dismissal you’ll see. Extra bounce from a length, and the initial angle – much like the Pujara dismissal – isn’t even attacking off stump but going slightly inside the line of the stumps. Then it straightens to take the edge, with Agarwal squared up in defenceMA Agarwal c †Paine b Hazlewood 9 (40b 1×4 0x6) SR: 22.5; India 15 for 412.5 Hazlewood to Rahane, OUT I said the length was more or less perfect the previous ball. This one was a few inches fuller, along the same line, and the ball straightened again to take the edge. India are effectively 68 for 5. Rahane doesn’t get a stride forward, just pushes at the ball, in front of his body, and pays the priceAM Rahane c †Paine b Hazlewood 0 (4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0; India 15 for 5India’s lowest ever Test Score•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Adithya: “Who would’ve thought thought that Bumrah could start a batting collapse as a batsman”orkydd: “Easier batting at night d’ya think?”Silva: “I’m still thinking about that run out [Kohli-Rahane mix-up in the first innings]”13.5 Cummins to Kohli, OUT Now Cummins has the Kohli wicket. I think all the wickets at the other end have unsettled Kohli, and made him decide he has to take on the bowling. Fullish in a wide-ish channel outside off, and Kohli does something he didn’t do at all in the first innings, attempt a cover drive against such a ball. Slices it to gully, where Green seems to have taken a clean catch low to his left, but they’re checking anyway. Soft signal is out. He caught it a few inches above the turf, but the issue is whether it slipped momentarily from his grasp on his way down. There seems to be a bit of a juggle, but it’s hard to tell, given he’s landing in an area of shadow, so it stays with the soft signalV Kohli c Green b Cummins 4 (8b 1×4 0x6) SR: 50; India 19 for 6A jubilant Josh Hazlewood is congratulated by team-mates after his devastating strikes•Getty Images

18.4 Hazlewood to Saha, OUT Chipped straight to midwicket! There is no stop to this carnage. What a treat to watch this guy bowl. Not his best delivery of the morning by any stretch, but everything around this delivery means Saha has gone with hard hands at a ball dipping into his leg stump. It’s a good length delivery, he reaches out and looks to close the face. He’s not close enough to do that and that’s off the inside part of a turning batWP Saha c Labuschagne b Hazlewood 4 (27m 15b 0x4 0x6) SR: 26.67; India 26 for 718.5 Hazlewood to Ashwin, OUT There’s a sound and the umpire’s heard it too. Ashwin reviews the catch behind. Good length, landing on the seam in the corridor. Jags away the tiniest bit from the surface. Ashwin is caught inside the line on the forward defence…there’s nothing on Hotspot. But Snicko has the slightest murmur. Ashwin will go first ball. Wicket number 200 for Hazlewood and now he’s on a hat-trickR Ashwin c †Paine b Hazlewood 0 (3m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0; India 26 for 820.1 Hazlewood to Vihari, OUT That’s five for Hazlewood! Take a bow, you absolute beast. What a spell. So persistent, near-perfect this morning. It’s another trademark dismissal – draw the batsman in with the angle in at the stumps, straighten it off the surface to draw the edge. And the edges are carrying today. Vihari on the front foot, thick outside edge, and Paine lunges to his right with two hands to hold onGH Vihari c †Paine b Hazlewood 8 (44m 22b 1×4 0x6) SR: 36.36; India 31 for 9Cummins to Shami, no run Can’t get out of the way. Short ball, doesn’t quite rise as much. It’s headed down leg side. Shami is backing into the leg side and trying to evade. Cops that on his right forearm and the team doctor is outMohammed Shami retired hurt 1 (6m 4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 25; India 36 for 9

Essex batsman says he will stick to his own game if his chance comes this week

George Dobell11-Jan-2021It sometimes feels as if the opposition bowling is the least of the worries facing England’s new Test batsmen.As if taking a step up in level is not daunting enough, there is also a vast step up in scrutiny. From playing in front of county audiences – which, while bigger than sometimes credited, really don’t compare to a packed Gabba – and one or two generally benevolent reporters, players are thrust in front of dozens of TV cameras.Suddenly, their every move is dissected, scrutinised and debated. Their dismissals are replayed; their faults magnified. Their usual TV channel of choice might feature their childhood heroes expressing doubts over their ability to survive at the top level. Social media can be even more blunt.Related

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The “worms of doubt” – as Jonathan Trott memorably phrased it – start to wriggle into the brain. And once the self-confidence is eroded, once thoughts are focused as much on what the doubters are thinking as the ball heading their way, nervous feet become rooted and confidence-free hands start to look for the ball.The likes of Dawid Malan, Mark Stoneman, Sam Robson and Gary Ballance have all walked this path. All were good players. All had decent claims on a sustained run in the side. With few exceptions, they left the set-up shell-shocked as much by the media onslaught as the high standard of cricket to which they were introduced. The combination is desperately tough to deal with. You could argue that the only specialist England batsman to indisputably nail Test cricket in the age of social media is Joe Root.Dan Lawrence is, no doubt, about to discover all this. Barring late injury, he looks set to be the beneficiary of the absence of Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope and Rory Burns and make his Test debut at Galle on Thursday. Aged just 23 but having already played more first-class games than the likes of Babar Azam and Shai Hope, he has earned this opportunity. He is not obviously more talented than Ben Duckett, James Vince or Tom Westley – just a selection of those who have worked this road before him – but he might just be better mentally prepared.He has a few other things to his advantage. For one, he has benefited from an England development system that has invested in sending him on Under-19 tours to various places – including Sri Lanka – and allowed him to spend several weeks focused on playing spin in India. For another, he is likely to bat at No. 5, which is about as good a place to start as can be expected, even in conditions where spin might be expected to dominate. The absence of spectators and most media might do him no harm, either.Most of all, though, he seems – albeit at this early stage – to have the character to thrive in this environment. In particular, it is comforting to hear not just Lawrence but some of those who know him best insisting that he will do things his own way. That doesn’t mean stubbornly refusing to learn. But it does mean retaining faith in himself when all men doubt him. It bodes well.”I think confidence in my own game is quite a big strength of mine,” Lawrence said after England training on Monday. “I am a big one for trying to do things in my own unique way.”I don’t want to come into an England environment and completely change everything because that wouldn’t be true to myself. The big thing for me is having the confidence in my own game and believing I can be really successful at this level. It’s about trying to stick to my guns and what’s made me successful so far.”Hopefully I can really stay true to myself and go out there and really express myself; not sit in a hole or let the situation get too much for me. It’s just a matter of actually going and doing it now.”In truth, there’s nothing so outrageously different about Lawrence these days. He went through a period of taking an elaborate step back and across his stumps as part of his trigger movement. But when he reasoned this was disproportionately limiting him to leg side strokes, he reverted to something more conventional. There’s still a bit of a Dhoni-style helicopter flourish to his follow-through; still a bit of KP-style flamingo about his back leg. But the trigger is much less exaggerated. Compared to Dom Sibley or Rory Burns – who may share similar determination to do things their own way – he really is quite orthodox.It’s been an emotional year for Lawrence. Joy at being called into the England squad during the summer of 2020 was eclipsed by the death of his mother in August. He had, he said, been “mentally prepared for the worst”, as she had been ill for some time. Things were “quite tough for a couple of months” but, eventually, he added, “it was lovely to go back and play some cricket for Essex around my really good mates, who I needed at that time. They were all fantastic.”Dan Lawrence is one of England’s brightest young batting talents•Getty Images

It’s a shame his dad, Mark, won’t be able to watch his debut in person, either. Mark remains head groundsman at Chingford CC where Dan grew-up in a home overlooking the ground and has clearly done more than anyone to groom England’s newest Test hope.”He always wanted me to be a cricketer,” Lawrence said. “He has been very good for me. He used to feed me so many balls. I would always pester him to hit balls in the indoor nets, every day. Probably much to his annoyance. He has been brilliant.”He played for Chingford as a wicketkeeper and from the war stories he told me, he seemed decent with the gloves. But I reckon he is a bit of a taxman; he always adds an extra 10-20% to every story.”I have been brought up around cricket and haven’t really played any other sports growing up. Me and my Dad would have conversation after conversation around cricket. I am sure he will be very excited come Thursday.”I would love to have him out here, as well as my brothers. But it is nice to know there will be a lot of people at home egging me on to do well.”Indeed, there will. But it’s Lawrence’s ability to block out such thoughts – the supporters and the detractors watching from afar – that suggest this could be his first Test of many.

The opener saw the visitors home after a half-century from Punam Raut led India to nearly 250

Debayan Sen12-Mar-2021A career-best 132 not out from Lizelle Lee helped South Africa to a 2-1 lead in the five-match ODI series as they were six runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) par score, when an unseasonal shower ended the match in the 47th over of the visitors’ chase of 249. South Africa were on course, on 223 for 4, led by Lee’s third ODI century, and needed 26 from 21 when rain interrupted and just under half an hour the match was called off with South Africa winners as the DLS score to win then was 218.Put in to bat, India scored 248 for 5, powered by a steady 77 from Punam Raut, with identical contributions of 36 from captain Mithali Raj – who brought up 10,000 runs in international cricket – Deepti Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur.After 36 overs, South Africa were cruising along at 178 for 2 after Lee had brought up a century off just 97 balls, and her partnership with Mignon du Preez was approaching three figures. In fact, du Preez had just skipped down the pitch to Jhulan Goswami, whose first two spells had given her figures of 6-2-9-1, and lofted her over long-on for the second six of the South Africa innings to kick off the batting powerplay.Yet, the next four overs brought South Africa just four runs because du Preez (37) and Marizanne Kapp (0) perished inside a span of 10 balls without the visitors adding any runs, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Goswami the successful bowlers, as the pressure grew on Lee, left in the company of a relatively inexperienced middle order.With the sky darkening, and a light drizzle starting, Lee then slapped Poonam Yadav through midwicket for six, and picked up three further boundaries in the space of nine balls off Sharma and Kaur to keep South Africa ahead of the DLS par score as the umpires kept conferring about whether to continue or not. As the rain became heavier, South Africa walked off with the knowledge that Lee had placed them ahead of the DLS score.Earlier, South Africa had quite the dramatic start to the day, with captain Sune Luus pulling up ill ahead of the toss, forcing 21-year-old Laura Wolvaardt to step into the captain’s shoes for the first time in her 83rd international game. Wolvaardt also had to cope with the loss of regular wicketkeeper Trisha Chetty, who was injured during warm-up and replaced by Sinalo Jafta.South Africa took a 2-1 lead in the series•UPCA

South Africa had the perfect start, as on her way to a wicket maiden, Shabnim Ismail got the second ball of the match to swing away and draw an edge to Jafta from Jemimah Rodrigues, condemning her to a third straight single-digit score. India’s first runs came through a Smriti Mandhana tickle on the on side, but then Raut picked up three boundaries off Ismail – two of them glanced to fine leg – in her second over, which yielded 16 runs. This spurred Mandhana into action as well, who clubbed a couple of trademark cover drives, as India raced to 35 off the first six.South Africa then changed tactics, particularly to Raut, and bowled outside off, with a cordon of fielders blocking off her cuts and dabs to third man. The rare error in line was punished, but after slapping Sekhukhule for boundaries over midwicket and through covers in her first over, Mandhana mistimed an intended pull over midwicket to deep square leg to fall for a breezy 25, leaving India at 64 for 2 after 12 overs.Raj and Raut were watchful to begin with, as Wolvaardt shuffled her bowlers around, bringing Ismail and Kapp back for second spells too, but a couple of streaky boundaries through the slips allowed the Indians to keep their run rate in the region of five. Raut brought up her 15th ODI fifty in the 25th over, and from thereon, both Indian batters stepped on the accelerator. Raut was the aggressor in a short spell where India scored five boundaries in three overs, and also included Raj’s boundary off Bosch to move to 36 that made her the second batter after Charlotte Edwards to get to 10,000 international runs. She fell immediately after, mistiming a pull off Bosch to midwicket, enabling South Africa to break a 77-run partnership. South African spirits were perked up further when Kapp lured Raut into a false shot, top-edging to mid-off for 77 off 108.Kaur was brisk in the powerplay, taking full toll of Bosch’s slingy medium pace to flick her through square leg and then clip her over short fine leg as India scored 30 off the five overs to leave themselves at 193 for 4, and within sight of an imposing total.As Kaur looked to open up in the end overs, she top-edged Ismail on 36, only for Sekhukhune to complete a smart catch, peddling back from mid-off, meaning India could only pick up 55 off the last 10 overs.The score looked adequate to begin with, India conceding just 15 off the first six overs, with Goswami in particular choking up Wolvaardt just outside off, inducing her to drive repeatedly to the well-guarded arc between mid-off and cover-point. Even in the early exchanges, Lee was quick to pounce on any scoring opportunities, racing to 40 off the first 42 balls she faced, even as Sharma bowled Wolvaardt through the gate by spinning one sharply from outside off by inducing her to drive.Lara Goodall walked in at No. 3, fresh from a tenacious 49 in the previous match, but missed a fair few sweeps, a shot that led to her downfall in the second ODI. Her misery at the crease ended when she chipped Goswami to mid-on, having consumed 41 balls for her 16.This brought together du Preez and Lee, who batted with great intent right from the start. Lee was severe on any error in length from the spinners, while du Preez worked the ball around the dial to keep the score ticking over. The enterprising partnership picked up 82 off 11 overs after the 25-over mark before the innings saw a mini-wobble but it didn’t cost South Africa the match.

Lahore Qalandars won by six wickets after being three down early in chase

Sreshth Shah28-Feb-2021Lahore Qalandars 189 for 4 (Zaman 83, Dunk 57*, Wiese 31*) beat Karachi Kings 186 for 9 (Sharjeel 64, Nabi 57, Shaheen Afridi 3-27)In a game that had all the ingredients fit for a contest between franchises representing the two biggest cities in Pakistan, Lahore Qalandars came out on top, defeating Karachi Kings by six wickets – in the final over – to move into the top two of the PSL points table. Qalandars’ win made it 11 in a row for chasing teams this season, with the side batting first still searching for victory in PSL 2021. It was a fascinating match that had plenty of chirping, a whole lot of sixes, and an overdose of entertainment, fit for a ground that now allows up to 50% attendance for fans.The second innings began with the Kings roaring on the back of three wickets in the Powerplay, but a 119-run fourth-wicket stand between Fakhar Zaman (83) and Ben Dunk (57) brought the Qalandars back into the match. When Zaman fell, Kings had a sniff once again, but David’s Wiese’s nine-ball cameo of 31 extinguished those hopes, securing a Qalandars win with four balls to spare.Kings’ first-innings performance, where they reached 186 for 9, was quite similar to the chase. Like the Qalandars, they lost three wickets in the Powerplay before half-centuries from Sharjeel Khan (64) and Mohammad Nabi (57) lifted their innings. However, they could add only 24 runs in their last four overs while setting a total, and in the end, that was the difference between the two sides. A big reason why Kings scored at only six per over in the death overs was because of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s accurate bowling. He finished with 3 for 27.Shaheen cranks it up
After conceding two boundaries in his first three deliveries with the new ball, Shaheen eked out the early chance for a breakthrough when Sharjeel mistimed a shot to mid-on, only for Qalandars captain Sohail Akhtar to drop the catch. Shaheen’s second over was consistently quick. He nearly got a run-out in the second ball of the third over when he tried to kick the ball onto the stumps at the strikers’ end. Two balls later, a second chance was dropped off Shaheen, when Babar Azam flayed an edge to wide first slip. Then Shaheen conceded five wides when he missed the yorker only for it to slide down the leg side. But he had the last laugh in his opening spell, when he knocked Azam’s middle stump back with a length ball that moved in and went past the inside of the batsman’s blade. Shaheen enjoyed the wicket a lot, perhaps a bit too much, such that once he recovered from the high of the dismissal, he hugged Azam.After bowling two of the first three overs, Shaheen was taken out of the attack. He returned at the end of the 17th with Kings at 168 for 6 and then proceeded to trouble the Kings’ lower-order batsman. Shaheen nearly dismissed Waqas Maqsood with back-to-back yorkers in the 18th finally removed him in the 20th with the same ball. He then proceeded to york Mohammad Amir as well – with a massive celebration once again. He ended the innings with a 151kph delivery to restrict Kings to 186 for 9.Sharjeel, Nabi dominate between Shaheen’s spells
After Azam fell in Shaheen’s third over, Kings slid further when they lost Joe Clarke and Colin Ingram off back to back deliveries in the fifth. Clarke was run-out for 4 trying to complete a single while Ingram was out to an Ahmed Daniyal yorker for a first-ball duck.That brought Sharjeel and Nabi together and they responded by smoking 16 runs off the sixth over, delivered by Mohammad Hafeez. Sharjeel was the aggressor, hitting sixes off Haris Rauf and Wiese in the following overs, the latter bringing up his half-century in the tenth over off 34 balls. Nabi then hammered Samit Patel for two sixes and a four in an 11th over that leaked 21 runs before Sharjeel fell at the start of the 13th trying to look for another big hit. Sharjeel’s 39-ball 64 had 56 runs that came off either fours or sixes.Nabi then took over from where Sharjeel left, hitting Wiese and Rauf for plenty in the late middle overs, helped by some wayward deliveries that included a useful mix of full tosses and short balls. However, he fell in the 16th over for his 35-ball 57 when he sliced a Rauf slower ball to extra cover. Christian brought out his long handle to clobber a 14-ball 27 but his dismissal, coupled with Imad Wasim’s deflated Kings’ charge into the death overs. They went at just six per over from overs 16 to 20 to set a total far lesser than the 200-plus they were aiming for at one stage.Amir’s mixed day
Shaheen’s over-the-top celebration at dismissing Amir, who batted at No. 10, probably fired the senior bowler up because when he took the new ball in the chase, he was raring to go. With Zaman not finding a run off the first three balls, Amir went up to the batsman to say a few words, and off the fourth ball eked out a wicket. Zaman, trying to get Qalandars off the mark, tried to take a single, only to cause a run-out that saw Sohail out for a duck without facing a ball. Amir then bowled a full ball to No. 3 Joe Denly to bowl him for a first-ball duck as the first over was a double-wicket maiden. His second over – the chase’s third – was equally entertaining but yielded seven runs. However, the opening spell was menacing.Like Shaheen, Amir was taken off the attack after two overs and only returned at the death. On that occasion, though, his fortunes changed. Although he conceded just seven in the 17th over, the 19th went for plenty. Dunk set the tone for the 19th with a four off a wide delivery after which Wiese hit him for two fours and a six. When Amir came to bowl his final over, Qalandars needed 30 off 12. When he was done, they needed 10 off six.Zaman, Dunk set up the win
When Zaman and Dunk came together at 33 for 3, it seemed that for the first time the chasing side would lose a PSL 2021 match. The in-form Hafeez and Clarke were already gone, and Dunk was not in form. However, Zaman was hitting it clean. He struck two sixes and three fours off Mohammad Ilyas, and two sixes of Arshad Iqbal in the first eight overs to keep the asking rate in check. He then tore into Nabi, Christian and Maqsood to sprint to a 36-ball fifty while Dunk was still struggling at a run-a-ball 26.After the 12th over, though, with Qalandars needing 93 off 48, both batsmen stepped up a gear. Dunk matched Zaman stroke for stroke against Nabi and Maqsood such that by the 17th over came, the Australian had reached his fifty in 39 deliveries and Qalandars needed 36 off the last three overs.Zaman then fell to Christian courtesy a slower ball, but the momentum had already shifted Qalandars’ way courtesy the century stand for the fourth wicket. Wiese came in to bat firing all cylinders and Dunk then turned into spectator. Wiese’s annihilation of Amir’s final spell left only 10 to get off the final over, and he needed just two balls in the 20th – delivered by Christian – to take Qalandars over the line. Dunk finished unbeaten on 57.