All posts by n8rngtd.top

Laurie Evans top-scored for Perth Scorchers, but his momentum was halted after a Harry Conway yorker landed a painful blow on his toe

Tristan Lavalette14-Jan-2022Adelaide Strikers started their playoff push without Rashid Khan in impressive fashion after brushing aside a short-handed Perth Scorchers by six wickets at the Adelaide Oval. Veteran legspinner Fawad Ahmed filled the sizeable hole with three wickets to help restrict Scorchers to a lowly 9 for 127 before Strikers knocked off the target with 18 balls to spare.Fifth-placed Strikers moved back inside the playoff frame with 20 points, while Scorchers – who have 38 points – missed out on a chance to lock up top spot.The home team claimed the Jason Gillespie Trophy to cap the BBL’s inaugural First Nations Round, which honoured and celebrated Indigenous culture.Quick Matthew Kelly and opener Cameron Bancroft were late withdrawals for Scorchers after they returned positive PCR results for Covid-19, joining star batter Colin Munro who had also tested positive earlier in the week, while allrounder Ashton Agar didn’t play due to a shoulder injury. As part of the BBL’s rejigged scheduling amid Covid-19 chaos engulfing the tournament, the match started at 10.10am local time in just the second morning match in BBL history.Rashid-less Strikers dominate with the ball
It always loomed as a tough ask for Strikers without their spin ace Rashid Khan, but they started life without him rather brightly. With the Afghanistan spinner headed home, Strikers fortunately had the experienced Fawad to rely on, and he delivered in spades. The 39-year-old claimed the early wicket of Kurtis Patterson before being put under pressure by Ashton Turner and Laurie Evans.Under siege, a rattled Fawad bowled too short but he enjoyed returning in the backend with Turner in the pavilion, thus giving Strikers a firm stranglehold in the 15th over with the wickets of Evans and Jason Behrendorff, who was deceived by a gem of a wrong ‘un.The ageless Peter Siddle, who has had a stellar BBL as stand-in skipper, also starred with the wicket of opener Nick Hobson off his first ball and the important strike of an in-form Aaron Hardie, as Strikers tore through Scorchers’ weakened middle-order. Siddle’s strong leadership has galvanised Strikers, who now have belief after their third win from four matches.Laurie Evans counterattacked along with his captain Ashton Turner•Getty Images

Weakened Scorchers rue sloppy batting
Given the early start time, the players could have been forgiven for going through the motions with Scorchers meandering to 1 for 19 in the four-over powerplay after being sent in.But Turner and Evans then provided a much-needed spark and impressively counterattacked to flip the momentum. Turner, the in-form Scorchers captain, mixed beautiful drives with inventive strokes, including an audacious scoop shot for six off seamer Henry Thornton. But his 15-ball 28 whirlwind ended on the last ball before the drinks break when he holed out in a rash stroke, thus triggering a middle-order collapse.The burden fell on Evans, whose momentum was halted after a Harry Conway yorker hit him in the toe in a painful blow. He departed in the next over as Scorchers fell apart in a disappointing batting display where they rued sluggish strokes, none more so than the momentum-shifting dismissal of Turner.Debutant Cockbain shows maturity
This could have been a potentially tricky chase for Strikers, who have generally struggled with their batting this season. But hard-hitting opener Matt Short once again showed his liking for the four-over powerplay with an assault on Behrendorff in a fearless start for Strikers. But as is his bane, Short was unable to convert an attractive start, falling for 34 off 28 balls. Opener Henry Hunt departed first ball after the drinks break, followed by veteran Jonathan Wells, to leave Strikers at 3 for 91.But debutant Ian Cockbain held firm with a mature knock of 35* from 24 balls in another tonic for Strikers, who claimed consecutive wins for the first time this season.Scorchers’ depth being tested
An ailed Evans could not take his place behind the stumps after injuring the big toe on his left foot. But despite being short-handed, Scorchers still fancied their chances given their prowess at defending low totals. But they never were in the hunt with Behrendorff unusually wayward, and they clearly missed Kelly’s full-length mastery and so too Agar’s miserly left-arm spin. Scorchers used legspinner Peter Hatzoglou early, who looked dangerous during his spell but couldn’t crash through Strikers’ top order.Hardie, who has been emerging nicely as an allrounder, claimed a trio of wickets at the backend but it wasn’t enough for an under-manned Scorchers, who will be sweating on the availability of key players as they attempt to secure pole position for the playoffs.

Hosts recover from 3 for 12 as Head and Cameron Green continue impressive series

Valkerie Baynes14-Jan-2022An accomplished century from Travis Head wrested back control for Australia on an entertaining first day of the fifth and final Ashes Test, which was ultimately curtailed by rain.It must have felt like three steps forward, 224 back for England as Australia slumped to 3 for 12 inside the first 10 overs then recovered to 6 for 236 by the time Cameron Green fell shortly before steady drizzle halted play in the third session of the day-night fixture in Hobart.After a particularly fruitless day for Mark Wood, he employed short-ball tactics to finally prise out a dangerous-looking Green and offer some hope for the tourists. Green had played an excellent innings, unfurling some breath-taking cover drives en route to his 74, but it was Head – with whom he shared a 121-stand for the fifth wicket – who stole the show.Related

• Travis Head and Cameron Green flourish under pressure to show their Test pedigree

• Harris dropped, Khawaja to open in Hobart after his twin hundreds

• As it happened – Australia vs England, 5th Test, Hobart, 1st day

• Labuschagne, Head heed Championship lessons to tame England

Returning to the side after his Covid-enforced absence in Sydney, Head scored his second century of the series – this one off just 112 balls – before falling to the very next delivery, chipping Chris Woakes to Ollie Robinson at mid-on to fall for 101.Head screamed “No!” as the ball looped up off the bat for a soft dismissal to give England a much-needed breakthrough shortly before the tea break and, had he managed to stick around, Australia’s claims to have won the day would have been reinforced. As it happened, the hosts finished the day in a far better position than had seemed likely in the first 90 minutes or so.With England having won the toss on a green pitch providing movement off the seam early, Robinson returned after missing the drawn fourth Test at the SCG and cashed in. He had David Warner out for a 22-ball duck with a delivery that was just back of a length and just outside off to find a decent edge, taken by Zak Crawley at second slip.He could have had Marnus Labuschagne out a short time later, but Crawley spilled the chance diving across Joe Root from second slip. But Robinson struck again to dismiss Steven Smith for a rare Ashes duck, taken this time by Crawley to bookend the dismissal of Usman Khawaja, caught in the slips by Root off Stuart Broad for 6.But then Head and Labuschagne restored order for Australia as Wood came on for a brief but expensive spell, conceding 11 runs off one of this three overs and 15 off another. Head was particularly aggressive, moving from 4 off five deliveries at the drinks break to 26 off 20. Labuschagne chimed in with a belligerent clip off Woakes over midwicket for a one-bounce four to move into the 40s.Stuart Broad bowled Marnus Labuschagne around his legs•Getty Images

The pair put on 71 runs together before Labuschagne fell in comical fashion, tangled up by a full, straight Broad delivery round his legs and toppling face-first to the ground as the ball clattered into his stumps to be out for 44. That made it 4 for 83 for Australia and provided endless amusing memes, even for the hosts, who also saw the funny side if the smiles and giggles from the dressing room was anything to go by.Labuschagne’s dismissal spurred Head to press on with their counterattack. He was already travelling at a good clip and brought up his fifty from 53 balls, punishing a Woakes short ball outside leg stump with a deft flick to the fine leg boundary. Two balls later, Head pummelled Woakes wide of mid-off for another four.With the Bellerive Oval pitch known to flatten out quite quickly, England’s bowlers were always going to have to nail their lines and lengths after a relatively brief period of assistance. Instead, they struggled.Wood and Woakes conceded 112 runs in 20 overs between them up to the tea break for just one wicket – that of Head, who had looked slightly nervous on 99 when he lofted the ball over a leaping Woakes’ outstretched hand to safe ground just in front of Robinson two balls before bringing up his century on the next ball, working into the off side for two.Compounding the tourists’ decision to rest swing-bowling maestro James Anderson, Root was forced to bowl 10 overs in the first two sessions on a green top when Robinson had to leave the field with stiffness in his lower back. Robinson bowled just one over in the middle session in which Australia scored 130 runs for the loss of one wicket from 28 overs and he remained out of the attack.Green was fantastic, making it back-to-back fifties after matching his score in the second innings in Sydney. But when he fell, it came down to Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc to dig in before what started as faint drizzle set in.

Australian allrounder returns for seventh season at Trent Bridge

Matt Roller15-Feb-2022Dan Christian will return to Nottinghamshire for a seventh season in 2022 after re-signing as the club’s T20 Blast captain.Christian, who will turn 39 before flying to the UK at the end of May, is among of the world’s most decorated T20 cricketers and a three-time Blast winner. He spent six consecutive seasons at Notts between 2015 and 2020, captaining them to the title in 2017 and 2020 to add to his triumph with Hampshire in 2010.He was due to play a seventh consecutive season for them in 2021 and played two second XI T20 games as a warm-up for the Blast after arriving in Nottingham, but a shock recall to Australia’s T20I set-up saw him miss the full season, instead playing on their tours against West Indies and Bangladesh.In Christian’s absence, Dane Paterson – only an occasional feature of the T20 side – was Notts’ only overseas player but they finished top of the North Group at a canter under Steven Mullaney’s captaincy. They looked set for Finals Day at 66 for 1 chasing 126 against Hampshire in the quarter-finals, but somehow collapsed to 123 all out.”It was great to see other players step up with bat and ball in Dan’s absence last season, and the team was really well led by Steven Mullaney,” Peter Moores, Notts’ head coach, said. “To now have the chance to re-add a player of Dan’s presence and quality to that group is exciting and, come the start of the Blast in late-May, we’ll be raring to go and confident of a successful campaign.”Dan’s ability, desire and passion have made him a key part of our club since his arrival in 2015, and we can’t wait to have him back with us. He’s a match-winner in his own right, and a terrific leader and example to everyone in our dressing room.”Christian said: “I’ve had great times in Nottingham over a number of years. We’ve seen some great improvements in individuals throughout that time, won a couple of comps, and Notts is a club that’s overall fantastic to be part of.”It’s really exciting to be returning to a place where I’ve made so many great memories on and off the field, and I’m looking forward to playing in front of packed houses at Trent Bridge again too. My philosophy will remain the same for 2022 – to back our ability and be positive. The ultimate aim is to get our hands back on that trophy in July.”Christian is Notts’ third overseas player registered for the 2022 season, along with Paterson and his compatriot James Pattinson. Teams are allowed to register three overseas players at any one time, with a maximum of two in their starting XI in any given competition.

“What we need to do is be in that collective in each game, be consistent”

Valkerie Baynes03-Mar-2022Stafanie Taylor has called on West Indies to adapt their style if they are to convert their big-tournament T20 record into 50-over World Cup success.West Indies lost to South Africa by 96 runs and six wickets after winning the Super Over in their tied second match of the ODI series immediately before travelling to New Zealand. They also suffered heavy defeats in both their warm-up matches, losing by 90 runs to Australia and 81 runs to India. On both occasions, West Indies never really threatened to pass the 200-mark with the bat and that was an area Taylor wanted her side to address in the lead-up to the opening match of the tournament against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui on Friday.”We had our meeting and we said that to be competitive we have to be scoring over two hundred runs,” Taylor said. “In the two games that we played we didn’t do so. So that’s something that we’ve had a look at and, moving forward, that’s something that we need to work at.”Related

• It's all coming together nicely for New Zealand

• Devine hopes to channel New Zealand's spirit of 2015

West Indies won the T20 World Cup in 2016 but have only once featured in a 50-over World Cup final, losing to Australia in 2013. Taylor said that while some players found T20 cricket more enjoyable, it was crucial for the West Indies line-up to alter the tempo and dig in during the longer format.”When it comes down to the longer format, we just need to spend more time out there in the middle,” Taylor added. “That’s an area that we’ve been falling down a lot in, rotating the strike and try to build more partnerships. We haven’t been building a lot of partnerships so hence the reason why we keep falling down in that department.”Among the positives for West Indies’ preparations, Shemaine Campbell and Hayley Matthews played measured innings for 63 and 44 respectively against India, while Taylor posted a similarly considered half-century against Australia. During the series in South Africa, West Indies had a number of contributors with the bat, including Kycia Knight, Deandra Dottin, Matthews, Chedean Nation and Chinelle Henry. Prior to that, they swept Pakistan 3-0 in Karachi.”The other batters are starting to contribute,” Taylor said. “What we need to do is be in that collective in each game, be consistent. That’s something that I’ve talked about a lot, being consistent, not just one or two batters always performing and probably looking at how teams are playing, a lot more fifties, batters stepping up and taking that responsibility. As batters we have to do that more consistently.”New Zealand, meanwhile, are hitting peak form at the right time, following their 4-1 ODI series victory over India with a nine-wicket win against favourites Australia in a warm-up earlier this week. They were beaten by Pakistan in their other warm-up fixture. New Zealand’s top three of Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine and Amelia Kerr are in excellent touch, with Kerr scoring 353 runs at an average of 117.66 in the series against India.But Taylor said that whether the White Ferns would carry any added pressure into their match as tournament hosts was irrelevant.”We don’t talk about if they’re under pressure,” she said. “I think that’s for them. We try to zone in on us and what we need to do to perform well.”

The two spinners have opened the bowling for the second time in the ongoing series, and been among the wickets too

Firdose Moonda10-Apr-2022With the new ball “ragging”, as Sarel Erwee put it, Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer can continue to stake a claim for playing together as a spin duo in the future. The two opened the bowling in the second innings of the Gqeberha Test against Bangladesh, as they had in the first Test, and have already dismissed the top three and could be eyeing a repeat of their performance in Durban, where they took all ten second-innings wickets to bowl South Africa to victory.Theirs is an unusual combination – Kingsmead was the first time since 1970 that South Africa had played two spinners in a home Test – but given their skills, could be something that South Africa make use of more often, as they move away from their heavy reliance on pace. On slower, late-summer pitches, South Africa have altered their strategy completely, to the point where they planned the declaration around how best to use the spinners.Related

• South Africa complete 2-0 sweep after Maharaj seven-for demolishes Bangladesh

• Bangladesh's shot-selection in focus

• Bangladesh stare at defeat after Maharaj's double-strike

After deciding to set Bangladesh a minimum target of 400, Dean Elgar declared with half-an-hour left to play in the day, knowing that in fading light with the ball turning, things would not be easy for Bangladesh. “As an opener, It makes your heart flutter a little bit [to see spinners with the new-ball],” Erwee said. “It’s not a nice period, that twilight period. And we’ve got two world-class spinners, so it makes it even worse to go and face them.”Maharaj took the first wicket with a ball that turned away from Mahmudul Hasan Joy and took the edge, and then got Najmul Hossain Shanto with one that didn’t turn as much. After that, Harmer got one to spin and take Tamim Iqbal’s edge. The indecision they created in the Bangladesh batters’ minds underscored their vast experience and ability to build and maintain pressure, which appears to be rubbing off on each other.”They’ve played a lot of cricket for a lot of years so they know their craft through and through,” Erwee said. “They’ve got different variations, they bowl at different speeds and they’ve bowled in different conditions around the world.”South Africa’s next Test assignment is in England, where Harmer has enjoyed many seasons of county success and Maharaj has also had goot times. It would seem a no-brainer not only to include them both in the touring party but to even play them in the XI, and their performance in Gqeberha may well be on the selectors’ minds.At the other end of the South African scorecard, in the batting department, another kind of solid partnership is taking shape, with Erwee and Elgar putting up impressive early numbers. In eight innings together, the pair has posted two century and two fifty-plus stands and average 49.62, a vast improvement on the 31.48 that Elgar and Aiden Markram shared. Erwee put their success down to their friendship off the field and their familiarity with each other’s games.”We share a good relationship off the field so you get to know each other and what makes each other tick,” Erwee said. “Taking that off field relationship onto the field makes you understand your partner a little bit better.”But does he think, with one hundred and two scores in the 40s, he has done enough to lay claim to the spot in the medium term? “I’ve got to put up some bigger scores on the board to help myself,” Erwee said.Erwee won’t have any more domestic cricket to do that this season, but he has probably done enough to merit being included in the squad this winter and continue to challenge Markram for the long-term role.

ESPNcricinfo’s experts were divided between Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh for the third seamer’s spot

Sidharth Monga15-May-2022India should pick their T20I seam attack from the quartet of Jasprit Bumrah, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh, ESPNcricinfo experts Daniel Vettori and Piyush Chawla have said. They were full of praise for Shami on ESPNcricinfo’s analaysis show T20 Time:Out after his figures of 4-0-19-2 helped Gujarat Titans keep Chennai Super Kings down to 133 on Sunday.Related

• Arshdeep for T20 World Cup? Bishop and Vettori like the idea

• Shami: Umran needs to 'be accurate at high pace'

Shami now has the joint-most wickets in the powerplay in IPL 2022, and he even bowled a boundary-less 20th over in which he got the wicket of MS Dhoni. Shami is joint-fourth on the wicket-takers’ list, with 11 of his 18 wickets having come inside the powerplay. However, it is his maturity at the death that has impressed the experts.”This is one of the best seasons for Shami,” Chawla said. “Because we have seen him previously that he generally bowls well with the new ball and by the time he comes to bowl in the death overs he goes for a lot of runs. But this season he has worked on it, and he has bowled well in the death overs as well. We all know he can bowl really well with the new ball. The only problem was in the death overs. But this year he has shown that he has those clear plans for death overs, and he has executed those plans beautifully.”Vettori would have Shami even without that death-bowling improvement. “It shows that Test-match bowling works for the first sort of 16 overs of a T20 game,” Vettori said. “He normally relies on heavy lengths, and a little bit of seam movement. We talked about how [Mohammed] Siraj has lost the ability of seam movement because of his seam position. Shami’s seam position is impeccable.”It is what all young fast bowlers should look at. His release and his ability to hit a consistent area and then letting the ball do the work. He is not asking too much of the ball. He is not trying to swing it too far. He just hits such lengths. And the improvement and maturity that we are talking about in the death bowling. Whereas in the past Shami could be hit or miss like Umesh Yadav. But now he actually has strong plans and backs himself to hit that yorker.”Arshdeep Singh has the best death-overs economy rate of any bowler who has delivered at least eight overs in that phase this season•BCCI

Both Chawla and Vettori had Shami in their first India XI, but disagreed on the third quick.”If you talk about his [Shami’s] current form, he definitely looks like one of them [three picks for an India pace attack],” Chawla said. “He has got pace, he has got that seam movement, the seam position and the wrist position is so amazing that even when there is nothing on the pitch he gets something out of it. Definitely, the way he is bowling, he should be one of the picks.”Vettori wouldn’t even bowl Shami at the death, but would have Bumrah and Harshal do the job. “I think Bumrah and Harshal Patel have to be in the team because of their death bowling,” Vettori said. “What they bring to the table. Harshal can bowl through those middle stages. The third seamer is tough to pick but Shami is potentially clearing out because of his ability to take wickets in the powerplay, bowl aggressively through the middle stages and with the back end taken care of by Bumrah and Harshal.”For Chawla the difficult choice is between Harshal and Arshdeep. He was full of praise for the Punjab Kings left-arm quick. “For me I think I still pick between Harshal and Arshdeep,” Chawla said. “The way Arshdeep has bowled this tournament. He has just been outstanding at the death. He is somebody who doesn’t use new ball much. There would be a pick between Harshal and Arshdeep, and Bumrah and Shami for sure. The powerplay is really important, and it is important to pick up wickets. Gujarat Titans have picked wickets in the powerplay, and that shows in the points table.”Among the 23 bowlers who have bowled a minimum of eight overs at the death during this IPL, Arshdeep has the best economy rate of 7.14, over 14 overs. Bumrah is second with 7.46 in 14.2 overs. Harshal has gone at 9.46 an over but has picked up more wickets than Arshdeep and Bumrah.

Nervy Mumbai complete a small chase to snuff out Super Kings’ hopes of sneaking into the playoffs

Andrew Miller12-May-20222:49

Piyush Chawla on Conway lbw: ‘Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t’

Mumbai Indians 103 for 5 (Varma 34*, Choudhary 3-23) beat Chennai Super Kings 97 (Dhoni 36*, Sams 3-16) by five wicketsThe greatest rivalry in IPL history lived down to its improbable basement-battle status, as Chennai Super Kings gave Mumbai Indians an outside chance of leapfrogging them at the bottom of this year’s standings with a scrappy five-wicket defeat at the Wankhede Stadium.Not for the first time, Super Kings were discombobulated by the early swing that Mumbai seamers were able to extract, as they slumped to 97 all out with four overs left used. It was their second-lowest total in IPL history, behind the 79 they made on this ground in 2013, while they also lost five wickets in the powerplay for the second time – again, Mumbai were responsible for the previous occasion, at Sharjah in 2020.At least Super Kings’ own quicks resolved to go down fighting, as Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh combined to grab four wickets inside five overs – and very briefly it seemed that MS Dhoni’s partial rally of 36 not out from 33 balls (three times as many as any of his team-mates) might have just given his team a fighting chance. However, Tilak Varma and Hrithik Shokeen – who between them barely add up to Dhoni’s 40 years – broke the chase with a responsible grind of 48 in 7.5 overs, before Tim David’s typically forceful finish.Power outage? Powerplay outage

Farcical scenes greeted the opening exchanges of the contest, as a local power outage meant that no DRS was available for the start of Super Kings’ innings. What came next was thoroughly inevitable. Daniel Sams’ first delivery to Devon Conway nipped back off the seam to thump him on the pad, and umpire C Ravikanthreddy’s response was mercilessly instantaneous. Conway was nonplussed, to put it mildly – the ball might, at a pinch, have been clipping the outer extremity of his leg stump. But the die was cast, and die Super Kings did.Daniel Sams got rid of Devon Conway and Moeen Ali in the very first over•BCCI

Moeen Ali, never the most comfortable starter against the quicks, emerged at No. 3 and didn’t hang about. A second-ball bouncer stopped in the pitch as Moeen swung too eagerly across the line and scuffed an ugly hoick to short midwicket, and at 2 for 2 after four legitimate balls, the omens weren’t too promising, even before Jasprit Bumrah had started walking to the top of his mark.Against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, Bumrah had sauntered off with the small matter of 5 for 10 in four overs. Now he made it 6 for 10 in 4.4, as Robin Uthappa was beaten hollow in an undignified stay – three times outside the off stump, and finally pinned plumb in front of that same stump for 1, as he flitted across the line to leave Super Kings utterly beached at 5 for 3. Before the next ball had been bowled, the DRS issue had been resolved – though fortunately for Uthappa, not in time for him to waste a lifeline.Aussies rule in the middle overs
Sams will bowl better balls than the leg-side long-hop that snaffled his third wicket in the space of 13 balls – Ruturaj Gaikwad had just driven Bumrah for four through the covers in his previous, a rare feat this week, but his follow-up was to feather a slender edge to Ishan Kishan for 7.Riley Meredith’s arrival for the final over of the powerplay, however, produced a rather more classical fast bowler’s breakthrough, as Ambati Rayudu was sawn in half by a nip-backer from back of a length, for Kishan to gobble the inside edge.With Shivam Dube emerging at 29 for 5, there might have been a temptation to turn back to Bumrah for his third over out of seven, but Meredith was perfectly capable of giving the new man the hurry-up. An attempted ramp off the short ball ended up as a muffed top edge, and at 39 for 6, Kishan had suddenly three catches in the space of four overs.Tilak Varma acknowledges the crowd after taking Mumbai Indians to victory•BCCI

Dhoni has licence to go deep
Dhoni is never a man to let a match situation tilt his equilibrium. Presumably, all he saw as Dwayne Bravo emerged (for a seventh-wicket stand that would exactly double the total without remotely rescuing the cause) was the chance to bed in and drag the innings as deep as was feasible.An early flurry hinted at what he might yet be capable of, as Kumar Kartikeya was flayed for consecutive fours to bring up the team’s 50, before Dhoni smoked his next ball, from Shokeen, over square leg for six. But Bravo never quite settled in the same circumstances. He had been living dangerously for 13 balls before clouting Kartikeya over long-on for six, but one ball later, he took on an ambitious drive, and drilled a head-high chance to short cover.Three balls later, Simarjeet became Kartikeya’s second wicket of the over, and when Maheesh Theekshana responded to a sharp bouncer from Ramandeep Singh with the meekest of prods to cover, time and wickets were running out for Dhoni. He bided his time as Sams completed a superb day’s work with 3 for 16, then tried to take on Meredith’s extra pace with a four and a six in the 16th over. But Kishan, alert to the likelihood of a final-ball bye, clawed down the bouncer and unleashed his shy with glove still attached. It was unerring, and Choudhary was caught yards short.Choudhary, Simarjeet go down guns blazing
With so few runs to play with, there was no scope for subtlety in Super Kings’ response. For just the fourth time in IPL history, both new-ball bowlers – Choudhary and Simarjeet in this case – rattled straight through all four of their overs, and instigated something approaching panic in Mumbai’s ranks too – reducing the chase to 33 for 4 in the first five overs.Choudhary, in particular, bowled a beautifully sharp line, swinging the ball late to prise out Kishan in his first over before seizing the moment in his third – as first Sams, then the South African debutant Tristan Stubbs, both paid the price for their safety-first reticence. Each was served up a full toss the ball before they fell but neither could capitalise and they were both nailed lbw for a total of 1 from eight balls.Only Rohit Sharma – inevitably – had the measure of the conditions, as he set himself to counterattack against the attacking length and took some sizeable lumps out of the target with four fours in his 18. Simarjeet found the nick in his second over, as a total of nine wickets fell across the two powerplays – the joint-most in IPL history – but by the end of the new-ball spells, Varma and Shokeen had ridden out the threat, to ease Mumbai towards their third win in the last four outings. Ordinarily, you’d say that was a classic example of peaking at the right time. For once, it hasn’t been quite that straightforward.

India sealed their 12th successive T20I win over Sri Lanka as Harmanpreet Kaur became their leading T20I run-getter

Vishal Dikshit25-Jun-20222:55

Mandhana: ‘Shafali and I knew which bowlers we wanted to target’

When it started to look like Sri Lanka would post a strong total after their brisk 87-run opening stand and make India work hard to win the second match of the series, the hosts lost six wickets for just 14 runs in the last 3.1 overs of their innings to end with a below-par 125 that didn’t prove to be enough.India were made to work slightly in the chase but their deep batting line-up, led by Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur, chased down the target easily to clinch the series 2-0 and help India win their 12th T20I in a row against Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka’s best opening stand in T20Is
Unlike the first T20I in which Sri Lanka struggled to score freely and lost early wickets, Vishmi Gunaratne and Chamari Athapaththu gave their team a solid opening stand after a scratchy start. Gunaratne hogged the strike for the first three overs and struck four fours in the first four overs on either side of the pitch.Athapaththu, meanwhile, had faced only three balls at the end of the fourth over and took seven balls to get off the mark after missing plenty of cuts and heaves. But once she hit her first boundary – a straight six off Deepti Sharma followed by a slog sweep for four in the same over – she cut loose. They collected 12 off the last powerplay over to reach 37 and found boundaries against both pace and spin to post 60 at the halfway mark. Athapaththu targeted her favoured leg side and was particularly attacking against Deepti to score 19 off her 10 balls. She also got two lives when she was dropped at cover point on 24 and survived a tough stumping chance on 34, when Renuka sent a wide down the leg side but Yastika Bhatia couldn’t hit the stumps.Sri Lanka slide after opening stand
Soon after Athapaththu collected two fours in an over off Deepti and Renuka Singh each and brought up Sri Lanka’s best opening stand in T20Is, she holed out to deep square leg off Pooja Vastrakar for 43 off 41.Harmanpreet Kaur shepherded India home after a few quick wickets•Sri Lanka Cricket

When Vastrakar and Harmanpreet conceded just 12 runs in the space of four overs, Gunaratne felt the pressure and also fell by handing a return catch to Harmanpreet for 45 off 50. No Sri Lanka batter reached double-figures thereafter as Deepti came back to remove Harshitha Samarawickrama and Nilakshi de Silva in the 18th over, Hasini Perera and Oshadi Ranasinghe fell in the 19th and Renuka removed Dilhari Kavisha in the last to keep the hosts’ tally of the last four overs to just 19 runs for five wickets.Harmanpreet takes India home after a strong start
Mandhana started the chase with an exquisite cover drive, and Shafali Verma helped India put on 31 in four overs with her trademark power and charge down the pitch. She went after Ranasinghe’s offbreaks by hitting her over mid-off in the second over, and when she tried a third consecutive boundary against her in the fourth over, she found mid-off to fall for 17 off 10.S Meghana took on left-arm quick Udeshika Prabodhani with four fours in the fifth over, using dabs behind square on either side, a well-timed cover drive and an outside edge, and India were 47 for 1 with one powerplay over left.India, however, stuttered in between when three of their batters were stumped but they never looked in trouble. Meghana was stumped off Kumari for 17 in the sixth over, before Mandhana continued to pepper the off-side boundary with her drives and dabs. By the time she fell at the end of the 11th over, India needed a comfortable 40 from 54 balls.Jemimah Rodrigues, India’s top scorer in the opening game, handed a catch to backward point for 3 before Bhatia stitched a patient stand of 23 with Harmanpreet. Even though Bhatia was also stumped, for 13 in the 18th over, India needed just 12 more off 16 and Harmanpreet sealed the win with her trademark sweep. En route, she also became the leading T20I runscorer for India, going past Mithali RajIndia won’t be completely pleased with the performance though. They leaked overthrows and gave the hosts nearly three run-out chances in one ball when Harmanpreet swept a ball in the 18th over to deep midwicket and called for two, but Bhatia didn’t want the second. A wayward throw from the deep saved Bhatia, the fielder backing up couldn’t run her out either at the bowler’s end, and another throw reached the keeper’s end slightly late when the batters took the third run.

Mitchell Starc has confirmed he won’t make himself available for the BBL amid the push for Australia’s multi-format stars to feature in the competition

AAP03-Jul-2022Mitchell Starc has become the first Australian star to confirm he won’t play in this summer’s Big Bash League as negotiations loom on future player availability.This summer shapes as crucial for the competition out of the Covid-19 pandemic, with Cricket Australia desperate to have as much top-line talent playing as often as possible.Australia’s multi-format stars are expected to be available for a sizeable part of it, with January’s one-day series against South Africa set to be cancelled.But that won’t alter Starc’s position, who does not see himself featuring any time soon.The 32-year-old quick last played for the Sydney Sixers in 2014-15, while also forgoing close to $10 million in possible salaries since then.Related

• Head and Labuschagne ink in BBL deals for post-Test stint

• Warner unlikely to feature in inaugural ILT20

• Usman Khawaja warns BBL must privatise to thrive

• Khawaja to captain Brisbane Heat after signing four-year deal

• Channel Seven takes Cricket Australia to court to terminate TV broadcast deal

“I have always enjoyed the BBL when I have played it … but my approach with all franchise cricket hasn’t changed over the last seven years,” Starc told AAP in Galle.”My approach to the IPL, BBL, I have looked at the Australian schedule and wanting to be as fit and well-performed for that as I can. And franchise cricket has taken a back seat.”Starc’s position comes in the midst of a cluttered international schedule.Following the current tour in Sri Lanka, Australia have white-ball series against Zimbabwe, New Zealand, India, England and West Indies as well as a home T20 World Cup.Tests follow against West Indies and South Africa before the BBL window, with a tour of India, an away Ashes and a 50-over World Cup all highlighting next year’s calendar.”The schedule in the next 18 months is ridiculous,” Starc said. “I will always keep Australian cricket front of mind, and then franchise cricket [second].”I also like spending time at home and seeing my wife [Alyssa Healy, who is also often away].”Mitchell Starc hasn’t played in the BBL since 2014•Getty Images

The reluctance of Starc and others could however be challenged in coming years. There will be a push in the next pay negotiations for players to be contracted to a club and participating when not injured or on Australia duties.The current Memoriam of Understanding expires midway through 2023, meaning such a mechanism could be in place for the following summer if agreed upon.It comes amid criticism of the competition’s quality, with CA preparing to defend the league in the Federal Court as the Seven Network try to break from their broadcast deal.As things stand, Usman Khawaja (Brisbane Heat), Mitchell Swepson (Brisbane Heat), Nathan Lyon (Sixers) and Alex Carey (Adelaide Strikers) all have contracts for this summer.Marnus Labuschagne will likely re-sign with Heat and Travis Head has long played for Strikers. Steven Smith will also likely play, happy there is a push for clubs to be able to welcome Australian players into squads after being locked out last summer.Josh Hazlewood played for the Sixers as recent as 2019-20, while Cameron Green skipped last year and Pat Cummins and David Warner have long sat out.CA are confident the overseas player draft will bring pulling power to the competition, luring their first big fish with Faf du Plessis last week.

Goa Cricket Association president says the left-arm pacer will be part of the state’s pre-season white-ball trial matches

PTI11-Aug-2022Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun Tendulkar is all set to leave Mumbai and in all likelihood will ply his trade for Goa in the next Indian domestic season.Arjun, a 22-year-old left-arm pacer, who has also been a part of Mumbai Indians, played two T20s for Mumbai, during the 2020-21 edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, against Haryana and Puducherry.It has been learnt that Arjun has already applied for a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from his home association MCA.”Getting maximum game time on the ground is important for Arjun at this juncture of his career. We believe that the shift will improve the probability of Arjun featuring in more competitive matches. He is embarking on a new phase of his cricketing career,” SRT Sports Management said in a statement.Tendulkar played two unofficial Tests for the India Under-19s against Sri Lanka Under-19s three summers ago, and has featured in Mumbai’s probables list for the white-ball leg of the domestic season.He was also recently part of Mumbai Indians’ developmental squad, which played T20 games in England. The likes of Kumar Kartikeya and Dewald Brevis were also part of that squad, which played against English club sides.But, for Arjun, the biggest disappointment has reportedly been being dropped from the Mumbai squad this season without being given a chance to prove his mettle.Goa Cricket Association (GCA) president Suraj Lotlikar said Arjun is expected to be considered among the state’s pre-season probables.”We have been looking out for left-hand bowling talent [and to] also add players to the middle order with multiple skills. In this context, we invited Arjun Tendulkar to join the Goa side. We will be playing pre-season trial matches (white ball) and he will be playing in those games. The selectors will then take a call based on his performance,” Lotlikar told PTI.