All posts by n8rngtd.top

Glamorgan never get close in chase of 255 to push Eagles up to second in South Group

ECB Reporters Network02-Jul-2022Dan Lawrence and Paul Walter’s sensational hitting fired Essex Eagles to their highest Vitality Blast total as they kept their home quarter-final dreams alive.Lawrence thrashed 71 off 37 balls, Walter a blistering 23-ball 58 and Adam Rossington a booming 45 to take Eagles to 254 – beating the 244 set barely two weeks ago. Glamorgan reached 185 for 7 in reply, with stand-in captain Sam Northeast pumping an unbeaten 97, to lose by 69 runs.Essex, the 2019 winners, had already confirmed a knockout spot and moved up to second in the South Group. They will host a last-eight match if Surrey beat Somerset on Sunday.Essex were put in and blasted it from ball one on a belting wicket with short boundaries. Robin Das struck the first of 16 sixes in the third over by pinging over long-off before following it up with a second over deep midwicket with the next ball.Das pulled another ball to the boundary before he skied to cover to give Jamie McIlroy his first T20 wicket on debut. He would later pick up Lawrence to claim an impressive 2 for 32 – the only bowler to go at under 10s.Rossington skipped his way to 45, having scored 95 the previous evening, with seven boundaries and a six off 23 balls. But his quick scoring was just the prelude for what was to come.Michael Pepper was caught on the reverse and Rossington holed to long-on before Lawrence and Walter went ballistic with their 101-run partnership off 69 balls, although there was an 18-ball gap between boundaries at one point.Dan Douthwaite took the biggest tap going for 12 and 13 in successive overs as he returned the fourth-worst bowling figures in Blast history, eventually conceding 66 in four wicketless overs.But the showpiece over for Essex was the 31 taken off Prem Sisodiya. Walter started off with four sixes, once over the long square boundary and three straight down the ground, before scrapping a single, then Lawrence completed the over with another swinging maximum.It started a final five overs where 95 runs were plundered. Walter fell, having brought up 20-ball fifty, but Daniel Sams picked up where he had left off with three sixes in his first four balls.
Lawrence had been 18 off his first 20 balls but caught up in style to reach his 11th T20 half-century in 30 balls before eventually clothing to long off for 71. Fifteen came off the final over as Eagles crashed the joint fourth-best total in the tournament’s history.Glamorgan never looked like replicating their greatest chase of 224 – against Essex in 2017 – with three wickets falling in the powerplay. Aaron Beard was the chief destroyer as he picked up 2 for 16 in his three overs with debutant Tom Bevan top-edging to deep third and Billy Root seeing his three stumps obliterated. Sams had Colin Ingram flicking to deep square leg.Eddie Byrom and Chris Cooke were both caught, but Northeast, skippering his third Blast side for the first time, stuck around and plundered a couple sixes of his own on his way to a 38-ball fifty – his third in T20s against Essex. Douthwaite chipped in with 34 off 17 in a 62-run stand but had his stump broken by Sams. As the required rate rose beyond the impossible 36 mark, Andrew Salter and Northeast started to have fun with 16 runs coming from three successive overs.Salter holed out and Northeast ended his campaign needing a boundary for a second Blast century but could only bunt a single.

England six down and struggling despite Ollie Pope’s unbeaten half-century

Alan Gardner17-Aug-2022South Africa took a grip on proceedings on a rain-affected first day at Lord’s, plucking out six England wickets before the weather closed in half an hour into the afternoon session. Kagiso Rabada struck twice in his opening spell and Anrich Nortje’s pace brought three more to keep the home side under the cosh.Dean Elgar cited the “overheads” for his decision to ask England to make the running with the bat for the first time this summer (all four of the Tests won under Ben Stokes’ captaincy have been based on a template of chasing a target in the fourth innings), and his seam attack responded with the perfect blend of skill and aggression in cloudy, humid conditions.England were grateful to Ollie Pope, whose proactive half-century made sure they were not completely sunk by the time forecast rain arrived, moments after Ben Foakes had been bowled off his inside edge, poking tentatively at Nortje in the post-lunch murk.Elgar had announced in his final press conference before the start of the series that he was “not going to entertain” any more talk of Bazball – as England’s new approach to Test cricket has been dubbed – and the focus of the morning quickly became how Stokes’ team might tailor their preferred batting style to setting up a game in the face of a probing examination from South Africa’s four quicks.England’s most-productive stand was 45 added for the fifth wicket between Pope and Stokes, the only two batters to get into double-figures. Both openers fell cheaply, and there was little of the buccaneering intent that brought four successive victories at the start of Stokes’ tenure as captain. Joe Root was lbw for 8, a marginal decision backed up by DRS in the impressive Marco Jansen’s second over, and Jonny Bairstow lost his middle stump to Nortje as England slumped to 55 for 4.South Africa, buoyed by winning the toss, could call on Rabada as their attack leader after he “pulled up 100%” following an ankle ligament injury, and he was on the mark from the outset. Alex Lees got away with one ambitious swipe that flew over the slip cordon but fell in the same over, wafting away from his body to be caught behind.Zak Crawley, retained as Lees’ opening partner despite averaging 17.75 from four previous Tests this summer, did his best to negotiate a thorough examination around off stump, largely packing away his aggressive strokes. But having squirted a thick outside edge through gully for a second boundary, he was undone by Rabada’s wobble-seam delivery, which produced just enough movement to find the edge and present a low catch to the cordon.South Africa lost a review when asking for a second look at Lungi Ngidi’s lbw appeal against Pope, but things continued to go their way when Jansen struck from the Pavilion End, where he regularly used the slope to bring the ball back in to England’s right-handers. Having declined another lbw shout that ball-tracking showed would have just clipped the top of Pope’s leg stump, Nitin Menon raised his finger in the affirmative to the politest of appeals against Root. The former Test captain reviewed, but in vain.Root has actually been usurped as England’s most in-form Test batter, with Bairstow coming into the series on the back of a stellar run against New Zealand and India. But following four hundreds in five innings, he notched the 16th duck – and the 38th dismissal bowled – of his Test career, as Nortje brought one back through the gate to make a mess of the wordwork.England had only scored four boundaries during the first hour, but Pope took Nortje for back-to-back fours and, although he survived some close moments against Jansen’s left-arm inswing, played punchily through the morning to bring up a 69-ball fifty.Stokes did produce a familiar charge at his sixth ball, swiping and missing at Jansen, and flirted with danger while also finding the boundary four times. Pope, too, was fortunate when an edge off Nortje evaded the diving Keegan Petersen at third slip in the final over before lunch. But Nortje finished a strong morning showing for South Africa by jagging one away to find Stokes’ outside edge and end a minor recovery.Nortje picked up his third shortly after the break but, with the floodlights on amid heavy cloud cover at Lord’s, England No. 8 Stuart Broad only had to face two balls before the umpires took the players off. Rain came steadily before turning torrential, an early tea followed by the abandonment of play at 4.30pm.

They shared seven wickets, as Michael Rippon and Joe Walker’s 89-run ninth-wicket stand gave visitors some respectability

Srinidhi Ramanujam22-Sep-2022Pace bowlers Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Sen bowled New Zealand out for a paltry 167, sharing seven wickets between them, as India A posted a comfortable seven-wicket victory in the first of the three one-dayers at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday to take the hosts 1-0 up in the series.After asking the visitors to bat, Thakur – who had replaced the injured Prasidh Krishna in the squad – struck in his second over on a pitch that had pace and bounce on offer, cleaning up opener Chad Bowes for 10. Known for his outswingers and nip-backers, Thakur soon after removed Dane Cleaver with a short ball, forcing him to pull only to be caught at fine leg after a top edge.Sen, making his debut for India A, bowled in tandem with the senior quick to trap No. 3 Joe Carter leg before wicket. That was the third wicket of a collapse which saw New Zealand A slide from 14 without loss to 74 for 8 in a span of 16 overs.However, there was some resistance from the lower order, thanks to tailenders Michael Rippon and Joe Walker. Their 89-run partnership off 126 deliveries for the ninth wicket eventually lifted New Zealand A to 167. While Rippon top-scored with 61 from 104 balls and hit four boundaries, Walker made 36 off 49, hitting three fours and a six during a stable partnership.But Walker was run-out in the 39th over, and it took India A less than more overs to bowl New Zealand A out, as Thakur ended with 4 for 32 – including getting Rippon out last – while Sen returned figures of 3 for 30.A below-par score on a batting-friendly pitch was never going to pose a threat, and India A made short work of the chase.After Prithvi Shaw perished for 17, Ruturaj Gaikwad and No. 3 Rahul Tripathi, who got 31, stitched 56 runs. Gaikwad’s three fours and two clean sixes helped him accumulate 41 before he was caught-and-bowled by Rippon.But an entertaining partnership followed between India A captain Sanju Samson and the in-form Rajat Patidar. Samson was welcomed with a rousing cheer from the 200-odd spectators as the pair put on an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 69 to chase down the target with seven wickets and more than 19 overs to spare.Samson remained unbeaten on 29 – including hitting three sixes – while Patidar, who punished the bowlers whenever they went full, struck a quick 45 off 41 balls. His knock included seven boundaries.The second of the three one-dayers will take place on Sunday at the same venue, with the visitors now in a must-win situation to remain alive in the series

On-field incident between Asif Ali and Fareed Ahmed in nail-biting finish, before tempers flared in the stands

Shashank Kishore08-Sep-2022The PCB will write to the ICC to “lodge a protest” over the crowd trouble and “gruesome visuals” that followed the Afghanistan-Pakistan game at the Asia Cup.Addressing the media, PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said: “You can’t link hooliganism with cricket and this environment makes you sick. We will write to ICC, raise concerns, and do whatever we can because the visuals were gruesome.”This [crowd trouble after an Afghanistan-Pakistan game] didn’t happen for the first time. Wins and losses are a part of the game. It was a gruelling contest, but emotions should have been kept in control. Until the environment is right, you can’t grow and go forward as a cricket-playing nation.”So we are going to express our anguish and frustration to the ICC. We owe it to our fans, anything could have happened… Our team could have been in danger… So whatever the protocol is we will follow that and lodge our protest.”Raja is also part of the ICC’s working committee tasked with reviewing the state of cricket and how it is run in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country last year.Following a spectacular, see-sawing game in Sharjah, in which Afghanistan were fighting hard to stay in the tournament only for Pakistan’s last-wicket pair to dramatically clinch their own spot in the final, crowd trouble erupted in the stands. Several Afghanistan fans were detained by the Sharjah police following the incident. However, no arrests were made.Tempers flared as soon as Pakistan brought up victory courtesy Naseem Shah’s twin sixes in the final over. In the aftermath, fans, believed to be Afghanistan supporters, began throwing punches at people wearing Pakistan jerseys.ESPNcricinfo understands the trigger for the incident was Asif Ali’s run-in with Afghanistan fast bowler Fareed Ahmad after he had been dismissed. A visibly charged-up Fareed threw celebratory air-punches very close to Asif’s face, who responded by pushing Fareed back and raising his bat at his face. Both players exchanged heated words before Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Umarzai and Pakistan’s Hasan Ali stepped in to calm things down.Footage captured in the stands also showed fans pulling out bucket seats and flinging them at each other. Cushioned seats were also torn up. Considerable damage had been done by the time the ground authorities and the police swung into action. The organisers quickly ushered the public out of the stadium to prevent any further damage.The Afghanistan Cricket Board put out two tweets on September 8 calling for people to “work together” to bring the “cricket fraternity closer”, and “somehow try to spread love”. “Cricket is regarded as a phenomenon of harmony and more intimate relations between nations. Let’s work together for bringing the cricket fraternity closer. Cricket does not allow for us to show negative emotions on the field and turn the friendship atmosphere into violence,” one of the tweets read. The other tweet was: Earlier on social media, former Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Shafiq Stanikzai had called for a ban on Asif for his aggression. “This is stupidity at extreme level by Asif Ali and should be banned from the rest of the tournament, any bowler has the right to celebrate but being physical is not acceptable at all,” Stanikzai had tweeted.This elicited a response from former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar. “Afghan players put right back into their place by 19-year-old kid Naseem Shah. Unforgettable match against people we have loved & supported always. ,” (But bad behaviour and arrogance showed them in poor light).Afghanistan and Pakistan are set to next face each other on October 19, in a warm-up match in Brisbane in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup. The teams are not in the same group in the first stage of the tournament.Flashpoints between Afghanistan and Pakistan fans are not an uncommon occurrence. At last year’s T20 World Cup, “thousands of ticketless fans” from both teams tried to force entry into the stadium in Dubai. When this was met with resistance by the local ground authorities and private security agencies, heated exchanges between both sets of fans led to the external barriers being pushed over.Prior to that, at the 2019 ODI World Cup, security personnel appeared to underestimate the feeling between the fans of the two countries, who began fighting in the stands, hurling rubbish on the field and invading the pitch even as the players scrambled to reach their respective dressing rooms.The increased number of incidents stems to some degree from longstanding and complex geopolitical tensions between the two countries. But the players themselves have largely been quite cordial with each other. Afghanistan’s have taken an active part in the Pakistan Super League and Pakistan greats like Inzamam-ul-Haq and Rashid Latif have been part of Afghanistan’s coaching staff. Umar Gul is their current bowling coach.

Hayley Jensen took two wickets in a three-run final over to drag the game into overtime

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2022

Sophie Devine started and ended the Super Over with sixes as New Zealand hunted down 16 to seal the series and break West Indies’ hearts in the fourth T20I in North Sound. Devine faced all but one ball in the Super Over, bowled by West Indies captain Hayley Matthews, and ushered New Zealand home under pressure.How did it even come down to a Super Over? West Indies were cruising 52 for 2 in the tenth over chasing 112. Wicketkeeper-batter Rashada Williams’ run-out triggered a collapse as the hosts lost their last seven wickets for 59 runs to level the scores in regular time. Hayley Jensen, who was also recently in action in the Caribbean for Trinbago Knight Riders Women, took the wickets of Chedean Nation and Afy Fletcher in a three-run final over to drag the game into overtime.Super Overs are a familiar territory for Devine. She has hit 87 runs off 26 balls in Super Overs being dismissed. Devine had also contributed handsomely with the ball by removing West Indies’ top three.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Much like Devine, Matthews had played a role with both bat and ball – she even did the dual job in the Super Over. She helped West Indies score 15 in the Super Over, bowled by Jensen, but her all-round effort went in vain.After having been asked to bat, New Zealand had lost both Devine and Suzie Bates early. However, Amelia Kerr’s unbeaten 49 off 47 balls hauled them to 111. Amelia and previous match-winner Maddy Green (14 off 13 balls) were the only New Zealand batters to strike at over 100. Fletcher was the pick of the bowlers for West Indies, returning 2 for 16 in her four overs.Amelia’s sister Jess and Jensen picked up two wickets each to assist Devine pull off a stunning win.The fifth – and final T20I – will be played at the same venue on Thursday.

The hosts have won each of their last 13 home ODIs, and each of their last five meetings with India

Himanshu Agrawal26-Nov-20223:08

Jaffer: India might be tempted to go with Kuldeep in place of Chahal

Big picture

With 16 matches, New Zealand have played the second-fewest ODIs of any team in the ongoing World Cup Super League. But just one more win, and they can topple India from the top of the table. Given that they’ve won each of their last 13 ODIs at home, the odds would favour them to do just that.Having seemingly moved on from Trent Boult and Martin Guptill, the hosts seem to have built a solid foundation as they build towards the 2023 World Cup. Michael Bracewell isn’t a guaranteed starter despite his stellar recent form, and even injury to James Neesham couldn’t prevent them from beating India comfortably in the series-opener in Auckland.Their quartet of fast bowlers offer both pace and movement, while Neesham, Bracewell and Mitchell Santner complete a trio of allrounders. Batting depth might be New Zealand’s one major concern, given that they can’t accommodate all their allrounders, and that Tim Southee’s returns with the bat have faded of late.India, meanwhile, are still in search of a sixth bowling option. None of the top six batters who played in Auckland bowl, and with no Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel in their squad for this series, they also have a lack of experience in the lower middle order.They could look to address the sixth-bowler issue by bringing Deepak Hooda into their line-up, but that would leave them with the dilemma of who to leave out. They have the luxury of experimenting, however, since they have automatically qualified as hosts of next year’s World Cup. But they still have a series to win, which would need them, first and foremost, to win on Sunday and end a five-match losing streak against New Zealand.

Form guide

New Zealand: WLLLW
India: LWWLW

In the spotlight

Kane Williamson has played just seven ODIs since the 2019 World Cup, with five of them coming this year. A troublesome elbow and the Covid-19 pandemic combined to limit his participation in the format, and his seven innings in this time have brought only one 50-plus score. That came at Eden Park on Friday, when he selflessly kept giving the dangerous Tom Latham the strike, and eventually ended up six short of a century. With less than a year left for the World Cup, New Zealand will not only hope their captain puts his fitness worries behind him and features more regularly in ODIs, but also that he makes big scores as often as he used to.Yuzvendra Chahal has been the third-highest wicket-taker among spinners from Full-Member teams in ODIs this year, with 21 wickets at an average of 27.09. But he’s not had a great time of it in recent weeks. Having spent the entire T20 World Cup on the bench, Chahal returned to action on this tour of New Zealand, where he has taken a bit of stick: he went for 35 in three overs in the tied third T20I, and began this ODI series with a wicketless 10 overs that went for 66 runs. With intense competition in the spin department ahead of the 2023 World Cup, Chahal will need a swift return to his best to remain among India’s first-choice options.India’s top order can look forward to good batting conditions judging by the trend of high-scoring games at Seddon Park•Getty Images

Team news

New Zealand were forced to leave Neesham out in Auckland due to a niggle. If he returns, they might have a difficult choice to make. While they will welcome the extra batting depth he offers if he replaces one of the four specialist quicks, they might need him to bowl his full ten-over quota, with Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips having been used very sparingly of late.New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Tom Latham (wk), 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 James Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Lockie FergusonThere is a chance India might bring in Hooda as a sixth bowling option, but this could force them to leave out Suryakumar Yadav, who hasn’t yet replicated his T20I success in ODIs. He was the only member of India’s top seven to be dismissed for a single-digit score in Auckland, and his last seven ODI innings have brought him a highest score of just 27. India’s three fast bowlers were all expensive in Auckland, so there is a chance that Deepak Chahar could replace one of them.India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Suryakumar Yadav/Deepak Hooda, 6 Sanju Samson, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shardul Thakur/Deepak Chahar, 9 Umran Malik, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

Seddon Park in Hamilton has hosted only three ODIs since 2020, with two of them producing first-innings scores in excess of 330. India scored 347 in one of them, only for New Zealand to hunt it down comfortably thanks to a Ross Taylor century. Expect another high-scoring game come Sunday. There remains a good chance of rain interrupting play, however, with showers forecast throughout the afternoon and evening.

Stats and trivia

• India posted contrasting totals of 92 in 2019 and 347 in 2020 while batting first in their last two ODIs at Seddon Park, and lost both matches.
• Tim Southee got to 200 ODI wickets while taking 3 for 73 in the first ODI, and two more wickets will take him past Chris Harris and into third place among New Zealand’s highest ODI wicket-takers.
• Since Dhawan’s ODI debut, only three batters have scored at least 6000 runs at a 90-plus strike rate. Dhawan’s strike rate is second on that list, sandwiched between those of his team-mates Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Quotes

“You can catch up, and give yourself more time. It’s 50 overs… you’ve got that time up your sleeve to get the innings going and play your innings.”
New Zealand batting coach Luke Ronchi on how Tom Latham and co pulled off a chase of 307 in Auckland despite a sedate start.

Rajapaksa and Thushara included in T20I squad, while Vandersay and Nuwanidu will take part in just the ODI leg of the tour

Madushka Balasuriya28-Dec-2022Sri Lanka have announced a 20-man squad for their limited-overs tour of India next month, where they will square off in three T20Is and three ODIs. Of those players, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Nuwan Thushara will play only in the T20Is, while Jeffrey Vandersay and Nuwanidu Fernando – in line to make his debut – will take part in just the ODI leg of the series. Dasun Shanaka will captain both sides, with Wanindu Hasaranga and Kusal Mendis his deputies in the T20Is and ODIs respectively.Three players – Dhananjaya Lakshan, Asitha Fernando and Dinesh Chandimal – have been excluded from the squad that hosted Afghanistan last month. Chandimal, though, may count himself unlucky, having been one of the better performers in the recently concluded Lanka Premier League; he was the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament averaging 31.88 at a strike rate of 126.99, and had played a key role in the Colombo Stars’ run to the final.By contrast, Rajapaksa can file his inclusion under fortunate, following a series of uninspiring displays. His retention in the T20I squad follows an LPL in which he scored just 95 runs across seven innings at a strike rate of 105.55 – far below his career strike rate of 135.09 – while his T20 World Cup form was only slightly better, hitting 125 runs across seven innings at 119.04.Related

• 'Everything came to a standstill for a split second' – Shivam Mavi on his maiden India call-up

• Bumrah fit but selectors cautious, Pant sent to NCA before Australia Tests

• Hardik to lead India in T20I series against Sri Lanka; Rohit returns for ODIs; Pant not in either squad

The rest of the inclusions, however, have earned their keep. Chamika Karunaratne, who was dropped for the Afghanistan series following a lean stretch both on and off the field, rediscovered his groove in the LPL; the 26-year-old allrounder picked up seven wickets in the tournament, and while he scored just 109 runs, he struck them at an impressive strike rate of 162.68 – a significant uptick from his career strike rate of 104.27 – providing glimpses of a finisher many envision he could be.Avishka Fernando, who returned to action this month following nearly a year out with a knee injury, hasn’t skipped a beat it seems, top scoring in the LPL with 339 runs, and spearheading yet another Jaffna Kings title charge.The same could be said for his Jaffna team-mate Sadeera Samarawickrama, who was named player of the tournament for his 294 runs – second only to Fernando – and was a lynchpin of their middle order.Like Samarawickrama, Nuwanidu was another batter that caught the eye in the LPL – even if he is a little rough around the edges. While his Galle Gladiators side struggled for inconsistency, the 23-year-old managed to stand out, striking 211 runs at a 131.05 strike rate – and most importantly showing an ability to clear the ropes, especially against spinners.Nuwan Thushara was another standout Galle star hamstrung by his side’s erraticism, picking up 14 wickets – the second-highest in this year’s LPL – at an economy rate of 7.44. His low-slinging action has unsurprisingly brought about comparisons to Lasith Malinga, but while Thushara lacks the latter’s pace, he has now begun incorporating an impressive amount of control and variety to his repertoire.With Kasun Rajitha, Pramod Madushan, Dilshan Madushanka and Lahiru Kumara the other seamers in the squad, Thushara will undoubtedly face stern competition for the starting XI, though his unique skillset could bode in his favour. In the ODIs, Madushanka’s left-arm swing provides a key differential.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the spin department, it’ll be Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana as the first-choice pairing, though in Vandersay lies an able 50-over deputy. Dunith Wellalage, meanwhile, showcased during the LPL his ability to hold down one end with his slow left-arm spin.Where most of Sri Lanka’s decision making will therefore boil down to, is in the batting. Shanaka, who hasn’t had the most encouraging time with the bat lately, will lead a unit brimming with potential.In Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis and Avishka, Sri Lanka have three form players vying for two spots at the top of the order. If Avishka is pushed down to No.3 to accommodate the former two, a pair that has built a good understanding over the past few months, then that would bring about a middle-order headache.Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Ashen Bandara, Samarawickrama, Shanaka and Rajapaksa/Nuwanidu will all be fighting for three to four positions, with allrounders such as Karunaratne, Wellalage and Hasaranga filling out the lower-middle order slots. With planning for the 2023 World Cup starting now, selectors will no doubt see this India tour as marker for how the team will look come October.Sri Lanka will kickstart their tour of India in the first T20I at the Wankhede Stadium on January 3.T20I Squad: Dasun Shanaka (capt.), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama. Kusal Mendis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga (Vice Captain), Ashen Bandara, Maheesh Theekshana, Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan ThusharaODI Squad: Dasun Shanaka (capt.), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama. Kusal Mendis (Vice Captain), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ashen Bandara, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Nuwanidu Fernando, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Kumara

Three days after beating Sri Lanka 3-0, Rohit Sharma’s men are up against their next opponent

Karthik Krishnaswamy17-Jan-20236:11

Jaffer picks Kishan to bat at No. 4 and Suryakumar at No. 5

Big picture: India dominant in ODIs at home too

It isn’t spoken about as much as their remarkable home record in Test cricket, but India are perhaps just as dominant in ODIs in their own conditions. Since the start of 2010, they’ve played 25 bilateral home series, and won 22 of them.This record takes on extra significance in 2023, given that India are building towards hosting a World Cup. They’ve begun the year in ominous manner, sealing a 3-0 series victory over Sri Lanka with the biggest win in ODI history.They could now be in for a stiffer challenge, though. New Zealand have been among the most competitive ODI sides to visit India of late – their two most recent series here in 2016 and 2017 both went into deciders – and they’re fresh from winning 2-1 in Pakistan.

LIVE in the UK and USA

You can watch the first ODI between India and New Zealand LIVE on ESPN Player in the UK and on ESPN+ in the USA.

But with Kane Williamson and Tim Southee rested for this series and with Trent Boult’s international career in freelance limbo, this New Zealand side is light on experience, particularly in Indian conditions. They are in for quite a task, particularly their bowlers who are up against a batting line-up that has posted totals of 373 and 390 the last two times India have batted first.But New Zealand will know India can be beaten, even in subcontinental conditions, and they might look at Bangladesh – who beat India 2-1 at home just over a month ago – for clues as to how to do so. Quality spin that attacks the stumps could be a key ingredient.Either way, win or lose, New Zealand will want to take away as many insights as they can before they return for the World Cup. A strong performance now could put them in just the right space to mount a serious title challenge in October-November.

Form guide

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

New Zealand WWLWLTom Latham has tormented India with his various sweeps•Associated Press

In the spotlight: Chance for Kishan to make his case

India have made it clear that their preferred opening combination leading up to the World Cup is Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. It leaves no room in their first-choice XI for Ishan Kishan, whose last ODI innings was the fastest double-hundred in the format. But he gets an opportunity now with KL Rahul missing the series for personal reasons. If he can grab this chance, he won’t just keep putting pressure on multiple batters in India’s ODI line-up but also make a case to be selected ahead of KS Bharat in the first Test against Australia next month.Related

• Latham backs NZ fringe bowlers to fill 'massive hole' in Southee and Boult's absence

• Rohit Sharma in favour of early starts at 2023 World Cup

• Jamieson-like Henry Shipley ready for the big stage

• Michael Bracewell has the World Cup in his sights

• India's questions: The Kishan dilemma, Kuldeep vs Chahal

Tom Latham loves India. He averages 65.07 against them across 17 ODI innings, while striking at 98.93, and he’s tormented their spinners for years at home and away with his array of sweeps. His last innings against India was a match-winning, unbeaten 145 off 104 balls in Auckland in November, and he’ll want to carry on from where he left off especially since he’ll have the extra responsibility of captaincy in Williamson’s absence.

Team news: Iyer out with back injury

Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the series with a back injury, and Rajat Patidar has taken his place in the squad. Iyer’s spot in the XI, however, is likely to go to Suryakumar Yadav, with Kishan taking the keeping gloves and the other middle-order slot from Rahul. Washington Sundar is likely to come in for Axar Patel, who’s also sitting out this series.With Hardik Pandya set to return after being rested for the third ODI against Sri Lanka, India could go two ways with their attack – three specialist quicks plus Hardik, which will leave them having to choose between Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, or three spinners, in which case they can pick both wristspinners.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Ishan Kishan (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Umran Malik.Suryakumar Yadav should get a run in Shreyas Iyer’s absence•Associated Press

New Zealand played a three-spinner attack when they won the last two ODIs on their recent tour of Pakistan, but they won’t be able to stick to that combination in Hyderabad with Ish Sodhi ruled out, having failed to recover in time from an ankle injury he suffered during the third ODI in Karachi. Glenn Phillips, however, has recovered from the virus he suffered on that tour. New Zealand’s main selection decisions are around who fills in for Williamson and Southee.New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Mark Chapman/Henry Nicholls, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 and 10 two out of Henry Shipley, Doug Bracewell and Jacob Duffy, 11 Lockie Ferguson.

Pitch and conditions: Hyderabad pitch likely to aid spin

In six ODIs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, spinners have averaged 38.70 and conceded 4.96 runs per over, both significantly better than the fast bowlers’ corresponding figures (though it must be noted that they bowl more overs in the difficult phases) of 40.84 and 5.74. In the most recent ODI here, in March 2019, India won by six wickets after their spinners – Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Kedar Jadhav – returned combined figures of 27-0-110-3 to restrict Australia to 236. Expect spin, therefore, to play a significant role on Wednesday. The weather is set to be clear, with a maximum temperature of 31 degrees Celsius.

Stats and trivia

• Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan are the joint-fastest India batters to the 1000-run mark in ODIs. Both took 24 innings to get there. Shubman Gill, who currently has 894 runs from 18 innings, has a chance to claim the record during this series.
• The last time New Zealand played an ODI in India without Tim Southee or Trent Boult in their line-up was in December 2010.
• Since the start of 2022, Mohammed Siraj is the leading wicket-taker among bowlers from Full Member teams. He has taken 33 wickets in this period, at an average of 19.87.
• India will become the No. 1-ranked ODI side if they win the series 3-0. If they also win the T20I series, and then beat Australia by a 2-0 or 3-1 scoreline or better in the Test series in February-March, they will become the No. 1 side across formats.

“I went to the coach and captain myself and told them that you can drop me because I haven’t performed”

Danyal Rasool09-Feb-2023The PCB’s controversial decision to drop Mohammad Rizwan for Sarfaraz Ahmed for the two-Test series against New Zealand was among the biggest talking points throughout the series. Rizwan, however, said he felt that, on current form, he “didn’t deserve to play” for Pakistan at the time.”You can ask the head coach Saqlain Mushtaq what I told him after the end of the England Test series,” Rizwan told in an interview. “I personally thought that since I wasn’t able to perform, I didn’t deserve to play in the next series.”In his last half dozen Tests, Rizwan had suffered a downturn in his form with the bat, scoring 262 runs in 12 innings without a half-century at an average of 21.83. That was significantly down from his career batting average (38.13), though it was believed his quality behind the stumps gave him enough protection from omission.But soon after the PCB chairman Ramiz Raja was removed in a dramatic overhaul, changes were felt on the pitch, too. Rizwan was replaced by Sarfaraz, playing his first Test match in over three years. While concerns over his wicketkeeping linger – there were a slew of dropped catches and missed stumpings across both Tests – his form with the bat was not in question. He was the highest run-scorer in the series with 335, scoring three half-centuries and a hundred on the final day of the second Test to ensure Pakistan escaped with a draw. He would go on to be named the Player of the Series.”I was happy to see Sarfaraz perform because that is what I wanted,” Rizwan said. “Sarfaraz has been performing in domestic and deserves his chance now. I asked for his inclusion. Whoever performs best for Pakistan deserves to play.”Some players said that every player goes through this phase and you can’t sit on the bench based on few failures. But I went to the coach and captain myself and told them that you can drop me because I haven’t performed. Two players are witnesses to this conversation.”This wasn’t the first time Rizwan’s benching raised eyebrows. He was famously left on the bench for much of his time at Karachi Kings, playing just seven times across his last two years with the franchise. Upon moving to Multan Sultans in 2021, he was appointed captain and led the side to their maiden PSL trophy, finishing as the second highest run-scorer in the competition.Rizwan defended his former franchise’s decision. “I was never hurt when I was benched during the PSL in the past. I thought they [Karachi Kings] were honest with the team, and it was the team’s requirement at the time to keep me on the bench.”Rizwan remains with Multan, whom he will captain for the third successive season when the PSL gets underway on February 13.

He hopes to cap off the milestone with a series-squaring victory in the second Test

Vithushan Ehantharajah27-Feb-2023Kane Williamson says he is honoured to lead a list of greats after becoming New Zealand’s leading Test run-scorer and hopes to cap off the milestone with a series-squaring victory in the second Test against England.Upon passing 28 early in the morning on day four, Williamson overtook Ross Taylor’s tally of 7,683 runs in his 161st innings. He went on to register his 26th Test century, allowing the Blackcaps to turn the tables on England in their follow-on innings.Related

• Stats – Kane Williamson's fab fourth-innings feats

• New Zealand collapse after Kane Williamson hundred to open door for England

• Stats – Williamson at the top of the Test charts for New Zealand

The 32-year-old’s 132 held together a response of 483, giving Ben Stokes’ side a chase of 258 to secure the series 2-0. Tim Southee, who took over as Test captain when Williamson stepped down last December, removed Zak Crawley to leave the tourists 48 for 1 overnight.”It’s not something I’ve thought a whole lot about,” said Williamson after the day’s play. “But it is an honour. You look at that list, and I’ve admired all of those players over those years, whether that’s watching from afar growing up or playing alongside a number of them as well. Like I say, it’s not a focus point but it’s special to be amongst that company.”It would be pretty special for sure,” he said on the prospect of becoming only the fourth team to win a Test after following-on. “It’s exciting going in to day five. As a bowling attack and a team, we want to make sure we’re on come tomorrow. There’s still some assistance there and some assistance for the slower bowlers as well. All to play for, which is exciting.”Harry Brook picked up the key wicket of Kane Williamson•AFP/Getty Images

Williamson, however, was frustrated with his dismissal. Not just because it was the start of a collapse of five for 28 from a commanding position of 455 for 5, but that the bowler who dismissed him was not a bowler at all. Harry Brook, whose exploits have been exclusively with the bat, was brought on in the 148th over to give James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson a rest ahead of a potential third new ball.With the final delivery of his third of seven overs of medium pace off the wrong foot, Brook fired a delivery down the leg side which Williamson tickled into the gloves of Ben Foakes, who was standing up to the stumps. Even as he shook his head contemplating the dismissal in his post-match press conference, he was able to see the funny side.”He didn’t miss his length at all, ey? He was immaculate.”He was on point. Maybe that (the wicket-taking delivery) was the worst ball he bowled, actually.”Initially given not out on the field, Ben Stokes reluctantly called for a review on the insistence of Joe Root who thought he heard something. A noise was picked up as the ball passed the face of the bat, leading to an overturned decision. While it was not a big spike, Williamson is satisfied the technology worked.”In my instance, it was,” he said when asked if UltraEdge had worked correctly. “But I think at times you see some shakes in the lone. Whether that’s accurate or now, I don’t really know. We had a few dismissals in Pakistan.”