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

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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.

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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

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• 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

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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.”

The left-arm quick was hit for five successive final-over sixes as Rinku Singh led KKR to an improbable win

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-20233:02

Moody: Should’ve been just the single messenger talking to Dayal

One day after Gujarat Titans’ Yash Dayal conceded five sixes in the final over to Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rinku Singh, the fast bowler’s father has revealed that he was consoled in the dressing room by his team-mates, led by the captain Hardik Pandya.Dayal spoke to his father late on Sunday night after the bowler conceded the highest number of runs (31) in the final over of a chase to lose an IPL game. He said that he he struggled to grip the ball due to wet conditions.”It was a nightmare yesterday,” Chandrapal Dayal told on Monday. “They made him [Yash] sit in the centre [in the dressing room] and consoled him. Later, there was [dance, music] and they spent some light moments with him.”He told me that somehow the ball was slipping out and he was not having a proper grip on the night as he missed his yorkers. Even he tried a slower one from the back of his hand, that too was smashed.”Nothing Yash Dayal tried worked for him in that last over•BCCI

Dayal plays domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh, the same team as Rinku – the batter’s familiarity with the bowler’s plans may have helped him chase down the improbable final-over target. Chandrapal said the episode would make his son come out stronger.”He [Rinku] just had to smash every ball and they know each other well. It may have come handy for Rinku and it was simply not his [Dayal’s] day. Many great cricketers have gone through this.”These are the moments sport is made up of. Even in life you come across failures, it’s important to stand up stronger.”Dayal missed his yorker lengths on three occasions and paid the price as Rinku hit his first three full-tosses for sixes. After that, his half-tracker was tonked over long-on while his final delivery was flat-batted down the ground for six more. While the broadcasters’ camera showed the Knight Riders celebrating deliriously after the match, they also showed Dayal on his knees, wiping his forehead and being patted on his back by his team-mates. His coach Amit Pal said that Sunday was simply not Dayal’s day.”He bowls the yorker so well but could not get one last night,” Pal told . “Maybe he was done in by pressure. Maybe it was because at the other end, there was Rinku who knows him well since their junior camp days.”Dayal was signed by the Titans before IPL 2022 and played his part in the side winning the title last season. This season, he has been expensive and wicketless, conceding 14 runs in one over in his first game, 12 runs in one over in his second game, and 69 in four overs on Sunday.

Hefty total backed up by four-fors for D’Oliveira, Brown

ECB Reporters Network02-Jun-2023Worcestershire 226 for 5 (Bracewell 55, Hose 51*) beat Nottinghamshire 170 (Hales 71, D’Oliveira 4-11 Brown 4-25) by 56 runsWorcestershire Rapids made it four wins from four matches in the Vitality Blast after their 226 for five – the second highest total in their history in the T20 format – proved way too many for North Group rivals Notts Outlaws at Trent Bridge, who lost by 56 runs.Michael Bracewell (55), Adam Hose (51 not out), Brett D’Oliveira (44) and Jack Haynes (42) were the chief beneficiaries as a depleted Outlaws attack were largely taken apart after opting to bowl first on a good pitch, only skipper Steven Mullaney (two for 28) emerging with credit as injured trio Jake Ball, Olly Stone and Luke Fletcher were badly missed.Nott coach Peter Moores admitted: “We are struggling without three frontline bowlers and that hurt us tonight. Having said that we didn’t play well, which is frustrating because we lost control of the game right from the start. Steven Mullaney and Matt Carter bowled well on a really good pitch but the other lads didn’t quite get it right.”Alex Hales led a positive powerplay on the way to 71 from 35 balls and Shaheen Afridi provided some late excitement with four sixes in the same over but with D’Oliveira claiming a career-best four for 11 from his two overs of leg spin and Pat Brown four for 25 the Outlaws, who would have needed to make their biggest score chasing, were never really contenders.Rapids piled up a massive 87 without loss in the six powerplay overs, D’Oliveira setting the pace with 44 from 20 balls, Bracewell not far behind with 38 from 17. Both cleared the ropes twice.The pair put on 98 in 41 balls for the first wicket, although Bracewell had a let-off on six when chipping Afridi to short midwicket, where Colin Munro stretched an arm above his head but could only push the ball behind him. That came during an eventful over that saw the Pakistan star visibly aggrieved over a no-ball call for having too many fielders outside the ring, his mood not helped when the extra ball flew off the edge of Bracewell’s bat for four.A breakthrough for the Outlaws arrived when D’Oliveira holed out to deep square leg off Samit Patel in the seventh over, after which two wickets in consecutive overs hinted at a fightback as Bracewell was bowled making room to cut and Mitchell Santner, back from the IPL to start a third stint with the Rapids, gave Mullaney an easy caught-and-bowled.But at 125 for three in the 11th, Jack Haynes was joined by Adam Hose to add another 53 from 22 balls, the former cracking a couple of slog-swept maximums before Matt Montgomery completed a fine catch on the run at deep extra cover to end his progress on 42 from 25 balls.Mullaney, easily the pick of the Outlaws bowlers, conceded only two from the 17th but the last three overs saw Afridi and Conor McKerr surrender another 41 for the solitary wicket of Kashif Ali as Hose finished 51 not out from 27 balls with three fours and four sixes, two off McKerr in the penultimate over and an audacious scoop for another off Afridi in the last.Needing more than 11 runs per over to go close to the Rapids’ total, the Outlaws were comfortably ahead of that with 76 on the board from the powerplay, although they lost one of their key weapons when Joe Clarke, after an escape on 17, was caught at short fine leg for 25 off 16 balls.Hales was finding the gaps in the field with ominous regularity, reaching his third fifty of this season’s Blast in 21 balls with two sixes, carved over extra cover off Adam Finch and off-spinner Bracewell, as well as seven fours, but a couple of tight overs from Bracewell and Santner’s left-arm spin brought the first element of scoreboard pressure and yielded a dividend for the Rapids when their former team-mate Colin Munro, another who might have done some serious damage, skied one off Brown to be caught at long on.Two more wickets lost in the next over, as new Montgomery and Tom Moores both found fielders in their efforts to put the pressure back on the visiting side against D’Oliveira’s leg spin, left the Outlaws 99 for four after 10 overs with Hales seemingly now their only hope of making a game of it.But he lost more partners when Bracewell bowled Lyndon James and Mullaney was caught on the extra cover boundary by a diving Hose off D’Oliveira, Hales departing in the same over, throwing everything into a similar shot but falling to a superb catch, again by Hose, who parried the ball above the rope and caught it as it dropped.Afridi’s four sixes off one Bracewell over provided a flurry of late entertainment but he, Samit Patel and Matt Carter predictably perished in their desperate pursuit of runs as the Outlaws were bowled out for 170 in the 19th over.

Ben Sanderson, Jack White put on 70 for ninth wicket but Daniel Bell-Drummond had Kent in command

ECB Reporters Network28-Jun-2023Kent’s spinners finally overcame a late flourish from the Northamptonshire tail to wrap up an innings victory at Wantage Road and climb to eighth place in the LV= Insurance County Championship Division One table.Joe Denly claimed four wickets and Hamidullah Qadri three as the home side were bowled out for 369 despite an entertaining ninth-wicket stand of 70 between Ben Sanderson and Jack White.The Northamptonshire pair both registered career-best performances in first-class cricket, with Sanderson hitting 46 before White, batting at No. 10, hammered a maiden half-century from 68 balls.He was last man out for 59 to seal Kent’s first Championship victory since the opening round of the campaign, when they defeated the same opponents by seven wickets at Canterbury.As they had done for most of the previous afternoon, Kent initially kept faith with an all-spin attack – which paid off after just 10 balls when Denly had Saif Zaib snapped up at short leg without adding to his overnight 43.Tom Taylor displayed attacking intent, clubbing both Denly and Jack Leaning to the leg-side boundary and Lewis McManus attempted to follow suit as he latched onto a long hop from Qadri, only to pick out the square leg fielder.Taylor found an unexpected ally in Sanderson, who batted with freedom and rattled up a string of boundaries in their lively partnership of 38, prompting Kent to take the new ball and entrust it to their seamers.It made little difference to Sanderson, who thrashed Arshdeep Singh twice to the cover fence, but Wes Agar duly provided the breakthrough – albeit in unusual fashion, deflecting Sanderson’s drive onto the stumps to run out Taylor at the non-striker’s end.However, the eighth-wicket partnership was surpassed by the ninth, with White slamming Denly back over his head for four and unveiling a rarely seen range of shots, including the reverse sweep, to lift Northamptonshire beyond 300.Sanderson stroked Denly for a couple on the leg-side to bring up the 50 partnership – and the highest score of his 15-year county career – but he missed the opportunity of a maiden half-century, taking a swing at Qadri and edging behind.White, however, made no such mistake, dispatching the leg-spinner cleanly over the top for a boundary to bring up his personal landmark before Denly finally had him caught behind to seal Kent’s success.

Captain’s innings rescues home side from 62 for 5 as Nottinghamshire bow out

ECB Reporters Network07-Jul-2023Lewis Gregory and Ben Green batted Somerset into Finals Day of the Vitality Blast as the hosts completed a thrilling five-wicket victory over Notts Outlaws at Taunton.The Outlaws posted what looked a below par total of 157 for 6 after winning the toss, Matthew Montgomery top-scoring with 51 off 38 balls, Imad Wasim cracking 31 not out off 15 and Samit Patel contributing 30. Craig Overton claimed 2 for 23, while legspinner Ish Sodhi conceded only 22 from four overs.Somerset lost five wickets by the midway point of their reply before Gregory and Green put together an unbroken partnership of 96 to see their side to Edgbaston with three balls to spare.A big moment in the game came as early as the fourth delivery, Notts opener Alex Hales advancing to Overton and making room for a big shot, only to have his stumps scattered. Overton soon followed up by having the dangerous Colin Munro brilliantly caught by the back-peddling Matt Henry at mid-off.Henry then had Joe Clarke pouched at midwicket by Overton to make it 17 for 3 and although Montgomery and Patel took boundaries off the sixth over, bowled by Jack Brooks, the Outlaws ended the powerplay on 37 for 3.Patel pulled a six off Gregory as 14 came off the ninth over. He and Montgomery had taken their stand to 69 when the 13th over saw Patel bowled trying to swing Gregory into the leg side.Montgomery survived a tough chance to Tom Abell in the outfield to bring up his half-century, but the next ball saw him sky another catch and Overton made no mistake running in from long-off.Tom Moores was caught at short fine-leg off Gregory and after Sodhi’s economic contribution, it was left to Wasim and skipper Steven Mullaney to boost a meagre Notts total with some clean hitting in the final overs. Wasim struck a six and two fours in his entertaining cameo, but the Outlaws looked to face an uphill battle at the halfway stage.Their spirits were lifted when Tom Banton was caught behind reverse-sweeping off the first ball of the second over of Somerset’s innings, sent down by Wasim, the umpire’s decision of not out being reversed after a referral. It was 9 for 2 when the left-arm spinner completed a double-wicket maiden by clean bowling Tom Kohler-Cadmore for a duck.Smeed responded by hitting boundaries off the first three balls of Wasim’s second over. Abell produced three sweetly-struck fours of his own as the pair took Somerset to 44 for 2 by the end of the powerplay. The pair had added 46 when Abell played a ball from Calvin Harrison into the leg side and Smeed called for a second run, only to fall short as Hales produced a fast throw to the bowler’s end.Soon afterwards, Sean Dickson fell lbw to Harrison reverse-sweeping and Abell walked after under-edging a catch behind in the same over. At the halfway stage of their innings, Somerset were 62 for 5.The experienced Gregory then took charge, clearing the ropes off Patel twice and Wasim as he and Green, who smashed Harrison over long-on for six, repaired the damage in style, bringing up a half-century stand off 35 balls.Thirty were needed off the last three overs. Gregory brought a packed crowd to their feet with a six over midwicket off Wasim and went to a brilliant 32-ball fifty with another maximum over long-off in the penultimate over, delivered by Jake Ball, to finally break Notts’ resistance.With three needed, Green appeared to be dropped at cover off Fletcher. But it was a no-ball and the resulting free hit was dispatched for the winning runs.

High-scoring first innings allied to rain made for a low-key finish to Div Two clash

ECB Reporters NetworkChris Dent’s 21st first-class century proved the highlight of a low-key final day as the LV= Insurance County Championship match between Gloucestershire and Glamorgan at Cheltenham ended in an inevitable draw.With so much time having been lost to rain, including a third-day washout, there were only bonus points to play for as Gloucestershire advanced their first innings from an overnight 134 for one to 402 for six before declaring.Experienced opener Dent led the way with an assured 113, off 206 balls, with 15 fours, while Ollie Price contributed 84, Miles Hammond 57 and James Bracey 60 not out. Leg-spinner Mitch Swepson claimed three of the wickets, but at a cost of 142 runs from his 37 overs.By the time the players shook hands at 4.50pm, Glamorgan had made 62 without loss in their second innings. They took 12 points from the game, while Gloucestershire had to settle for 11 and remain without a win in the Championship this season.Dent was unbeaten on 61 overnight, with Price on 49. The pair extended their second-wicket stand to the century mark before a Price boundary to third-man off Timm van der Gugten took him to fifty off 123 balls, with seven fours.Soon both batters were capitalising on the true pitch, Price producing an exquisite on-drive for four off James Harris and Dent matching it with a sweetly-timed cover drive to the boundary off van der Gugten.The partnership had been extended to 171 when Price was caught behind trying to force a delivery from Swepson through the off side. He stood crestfallen at the error, having hit 16 fours, knowing a great chance of a hundred had slipped away.Dent brought up his first ton of the season with a two to square leg off Harris, having faced 190 deliveries, and added a further 13 to his score before miscuing a drive off Zain ul-Hussain to Harris at mid-on.By then Hammond had signalled his intention to up the scoring rate with 4 fours in moving to 17. He was joined by debutant Joe Phillips and together they took the score to 261 for three at lunch.Cornishman Phillips had reached 17 in his maiden first class innings when falling victim to the second new ball, bowled looking to pull a delivery from Andy Gorvin. He had faced 42 balls and hit 3 fours.Bracey brought the 300 up by getting off the mark with a square driven boundary off Gorvin before Hammond moved to fifty off 78 balls, with eight boundaries. It was 337 for five when he top-edged an attempted pull off Harris and Colin Ingram pouched a simple catch at mid-off.Tom Price made only 16 before being pinned lbw on the back-foot by Swepson, but Bracey progressed serenely to the eighth half-century of the match, having faced 62 balls and cracked 8 fours.There was some strange cricket as tea approached, Zafar Gohar leaving the last ball before the interval with Gloucestershire needing just two runs for a fourth batting point. They had to face three more balls after the break before Bracey brought up the 400 and declared immediately, which meant another ten-minute interruption to play.The home side then set about avoiding a penalty for a slow over-rate, which was plus four at the end of the Glamorgan first innings. Spinners Gohar and Price were given the new ball and fielders scampered between overs, playing catch-up.Gloucestershire rattled through 16 overs in 39 minutes to make sure they claimed their full entitlement of points and it seemed almost incidental that Glamorgan openers ul Hussan and David Lloyd produced an array of attacking shots in the late afternoon sunshine.Lloyd was unbeaten on 38 and ul Hassan 24 when the second declaration of the day ended a game ruined by the wet weather.

Pakistan have called up Shahnawaz Dahani and Zaman Khan as back-ups for the injured duo

Danyal Rasool11-Sep-2023Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah’s participation in the rest of the Asia Cup is in doubt after they picked up injuries during the Super Four game against India in Colombo over Sunday and Monday.ESPNcricinfo understands that the fast bowlers are almost certain to miss Pakistan’s next game, against Sri Lanka on Thursday, and they are also uncertain for the final – should Pakistan get there.Pakistan have called up Shahnawaz Dahani and Zaman Khan as back-ups for the injured duo. The PCB has, however, made it clear that Rauf and Naseem have not been ruled out of the tournament and would remain under the observation of the team’s medical panel.”This is only a precautionary measure keeping in mind the fitness and well-being of the players ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup next month,” a PCB media statement said. “Haris and Naseem will continue to remain under the observation of the team’s medical panel. The team management will only request replacement from the ACC technical committee if Naseem or Haris are ruled out for the next seven days.”Rauf felt “a little discomfort in his right flank” on Sunday, which prevented him from taking the field on Monday, while Naseem went off in the 49th over of India’s innings on the reserve day with an injury to his bowling shoulder. Neither batted in Pakistan’s chase, which ended on 128, giving India a 228-run win.It capped a poor two days for Pakistan, during which all three premier fast bowlers – Shaheen Shah Afridi the third – went off the field nursing injuries at some point or other.Pakistan found themselves outplayed in all departments right from the outset, with India amassing 356 for 2 in their 50 overs across two days. Pakistan were never in the hunt in their chase, losing regular wickets and collapsing either side of a lengthy rain break on Monday.