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Archer waits in the wings as Stokes puts focus on squad togetherness

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Moeen Ali and Andrew Flintoff provide coaching cameos as England build up to Edgbaston Test

Vithushan Ehantharajah01-Jul-2025After missing Monday’s training session due to a family emergency, Jofra Archer was at Edgbaston on Tuesday making up for lost time.A strong session in the nets on the Colts Ground included a stint bowling at Ben Stokes. Unsurprising, really. Archer is not the first bowler to be left out of an XI and immediately seek to give his captain a reminder of their talents the day before a Test.It perhaps spoke to who had the better of that duel that Stokes ended up rushing to his 11.15am press conference after opting for another hit to get some groove back. Not that Stokes needed a reminder of Archer’s qualities, or indeed Archer had anything to prove, despite missing the cut for this second Test against India.”I know Jof, obviously, a lot better than you guys sat down here,” Stokes said, when assessing the situation around his 30-year-old quick, and the notion Archer would need to be kept interested in a format he has not played for over four years.”I’ve been in constant communication with him since the injuries. And I said it a few times – he was so determined to get back and play Test cricket or to make himself available to be selected. So, look, he didn’t need any more reason to find any more desire. He loves playing cricket. He loves playing for England.”The figurative “here” of being Test-ready for a first appearance of the new era – he has previously played one Test under Stokes in 2020 – was as important as the literal.Having returned for Sussex last week against Durham – his first red-ball appearance since May 2021 – Archer could have dropped back into their match against Warwickshire at Hove to add to the 18 overs of work last week. ECB regulations state that players released from international duty can be shoehorned back into ongoing County Championship fixtures, provided there are at least two days remaining, which would have been the case on Tuesday.However, England confirmed on Monday that none of their four unused squad members would be released for their respective county fixtures. While Jacob Bethell was always due to remain as the spare batter, Archer, Sam Cook and Jamie Overton were probably glad to be saved from what looks to be hard toil with the Kookaburra ball.Jofra Archer bowled 18 overs for Sussex last week but hasn’t been released for further game-time•PA Photos/Getty Images

Having that trio of seam bowlers around the group, particularly Archer, was seen by Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum as far more beneficial.”This is something we had to consider around bringing him back into the squad,” Stokes told when asked why Archer was not released to play for Sussex.”For me, personally, and Baz as well, we felt if he didn’t play it was important to have Jof around the group, around the people, to get him back into the environment again. Having him back in the squad is great but we want him to play a part in the series and going forward with this group.”There were benefits to both situations, but how me and Baz think about the time we spend as a group is very important as well. He (Archer) has been playing for a long time. He has bowled a lot of overs. You can’t really control how a first-class game will go. Because of how last week went, he [only] got 18 overs in a week.”Of course, Archer has been around England set-ups plenty, even with his elbow and lower-back travails. Since his last Test cap on the India tour in 2021 – not just under a different regime but during the pandemic – Archer has played 41 ODIs and T20Is for England. Nine of them have been with McCullum in charge, since the unification of his red- and white-ball coaching roles at the start of the year.While Archer is with how McCullum and Stokes work, the squad as a whole has an altogether different feel. One which, despite McCullum and Harry Brook’s best efforts, they have yet to replicate across the other codes. As such, keeping “newer” players around, even when they are not in the XI, makes sense.By design, this environment is geared towards making Test cricket more enjoyable, on and off the pitch, and thus more attractive to players at a time when T20 riches are hard to spurn. And it is not just Archer who has that option open to him.Even Overton, who made his one and only Test appearance under Stokes and McCullum in the 2022 summer, is still embedding.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in April while at the IPL with Chennai Super Kings, Overton had not even considered that Test cricket may be across his radar this summer: “There’s not many bowlers that play all three formats now… It’s going to take a lot to get the body back to those bowling workloads, and we’ll just see where we go and play it by ear.” Even while on the periphery at Headingley, and over these last two days at Edgbaston, Overton has seemed very happy with his lot.Related

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The regime’s efforts to make their players’ lives more enjoyable have included jaunts to the UAE ahead of series in Pakistan and India, and an extended stay in Queenstown on their last tour of New Zealand. Domestically, they play plenty of golf, of course, but the odd cameo coaching appearance has helped lift the mood too. Moeen Ali dropped in as a mentor on Monday and worked with Shoaib Bashir – “they’d never met until yesterday,” Stokes revealed – before Lions head coach Andrew Flintoff graced Tuesday’s training. A few used the afternoon after training to hit the course.Much of the bonhomie throughout the match will come from, as Stokes says, mucking in. And there is also the carrot of working yourself into pole position for a berth at Lord’s.Given the third Test starts three days after this one is scheduled to finish, changes are likely with the pace attack of Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse already going back-to-back. Archer might not have to wait much longer for his return.”Here he can come and bowl, he can help out the lads, he can get used to the environment again and when the opportunity does come, he is comfortable in it,” Stokes said.”This week being here, and building up to be in contention for next week, it is tight back-to-back games and having a few fresh bowlers to choose from. He was in contention to play this week and, unless anything goes wrong, I can’t see why he won’t be next week.”

'We are in the game' – Hamza fulfils his dream, and keeps Pakistan's alive

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“What I hope is we win and my performance is crucial to it”

Danyal Rasool28-Dec-2023Despite a couple of late wickets, Pakistan’s shoulders had dropped by the time stumps were called, but Mir Hamza didn’t let the disappointment of the final session sully memories he will carry for the rest of his career. Coming out just after lunch, he had followed up two strikes from Shaheen Shah Afridi with the wickets of David Warner and Travis Head in successive balls, the latter a near-unplayable inswinging delivery that cleaned Head up for a golden duck.No wonder, then, that his face broke out into the broadest of grins when looking back upon the moment a few hours later.”It was a dream for me to play at the MCG against one of the best teams, and to provide us two breakthroughs in one over,” Hamza said at the post-match press conference after the third day’s play. “I was telling myself I have to prove myself if I want to play international cricket for my country. If you look at my last few matches, I bowled well but didn’t take wickets. So I wanted to change that.Related

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“Since the match started, I tried to keep things simple because there’s something in the pitch for fast bowlers. It’s seaming and swinging. I thought if I can swing the ball, I’ll have a great opportunity because the batter isn’t set at the time. I thought that way and believed Travis Head was waiting for my outswinger, but I brought it back in. It was my favourite Test dismissal.”At the time, Pakistan were riding very high. Australia were reeling at 16 for 4, the lowest total upon which they’ve lost four wickets at home since South Africa had taken the first four for just eight runs in Hobart in 2016. The lead was a precarious 70 at the time, and Pakistan believed they were in with a sniff.And though a mix of poor catching, poor fortune and a sensational counterattack from Mitchell Marsh meant Australia had comfortably reassumed the ascendancy by stumps, Hamza was instrumental in ensuring Pakistan retained a fighting interest in the contest. He was the man to break the 153-run fifth-wicket stand between Marsh and Steven Smith by drawing another outside edge from Marsh that Salman Ali Agha clung on to, before Afridi followed up with Smith’s wicket, with the hosts leading by 241.”We are still in the game, and we think we’ll get stronger,” he said. “The new ball will swing in any conditions – as it did for me – but there is something in the pitch. If you see the body language of our boys, it is very positive. We will try to get wickets as soon as possible. We are in the game.”Part of the reason Mir Hamza has struggled to break in is his lack of pace•Getty Images

Hamza needs to make no apologies for beaming after the day, because he knows how rarely these moments come around, and how hard fought they can be. He played six years of first-class cricket before getting his first opportunity in Test cricket in 2018, only to be dropped after one Test. It was to be another four years before the second chance came knocking around; and another two indifferent games later, he was out of the side once more.Then in the first Test of this Australia tour, Pakistan preferred to give two fast bowlers a debut in Perth rather than give Hamza a run. His three Tests apart, Hamza has played 103 first-class games, and taken 418 wickets across 11 years and nearly 19,500 deliveries.So while it may be an exaggeration to call the two balls that rattled Warner and Head’s stumps one-in-a-million moments, terming them one in ten thousand is no statistical exaggeration. Part of the reason Hamza has struggled to break in is his lack of pace, with Pakistan always likely to prefer high pace when taking selection into account. Here at the MCG, Hamza’s speeds were a constant point of focus, largely registering in the 120ks. Hamza, though, knows what he is.”Bowlers know about their quality. Some bowlers are known for seam and swing, and others for pace,” he said. “What matters is that you disrupt the batter – whether you do it with seam and swing, or whether you do it with swing doesn’t matter. Our aim is to win, and we’ve taken 16 wickets. We’ll try and take 20 as soon as possible, and come out with the win. This will be memorable if we win the Test, and what I hope is we win and my performance is crucial to it.”And while reality may fall somewhat short of that ambition, there’s little doubt that Hamza’s performance has ensured Pakistan can do for one more night what Hamza has done for a decade: keeping a dream alive.

PCB to write to ICC to 'lodge a protest' over crowd trouble in Sharjah

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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.

As it happened – England vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, Edgbaston, 2nd day

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All the updates, news and stats from day two of the second Test at Edgbaston

Valkerie Baynes11-Jun-2021* Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local

6.35pm: Young out last ball

New Zealand boasted an embarrassment of riches for a second day running as Devon Conway and Will Young frustrated England’s bowlers and moved to within 74 runs of the hosts’ first-innings 303 with seven wickets in hand at Edgbaston.Conway, who put his place in the side beyond doubt with 200 on debut in the first Test at Lord’s, produced another valuable, though not chance-less, innings of 80. And, while he would have been disappointed not to press on to triple figures again, a gutsy 82 from Young – in the side as a replacement for injured captain Kane Williamson – mitigated the damage.Stuart Broad bowled superbly for his 2 for 22 from 15 overs, including six maidens, but he was the only England bowler to reap any reward for his considerable efforts – until Young’s dismissal by part-time off-spinner Dan Lawrence on the last ball of the day.Will Young got to his maiden Test fifty•PA Images via Getty Images

6.05pm: NZ bring up 200

5.20pm: Broad works over Taylor

By Matt RollerStuart Broad has just finished an eight-over spell which spread across the tea interval, conceding only 12 runs and taking the wicket of Devon Conway, caught at deep backward square leg. It was his working-over of Ross Taylor – a man he has dismissed ten times in Test cricket – that was particularly impressive, with James Anderson providing support at the other end.Broad’s plan was to set him up with a number of outswingers, dragging him across the crease before angling one back in, and he beat the bat a number of times, putting his hands on his head in frustration after missing the top of off stump by a hair’s breadth. With the crowd urging him on, he hit 87mph/140kph at times and was consistently operating in the mid-80s – according to a Sky Sports graphic, his average speed this summer has been higher than in any of the last three years.Agonisingly, he couldn’t get his man, and while Anderson had him given out lbw shortly after the end of Broad’s spell, the decision was overturned on review with the ball clearly missing leg. Taylor is a notoriously poor starter and has looked out of nick on this tour. With Will Young gritting his way to a half-century, Taylor could do with a score here: Kane Williamson will return to the side in the WTC final next week and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Taylor could be the man to miss out.Stuart Broad appeals unsuccessfully for the wicket of Ross Taylor in the first Test•Getty Images

5.00pm: He goes alright

Devon Conway has scored more runs in his first three Test innings than any other NZ batsman•ESPNcricinfo

4.40pm: Have your say

4.20pm: Conway departs

Stuart Broad finally strikes again with the valuable wicket of Devon Conway, who picks out Zak Crawley at deep square leg for 80. New Zealand are 137 for 2 and Broad is trying to get the crowd more involved as he looks to boost his impressive figures of 2 for 19 from 12 overs.Devon Conway fell on 80•Getty Images

Whipped away with that Conway flourish that we are used to by now, but he has found deep square leg with it. That is that idiosyncratic flair-filled shot. Most people flick this length ball off the pads into the ground, but Conway likes to give it a Humpty. This time he has hit this straight down the throat of deep square leg. Just the break England needed

3.50pm: Tea time

Olly Stone rues a dropped catch by Joe Root•Getty Images

England rue a couple of missed opportunities, one they couldn’t do anything about with Zak Crawley not awarded a slips catch to dismiss Devon Conway for 22 when the soft signal was not out (bump ball) and the hosts’ review couldn’t unearth enough evidence to show the ball hadn’t, in fact, touched earth. And then Joe Root shelled a slips catch that would have sent Will Young packing for just 7.As it stands, Conway and Young have put on an unbroken stand of 115 for the second wicket.

3.35pm: Tourists ticking along

New Zealand are ticking along nicely here with England in need of a breakthrough. Conway and Young have pushed their partnership up to an unbroken 111 with Conway 78* and Young 36*. They’ve just changed the ball, Stuart Broad will look to see what he can do with this one. He beats the bat with his first delivery since the change, seaming away from Conway’s attempted defence, and ends with a maiden.Will Young tucks into the off side•Getty Images

2.50pm: Root spins in

Joe Root is into the attack as England’s spinner with the home side seeking to break up this partnership between Devon Conway and Will Young, worth 73*.Sampath Bandarupalli, our statstician, pointed out: “Between 2004 and 2020, England played just one home Test without a front-line spinner in the XI (vs SA in 2012 at Leeds).” Now they’ve done it twice in as many matches this summer.Conway is 55 not out and Young is on 21. Root has 0 for 3 heading into his third over.Joe Root is England’s sole spin option – again•PA Images via Getty Images

2.35pm: Fifty up for Conway

Devon Conway flicks one away•Getty Images

Devon Conway, who made such a remarkable debut at Lord’s with 200 in the first innings, brings up his fifty with a drive off a Joe Root half-volley just past deep cover, running two as Stuart Broad fields.Having survived on 22 when Zak Crawley’s slips catch off Broad’s bowling wasn’t given amid doubt over whether the ball touched the ground, Conway is now 51 not out and Will Young unbeaten with 21, their partnership worth 69*.

2.00pm: Oh no, Joe!

Joe Root, the England skipper has just juggled – and dropped – a catch that would have dismissed Will Young on 7. A lovely ball from Olly Stone found the outside edge and the ball sailed to Root at first slip. He had a couple of goes at grabbing it as he went to ground but couldn’t hold on! It looked a pretty standard chance too. New Zealand were 52 for 1 at the time.Olly Stone coulda, woulda, shoulda had had a wicket•Getty Images

1.50pm: Heart-warmer

Regardless of your team loyalties, this celebration of fans returning to the stands at Edgbaston is pretty enjoyable to watch. Yes, he’s understandably biased, but it warmed the cockles of Chris Woakes’ heart.

1.10pm: NZ 260 in arrears at lunch

Devon Conway steers New Zealand to lunch at 43 for 1 in the face of an excellent spell from Stuart Broad, which netted him the wicket of Tom Latham for 6 and gave him figures of 1 for 10 so far. Conway is 27 not out and Will Young – in the side for Kane Wiliamson, who has sore elbow – is unbeaten on 6.Stuart Broad bowled a strong opening spell•PA Photos/Getty Images

12.50pm: Another close call for Conway

Devon Conway, the double centurion on debut at Lord’s, has had another escape. Conway edged Stuart Broad to Zak Crawley at third slip and it was one of those where it was difficult to tell whether the ball hit the ground as Crawley was taking the catch. He definitely got his fingers under it but the key was that the soft signal given by the on-field umpire was not-out. Broad was incensed but, on review, there was just enough doubt for the decision to stand. Broad. Not. Happy.Devon Conway is hanging in there•PA Photos/Getty Images

12.30pm: Broad breaks through

12.20pm: That was close!

A hearts-in-mouths moment for New Zealand fans there, but Devon Conway keeps his cool. Tom Latham strikes the ball straight back down the pitch and Stuart Broad, in his follow-through, manages to get his fingers to it before it crashes into the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Conway, who was advancing, was watching the ball like a hawk as well though, and managed to turn and stretch his arm out, getting his bat back inside his crease in time.Stuart Broad looks on•AFP/Getty Images

12.00pm: England all out for 303

Innings break England 303 (Lawrence 81*, Burns 81, Boult 4-85) vs New ZealandNeil Wagner congratulates Trent Boult after the fall of Stuart Broad’s wicket•Clive Mason/Getty Images

A Dan Lawrence-led recovery has pushed England’s first-innigs total to 303. Lawrence was unbeaten in matching Rory Burns’ top score for England of 81 while Mark Wood produced some entertainment – and valuable runs – with a knock of 41 before he was bowled by Matt Henry.
Trent Boult, who took two wickets yesterday, cleaned up the tail, Stuart Broad caught behind for a duck and James Anderson lbw for four. Anderson was initially given not-out by umpire Richard Kettleborough but that decision was overturned on review, which showed Boult had beaten the inside edge with the ball tracking to hit leg stump.Now, with New Zealand getting the ball to swing nicely, home fans will eagerly anticipate seeing Anderson, playing an England-record 162nd Test, do the same.

11.25am: Wood gives it some welly

I could tell you how Mark Wood came rollicking out of the blocks this morning, cutting, pulling, driving and dinking like an Ashington Sehwag, but Sid Monga said it better on the ball-by-ball commentary. Matt Henry ended the fun with a full ball, inside-edged onto the timbers, but it’s given England the leg-up they needed, even if Stuart Broad has just nicked off to Trent Boult for a duck. Dan Lawrence has the record-breaking James Anderson for company at 289 for 9, and the onus is on him now to push England past 300.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Here’s Matt Roller with a more considered take on the morning’s tonkings:”Joe Root highlighted the “added responsibility” that England’s bowlers have with the bat on the eve of this series. “If we’re going to grow as a team, if we’re going to become more consistent, we’ll have to add lower-order runs,” he said.
While opting to pick Olly Stone – who has batted at No. 10 for most of his first-class career – as a No. 8 might seem to fly in the face of those comments, England’s tail has taken on the additional responsibility.Out of England’s six 50+ partnerships in this series, three have involved lower-order contributions: 52 between James Anderson and Rory Burns and 63 between Burns at Ollie Robinson at Lord’s, plus 66 between Dan Lawrence and Mark Wood here. Stone also added 47 alongside Lawrence last night, helping England towards 300 after they had slipped to 175 for 6.”

10.45am: Looking back

Rory Burns celebrates his half-century•Getty Images

Rory Burns has reflected on his knock of 81 yesterday and he spoke to Sky Sports at the close about his form, which includes a first-innings 132 in the first Test at Lord’s and seven fifties in 10 Championship innings this season. That came after he lost his place in the Test side on England’s recent tour of India. Here’s what he had to say:”It’s been quite a quite a tough day of Test cricket, it’s been pretty even there by the end, I think Dan [Lawrence] has played really well there and in that latter part of the day, probably got us back to scrapping away quite nicely so there’s a there’s something in that surface for everyone.”It’s probably swung a little bit more for them after lunch, and whether that’s conditions over top or on the surface we’ll see.”I felt good, my rhythm’s felt good coming from county cricket and into this environment. I’ve felt in a good place in summer, which is pleasing. It’s nice to be able to get in there and get in amongst it.”

10.00am: Dan’s the man

Dan Lawrence drives down the ground•Getty Images

Welcome back to the our coverage of the second Test at Edgbaston and all eyes will be on Dan Lawrence, England’s No. 7 playing his seventh Test and unbeaten on 67. From a home perspective, England want to see how many more he can add to their score of 258 for for 7 with Mark Wood not out 16 and Stuart Broad and James Anderson to come. Lawrence will be the main wicket New Zealand are focused on prising out on this second morning before getting stuck into the tail.Higher up the order, England have some concerns, as explained by George Dobell while Matt Roller writes that New Zealand showed their impressive strength in depth in making six changes to the side which drew at Lord’s and three of the bowlers who came in – Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Ajaz Patel – claiming two wickets apiece so far.

Liam O'Connor and Phil Salt hand out mighty drubbing to Brisbane Heat

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The Adelaide Strikers raced to their target of 101 with 55 deliveries to spare to avenge their defeat at the Gabba

Andrew McGlashan17-Jan-2020If you thought the Brisbane Heat’s victory over the Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba was a thrashing, think again. The roles were more than reversed at the Adelaide Oval as the home side romped to a 10-wicket win with a massive 55 deliveries remaining – the third most in BBL history – after dismantling an awful Heat for just 100.AB de Villiers fell in the fourth over but Heat had reached 2 for 53 in the eighth when it all started to go badly wrong. Liam O’Connor removed Chris Lynn to spark a collapse of 8 for 47 as he claimed a career-best 3 for 30. Only Matt Renshaw showed much composure with 43 and the Heat were bowled out with three overs unused. Michael Neser had a big impact, removing de Villiers and Renshaw in his 2 for 14.Liam O’Connor is pumped up after striking•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

If it’s possible, the chase was even more one-sided as Phil Salt, who has had a tricky tournament, carted the bowling to all parts as he and Jake Weatherald got the job done in under 11 overs. It handed the Strikers a handy net run-rate boost and did the opposite to the Heat. There might be another Darren Lehmann spray coming.De Villiers in – and out – earlyThere was much excitement, even from some the Strikers players as shown by Weatherald who was on the TV mic, when de Villiers walked in during the third over following another poor shot from Max Bryant who clubbed to mid-off. A chance for him to bat nearly 18 overs…oh, the possibilities. It was all over after three balls when he pulled Michael Neser to deep square leg where Weatherald took a well-judged catch above his head. Speaking on the coverage later, de Villiers said he had perhaps been over-eager on a surface that looked full of runs. Two early wickets meant Lynn had to play it a little safe, but just when he had got himself set the wheels fell off.Falling in a heapLynn tried to clear the off side against O’Connor’s second delivery but could only skew the ball over cover where Rashid Khan turned, ran back and took a superb catch over his shoulder. In the next over Travis Head brought himself on and it worked a treat second ball when Joe Burns swung straight down deep midwicket, a poor piece of judgement for an experienced player with a key batsman having fallen the over before. O’Connor, who had never previously taken more than two wickets in a BBL innings and has largely been Khan’s understudy, twice found the top edge as Ben Cutting and Jimmy Peirson played cut shots, with Harry Nielsen claiming two excellent catches. The Heat’s only hope of even a half-decent total lay with Renshaw who had again played very well, but amid the clatter of wickets he top-edged a pull off Neser. In the end they barely got into three figures as Wes Agar closed things out with a brace of excellent yorkers.Rubbing Salt into the woundThere are generally two ways to knock off a small total – steady, or brutally quick. The Strikers took the latter route with 13 coming from the second over from Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Salt played out a maiden from Josh Lalor, but it was a momentary pause as the Strikers finished the Powerplay on 0 for 45. At that stage Weatherald was 26 and Salt 15; things soon changed. In a fierce display of striking Salt went from 18 off 23 balls to 67 off 38 hitting eight of his next 15 deliveries for either four or six, finishing the (non) contest with consecutive sixes off Mujeeb.

Surface surprised us, but no demons, says Rhodes

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The Bangladesh coach admitted to misreading the pitch before the match, which affected team balance, but put the daunting target in front of them down to the first-innings batting

Mohammad Isam05-Nov-2018After collapsing to 143 all out, which was largely down to some loose batting outside the off-stump, and conceding a massive first-innings lead in the process on the second day, Bangladesh seemed to make more of an effort to leave balls outside off on Monday in Sylhet. For a shot-a-minute batting pair that is reflective of the larger mindset of a batting unit still suffering from limited-overs hangover, it was a discernible change.Liton tightening up his outside off play, in particular, must be encouraging for a Bangladesh team looking to minimise damage in a chase of 321. Liton left 10 out of the 38 balls he faced, having left just four out of 25 in the first innings.Against the disciplined fast bowling of Kyle Jarvis and Tendai Chatara, it was the sort of batting that coach Steve Rhodes wanted to see so desperately. Even so, Liton and Imrul have done it for just 61 balls, and have all of the fourth day to negotiate with similar discipline.Rhodes said that the remaining 295 runs, particularly with 10 wickets in hand, are attainable. “It is wonderful to get through tonight,” he said. “We have a little platform. The ball is a bit older. We have got 10 wickets in hand. The boys are happy. The captain is happy. He did a good job out there today in marshalling the troops. He said some nice things about what we need to do. We are in a positive frame of mind, but we also know we have a big challenge on our hands.”Today, Liton [Das] and Imrul [Kayes] showed that they were very capable against two bowlers who did very well in the first innings. If you can get through those bowlers, there are definitely ways of scoring those runs. We are looking at a couple of very good partnerships. If we can achieve it, we can win the game. Chasing a score that is the highest score in the game is very difficult, but it is achievable.”Rhodes said that the pitch doesn’t have too many demons, which may make batting easier than it is usually on the fourth day. “The good thing is, it is not a raging turner. It is not turning every ball. The odd ball turns. As long as you don’t let that worry you too much, you can certainly play against spin on that wicket,” he said.Rhodes, however, admitted that they had misread the surface in the days leading up to the game, believing that it would turn a lot more than it did. “The wicket surprised us a little bit. The ends were extremely dry leading up to the Test. The middle was little bit more together, but it got drier and drier as the first day neared. We felt that there would be a lot of spin but it hasn’t happened.”I believe against Sri Lanka in Chittagong, there was a similar situation when everyone thought it would spin but it didn’t. It is spinning, but infrequently. Generally, you should be able to score off most deliveries.”Reading wickets is not easy. Sometimes, even with lots of experience, you can get it slightly wrong. We thought this wicket would turn a lot more, so we probably misread it slightly.”Misreading the pitch also led to Bangladesh choosing a third spinner, leaving Abu Jayed as the lone fast bowler. Rhodes said that the line-up lost balance because of this decision, but that it was the batsmen’s performance in the first innings that put them in a difficult situation.”I am desperate to get a couple of quicker bowlers to play for Bangladesh. It would be great for them then to be able to go overseas and have some experience from playing here. We were desperate to do it as a side, but as it turned out, when it came to the final call, it really came down to the wicket.”We felt that the best chance was to go with the one pace bowler and three spinners. It wasn’t a balanced side. It wasn’t a balanced attack. You could argue it was a 50-50 call; thankfully, we have taken 20 wickets. The reason we are in a slight hole is because of our first innings batting. We need to put it right.”

Karunaratne ton helps Sri Lanka build steadily

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The opener’s seventh Test century and his unbeaten 118-run stand with captain Dinesh Chandimal laid the groundwork for Sri Lanka on the opening day of the pink-ball Test

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Oct-2017Stumps
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDimuth Karunaratne was largely comfortable, both against pace and spin•Getty Images

Dimuth Karunaratne’s unbeaten 133 – an innings defined by its smoothness and control – ensured Sri Lanka’s first brush with day-night Test cricket was a success. They moved to 254 for 3 by stumps, after debutant Sadeera Samarawickrama contributed a delectable 38, and Dinesh Chandimal progressed to the verge of another cautious half-century. Earlier in the day, Kaushal Silva had hung around for 27 off 71 balls as well.Pakistan had got themselves in the match soon after the tea break, when Samarawickrama and Kusal Mendis fell in quick succession. Though they had Sri Lanka 136 for 3 at one stage, no further wickets would come in the second half of the day. Their frustrations were compounded in the last half an hour when Mohammad Amir pulled up in the middle of 88th over and left the field clutching his thigh, prompting concerns over the state of his hamstring. Sarfraz Ahmed also burned their two reviews trying to dismiss the irritating Chandimal.

Smart stats

870 – Test runs for Dimuth Karunaratne this year. He’s now third on te list behind Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla.
2 – Century partnerships for the fourth wicket for Sri Lanka in this series, both between Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal. In the home series against India they could collect only 77 runs from six fourth-wicket partnerships.
2012 – Last time a Sri Lankan opener scored three or more centuries in a year, before Karunaratne in 2017. Tillakaratne Dilshan was the last then and the last before that, in 2009.

Though the quicks gleaned good movement with the new pink balls, it was Yasir Shah who was the most menacing bowler, getting faster and faster turn off the Dubai pitch through the day. He bowled 29.3 overs and returned figures of 2 for 90. Amir was the other bowler to make a breakthrough – his first in the series.While other batsmen advanced at varying rates around him, Karunaratne was Sri Lanka’s day one metronome. Samarawickrama produced a boundary-filled cameo; Chandimal and Kaushal stonewalled, almost becoming completely inert at times. Karunaratne, however, progressed evenly, never getting pinned down, never pressing the attack for long. He struck three fours off one Mohammad Amir over just before the tea break, but that was as exciting as his day got. Otherwise, he was seen flicking balls to his favourite midwicket region, and working the spinners towards square leg. Over a hundred of his runs, and 11 of his 16 boundaries came on the legside.This seventh career hundred – his first in the first innings since 2015 – is an extension of his excellent run in 2017. Though he missed out on triple figures at Abu Dhabi, where he was run out on 93, Karunaratne has nevertheless struck three high-quality centuries this year, all against good attacks. Following two years in which he constantly tested the selectors’ patience, this has been a long-awaited harvest.Gone from his game are the impetuous flashes that frustrated him early in his career, and the tentativeness that plagued him twelve months ago. The Karunaratne that has emerged in 2017 is versatile and tempered – rarely short of scoring options for long, and often able to weather testing spells. On Friday, he saw out some early swing from Amir, and defused Yasir expertly, though the spinner was already gaining substantial turn from this surface. Even late in the day, he would make calculated trips down the track, to the spinners.Sri Lanka’s strong total had been built upon a sturdy opening stand, but it was the partnership for the second wicket that was the most watchable of the day. Samarawickrama, clearly unfazed by the occasion, showcased his considerable talent during his 35-ball stay. His battle with Yasir was particularly memorable.After the tea break, he cracked the legspinner through cover, then ran down the pitch to smoke him inside-out over the infield. Yasir occasionally beat his edge – especially with the slider – but Samarawickrama continued to attack nonetheless. After he flitted down the pitch to thump Yasir over the long off boundary, Sarfraz even took Yasir out of the attack. This, however, was no real victory for the batsman. Amir, the man who replaced Yasir, took Samarawickrama’s wicket with the first ball of his spell, leaping to his left to hold a return catch. So promising a maiden innings had it been, it was surprising how tamely it ended.The momentum that Samarawickrama had introduced to the Sri Lanka innings, however, would not last beyond his dismissal. After Mendis had also fallen, Chandimal played himself in slowly, as is his recent wont. He had one run off 21 balls before he attempted a boundary, and that sweep off Yasir may have been caught had Mohammad Abbas positioned himself better at square leg. In any case, Chandimal survived and just as he had done in the first innings at Abu Dhabi, set about making himself a nuisance. He would leave often, and defend even more, while his partner did much of the run-scoring. Toward their unbeaten stand of 118, Karunaratne contributed 68.With the pitch already turning, and an in-form Rangana Herath in their ranks, the visitors will feel confident about their position in the match. Their modest rate of scoring, however, means that Pakistan could still claim the advantage with early strikes on day two.

ICC hands official warning to Durban, Port of Spain

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The ICC has handed official warnings under its pitch and outfield monitoring process to Kingsmead in Durban and the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2016The ICC has handed official warnings under its pitch and outfield monitoring process to Kingsmead in Durban and the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. Kingsmead hosted the first Test between South Africa and New Zealand from August 19 to 23, and the Queen’s Park Oval the fourth Test between West Indies and India from August 18 to 22. Both matches were heavily curtailed because of outfield conditions.Andy Pycroft and Ranjan Madugalle, the match referees for the two Tests, both rated the outfields “poor” in their official reports.Madugalle and Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s general manager, reviewed CSA’s response to the “poor” rating, while Allardice and match referee David Boon reviewed WICB’s response.Since this was the first occasion either ground had received a “poor” rating, the grounds stood to receive either a warning or a fine not exceeding USD 15,000, along with “a directive for appropriate corrective action”.”The sanctions take into account Durban and Port of Spain venues’ history of producing good conditions for international cricket and commitment by both the boards to take appropriate steps to ensure similar events are not repeated in future,” an ICC release said.In all, 11 sessions out of 15 were lost to a wet and soft outfield at Kingsmead. Only 22 overs of play were possible in the Port of Spain Test, with no play at all on days two, three, four and five despite largely sunny weather.

Fit-again Agar hopeful of Australia return

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Ashton Agar looks set to play his first competitive game since a shoulder injury sidelined him for four months

Deivarayan Muthu in Chennai28-Jul-2015Ashton Agar had a stellar start to his international career when he struck 98, the Test record for a No. 11 on debut in the 2013 Ashes. But he has yet to impress in his primary role, as a left-arm spinner and a shoulder injury has not helped. After being sidelined for four months from March to July, he is ready to get back to cricket and hopes to play the second unofficial Test against India A on Wednesday.”It’s been about 15 weeks [since the shoulder surgery],” Agar said. “The strength is improving, the range is improving. It has improved enough to allow me to play in this game. I won’t be diving in the field, but everything else is okay.”Agar got a surprise call-up for the fourth Test against India at the SCG, but he did not get to play. His last competitive game was the Sheffield Final in March. Playing for Western Australia, he took four wickets and scored a 44 not out in the first innings. He stressed that his ultimate goal was to have a long career with Australia, rather than making sporadic appearances.”That’s the ultimate goal, to play for Australia. You want to have a career for Australia, not just a few games here and there.” he said.”It means a lot, playing Ashes cricket, it’s enormous. The boys are really enjoying it now, the series one-all. There is a huge amount of pride if you’re playing for your country and in the Ashes its hiked up even more.”Agar also added that the Australians would relish the challenge of playing against Virat Kohli, who had requested the BCCI to let him play in Chennai so as to gain match practice ahead of the Sri Lanka tour.”It will be a good challenge for everyone to play against a player like Virat Kohli. I think everyone is excited about the opportunity and everyone is going to want to have his wicket.”Agar has been to India before, with the senior side in 2013 and was not worried about playing on slow pitches. He said that a chat with Gautam Gambhir in Perth had helped understand and adapt to how batsman tackle spinners.”I learnt the pace that I need to bowl on these wickets, I learnt how the batters like to play, how their use their feet and maybe got a bit shorter and then sit back and cut the ball or pull the ball,” Agar said.”So they pick up the lengths quickly, so I have to adjust very quickly to the way they are playing me. I have learnt what sort of fields I need to set from the first ball. I have spoken to Gautam Gambhir. He was with Justin [Langer] in Western Australia just before I came in from Perth for two weeks. It was a great experience. He played against me in a game. So, he could give some feedback and that was quite valuable coming here.”

Last league matches washed out

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A round-up of the last round matches in the Zimbabwe Pro50 Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2013
ScorecardThe match between the top two teams of the Pro50 Championship could not produce a result as it was abandoned to due to rain after 11.2 overs at the Kwekwe Sports Club. Matabeleland Tuskers chose to bat after winning the toss and lost their captain Keegan Meth on the first ball of the match. No. 3 Bilal Shafayat also departed soon, leaving them at 9 for 2. Craig Ervine steadied the innings from there along with the other opener Brian Chari before rain interrupted play. Both the teams got two points each and continued their lead at the top of the table which means the final on January 19 will be played between the same two teams.Not a single ball was bowled in the other match between the bottom two teams of the table which had to be played at the Triangle Country Club. Even the toss could not take place due to rains and the match was washed out.

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