All posts by n8rngtd.top

With T20I and ODI World Cups looming, her ODI bowling workload will be carefully managed, but she remains confident of playing full all-round role in T20s

Andrew McGlashan13-Aug-2024Marizanne Kapp has revealed that she had decided to retire from international cricket earlier this year, but was talked out of it and is now grateful she didn’t go through with it as she feels at the peak of her powers.The toll of balancing franchise cricket with being a vital all-round cog in a rebuilding South Africa side, alongside the fitness controversy around her wife Dane van Niekerk, had become almost too much.But CSA director of cricket Enoch Nkwe urged Kapp not to rush into a decision. They have since worked together to look at her workload, and Kapp is now committed to South Africa for the foreseeable future, which includes T20I and ODI World Cups over the next 12 months.Related

• Goswami: 'Franchise leagues are the future of women's cricket'

• Kapp joins Melbourne Stars on three-year deal

• Kapp focuses on learnings with ODI World Cup in India

• Kapp: 'I try to keep it simple. If I stick to what I do best, it works out'

“I did retire earlier this year – or asked to retire – and luckily I didn’t,” Kapp told ESPNcricinfo. “I spoke to the director of cricket, and he actually asked me to just hang on, think it through, [and] don’t make decisions too quickly, and I’m glad that I didn’t go through with it because I feel like I’m at the peak of my career.”The older I get, I’m getting better. So it would be a shame to have worked for all those years, and now [when] I’m at my peak, I retire from international cricket. I’ve loved playing in all these leagues, but playing for your country and at World Cups is a different level. CSA have been so good to me in helping manage my workload. Now I’ll play for as long as I can contribute.”Had Kapp, who had produced an all-round display in South Africa’s first ODI win over Australia in February, retired, it would have continued a significant loss of big names from South Africa in recent years, including van Niekerk, Mignon du Preez, Lizelle Lee and Shabnim Ismail.Kapp’s ODI bowling workload will be carefully managed, but she remains confident of playing a full all-round role in T20s for both – her franchise sides and her country. She has committed to playing all ODIs which are part of the Women’s Championship and count towards World Cup qualification, but will miss some T20Is including November’s series against England, which overlaps with the end of the WBBL, where she has signed a three-year deal with Melbourne Stars.Marizanne Kapp on her Test hundred in 2022: “When I had that big knock, it was like, ‘I can do this, I don’t have to prove myself'”•Getty Images

“They [CSA] have been so good to allow me to play in the leagues where I can,” she said. “With T20, it’s not too hard to manage [the workload]. But in ODI cricket, I’m not 20 anymore, and my workload has been so high with the bat that it makes it impossible to continue to bowl ten overs [in every game].”If you look at the make-up of the South African team, we are a bit light on the batting front. So I am needed more with the bat. So the bowling will probably take a bit of a backseat just in ODIs.”A major factor in Kapp’s three-year deal with Stars was working with coach Jonathan Batty and playing alongside Meg Lanning – all three are part of Delhi Capitals in the WPL. The long-term offer was also key for her to have a chance to settle with one team. Last WBBL season, she was picked up by Sydney Thunder as the No. 1 draft pick, after Perth Scorchers opted to retain Sophie Devine ahead of her, but endured a torrid campaign, averaging 9.40 with the bat and taking ten wickets at 37.40.”I’m a player that’s actually very insecure, to be honest,” Kapp said. “Moving [is hard] because I always feel like you now have to prove yourself. Then you try too hard, and things get worse and worse. Unfortunately, last year when I got to Thunder, I was ill, [and] missed a lot of training. And am the type of player that if my preparation is good, then I have more confidence.”So I was low on confidence. Then you are in a new team, so it was nothing on the club or coaching staff; they were amazing to me. It’s probably not my strongest attribute, but I’m just happy I know I’m going to Stars, and they are people I’ve worked with before.”Overall, though, Kapp’s belief that she is at the peak of her career is backed up by numbers, particularly with the bat: in all T20s this year, her average is 33.06 and her strike rate at 142.97, both considerably up on her career figures, with Kapp saying strike rate had been a particular focus for her.Meanwhile, in ODIs since 2023, she is averaging 62.63. She traces the success back to the Test century against England in 2022, but admitted it had been a difficult journey.”It’s probably been my toughest couple of years; it’s not been easy,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed my batting… but [I used to] feel like the world was always so focused on my bowling and wouldn’t speak about my batting, and that makes you lose confidence. When I had that big knock, it was like, ‘I can do this, I don’t have to prove myself’, and from there on, I’ve had a different confidence in my own ability.”My faith has been a massive part of it as well, having struggled with off-field matters, everything that happened with Dane, and with Covid. I spent so much time in my room reconnecting with the Lord.”

Pat Cummins’ team has struggled in all facets, while their opponents have leaked runs at an alarming rate and also lost Dasun Shanaka to injury

Andrew McGlashan15-Oct-20231:39

Moody: This Australian team is far from the previous champion sides

Big Picture

Even in a tournament with nine group-stage matches which allows room for a slip up or two, you don’t want to be 0-3 early in the competition. But that’s exactly the situation which will confront one of Australia and Sri Lanka after they face off in Lucknow in what already shapes as a contest to retain realistic semi-final hopes. It has been a tough start for both sides, but two points in this fixture will revive belief that they can still challenge for the top four.The struggles of Australia, with their World Cup pedigree, are creating headlines. They were handed a demanding start to the tournament by facing hosts India and a confident South Africa, but they have been significantly off the pace in all three disciplines. Sri Lanka have managed to put runs on the board – more than 300 both against South Africa and Pakistan – but their problem has been that they have conceded runs at an even higher rate: 773 from 98.2 overs in two games at 7.86 runs an over, meaning even Kusal Mendis’ sparkling century against Pakistan wasn’t enough.To add to their problems, they have lost captain Dasun Shanaka to a tournament-ending injury, which means Mendis will now take on the captaincy. However, even though the bowlers have been put to the sword, the spinners will fancy their chances of having an impact against the Australians.Related

• Tired and tested: Australia's challenges at this World Cup

• Head hopeful of joining World Cup squad in India on Thursday

• Is Kusal Mendis finally going to be Sri Lanka's Mr Consistent?

• Finch: Australia's body language 'quite flat' at the moment

• Chamika Karunaratne replaces injured Dasun Shanaka in SL squad

In what was quite an un-Australian move, they made two changes after just one match. The omission of Cameron Green was largely expected against South Africa, but the axing of Alex Carey was a major talking point even if his form had been patchy. They are still competing with a 14-player squad, with Travis Head yet to rejoin the group, and it’s only Sean Abbott who has yet to feature.The batting is becoming a concern with no one yet to reach a half century – Australia currently have the lowest batting average of any team in the tournament at 18.80, and have failed to reach 200 in the first two outings.In ODIs, the most recent meetings between these teams came in mid-2022 in a five-match series, when Sri Lanka had prevailed 3-2.Kusal Mendis now has captaincy added to his workload•AFP via Getty Images

Form guide

Australia LLWLL
Sri Lanka LLLWL

In the spotlight: Adam Zampa and Kusal Mendis

Australia gambled in their final squad by not replacing Ashton Agar with a like-for-like player, and while Glenn Maxwell has held up his end of the bargain with his part-time offspin, their problems have been compounded by a rare loss of form for Adam Zampa. Since taking 4 for 48 in Bloemfontein, he has claimed 7 for 430 with an economy of 7.41 in six games. Zampa battled niggling injuries leading into the tournament, while former captain Aaron Finch said he also has a hip problem, and is currently struggling to either take wickets or keep the economy rate down.”Don’t think he’s bowled as much in the lead up as he would have in the past,” Finch told ESPNcricinfo. “He’s had neck and shoulder issues. I know he’s got a bit of a hip niggle at the moment. Whether that’s just affecting him technically slightly – legspin bowling is not my expertise – but he didn’t bowl [at] his absolute best against India. But you are also bowling against the best players in the world. I think back to the first over he bowled, and he got cut for two boundaries. One of them was a good ball – might have hit the top of off stump to KL [Rahu] – and it slides past backward point for four. Then you are on the back foot because your best ball has been hit for four. You start overthinking it at times and you might stray away from your No. 1 plan.”On the flip side, Kusal Mendis is in spectacular form. If you include his warm-up innings against Afghanistan, he has made 356 runs in his last three knocks, with his 122 off 77 balls against Pakistan a career-best in ODIs. But the question will be whether he can sustain such a free-flowing nature with the additional burden of captaincy, adding to an extensive workload with him also being the wicketkeeper. Mendis has a good one-day record against Australia, averaging 50.33 from 11 innings.There is pressure on the big three quicks to lift their game and make early inroads•BCCI

Team news: Australia likely unchanged; Sri Lanka need reinforcements

Australia are likely to be unchanged, which means Josh Inglis will retain the keeping gloves, but there is pressure on the big three quicks to lift their game and make early inroads. There have previously been issues with Marcus Stoinis playing back-to-back matches but he only bowled two overs against South Africa, so that shouldn’t be a factor.Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodShanaka has been ruled out of the tournament, replaced by Chamika Karunaratne, a bustling seam bowler and a hard-hitting lower-order bat, who could come straight into the mix. They may also be without slingy fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, who has a right shoulder problem and is “under observation” according to the team manager.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kusal Mendis (capt, wk), 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Dunith Wellalage, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Dilshan Madushanka

Pitch and conditions

The surface at the Ekana Stadium had got trickier as the match wore on when Australia faced South Africa, and it had certainly nipped around for the quicks in the second half. That may have a bearing on what the captain who wins the toss decides to do. However, Pat Cummins and Shanaka, before his injury, had won both their tosses, done different things each time, and watched their team get beaten on each occasion. So they may just want to leave it to the other to decide. Meanwhile, it’s set to be another hot day in Lucknow.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have not beaten Australia in seven attempts at an ODI World Cup since they claimed the title in 1996.
• Don’t be surprised to see Dhananjaya de Silva given an early bowled against David Warner: Dhananjaya has dismissed Warner four times in ODIs, the most he has claimed any batter.
• Australia have caught barely half their chances in the first two matches: eight from 14. It gives them the lowest catch percentage of all the teams so far at this World Cup.

Quotes

“A lot of Australian teams, when they’re backed into a corner, play their best cricket. We find ourselves in a corner early on in this tournament, but we’ve got to come out and put in a really good performance against Sri Lanka.”

In front of a sold out crowd in Dambulla, Sri Lanka edged a rollercoaster first T20I against Afghanistan, winning by four runs

Madushka Balasuriya17-Feb-2024In front of a sold out crowd in Dambulla, Sri Lanka edged a rollercoaster first T20I against Afghanistan, winning by four runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.Binura Fernando – who had been taken for 38 runs in three overs up until then – came up trump in the end, defending 11 runs in the final over. At the other end was Ibrahim Zadran – having batted through the innings – unbeaten on a 55-ball 67, but having fallen agonisingly short.But it was Matheesha Pathirana who turned the game in the hosts favour, bowling an exceptional penultimate over where he grabbed two wickets for just three runs, as he ended with figures of 4 for 24.Sri Lanka had earlier been put into bat, and had been bowled out for 160 – much of which was down to Wanindu Hasaranga’s outstanding counterpunch innings of 67 off 32. Afghanistan though had picked up a cluster of wickets either side of Hasaranga’s knock to keep Sri Lanka to a par total.For much of Afghanistan’s chase the game had looked in hand, particularly with Ibrahim at the crease, but Sri Lanka’s bowlers led by Pathirana did well to grab wickets at crucial junctures and nip in at the death.

Action packed powerplay

All the talk across the ODIs had been the nature of the wickets, with the batting friendly tracks delivered in Pallekele widely lauded. The question then was, would Dambulla – hosting its first men’s international in five years – follow suit? Well, while Afghanistan opted to bowl, choosing to first see how to wicket played before taking a crack, Sri Lanka were tasked with gauging it on the fly.The question didn’t take long to answer as Sri Lanka got off to a flyer, crashing a healthy 51 runs in the powerplay. The only hitch was they lost three wickets in the process, as Afghanistan had expertly preyed on Sri Lanka’s newfound aggression. Pathum Nissanka edged through flaying at a wide one, Kusal Mendis got a leading edge on an attempted scoop down to third man and Dhananjaya de Silva pulled one straight to deep square leg.Three became four shortly after when Asalanka sought to pull a long hop down leg, but only managed to feather an edge to the keeper. Midway through the eighth over Sri Lanka were suddenly 55 for 4.

Wow-nindu’s floating counter

With Sri Lanka at very real risk of throwing away a promising start, skipper Hasaranga took it upon himself to promote himself up the order ahead of both Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka.The role of Hasaranga as a floating pinch-hitter had first been explored in last year’s LPL with devastating results, but the question now was could he translate it to the international stage? An injury prior to last year’s World Cup meant the answer to that had to wait a little a longer, but here he was finally able to showcase his batting chops.In a blitzkrieg knock, Hasaranga ransacked 67 off just 32 deliveries. His partnership with Sadeera Samarawickrama worth 72 came off 40 balls, with the latter accounting for just 18 of those. By the time Hasaranga was dismissed in the 16th over, he had taken Sri Lanka to 146 for 6.Matheesha Pathirana celebrates one of his four wickets•AFP/Getty Images

Afghanistan strike back and start fast

Fazalhaq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Naveen-Ul-Haq and Karim Janat, each with their variations in pace and length proved too good for the Lankan lower order and tail to get away.Despite both Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka around to launch at the death, Afghanistan made sure that Sri Lanka didn’t even complete their 20 overs in the end. The final four wickets added just 14 runs – Mathews and Shanaka accounting for 12 of those – as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 160.Then with the bat they began with a bang. The trick often to completing middling chases is in making use of the powerplay, and in this respect Afghanistan followed the script to a tee. Aside from the first over, the remaining five in the powerplay saw at least one boundary scored.With Ibrahim taking the lead they eventually razed 57 runs in the opening six overs for the loss of just one wicket.

Sri Lanka chip away

Hasaranga had spoken before the game about Sri Lanka’s impressive bowling stocks and here he utilised them to their fullest extent. Having initially brought himself on inside the powerplay – an uncharacteristic move but one warranted owing to Afghanistan’s fast start – he struck in his second over, sneaking a googly through Gulbadin Naib’s leg side hack.Pathirana’s introduction in the next over saw another fall, before Dasun Shanaka and his clever variations in pace grabbed two in the space of three balls two overs later. Just like that Afghanistan were 86 for 5

Pathirana comes through clutch

But in keeping with the theme of the game, the drama wasn’t done yet. Ibrahim and Karim Janat’s stand of 39 off 28 took the game down to the wire, and with 36 need from 24 with five wickets in hand, the game was conceivably Afghanistan’s to lose.Pathirana however had other ideas. Janat had no answer to a searing length ball that kept lower than expected owing to Pathirana’s slingy action, and trapped him in front. The 21 year-old saved the best for last though, producing two exceptionally quick fuller ones two overs later to get rid of Noor Ahmad and Naveen-Ul-Haq, as Afghanistan were reduced to 150 for 9 heading into the final over.There, Binura redeemed himself with a series of well directed wide yorkers that Ibrahim was unable to get away, as Sri Lanka secured a nervy victory.

With 21 runs to get off the final over, Karn nearly pulled off a miracle, but Knight Riders and Phil Salt held their nerve to effect a run-out off the last ball

Alagappan Muthu21-Apr-20241:50

Jaffer: ‘If Narine doesn’t get you, Salt will’

Mitchell Starc had 20 runs to defend and he nearly didn’t. In the course of six balls, he exemplified just how difficult it is to be a bowler in T20 cricket, and how he will always fly in the face of it. Having been hit for three sixes in the final over which reduced the equation down to 3 off 2, he went to his bread and butter. He went pace on. He went yorker. And he produced a wicket. Karn Sharma, who had brought this game back from the dead, was gone. As soon as the catch was taken – Starc himself diving low to his right in his followthrough – RCB knew there were no more miracles.Ramandeep Singh contrived to give them one. His throw from deep point was poor. It didn’t come in quick enough or straight enough. It left the wicketkeeper with a lot to do. Phil Salt, though, was fine with it. He was alert enough to step forward and shrink the distance the ball had to travel and then agile enough to fling his whole body at the stumps and break it before the No. 11 Lockie Ferguson could make his ground and trigger a Super Over. KKR had won, by one run, and maybe five inches.Related

• RCB and KKR serve up a thriller with a different kind of tension

• Virat Kohli fined 50% of match fee for code of conduct breach

• Why Kohli's dismissal against KKR was not given a no-ball

• Du Plessis: 'Your decision making is clearer when you are winning'

Plans made, plans fall apart

RCB did beautifully to keep Sunil Narine quiet. While most teams do know not to give him any room, they went a step further, dropped all pretense and tried to bowl nothing but leg-stump yorkers. KKR’s biggest hitter this season needed eight balls to get off the mark. Salt came to his rescue though hitting 10 of the first 13 balls to the boundary and flirting with the fastest fifty of IPL 2024. He could have had it too but in going for another six – to a ball that was very hittable – he got caught at deep midwicket. Still, 48 off 14 with seven fours and three sixes is nothing to scoff at.

The middle overs slowdown

Karn bowled the first boundary-less over in the 10th. Cameron Green was keeping Rinku Singh quiet, their head-to-head for the first six balls yielding three dots and two singles. The Australian had used his height to great effect earlier, leaping up to catch a ball that was 8.1m off the ground and travelling fast, to dismiss Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Now, he was digging off-pace deliveries into the pitch and getting them to soar past Rinku’s bat swing. Even with Shreyas Iyer scoring his first IPL fifty since May 2022, RCB had the better of the middle overs (economy rate 8, from 12.5 in the powerplay). Ferguson, who conceded a boundary with every ball of his first over, gave up only one more after that in the next three. He also took a wicket, a skillful use of the knuckle ball which got big on Rinku and took away his power.

Faf du Plessis fined for slow over rate

RCB captain Faf du Plessis was fined for his side maintaining a slow over rate against KKR. As it was his first such offence, he was penalised with a minimum over-rate fine of INR 12 lakh.

Small margins

Andre Russell had walked in during the 14th over. At the time of the 18th, he was still 11 off 13 with only one hit to the fence, and still, he was toying with the bowlers.Yash Dayal was desperate to keep the ball out of his hitting arc, which forced him to spray one too wide outside off and another too wide outside leg, which also beat the keeper and went for four. To make matters worse, he had overstepped.Dayal was only trying to do the right thing but it is so hard in this format. A nine-ball 17th over ended with Shreyas pinging the long-on boundary twice and yielding 22 runs. RCB trusted him to close the innings out but that over went for 16. Once again, he did the right things. Went wide yorker, but missed the mark and got hit. Took pace off, but Muscle Russell found a way. Recovered to string two yorkers and a bouncer that cost only three runs but the last ball was cleverly ramped for four by Ramandeep. KKR 222 for 6.Mohammed Siraj is distraught even as KKR celebrate their dramatic one-run win•BCCI

Jacks and Patidar step up

Angry Virat Kohli made an appearance after a long time, disputing the technology that gave him out off a full toss that he was certain was over waist high. Faf du Plessis couldn’t stick around for long enough. RCB were in familiar dire straits once again when two of their least heralded players decided to shoot their shot.Will Jacks took down Starc in the final over of the powerplay, hitting him for three sixes and a four. The whole over was symptomatic of the way KKR had bowled to him, pace on and in the slot. A tall batter with a strong front foot game loves it there. So did the RCB fans who were sat down the ground or at midwicket.At the other end, Rajat Patidar found his rhythm. He has looked short of confidence ever since he was dropped by India during the Tests against England. A batter who relies on feel more than technique was struggling to get it back, until it all came back, and he was sitting pretty with a 21-ball fifty. He scored 16 off 8 off Narine, with two sixes, and 30 off 9 against Suyash Sharma, with three sixes and two fours.

Russell goes slow, Starc goes fast

RCB were 77% favourites at this point, needing 86 off 54 balls. Then on came Russell for his first over of the night and knocked over both of RCB’s half-centurions. For a guy who wants to look like a UFC fighter, he keeps sucker-punching people. Running in nice and hard. Properly powering through his action. That tree-trunk like shoulder whipping the ball down the pitch. But then the fingers do their magic, and all of a sudden, a batter prepping for 140kph is caught off guard with 115kph.Starc has not learned that lesson yet. He has found all his success – even here in the IPL when he was wearing the opposition’s colours – by trusting his pace and his accuracy. According to ESPNcricnfo ball-by-ball data, he has attempted a slower ball only 11 times this season. It is part of why he has given up 44 boundaries, the most by any bowler in IPL 2024. The opposition sets up for his thunderbolts, which in India, don’t always kiss the pitch and fly through. They sometimes sit up to be smacked.However, people under pressure trust what has worked for them in the past and the Starc yorker is still money. He went for it. It came out as a low full toss. Karn, who had already carved three sixes off near yorkers, set up to smash it down the ground. But this time he couldn’t get enough power on it. He could only bunt it and Starc was agile enough to dive to his right and come up with a blinder. That was the decisive play in a game full of them. Pace on for the win. Who knew.

Kiran Carlson adds 65 from 52 as Glamorgan chase down 299 target with 17 balls to spare

ECB Reporters Network06-Aug-2023A century from Colin Ingram guided Glamorgan to a seven-wicket win over Derbyshire in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup match at Derby.Ingram scored an unbeaten 115 off 108 balls and Kiran Carlson 65 from 52 as Glamorgan chased down Derbyshire’s 298 for 8 with 17 balls to spare.Billy Root helped seal victory with an unbeaten 34 from 31 balls in a stand of 82 from 76 balls with Ingram who ended the match with a six off Luis Reece.The home side were on course for a more imposing total after Harry Came with 73 and Reece 69 shared an opening stand of 134.But Haider Ali’s dismissal for 63 from 50 balls sparked a collapse that saw Derbyshire lose five wickets for 26 runs in six overs and the visitors were always favourites once Ingram and Carlson took control.It had promised to be a better day for Derbyshire when Reece and Came began to accelerate with Came pulling a free hit from Ben Morris for the first six of the innings in the 11th over.A scoop over the wicketkeeper took Reece to his 50 from 52 balls but after he was hit on his right elbow by a throw, he scored only four more runs before he came down the pitch and was stumped to give Ben Kellaway his first List A wicket.Kellaway was involved again when his direct hit from backward point ran out Came and then struck Alex Horton a painful blow on the ankle which left the wicketkeeper requiring treatment before he could continue.By then, Ali was starting to bruise the bowler’s figures, pulling and driving two big sixes on his way to a 42 ball fifty.Kellaway was hoisted onto the pavilion roof but after cutting the off-spinner for his fifth four, Ali sliced a big drive and was caught at point.From then on the innings went into decline with Matt Lamb missing an expansive drive and Tom Wood lbw trying to shovel Kiran Carlson through mid-wicket.Brooke Guest was well caught on the run at mid-wicket and Anuj Dal was bowled attempting to scoop Andy Gorvin.Derbyshire had fallen well short of what looked likely six overs earlier but some improvisation from Sam Conners and a six by Alex Thomson off the final ball of the innings took them to their highest Lisa A score against Glamorgan.The visitors established a solid base but after Tom Bevan drove a Nick Potts no ball for four and pulled the free hit for six, both openers went in consecutive overs.Bevan skied Dal to deep mid-wicket and Eddie Byrom was caught behind trying to steer Potts to third man.But Ingram and Carlson kept Glamorgan ahead of the required rate and after a short rain break, Ingram carved Conners over cover for six to take his side to 142 for 2 at the halfway point.Carlson pulled Wood for six to reach 50 from 40 balls but when he tried to sweep Thomson, he got a top edge and was caught at short fine leg.But Ingram made sure there was no late drama as he and Root secured Glamorgan’s first victory in the competition to send Derbyshire sliding to a second defeat.

Patterson, Ward and Goodwin picked on recent Shield form despite all three not being in the first-choice XIs of their respective states early in the Shield summer

Alex Malcolm15-Jan-2025New South Wales allrounder Jack Edwards has been named captain of a youthful Australia A 12-man squad to face England Lions in the upcoming four-day game in Sydney from January 30, with the squad also featuring two other fast-bowling allrounders in Aaron Hardie and Will Sutherland.Kurtis Patterson, 31, has also been recalled to the Australia A fold for the first time since 2020 and is the oldest player in the squad.Australia’s selectors have pushed for youth and have only retained five players from the squad that faced India A in two four-day games in October and November, with Jordan Buckingham, Fergus O’Neill, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli and Brendan Doggett all getting another opportunity, although Doggett was only drafted into that series as a late injury replacement.Related

• Connolly, McSweeney, Kuhnemann included for Sri Lanka tour

• Cummins, Hazlewood included for Champions Trophy

There was no room for Marcus Harris, Jimmy Peirson or Nathan McAndrew, who performed solidly in the second Australia A game in Melbourne. Former Test batters Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb were also not selected. The latter was very close to being selected for the Sri Lanka Test tour and is currently captaining the Cricket Australia XI against England Lions in the first match of the tour in Brisbane.Cameron Bancroft is unavailable through injury after fracturing his shoulder in the BBL. Veteran two-Test seamer Michael Neser, who injured his hamstring in the Australia A game at the MCG, has also not been selected.The selectors showed how much they valued performances in the Australia A matches during the Test series against India with Nathan McSweeney, Sam Konstas and Beau Webster all selected for their Test debuts after good performances against India A. Doggett was also called into the Test squad for the second and third Tests as fast-bowling cover following his stunning 6 for 15 against India A in Mackay.CA contracted fast bowler Xavier Bartlett gets an opportunity after missing the two Australia A matches with a side injury. He took 5 for 32 in his last first-class match for Queensland before the BBL break.Aaron Hardie is the only member of the Australia A squad who is also in the Champions Trophy squad•Getty Images

By overlooking Harris, Renshaw and Handscomb, the selectors are looking to the future on the batting front with the exception of Patterson. Jayden Goodwin and Tim Ward, like Patterson, have been rewarded for outstanding recent Shield form despite all three not being in the first-choice XIs of their respective states early in the Shield summer.Ward, 26, played four matches for Australia A against New Zealand A in 2023 and made three half-centuries in eight innings but was dropped by Tasmania last season. However, he has bounced back strongly with scores of 51, 92, 96, 7 and 142 since being recalled by Tasmania in November.Goodwin, 23, is currently playing in the CA XI alongside Ward and is highly regarded by the national selectors despite only averaging 32.38 across 27 first-class innings. But he made scores of 94, 139 and 69 in Shield cricket in November with the latter two coming against South Australia in a pink-ball game, which featured Doggett and Australian white-ball pacer Spencer Johnson.Hardie is the only member of the Australia A squad who is also in Australia’s Champions Trophy squad. He has not been bowling recently due to an ongoing quad issue and has only played one first-class match this summer after a lean season with the bat last year in red-ball cricket. But he has scored a century for Australia A previously in New Zealand in 2023.Sutherland, 25, is the only full-time Shield captain in the squad, but Edwards captained NSW in three Shield games prior to the BBL break, standing in for the absent Moises Henriques, and is NSW’s permanent 50-over captain. It will be the first time Edwards has represented Australia A, having played all 37 of his first-class matches for NSW, averaging 28.21 with the bat and 26.69 with the ball.Australia A squad: Jack Edwards (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Brendan Doggett, Jordan Buckingham, Jayden Goodwin, Aaron Hardie, Fergus O’Neill, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe (wk), Corey Rocchiccioli , Will Sutherland, Tim Ward

Injury-hit Rockets fail to fire as best team in tournament history extend their dominant run

Matt Roller31-Aug-2025In this world nothing can be certain, except death, taxes, and Oval Invincibles winning the men’s Hundred. They have topped the group stage to qualify directly for the Lord’s final for three consecutive seasons, and each night has ended with Sam Billings lifting the golden ‘H’ trophy. After two tight finals, this was a demolition job.The Invincibles have relied on continuity as their greatest strength, and three of their usual suspects performed when it mattered: Will Jacks and Jordan Cox added 87 off 55 balls to underpin their total of 168, and the livewire Nathan Sowter derailed the chase with three wickets in his first seven balls. All three have been with them since inception; so too Billings and coach Tom Moody.They joined a select handful of teams to pull off a ‘three-peat’ in short-form leagues, and achieved it without breaking a sweat. If they have not quite lived up to their moniker, then Invincibles’ record across the last three seasons is still remarkable: 21 wins, one tie and only five defeats. In a format designed for unpredictability, they have become a winning machine.In fact, the Invincibles may have been too successful for their own good. The ECB are lining up a squad “reset” next year – in the style of the IPL’s mega-auction – as new investors arrive in the Hundred. It is designed to uphold the ‘any given Sunday’ philosophy at short-form cricket’s core; on any given Sunday in the men’s Hundred, however, the Invincibles are usually winning.Sam Billings parades the trophy after Oval Invincibles’ third Men’s Hundred title•Matt Lewis/ECB via Getty Images

Sowter’s starring moment

The Invincibles’ core is built around England players with international experience, with a single exception. Sowter, a journeyman legspinner, wondered if his professional career was over when Middlesex released him three years ago but has become an unlikely linchpin in the Invincibles attack, and saved his best performance of the season for the biggest stage.The Rockets were 35 for 0 after 30 balls when Sowter came into the attack, with Tom Banton and Joe Root struggling for fluency. Ten balls later, they were 38 for 3: Root holed out to long-on, Rehan Ahmed missed a straight one to depart for second-ball duck, and Banton picked out long-off. Sowter celebrated each wicket with a huge roar, and added an excellent catch at deep backward square leg to his night’s work.Adam Zampa had flown in from Australia specifically for the final – a 20,000-mile round-trip for 20 balls – and finished with typically frugal figures of 1 for 21. But despite the wicket of David Willey, brilliantly stumped by Billings, he was ultimately upstaged by his legspin partner.

Jacks, Cox lay foundations

Jacks made a statement off the very first ball of the final, crunching Willey through mid-off for four, then slashed the third through the off-side ring to become the first man to score 1,000 runs for the Invincibles. His opening partner Tawanda Muyeye fell after three early boundaries, but his dismissal brought in the tournament’s leading run-scorer in Cox at No. 3.Cox has been in stunning form this month and was soon up and running with two rasping cuts. Jacks had a life on 28, plinking a full toss to midwicket which was deemed a no-ball on height, and was quick to make use of it, reverse-sweeping Rehan for four before launching him into the upper tier of the Grandstand.Cox belted Rehan for six more before toe-ending him behind, but Jacks sensed his chance to put his foot down. He eventually fell for 72 off 41 after another flurry of boundaries and while the Invincibles were uncharacteristically quiet at the death, adding 25 off the last 20, that only served to underline the quality of Jacks and Cox’s strokeplay.Will Jacks produced the defining innings of the final•Matt Lewis/ECB via Getty Images

Rockets misfortune

Is there a plague on the city of Nottingham? Andy Flower’s side have had no luck with injuries. With Adam Hose, Tom Alsop and Max Holden already out, they lost two seamers in the 24 hours before the final: first Sam Cook, who broke a thumb when Dan Lawrence smacked one back at him in the Eliminator; then Lockie Ferguson, whose hamstring went in the warm-ups.Dillon Pennington was called upon to make his debut at 20 minutes’ notice and he struck with his first ball, smiling wryly as Muyeye edged a short, wide one behind. His figures of 1 for 23 from 20 were the Rockets’ best, but their bad luck was not over: George Linde could not complete his allocation after damaging a digit while attempting a return catch off Cox.Marcus Stoinis did his best to keep the chase alive, belting five sixes in his innings of 64 off 38 balls, but the asking rate soared out of the Rockets’ control. They nominally needed 27 to win off the final ball, and Invincibles got their celebratory moment when Saqib Mahmood trapped him lbw to clinch their third straight title.

“This constant search for excellence has held me in good stead all the time but it’s also been incredibly draining,” he says

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-20233:09

Ashwin: I’m thankful for all the lows that have come my way

When R Ashwin was left out of the XI in the WTC final last month, he had two options, he says: either “sulk and complain about it” or “learn from it”. Ashwin chose the second despite the “unfortunate” omission, focused on keeping the dressing room atmosphere “up and about” during the final and then gave his “best efforts” as soon as he was back in the Test XI.On the opening day of the Test series against West Indies in Roseau, Ashwin grabbed his 33rd Test five-for to help bowl out the hosts for just 150 to give India the advantage. He first got the big wickets of Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kraigg Brathwaite in the first session, before dismissing debutant and top-scorer Alick Athanaze and two tailenders to finish with 5 for 60. Ashwin said it was his “constant search for excellence” that has held him in good stead all this while.”There’s no human being or cricketer who has gone through the highs without the lows,” he said after the first day’s play. “When you have lows, it gives you two chances – either you sulk and complain about it and go along and go down, or you learn from it. I am someone who’s constantly learnt from my lows. In fact the best thing that’s happened after this good day that I’ve had is that I’ll have a good meal, talk to my family and then go to bed and forget about it because when you’ve had a good day you know you’ve had a good day, but there are areas you can work on and get better for tomorrow.Related

• Like father, like son – R Ashwin snaps up Shivnarine then, Tagenarine now

• Ashwin remains India's constant in the face of constant change

• Report: Ashwin and Jaiswal star as India dictate terms

• Ashwin sees WTC final omission as 'stumbling block', not 'setback'

“So this constant search for excellence has held me in good stead all the time but it’s also been incredibly draining. It’s not a journey that’s very easy. It’s been draining but I’m very thankful for all the lows that have come my way because without the lows there are no highs in your life.”In an interview during the TNPL, Ashwin had said that being left out of the WTC final as a “stumbling block” and not a “setback”. On Wednesday, he further said that even though he went to England for the WTC final with a lot of physical and mental preparations, he was also prepared to be left out.”As a cricketer it’s very tough that you have a shot at the WTC final, sitting out, all that is fine,” he said. “But what’s the difference between me and another youngster or person if I also end up sulking inside the dressing room…I was mentally prepared to play with my preparations, but I was also prepared to be not playing. If I’m not playing, then how do I respond? How do I make sure the team dressing room is really up and about because winning the WTC final is the most important thing and it could be a very high point in my career and I would have played a good role in it.”It was just unfortunate it didn’t pan out; the first day left us too much behind in the shed. But what’s the difference between me and another person who’s going to sulk? So all I’d like to give my team and team-mates and Indian cricket as a whole is some understanding and my best efforts on the field and that’s where I’d like to leave it and draw a line.”There’s so much international cricket, IPL, leagues these days around the world that it’s important for us to stay in the present. I do a lot of other things surrounding cricket, there are some teams to look after at home as well. I always try to stay in the present. What happened in the WTC final was very sad because we couldn’t win, and it was the second final in a row. Out here it was very important for me to start the series well, stay in the present and do well. I got lucky, I had a really good first spell today which set up the spell later on.”

The start of the second session on the third day was held up in unusual circumstances

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2023Play was held up in bizarre circumstances during the second Australia-Pakistan Test at the MCG because the third umpire Richard Illingworth got stuck in a lift.Players returned to the middle after the lunch break on Thursday, in time for the scheduled 1.25pm start to the second session. But in unusual scenes, the two central umpires wouldn’t allow a ball to be bowled because Illingworth was unable to return to his post in the grandstand.It left Australian batters David Warner and Steven Smith waiting to resume, with the hosts stuck on 6 for 2 in their second innings with an overall lead of 60.After a few minutes the fourth umpire, Phil Gillespie, ran from the boundary into the third umpire’s box so that play could resume and Illingworth made his way a few moments later, giving a light-hearted wave as he sat down. Cricket Australia and the MCG both produced light-hearted responses to the peculiar delay, which lasted seven minutes.”The game is delayed because the third umpire…is stuck in the lift,” Cricket Australia’s social media arm posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.The MCG was quick to reply: “Sorry.”Channel Seven host Mel McLaughlin was also in the lift that became stuck and said that it took about 10 minutes for them to be left out.Meanwhile, a busy afternoon for fourth umpire Gillespie continued later in the session when he was briefly called on to stand in the middle alongside Michael Gough when Joel Wilson needed to leave the field for an over.

India’s spinners finish the job, with miserly and incisive spells

Sidharth Monga09-Oct-20242:36

Takeaways: Reddy arrives on the scene, Rinku repeats heroics

India pounced on poor bowling from the Bangladesh spinners to get out of jail on a Delhi surface that started off as tacky but kept on improving for batting as the night progressed. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh took India from 41 for 3 in the sixth over to 221, with a finishing kick provided by Hardik Pandya. In better batting conditions, the India bowling still proved too good for Bangladesh, sealing the series win.The Bangladesh spinners suffered on both comparisons. Their fast bowlers bowled 12 overs for 102 runs, but the spinners conceded 116 in their eight. And then the India spinners rubbed it in for them with nine overs for just 49 runs and five wickets.

India struggle at the start

After a toss that didn’t seem to matter – Bangladesh said they wanted to use the dew coming in later to their advantage and chase, India said they wanted to bat first to test their bowlers in dew – Bangladesh opened the bowling with Mehidy Hasan Miraz, whose arm balls were either too full or short and taken apart by Sanju Samson. On a tacky surface, the fast bowlers managed to draw misbehaviour though. Samson and Suryakumar Yadav fell to checked shots because of the slowness of the pitch, and Abhishek Sharma played on trying to slog Tanzim Hasan.Tanzim Hasan Sakib had Abhishek Sharma chopping on•BCCI

Reddy enjoys some luck

Rinku was the only one able to play smoothly from the start. Reddy got away twice in the early phase of his innings. When Litton Das dropped him down the leg side of Tanzim, Reddy moved to 6 off 4, and he was 19 off 14 when he survived an extremely close lbw – umpire’s call on impact on a reverse-sweep. That 19 included a six off a free-hit thanks to a no-ball by Mahmudullah.

Flood gates open

Rishad Hossain is a legspinner full of promise, especially in T20 cricket. However, against a Rinku intent on all kinds of sweeps, he bowled his fifth ball too full and was slog-swept for six. And then Mahmudulllah offered the free-hit. In his second over, Rishad erred on length on both sides. Reddy took him for two sixes down the ground before Rinku pulled him for one. That 24-run over took India past 100 in 10 overs.After that, only Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman managed an over without a boundary. Mehidy suffered the worst punishment as he couldn’t get Reddy off strike and kept bowling in his wheelhouse for 26 runs in the 13th over. A hundred in just his second match looked on but a slower ball from Mustafizur got the better of him to dismiss him for 74 off 34.Rinku Singh celebrated his third T20I fifty•BCCI

This was the right time for Bangladesh to squeeze in an over of spin but Hardik Pandya offered no concessions to Rishad’s errors in length. Rinku might have looked like the silent partner in the carnage but he got to his fifty at almost two a ball.As India kept losing wickets looking for quick runs, Rishad managed some respite and got to bowl the last over for just eight runs. Bangladesh were still being asked to score their highest T20I total to stay alive in the series.

A bridge too far

There’s a reason Bangladesh have never scored more than 215 in T20Is: their batters don’t seem to have the game for it. Looking for the unprecedented, the batters took too many risks and got off to a quick start but it was a matter of time before the risks caught up with them. Parvez Hossain played Arshdeep on, Washington Sundar got Najmul Hossain Shanto twice in two games, Litton Das was all at sea against Varun Chakravarthy, Towhid Hridoy was done in by an Abhishek Sharma arm ball, and the game was all but done at 46 for 4 in the seventh over.The rest was mere formalities, which involved a wicket for Riyan Parag, a stunning catch by Pandya, and a wicket at least for each of the seven bowlers India tried.