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Virat Kohli has been rested from the ODI series against Sri Lanka, which follows the third Test in Delhi from December 2. Rohit Sharma will lead the ODI side in Kohli’s absence

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-20172:07

Dasgupta: Pandya should have played third Test before SA series

Virat Kohli has been rested from the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma will lead the ODI side in Kohli’s absence.The squads for T20I series against Sri Lanka and the tour of South Africa will be picked around the time of the Delhi Test, which starts on December 2. Kohli will captain India at his home ground before going on break but there remains the “possibility” – according to a BCCI official – that he will be back for the T20Is starting in Cuttack on December 20.

India’s squads

For Delhi Test: Virat Kohli (capt), M Vijay, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
For ODI series: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul

Originally, the main reason for the selectors’ meeting was to pick the Test squad for the South Africa tour, which starts on January 5 in Cape Town. All three members of the panel – MSK Prasad, Devang Gandhi and Sarandeep Singh – were in Nagpur and were preparing to meet Kohli at the team hotel on Monday afternoon. However, ESPNcricinfo understands complications arose since Amitabh Choudhury, the BCCI secretary who is also the convenor of the selection panel, could not reach Nagpur. He was stuck in Mumbai due to flight delays. As a result, only the squads for the Delhi Test and the three ODIs that follow it were picked.There were two new faces in the ODI squad: batsman Shreyas Iyer and seam bowler Siddarth Kaul. Hardik Pandya, the allrounder who was rested from the Test series, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took leave on account of his wedding, will also be back for the ODIs which begin in Dharamsala on December 10.Iyer, who replaced Kohli in the ODI squad, is among the most highly rated young batsmen in Indian cricket. He is uncapped in ODIs but made his international debut during the T20I series against New Zealand earlier this month.Kaul, meanwhile, replaced Shardul Thakur, who was part of the ODI squad against New Zealand but didn’t get a game. Kaul hasn’t played international cricket yet, but has recently done well for India A in limited-overs series in South Africa and then at home against New Zealand A. He has also been among the wickets for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy, most recently picking up a five-for against Bengal. Thakur was unavailable due to a shoulder injury he picked up during a Ranji Trophy match against Tripura in Mumbai. The injury occurred during Tripura’s first innings and Thakur did not subsequently take part in the match.There were no other changes in the ODI squad, with Kaul joining what is now a settled limited-overs bowling combination that also includes Bhuvneshwar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Pandya.Rohit took over from Ajinkya Rahane as India’s ODI vice-captain ahead of their tour of Sri Lanka in July-August. He has done the job for India before, but has plenty of captaincy experience in franchise cricket, having led Mumbai Indians to three IPL titles in the last five seasons.With Kohli rested, only six players who have been part of recent India Test squads – Rohit, Rahane, Pandya, Bhuvneshwar, Kuldeep and Shikhar Dhawan, who returns for the Delhi Test – are part of this ODI squad.

As England began their first practice session of their tour of Bangladesh, stand-in limited-overs captain Jos Buttler said it was “refreshing” that the focus was back on the cricket

Mohammad Isam02-Oct-20160:55

Focus on security as England arrive

Just after 3.45 pm on Sunday afternoon, England entered the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur for the first time on their tour of Bangladesh. The convoy was long, but the security personnel’s movement had been well rehearsed and spot-on. It had taken them less than 20 minutes to reach the ground from their hotel, driving mostly on roads emptied for what is locally called “VIP movement”.There wasn’t too much fuss after their arrival as they smoothly went about their business at the National Cricket Academy ground, a plush facility that has several practice pitches and a rectangular outfield. England began their warm-up while their stand-in captain Jos Buttler went to his first press conference on tour.

Farbrace on security

England’s assistant coach, Paul Farbrace, toured Bangladesh with Sri Lanka in 2014, when the political situation had people doubting whether the series, and the subsequent Asia Cup and World T20, would be held there due to security reasons.
But all three tournaments went off smoothly, and Farbrace has good memories of that tour. He said that the security in Bangladesh doesn’t come in their way in the team hotel, adding that the players’ uneasiness would dissipate once they saw the environment at the cricket grounds.
“The good thing is it’s been no different to the last time we were here,” Farbrace said. “Around the hotel it’s not too in your face, like Pakistan where there are guards sat outside your door with guns. First thing you see in the morning is a pair of boots and the butt of a gun. It’s not like that here and I don’t think we could be in a better place really.
“Once you get the first practice out the way, if the lads are in any way apprehensive, they will realise it’s about cricket now. There was always going to be a big show at the airport, but you only have to be here a day to realise how everyone just wants to talk about cricket. Once Reg had given his OK, you have to trust him.”

As the nets were being drawn up and the batsmen got padded up, assistant coach Paul Farbrace sized up the net bowlers, who nearly outnumbered the England entourage. Buttler said this is exactly what he and the team had been looking forward to – the cricket.”Security is paramount when traveling to the subcontinent but we are always looked after well,” Buttler said. “Obviously there is a lot of security but that’s part and parcel of making the tour okay. Thankfully, now we are here. We will start practicing today and start thinking about cricket. I think those things will go back into the background. It will be a very competitive series.”I think today we start training and start gearing up for the matches. Bangladesh have been playing well in their own conditions. We need to be prepared. All we want to do is play cricket. Once we start, it will be very refreshing to start talking about the cricket side of things.”This is Buttler’s fourth tour to Bangladesh, having come here earlier with the England Under-19 in 2009, England Lions in 2012 and the senior team during the 2014 World T20. He said that the challenge would be for the batsmen to survive the tricky early period of every innings which would reveal the nature of the pitch. He added, though, that while adjusting to conditions they would not lose their attacking team persona.”It would be a good challenge for the guys,” Buttler said. “We had a series in Dubai last winter on those pitches in which we played well. We have to learn to adapt and win in all conditions. We still want to be aggressive and bat as fast as we can, but conditions will dictate.”From previous experience, I think it takes 10 or 15 balls. If you can get through that period, then you start to get used to the pace of the pitch and the timing. Rotation of the strike, and boundaries may be tougher to come by. We will play our brand of cricket but we will adjust it to conditions.”Buttler said that playing against Bangladesh would be a major challenge, given how confident they are playing at home. They have now won six ODI series in a row at home since November 2014, and have developed several match-winners along the way.”We will be playing against a confident team in their own conditions. If you look at the makeup of the Bangladesh side, their spinners have been doing well. We will be ready to get used to the conditions. We are focused on ourselves and what we need to prepare. We are a young athletic team and I will want us to play in the same way.”

Chris Dent’s superb career-best 268 put Gloucestershire in the ascendancy against old foes Glamorgan on the third day of their Championship match at Bristol

ECB/PA24-Sep-2015
ScorecardChris Dent recorded the highest score by a Gloucesteshire player since World War II•PA Photos

Chris Dent’s superb career-best 268 put Gloucestershire in the ascendancy against old foes Glamorgan on the third day of their Championship match at Bristol.Gloucestershire’s formidable total of 558, founded upon a record-breaking stand of 166 between Dent and James Fuller, helped the home side establish a meaningful first-innings lead of 125. But a draw appears the most likely outcome after Glamorgan openers Jacques Rudolph and James Kettleborough overcame fatigue to negotiate 27 overs and reach the close on 88 without loss.Rudolph’s chanceless innings of 56 not out has occupied 87 balls and the captain will seek to steer his side, who trail by 37, to safety on the final day.On a day when the records tumbled, Dent posted the highest individual score by any Gloucestershire batsman in matches against Glamorgan since World War II, eclipsing the 254 made by Andrew Symonds at Abergavenny in 1995.His run-laden alliance with Fuller, who registered a career-best 73 from 99 balls, represented a club record stand for the eighth wicket in matches against Glamorgan, surpassing the 128 mustered by Mark Hardinges and Ashley Noffke at Bristol in 2007.And Dent comfortably bettered his previous highest first-class score of 203 not out, made against Cardiff MCCU in 2014, in the process becoming the only Gloucestershire player to pass 1000 first-class runs this season.Dropped by Colin Ingram in the slips before he had scored, Fuller made good his escape to eclipse his previous highest score of 57, made against Leicestershire at Cheltenham in 2012.With the exception of a couple of early setbacks, Benny Howell shouldering arms and losing his off stump to Michael Hogan without adding to his overnight score of 40 and Kieran Noema-Barnett chipping Craig Meschede straight to point for 5, it was pretty much plain sailing for the home side.Dent and Jack Taylor, who raised 35 from 33 balls and struck seven fours before top-edging a catch behind off Dewi Penrhyn-Jones, redressed the balance in an entertaining stand of 53 for the sixth wicket.With Gloucestershire opting to apply scoreboard pressure rather than pursue a contrived finish, Dent was presented with a chance to post a maiden Championship double hundred. In no mood to pass up such an opportunity, the Bristolian clipped Penrhyn-Jones to backward point and scampered a quick single to reach the mark in the 98th over. When he guided Graham Wagg to the fine leg boundary in the next over, the left-hander entered hitherto uncharted territory and County Ground regulars rose to acknowledge his achievement.Fuller must have had one eye on a maiden hundred when he advanced down the track to Andrew Salter and attempted to clear the long-on boundary, only to find Penrhyn-Jones, who took a fine catch just inside the rope.David Payne was bowled by Salter shortly after tea and Dent, having batted for eight hours, faced 347 balls and accrued 34 fours and 2 sixes, was last man out, superbly held by Wagg on the deep midwicket boundary off the bowling of Meschede. It proved tough going for Glamorgan’s seamers and Australian Hogan was the only bowler to emerge with credit, returning figures of 3-83.

Brendon McCullum has strongly resisted claims that New Zealand have gone into the series against England with a mindset of trying to avoid defeat rather than aiming for victory

Andrew McGlashan in Wellington18-Mar-2013Brendon McCullum has strongly resisted claims that New Zealand have gone into the series against England with a mindset of trying to avoid defeat rather than aiming for victory. Their previous Test series had been a torrid affair in South Africa, where the top order understandably failed to cope with the No. 1 bowling attack in the world, but he insisted there was no hangover from that contest.The nature of the two Tests support McCullum’s stance; they set the pace in Dunedin, scoring at nearly four-an-over in their innings as they tried to make up for lost time and never stopped trying to dismiss England for a second time over the final two days. Their approach to this Test in Wellington was dictated by a poor first day, which left them trying to make up ground and they fought back on the second, but once England reached 465 they had to set their stall out to save the match.”If you’ve seen the way we’ve played in the last two Tests we’ve been reasonably proactive,” McCullum said. “We go into every game trying to win, it’s not about hanging on for a draw. We see it as a great opportunity to clinch a series win against England, which is something we’d all hold very fondly.”McCullum also defended the Test pitches and hopes the surface in Auckland is similar to those served up during the series so far. He is adamant that it has been the weather, rather than the nature of the 22 yards, which has led to two stalemates and set up a deciding match later in the week.It has been hard work for the bowlers on both sides during the series, but there has been success for some to enjoy notably Neil Wagner in Dunedin and Stuart Broad in Wellington. McCullum made a pointed reference to David Saker’s comments about the pitches not being ideal for Test cricket on Sunday, but is more than pleased with the conditions he has been given.”I’ve read and heard a lot about our pitches being too flat. It seems to be bowling coaches who have an issue with them. It’s always going to be the way,” he said. “If you look at the first Test we lost a whole day to rain and there would have been a result in that game and in this Test as well we’ve lost a day and a half to rain and it would have been interestingly poised. There would probably have been a result, too.”It’s not three or four-day Tests, it’s five-day grinding wickets were you have to work incredible hard for your fruits but I don’t see anything wrong with our wickets and they have certainly allowed both teams periods of dominance. For me, I’d like a wicket similar to these last two [in Auckland].”Alastair Cook maintained England’s view they would like more bounce from the pitches. “In an ideal world, we would,” he said. “It makes for slightly more exciting cricket certainly. Whichever wicket we get, we’ve got to try to find the best way of winning the game.”Even if there is more life on offer at Eden Park – which will use a drop-in surface and will host a Test just days after the latest rugby game at the ground – McCullum has seen enough of his batsmen that he is convinced they can adapt to the challenge.”If it is a bit bouncier than we’ve seen in this one, and especially in Dunedin, we’ll have to come up with a strategy to overcome it and I’m confident that the guys are treading in the right direction. We’ll see how we respond,” he said. “It’s been a good series for us so far, we are learning a bit about ourselves and were we are at. We have made some improvements from previous series but we know the third Test is what we will be decided on.”He also backed his decision to bowl by saying, as Tim Southee did during the match, that the bowlers did not make the most of conditions. “Certainly no regrets in this game,” he said. “If you do that you won’t be able to get out of bed each morning. It was about the best way to win this Test, which was to get some favourable conditions on day one. Even though the Test didn’t last five days we didn’t see the wicket breaking up. I don’t think it’s too bad a strategy for playing Test cricket in New Zealand.”McCullum suggested that he favours an unchanged team for the final Test – his pace bowlers have had a decent break after England enforced the follow-on followed by the rain – although he will wait to see how Doug Bracewell comes through his domestic one-day outing on Wednesday, where he will test his injured foot, before making a clearer plan over how he will attack the final Test.

MS Dhoni has defended the rotation policy between the three senior India openers in the triangular series, which may suggest that Gautam Gambhir might be rested for the next game despite consecutive scores in the 90s from him

Sidharth Monga15-Feb-2012MS Dhoni has defended the rotation policy between the three senior India openers in the triangular series, which may suggest that Gautam Gambhir might be rested for the next game despite consecutive scores in the 90s from him. After India tied their fourth match of the tournament, against Sri Lanka, Dhoni was asked if it made a lot of sense resting a batsman who had hit form. Dhoni’s argument remained that the youngsters should keep getting more chances.”What we want is, all the players should be fit by the time we come into the finals,” Dhoni said. “All of them should be scoring runs by that time. It’s a good exposure. Rohit [Sharma] is a very talented guy. Manoj Tiwary is on the bench. He scored in the last series that he played, so we are giving ample chances to them because these are players who, for sure, will come back to Australia once we play the next World Cup. There is no surety that some of us who are playing [will return], Sachin [Tendulkar] or Viru [Virender Sehwag] or even Gautam, all of us are 30-plus, and it’s big out-fields out here. So it’s about giving the youngsters a fair exposure as to how difficult it is or how easy it is, or how different it is to play here.”How difficult is it to rest a batsman who has scored 92 and 91 in his previous two outings? “As I said, what’s important is to get everybody going,” Dhoni said. “What may also happen is the guy who is playing all the games may get injured by the finals, and you will find someone coming in his place who has not played many games and not scored runs.”It’s a long tournament. It’s four games against each opposition before the finals. The first series that I played was three games against Bangladesh, so this is equivalent to three series and then the finals. It’s a very demanding tournament, in the sense that the out-fields are very big, the batsmen put pressure on you, you can get injured at any time. If you are looking to save that one run and you are in a bad position to throw, you may get injured. We want all the guys to be fit, and at the same time for the youngsters to get exposure by the start of the finals… if we reach the finals.”Moreover, Dhoni said, India could afford to experiment a bit now that they have had a decent start to the tournament, winning two and tying one of their first four matches. “The interest of the team comes first,” he said. “This is the time when we can really look to do that [experiment], because if were in a bad shape by the end of the fourth game, it would have been fair to say we wouldn’t really be in a position to give that chance to the other players. And we would have had to be careful.”Now we are in a position where we can do that. It’s good to see Gautam scoring runs. We want to see Viru get runs and Sachin also to get runs so that the best XI comes and plays the finals.”Dhoni was full of praise for Gambhir. “It [his coming into form] is really good because once he gets going he comes out with a big score, and he looks to play more than 35 to 40 overs, it allows the other batsmen to come in and play a bit freely. Of course the difficulty is, we have been chasing so you can’t always express yourself.”It’s good to have someone like Gautam in the side. Plays the spinners really well, and he runs well between the wickets well. It gives the team a chance to come back just in case a couple of batsmen make mistakes in the middle of the innings, because you have someone who is on one side going through with his innings.”After the previous game against Australia, though, which India won in the 50th over, Gambhir had said that India should have finished it off around the 48th over. It was Dhoni who had delayed the final assault, cutting it too tight before finishing it off in typical style. At the toss of the next game, against Sri Lanka, Dhoni said that if a batsman scores about 50 he should make sure he finishes the game off. Dhoni was asked if everything was fine between him and Gambhir.”There is nothing [uneasy between us],” Dhoni said. “It’s different when you are playing in the middle. If you see his innings today, he also found it difficult to rotate the strike consistently, and once you are in that situation it is very difficult to play a big shot. You can easily play big shots, but the difference is it always has to pay off. If it doesn’t, what do you say?”So I am never in a hurry to finish it in the 48th over or 47th over. Even if it goes to the 49th or 50th over, I am quite happy. [Since I bat down the order] I don’t have the luxury of batsmen behind me. If I go in to bat, I like to finish the job. It’s different with different people. Some people like to finish the game early, take a bit more risk in the middle and finish off the game, but I have a different perspective about it.”It’s a very individual thing. There’s nothing wrong. If you ask Viru [Sehwag], he would have said ‘why not 25 overs?'”

Australia were given further injury headaches ahead of the World Cup after Nathan Hauritz suffered a dislocated shoulder and Shaun Tait limped out of the attack

Andrew McGlashan at Bellerive Oval21-Jan-2011Australia were given further injury headaches ahead of the World Cup after Nathan Hauritz suffered a dislocated shoulder and Shaun Tait limped out of the attack during the second one-day international against England at Hobart.Hauritz’s injury is the more serious of the two and he went straight to hospital after being helped off the outfield in clear pain following a dive to stop the ball. He will have further scans in the morning and is unlikely to take any further part in the one-day series so it could mean a hasty reprieve for Xavier Doherty, the left-arm spinner, who missed out on the World Cup squad.Tait, meanwhile, went off five balls into his sixth over with a thigh strain that will be scanned on Saturday before any further decisions are made. The injuries add to the problems surrounding the Australia squad despite them now being 2-0 up against England after their 46-run victory. Mike Hussey is recovering from a serious hamstring injury which required surgery earlier this week and Ricky Ponting is yet to return from the broken finger he collected during the Ashes.However, with the start of the tournament on the subcontinent still a month away Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, was hopeful that both Hauritz and Tait would be fit to take their place in the 15-man unit.”We’re confident that they’ll both be alright for the World Cup,” Clarke said. “It is a setback though because you want to keep playing as much cricket as you can and get as much form under your belt as possible. Anytime anyone gets injured it’s a loss. They are disappointed personally, especially someone like Haury who has had to go back to first-class cricket where he’s been playing really well.”For this to happen now, I feel for him. Hopefully he’ll be right for the World Cup – he’ll play a big part in that.”Despite the injury blows this match continued Australia’s upward curve since the end of the Ashes. They took a share of a closely fought Twenty20 series and have now taken a significant early advantage in this seven-match contest, despite twice being in trouble with the bat on 4 for 33 and 8 for 142.They were led to a defendable total by Shaun Marsh’s 110 in his first innings as cover for Hussey, having been left out of the World Cup squad. He added an Australian-record 88 for the ninth wicket with renowned tail-end rabbit Doug Bollinger, who then made up for the late absence of Hauritz and Tait with 4 for 28.Given the batting woes the hosts have suffered this season Marsh can consider himself unfortunate not be a regular selection. “It shows we’ve got a lot of talent,” Clarke said. “What’s most pleasing for me is when you see someone come in like Shaun and get hold of his opportunity. That continues to show the depth in first-class cricket in Australia.”I know that’s been questioned this summer but I have 100 per cent belief that there is a lot of talent and good players out there. They’re just looking for an opportunity and Shaun showed that tonight. We gave him his chance and he’s grabbed it with both hands. He continues to do it at the international level,” Clarke added. “He’s performed opening the batting for Australia and he’s had success down the bottom of the order.”He’s come into this game in good form, scoring runs for Western Australia and it’s as good an innings as I’ve seen, under pressure and losing wickets around him. He really stood up today.”

A superb match needed a Super Over to split the teams and New Zealand prevailed to repay Brendan McCullum for his amazing century

The Bulletin by Peter English28-Feb-2010New Zealand 214 for 6 (McCullum 116*) tied with Australia 214 for 4 (Clarke 67, White 64*). New Zealand won after Super Over

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
McScoop Master: Brendon McCullum’s unbeaten 116 included bouts of brave brilliance•Getty Images

A superb match needed a Super Over to split the teams and New Zealand prevailed to repay Brendon McCullum for his amazing century. McCullum became the second-highest scorer in a Twenty20 international with an unbeaten 116, but after Michael Clarke and Cameron White exploded in the reply the scores were tied at 214 after 40 overs.A six-ball tiebreaker was required and the calm Tim Southee delivered another tight over to allow only six runs for White, David Warner and Brad Haddin. Shaun Tait’s waywardness, including two wides, assisted the locals and Martin Guptill finished the game with a four over point from the third legitimate delivery.The hosts were upset by a meek performance in Friday’s one-sided defeat, but McCullum showed his might with an unforgettable 56-ball demolition on a small ground that was rocking at the start and the end. Things were much quieter as Clarke organised the chase with 67 from 45 and White provided some much-needed muscle with 64 off 26 in a pursuit that was almost perfectly timed. However, Clarke and White could only scurry two from the final ball when three were required, with Clarke run out well short of his ground.Needing two off almost every delivery throughout the second innings, the Australians managed to stay on track after Warner departed for a McCullum-style 20 off 10. Haddin (47 off 37) and Clarke, who was travelling much quicker than his usual pace, were able to stay close to the rate so they required 125 from the final 60 balls.James Franklin slowed things down briefly with the wickets of Haddin and David Hussey (10) before White’s brute force arrived. White warmed up with a six over cover off Daniel Vettori, then caressed an inside-out clearance in the same area and was dropped on the boundary attempting a third.He then powered two fours and a six off Franklin before flicking Shane Bond into the spectators at square leg. The 13 that came from Bond’s final over left Australia wanting 36 off 18 deliveries, but the first of three magically controlled Southee efforts made it 30 from 12.White survived a run-out and found two boundaries and a six down the ground off Jacob Oram to cut the margin to 12. In Southee’s final over the bowler showed the maturity of a 30-year-old, not a boy who is 21, by delivering more pin-point yorkers to keep his side in the game.And he proved it wasn’t a fluke by doing it again in the Super Over. The result levelled the series and delivered Australia their first loss of their summer while setting up an intriguing five-match one-day contest beginning on Wednesday.Despite the flurry of absorbing action at the end, it was McCullum’s fireworks over the first half of the match that were the highlight. He showered boundaries around the tiny stadium and the change in attitude left the Australians, who had rested Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson, wondering if there was any way to stop the run avalanche. They were able to slow it a couple of times, but McCullum carried his team through the loss of six wickets and achieved the side’s highest total.His hundred came up in 50 balls, equalling the record of Chris Gayle, the only other century-maker in this format. It was achieved with a single to deep cover, at which point the batsman ripped off his helmet to take in the applause, but he was not finished and carried his bat. Nathan McCullum joined his brother at the end, getting 14 in a 50-run stand in 3.2 overs on an afternoon that stunned everyone.The big crowd of 26,148 was sprinkled by McCullum’s eight sixes and he backed up with a dozen fours during the barrage. Four of the boundaries came with “McScoops” past or over the wicketkeeper, but that was nothing compared to the two sixes he managed to shovel behind himself off Tait. It was brave and brutal – one of the clearances off Tait came from a 155kph thunderbolt.McCullum proved he wouldn’t be intimidated by Australia’s quick bowlers when he charged the third ball of the day from Tait (2 for 40) and bashed him for four through cover. There were 10 runs from the eventful over, which also contained the ugly bowled of the out-classed Peter Ingram for 0 and Tait sending a finger signal to McCullum.In the second over McCullum planted a six through cover off Dirk Nannes’ opening delivery, was almost caught next ball top edging a pull, and quickly flicked him to fine leg for a boundary. The new-ball bowlers couldn’t match Friday’s performance as they gave up 42 in the first four overs.McCullum ended up on his back after his first attempt to scoop Nannes over the wicketkeeper, but he managed it the second time, with the ball just missing Haddin on the way to the boundary. He followed up by unleashing a huge six to midwicket to show he could mix the unorthodox and the traditional. Nannes returned for the 16th over and McCullum enjoyed swinging him twice into the stands on the legside as the bowler went for 51 off four.After losing the strike in the middle stages when some of his team-mates disappeared, McCullum focused by blasting a fierce straight four off Steven Smith and brought up his half-century in the same over when he pulled to midwicket. He dusted off the scoop to surprise Daniel Christian and then pulled him for six behind square – 57 of his runs came in that segment.Gareth Hopkins (36 off 17) was the perfect ally for McCullum as they put on 68 in five overs to regain their explosive momentum. McCullum kept going till the end and had a chance to seal the game in the Super Over, but he was as happy as every other local when Guptill squared the series.

Sussex prevail thanks to Clark 82 as elimination creeps up on hosts

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay26-Aug-2025Sussex 277 for 9 (Clark 82, Hannon-Dalby 3-53) beat Warwickshire 258 (Barnard 82, Davies 74, Lenham 5-48) by 21 runs (D/L)Warwickshire suffered Metro Bank One-Day Cup heartbreak after a 21-run (D/L) home defeat to Sussex caused qualification to slip through their fingers.In a match reduced to 48 overs per side, Sussex totalled 277 for nine with only Tom Clark (82 from 77 balls) building an innings beyond the cameo stage. Olly Hannon-Dalby’s three for 53 was well-supported by the spinners who shared five wickets.Warwickshire’s D/L target was adjusted to 280 from 48 overs and they were bowled out for 258 in 45.1 overs. Ed Barnard struck 82 (75) and Alex Davies (74, 90) but Archie Lenham took his maiden List A five-for – five for 48 – as the middle and lower order imploded.That left Warwickshire’s players clinging to the hope of Middlesex losing to Lancashire – but half an hour later those hopes were extinguished as Middlesex snuck home by one wicket at Old Trafford.Sussex chose to bat and soon lost Henry Rogers, caught by a diving Hamza Shaikh at extra cover off Hannon-Dalby, but Clark sped to a 45-ball half-century. After a short rain break, Daniel Ibrahim tickled a potential leg side wide from Rob Yates to wicketkeeper Kai Smith.The fluent Clark was 18 short of emulating his championship century at Edgbaston in April when he lifted Tazeem Ali to deep mid-wicket. Batters throughout the tournament have learned that you attack the young leg-spinner at your peril – Tom Alsop joined the list when his top-edged slog landed in the hands of mid on.John Simpson fell lbw, sweeping at Jake Lintott and as the innings stalled against the spinners, it needed late impetus. Danny Lamb provided some with a run-a-ball 42 before reverse-sweeping Lintott to deep point. Bertie Foreman (30, 33) lifted the total over 250 but, on a good batting pitch, Sussex appeared around 27 under par.Warwickshire quickly lost Yates, who sliced a wide Sean Hunt half-volley to point. Zen Malik assured a brisk start with 27 from 25 balls but then hoisted Clark to long leg.Barnard and Davies shifted the game their side’s way with a stand of 107 in 99 balls. Barnard was imperious, deploying sparkling footwork to the spinners, but his departure, caught at extra cover off Troy Henry, triggered a collapse.Although out of the qualification picture, Sussex back fought back with great heart. Foreman ousted Shaikh, who reverse-swept to short third, and Lenham removed Davies, caught at extra, and Vansh Jani, bowled cutting, with successive balls.Lintott swept Lenham to deep mid-wicket, Kai Smith played on and when Adam Sylvester edged to slip, Vaughan had his five for. When Hannon-Dalby swung and missed at Henry Crocombe, the Bears were left hoping for a Middlesex defeat. They hoped in vain.

The Australia captain says he’s never seen Smith as energetic as he has been since his opening role was confirmed

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2024Australia captain Pat Cummins has been in contact with Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris to reassure them that they remain firmly in Test consideration despite being overlooked following David Warner’s retirement.With Steven Smith promoted to open, Cameron Green returning at No. 4 against West Indies in Adelaide, and Matt Renshaw selected as the reserve batter, the other two specialist openers remain on the outer.Bancroft was the leading Sheffield Shield run-scorer last season and is in the same spot midway through the latest campaign, while Harris holds a central contract and was the reserve batter on the Ashes tour last year.Related

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“Obviously private phone calls, but no real surprises,” Cummins said in Adelaide. “We love what they both are doing in first-class cricket. We love what they bring to any side they’re playing in. They’re doing all the right things. Unfortunately, they both just missed out on this one. So [the] message was ‘don’t change’.”In international cricket, there’s always injuries or these guys [the incumbents] aren’t going to be around forever. Marcus and Cam are still relatively young, as is Renners. So once that opening comes up at some point, any one of them we’re confident can jump straight in and do a really good job.”When Cummins was asked after the Sydney Test about replacing Warner, he appeared lukewarm to the idea of a batting-order reshuffle but has now said that once the option of Smith had been seriously considered, it made a lot of sense by allowing Green back at a more natural position for him.Smith has spoken of not enjoying the wait to bat from No. 4 and while he hasn’t specifically addressed whether the move will lengthen his Test career, he has committed to the shift not being a short-term solution. At training, Cummins has already noticed a difference.”Seeing someone who’s basically achieved everything in the game get really excited for a new challenge, you’ve got to entertain that,” he said. “You can already see his mind whirring about how he’s maybe going to go about it a bit differently.”I’ve never seen him as happy and as energetic as I’ve seen him around the nets the last couple of days. He can’t wait to get out there. Also think the new ball, maybe [there will be] a few more scoring options. It’s something that excites him. So that makes sense and getting Greeny a spot where we think he is set up to succeed.”The retirement of Warner and Green’s return will also see a reshuffle in the cordon with Usman Khawaja taking up first slip, followed by Smith and Mitchell Marsh, with Green in the gully where he has already made a considerable impression with a string of spectacular catches.Green also provides Cummins with another frontline bowling option, meaning he effectively has a six-man attack plus the offspin of Travis Head.

Lewis Goldsworthy may scarcely rest easier on 93 not out with Somerset nine down

Vithushan Ehantharajah26-Sep-2022Would you rather be waiting overnight on a hat-trick or a hundred?The answer here at Canterbury was surely the former. Because Nathan Gilchrist, previously of Somerset, already has five wickets against his old team. In doing so, he has helped reduce them to 195 for 9. In Kent’s battle against relegation, the three bowling points go some way to preserving their Division One status for 2023.Confirming that is more important than the feats of an individual, even if this was Gilchrist’s first five-wicket haul of the season – and second overall in a first-class career that only began after making the shift across the south in 2020. One imagines the 22-year-old won’t mind all that much if Jack Brooks keeps him out first thing on Tuesday morning provided he’s seen off sharpish.Lewis Goldsworthy, 93 not out, is the other side of this hypothetical coin. The standout piece of resistance in a Somerset line-up who were undone by a relentlessly straight approach, with all nine dismissals hitting stumps, front pads or hands behind the wicket. The 21-year-old was not totally immune, edging behind but surviving with just five to his name. But this was an innings of learning from that misstep rather than riding luck. On another surface he might have been tested with some short stuff, but he answered all further questions posed to him, and few would begrudge a second career century. The county’s young player of the year in 2021 has grown into a reliable presence with red and white ball in 2022.Somerset had guaranteed their safety with victory over Northamptonshire last week. Kent, even after their surprise victory over Hampshire, still had that little bit more to do. A 14-point gap between them and ninth-placed Warwickshire meant a degree of comfort coming into a fixture that a month ago looked like being a “48-pointer”. Kent were also reinforced by Zak Crawley, returning to competitive action following a match- and series-winning 69 not out against South Africa at the Oval, along with Joe Denly who missed the Hampshire win to attend the birth of his third child. A freak injury to Ben Compton, who fell at home fetching a glass of water and hurt his side, ruled him out and means his season ends on an impressive 1,193 runs, four hundreds and an average of 54.22.Overnight and early rain meant play only began at 12pm in Canterbury – an hour and a half late. It was greeted with more apathy than up at Edgbaston where the hosts, needing to force a full-points win, only began their day one at 2:15pm.The maths was straightforward: 11 points would guarantee safety even if Warwickshire managed the unlikely, which equates to a draw and three bonus points. The latter was achieved with what turned out to be the final ball of the day when Gilchrist removed Sajid Khan lbw. They had their first within 28 minutes of play.Skipper Jack Leaning, who lost the toss with counterpart Tom Abell choosing to bat first, was involved in the opening dismissals. Sharp catches at second slip helped dismiss Tom Lammonby from the fourth ball of the match – delivered by Matthew Quinn – and then Abell himself off Gilchrist. When Andrew Umeed, making his first class debut for Somerset after Pakistan international Imam-Ul-Haq returned home, was trapped in front by Quinn, Somerset were reeling on 9 for 3.A fourth should have come sooner, but Ollie Robinson, off to Durham at the end of the summer, shelled a tough low chance to give Goldsworthy his life. When it did arrive – George Bartlett, six balls after the lunch break – Robinson claimed a simpler chance to make it up to Gilchrist. By then, however, Barlett had given a bit back with an engaging 28 from 30 deliveries: proactive beyond four boundaries, walking at bowlers early on, including when pulling Joey Evison for a six into the light blue seats under one of the floodlights at midwicket.Goldsworthy, who was 12 off 24 at the time, was clearly roused by his partner’s pluck, driving imperiously in the middle session as further inroads were made at the other end. Connor McKerr, on loan from Surrey, had left-hander James Rew caught smartly by Daniel Bell-Drummond tumbling to his right at third slip before Quinn nipped one through Ben Green to make it 116 for 6.Then, finally, Goldsworthy had some meaningful support in the form of Craig Overton. Quite apart from the ball being older than 40 overs old – the point when this Dukes stops playing ball – their 112-ball partnership for the seventh wicket brought 79 runs with minimal fuss. There was diligence ensuring the score was ticking over without missing out on anything slightly awry, particularly as Goldsworthy’s area for driving expanded with his confidence.The half-century came from 97 deliveries and featured seven fours, and that boundary count doubled in the space of 38 before finishing with 149 balls to his name after playing out a maiden in the penultimate over of the day and watching the late carnage from the sanctity of the nonstriker’s end.Kasey Aldridge, who played out six dots from Gilchrist, was caught behind before Khan came and went for a first-ball duck. No. 11 Brooks did make the fateful walk out to the middle to face the hat-trick ball only to be spared any immediate blushes when drops of rain fell from those clouds that had created a gloom that would have brought out the light meters.Brooks will have to do the walk again tomorrow, with Goldsworthy at the other end perhaps focusing more on his partner seeing out the over than the seven runs he has left to get.