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The openers Travis Dowlin and Adrian Barath provided the best news of the tour for the struggling West Indians

Peter English20-Nov-2009West Indians 271 and 1 for 133 (Barath 65*, Dowlin 53) trail Queensland 7 for 617 (Kruger 172, Reardon 147, Townsend 100, Simpson 73) by 213 runs

Scorecard
Travis Dowlin overcame some nervous moments to post a confidence-boosting half-century at Allan Border Field•Getty Images

The openers Travis Dowlin and Adrian Barath provided the best news of the tour for the struggling West Indians as they reached 1 for 133 at stumps on the third day. Since the squad arrived in Brisbane last week they have lost their captain Chris Gayle, who flew to Jamaica to be with his sick mother, and received a tough initiation in their opening tour game against Queensland. Ramnaresh Sarwan, one of the two leading batsmen, has also been told by his doctor to stay off the field due to an infection.So after the Bulls declared at 7 for 617, with a lead of 346, the tourists needed something to cheer and Dowlin and Barath provided it during a 95-run opening stand. With Gayle increasingly unlikely to be back in Australia before Thursday’s first Test, the side is desperate for the remaining openers in the squad to be in form. The team management is still waiting to learn when Gayle is likely to return and the selectors are expected to meet over the weekend to consider possible replacements and whether to extend the outfit to 16 men for the three-Test series.Life has been tough and will become harder when they run into an Australia side preparing for their first series since the Ashes defeat. Dowlin, who went for 2 in the first innings, backed up with a much more authoritative display, striking seven boundaries in his 53 before he was caught behind off the unstoppable Nathan Reardon.Barath is expected to make his debut next week and he followed his first-day duck with a composed 65. He was dropped by Chris Hartley on 34 but held on to make it to stumps, taking advantage of some loose bowling by the legspinner Dan Doran to increase his boundary tally to nine.Reardon’s 147 was the major problem for the tourists on the third day as he became the third local batsman to register a maiden first-class century in the innings. Kemar Roach, the 21-year-old fast bowler, continued to run in hard despite his side’s situation and returned 3 for 135 from 32 overs, but he did not receive much help from his team-mates, who wilted against a modest batting line-up.The day began well for them when Hartley (12) edged a Roach short ball in the third over, but they were soon being pummelled by Reardon’s muscular stroke-play. Reardon, a 25-year-old in his second four-day game, joined Nick Kruger (172) and Wade Townsend (100) in raising centuries, which was only the second time in Australia three players have achieved their maiden first-class hundreds in the same innings. Reardon resumed on 45 and sped towards his century, equalling a state record with his seven sixes while taking advantage of the mediocre offerings.He was particularly brutal against the left-arm spin of Sulieman Benn, who was lashed for two sixes in one over and later launched on to the roof of Queensland Cricket’s offices at midwicket. Another Reardon sweep off Benn cleared the fence and the hitting was so strong that the bull mascot sitting in the back of a caged ute was asking to go back to the farm. After lunch he also pulled a tiring Roach high into the Matthew Hayden Stand before eventually falling caught behind to Dwayne Bravo.Chris Simpson, the captain, also blasted one on to the office roof off Ravi Rampaul, who continued to find life in Australia difficult. He was not the only one. Benn gave up 151 runs in 34 overs and Rampaul went for 131 in 29, while Bravo and Narsingh Deonarine also failed to make much of an impact. Simpson and Reardon clumped 156 in 30.4 overs for the sixth wicket before Simpson was bowled by Roach on 73, but the tourists were kept waiting before the innings was closed 40 minutes before tea. They needed the break.

The India captain emphasised that the team management doesn’t want to tamper with the batters’ mindsets

Alagappan Muthu24-Dec-20244:16

Rohit on Gill and Jaiswal: Such tours can be challenging to score big runs

India’s batting is in transition and two men who are expected to take it forward have had an up-and-down time during the 2024 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Yashasvi Jaiswal has suffered some soft dismissals since his 161 in Perth and Shubman Gill hasn’t made the most of the starts he’s had.Their captain Rohit Sharma, speaking ahead of the Boxing Day Test, backed both players to succeed using their own methods.”When you have a guy like [Jaiswal] in your squad, in your team, you don’t want to tamper too much with his mindset,” Rohit said. “Let him be as free as possible and not overburdened with too many thoughts regarding his batting. He understands his batting more than any one of us, you know.Related

• India, Australia look to iron out flaws to edge ahead in high-octane series

• Gill needs to show his substance outside Asia to prove his worth

• Konstas' MCG debut confirmed, Head faces a fitness test

• Should India opt for bowling depth over batting insurance at the MCG?

• MCG pitch to have 'pace, bounce and excitement', but what about runs?

“Every venue here has different challenges. So, it’s just about adapting to those challenges, playing on different pitches. The bowlers are the same.”So, it’s just about understanding what they usually do and what are their plans against certain batters when we come out to bat. And then just going out there and doing their thing.”Talking about Gill, I mean, look, he is quality, we all know that. It’s just about backing that quality and making sure, you know, we give clear messaging to him and not, again, like Jaiswal, we don’t want to complicate too many things with him.”So he knows how to score big runs. So it’s just making sure that when you get those 30s, 40s, you try and get on to a big one. Because getting in here is the toughest part. And when you get in, that is when you cannot leave that opportunity of scoring that big runs.”Rohit batted for over half-an-hour in India’s final training session before Boxing Day. He didn’t look in any trouble after taking a blow to his knee earlier.There were some crisp shots, including a couple that brought a crowd of about 200 or so people to raptures. They’d asked for the pull and they got one off the front foot right as his session ended. Rohit didn’t engage with them while he was batting but once he’d pulled his pads off, he did go over for a playful word or two.Rohit Sharma backed Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal to succeed using their own methods•Getty Images

India were able to practice on significantly quicker pitches in the nets on Christmas Eve, pitches that might bear closer resemblance to the one for the match. Rohit had a look at it on Sunday when it had some grass on it. The curator Matt Page said there won’t be excessive seam movement but that it would provide a thrilling contest.”In the previous two or three Test matches, the wicket didn’t have that much grass on it,” Rohit said. “It was dry. But this certainly doesn’t look to me like a dry wicket.”The first day of the MCG Test is expected to be seriously hot with temperatures reaching 40 degree Celsius but then it should cool down. India are weighing up the option of playing an extra spinner – Washington Sundar, who had a bat against the main bowlers including Jasprit Bumrah and who also enjoyed himself bowling to KL Rahul and Virat Kohli in the nets – or an extra seamer – Prasidh Krishna, who hasn’t played on this tour but has put in a lot of work in the nets over the last month.The Border-Gavaskar Trophy series is tied 1-1 with two Test to go and those results will also have an implication on both teams’ hopes of making the World Test Championship final in June. Australia or India, if they can win in Melbourne and Sydney, will qualify for that game regardless of other results.

Twenty-five players have been elevated to the top groups across the WBBL and BBL

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Aug-2023Fifty players have been handed platinum status across the BBL and WBBL drafts, including Haris Rauf, Nicholas Pooran, Harmanpreet Kaur and Marizanne Kapp.England players dominate the BBL list with 14 names, Ashes stars Harry Brook and Zak Crawley among them, while there are seven in the WBBL platinum group. South Africa provide six of the WBBL players and India five.Related

• Pooran and Rizwan late withdrawals from BBL draft, van Niekerk out of WBBL

• Perth Scorchers WBBL retention decision over Kapp and Devine likely to shape the draft

• Who has nominated for the 2023-24 BBL overseas draft?

• All the names in the inaugural WBBL overseas draft

• Smriti Mandhana to skip WBBL again with an eye on India's upcoming domestic season

The drafts will take place on September 3. The WBBL runs from October 19 to December 2 and the BBL goes from December 7 to January 24.BBL platinum players
(Possible retention clubs marked)

• Gus Atkinson, Sam Billings (Heat), Harry Brook, Joe Clarke (Stars), Zak Crawley, Tom Curran (Sixers), Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis (Scorchers), Martin Guptill (Renegades), Alex Hales (Thunder), Will Jacks, Chris Jordan (Sixers), Rashid Khan (Strikers), Shadab Khan (Hurricanes), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills (Scorchers), Colin Munro (Heat), Nicholas Pooran, Haris Rauf (Stars), Mohammad Rizwan, Rilee Rossouw (Thunder), Phil Salt (Scorchers), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Heat), James Vince (Sixers)

WBBL platinum players
(Possible retention clubs marked)

• Chamari Athapaththu (Renegades), Lauren Bell, Tazmin Brits, Alice Capsey (Stars), Kate Cross, Nida Dar, Sophie Devine (Scorchers), Deandra Dottin (Strikers), Richa Ghosh, Sarah Glenn, Shabnim Ismail (Renegades), Marizanne Kapp (Scorchers), Harmanpreet Kaur (Renegades), Amelia Kerr (Heat), Heather Knight (Thunder), Hayley Matthews (Renegades), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Jemimah Rodrigues (Stars), Deepti Sharma, Stafanie Taylor (Strikers), Chloe Tryon (Thunder), Pooja Vastrakar (Heat), Laura Wolvaardt (Strikers), Issy Wong (Hurricanes), Danni Wyatt (Heat)

It is the first time overseas recruitment will be determined by a draft in the WBBL but there is also a mechanism which has allowed players to sign directly with a club, a route that six have taken, for a reduced fee. They are: Suzie Bates, Tammy Beaumont, Sophia Dunkley, Amy Jones, Mignon du Preez and Lizelle Lee.In the WBBL, platinum players will earn AUD 110,000, gold will earn AUD 90,000, silver AUD 65,000 and bronze AUD 40,000. Those taking the direct nomination path can only earn up to 95% of the silver category.England players make up a large part of the BBL platinum group, but availability will be an issue for many•Getty Images

There has been an increase in the men’s BBL overseas salary bands after the cap was increased from AUD 1.9 million to AUD 3 million. Platinum players are now set to earn AUD 420,000, up from $340,000 last year although there are caveats. They will only earn the full amount if they are available for the entire season including finals, which runs from December 7 to January 24.If they are only available for 10 matches, they will earn AUD 400,000. If they can only play nine matches the price will be AUD 380,000. Anyone only available for eight matches or less in the platinum category will earn AUD 360,000 regardless of whether they play one game or eight.Gold players will earn AUD 300,000, silver AUD 200,000, and bronze AUD 100,000 with no minimum matches required for those players.The key factor in the BBL will be availability due to both international commitments and other T20 leagues. The SA20 starts on January 10 so the players who head to that will miss the latter part of the regular BBL season. The schedule for the ILT20 in UAE has proved more favourable with that tournament starting January 19 although it will impact BBL finals.Internationally, England have tours at either end of the BBL with a white-ball trip to West Indies in December then the start of the Test series in India in January. That could limit the interest in the likes of Brook and Crawley.Pakistan, who also provide a sizeable group of players in the overall draft list, have a Test series in Australia at the same time as the BBL then a T20I series in New Zealand later in January.How retention picks work

• Have been in a Big Bash squad for a minimum of two seasons and haven’t been contracted to another team since
• Have been in a Big Bash squad the previous season
• Was in a team squad last season but did not play in the starting 13 and have been approved by the Big Bash Technical Committee
• Is otherwise approved by the Big Bash Technical Committee due to exceptional circumstances

Trailing Sussex by 118 but with nine first-innings wickets in hand, hosts close in

ECB Reporters Network13-Jun-2022Glamorgan 258 for 1 (Ingram 145*, Byrom 105*) trail Sussex 376 (Carter 185, Clark 55, Salter 4-107) by 118 runsA double-century partnership between Colin Ingram and Eddie Byrom was the highlight of a run-filled day in Cardiff in the LV= Insurance County Championship match between Glamorgan and Sussex. The Glamorgan pair both finished the day with undefeated hundreds with Sussex’s first-innings lead reduced to 118 with Glamorgan still just one wicket down.The day had started with Oli Carter marshalling the Sussex tail as they plundered 131 runs in 23.4 overs. Carter finished with a career-best 185 with Sussex posting 376 all out.Glamorgan lost David Lloyd early on but from there Ingram and Byrom batted superbly against a green Sussex attack who seemed to have few answers in the face of some class batting.Glamorgan reached the close at 258 for 1 with Ingram on 145 not out and Byrom undefeated on 105 on a day that saw 389 runs for the loss of just four wickets.While day one was characterised by patient accumulation, the second day’s play saw runs flowing throughout. By the time 50 overs had been sent down there had been more runs scored than in the 96 overs on the first day.It was Carter who set the tone as he took the attack to Glamorgan in the morning session. He had resumed on 113 and when he was the last man out he had added 72 runs to his overnight score. His demise came when he attempted to go for his fifth six of the morning session with James Weighell taking a simple catch on the boundary. Carter was the fourth wicket for Andrew Salter who bowled 41.4 overs in the Sussex innings.Carter was well supported by Henry Crocombe and Jack Brooks who both made 36 as Sussex claimed three batting bonus points.The home team had a tricky 10 minutes to bat before the lunch break and Sussex claimed the wicket of David Lloyd before the interval, the Glamorgan captain edging a ball through to Tim Seifert off the bowling of Sean Hunt in what was to be the only success for the visitors.The runs continued to flow after the lunch break with Ingram and Byrom sharing an unbeaten stand worth 253. Ingram looked in superb touch from the moment he arrived at the crease, driving the ball both sides of the wicket on his way to his first hundred in first-class cricket since 2017. He reached the landmark from 143 balls with his 19th boundary.Byrom looked less assured than Ingram at first, but he battled hard. His confidence grew steadily as he made his best score for Glamorgan. Injury meant he hadn’t played in the County Championship so far this year and his arrival has immediately added some solidity to a Glamorgan top order which has been flaky at times this season. His first hundred for Glamorgan came from 178 balls with a ball clipped through the leg side for four.Glamorgan finished the day in sight of Sussex’s effort and with nine first-innings wickets remaining they will be hopeful of posting a significant lead on day three.

The idea of making it an All-Indigenous team was first raised by CA as part of the reconciliation movement

Daniel Brettig and Adam Collins26-Jan-2021Plans to field an All-Indigenous Prime Minister’s XI for the annual match at Manuka Oval in Canberra were dropped by Cricket Australia after the re-election of the current Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2019.The idea to rejuvenate the traditional concept of the PM’s XI fixture by making it an All-Indigenous team versus an overseas touring team was first raised by CA as part of the same reconciliation movement to redress Australian cricket’s poor history of racial inclusion that saw it drop any reference to “Australia Day” for Big Bash League matches to be played on January 26.It was floated prior to the 2019 federal election, widely expected to be won by the Labor Opposition led by Bill Shorten, but shelved after it is believed to have been given a less than enthusiastic response in the months after the Liberal/National Coalition was returned to government in defiance of opinion polls.Amid a gradual growth in the number of Aboriginal cricketers in Australian domestic ranks, CA’s high-performance wing is understood to have welcomed the idea on the basis that the chosen XI would be more than strong enough to hold their own against the touring Sri Lankan team.However, ESPNcricinfo understands that the pushback was couched as a new government indicating it “wasn’t quite ready” for such a move, forcing CA and ACT Cricket into a series of changes to their plans.Related

• Australian cricket's Indigenous inclusion – 'You can't just window dress things'

• Justin Mohamed: Cricket Australia needs Indigenous leaders as well as cricketers

Early in the second Morrison government, the Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt gave a National Press Club address outlining a blueprint for a referendum on Aboriginal recognition in the Australian Constitution, a move that drew criticism from some of the more conservative elements of the government.Aboriginal players who had toured England in 2018, as part of a tour to commemorate the 1868 journey by the first ever team to represent Australia on foreign soil in any sport, had been informally told of the plans and even reached the stage where diary space in their summer schedules was cleared for training and playing time in Canberra.A source close to the players described their reaction as “irate” when informed of the plan being dropped, ostensibly because it was felt that the government was “already sufficiently active” in the Indigenous sphere.A compromise of sorts was reached by having the PM’s XI co-captained by the Aboriginal allrounder Dan Christian alongside Peter Siddle, and coached by Jason Gillespie, who became Australia’s first male Aboriginal Test cricketer when he made his debut in 1996, after Aunty Faith Thomas became the first Aboriginal Test cricketer in 1958.Morrison subsequently used the match as a photo opportunity, running drinks to the PM’s XI while clad in a team cap and sharing high fives with the players, while also doing a stint in the commentary box.Nevertheless, the episode underlined a difference of opinion on inclusiveness between Morrison and CA that has been further heightened by the Prime Minister’s publicly stated opposition to CA’s stance on January 26, which was reached after consultation with its Indigenous Advisory Council, co-chaired by Mel Jones and Justin Mohamed.”I think a bit more focus on cricket, and a little less focus on politics would be my message to Cricket Australia,” Morrison told radio 4R0 on Thursday. “I think that’s pretty ordinary – that’s what they’re putting on their press releases – that would be my view.”In December 2019, CA released their second Reconciliation Action Plan with the stated aim of finding more common ground between Indigenous communities and the sport. As of last season, just 69,000 of the reported 1.7 million Australians playing cricket are from Indigenous backgrounds. To help grow that number, the report included 104 areas for action, including the aim for all cricket clubs in Australia to commit to an annual reconciliation statement each year.CA has subsequently discussed plans to hold an annual match between an All-Indigenous XI and a touring team separate to the Manuka fixture, however both this idea and the PM’s XI game itself were put on hiatus for the 2020-21 season due to Covid-19.The Indigenous leader Mick Dodson, a former Australian of the year and co-author of a 2010 independent report on cricket’s Indigenous past, For The Love Of The Game, that helped drive CA’s current approach, said the governing body had already driven great change, with more to come.”They’ve taken Aboriginal participation in official cricket around the country from 8,500 [in 2013/14] to almost 70,000,” Dodson told the ABC’s PM program. “That’s over 800% increase. They’ve done a terrific job. No other sport in Australia could claim that. It’s not just Indigenous Australians, it’s people from diverse and different cultural backgrounds, they’ve done a terrific job.”Adam Cassidy [Cricket Australia’s diversity and inclusion manager] and the Cricket Australia team should be very, very proud of what they’ve achieved in such a short time. Because they’re inclusive and have an inclusive and diverse policy, you get figures like that.”A CA spokesperson said: “CA places great importance on the annual PM’s XI fixture – a tradition that has spanned successive governments and CA administrations dating back to the 1950s.”We have welcomed the Prime Minister’s support for continuing the tradition and look forward to working together on the next iteration of the fixture next summer.”The Prime Minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Appointment suggests Bell can look forward to a career in coaching when his playing days end

George Dobell02-Oct-2019Ian Bell is set to be confirmed as England’s batting coach at the U19 World Cup.While Bell missed the entire 2019 season due to injury, he plans to continue his playing career in 2020 and has beaten several more established coaching candidates to the role.The appointment underlines how well thought of Bell is and suggests he can look forward to a career in coaching when his playing career end. He will be 38 in April and is out of contract at Warwickshire at the end of the 2020 season.The next edition of the U19 World Cup, featuring 16 sides and ODI playing regulations, will be staged in South Africa in January and February.England finished a disappointing seventh in the previous tournament played in New Zealand in 2018. India won the trophy after beating Australia in the final. Jon Lewis remains the head coach of England U19s.Former England batsman Bell this year played no part in Warwickshire’s County Championship campaign for the first time since 2000, after his comeback from a foot injury sustained during the Pakistan Super League in Feburary was ruined by a tendon issue in his left knee. It was the first time he had failed to play at least one first-class game since making his debut for the club in 1999 at the age of 17.

Varun Shetty09-Aug-2018

Reigning Specsavers county champions Middlesex appear on course for their fourth successive draw of an uninspired Division One title defence after Somerset enjoyed the best of a sun-kissed second day at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2017
ScorecardLewis Gregory celebrates his maiden Championship hundred•Getty Images

Reigning Specsavers county champions Middlesex appear on course for their fourth successive draw of an uninspired Division One title defence after Somerset enjoyed the best of a sun-kissed second day at Lord’s.As the Middlesex bowlers endured a wicketless morning session, centuries by Dean Elgar and Lewis Gregory allowed the visitors to bat on until well after tea before their declaration on 443 for nine.In the 22 remaining overs of an extended 104-over day that helped make up for Friday’s rain delays, Middlesex went in at stumps to reach the mid-point of the match on 42 without loss – a first innings deficit of 401. Their openers, Nick Compton and Nick Gubbins, endured a stern test to finish unscathed on 19 and 21 respectively.Somerset were indebted to a record sixth-wicket stand between Elgar and Gregory which rescued their side from the depths of 80 for six to the undoubted riches of four batting bonus points.Elgar crunched a season-best 158 while Gregory, in hitting 137, sailed past his previous best – an unbeaten 73 scored against Yorkshire at Headingley last season – to post his maiden first-class century in his 78th innings.The hosts spurned their one and only pre-lunch opportunity whilst gifting a life to Gregory with his score on 31. Fencing at a lifting delivery from Toby Roland-Jones, the right-hander was downed, one-handed at second slip by Ollie Rayner who, moving late to his right, appeared to lose the ball in the backdrop.Soon afterwards, Gregory rubbed salt in Middlesex wounds by plundering consecutive, cover-driven boundaries against Roland-Jones to move to an attractive 84-ball 50 with 10 fours.Elgar, the South Africa Test batsman, posted his second century of the season with a straight six against off-spinner Rayner. The left-hander danced down the pitch to deposit one over the Nursery End ropes and reach the milestone from 186 balls and with 15 fours to go with his maximum. It was the 31st first-class hundred of his career and his first at Lord’s.The pair saw off the second new ball and batted on after lunch to take their side beyond 300. In doing so they created a new sixth-wicket record for Somerset against Middlesex, beating the 196 scored by Peter White and Maurice Tremlett at Bath in 1959.Gregory marched on to secure his maiden first-class hundred with a leg glance against Tom Helm that flew to the ropes in front of the Pavilion. He punched the air, fist-bumped with Elgar and embraced his partner before holding his bat aloft to receive the acclaim for his 186-ball century which included 15 fours.The duo added 249 before Middlesex bagged their first wicket in 70 overs’ play by ending Elgar’s six-and-three-quarter-hour vigil. It needed a beauty to do so – a James Franklin leg-cutter from the Nursery End that held its own against the Lord’s slope to feather the edge and give John Simpson his fourth catch of the match.Gregory added a further 47 in tandem with Josh Davey but finally went after 333 minutes at the crease. Aiming to pull a length ball from Roland-Jones, he top-edged to long leg where Tom Helm pocketed the skier. Gregory faced 231 balls for a score that included 17 fours and a six.Davey muscled a cameo 47 against his former club before top-edging a pull to midwicket to give Helm a second scalp, then Jamie Overton (37) skied to long-on to be caught by 12th man James Harris.Substituting for Roland-Jones, Harris – who has returned from a second rolling-loan stint with Kent – made good ground running in from the ropes for Rayner’s sole wicket of the innings as Somerset declared nine down at 5.10pm. Tim Murtagh, Roland-Jones, Helm and Franklin all claimed two wickets apiece for the weary Middlesex attack.

Karun Nair’s unbeaten 59-ball 83 single-handedly helped Delhi Daredevils beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets in a last-ball thriller in Raipur to keep their playoff ambitions burning bright.

The Report by Shashank Kishore20-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKarun Nair’s third half-century in a winning cause this season kept Delhi Daredevils alive•BCCI

Karun Nair showed there was place for finesse and street-smart cricket amid the big-hitting in T20s. His unbeaten 59-ball 83 single-handedly helped Delhi Daredevils beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in a last-ball thriller in Raipur to keep their playoff ambitions burning bright. The side must now win their final match against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Raipur on Sunday.With Daredevils needing six off two deliveries, Nair, who had walked in to bat at No. 3, muscled successive boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar to pull off a win that may have not been possible had Sunrisers fielded better than they did. Nair was lucky to survive a caught-behind appeal on 23 in the ninth over, with Daredevils needing 105 off 69. David Warner then put down a sitter when the batsman was on 51. As it turned out, those two moments had a significant bearing on the outcome and Sunrisers, with 16 points, may yet have to win their final league game against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata to control their fate.While Rishabh Pant was the aggressor in the 73-run second-wicket stand, Nair was happy to farm strike and play himself in before the stroke of luck with the caught-behind appeal brought about a change in mindset. By the time Pant was run out for 32, courtesy Bhuvneshwar’s direct hit from deep cover, Nair had switched gears. It meant Warner’s wonderfully crafted 56-ball 73 was consigned to being second-best.The game started off as a battle of wits. Sunrisers were watchful upfront against Zaheer Khan after being sent in to bat, but the pressure built up at one end was released by offspinner Jayant Yadav and Nathan Coulter-Nile, who leaked runs. Sunrisers motored to 42 without loss in five overs, before the brakes were applied through two run-outs.Shikhar Dhawan, far from his fluent best, was the first to go. Carlos Brathwaite, who replaced the injured Chris Morris, stopped a drive by diving to his left and then hurled a throw back at the striker’s end with Dhawan well short of the crease. Four balls later, Amit Mishra’s half-stop off his own bowling resulted in confusion between Warner and Deepak Hooda, and a direct hit at the bowler’s end found Hooda short. With the score at 48 for 2 in the seventh over, the need of the hour was consolidation.Yuvraj Singh hung around for 10 deliveries, one of which was sent screaming behind point off a fierce cut, before Brathwaite had him chop one onto the stumps, the two-paced nature of the pitch surfacing as the ball kept low to take the inside-edge. Even as wickets tumbled, Warner was a picture of supreme confidence, flaying pacers with flat-batted pulls and slaps through the off side.His technique against the spinners – Mishra and Yadav – was equally effective as he used the depth of the crease to make room and bring his bottom hand into play. Once the off side field opened up, he kept carving boundaries to make batting look ridiculously easy. Warner brought up his half-century off 40 balls and his 32nd IPL fifty helped notch up a record for most fifty-plus scores by a batsman in the tournament.He found able support from Moises Henriques, who milked the singles, and a 13-run over seemed to indicate that Sunrisers were ready to switch to attack. However, an attempt to hit with the spin towards deep midwicket off JP Duminy in the 14th over resulted in Henriques’ wicket, and ended a sprightly 39-run stand.Eoin Morgan’s wicket drained more momentum and it took an enterprising partnership between Naman Ojha and Bhuvneshwar Kumar – the pair added 26 off 15 balls in the last three overs – to take them close to the 160-mark.Daredevils lost Quinton de Kock early, but Nair and Pant kept pace with the asking rate through tactful strike-rotation and the odd boundary. Apart from swatting away full tosses, Nair’s use of the sweep shot to negate Karn Sharma’s legspin was impressive.With Daredevils needing 52 off 30, Sunrisers had a ray of hope in the two potential overs from Mustafizur Rahman. When Duminy, put down on 17 by Bhuvneshwar, holed out to Warner off the first ball bowled by Barinder Sran in the 17th over, the game was wide open. But Nair muscled two sixes in the over to allay fears of a meltdown.Mustafizur’s tight last over – he gave away five runs – left Daredevils needing 11 off the last six balls, but Nair was not to be denied as his third half-century in a winning cause this season kept Daredevils alive.

Chris Woakes is likely to miss England’s Test series against New Zealand after suffering a setback in his recovery from the foot injury after picking up a knee problem during his recovery which has necessitated surgery.

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2015Chris Woakes is likely to miss England’s Test series against New Zealand after picking up a knee problem, which has required surgery, during his recovery from the foot injury that ruled him out of the West Indies tour.Woakes had an operation on Wednesday for a meniscal tear in his left knee which is expected to add up to six weeks to his recovery time. Speaking last week at the launch of the NatWest T20 Blast, Woakes said he was still unsure when he would return from his original injury.An ECB statement said: “The ECB medical team confirms that England and Warwickshire bowler Chris Woakes underwent uncomplicated keyhole surgery on his left knee for a meniscal tear earlier today. The injury occurred while undergoing rehab for his foot injury. His rehab is likely to take a further four to six weeks.”The first Test against New Zealand starts at Lord’s on May 21 with the second at Headingley from May 29. The one-day series begins on June 9 which may be a potential return if there are no setbacks in his latest recovery.Woakes was ruled out of England’s final World Cup match against Afghanistan with a metatarsal stress reaction and on returning home was told he would miss the West Indies series.He finished the last English season in possession of one of the four pace-bowling slots in the Test side, alongside James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Jordan, but remains in the pack jostling for a permanent position in the team.