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Rachin Ravindra, with his heroics at the 2023 ODI World Cup and experience at the IPL, will be expected to do well in India

Ashish Pant14-Oct-2024Rachin Ravindra admits that winning a Test series in India is an extremely difficult task, but is hopeful that his recent white-ball success in the country coupled with New Zealand’s experience of playing in the subcontinent recently could stand them in good stead in the three-Test series, starting in Bengaluru from October 16.Ravindra had a breakthrough 2023 ODI World Cup in India where he scored 578 runs in ten innings, which included three hundreds and two fifties. An IPL contract with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) followed, and Ravindra suddenly found himself in the thick of things.”Although it is different formats, it gives you confidence that you can perform in this part of the world, although conditions will most likely be different,” Ravindra said on Monday. “It’s more, I guess, managing the crowd and the expectations of the people because we know how passionate Indian people are about cricket.Related

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“It feels like if you’re able to do it a couple of times, hopefully you’ll be able to do it in a Test series and, look, I think it’s a different challenge entirely and it’s something I’m really looking forward to. It’s always special to come back to India and play. Those two tournaments [ODI World Cup and IPL] were amazing, the crowds and the passion and the hype and the buzz around them, so I’m excited to have a fully-fledged three-match Test series here.”After a bit of a false start to his Test career, Ravindra has had a fairly successful year in the longest format with 599 runs in six Tests in 2024 at 49.91, including a top score of 240 against South Africa.The same, however, can’t be said about New Zealand in general, whose World Test Championship (WTC) campaign has nosedived after the two wins at the start of the year against a second-string South Africa. They lost a home Test series to Australia before going down 2-0 in Sri Lanka. Spin has largely been New Zealand’s undoing in this WTC cycle, but Ravindra wants to take all the learnings and positives from the Sri Lanka series and is hopeful his side can come up with a better show in India.”India have always been a quality side, I guess the brand of cricket they play is very positive, especially in their own conditions, they know how to play,” Ravindra said. “They’ve grown up on these wickets and their players, the way they’ve evolved over the last few years has been amazing.”For us, it’s [about] playing our game and doing what’s true to us. I think we did some really good stuff during the Sri Lankan series as well, obviously came on the wrong end of the stick and the wrong side of the win-and-loss column there, but I think as a group there were times where we actually really pushed. That first Test was close and we played the way we wanted to in certain moments, but I think we’ve got to understand that we’ve got to do it for long periods of time because that’s what Test-match cricket is about.”As New Zealanders, we don’t necessarily try and look at the opposition too much; we know what a quality side they [India] are and what they bring to the table. But I think if we’re able to play our game and be consistent and put our best foot forward, hopefully that will result in a win, who knows?”While the pitches in India are unlikely to do New Zealand any favours, the weather in Bengaluru might help them feel at home. It’s been overcast and damp here over the last few days, and the forecast for the first Test suggests heavy cloud cover and rain. The pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, too, has been under covers for a fair bit.Does that then bring New Zealand into the game a bit more?”I guess a bit of rain around, a bit of overcast conditions, looking at the wicket, it might not turn as much as what we might expect in Mumbai maybe, but I think the quality of the wicket, the quality of their bowlers, the quality of our bowlers, I think that will decide the make-up of the game,” Ravindra said. “Whether it turns, I don’t know, I guess we’ll only find out… it might not turn first, second day, we’ll only find out third, fourth, fifth day. It’s important for us as a group to play what’s in front of us and not come into this game with preconceived notions or ideas of what it looks like.”I think we did some really good stuff during the Sri Lankan series as well”•AFP/Getty Images

“We know what Test cricket in India is, but we know the quality of the Indian fast bowling set-up too, so it’s not like they’re just going to produce a rank turner, you know, they’re quality [fast] bowlers too.”It is a sort of homecoming for Ravindra. His father played a decent level of cricket in Bengaluru before settling down in New Zealand. Ravindra still has plenty of family in the city and expects them to turn up for the Test.”Yeah, it’s cool,” Ravindra said. “Obviously when I was here last, well I guess it was IPL and then before that it was the ODI World Cup, so two pretty cool experiences to have, part of two very good teams.”But I guess it’s something different about playing a Test match. You’re here for five days and it’s tradition, and I guess it makes it extra significant just because of the family connection. For me, I was born and brought up in Wellington, I’m a Kiwi all the way through. It’s amazing and I’m very proud of my Indian heritage and to be able to play where a lot of my family is based is something pretty special.”There’ll be a bunch of them in the crowd and I know Dad will be here watching, so those moments, you pinch yourself on the journey and for this, it’s definitely one of them.”

Compton, Muyeye notch half-centuries as Lancashire toil after inserting visitors at Blackpool

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 22-Jun-2025James Anderson’s first day as Lancashire’s interim skipper was spoiled by Ben Compton and the rain as Kent dominated the first day of the Rothesay County Championship match at BlackpoolHaving lost the toss, the visitors were 213 for 3 when heavy showers caused play to be abandoned shortly after the scheduled tea interval. At that point, Compton was 86 not out and his 126-run stand with Tawanda Muyeye, who made 63, had been the centrepiece of the day. Anderson, on the other hand, might have been regretting his decision to insert Kent on what looks a true pitch.Even in the first few overs of the day, the signs were not propitious for Lancashire. Opening in place of Zak Crawley, Jaydn Denly batted with pleasant ease to put on 55 with Compton in exactly an hour before he top-edged a sweep off the spinner, Chris Green, and was well caught at deep square leg by Mitchell Stanley for 34.Daniel Bell-Drummond then made 13 before he edged George Balderson behind, where Matty Hurst took a good catch standing up to the stumps. However, Compton and Muyeye took their side safely to lunch, when Kent were probably reasonably content to be 105 for 2 after 33 overs.Rain then prevented play for 90 minutes but Compton reached his half-century only four overs after the restart when he drove Anderson through mid-on for two. The Kent opener had faced 100 balls and had hit six fours to reach a landmark that also prompted a marked acceleration in the run rate.Compton and Muyeye extended their third-wicket partnership to a hundred in only 19.5 overs although Lancashire had only themselves to blame for dropping Compton on 54, Jennings putting down a straightforward slip catch off Green. Batting in a most enterprising fashion, Muyeye reached his own fifty off 66 balls and made light of the cloudy conditions that should have aided Anderson’s seam attack.But Lancashire got the breakthrough they needed in the penultimate over before tea, when Muyeye, having made 63, sought to hit Balderson down the ground but only skied the ball to cover, where Stanley took his second catch of the day.That ended Muyeye’s 126-run stand with Compton and as things turned out, the wicket fell ten balls before rain forced the players off a couple of deliveries before the scheduled tea interval. Umpires David Millns and Sue Redfern abandoned play at 5.20om with Compton 14 runs short of his fourth first-class century of the season and Jack Leaning unbeaten on 4.Balderson was the most successful Lancashire bowler with 2 for 37. Anderson bowled nine wicketless overs for 36 runs.Lancashire came into this match between the bottom two sides in Division Two four points ahead of their opponents and as the only first-class county yet to record a Championship win this season. If the weather forecast is anything like accurate, they will have done well to change that situation come Wednesday evening.

England fast bowler hit with suspension after cooperating with anti-corruption investigation

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2024Brydon Carse, the Durham and England fast bowler, has been handed a three-month ban after an anti-corruption investigation by the newly formed Cricket Regulator.Carse, who accepted the charges and cooperated with the independent regulatory body, was found to have breached ECB gambling regulations by placing 303 bets on various cricket matches between 2017 and 2019. He did not bet on games he was playing in but, according to a report in the , did place money on Durham games.After taking into account mitigating factors, Carse was banned for 16 months with 13 months suspended. He will be unable to play until August 28, ruling him out of potential involvement in England’s Test series against West Indies.Related

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• ECB announces formation of independent Cricket Regulator

An ECB spokesperson said: “We take these matters extremely seriously and do not condone any form of anti-corruption breach in cricket.”We support the Cricket Regulator’s decision and their consideration of the mitigating factors in Brydon’s case. He has co-operated and shown remorse for his actions. We are satisfied that Brydon has shown growth in the five years since this breach and has demonstrated a greater understanding of his responsibilities.”We are hopeful that his case can serve as an educational example for other cricketers.”Carse, 28, has been capped 17 times in limited-overs internationals by England and was called up to their squad for the 50-over World Cup in India last year. He was given a two-year deal in the ECB’s last round of central contracts.Although he has yet to be involved in the Test set-up, he was part of the group of seam bowlers namechecked by Rob Key last year as central to England’s planning across formats, with the retirements of James Anderson and Stuart Broad set to create greater opportunities in red-ball cricket.Dave Lewis, the Cricket Regulator’s interim director, said: “The Cricket Regulator takes any breach of integrity or misconduct rules seriously and I would encourage any participant, from within the professional game, who has gambled on cricket to come forward and not wait to be discovered.”The Cricket Regulator understands the many challenges participants can face and will handle cases fairly, with understanding and support for anyone who wishes to come forward. We also encourage any participant struggling with any welfare concerns to seek assistance from the PCA or other trusted professional source.”

CI chair Brian MacNeice met with players to address concerns about lack of fixtures

Matt Roller19-Sep-2025Cricket Ireland (CI) hopes that India’s men will tour for a white-ball series next summer on their way to England.India will travel to England for five T20Is and three ODIs from July 1-19 next year, and ESPNcricinfo understands that CI officials have held discussions with their BCCI counterparts over a potential visit before that tour begins. India’s men have toured Ireland three times for short T20I series in the past seven years (in 2018, 2022 and 2023) and attracted strong crowds at Malahide on the outskirts of Dublin.Paul Stirling, Ireland’s captain, said on Tuesday that he was “disappointed” that his side had played so little home international cricket this summer, and described them as “underprepared” to face England in their ongoing T20I series. Brian MacNeice, CI’s chair, said after Friday’s washout in Malahide that he had met players and staff to address their concerns.Related

• Stirling 'frustrated' by Ireland's sparse summer schedule

• Dublin downpour leads to Ireland-England washout

“I opened the meeting by saying, as far as I’m concerned, the quantum of cricket that we’re playing in ’25 isn’t good enough to prepare you guys to play international cricket and to be competitive at ICC tournaments,” MacNeice said. “I’m not hiding from that.”We mapped out our views and thoughts on what the schedule for ’26 and ’27 looks like, and I wanted to get their input not just on the international schedule, but also the domestic schedule… It was a really positive session yesterday. There’s more work to be done, honestly, but it was a good session.”Sunday’s third T20I against England will be Ireland’s ninth and final home men’s international of the 2025 summer, with four of the first eight lost to weather. Their slimline fixture list is, in essence, the result of the high costs they incur while converting club grounds into international venues and the relatively low value of their broadcast rights deals.”[The players] understand the challenges that we’re facing and some of the reasons why we had what we had, but they also are very clear about what we’re trying to achieve. I think they’re fully bought into that,” MacNeice said.Per the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, Ireland are due to host New Zealand (one Test), Bangladesh (three ODIs and three T20Is) and Afghanistan (one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is) next summer. “There’s still a couple of variables that have to be figured out before we lock in the final schedule, but we’ll be hosting Test cricket here next year,” MacNeice said.MacNeice also said that Ireland’s new stadium project at Abbotstown on the outskirts of Dublin is “very much on track”, and said that he has held positive meetings with senior ECB officials this week around the 2030 men’s T20 World Cup, which Ireland, England and Scotland will co-host.He confirmed that he would be “very supportive” of a proposal for a two-division World Test Championship featuring Ireland, and said that the process of hiring a new chief executive to replace Warren Deutrom is going “really well”, with the hope of making a recommendation for his successor to the board in late October.MacNeice was appointed chair of the board for the planned European T20 Premier League (ETPL) on Thursday, with Deutrom becoming the league’s director. The ETPL was due to launch in 2025, but its inaugural season was postponed to 2026 after it struggled to find buyers for franchises.

Rishabh Pant vs Jasprit Bumrah could be a key contest to determining the result of this Sunday-afternoon clash

Abhimanyu Bose06-Apr-2024

Match Details

Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Delhi Capitals (DC)
Mumbai, 3.30pm IST (10am GMT)

Big picture – Suryakumar’s potential return, and Bumrah vs Pant

Sunday’s double-header will be kicked off by a bottom-of-the-table clash as Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals look to turn their fortunes around. Mumbai are still without a win, while Capitals have won just one of their four games. And both teams are coming into the game on the back of comprehensive defeats.One major boost for the hosts will be the potential return of the world’s No. 1 T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav, who trained with the squad for the first time on Friday after missing the start of the season. He will add much-needed firepower to Mumbai’s batting should he be cleared to play – and it’s a department they need some confidence in after being restricted to just 125 in their last match against Rajasthan Royals.Related

• All eyes on SKY as Mumbai hope for batting boost

• The still feet and knee-flex of Rishabh Pant

• Suryakumar links up with Mumbai at Wankhede

• Kuldeep Yadav advised rest after groin niggle

Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, suffered a 106-run defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders, a performance that left their head coach Ricky Ponting “almost embarrassed”. But their one big positive was Rishabh Pant scoring his second consecutive half-century.IPL 2024 has marked Pant’s return to professional cricket after a life-threatening car accident in December 2022. After a slow start to the season, Pant blazed quick fifties against Chennai Super Kings and KKR, and seems to be batting with a great degree of freedom. Apart from David Warner, Pant is the one big batting threat Mumbai will be vary of.But they have on their side an in-form Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah, who has been the standout bowler for Mumbai this season after missing IPL 2023 with injury, has dismissed Pant six times in 13 games in the IPL, getting him out more often than any other bowler.Pant has also struggled to score quickly off Bumrah, striking at 111.62 against him.With Akash Madhwal in their attack as well, Mumbai can be flexible in their use of Bumrah, and can save him up for this crucial match-up. How this battle pans out could go a long way in deciding the outcome of the game.Rishabh Pant is striking the ball beautifully, but he’ll be up against his nemesis Jasprit Bumrah•BCCI

Form guide

Mumbai LLL (Most recent match first)
Capitals LWLL

Team news and impact player strategy

Mumbai Indians
If Suryakumar is available, Naman Dhir will likely make way for him. How Mumbai use the impact player will be interesting to see. In their last match, they brought in Dewald Brevis as the impact player as early as the end of the first over, and he was out for a golden duck. Brevis and Romario Shepherd are likely candidates for the role if Mumbai bowl first – or if they bat and suffer early losses – while a sixth bowler could come in if they bat first.Probable XII: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Naman Dhir/Suryakumar Yadav, 4 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Hardik Pandya (capt), 7 Tim David, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Akash Madhwal, 12 .Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals could have Kuldeep Yadav back in the mix, after he missed their last two games. Kuldeep started the season well, but was then advised rest due to a groin niggle. Capitals will take a final call on his availability after a fitness test either on the eve of the game, or on matchday. Mitchell Marsh also picked up an injury during Capitals’ last game and that could set his compatriot Jake Fraser-McGurk up for an IPL debut.Probable XII: 1 David Warner, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 , 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Sumit Kumar/Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Rasikh Salam, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Ishant Sharma, 12 .Akash Madhwal has a terrific record at the Wankhede•Associated Press

In the spotlight – Akash Madhwal and Khaleel Ahmed

For their first two games, Mumbai Indians opted for the extra spin option in Shams Mulani, but brought in Akash Madhwal for their first home game of the season. Madhwal, who made his debut in the back half of the 2023 season, had impressed for Mumbai in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, even registering record figures of 5 for 5 in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants. In his first match this year, he accounted for Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and R Ashwin as he gave away just 20 runs in his four overs. He was a rare positive on an otherwise forgettable day for Mumbai, who will hope he can continue to deliver. The last time he played a day game at the Wankhede, he took four wickets to slow Sunrisers down after a 140-run opening stand.Capitals would have undoubtedly taken notes from the Royals’ powerplay performance with the ball in the last match at the Wankhede, and have, in Khaleel Ahmed, a left-arm seamer who they know can cause significant damage at the top. Khaleel went for runs against KKR, but has generally been threatening with the new ball, as he displayed in his first spell against CSK. He averages 19.5 with the ball against Mumbai, an impressive record that he will look to better.

Stats that matter

• Since the start of IPL 2022, Mumbai Indians have a 45.8% win percentage with Suryakumar Yadav in their side. The number drops to 22.2% without him.
• Rohit Sharma has struggled to score against Axar Patel, scoring just 51 runs off 61 deliveries against the left-arm spinner. Axar has also got him out twice in nine innings.
• Akash Madhwal has a bowling average of 11.1 at the Wankhede stadium, with 10 wickets in four matches at the ground.

Pitch and conditions

Last year, the Wankhede was a high-scoring ground, but this match will see the same strip used as in the match against Royals. That pitch was not used in IPL 2023, and it proved to be a tricky one to bat on. There was seam movement early on and the ball also held in the pitch as the match wore on. So expect batters to work hard for their runs.

Quotes

“I don’t think [fans] should boo Hardik Pandya. The franchise has appointed him as captain. That’s what happens in sport, whether you captain India or whether you captain your state or whether you captain your franchise, you are appointed as captain. Rohit Sharma is different class, his performance for his franchise and for India has been a different level whether as captain or player. It is not Hardik’s fault he has been appointed captain.”

The visitors lost 6 for 37 but a target of 369 would mean breaking records for New Zealand

Tristan Lavalette02-Mar-20242:48

Malcolm: Lyon looms as the big threat for New Zealand

Nathan Lyon outfoxed Kane Williamson and menaced on a sharp turning Basin Reserve surface as Australia remained in the box seat for a first Test victory despite a stirring fightback from New Zealand on day three.Chasing 369, New Zealand reached stumps at 111 for 3 with Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell weathering challenging conditions in an unbroken half-century partnership. They defied Lyon, who was the predictable danger bowler and took 2 for 27 from 16 overs.Related

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Ravindra mixed defence with proactiveness like when he clobbered the offspin of Travis Head for a towering six late in the day’s play. He reached his fifty off 77 balls by whacking a short delivery from Mitchell Starc to the leg-side boundary.Ravindra did endure several anxious moments, including an lbw appeal from Lyon that Australia unsuccessfully reviewed, but made it through to give New Zealand hope of conjuring a remarkable victory. Given the difficult situation, Mitchell curtailed his innate aggressiveness to finish 12 not out from 63 balls.New Zealand will need to rewrite the record books if they are to take the lead in this series, with the highest ever run chase at Basin Reserve being 277 for 3 by Pakistan in 2003.Glenn Phillips went all out with his five-for celebrations•Getty Images

New Zealand’s comeback started when Australia lost 6 for 37 as Glenn Phillips became the first New Zealand spinner to claim five wickets at home since Jeetan Patel in 2008. He finished with 5 for 45 from 16 overs as Australia was bowled out for 164 in their sixth lowest total against New Zealand in Test cricket.But New Zealand’s chase started poorly when opener Tom Latham gifted Lyon a wicket when he nicked off a short and wide delivery on the stroke of tea. Lyon, who entered the attack in the sixth over, had a huge caught behind appeal turned down on Williamson’s first delivery and Australia unsuccessfully reviewed.The riveting battle continued after the interval with Williamson, who made three hundreds in four innings against South Africa, determined to make amends after his horrendous run out for a duck in New Zealand’s first innings.Williamson made a statement by climbing into a couple of rare short deliveries from Lyon, who reverted to around the wicket and was armed with a leg slip. Williamson fell in the trap, unable to get on top of a Lyon delivery that pitched on middle and straightened as he inside edged into the safe hands of Steven Smith at leg slip.After a rare double failure, Williamson was visibly annoyed with himself as his modest career mark against Australia fell to 37.26 compared to 55.25 overall.With spin spitting off the surface, skipper Pat Cummins turned to Head and it proved an inspired decision with his third delivery accounting for opener Will Young, who played needlessly and edged to slip where Smith completed a stunning one-handed catch. It moved Smith past Mark Waugh’s tally of 181 Test catches and into sixth spot on the all-time list.Rachin Ravindra took the fight to Australia•Getty Images

Lyon’s performance had Australia remaining confident despite a collapse in the middle session that loosened their stranglehold.As they seek a rare Test victory over Australia, New Zealand have seemingly been overawed at times in the series-opener. But Phillips has been a standout after he top-scored for New Zealand with a defiant 71 off 70 in their disappointing first innings of 179.He has also stood up with the ball after frontline spinner Mitchell Santner was overlooked for this match. Having had Usman Khawaja stumped in the first session, Phillips provided New Zealand with a much needed spark shortly after lunch with the wickets of Head and in-form Mitchell Marsh on consecutive deliveries.Head, who had made just one run in his last three innings, raced to 29 off 36 balls before holing out to long-off. Marsh was dismissed for a golden duck after being caught at short-leg with Phillips equalling his career best of four wickets in an innings.Phillips soon captured his fifth after Cameron Green, backing up from his masterful unbeaten 174 in the first innings, poked to short-leg to end his 80-ball 34 with Young taking a very sharp catch.Phillips was denied a sixth when Cummins was dropped twice, but Matt Henry claimed the last two wickets – finishing with eight for the match – to complete New Zealand’s fightback.Having never taken a five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, Phillips became the first New Zealand spinner to reach the feat at Basin Reserve since 2006 when Daniel Vettori, who is now part of Australia’s coaching staff, claimed 7 for 130 against Sri Lanka.A New Zealand rally looked unlikely when Lyon, the nightwatcher, dominated the first 30 minutes of play. Having scored the most runs in Test history without a half-century, with a highest score of 47, Lyon fell short after making a breezy 41 off 46 balls in the top score of the innings.Lyon’s milestone bid ended after whipping Henry to a leaping Young at midwicket, but he was back in the thick of the action later in the day’s play.

“There’s a lot of good that can come from it if guys have the right attitude,” says former England captain

Vithushan Ehantharajah09-May-2024Joe Root has backed the use of the Kookaburra ball in the County Championship, believing it can help upskill domestic cricketers and bridge the gap to Test cricket.The Australian-made ball was used for the first two rounds of the Championship season, in which there were 17 draws across 18 matches. Though a large part of that was down to rain – Durham vs Hampshire and Derbyshire vs Gloucestershire were abandoned without a ball bowled – players complained the flatter seam was ineffective on damp, soft pitches and that the ball lost its shape quickly, compared to the regular Dukes.Those first two sets of fixtures saw a wicket fall every 73.7 balls, compared to 54.9 balls in the first two rounds of 2023. Among a large volume of runs was more playing time for spinners, with Surrey legspinner Cameron Steel topping the wicket-taker charts. The Kookaburra will return for another two rounds in August and September, when better weather should help produce firmer surfaces and lend itself to a fairer assessment.Related

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The Kookaburra trial, one of the recommendations from Andrew Strauss’ high-performance review to encourage fast bowlers and spinners, began in 2023. While panned in some quarters – Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart regards the experiment as “the worst decision ever” – England men’s managing director Rob Key has suggested the Kookaburra could replace the Dukes as the domestic ball of choice.Root, who recently completed a five-game stint with Yorkshire – his first County Championship appearances since 2022 – has plenty of experience with the Kookaburra overseas, particularly in Australia, and sees the benefit of its use in England, not just for the Test side.”I don’t think it’s all about being able to use the Kookaburra ball when you go to Australia or South Africa,” Root said. “I think it’s about finding ways of taking wickets when nothing’s in your favour – and that’s a great skill.””I guess you could look at it and think: ‘there’s been a load of draws’ but also you could think: ‘well, this is an opportunity to upskill’ as well. ‘How am I going to take wickets with this ball in this format on these kinds of pitches? How can I become better?'”I think there’s a lot of good that can come from it if guys have the right attitude.”Root cited England’s progression in limited-overs cricket since 2015 as something that could be replicated by regular use of the Kookaburra. The evolution under Eoin Morgan, which saw ODI and T20I World Cup success in 2019 and 2022 respectively, trickled down and has resulted in a pool of high-calibre white-ball cricketers, many of whom missed out on selection for next month’s T20 World Cup.”Look at the progression and the development in white-ball cricket in this country over a five-year period. Look at the amount of players that we’ve got that can do special things. Look how quickly that transition has been made through the mindset shift in white-ball cricket in our country. I think the same thing can happen in red-ball cricket.”You’ve got to be open minded enough and understand that you might have to go through a little bit of pain to get there.”If we want to keep upskilling and getting the standard as close to Test cricket as we can, it’s not going to happen overnight. But in five, six, seven years’ time, if we can bridge that gap then that transition for guys coming into Test cricket will be a lot smaller.”

New South Wales seamer set to play first four rounds of Division Two campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2023Northamptonshire have re-signed Chris Tremain, the Australia fast bowler, for the first four rounds of next season’s County Championship.Tremain, currently the leading wicket-taker in the Sheffield Shield with 34 at 15.20 for New South Wales, featured three times for Northants last season. He claimed 13 wickets, including six in the match against Middlesex – one of the club’s two wins as they were relegated from Division One.”I’m very excited to be returning to Northamptonshire in 2024,” Tremain said. “I enjoyed every moment I spent with the group last season, I hope I can make an impact for the time I’m there and help set the tone for the remainder of the County Championship.”Northants said that UK visa restrictions had prevented Tremain from joining for longer, but head coach John Sadler was nevertheless enthusiastic about the 32-year-old’s return.”I’m delighted to get Trem back on board with us for 2024.” Sadler said. “His style of bowling is very well suited to English conditions so to have him locked in for those first four games is fantastic.”He was only with us for a short stint last season but made a huge impact at the club on and off the field He’s in a rich vein of form in Australia at the moment and hopefully that continues when he rejoins us in April.”

“We must make sure we win the game rather than [allowing] the other team back into it”

Danyal Rasool29-Dec-2024Shan Masood lamented “the same mistakes” Pakistan keep making after they slipped to an eighth Test defeat on the trot in South Africa and their seventh in their last nine games. In a topsy-turvy game, the final twist belonged to South Africa as they recovered from an epic collapse that saw them lose four wickets for three runs to record an unbeaten 50-ball 51-run partnership that clinched victory by two wickets, and alongside it a berth in the World Test Championship final.”We had the game in our hand, whether with the bat or the ball,” Masood said. “I don’t have to add anything and sound like a broken record. [I’m] extremely proud of the efforts, but going forward as a team we need to be ruthless. We’ve been competing well in these conditions and I’ve said that before when we played in Australia in similar conditions. We had the game by the scruff of the neck and even here twice, we had them eight down and we thought we were in a reasonable position and even with the bat, when we could have extended our score in both innings.”Related

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While Pakistan have not won in South Africa since 2007, they have never come as close as they did in this Test. But collapses with the bat in both innings – they lost 4 for 22 in the first innings and 7 for 84 in the second – were compounded by toothlessness in the field against the tail: South Africa’s ninth and tenth-wicket partnerships added a combined 139 across two innings for the loss of just two wickets.”All four innings [cost us]” Masood said. “We can only look at ourselves. You’re going to make mistakes over several days, but you need to have a cushion. I thought when it came to a time when we could get that cushion with the bat, first and third innings, or whether that was with the ball when we had them eight down on two occasions. We didn’t have that cushion, and then you get partnerships like Bosch’s innings and Rabada and Jansen, and you don’t have enough of a cushion to retain a winning position.”A failure to kill games off has been a familiar theme for Masood, one he has highlighted so often he was conscious of sounding “like a broken record”. In Australia, Pakistan found themselves in positions of dominance – or at least parity – in two of the three Tests, as well as in both games against Bangladesh. Pakistan have chopped and changed the personnel; the bowlers, coaches and selection panel have all been rejigged over this period. Masood maintained, though, that his team had the ability to get over the line.Shan Masood: I don’t have to add anything and sound like a broken record. [I’m] extremely proud of the efforts, but going forward as a team we need to be ruthless•AFP/Getty Images

“I don’t think it’s a quality issue. The quality is there, and we’ve seen it at various points. To be a top team, to be in South Africa’s place, to play a WTC final, these are the things where you have to be ruthless.”Sometimes you learn the hard way. You can’t use it as an excuse but the more we play Test cricket, the more people get into sync. A lot of the players were playing for the first time in these conditions. It can be a really hard lesson where you feel like you’ve got the other team under pressure, but you still need to finish the job.”It can also feel like we’ve got a really good partnership with Saud [Shakeel] and Babar [Azam], or Kamran [Ghulam] and [Mohammad] Rizwan, or me and Saim [Ayub] in both innings and you feel that you can take them on and have a great score. You’re never set in these conditions whether with the bat or the ball. We’re learning the hard way through a defeat, but the challenge is that we have to respond to this and make sure once we get into winning positions, we must make sure we win the game rather than bring the other team back into it.”There was still enough encouragement from the Pakistan captain to highlight the contributions he felt merited more. Mohammad Abbas, playing, at 34, his first Test in over three years, bowled 19.3 unbroken overs across the second innings as he scrapped to pull a victory out of the hat for Pakistan, registering career-best figures of 6 for 54 in the second innings. He is now three wickets away from 100, and has the best Test bowling average for a Pakistani in history (minimum 15 wickets).”The message is clear, age is just a number,” Masood said. “The disappointing thing is a performance like that should be on the winning side. I also thought Saud Shakeel’s innings [was excellent] – if we had batted a bit better with him – he would have got a hundred. Those two performances deserved to be on the winning side, and unfortunately they’re not.”

MP captain Patidar’s unbeaten 40-ball 81 wasn’t enough as Mumbai chased down 175 with 13 balls to spare

Himanshu Agrawal15-Dec-2024Mumbai have yet another star in the making, and yet another trophy in a cabinet which is fast running out of space. Even before the ball landed beyond the straight boundary to confirm victory in the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final against Madhya Pradesh, Suryansh Shedge was leaping and punching the air. He now has three crucial contributions in his last four innings, the latest of which helped Mumbai seal a 175-run chase with 13 balls to spare.Shedge hit an unbeaten 36 off 15 balls while adding an unbroken stand of 51 from 19 deliveries with Atharva Ankolekar, who hit the winning six. Shedge smashed three fours and three sixes during his knock, none more impressive than a six which would have made Suryakumar Yadav proud. The 21-year-old got across to a length ball from Venkatesh Iyer in the 17th over, and nonchalantly swiped him over long leg to all but confirm Mumbai’s second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title. He now has knocks of 30* (eight balls), 36* (12) and 36* (15) in three of his last four T20 games.Related

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The chase was set up by Suryakumar and Ajinkya Rahane, who finished as the tournament’s highest run-getter. They took some time to add 52 for the third wicket, but that helped steady Mumbai after they were 47 for 2 in the fifth over. Rahane even got lucky when, off the last ball of the powerplay, he got a leading edge which flew to mid-off, where Rajat Patidar dived to his left only for the ball to escape his grasp.Rahane and Suryakumar built steadily, but with another 110 runs required from 69 balls, Suryakumar accelerated. He scooped and lofted Rahul Batham for four and six. Rahane started the next over by reverse sweeping and pulling Kumar Kartikeya for four. Venkatesh got Rahane for 37 in the 12th over, but Suryakumar bashed Batham for two sixes in the 13th.Rajat Patidar smashed an unbeaten 81 off 40 balls•PTI

Shivam Shukla then had Suryakumar caught at short fine leg for 48. When Shedge and Ankolekar came together Mumbai needed 46 from 32 balls, and the match could have gone either way. But the two ensured the trophy came their way.Earlier, MP needed Patidar, their captain, to make a match out of it. He was only behind Rahane on the runs charts and continued to rake in the runs, cracking an unbeaten 81 off 40 balls with six fours and six sixes. MP were 86 for 5 at the start of the 13th over, but Patidar looked immovable, helping MP score 80 runs in the last seven overs.There was the pull, the loft, the upper cut, the slice, and the swipe to savour for a sizeable Chinnaswamy crowd, as Patidar picked up the pace after managing just nine from as many deliveries at the start. His shots had plenty of power, the ball crashed into the stands, and it made for a fearless display of T20 hitting. But, at the end of the day, Patidar’s heroics were not quite enough.