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England lose Zak Crawley to last ball of day after being set 374 to win with series on the line

Matt Roller02-Aug-20253:22

Bangar: ‘Jaiswal’s Sehwag-esque impact makes it easier for batters to follow’

The fate of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will be sealed at The Oval on Sunday. England need another 324 runs to pull off the second-biggest chase in their history and win 3-1; India need eight wickets – or nine, in the improbable event that Chris Woakes walks out to bat one-handed – to square the series. The draw is no longer on the table.India are the favourites, and owe that status to four men: Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored his sixth century, and second of the series; Akash Deep, the nightwatcher whose maiden Test fifty wore England’s seamers down; Ravindra Jadeja, who passed 500 runs for the series; and Washington Sundar, whose late blitz took the target from 335 to 374 inside five overs.Related

• England made to toil amid mishaps of their own making

• Akash Deep joins nightwatch lore with Oval knock to remember

• Butter-fingered England spill six chances

• Oval and out: Jaiswal's series comes a full circle with statement hundred

England have been here before. They chased 371 in the first Test of this series with five wickets in hand, and cruised to 378 against India at Edgbaston three years ago without breaking a sweat. A punchy opening stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett shaved 50 runs off the target as the shadows lengthened, and England will not be overawed by scoreboard pressure.But Crawley’s dismissal in the final over of the day swung the pendulum firmly in India’s favour. It was Mohammed Siraj, the last seamer standing in this series, who delivered a moment of high skill and high drama. With two balls remaining, Siraj pushed Jaiswal back to deep square leg, a bluff to mask the searing 84mph/135kph yorker which followed, and crashed into off stump.It will be a huge test of both teams’ character, skill and resilience as the series heads into its 24th – and surely final – day. A draw would be a superb achievement for India under new leadership, not least from 2-1 down and on the ropes in Manchester; for England, a series win would be their first against a ‘Big Three’ opponent under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.3:25

‘Root’s wicket will be most important for India’

In Woakes’ absence, this was a brutally tough day for their three greenhorn seamers Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton, who bowled 79 out of 88 overs between them in India’s second innings. Ollie Pope did his best to rotate them but the workload was immense, particularly without a specialist spinner. Their cause was not helped by six dropped catches, and India profited from their profligacy.Akash Deep was the unlikely protagonist of the morning session, seizing an opportunity to chance his arm after seeing out two balls as nightwatcher on Friday evening. He popped the third ball of the day over mid-on for four and decided to keep on swinging, punching the air and thumping his chest when he reached 50 for only the second time in his professional career.England could have had him twice in two balls: they were convinced that Tongue had trapped him lbw, only for the DRS to uphold umpire Ahsan Raza’s not-out call, and Crawley dropped Tongue’s follow-up at third slip. By the time his leading edge was pouched by Atkinson at point off Overton, Akash Deep had added 107 in partnership with Jaiswal.Akash Deep’s gleeful hitting cast Jaiswal in an unfamiliar role, playing in his partner’s slipstream. But he continued to inflict death by a thousand cuts on England’s seamers, scoring heavily behind square on the off side and seizing on any width offered. He reached his hundred after lunch by pinching a single into that very same region, bookending his first tour of England with centuries.By that stage, he had lost another partner. Shubman Gill’s fine series ended with the first ball after lunch, which nipped back off the seam and thumped into his knee roll to give Atkinson his seventh of the match. His overall aggregate – 754 – was second only to Sunil Gavaskar among Indian batters in a Test series, but his highest score in four innings in London was just 21.2:58

Bangar: ‘Akash Deep could be India’s No. 8’

Karun Nair soon became Atkinson’s eighth victim of the Test, edging behind for 17. Nair was struck on the glove first ball, and dropped by Harry Brook – whose view was obscured by Crawley diving across him – on 12 before failing to account for Atkinson’s extra bounce. After a top score of 57 in eight innings, it seems Nair’s comeback series may also prove to be his farewell.Dropped twice on Friday evening, Jaiswal got a third life from Duckett at leg gully, but holed out to deep point for 118 soon after. But India’s lead continued to swell: Jadeja successfully overturned an lbw decision after being struck flush on the right boot and added exactly 50 for the seventh wicket with Dhruv Jurel, as England finally resorted to their occasional spinners.The pitch had clearly flattened out from the first two days but still offered something to work with. Overton managed to get a 76-over-old ball to swing away and trap Jurel lbw, and Tongue threatened to end the innings quickly: Brook finally held on to one when Jadeja steered to him on 53, and Siraj was distraught when given out lbw off the inside edge, with India out of reviews.But Washington went down swinging, as though Brook’s advice in Manchester to “get on with it” was ringing in his ears. He hauled four leg-side sixes in 12 balls, the last of which brought up a 39-ball fifty. By the time he miscued to Crawley at midwicket to give Tongue his fifth wicket, he and Prasidh Krishna (0 off 2) had put on 39 vital runs for the 10th wicket.Duckett and Crawley were left with 14 overs to lay a foundation for England, and Gill was clearly desperate to avoid a repeat of their freewheeling stand in the first innings, posting a deep point from the outset to stem the flow of runs. If it initially seemed curious that Siraj was held back to first change, then his crucial strike vindicated Gill’s decision to give him a single, late burst.

West Indies captain urges team to “play to their strengths” and go for the boundaries instead of “occupying the crease too much”

Deivarayan Muthu03-Jun-2023Since the end of the 2019 World Cup, Shai Hope has been the top run-getter in ODI cricket with 1931 runs at an average of 52.18. But he has had a strike rate of only 74.90 during this period – the lowest among batters from Full Member nations with at least 1000 runs.However, in the lead-up to the 2023 ODI World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe, Hope has slotted into a new role: an enforcer at No.4. The sample size is fairly small – Hope has batted only 11 times at No.4 in his ODI career and only twice this year – but in March he hit an unbeaten 128 off 115 balls, with seven sixes and five fours, to take down South Africa’s spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin. On the eve of West Indies’ first bilateral series against UAE, captain Hope suggested that he will continue to perform a similar role for West Indies at No.4.”It’s a ticklish one, but I’m happy to bat wherever the team needs [me to],” Hope said. “Going forward, I think No.4 would give us a bit more stability. In the past, we’ve had some tough time in the middle overs, especially against spin. But in this series, you may see a bit of a change; the batting line-up may be a bit different to what we’re accustomed to. Yeah, I think No.4 is the position that I’ll stay at for a period of time and hopefully that continues to work for West Indies.”Related

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Hope attributed his boundary-laden knock in East London to both situational awareness and improvement in his power game. He had also displayed signs of his power during his BPL stint with Khulna Tigers and PSL stint with Lahore Qalandars. He batted at No.3 or No.4 in those tournaments as well. Hope urges the rest of West Indies’ batting line-up to play with similar freedom rather than just trying to protect their wickets.”I think the way how cricket is being played now, you got to pretty much keep up with the times and find ways to adapt and improve our game,” Hope said. “I’m trying to be a bit more aggressive in strokeplay and it’s something I want to stem down to the team as well and want to focus on trying to find ways to score. I think in the past, we just tried to occupy the crease too much rather than executing our strengths because we’re known for scoring and especially scoring boundaries.”Most of West Indies’ senior players, including Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder, Rovman Powell and Kyle Mayers, are on a break after the IPL, but Hope backed the youngsters and fringe players to step up and work up some momentum ahead of the World Cup qualifier, which is set to begin on June 18.”[Want to] continue development and try to get some progression from here in the UAE,” Hope said. “Just trying to see the fellas improve in whatever way we can. I know it’s going to be a long and hard journey, but I just want to see some progression and that 1% improvement every single day.”Hope is enthused by the growth of Brandon King who has batted at the top as well as in the middle for West Indies in the recent past. King has been promoted to vice-captaincy for the UAE tour and could be among the contenders to become defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs’ captain in CPL 2023.”Firstly, I just love to see him bat – whether it’s in the nets or whether it’s in the middle,” Hope said of King. “He’s one of those guys who I can relate to as well as a batter and as a person. So, I’m just hoping he can continue in this stead. He’s been improving a lot, especially in his mindset towards the game, towards batting, and towards scoring runs. I must commend him for that.”His role is a lot more important now because he’s now opening the batting for us, so he has his work cut out for him. I’m very sure he’s capable of doing the job for us and hope he can continue in this way.”

Despite the loss, the West Indies captain reckoned there were a lot of positives to draw from the two-Test series

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-20243:06

Brathwaite: ‘We needed a bigger first-innings score’

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite reckoned that not taking the lead despite bowling South Africa out for 160 in the first innings of the second Test was a key reason behind his team’s 40-run loss in Providence.Electing to bat, the West Indies bowlers led by Shamar Joseph’s five-wicket haul had South Africa on the mat at 97 for 9. Dane Piedt and Nandre Burger then added a 63-run stand for the final wicket to take South Africa to 160. In reply West Indies were bowled out for 144, conceding a 16-run lead.While Brathwaite agreed that South Africa’s last-wicket stand was vital, but felt West Indies’ batting effort in the first innings was “just not big enough.”Related

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• Rabada, Maharaj seal win for South Africa against resilient West Indies

“Yeah, if you look at it, obviously it was quite big,” Brathwaite said on South Africa’s last-wicket stand on the opening day of the Test. “But bowling them out for 160, I was happy. That partnership for them was, was good. You know, it’s cricket where partnerships do happen. So, I won’t really stress on that too much.”But what I would say is our first innings total needed to be bigger. We needed to get a lead from it. I think that was very important. You can never complain about the bowlers’ effort to bowl them out for 160 but yeah, the batting effort in the first innings just wasn’t big enough. We had to fight back into the game. And, in the end, we fell short.”Despite losing the series 1-0 after the first Test ended in a draw, West Indies had a few positive takeaways from the two games. Shamar Joseph didn’t play the first Test but came back to rattle the South Africa top order with 5 for 33 in the first innings. Jayden Seales was West Indies’ highest wicket-taker with 12 which included 6 for 61 in the second innings in Providence while Jason Holder scored a half-century in the first innings. Brathwaite also singled out Alick Athanaze as someone who he sees scoring a “lot of Test hundreds”.Jayden Seales picked up his best figures in Test cricket in the second innings•AFP/Getty Images

“I think bowling-wise, you look at Shamar coming back in, not playing the first Test, and coming in bowling out South Africa on the first day. Jayden throughout the series, continued to keep coming despite the hot conditions. That was a positive,” Brathwaite said. “You see the two spinners, one of the first time two spinners played together in the Caribbean, and they did well, in particular this game where both of them were under three runs an over. That’s one thing we asked for, and that was great to see.”I think Alick, his innings was important to continue to keep learning as batters. Alick has a world of potential. I can see him scoring a lot of Test hundreds, but we just got to keep thinking about our game, finding ways to improve. Pretty pleased with the bowling effort throughout the series, and batting-wise, we scored above 200 in three of the innings. So it is just for us to aim to do it more consistently, and that’s always the task. We always hear about being consistent. And I think mentally it’s to find ways to be better.”While the prospect of Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Seales in future Test matches serves as a delicious prospect, Brathwaite also pointed out that he is very excited about the batting unit.”As I said, the future is very bright for our fast bowling unit, and we’ve still got Kemar Roach, with loads of experience on it. You know, he still has a lot of Test matches left in him. So it’s very exciting,” Brathwaite said. “But I must say, I’m very excited about the batting unit. I really think the line-up we have, can do the job. And obviously, I’ve been asking for more Test matches. We had five on the back. And yes, we didn’t come out with guys averaging above 50. But I think once we learn from this, going forward will be easier, and obviously being mentally tough is most important in playing Test matches.”So, I am excited for the fast bowlers, but I really believe that this top five can do a good job for West Indies. So, we just got to keep believing.”

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.

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

• Green's 174* helps Australia secure big lead as New Zealand collapse for 179

• Green's quick learning and Hazlewood's redemption pile on pain for New Zealand

• When 'mini-Buddha' lost his calm and New Zealand lost the plot, again

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.

The visitors in Bengaluru will be looking for their first win in IPL 2023

Deivarayan Muthu14-Apr-20234:50

Moody: Harshal Patel needs to step up for RCB at home

Big picture: Delhi Capitals look to snap losing streak

Two weeks into IPL 2023, Delhi Capitals are the only winless team in the tournament. Anrich Nortje threatened to put them on the board with his pinpoint yorkers in their last match against Mumbai Indians, but a wayward throw from David Warner in the outfield and Tim David’s big dive on the last ball consigned Capitals to their fourth successive defeat.Royal Challengers Bangalore were also on the wrong side of a last-ball finish earlier this week, but they’re better placed than Capitals on the standings and will be bolstered further by the return of Wanindu Hasaranga, who is one of the top wristspinners in T20 cricket right now.However, there are some concerns around RCB’s middle order and their batting approach in the middle overs, particularly against spin. Left-arm spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav offer Capitals a favourable match-up against Royal Challengers’ right-hander heavy top five. Nortje and Mustafizur have been formidable at the death, but Warner’s go-slow at the top has left them playing catch-up. Mitchell Marsh’s return and an easy-paced hit-through-the-line Chinnaswamy track, though, could free him up.

Form guide (most recent match first)

RCB: LLW
Delhi Capitals: LLLL

Team news: Wanindu Hasaranga, Mitchell Marsh return

Related

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• Kohli and du Plessis' slowdown against spin proves costly for RCB

• Watson: I'll be blown away if Warner doesn't set the IPL alight

Hasaranga has linked up with Royal Challengers and is available for selection after having completed his national commitments in New Zealand. The Sri Lanka legspinner will slot into the XI in place of David Willey or Wayne Parnell. This will result in another swap: Akash Deep for Karn Sharma. Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is expected to arrive in India on Friday and will finish his rehab with Royal Challengers. It is understood that he’s unlikely to play against Capitals on Saturday.

Toss and Impact Player strategy

Anuj Rawat might be used as a floater in the middle order to counter Axar and Kuldeep if Royal Challengers bat first. Seamer Akash Deep is likely to come in as an Impact Player when they bowl.Mitchell Marsh is back in the IPL after leaving to get married•BCCI

Royal Challengers Bangalore
Bat-first XI (possible): 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Mahipal Lomror, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Anuj Rawat, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 David Willey/Wayne Parnell, 11 Mohammed SirajBowl-first XI (possible): 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Mahipal Lomror, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 David Willey/Wayne Parnell, 10 Akash Deep, 11 Mohammed SirajDelhi Capitals
Marsh, who had missed Capitals’ last two games for his wedding, has rejoined the squad and is set to return to the starting XI in place of Rovman Powell.Capitals are likely to bring in Mukesh Kumar or Chetan Sakariya as their Impact Player, when they bowl. Prithvi Shaw might make way for one of the two seamers.Bat-first XI (possible): 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Yash Dhull/Aman Khan, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Lalit Yadav, 8 Abhishek Porel (wk), 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Mustafizur RahmanBowl-first XI (possible): 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Yash Dhull/Aman Khan, 5 Axar Patel, 6 Lalit Yadav, 7 Abhishek Porel (wk), 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Mukesh Kumar/Chetan Sakariya, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

Another Chinnaswamy belter is on the cards. A total of 1161 sixes have been hit at this ground in the IPL which is the second most behind Wankhede (1349) in the competition. The weather is expected to be fine for the duration of the game.

Stats that matter

• Glenn Maxwell vs Kuldeep promises to be an intriguing match-up. Maxwell has hit the wristpinner for 59 runs in 21 balls while being dismissed three times in the IPL.
• Dinesh Karthik has a strong head-to-head record against Mustafizur in T20 cricket: 46 runs off 23 balls with just one dismissal.
• Royal Challengers (9.51) and Capitals (9.18) have the worst economy rates in IPL 2023.

Veteran batter takes charge after interim period; Andy Balbirnie retains Test captaincy

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2023Paul Stirling has been confirmed as Ireland’s new men’s white-ball captain, having done the job on an interim basis since Andy Balbirnie stepped down in the summer. Balbirnie will continue in his role as captain of the Test side.Stirling, 33, has led the side on 22 occasions previously, including steering Ireland through qualification for the 2024 T20 World Cup. His appointment comes at the start of the cycle for the next ODI World Cup, to be held in South Africa in 2027, with Ireland aiming to secure a return in the expanded, 14-team format after missing out in 2019 and 2023, and will also encompass the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.”Playing for Ireland has always been a source of pride for me and to be confirmed the permanent white-ball captain is a recognition I don’t take for granted,” Stirling said. “I have very much enjoyed working with Heinrich [Malan] and the coaching staff over the last few months as interim skipper, but we all know that we have potentially three World Cup campaigns over the next four years and the work starts now.Related

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• Balbirnie steps down as Ireland ODI and T20I captain

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“I said recently that ODI cricket was my favourite format, and to watch on as the 50-over World Cup has been underway is actually been a great motivator for me to ensure we are there at the next event in 2027. I know this desire is a common feeling throughout the squad, and so we’ll look to harness this drive into the next series scheduled for December.”We also recognise that there is only eight months now to the next T20 World Cup, so the clock has well-and-truly started on our preparations.”Balbirnie gave up the white-ball captaincy after Ireland’s failure to make it to the ongoing ODI World Cup in India, finishing seventh at the qualifier in Zimbabwe. Stirling subsequently took charge for the T20 World Cup Europe qualifiers, as well as series against India and England. Ireland are next in action on a tour to Zimbabwe in December.Andrew White, Ireland’s national selector, said that he expected both Stirling, who is closing in on Kevin O’Brien’s record for highest caps for Ireland, and Balbirnie to be available across all three formats, despite the split leadership.”I am pleased that we have now settled the captaincy matter and I know the planning between the coaching and senior leadership group has already begun,” White said. “We have an exciting four-year period coming up and I look forward to working closely with Paul and Andrew as we take this squad forward.”Heinrich Malan, Ireland men’s head coach, added: “The last few months of dealing so closely with Paul has confirmed that we have an asset of vast experience and knowledge within the playing group – experience and knowledge he has gained from his time with Ireland, in franchise cricket and formerly within county cricket.”While fans may appreciate Paul’s talent on the field, his leadership skills and ability to communicate within the squad is a much under-estimated attribute. He lives and breathes cricket and has a passion for Irish cricket that is plain for everyone to see. It’s incredible to think Paul has been playing international cricket for 15 years and still has more good years ahead to lead this team and help improve Irish cricket.”We know the challenges we have in Irish cricket, but we are very much a coaching and leadership unit that looks for solutions rather than finding excuses. Paul exemplifies this – he is an outright optimist and I know is driven to succeed. It is indeed welcoming to settle the leadership question, and we are very much looking forward to taking Irish cricket forward over coming years.”

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.”

Jeff Vaughan appointed as Hurricanes’ new coach with James Hopes and Darren Berry alongside him

Alex Malcolm22-Jul-2022Justin Langer won’t return to coaching in the near term after deciding to take up “other opportunities” despite Ricky Ponting pursuing him vigorously for the Hobart Hurricanes’ head coaching role.Hurricanes announced Jeff Vaughan as their new head coach on Friday and he will combine the job with his role as Tasmania head coach. Vaughan is Ponting’s first appointment in his new role as Hurricanes’ head of strategy. Ponting also appointed James Hopes and Darren Berry as assistants alongside Vaughan.But Ponting was candid in explaining that his close friend Langer had been his first choice. The pair had discussed the role at length and Langer had shown interest early in the process before other opportunities piqued his interest.Related

• CA hit back at Langer's claims as fallout to coach's exit erupts

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• 'He could actually win you a World Cup' – Ricky Ponting pushes Tim David's case

• Ponting and Khawaja flag BBL concerns amid rise of new T20 leagues

• 'He's got a bit more thinking to do..' – Ponting reveals Langer might be interested in coaching Hobart Hurricanes

“I’m on record saying that I’ve spoken with Justin quite a bit about coming down here and being the head coach of the Hurricanes and he was quite keen,” Ponting said. “The initial conversations were pretty exciting. And he would like to get back involved again. But as things got progressed and things got a little bit closer, I think he’s had some other opportunities and exciting things maybe come across his desk that he thinks he might be able to enjoy a little bit more through the course of the summer.”I’m sure you’ll find out about some of those things over the next little period of time. But as soon as he [took] himself out of the running, it was really obvious to me who the next guy had to be and that’s the guy that we’ve appointed as head coach in Jeff. I’m not hiding from the fact that I spoke to him [Langer]. I spoke to him a lot about it and I think everyone, probably around Australian cricket circles knew that I was trying to get him down here for the Hurricanes but it wasn’t to be.”Langer has remained in Perth since his messy departure from the Australia men’s coaching job in February. He has been doing a lot of corporate speaking as well as fulfilling his duties as a board member for the West Coast Eagles, an Australian Football League club.When Ponting first flagged Langer’s name as his number one candidate for the Hurricanes job back in June, it was met with a lukewarm reception from Hurricanes’ veteran Matthew Wade when he was asked about Langer’s style.Vaughan’s appointment is likely to be a popular one. He has vast experience having been with Tasmania and Hurricanes previously as an assistant under former coach Adam Griffith. He left both in 2021 to join the Australia men’s coaching team under Langer for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes, but returned to take the Tasmania job earlier this year just prior to Andrew McDonald taking over as Australia’s head coach.”Everyone that I’ve spoken to around Tasmanian cricket or around the Australian cricket team just had glowing reports about Jeff with his coaching ability and his coaching style and his people management,” Ponting said. “I think that’s exactly what the Hurricanes need right now.”Hobart Hurricanes coaching team (left to right), James Hopes (assistant), Ricky Ponting (head of strategy), Jeff Vaughan (head coach) and Darren Berry (assistant)•Cricket Tasmania

Combining the Tasmania men’s domestic program with Hurricanes’ BBL team under one coach is a model that has worked successfully in Western Australia under both Langer and Adam Voges and is currently employed in South Australia and Queensland.But the addition of Hopes and Berry adds significant global franchise experience to Hurricanes. Hopes has been an assistant under Ponting in the IPL at Delhi Capitals while Berry has previously coached Adelaide Strikers in the BBL and coached South Australia to a T20 title in the old Big Bash competition. Berry has been an assistant coach at title-winning teams in the IPL and PSL and also works in the Hundred.”With Jeff being the head coach of the Tigers and what I felt the Hurricanes needed right here and right now it just seemed like the perfect fit for him to be in charge of both programs,” Ponting said. “But in saying that was also really important to me that I got high-quality experienced assistant coaches underneath Jeff to make sure that when Jeff is away with the Tigers that the Hurricanes program is actually in as good a shape as possible by the time he joins, which will be probably two weeks before the first game.”In other coaching news, Griffith has joined Victoria as their men’s bowling coach under head coach Chris Rogers. Victoria have also appointed Ben Rohrer as their new batting coach to take over from Andre Borovec, who has joined the Australia men’s team as an assistant coach in the role Vaughan vacated.Former Victoria and Australia batter Cameron White has departed Adelaide Strikers to join Sydney Sixers as an assistant coach under Greg Shipperd.

Cameron Green, Tim David’s fifties in vain as India hunt down 187-run target

Deivarayan Muthu25-Sep-20221:54

Hodge: ‘It looks like Kohli has his mojo back’

Half-centuries from Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli trumped fifties from Cameron Green and Tim David as India chased down 187 and clinched the series 2-1 in front of a sell-out crowd in Hyderabad.Suryakumar got together with Kohli after Daniel Sams and Pat Cummins had bounced out KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma respectively. Whenever the bowlers hit the Hyderabad pitch hard, the ball either kicked up or stopped on the batters. Case in point: the first ball to Suryakumar, from Cummins, reared up from a back of a length and zipped away past his outside edge.Suryakumar, however, rose above the conditions and Australia’s attack, proving a potent point of difference in India’s line-up. He struck up a 104-run partnership off 62 balls with Kohli and disrupted the bowlers by manufacturing swinging room or jumping out of the crease.After Suryakumar ultimately fell for 69 off 36 balls, with India 53 away from victory, Australia staged a mini-fightback and dragged the game down to the last over in which the hosts needed 11.Kohli shovelled the first ball from Sams over long-on and holed out next ball for 63 off 48 balls. Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya, though, got the job done for India with one ball to spare.8:05

Rohit: ‘We still need to be more aggressive and clinical’

Green’s opening salvo
With the new ball sliding onto the bat, Green immediately teed off in the powerplay, muscling his way to a 19-ball fifty in the fifth over. Much like Suryakumar, Green often backed away outside leg and lustily swung at the ball. Only David Warner and Glenn Maxwell have hit faster fifties for Australia in T20Is.Green was responsible for 52 off the 66 runs Australia had scored in the powerplay. He once again unfurled his range against spin when he cracked Axar Patel for three successive fours in the fourth over, with the pick of those being a hard, flat sweep to the midwicket boundary.Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had conceded 12 runs in his first over, however, returned to the attack in the next over and hid one away from his reach to have Green caught at backward point for 52 off 21 balls. Axar steps up once again
After being picked apart by Green, Axar got his arm ball fizzing against Maxwell and varied his pace well to make it even more effective. He had already dismissed Aaron Finch for 7 and claimed 1 for 31 in his three overs in the powerplay.Axar then returned to the attack with a double-wicket 14th over. He had Josh Inglis lobbing a catch to backward point and drew a return catch from Matthew Wade. Axar went over the wicket to the left-handed Wade, got a shortish ball into the pitch and had him spooning a punch back to him. Axar ended the series with figures of 8 for 63 in ten overs at an economy rate of 6.30. No other bowler got more than three wickets in the series.2:36

Has Tim David cemented his place in the Australia XI?

David’s end-overs bash

That Australia reached 186 for 7 from 117 for 6 was largely down to David’s big-hitting. In his first international series for Australia, David showed why he is in demand in franchise T20 leagues. Despite India posting fielders at both long-on and long-off for the most part, David took 27 of his 54 runs down the ground with Kieron Pollard-esque blows. When Bhuvneshwar marginally missed his yorker, David took him for 6, 6, 4 in the 18th over. Jasprit Bumrah, too, couldn’t control the damage, finishing with 0 for 50 – the most he has conceded in a T20I.The Suryakumar-Kohli show
India lost both their openers within four overs, but Suryakumar and Kohli quickly changed the mood and tempo of the chase. Both batters were proactive against legspinner Adam Zampa, using their feet and hitting him against the intended turn for sixes.Zampa could’ve cut Kohli’s innings short at 23 had he hung onto a tough return catch. Suryakumar soon overtook Kohli and surged to a 29-ball fifty. He then hit two sixes and a four off his next five balls and threatened to rush India home. Hazlewood and co. though applied the brakes and made India work hard for victory.India managed only one four and a six between overs 16 and 19, but Suryakumar’s early assault ensured the chase was always within their grasp.