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Dillon du Preez will take over in an interim capacity for South Africa’s tour of India with a new coach to be appointed after that

Firdose Moonda10-May-2024Long-serving South Africa Women head coach Hilton Moreeng’s tenure has ended after a period of 11 years and four months.Moreeng was originally appointed in the role in December 2012, and oversaw South Africa’s transition to professionalism in 2014 and their greatest successes in the decade since. He took them to two ODI World Cup semi-finals, two T20 World Cup semi-finals, and was in charge when they became the first national senior side to reach a World Cup final, at home in the 2023 T20 World Cup. He was South Africa’s first black African national coach.Dillon du Preez, Moreeng’s assistant since September 2020 and a former first-class cricketer, will take over from him in an interim capacity for South Africa’s tour of India in June-July with a permanent coach to be appointed after that.Moreeng’s departure came after a period of short-term extensions to his contract since 2020 – originally for three years until after the 2023 T20 World Cup, and then for periods of time in the months that followed.CSA have confirmed it was Moreeng’s decision to step away.”He opted not to continue. And the timing of it is not great, but we really respect and understand his position,” Enoch Nkwe, South Africa’s director of cricket, said at a press conference on Friday. “He’s invested a lot, you know, obviously into women’s cricket. He’s taken this team from basically nothing to great heights. He’s reached a point where, and he was completely honest, he needs to allow the next person to take the team to the next level.”In his latest extension, Moreeng was contracted for the 2023-24 season, initially until the end of 2023, and then until the end of the summer, after his contract expired last year. He was also retained in 2020 when CSA first appointed a director of cricket – Graeme Smith – who undertook a major overhaul of the organisation’s coaching structures.Most recently, Moreeng remained in the job despite senior players expressing unhappiness with the length of his tenure. In August last year, six months after South Africa reached the final of the T20 World Cup, a group of players wrote to CSA to express their desire for change, but ESPNcricinfo understands that the process to replace Moreeng was delayed, and he was allowed to continue. As it turned out, CSA changed the captain and replaced Sune Luus, who led at the T20 World Cup and prior to that in Dane van Niekerk’s injury-enforced absence, with Laura Wolvaardt.A process was then put in place to recruit Moreeng’s replacement, who was expected to take over after the home series against Bangladesh last December, but that never happened. In early November, Nkwe told reporters that CSA “had interviews last week and we are still finalising a couple of things”. “As soon as we are done with the post-interview process, we will be able to make an announcement,” he said, and indicated the new support staff would be in place for South Africa’s January-February tour to Australia. He has since said CSA was not satisfied with those who put their hands up for the job. “We did advertise the position and unfortunately we couldn’t find the fitting candidates to take the team forward,” Nkwe said. “We went into the process of headhunting as well and unfortunately we couldn’t find anyone.”Moreeng then took South Africa to Australia, where they beat Australia for the first time in both a T20I and an ODI (though they lost both series) and was in charge for the home series against Sri Lanka. South Africa lost a T20I series to Sri Lanka for the first time and shared the ODI spoils, as Sri Lanka successfully completed the highest chase in women’s ODIs. It was after the Sri Lanka series that Moreeng decided his time was up, Nkwe said.CSA had initially hoped that Moreeng would continue until the 2025 World Cup, during which time they could plan a transition phase for his successor but “the process didn’t work out as planned”. Du Preez will now take the team to India and it is possible a new coach will be in place ahead of the T20 World Cup. Asked if the players are comfortable with du Preez, who has been in his role since September 2020, Nkwe suggested it may take some time for things to settle.”They’re still a little bit shocked because they didn’t expect [Moreeng’s departure] so soon; immediately at the end of the season. A lot of them are still processing what just transpired,” Nkwe said. “We’re going to be engaging with them later in the month, at a camp, to try and gauge, obviously, where they’re feeling and where everybody’s at. We also want to see how we can help Dillion to make sure that the team can pull in one direction, which I have no doubt he’ll be able to do.”Under Hilton Moreeng, South Africa Women became the first national senior side to reach a World Cup final•ICC via Getty Images

Asked if he would consider putting himself up for the job full-time, du Preez stayed on the fence, for now. “I see myself as someone who has to do this at this stage of my life. Whether or not I try to do it going forward, this will allow me to grow. I see it as a positive move, even if it is for a month or two,” he said. “I think I will want to [have the job permanently] but it’s too early to give you a 100% answer. But that’s where you want to be, at the highest level. I would really want to coach there. I enjoy it a lot. But let’s talk after India.”Du Preez also indicated he would not change too much to begin with, having been mentored by Moreeng. “He’s been here for 11 years in this space and to learn from him, meant a lot to me. Whatever you know about cricket, the moment you move into the women’s space, you actually find out that you might know nothing,” du Preez said. “It’s been an emotional week. Hilton has left big shoes for me to fill. What he has done for women’s cricket, it feels like no one is going to match. I couldn’t pick a better guy to learn from.”There is no suggestion that CSA will continue to look for a women’s director of cricket, and that Moreeng could be considered for that. Nkwe said the former coach needs “time” to “continue reflecting and to see what his journey is going to look like moving forward”. But, Nkwe said, CSA would be open to engaging Moreeng in the future. “From our point of view, we would like to retain him in whichever way, because you don’t just let go of such experience, especially in women’s cricket.”In parting, Moreeng offered thanks to everyone he met along the way. “It has been an honour and a privilege to lead such a talented group of athletes over the years,” Moreeng said in a statement. “I want to express my sincere appreciation to all the players and team management who have been instrumental in this journey. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside each of you. I would also like to thank the South African fans and the media for their unwavering support throughout this journey. Your encouragement has been a constant source of motivation. Last but certainly not least, I am deeply grateful to my family and friends who have stood by me through the highs and lows along the way. Your love and support have been my rock.”CSA has also appointed a new batting coach in Baakier Adams, previously with the Warriors provincial team, and Bongani Ndaba as fielding coach alongside a new physiotherapist Neline Hoffman-Kellerman.

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.”

Most of the Indian cricketers are expected to join their IPL teams after the second Test in a bubble-to-bubble transfer

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2022The second India vs Sri Lanka Test, a day-nighter in Bengaluru, will have crowd attendance at 50% capacity, but the first Test, in Mohali, which is also likely to be Virat Kohli’s 100th, will have to be played behind closed doors from March 4 to 8 because of Covid-19 restrictions.A Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) office bearer confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that spectators would, indeed, be allowed for the five days of the Bengaluru Test, from March 12 to 16. As for Mohali, a PTI report said that BCCI “won’t be allowing any spectators”. ESPNcricinfo understands that KSCA has begun the sale of tickets for the Bengaluru Test.The explanation for the decision to disallow spectators from attending the Mohali Test is twofold, according to the PTI report: firstly, the high Covid-19 cases in and around Mohali, and secondly, because most of the Indian players are scheduled to link up with their respective IPL squads just after the end of the second Test, in a bubble-to bubble transfer.”Yes, apart from the people, who are on duty for the Test match, we are not allowing any general spectators as per the directive of BCCI,” Punjab Cricket Association treasurer RP Singla was quoted as saying by PTI. “Still there are fresh Covid cases emerging in and around Mohali, so it’s better we take all safety protocols.”Obviously, the fans miss out because an international match at Mohali is happening after almost three years.”The two teams are currently engaged in a T20I tussle, which India are leading 1-0 after winning the first game, on Thursday in Lucknow, by a 62-run margin. The second match will be played later today in Dharamsala, and the third will also be played at the same venue tomorrow.

Liam Plunkett also ‘gutted’ after being overlooked for South Africa tour

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2019Sam Billings will not put his name forward for any T20 franchise action this winter after missing out on England’s white-ball squads in South Africa, but says that his disappointment will provide an opportunity to “freshen up” ahead of the new English season with Kent.Billings has endured a chastening year on the fringes of England selection. He had been a frontrunner for a World Cup berth this summer, but was cruelly ruled out of contention after dislocating his shoulder during his first appearance of the season.Then, in the absence of a number of senior players including Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, Billings was named vice-captain for last month’s T20 series in New Zealand –  a huge vote of confidence – but was unable to make his presence felt with just 34 runs in five innings, albeit with three not-outs.Billings will now turn his attention back to Kent where, as captain, he returned to action in August and impressed in the closing rounds of the County Championship, scoring three hundreds in consecutive innings, including two in the match against Yorkshire at Headingley – form that might yet lead to a role with England Lions when they head to Australia in the New Year.Away from England duty, he chose not to put his name forward for next week’s IPL auction after being released by Chennai Super Kings back in November. He has previously featured in the Pakistan Super League for Islamabad United, and for Sydney Sixers in Australia’s Big Bash. “All the best to the lads heading to South Africa,” Billings wrote on Twitter. “Huge amount of depth esp in the white ball game atm. Of course disappointed not to be involved but wish the boys all the best. Will be working hard to get back in the mix (in all formats) in the near future!”On a personal level, I have chosen to pull out of any franchise cricket this winter as well to focus/freshen up for a big year with @KentCricket. Very fortunate to have played all over the last few years & a break from the game to refresh I feel is the best decision.”Another man on the sidelines this winter is Liam Plunkett, England’s unsung hero of the World Cup final – which, at the age of 34, may now prove to have been his final match in international cricket.Having been overlooked for a central contract in September, Plunkett possibly anticipated his omission from both squads, but nevertheless took to Twitter to register his disappointment.”Gutted not to be involved in the England odi squad,” he wrote.

“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.”

England seamer says current levels of inclusion from players of Afro-Caribbean heritage are ‘just not OK’

George Dobell11-Jun-2020James Anderson believes the game must be “more active” to combat discrimination and that current levels of inclusion from players of Afro-Caribbean heritage are “just not okay”.Anderson, the leading wicket-taker among seam bowlers in Test history, said that recent events – notably the death of George Floyd and the global reaction it has sparked – had caused him to reflect on his own experiences and question whether he had done enough to combat racism.And he revealed that the England team will talk about how they express their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement – possibly in conjunction with the West Indies team – when the series between the sides begins in July.”It’s been a very thought-provoking few weeks for everyone,” Anderson said. “It’s made me do a lot of thinking. We will have conversations about what we can do as players to make a stand, definitely. I expect that to be a conversation we have.”It’s made me think ‘have I experienced racism on a cricket field?’ I couldn’t remember any instances. I wasn’t in New Zealand when Jofra Archer was racially abused. But it made me think and it made me think ‘have I turned a blind eye to things?'”ALSO READ: ICC to use ‘common sense’ if players pay tribute to George FloydAnderson admitted he was also struck by a Tweet sent by a journalist on Wednesday which suggested that, by the time the 2019 domestic season ended, there was only one UK-born, state-educated cricketer of Afro-Caribbean heritage playing first-class cricket in England.”I saw the stat that showed there’s only one black player who’s come through the state system in county cricket,” he said. “And that’s just not okay. It can’t keep going the way it is. It’s just not okay.”So, as a sport, we need to actively make this game for everyone. That’s the sort of thing I’ve been thinking about, really. Is there more I can do as a player to help the situation? Can I be more active? As players and a game we need to be more active.” Meanwhile Anderson expressed a hope that the enforced break due to the Covid-19 pandemic will help him extend his career. Anderson will be 38 at the end of July and has been struck by injury in two of his most recent three Tests.”I think the break will definitely have helped me,” he said. “I’ve had a few months off bowling properly and luckily I have some equipment at home so I’ve been doing some good strength work.”But I haven’t thought too far ahead. After the last 12 months, with the injuries that I’ve had, I just want to get back to playing and make sure I don’t get any injuries as has happened in the previous times I have come back to playing. I am fully focused on getting my body in the right place. Who knows how long I can keep playing?”Anderson is 16 wickets short of the 600 mark in Test cricket and 41 short of the 1,000 mark in first-class cricket. If he reaches either milestone, he may well prove the last seam bowler to do so. But despite all the success, he admitted he had been encouraged by his performance in the Cape Town Test, where his seven wickets helped England to a memorable victory and where he proved to himself that he could still thrive at the top level.”It’s not a case of proving myself to anyone else,” he said. “I think when I played those two Tests in South Africa, it’s almost proving to yourself that you can still do it.”The five wickets at Cape Town helped me. If there were ever any doubts about retirement, it certainly told me I was able to keep going, I am able to perform at the top level. I think that’s really important for me at this stage of my career.”The last year has been frustrating for me. Before that, my injury record was pretty good. I’m hoping it was just a dodgy 12-months and my body is in a good place now to be able to cope with whatever’s to come.”As long as I can prove to myself that I am good enough to keep playing, good enough to keep my place in the team, then I will keep going and I’ll keep working hard on my fitness.”

Royal Challengers have the smallest squad and could use the option for an injured player’s replacement

Shashank Kishore26-Aug-2020How about a football style mid-season loan transfer at IPL 2020? An option that was first mooted by the IPL Governing Council last year could be exercised by at least Royal Challengers Bangalore this season in the UAE.The Royal Challengers are open to such a possibility due to biosecutirty protocols, quarantine requirements and travel restrictions that could make it difficult to summon late player replacements at a short notice as they have the smallest travelling contingent of 21 players.”Looks if needs must, later on, we are certainly open to it,” team director Mike Hesson said at a virtual media conference on Wednesday. “We’ve got a small squad and we’ve done that for a reason. If something [injuries] was to occur, we’d certainly look at that.”You, however, need both teams to buy into any potential loan. So you need to make sure the other side is happy with the loan and think they’ll get benefit from it later on in the tournament as well. So it’s not a matter of identifying someone you want, they also have to be allowed to be released as well.”ALSO READ: Mike Hesson: ‘Wilful breach of IPL bubble will have strong consequences’Last year, the IPL had opened up a five-day window for uncapped players to be loaned mid-season in the manner of football transfers, subject to the player not having featured in more than two games. It was a move that found support from Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Mahela Jayawardene.This time around, for the first time, the IPL has permitted loans of capped players – Indian or overseas – between teams at the halfway point in the season. Teams could use it should they have injury concerns going into the second half of the tournament.”It will come in at some stage due to the fact that it’s hard to get potential replacements,” Hesson explained. “We are very comfortable with the squad we have, but if we get injuries or so forth then loan opportunities could become an option. It’s certainly something that BCCI are well aware [of] as well.”If teams were to loan players, the arrangement would be between the franchises, with the money paid from outside the auction purse. The player will be entitled to his fixed auction price and won’t benefit from such a transfer. The IPL, however, will be notified about the transaction.

Tourists in need of some Mitchell magic with last day in the balance

Valkerie Baynes13-Jun-2022England made the most of some self-destructive tendencies on New Zealand’s part to enter a tantalisingly poised final day at Trent Bridge with a chance of pressing for victory.Sparked by James Anderson’s 650th Test wicket to remove opener and stand-in captain Tom Latham cheaply, England had their visitors seven wickets down and 238 runs ahead at the close on day four of this second Test, needing some magic from first-innings leader Daryl Mitchell and with Kyle Jamieson still under an injury cloud.It was a familiar pairing who were tasked with extending New Zealand’s advantage as England made slow but ultimately steady inroads into their top order. In remarkable echoes of the first innings, Devon Conway and Will Young made starts – on this occasion both reaching fifty – before falling shortly afterwards to leave Mitchell and Tom Blundell united in a potentially match-shaping partnership for the third innings in a row, although it wasn’t to be.Conway and Young shared a century stand to overcome the early loss of Latham, who inexplicably shouldered arms to an Anderson delivery which clattered into the top of middle stump, the fifth ball of the innings. They led the recovery from 4 for 1 to 104 for 1 during a sedate middle session.But, no sooner had Conway raised his half-century with a reverse-swept four off Jack Leach than he was out. Leach, who had struggled to threaten as the duo started to pick him off, got the next ball – a wider one – to kick up just enough to find the top-edge as Conway swept and Jonny Bairstow swallowed the catch at deep square leg.Henry Nicholls survived an England review for caught behind after his attempted reverse-sweep missed the bat and, despite striking the front pad, was also missing leg stump. But he fell in the first over after tea cutting a short, wide delivery from Matthew Potts straight to Alex Lees at backward point.Related

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New Zealand were now 115 for 3 and Mitchell arrived at the crease after an eventful match so far in which he scored a pivotal 190 in the first innings and put down two simple slips catches during England’s reply before holding a gem to remove Stuart Broad on the fourth morning.Mitchell was in the thick of the action once more as Young was run out after some apparent miscommunication between the two when Young nudged Stokes to the onside and set off for a run but paused to look at his partner amid calls of “waiting!” Ollie Pope had plenty of time to assess the situation as he fired the ball back to Stokes, who broke the stumps with a diving Young well short and gone for 56.Mitchell was struck a nasty blow to the right forearm on 21 and paused to have it strapped but it was Blundell who fell a short time later. Having just struck Broad through extra cover for four, he sent the next ball – another short one – to Stokes at backward square leg ending his latest union with Mitchell on 45, paltry by their lofty standards of late.Having already hit Broad for six over backward square, debutant Michael Bracewell then took back-to-back fours off Potts, lofted down the ground and pulled through midwicket. But when he tried it again he picked out Broad at mid-on and was gone after a neat cameo of 25 from just 17 balls.Mitchell was then culpable in Tim Southee’s run out for a duck after steering Broad through backward point and turning the wrong way as he came back for the second which meant that by the time he saw Zak Crawley firing the ball back in and sent Southee back it was too late.Earlier, Trent Boult’s five-wicket haul had preserved the visitors’ first-innings lead – albeit worth just 14 runs – in a stoic display in which he and Southee had to toil hard in the absence of fellow seamer Jamieson, who left the field late on the third day with sharp pain in his lower back. New Zealand team management confirmed on Monday evening that Jamieson would bat if required, while his bowling involvement would be confirmed once MRI scan results had been assessed, with a further update expected before play on the final morning.Joe Root and Ben Foakes picked up where they had left off on the third evening to help England close the gap, having resumed the day 80 runs in arrears. But the hosts lost their last five wickets for 66 runs in 14.2 overs as they were bowled out for 539 in reply to New Zealand’s 553.The hosts began briskly, Southee conceding back-to-back fours through the off-side to Foakes, who was 24 not out overnight, before Root’s brazen reverse scoop over the fence at third man, all in the first over of the day. After five overs, England had scored seven boundaries, including Foakes’ fifth of the morning to bring up his half-century with a punch through cover off Southee, who went for 33 runs in his first three overs.Shortly after that though, Southee held onto a leading edge stooping low to his left at cover to remove Root, who mistimed his drive at a Boult slower ball and fell for 176.Broad followed and then Foakes fell for 56, run out when Potts turned a Bracewell delivery beyond short leg and called him through for a single but hesitated a couple of steps down and sent him back…. too late as Latham threw the ball back to Bracewell, who removed the bails.Boult sealed his five-for bowling Potts with an excellent inswinging yorker that pegged back leg stump, finishing with 5-106 from 33.3 overs and Bracewell had his third when he had Anderson caught behind to end with 3 for 62 from 17.2 overs. Southee, meanwhile, ended up wicketless from his 32 overs.

Ten internationals have been named across the two squads for matches against West Indies A and Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-20203:32

Lockie Ferguson: ‘Speed means everything to me’

Devon Conway will have a further chance to push his Test claims after being named in the New Zealand A squads to face West Indies A and Pakistan over the next couple of weeks.Glenn Phillips, who hit a thrilling maiden T20I hundred in the second match against West Indies, will be able to show off his long-form credentials, following his hurried Test debut against Australia in January where he struck an impressive half-century, having been included in both squads.In the second of the two New Zealand A matches, against Pakistan in Queenstown from December 10, Lockie Ferguson and Jimmy Neesham will have the opportunity for their first red-ball cricket since March although the status of that match may depend on there not being any more positive Covid-19 cases during Pakistan’s managed isolation in Christchurch.Devon Conway launches one down the ground•Getty Images

“We’re delighted to be naming such strong squads to take on West Indies A and Pakistan,” selector Gavin Larsen said. “It really does highlight the talent depth we currently have and underlines our intentions to look at a wide group of potential Test players over this NZ A season.”To have ten Blackcaps included across the two games is a testament to that depth and we know the next tier of players get a lot of out of sharing a changing room with our internationals.”To have guys in red-hot form like Glenn, Devon and Lockie is a bonus and I know they’ll be keen to prove what they can do in the longest form of the game. We’re excited to unleash Lockie with the red-ball and see what challenges his extra pace can pose to Pakistan.”Conway has started his international career with scores of 41 and 65 not out in the first two T20Is against West Indies. He has not yet been able to force his way into the Test squad with Will Young the spare batsman.New Zealand A v West Indies A, December 3-6 Glenn Phillips, Joe Carter, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, Cole McConchie, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver (wk), Doug Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Scott Kuggeleijn, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Ish SodhiNew Zealand A v Pakistan, December 10-13 Glenn Phillips, Henry Cooper, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham, Cameron Fletcher (wk), Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Ed Nuttall, Scott Kuggeleijn, Ish Sodhi

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.