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South Africa posted only one run more than the 188 they had managed in their triangular series opener against West Indies but it was enough to give them a first win in three meetings against Australia in the Caribbean

The Report by Firdose Moonda07-Jun-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSouth Africa posted only one run more than the 188 they had managed in their triangular series opener against hosts West Indies but it was enough to give them a first win in three meetings against Australia in the Caribbean. The 47-run victory meant that the Guyana leg of the tournament ended with all three teams securing points.Farhaan Behardien’s fifth ODI half-century helped South Africa recover from 112 for 6 but it was the bowlers who took them to the win. Fielding an attack that included three specialist spinners for the first time in five years – since their World Cup clash against Bangladesh in 2011 – South Africa allowed only Aaron Finch to score more than 30.Particularly impressive was chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, who made his debut and threatened a wicket with every ball. He finished with only one scalp but could have had at least two more. He had lbw appeals against Finch and Matthew Wade turned down even as replays showed both would have gone on to hit the stumps.By the time Shamsi was brought on in the 12th over, South Africa’s seam attack, which had none of Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott or Chris Morris, had already removed three of Australia’s top four. Wayne Parnell, having last played international cricket in July 2015, celebrated his return by trapping David Warner lbw in his first over. He then trapped Steven Smith lbw in the eighth over. In between, Kagiso Rabada had beaten Usman Khawaja for pace to rattle the stumps.Finch did not find substantial support. Glenn Maxwell became Shamsi’s first international victim when he was given lbw before Mitchell Marsh tried to cut Imran Tahir and edged behind. Australia were reduced to 72 for 5 by the 17th over. Two balls later, Finch swept his way to a half-century off 58 balls.AB de Villiers brought Rabada back for a second spell in the 20th over and it reaped reward. Rabada had Wade caught behind and then bowled Nathan Coulter-Nile with an inswinging yorker to leave Australia at 85 for 7.Everything seemed to be going South Africa’s way until Rilee Rossouw, chasing the ball from backward point, crashed shoulder-first into the ground as he hauled it in. He was helped off the field by the medical staff and taken for scans with what seemed to be a dislocated shoulder.Faf du Plessis, who missed South Africa’s first two matches because of a finger injury, however, is likely to be available for selection for Saturday. South Africa took two more wickets, including Finch’s, before a 20-minute rain break. The last-wicket stand of 29 between Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon prolonged South Africa’s march to a bonus-point win. They eventually got home after skittling Australia for 142 in 34.2 overs.The success of the seamers might have come as a surprise on a surface that played slow and kept low. Australia laid down the marker by bowling a fuller length and sticking to a wicket-to-wicket line. Josh Hazlewood and Coulter-Nile did most of the damage in the first half of South Africa’s innings. Hazlewood had Quinton de Kock lbw while Coulter-Nile bowled both de Villiers, with a delivery that jagged back in, and JP Duminy, with a one that moved away.With their top five dismissed in 25 overs, South Africa found some middle-order muscle through Behardien. He combined with Aaron Phangiso and Rabada to put on 37 and 39 for the seventh and eighth wickets respectively. The highest stand of the innings, and eventually of the match, was 40, between Amla and de Villiers for the third wicket.Despite the win, they are yet to score over 200 on this tour and appear to be carrying a long tail. Duminy, having not scored an ODI half-century since July 2015, would come under scrutiny. Australia would look to recall Mitchell Starc, who was rested for this match, when the two sides meet again at St Kitts on Saturday.This was the first time South Africa fielded eight players of colour in an XI, an important statistic in light of the debate around their commitment to transformation. The country’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula had banned CSA, along with three other sporting bodies, from bidding or hosting major tournaments as punishment for the slow pace of change and CSA are trying to overturn that.

Pakistan claimed five wickets before stumps, after Azhar Ali’s double-century helped them declare on 557 for 8, to take the Mirpur Test by the collar on the second day

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando07-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:28

Isam: Bangladesh in real trouble

Pakistan claimed five wickets before stumps, after declaring on 557 for 8 to take the Mirpur Test by the collar on the second day. Their batting gains were led by Azhar Ali, who moved to a maiden double ton, and Asad Shafiq, who struck a sprightly 107 after arriving at the crease in the second over of the day. The pair struck 207 runs in each other’s company, then ceded the stage to the bowlers, who ripped out Bangladesh’s top order in the final session.Junaid Khan claimed Tamim Iqbal and Mominul Haque in an inspired six-over burst with the new ball, before Yasir Shah beat Imrul Kayes in the flight in his first over, and later, bowled Mushfiqur Rahim with a googly off what would be the last ball of the day. Just before that, Wahab Riaz had Mahmudullah fending a vicious lifter to short leg, and Bangladesh went to stumps 450 runs adrift, in grave danger of having to follow on. Had Younis Khan held an outside edge at slip off Yasir, Shakib Al Hasan may have been out as well.The Shere Bangla track appeared placid while the Bangladesh bowlers toiled on it for much of the day. But Junaid, moving the ball both ways at pace, had the batsmen poking. He slipped three awayswingers to Tamim first up, before nailing the in-form batsman in front of the stumps with one that curved in. Tamim was struck above the knee roll, and perhaps thought the ball to be sliding down, but his review was unsuccessful as projections had the ball shaving leg stump.Undeterred, Imrul cracked four fours in Junaid’s next over, before the bowler gathered himself. Mominul Haque was untroubled by the other seamer Imran Khan, but faced ten scoreless Junaid deliveries before presenting a faint under-edge to the wicketkeeper on 13. That ball and the one immediately before it had stayed unusually low, adding weight to suspicion that the pitch was becoming more difficult to bat on.Junaid had drawn false strokes from Imrul as well, but the batsman continued to play freely until Yasir removed him in his first over. Seducing Imrul into a drive, Yasir got the ball to dip and grip dramatically, to clatter into the stumps off the batsman’s pads. He sucked Shakib into a cut next ball, but Younis could not hold the sharp chance to his right. Yasir would get a second scalp regardless. In the last over of the day, he showed Mushfiqur a huge legbreak, ripping away from off stump, before pitching a googly in the same area next ball. Having failed to read the ball, Mushfiqur played a cut, but had his stumps splayed.The partnership between Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq was 207, the second double-century stand in the innings•AFP

Wahab looked for swing in his first spell without much success, before reverting to the bouncer late in the day. He tried three to Mahmudullah. The first was deflected fine for four, and the second ducked beneath, but the third followed the rearing batsman, homing in on his throat, and he could do little else but fend at it with hard hands. Mohammad Hafeez took a simple catch close-in.Azhar had been fortunate to survive till stumps on the first day, having given three clear chances, but was more secure on Thursday, while Shafiq kept the scoreboard moving quickly at the other end. Misbah-ul-Haq was cleverly bowled by Shakib in the second over the day, but that was as hopeful as the Bangladesh bowling effort got.Azhar and Shafiq played out Mohammad Shahid’s tight early overs, then slipped into a comfortable routine against the spinners. Shafiq would charge, with his sights on the legside boundary, while Azhar turned the strike over, and attacked only when bad balls came. They batted this way for around three hours, picking up milestones along the way. The occasional ball turned or kept low, but too few of them troubled either man.Azhar survived a few nervous moments in the 190s, when Mushfiqur stitched a tight ring of fielders around him, but the batsman eventually ran at Shakib and hit him into the sightscreen to spark a joyful celebration. Shafiq’s sixth trip to triple figures was more humdrum. He slammed Taijul Islam to the deep midwicket fence to move to 98 early in the afternoon session, then worked two more singles in the next over to become Pakistan’s third centurion of the innings.The pair surged when 400 was passed, in preparation for the declaration. Mushfiqur, for his part, was perhaps guilty of falling into a holding pattern too early, and of under-bowling the tenacious Shahid. Late in the afternoon both batsmen would fall in pursuit of quick runs, however. They attempted to hit Shuvagata Hom into the sightscreen, and mis-hit the ball to Mahmudullah at long off. Azhar’s 226 came off 428 balls, and Shafiq had made his ton at a strike rate of 64.Sarfaraz Ahmed struck an unbeaten run-a-ball 21 as wickets tumbled around him. Misbah’s declaration came at tea, and Pakistan’s bowlers produced perhaps their most dominant stretch of play in the tour. The hosts, however, might reflect that they played too many shots.

The ECB has confirmed the dates of the England performance programme (EPP) tour of India this November and December

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2012

Tour itinerary

November 19: depart UK

November 27-29: three-day match v DY Patil Academy XI, Mumbai

December 3-5: three day match v DY Patil Academy XI, Mumbai

December 13: one-day match v Netherlands, Pune

December 14: one-day match v Netherlands, Pune

December 16: T20 match v Netherlands, Pune

December 17: return to UK

The ECB has confirmed the dates of the England performance programme (EPP) tour of India this November and December.With the England Test squad also in India at the same time, the presence of the EPP allows the senior squad easy access to replacements should injury or illness intervene. However, the EPP squad do not arrive in the country until the eve of the second Test on November 19.Following a two week preparation period at the National Cricket Performance Centre at Loughborough, the EPP squad will fly to India and undertake a training programme in Mumbai and Pune.The squad will play two three-day matches against a DY Patil Academy XI at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai before rounding off their tour in Pune where they will play two one-day fixtures and a T20 fixture against Netherlands. None of these fixtures will carry official status.The planning is similar to that used by England during the 2010-11 Ashes series when the performance squad was based in Australia during the initial part of the trip to shadow the senior side as they prepared for the series.David Parsons, the ECB performance director, said: “The opportunity to take players to the sub-continent to work on specific skills is vital in identifying and developing players who can go on to be world-class cricketers for England in the future. As with previous EPP training programmes, we will be combining skills-work and training with a programme of competitive cricket.”The England Lions side, which will largely be selected from players on the performance programme, will tour Australia early next year.

Luke Pomersbach has said he will not take part in any domestic tournaments for Western Australia this season because of “health and well-being” reasons

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2011Luke Pomersbach has said he will not take part in any domestic tournaments for Western Australia this season because of “health and well-being” reasons. His announcement comes a day after he missed a practice match, prompting Western Australia to initiate an investigation, with the possibility of taking disciplinary action.”Over the past month I have been battling personal issues which have greatly affected the commitment I have made as a member of the Retravision Warriors squad,” Pomersbach said. “It would therefore be in the best interests for myself, my team-mates, and WA cricket as a whole to step down from the state squad and the Perth Scorchers’ Big Bash League team to concentrate on my well-being. I hope to one day return to the elite level if the chance presents itself.”Western Australia Cricket Association chief Graeme Wood said the organisation supported Pomersbach’s decision. “I commend Luke for making such a brave career choice,” he said. “His health is of paramount importance and we will continue to work with Luke and the Australian Cricketers’ Association to look after his well-being.”The WACA had said in a statement that it would be investigating Pomersbach’s disciplinary breach. “The Western Australian Cricket Association is looking into a disciplinary breach by Luke Pomersbach, who failed to attend an intra-squad practice match at Stevens Reserve in Fremantle, scheduled to commence yesterday. The WACA will be making no further comment until the matter has been fully investigated and finalised.”Pomersbach, who turns 27 this week, has a history of transgressions. He was suspended by Western Australia in August 2009, when he avoided a jail sentence after admitting to assaulting a police officer who was trying to arrest him for drunken driving. Tom Moody, the coach at the time, had said Pomersbach was on his last chance.Earlier in 2009 Pomersbach had been suspended and fined after failing to show up for a club match. In 2007, Pomersbach and Shaun Marsh were suspended indefinitely after a late-night drinking session in the lead-up to a state match. While Marsh, who is now part of Australia’s Test team, credited the ban as the wake-up call he needed, Pomersbach’s disciplinary issues continued.Pomersbach made a surprise debut for Australia in a Twenty20 match against New Zealand in Perth in December 2007, after Brad Hodge suffered a back spasm before the match. Pomersbach has not played for Australia since and has been in and out of the Western Australia side over the past few years.

Royal Challengers Bangalore sauntered to victory against Guyana in one of the most one-sided games so far in the tournament

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran12-Sep-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Jacques Kallis grabbed three wickets, including that of Jonathan Foo•Associated Press

Royal Challengers Bangalore sauntered to victory against Guyana in the most one-sided game of the tournament so far. It was Guyana’s first game on the big stage, and they looked way out of their depth, as the highly rated Bangalore sounded an early warning to the rest of the field.On a track where 345 runs had been scored in the evening’s earlier game, Guyana poked and prodded their way to 103, a total Bangalore overhauled with the small matter of 46 deliveries remaining, giving the net run-rate an early boost. No statistic highlighted Guyana’s ineffectual batting as much as the solitary boundary in a ten-over spell after the Powerplays.None of their batsman, barring Christopher Barnwell to an extent, seemed at ease on a pitch which had some extra bounce to interest the South Africans in Bangalore’s attack, and some early movement for Praveen Kumar. Opener Travis Dowlin was perhaps the most unsettled: in a 17-ball stay he was beaten, struck on the pads, squared up while defending, got inside edges, and mishit a pull towards the bowler before finally gloving a short ball to short fine leg.That brought in Guyana’s captain and most experienced batsman, Ramnaresh Sarwan. He struck an imperious six off the back foot over long-off but Kallis knocked back his off stump the following ball.One of the concerns for Bangalore coming into the match was Rahul Dravid’s fitness, barely recovering from a stomach bug. He dropped Sewnarine Chattergoon in the fourth over, a simple skier at square leg, in what was perhaps the only blemish in Bangalore’s spotless performance. Chattergoon didn’t make use of that opportunity though, run-out two overs later after being called for a non-existent single, caught well short by a Cameron White direct-hit from cover.It was all too easy for Bangalore from then on. Even left-arm spinner Nayan Doshi and medium-pacer B Akhil, who together sent down the fifth bowler’s quota, weren’t attacked. At the end of the 12th over, with Guyana gasping at 60 for 4, the normally grim-faced Anil Kumble was relaxed enough to laugh and exchange a joke with the umpire.Even the much-awaited entrance of Jonathan Foo didn’t change Guyana’s fortunes. He could only take a single off five balls before edging a rising delivery from Kallis, who removed Derwin Christian two balls later to finish with career-best figures. Towards the end of the innings, the only interest was in whether Guyana could reach triple digits, which they did thanks to a Barnwell swipe in the final over.Guyana’s bowlers had little chance of reining in the heavy-hitters of Bangalore, their only sliver of hope of pulling off an upset lay in getting early breakthroughs. Kallis and Dravid made sure there were no nasty surprises for the Bangalore fans in Centurion, who sang local chants though the game. Kallis put away two short and wide gifts in the first over for fours and followed it up with a sweetly-timed flick for six in the second. When Dravid helped himself to a couple of eye-catching fours in the fourth over, Bangalore had galloped to 31 for 0 and Guyana’s day was turning into a total embarrassment.

Healy wants Australia to “throw the first punch” and “take the first two points” going into the Ashes

Valkerie Baynes11-Jan-2025England are wary of a “scarred” Australia team determined to overcome the empty celebration of a drawn Ashes series in 2023 and win this edition outright.Heather Knight, England’s captain, led her side back from six points down at home last year to level the contest at eight points each by winning both white-ball legs. And while that fightback provides this year’s tourists with confidence, Knight believes it will also spur on Australia, who have held the trophy since 2015.”They’re going to be really tough for us to beat out here in one-day cricket but we’re really confident with where we’re at,” Knight told reporters at North Sydney Oval on the eve of the first ODI at the same venue. “We’ve had some brilliant wins over the last year and that 2023 series will give us a lot of confidence.Related

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“We know that the Aussies were probably a bit scarred by that and they’re going to come out really hard, and we’ve got to be prepared for that and have our plans ready to face that, and to try and counteract that ourselves.”Knight’s language echoed that of England spinner Charlie Dean, who 24 hours earlier said her team “don’t have as many scars” from previous Ashes defeats. Last year’s draw marked a significant turnaround for England from back-to-back wins for Australia, both by 12 points to four.Australia captain Alyssa Healy wrinkled her nose and smiled when told of Knight’s comments and subsequently asked about the importance of building momentum early off the back of five straight ODI victories heading into the Ashes, which starts with three ODIs followed by three T20Is and a four-day Test.”I think you want to throw the first punch,” Healy said. “You want to get out there and take the first two points, that’s how it goes, and then you can hopefully settle in from there. But I don’t feel like we’ve played one another very often of late, outside of World Cup warm-up games and whatnot.Alyssa Healy: ‘A draw is not a great feeling for both sides’•Getty Images

“So the opportunity to get out there and sort of feel each other out is an interesting concept. But at the same time, I think we know what we’re going to bring in the one-day format, and, hopefully, we just focus on ourselves tomorrow and go out there and do that.”Getting off to a fast start won’t be Australia’s sole objective, with Healy also reflecting that they had put so much emphasis on winning the Test which kicked off the 2023 series that they ended up being overtaken by England.”It was just the way that it petered out at the end,” Healy said. “We put a lot of work into that Test match. We hadn’t played with the Dukes ball before, and there was a lot of focus on that and we got that job done. And then we assumed that at the white-ball game, you know, we’d be okay.”But England threw a few things at us that we hadn’t seen before, and probably took the game on a little bit more and put us on the back foot, which we’re well prepared for now, from a lot of teams right around the world. So we benefited from that experience. But I think leaving England the girls were like, ‘we don’t want that to happen again’. A draw is not a great feeling for both sides, and probably for them as well for us to keep the trophy in that regard. So we’ll hopefully get the job done outright this time.”Knight felt similar motivation to put this year’s result beyond doubt after 2023.”I have positive memories of it but also tainted with regret and frustration that we weren’t able to do something really special and win it outright,” Knight said. “I don’t think we’ve got a mental edge. They’re an extremely good side that we’re going to have to be at the top of our game to try and beat. They’ll certainly go in as favourites and our job will be, as it was in 2023, to go in and try and disrupt, and try and do things a little bit differently, to try and break that success and run that they’ve had.”Healy, who has been cleared to return to wicketkeeping duties after a knee injury kept her out of the home series against India and restricted her to a batting role on the tour of New Zealand last month, said she felt less nervous heading into this Ashes series as captain.Previously, she was thrust into the role when Meg Lanning withdrew shortly before Australia’s departure for England on medical grounds. Lanning never played for Australia again and later revealed the mental and physical health battles that led to her announcing her international retirement in November 2023.”I won’t lie, I think last one, it was kind of last minute,” Healy said. “There was a lot of uncertainty around what was going to unfold, but at the back of my mind, I was still prepared to lead if need be. In this instance, I feel a bit more comfortable in the role and I’ve probably managed to put my own stamp on the group a little bit more so in that sense, it feels a bit more comfortable. Being at home as well. But in saying that I know that, in particular, we’re going to be put under the pump a lot this this series, and, just hopefully, back myself to get that job done.”

A last-minute injury cost him a crack at last year’s T20 World Cup. Now he’s fit and making a case to be in England’s first-choice attack

Matt Roller03-Oct-2023Warm-up games carry an unwelcome sense of jeopardy for Reece Topley. On the eve of last year’s T20 World Cup, he trod on a boundary toblerone ahead of a game against Pakistan at an empty Gabba and ruptured ligaments in his left ankle, ruling him out of the tournament.There was a sense of relief, then, that he made it through England’s low-key win over Bangladesh unscathed on Monday night. Not only that: he returned figures 3 for 23 in his five overs, spread across two spells with torrential rain causing a long delay between them, and delivered an inch-perfect yorker to Mahedi Hasan with his first ball after the break.”I’ve been steering clear of any mishaps and playing it quite safe – and I’ll continue to do so ahead of the first game,” Topley said, before England flew to Ahmedabad on Tuesday afternoon. “Obviously I don’t want any repeat of what was so gutting last year. It was a tough period to go through.Related

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“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, because these are the moments and the events that you dream of being a part of… hopefully I can play my part this year and make up for lost time, if anything, and make a contribution to England going all the way again. I’m looking forward to getting some game time, just as I was anticipating last year, and this time, hopefully, I can help the team retain the trophy.”For England, it was a useful run-out after their first warm-up game, against India, was wiped out entirely by rain. “We got everything we needed from the game,” Topley said. “What we did out there was a steady effort, but nothing too taxing, to be honest – so, a good box ticked to get us ready and raring to go for the opening match.”Topley will be in the selection mix when England train in Ahmedabad on Wednesday night ahead of Thursday’s tournament opener against New Zealand. He is one of six frontline seamers in the squad, and while he may miss out if they select only three, his case for inclusion is helped by an impressive record against left-handers – with New Zealand likely to field four in their top seven. Topley averages 22.07 against left-hand batters in ODIs, and 29.58 against right-handers.”Everyone is fighting for a spot in that final XI,” Topley said. “But whatever XI they end up picking, the whole squad is right behind each other. It is going to take a squad effort to be successful out here, and the side that goes out in each match will continue to live up to the exciting way we play our cricket.”If anything I would say that I’m pretty undercooked,” he admitted. “But, going into a long tournament, I don’t necessarily think that is the worst thing. I feel like I’m just about to come into my stride, hopefully.”It’s not about tearing in at the warm-up game and impressing the right people; it is about delivering in the nine group games. That last group game [against Pakistan on November 11] is still pretty far away so I feel like I’m where I should be, but there is still some work to be done for sure.”

The entire game lasted only 44 overs as Rohit built on the advantage his bowlers gave him with a fine half-century

Andrew Miller12-Jul-2022Whither the 50-over format? Or should that be wither, as far as the World Champions are concerned. On a hot and humid afternoon at the Kia Oval, not even the reunion of England’s Class of 2019 top-order could resist the extraordinary skills of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, who inflicted on Jos Buttler – in his first official match as ODI captain – a truly humbling experience.By the time England had been routed by ten wickets in a grand total of 44 overs – yes, this is nominally 50 overs a side, even though the whole match lasted barely any longer than the three T20Is that preceded it – Bumrah had racked up the staggering figures of 6 for 19, beating Ashish Nehra’s 6 for 23 at the 2003 World Cup as India’s best against England. That haul included two for none in three balls in his first over of the match, en route to 4 for 6 in his first four (only one run of which came off the bat), and two for none in seven balls at the death, as a spirited but futile bout of slogging from England’s tail was sawn off in uncompromising fashion.Shami was more expensive but no less critical in routing England’s intentions after being asked to bat first, with the huge scalp of Ben Stokes for a first-ball duck in his second over, as well as that of Buttler, whose 30 from 32 was his team’s only meaningful source of resistance, but which ended with a top-edged pull to deep square leg, a sucker-punch one ball after he’d successfully picked off the last of his six fours in the same direction.From a nadir of 26 for 5 in the eighth over, England limped to 110 all out from 25.2, and their subsequent challenge lasted about as long as it took for Bairstow, at short midwicket, to make a hash of a gimme run-out off the first ball of India’s chase, as Shikhar Dhawan was called though for a non-existent single by his captain, Rohit Sharma.That let-off didn’t exactly ignite Dhawan’s somewhat ponderous knock of 31 not out from 54 balls – one in which he could also have been run-out on 1 had Willey’s fingertips deflected a Rohit drive into the non-striker’s stumps. But Rohit at the other end grew into his own innings with familiar authority. He brought up a 49-ball half-century with the third of his five emphatic sixes over backward square, and had pressed along to an unbeaten 76 from 58 by the time Dhawan sealed the deal with a carve for four through point.Coming in the wake of India’s 2-1 series win in the T20Is – a scoreline made all the more emphatic by their quashing of a pair of “timid” England displays in the first two games – this was another statement performance from a team that is coming together in ominous fashion ahead of two World Cups in quick succession, the T20 version in Australia in four months’ time, and a home 50-over campaign in the new year.Ben Stokes was one of four England batters to fall for a duck•Associated Press

England’s meltdown was telegraphed early – just as had been the case against South Africa at Lord’s in 2017 and against Australia in Adelaide the following winter, two previous occasions when their pedal-to-the-metal approach had come a spectacular cropper after being asked to bat first in helpful conditions and against a formidable seam attack.And with respect to Kagiso Rabada, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood et al, few are more formidable right now that Bumrah and Shami – and that’s without even mentioning the prodigious skills of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the main man of the T20I series, who remains sparingly used across the longer formats.Bumrah’s first over in particular had it all. After a first-ball sighter to Jason Roy, he bought his wicket courtesy of two wicked inswingers, the second hooping dramatically past a hard-handed drive and over the top of off stump. One ball later, sensing the likelihood that Roy would keep coming, he fired the ball out wider with a fraction less bend, and induced a flat-footed nick into the stumps as Roy trooped off for the tenth duck of his ODI career … and the first of a dramatic top-order implosion.Out strode Joe Root at No. 3, reunited with Jonny Bairstow – his partner in crime from that astonishing 378-run chase from last week’s Edgbaston Test. The pair had been inseparable for 269 runs spanning 54.3 overs in that memorable fourth innings. Now? Their stand lasted all of two balls, as Root was fatefully lured by the extra lift outside off, as he feathered the nick through to Rishabh Pant and mouthed “bounce” at his team-mate as he trooped off for a duck.At 6 for 2, England did at least have the mighty Stokes still to come – there’s no backwards step from teams that he’s a part of, after all. Shami, however, had other ideas. In his second over, he produced a pearler of an inswinger to the left-hander, shaping the ball back in from round the wicket to snag the inside edge, for Pant to leap with quick feet and a primed right glove. That was the first of his three catches behind the stumps – two of them blinders.Mohammed Shami wasn’t going to be completely overshadowed by Jasprit Bumrah•Getty Images

At 7 for 3, the scoreline was now rather similar to the collapses that have greeted Bairstow’s recent arrivals on the Test scene, but despite one bristling first-over four, he was for once powerless to resist. Bumrah’s three-card trick to extract England’s form batter was masterful – inswinger, outswinger, and a bulldozer on off stump, one that just kept coming on to a tentative each-way defensive push, as Pant again leapt smartly to his right to cling on in front of first slip.At 17 for 4, Liam Livingstone tried and failed to bide his time. Seven consecutive dot-balls piled up the pressure, and when he snapped for his eighth delivery – scampering down the track to intercept Bumrah’s movement – he was utterly confounded. Another pinpoint inswinger swung behind his legs into the base of his stumps, and suddenly England had lost four of their top six for ducks – a further emulation of their Adelaide catastrophe.At 26 for 5, Buttler and Moeen Ali attempted to regroup, and at the very least they managed to double the total in the next six overs as Hardik Pandya and Prasidh Krishna entered the attack. But having pumped the second of his two fours past Prasidh’s outstretched right hand, Moeen succumbed two balls later in similar fashion, as the lanky fast bowler stooped low in his followthrough to scoop up a return catch for 14. Rohit’s response, at 53 for 6, was to bring Shami back for the kill … and within three balls of his return, Buttler too was trooping back.There was at least a flicker of resistance from England’s tail. Craig Overton couldn’t emulate his brother Jamie’s 97 on debut in the Trent Bridge Test, but he did pick off two fours in three balls before Shami claimed his third, while Brydon Carse, David Willey and even the bona fide bunny, Reece Topley all outdid their top-order colleagues – the latter with a lump through the line off Yuzvendra Chahal as England’s No.11 managed the only six of their innings, a rarity on two counts for this hard-hitting line-up.But after having his peerless figures dented with two fours off Willey, Bumrah reverted to the full stump-rattling length that had started England’s slide, and that was the end of that. A day that had begun with speculation about Virat Kohli’s absence (groin injury) would be done and dusted long before the Oval floodlights had to get involved.

Anderson, Archer, Crawley and Bairstow all likely to be fit and competing for selection

Andrew Miller22-Feb-2021Graham Thorpe, England’s batting coach, believes that the team that adapts quickest to the changed circumstances of day-night Test cricket is the likeliest to come out on top, as England and India prepare for an unfamiliar challenge in a brand-new stadium at Ahmedadad.Despite being comprehensively beaten in last week’s second Test in Chennai, Thorpe was confident that England can reassert themselves in the series, and expecting a full complement of players to choose from, including James Anderson and Jofra Archer in the bowling stakes – the latter after receiving a cortisone injection in his right elbow after being omitted from the second Test – and Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow as candidates to fill the No. 3 berth.Crawley was ruled out of the first two matches when he skidded on a marble floor at the Chepauk Stadium and damaged his wrist, but Thorpe believes his form in the nets shows he’s back “in the mix”, while Bairstow – who impressed at No. 3 in the 2-0 series win in Sri Lanka last month – is back with the squad after flying home to the UK for a ten-day break during the Chennai leg of the tour.Related

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“All the players are fit so we have a choice to make going into this match,” Thorpe said. “We know what Jonny’s credentials are. He’s a good player of spin. He has got a decent record, he played well in Sri Lanka. He is certainly going to be in with a shout. But we are still a day out from the Test match and we still want to have a proper look at the pitch as it comes closer to the match as well.”The ECB’s focus on rest and rotation has come in for some criticism in recent days, particularly in the wake of Moeen Ali’s departure from the squad after an eight-wicket haul in the second Test. However, Thorpe believes that the benefits of giving England’s players a break from the bubble outweigh the drawbacks.”They do come in a little bit more mentally fresh, possibly,” Thorpe said. “They do seem to be more rejuvenated when they have been out, and then come back in after that break. Jonny has practised very well over the last few days. Maybe a few weeks ago he was playing but he’s looked fine in the nets. Maybe that mental freshness can be a real positive as well.”Either way, the challenge that both sets of players can expect to face in this next Test is far removed from the events at Chennai. India have played just a solitary pink-ball Test, a one-sided encounter with Bangladesh in 2019, while England’s most recent experience came in Auckland in March 2018, when they were routed by an innings after being rolled aside for 58 on the first day of the match.”The nature of it, it’s half-day, half-night,” Thorpe said. “The challenge of facing the pink ball in the changing conditions – we’ll have to react and adapt well. It’s a slight unknown quantity but often the pink ball does a little more in the evenings than it does in the afternoons for the seamers. But we’ll also have to take a look at the pitch with regard to the spinners during the day time.”England are quietly optimistic that the prevailing conditions at Ahmedabad play more to their seam-bowling strengths, with Anderson and Archer both impressing in the first Test of the series.Joe Root talks to Graham Thorpe ahead of a training session•Getty Images

“It’s possible, without looking into a crystal ball,” Thorpe said. “The ball generally does swing more under the lights. They don’t have a huge database of pink-ball cricket in India, this is the second one. We’re looking forward to it, it is a fantastic stadium. We’ve prepared as well as we can and we have one more night of practice tomorrow.”So far, England have had one practice session by day and one by night, and from a batting perspective Thorpe said the focus had been on picking up length at different phases of the day. “Purely from that factor, it’s really about how well the players adjust to those conditions, whether they are batting or bowling,” he said. “The team who reacts the best will probably have a good chance of coming out on top in it.”After England were dismissed for twin scores of 134 and 164 in the second Test – their lowest aggregate for a completed Test since 1995 – a lot of the focus was on their execution of the sweep shot, and the need for more robust support for the captain, Joe Root, whose double-century in the first Test had been the bedrock of England’s 227-run win in that contest.Thorpe, however, has called on his players to learn from their mistakes in that second match, and reassert themselves in the series.”I certainly wouldn’t say to any of our players ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that’,” he said. “But I’d ask them to look at all their options and the key thing for all of them is being able to execute the shot to the right ball, that’s from a defensive point of view just as much of an attacking point of view.”That’s the challenge which is really presented to us, playing against good spinners on turning pitches in India. But I’ve encouraged the players to view it as a challenge and one which they should embrace and excite them as well, because if they do well and score runs against this Indian attack in their own country, then they know they’ve worked very hard and earned their runs.”

The allrounder is serving an eight match suspension for a CWI code of conduct breach

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2019Following her withdrawal from the West Indies women’s squad for the series against Australia in September and the subsequent eight-match suspension for breaching the Cricket West Indies (CWI) code of conduct, Hayley Matthews is eligible to return to action from the third ODI of the upcoming series against India, a CWI press statement said.The allrounder missed the entire Australia series, comprising three ODIs and as many T20Is, and will serve out her suspension for an undisclosed infraction after the second ODI against India on November 3.West Indies host India for three ODIs and five T20Is, with the series scheduled to commence on November 1 in Gros Islet.Allrounder Deandra Dottin, who had missed the tours of Ireland and England and the home series against Australia due to a shoulder injury, is continuing with her rehabilitation.The West Indies women’s T20I and ODI Player of the Year has been out of action since February, but is gradually being eased into a playing plan under the watch of the CWI medical team.