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New Zealand Women beat Australia Women by six wickets with two balls to spare in the first Twenty20 match of the series in Melbourne on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2013
ScorecardEllyse Perry took two crucial wickets, but it couldn’t prevent defeat for Australia•Getty Images

New Zealand Women beat Australia Women by six wickets with two balls to spare in the first Twenty20 match of the series in Melbourne on Tuesday. The two sides will play the second match of the series later in the day.Captain Suzie Bates led the New Zealand team’s chase of 151, with an important knock of 42. Bates and Sophie Devine set the foundation for a New Zealand win, adding 67 runs for the third wicket, before Frances Mackay and Nicola Browne took their side past the target with an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 54.Earlier, Australia managed to score a respectable 7 for 151 after they were reduced to 3 for 15. Left-arm spinner Morna Nielsen and medium-pacer Lea Tahuhu struck early to dismiss Jess Cameron and Lisa Sthalekar in quick succession after opener Alyssa Healy was run out in the first over.The Australia innings recovered following a 75-run partnership between Meg Lanning, who top scored with 76, and Alexandra Blackwell for the fourth wicket. However, Australia again lost a flurry of wickets towards the end of their innings that limited them to 151.

ESPNcricinfo previews the fifth ODI between India and West Indies in Chennai

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo10-Dec-2011

Match facts

India v West Indies, December 11, Chennai
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)Rahul Sharma should enjoy the Chepauk pitch•AFP

Big Picture

Virender Sehwag’s record-breaking double-century in Indore could have one of two effects on Sunday’s match in Chennai. Either fans will still be abuzz with the euphoria that surrounded the feat and turn up hoping for a reprise, or they will believe the zenith of the series has already been reached, and with the result decided as well will struggle to find meaning in the dead rubber.For the India team, though, the match does hold some significance. Injuries to Praveen Kumar and now Varun Aaron, mean Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun will both be on the plane to Australia for the Test series. In Indore, the pair bowled just eight overs between them and were taken for 71 runs, hardly the kind of form you’d want two of your seamers going to Australia in. On a Chennai pitch that has been slow and low through the year, and offered nothing for the quicks, it will be a test of both their mettle to see if they can at least get through a full quota of overs and take some confidence into the big tour of Australia.After the thrashing in Indore, one could forgive the West Indies players if their minds were already on the plane back home. But Darren Sammy’s side have repeatedly shown fight on this tour, highlighted by their performance in the third Test in Mumbai. Through the one-day series so far, West Indies have put on more runs for the last five wickets than the first five and they will believe that if the top order can come good, they can get a total that will challenge India.

Form guide

India WLWWW (Most recent first)
West Indies LWLLL

In the spotlight

There had been a bit of mystery surrounding the logic behind having Rahul Sharma in the India squad for two one-day series and a Test series without giving him a game. In Indore, there was some vindication for the selectors, who had picked Rahul Sharma despite the fact that he has only played 10 first-class games. He impressed with his ability to turn the ball even with a flat trajectory and his variations in pace, and struck three times in his first three overs. The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium has kept low and will be conducive to Rahul Sharma’s skiddy topspinner.Marlon Samuels has got plenty of starts on this tour of India, but is yet to score a century since returning to international cricket after a two-year ban. His only previous ODI in Chennai was in 2007, when he scored 98 and helped West Indies win. As the most experienced batsmen in the ODI team, he will be the one West Indies rely on to turn the form of the top order around.

Pitch and conditions

Rain is always a possibility in Chennai at this time of year. While thundershowers are expected through most of next week, the forecast says Sunday will be sunny.The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium has played low and slow all year. During the World Cup, it was the most difficult of all the Indian pitches to bat on. West Indies were bowled out for 188 in their group game against India in Chennai, with spinners taking six of the ten wickets. The pitch has also produced low-scoring encounters through the IPL and Champions League Twenty20, and it could be a hard grind for the batsmen against spin on Sunday.

Team news

With the series already in the bag, India could experiment with their line-up on Sunday. Irfan Pathan will expect to be given a game but it will be difficult deciding who to leave out as Vinay and Mithun are both headed to Australia and the selectors may want to give them game time. Rahul Sharma deserves another chance after his impressive debut and R Ashwin is the local lad. Irfan could be slotted in as an allrounder, with Ravindra Jadeja being rested. Ajinkya Rahane and Manoj Tiwary are part of the squad without getting a game so far this series. Perhaps one of them could be given a chance in the dead rubber, with one of the middle-order batsmen rested.India (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag (capt), 3 Ajinkya Rahane/Manoj Tiwary, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Parthiv Patel (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja/ Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 R Vinay Kumar, 10 Abhimanyu Mithun, 11 Rahul SharmaDarren Bravo missed the fourth ODI with a hamstring injury and it is not certain whether he will be fit for Sunday’s game. Whether or not he returns, Danza Hyatt must surely make way after scoring just 62 runs in four innings in the series. Adrian Barath could replace Hyatt if Bravo does not play. Given the nature of the pitch, West Indies may opt to play two spinners, and bring Anthony Martin in for Kermar Roach.West Indies (probable): 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Adrian Barath/ Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Andre Russell 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Kemar Roach/ Anthony Martin, 11 Sunil Narine

Stats and trivia

• Virender Sehwag has never scored back-to-back centuries in ODIs. Seven of his 15 one-day hundreds have been succeeded by single-digit scores.
• Out of the four ODIs played at Chepauk this year, three have been won by the side batting first. The average second-innings total in matches that the team chasing lost is 193.
  

  Quotes

  “I have been interacting with Eric Simmons [the India bowling coach] regarding variations and that has helped me a lot. I am also learning a lot while playing alongside Ashwin. It looks like a turning track. I would definitely like to do well again and ensure a 4-1 series victory for us.”

New Zealand’s poor batting display on the first day of the third and deciding Test cost them the match, according to Daniel Vettori

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2010On New Zealand’s 1999 tour of India, the heat, the noise and the crowds had all started to take their toll on the visitors. In the second Test, Rahul Dravid was further adding to their woes by doing what he does best – batting long. As former New Zealand fast bowler Dion Nash tells it, a butterfly suddenly landed in the middle of the pitch, and Dravid pulled away from the strike. While the rest of the players watched in “collective horror”, Adam Parore stormed down the pitch and stomped on the insect. Dravid turned around and said loudly, “Oh no, he has kicked the butterfly, that’s bad luck for you guys”. It was indeed, for New Zealand went to suffer a big loss. The frustration of a typical Indian tour had had its effect on Parore.This time around, there has been anything but frustration in New Zealand’s camp heading in to the third Test. They even threatened to win the first Test, and comfortably drew the second. But just when everyone had forgotten the whitewash in Bangladesh that preceded this tour, they collapsed in this Test. India were allowed to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, admittedly with a little bit of help from the umpires.New Zealand’s performance today wasn’t all that surprising. The ball turned and bounced, and with two umpiring howlers going against them, they didn’t have much of a chance to save the game. It was their batting debacle on the first day on a true surface that was the real surprise, especially since it followed their creditable batting performances in the first two Tests, albeit on flat tracks.”I can only look at the overall performance and say it was poor in this Test as compared to the first two Tests,” Daniel Vettori said. “We were exceptional then because we grinded it out and put in good performances. In this part of the world, the first-innings runs keep you in the game, and then it’s up to your bowling attack to take wickets but that didn’t happen here. I think after winning the toss, scoring just 193 put us under a lot of pressure.”We might never know whether it was because New Zealand play better when they are the underdogs, which they were in the first two Tests, and stumbled here because they went in with higher expectations, or whether Brendon McCullum’s last-minute injury completely unsettled the team. The second day was the best for batting on this pitch, and their bowlers couldn’t make much headway. Their chance came on the third day morning; the ball was still hard and they removed Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and Suresh Raina, but Vettori was left to rue their inability to dislodge the pair of Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni.”We bowled so well and took three wickets but couldn’t capitalise on that. Dhoni and Dravid played exceptionally well. There were lots of niggles for us but I think India showed us how to bat, especially in this Test.”Their fight evaporated after the 193-run stand between Dravid and Dhoni. In the first Test at Ahmedabad, after a hard day’s work when New Zealand had fought hard to push India on to the back foot, Sreesanth came to meet the press. After giving credit to the opposition, he couldn’t help himself, saying “Let’s see how they play on a proper turning track. I think they will struggle”.Today, they did exactly that, and collapsed in a heap. “Any time you lose, you surrender too early,” Vettori said. “We knew we had to be positive this morning but couple of dismissals… There was a period where India bowled well but once you get through the new [hard] ball, it’s a wicket where you can bat on for a long time. We are disappointed with our performance.”On the eve of the game, Vettori had said that they would be judged on how they performed in the final Test. India were without their best bowler Zaheer Khan and New Zealand had won the toss, but everything went pear-shaped from then on. “A loss is a loss. It should hurt us as much no matter the situation. To win the toss we were pretty happy with that. If we had gone through that period- just 58 overs were bowled – and come in the next morning, which was the best day to bat as India proved, but we made things difficult the way we batted on the first day.”

Rarely does a centurion get overshadowed in a match of middling scores. But though Thilan Samaraweera finished with an accomplished unbeaten 105, the headlines were stolen by Thissara Perera, who celebrated his third cap with a power-packed 15-ball 36

The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran05-Jan-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outThilan Samaraweera smashed 11 fours en route to his second ODI century•Associated Press

Rarely does a centurion get overshadowed in a match of middling scores. But though Thilan Samaraweera finished with an accomplished unbeaten 105, the headlines were stolen by Thissara Perera, who celebrated his third cap with a power-packed 15-ball 36. From needing 54 off 39 balls when he arrived at the crease, Sri Lanka romped home with two overs to spare, as India’s quest for yorkers merely resulted in one too many no-balls and full tosses. Chanaka Welegedara’s five-wicket haul had killed India’s batting momentum at crucial times, and with the dew playing such a factor in the evening, 279 was not quite enough.After taking Zaheer Khan through cover to get off the mark, Perera transformed the game in Ashish Nehra’s seventh over. He had been India’s best bowler, but Perera pierced the off-side cordon, flicked behind square and then nonchalantly hoicked the free hit for six in the same direction.
Samaraweera got to his hundred straight after, but was then more than content to watch the fun from the other end.Zaheer was then carved through the covers twice, as he made light of being struck in the ribs, and a meaty club through wide long-on finished off matters well ahead of time. Sri Lanka had been given a brisk start by the new opening pair of Upul Tharanga and Lahiru Thirimanne, the debutant who replaced Tillakaratne Dilshan, but once India conceded just 16 in the five overs of bowling Powerplay, the onus was very much on the old hands to see it home.Tharanga had set the tone with a casual loft for four off Zaheer, and then two then took 16 from an over that also featured wides down the leg side. With runs leaking, MS Dhoni gave the ball to Sreesanth, only for Thirimanne to reveal glimpses of his potential with three cracking drives through the covers. It was too good to last though. In Sreesanth’s next over, he got into a tangle trying to pull off the front foot and the ball ballooned to midwicket.Soon after, Harbhajan Singh was introduced and Tharanga chipped his fourth ball straight back. But Samaraweera came in and wrested the initiative with deft cuts and a paddle for four. And with Kumar Sangakkara unafraid to come down the pitch and chip over the infield, the innings quickly revived. By then the towels were out, and the Indian focus was as much on keeping the ball dry as it was on taking the wickets needed to win the game.Samaraweera was the primary aggressor, scooping Sreesanth for four in an over that cost 16, and Sri Lanka were cruising when Sangakkara, who had eased to 60, stepped out and lofted Harbhajan Singh straight to cover. Thilina Kandamby then top-edged a wild swipe to midwicket and when Suraj Randiv backed up too far, they were in trouble. Perera, though, ensured that India would get no reprieve.Earlier, Yuvraj Singh had marked his return to the XI with 74 from 84 balls, while Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja all contributed decent cameos after Virender Sehwag had played a typically effervescent hand. He cruised to 47 from 30 balls before playing too early at one bowled with fingers rolled across the seam from round the wicket, and after his exit, India had to build steadily on a surface where the ball didn’t always come on to the bat.Sehwag had announced his intentions from the outset, off-driving Welegedara for four, but there was an early setback for the Indians as he sneaked a yorker underneath Gautam Gambhir’s bat and on to the base of leg stump. With Sehwag taking Suranga Lakmal for three fours in an over, and Virat Kohli playing a lovely straight drive, the 50 of the innings came in just the seventh over. The game changed, though, in the space of two eventful overs from Welegedara.Sehwag had scythed two off-side fours and been caught behind off a no-ball by the time Kohli tried too cute a deflection to a ball pitched outside off stump. Having conceded 18 in that over, Welegedara came back in the next to have Sehwag caught at mid-off by Thirimanne. India had taken 76 from the first Powerplay, but only 13 came from the bowling one as the bowlers kept a leash on the new batsmen. Both Yuvraj and Dhoni clipped boundaries through point, but with Randiv getting pretty sharp turn, and Kandamby filling in with part-time spin, the runs were no longer coming at Sehwag pace.When Muthumudalige Pushpakumara went off injured after a dive in the outfield, Sangakkara had to turn to his occasional bowlers, and Yuvraj quickly cashed in, pulling Samaraweera for four and then heaving Kandamby for two consecutive sixes to reach his half-century. At that point,
Perara, deputising for Chamara Silva, was called on, and Dhoni’s attempt to force the issue only found Sangakkara’s gloves. Soon after, he induced a miscued pull from Yuvraj, and by the time the batting Powerplay was taken after 43 overs, there were only 225 on the board.They took 14 from the first of those overs, bowled by Welegedara, but with Jadeja going four-six-four-four against Thilan Thushara, the innings finally had some energy. But back came Sri Lanka again, with Welegedara castling Raina and Zaheer, and Harbhajan playing a hideous stroke to point. By the time Jadeja holed out in the final over, all hopes of 300
had long since disappeared, leaving Sri Lanka with a chase that they timed to perfection.

He is still recovering from an ankle injury picked up in January and remains a doubt for the white-ball tour of New Zealand after the Champions Trophy

Danyal Rasool07-Feb-2025Pakistan opening batter Saim Ayub has been confirmed out for at least another five weeks owing to injury; he continues his rehabilitation from the ankle injury he sustained in South Africa in January. It further confirms that he will not be available for the Champions Trophy, which runs until March 9, and the extent of his involvement in Pakistan’s white-ball series in New Zealand after that remains uncertain.A PCB statement said Ayub was “progressing well in his right ankle fracture injury”. He remains in England, where he will complete the remainder of his rehabilitation, and has been ruled out for 10 weeks from the time of his injury, which he picked up while fielding in the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town five weeks ago.Ayub had to be stretchered off the pitch in just the seventh over of the match, when Ryan Rickelton edged a delivery through the slips, sending Ayub off on a chase to deep third alongside Aamer Jamal. Jamal pulled it back in as Ayub stood poised to be the relay fielder, but lost his balance and twisted his ankle. He went down immediately and appeared in anguish holding the lower part of his leg as the physio rushed on.Related

• Pakistan boosted by Rizwan's form but bowling remains a concern

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• PCB chief says Gaddafi Stadium will be ready for Feb 7 inauguration

• CT25 FAQs: Who are playing, what are the venues, where to watch?

Despite prolonged treatment outside the boundary line, Ayub was unable to put any weight on his right ankle, and appeared to be in tears as he was placed on to a stretcher and taken off. He was later seen on crutches in the medical booth.The PCB initially said he would be ruled out for six weeks, which offered some hope of his availability for the Champions Trophy, which Pakistan host. Last week the board announced the squad for the tournament, with Ayub absent from it.A week after the Champions Trophy final, Pakistan embark upon an eight-match white-ball tour of New Zealand, playing five T20Is and three ODIs between 16 March and 5 April. The Pakistan Super League starts on 8 April.

The group stage is almost complete with India looking to make it nine from nine against Netherlands

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-20236:27

Finch: Marsh and Smith’s form are good signs for Australia

—Fixtures | Squads | Points table | Tournament Index

Top Story: Marsh’s 177* powers Australia to seventh straight win

Australia’s aversion to chasing has disappeared ahead of a semi-final with old foes South Africa after a statement innings of 177 not out from Mitchell Marsh at No.3 helped his side cruise to their second-successive record World Cup chase against Bangladesh in Pune, running down 307 with eight wickets and 32 balls to spare.Marsh made his highest ODI score and his first century at first drop, thumping 177 off 132 balls with 17 fours and nine sixes in brutal fashion.Australia had only chased more than 300 once in the last four years, but the rejigged batting line-up finally clicked with Steven Smith making an untroubled, unbeaten 63 at No.4 and sharing in a 175-run stand to guide Australia to their seventh straight win of the tournament.Click here to read the full report

Match analysis: Marsh owns the No. 3 spot with monstrous hitting

Australia head into the semi-finals high on confidence•Getty Images

Australia’s World Cup campaign has resembled a balls-in-a-maze puzzle. From catches going down in the first two matches, to Steven Smith having to adjust to a new role, to his vertigo, to Glenn Maxwell’s concussion on a golf course, Australia just haven’t been able to get all the balls in the innermost circle.One concern must have been how Mitchell Marsh, a big part of their plan to frontload their batting, didn’t quite respond immediately to moving down to No. 3 midway in the tournament. Against Bangladesh, in the final league match of the tournament, Marsh ticked that box with an innings full of power and intent that must sound a warning bugle for their opponents in the coming week.Read the full piece from Sid Monga

Match report: Stokes and Willey fashion a last hurrah for England

Fifty six of Ben Stokes’ 84 runs came in boundaries•ICC/Getty Images

England’s soon-to-be-deposed world champions bade farewell to the 2023 World Cup with a glimpse of their former domineering selves, as they marched to an emphatic 93-run win over Pakistan at Eden Gardens. The result means that Babar Azam’s men are officially out of semi-final contention.David Willey marked the final appearance of his international career with a sparky all-round display that included his 100th and final ODI wicket, and after Ben Stokes had underpinned an imposing total of 337 for 9 with his second forceful outing in quick succession, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid turned the screw on a spin-friendly surface to snuff out any pretence of a contest with four wickets between them.

Must Watch: Steve Harmison on Jos Buttler

2:12

Harmison: Buttler has to take ownership for the future

News headlines

• Ben Stokes says he will decide whether to re-enter ODI retirement after undergoing knee surgery, in a post-script to England’s disappointing World Cup campaign.
• Babar Azam is still learning as captain, and deserves to be backed. This is what Pakistan’s director of cricket Mickey Arthur said, after wrapping up an underwhelming World Cup campaign with a 93-run loss to England.
• Temba Bavuma has “showed an improvement overnight” from the hamstring strain that hampered him during South Africa’s World Cup match against Afghanistan on Friday.

Match preview

India vs Netherlands, Bengaluru (2pm IST; 8.30am GMT; 7.30pm AEDT)1:29

Dravid: Shreyas’ temperament stands out under pressure

They’ve been occasionally tested, but otherwise, India’s World Cup run has been nothing short of magical. Now on the day of the auspicious Indian festival of Diwali, they have a chance to gift their fans another dose of entertainment, and even though we know that anything can happen in sport, a defeat for the hosts is extremely unlikely.That’s because India have been absolutely dominant during their 8-0 run at this World Cup. Coming into their final league game, they face the least-fancied team of the tournament, Netherlands, even if they have performed better than expected. With a semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday their next big game, Sunday also offers India a chance to rest key personnel should there be a need for it.Full previewTeam newsIndia (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul, 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Kuldeep Yadav / R Ashwin, 9 Jasprit Bumrah / Prasidh Krishna, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohammed SirajNetherlands (probable) 1 Max O’Dowd / Vikramjit Singh, 2 Wesley Barresi, 3 Colin Ackermann, 4 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 5 Scott Edwards (capt), 6 Bas de Leede, 7 Teja Nidamanuru, 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Roelof van der Merwe, 10 Aryan Dutt, 11 Paul van Meekeren

On August 2, Shakib had posted on Twitter announcing his partnership with a company called “Betwinner News”

Mohammad Isam04-Aug-2022The BCB will investigate a recent social-media post from Shakib Al Hasan in which he announced his partnership with a company called “Betwinner News”. During a press conference following a board meeting on Thursday, BCB president Nazmul Hassan said that they will serve Shakib a notice for not informing them of the sponsorship deal.The existing laws of Bangladesh place stringent prohibitions on any gatherings or establishments that facilitate gambling. Allowing gambling businesses to function is in contravention to the law, as well as the country’s constitution.Shakib made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday, shortly after Bangladesh lost the third T20I against Zimbabwe. Shakib initially deleted the tweet, but reposted it shortly afterwards.”Shakib’s latest sponsorship was discussed during Thursday’s meeting,” Hassan said. “We have instructed to serve him a notice, to ask him what’s happening with this. The board will not allow it if it is related to betting. He definitely hasn’t asked us for permission. Bangladesh’s law doesn’t permit it. It is a serious issue. We cannot however just rely on a Facebook post (sic), so we have to investigate to find out about it.”In an interview with the Dhaka-based Bengali newspaper , the BCB’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury also said that they will still seek clarification from Shakib.”It is quite clear why these news portals are made,” he said. “We all very well know what these are. Shakib didn’t inform us about his deal. We heard about it today (Wednesday). We are looking at it legally, and want to settle the matter quickly.”It is not a direct contract with a betting site, but it is related to the betting site. It is a news portal. But since betting is related to it, we have to check the legal side of it. The law of the land doesn’t allow betting, so we will do what is legally necessary.”If he (Shakib) understands what it is, then it will be easy. If he doesn’t understand, it will be complicated. There’s a matter of our image being damaged. There are merits and demerits in everything. He probably didn’t think about the demerits.”Shakib was banned from all cricket for a year in 2019 after he accepted three charges of breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code. He was charged for failure to report two approaches to engage in corrupt conduct during a 2018 tri-series, and for failure to disclose full details of approaches he received to engage in corrupt conduct during an IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab in 2018.

Fourth-wicket pair add 224 as Leicestershire experience chastening start to campaign

ECB Reporters' Network08-Apr-2021Contrasting centuries from James Vince and Tom Alsop saw Hampshire establish a dominant position in their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Leicestershire at the UptonSteel County Ground, Grace Road.Hampshire skipper Vince was all power and timing as he took full advantage of some wayward bowling from Leicestershire’s inexperienced seam attack, hitting 17 fours and two sixes in racing to three figures off just 81 balls.Alsop, who had just reached his half-century when Vince came to the crease on the dismissal of Sam Northeast, was less fluent, but while his century came off 153 deliveries, and included 17 fours, it was no less valuable to his side.Together the pair added 224 for the fourth wicket before Alsop got a leading edge trying to turn a delivery from Alex Evans into the leg side and was caught at point. Vince, however, remained unbeaten, reaching his 150 off 140 deliveries before closing on 168 not out. It is the sixth time he has made a score of 150 or more in his first-class career.Vince started the day as well as he ended it, winning the toss and choosing to bat first on a slightly drier pitch than might normally have been expected for the time of year – Leicestershire have two spinners in their side.Ian Holland was the first man dismissed, edging a Chris Wright outswinger to wicketkeeper Harry Swindells, but Joe Weatherley looked in good order, stroking seven fours in going to 41 before top-edging a pull at a short delivery from Gavin Griffiths and skying a catch to Swindells.Northeast was dismissed shortly after lunch, leg before to Wright to make the score 127 for 3, and Vince edged his first ball from Wright towards Leicestershire skipper Colin Ackermann at second slip. It dropped an inch short, and that was as close as the Foxes came to dismissing the England international: from that moment on he was in complete control.

England compile solid second innings to be well in front despite late South Africa breakthroughs

The Report by Matt Roller05-Jan-2020Joe Root said in the days before England arrived in New Zealand at the end of last year that he wanted his batsmen to “be prepared to play some attritional cricket” after batting “in fast-forward” under Trevor Bayliss. On the third day of the Newlands Test, it appeared his top order had taken that message to heart, as they ground out a substantial lead thanks primarily to Dom Sibley’s unbeaten 85.England had seized the Test by the scruff of the neck during the dramatic end to the second day, when South Africa lost five wickets for 58 runs to turn 157 for 4 into 215 for 8, and James Anderson took the two remaining wickets in just 14 deliveries to finish with a five-wicket haul.And after Zak Crawley’s frenetic 25, Sibley went about blunting a lacklustre South African attack, putting on partnerships of 73 with Joe Denly and 116 alongside Root to give England an imposing 264-run lead by the close with six second-innings wickets remaining.Anderson made short work of the tail in the morning, removing Kagiso Rabada with a textbook outswinger with the first ball of the day and enticing Anrich Nortje into prodding at a ball outside his off stump to give England a 46-run lead.That dismissal was statistically significant, too: it gave Stokes his fifth catch of the innings, making him the first England outfielder to complete that feat, and put Anderson out in front of Ian Botham as the man with the most five-wicket hauls for England, with 28. Anderson’s now has 102 wickets at 20.67 since his 35th birthday, and was the first 37-year-old to take a five-for for England bowling seam-up since Freddie Brown in 1951.The early stages of England’s second innings were dominated by a fiery duel between Zak Crawley and Rabada. After overpitching twice in his first over and being punished by England’s rookie opener, Rabada began to steam in, as though he had taken the boundaries personally, and smacked Crawley on the helmet via the bicep in his third over having struck him in the ribs in his second.Two balls after that blow, Rabada appeared to offer some choice words on Crawley’s technique after a 91mph back-of-a-length ball which thudded into the splice, and did so again following his next delivery, a sharp bouncer which struck the batsman on the shoulder.And while Crawley clipped another full toss to the boundary, it was Rabada who had the last laugh, pushing an outswinger slightly wide of the off-stump channel and drawing an edge as the batsman looked to unfurl his cover drive.Joe Root steps out to reverse-sweep•Getty Images

But that battle aside, South Africa looked a shadow of the fit, fierce attack that got the better of England at Centurion, with Maharaj resorting to leg-theory early on in his spell and the seamers failing to extract much life from the pitch. It was suggested that the cooler, cloudier conditions meant the crack that had opened up outside the right-hander’s off stump from the Wynberg End had less effect, but Faf du Plessis’ uninspired captaincy contributed to the tameness of the effort.Sibley started slowly, playing primarily through the leg side and digging in to reach 29 off 93 balls before first bringing out his cover drive off Rabada in the 34th over. He found support in Joe Denly, whose innings of 31 was characteristically stubborn, albeit lacking in any real fluency.Denly again faced 100 balls – only Marnus Labuschagne (10 times) has done so more often than Denly (eight) since the start of 2019 – and set up the innings for England’s middle order. A lofted four down the ground off Maharaj aside, he was largely subdued as his partnership with Sibley sucked the life out of the hosts’ attack, and it came as something of a surprise when he swatted a Nortje bouncer down the throat of Dwaine Pretorius at long leg.Sibley batted with growing confidence alongside Root, as the pair started to score more positively after tea. Particularly strong off his pads and against anything short, Sibley crunched Maharaj for four through point to push the lead past 200 – given his struggles against left-arm spin in his career to date, it was the sign of a man starting to feel at home in an England shirt.Root was delicate, sweeping, paddling and nudging his way past fifty while looking in fine touch, and it took a ball that bounced sharply out of the crack and found his outside edge from Pretorius in the final half-hour to dislodge him; it was the third time in this match that the allrounder had struck with the new ball imminent.One wicket soon brought another, as Nortje removed Dom Bess for a pair. Nortje’s bouncer from round the wicket brushed the nightwatchman’s glove on its way through to Quinton de Kock, confirmed on review, to offer South Africa a flicker of hope, but seemed only to further expose the underuse of the fastest bowler in the match by du Plessis.

Australia’s pacemen have wasted no time plotting their first target of the Indian summer, after Nathan Coulter-Nile predicted a short-pitched barrage to be directed at Rohit Sharma

Daniel Brettig19-Nov-20182:41

‘Australia is the one place where we want to leave our mark’ – Rohit Sharma

Australia’s pacemen have wasted no time plotting their first target of the Indian summer, after Nathan Coulter-Nile predicted a short-pitched barrage to be directed at the opener Rohit Sharma as a way of testing what the fast bowler called a “compulsive” tendency to play the hook and pull shots.Speaking in Brisbane ahead of the first T20I meeting between the two sides at the Gabba on Wednesday night, Coulter-Nile stated that he and his fellow Western Australian Jason Behrendorff would look to replicate the sort of new ball success they had against Rohit in India a year ago, where he was twice dismissed cheaply.This time around, Coulter-Nile added, the bounce on offer at the Gabba would add to the tricks in the Australians’ fast bowling locker, with the ground’s expansive square boundaries – relative to a far shorter straight hit – providing further impetus for the fast men to drop short against batsmen still adjusting to unfamiliar climes.”[Rohit] is an unbelievable player, he’s got a good record all round the world, so he’s definitely a player to watch but we’ve also had success with the new ball as well,” Coulter-Nile said in Brisbane. “I think Dorff got him out the last time we played him, hit him on the pad, so we’ll look to do that again early. Big square boundaries here, so we might test him a little bit, he’s a good puller of the ball but he is compulsive as well so we’ll try to get him out there.”I think everyone knows [Behrendorff] is a fantastic option up front. He’ll swing it here, beautiful conditions today, so hopefully the same sort of conditions and we can hold our chances, because he’ll certainly create a few.”Rohit Sharma mistimes a pull•Getty Images

For his part, Rohit said that adaptation to Australian conditions was key to the challenge of performing, as India recognise the significance of their opportunity to win a Test series down under for the very first time. Their closest efforts previously were drawn encounters in 1980-81 and 2003-04.”It’s either Perth or Brisbane. India has always played at Perth or Brisbane and this time around we’re at Perth,” Rohit said. “Those two conditions are obviously very challenging. Australia has bowlers who are very tall and extract those conditions, use them to their advantage. Indian batsman generally are not that tall. Obviously it’s not that easy for us but all the guys are quite determined to change things around this time.”Of course, their bowling attack will challenge us no matter the format. But as a batting unit we’re prepared to face that challenge. The reason we came down few days early here is to get used to the bounce. Brisbane has always challenged us, so as a batting unit we are ready to accept it. This time we want to change our fortunes and come out with some exceptional performances. It’s not going to be that easy, we understand that. But we have quality in our unit.”It’s the one place that we want to leave our mark and do well. The last time we played a Test series here, although we lost two games and drew one, I thought there were a few close games being played. We want to make it count this time around. There’s a real good feeling inside the group in all three formats – the motivation of the team is to just try and seize all the moments and win tournaments. When you do well in places like Australia you feel good as a team.”Reflecting on the possibility of verbal provocation from India, given Australia’s relatively recent commitment to play the game with far less of an abrasive edge, Coulter-Nile pointed out that the shortest format did not necessarily grant as much time for players to get steamed up, either by circumstances or in an effort to motivate themselves.”I’ve never been sledged by them. T20 its a little bit hard to sledge, you don’t have that time in the field to really get angry, so I don’t think you’ll see too much of it during the T20s,” he said. “I don’t talk to any of the batters personally, in T20s I don’t think people have too much to say. If they get an opportunity I don’t think that’ll happen, it’ll just be talk with the ball, talk with the bat.”There has been plenty of criticism around Australian cricket of this summer’s schedule to date, particularly how much white-ball players have been required to jump from one format to another. But Coulter-Nile was happy to at least be playing a series of three matches against India, ahead of a Test series of four and then a further three ODIs in the new year.”I think we like a bit of continuity and so even if we don’t win the first game you can learn from your mistakes and try to build on that. If you do win you can try to hold it over them,” Coulter-Nile said. “But a one-off T20, especially a T20 game it can go either way. Three is a good number I think.”Confidence comes from wins so we’ve just got to find a way to win, scrap a win out, find a bit of luck. Once one happens, you get confidence and build it up. We’ve played these guys a lot so hopefully the confidence is there. We’ve all performed well against India and against their players, so hopefully guys can take that confidence into playing for Australia.”