Royals, the most economical powerplay team this season, will be up against the dangerous Shaw and Warner

Hemant Brar21-Apr-2022

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In IPL 2022, teams batting second have been more successful until now, winning 18 and losing 14 matches. The only team that has defied this trend is Rajasthan Royals. All four of their wins have come while batting first, with Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer helping them post above-par totals. Buttler scored hundreds in two of those wins, and has an overall tally of 375 runs at an average of 75.00 and a strike rate of 156.90.If Buttler has been the power-anchor, Hetmyer has ensured Royals have finished their innings with a crescendo. Among those who have scored at least 200 runs this season, Hetmyer’s strike rate of 179.83 is the third-highest. Together, the two have scored more than 57% of Royals’ total runs.Yuzvendra Chahal has been their enforcer with the ball, taking a wicket every ninth delivery. He has been well-supported by R Ashwin, who might have picked up only two wickets to Chahal’s 17 but has kept the lid on the scoring rate. With Obed McCoy impressing in the last game, Royals now have the option of using Trent Boult exclusively as a new-ball bowler.

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A handsome win on Friday could enable Royals to replace Gujarat Titans at the top of the points table. Looking to stop them will be Delhi Capitals. Despite being hit by Covid-19, Capitals will be high on confidence after demolishing Punjab Kings in their last game, even if they currently occupy the bottom half of the table with three wins in six games.In Prithvi Shaw and David Warner, they have arguably the most destructive and in-form opening pair in the tournament. But their batting tapers off after that. Rishabh Pant has played a couple of cameos but Rovman Powell’s form is a serious concern. In five innings, Powell has scored only 31 runs, at an average of 6.20 and a strike rate of 100.00.When it comes to bowling, left has been right for Capitals. Their left-arm seamers (Khaleel Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman) and left-arm spinners (Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav) have held sway over oppositions.

In the news

This match was originally scheduled to be played in Pune, but after six members of Capitals’ contingent tested positive for Covid-19, the game was moved to the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer have played key roles for Royals this season•BCCI

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 David Warner, 3 Sarfaraz Khan, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Lalit Yadav, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Khaleel Ahmed.Rajasthan Royals: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Devdutt Padikkal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Karun Nair, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Trent Boult, 9 Obed McCoy, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal.

Strategy punt

• Sixty-seven in 7.3 overs, 93 in 8.4, 50 in 4.4 and 83 in 6.3. These are the starts Shaw and Warner have given Capitals in their last four outings. But Boult could neutralise that threat. In all T20s, Boult has dismissed Shaw three times in 18 balls while giving away only 19 runs. Against Warner, he has conceded 38 runs in 45 balls for two dismissals. Given Boult has better numbers with the new ball, Royals could give him three overs up front. Ashwin, too, has kept Warner somewhat quiet. The offspinner has dismissed Warner five times in 127 balls while conceding 159 runs.
• How do you stop Buttler? Capitals’ best bet could be to make him face Kuldeep as much as possible. Against Kuldeep, Buttler has scored 36 runs off 35 balls with two dismissals. But given the way he batted out Sunil Narine in Royals’ last game, he could do the same to Kuldeep.

Stats that matter

• In IPL 2022, Royals have the best economy rate (6.72) in the powerplay.
• The average first-innings total at the Wankhede Stadium this season has been 158, the lowest among all four venues.
• Shardul Thakur has dismissed Devdutt Padikkal three times in four innings while giving away only 17 runs in 19 balls.
• Khaleel’s economy rate so far this season is 7.15. It is the first time in five IPL seasons that he has gone for less than eight.

Tammy Beaumont responds with half-century in 39-run loss

ECB Reporters Network14-May-2022Northern Diamonds 177 for 5 (Winfield-Hill 96) beat Loughborough Lightning 138 for 7 (Beaumont 59) by 39 runsA fantastic knock of 96 from England’s Lauren Winfield-Hill saw Northern Diamonds shine in a 39-run victory over Loughborough Lightning in the opening round of the Charlotte Edwards Cup.Winfield’s superb innings, which came off just 51 balls and was her highest score in T20, powered the visitors to a formidable total of 177 for five which proved too much for the hosts at a sun-drenched Haslegrave.Winning the toss and opting to bat, Diamonds took full advantage of the conditions with an opening assault on the Lightning bowlers that they struggled to recover from for the remainder of the innings.Each of the opening five overs went for double figures as Diamonds cruised past 50 with some powerful hitting from Winfield-Hill and Abi Glen.Glen fell to a catch from Teresa Graves off Kirstie Gordon for 25 but it barely mattered as Holly Armitage joined Winfield-Hill at the crease and the pair put on 99 for the second wicket with the Diamonds skipper offering valuable support to the free-scoring opener.Lightning had their chances and a drop on the boundary from Lucy Higham proved particularly costly as Winfield-Hill took full advantage by smashing three consecutive sixes off the unfortunate Kathryn Bryce in the very next over.The England star looked to be easing her way to a century but fell four shot when she skied a delivery from Bryce to Bethan Ellis who took a fine running catch over her shoulder.From 145 for two when Winfield-Hill departed in the 16th over the Diamonds innings faded somewhat with Leigh Kasperek (7), Phoebe Turner (0) and Beth Langston (1) departing in quick succession as only Armitage stood firm to finish unbeaten on 40 as Diamonds closed on 177 for five.Lightning’s reply got off to an excellent start with Marie Kelly and Tammy Beaumont full of running and deft stroke play if not the power hitting of Winfield-Hill.The opening pair had reached 79 in the 11th over when Kelly advanced down the wicket and was bowled by Beth Langston for 46.The run-chase became even tougher when Kathryn Bryce was bowled by Emma Marlow for four with Beaumont continuing to do her best with the odd boundary and some excellent scampering between the wickets.Beaumont brought up her half-century with a boundary off Kasperek in the 16th over and while she remained at the crease Lightning had a glimmer of a chance with the experienced England international looking in great form.But it was not to be as Lightning’s chances were extinguished when Beaumont was bowled by Marlow for 59 in the next over leaving the run rate increasingly insurmountable as the hosts’ innings closing on 138 for seven with Smith picking up a couple of wickets in the final over.

Croft paces chase after bowlers share wickets in one-sided contest at Grace Road

ECB Reporters Network07-Jun-2022Lancashire 139 for 3 (Croft 45) beat Leicestershire 135 (Hill 50) by seven wicketsUnbeaten North Group leaders Lancashire Lightning made it five wins from six as they defeated Leicestershire Foxes, who have lost all three home Vitality Blast fixtures, yet won three from four on the road.The Foxes opted to make first use of what looked a good batting surface but were bowled out for just 135, failing to complete their 20 overs despite 50 from Lewis Hill. The Lightning spinners held sway, sharing six wickets and conceding only 73 runs in 11 overs.The visitors cruised past their target in the 18th overs to win by seven wickets with 23 balls to spare, veteran all-rounder Steven Croft top-scoring with 45 off 46 balls.The combination of competitively priced tickets and away wins over Yorkshire, Birmingham Bears and Worcestershire by the Foxes attracted a full house of around 5,000 to the Uptonsteel County Ground but it was an unrewarding night for most of them.A wet ball after a couple of hefty showers during the Lightning innings did not help matters for the Foxes bowlers, although against a batting line-up as strong as Lancashire’s they would have struggled to defend such a low total even in perfect conditions.Leading wicket-taker Naveen-ul-Haq removed Keaton Jennings via a caught-behind off an inside edge on to pad and ended an 81-partnership between Croft and Phil Salt (38 off 34) when the latter skied one to deep square leg.Croft, who looked nailed on for his first half-century of the season, was run out after a suicidal call for a second run by skipper Dane Vilas, but with only 36 more needed from 46 balls the outcome was never in serious doubt.Tim David, who lost his off stump to Ben Mike in swinging at a free hit on 19, won the contest with a six over wide long-on off Naveen, finishing with 24 off 17 balls.The only negatives for Lancashire were injuries to Liam Livingstone (knee niggle) and Luke Wood (tight quad), although they will hope neither is serious with their next match against Yorkshire at Headingley on Wednesday.Hamish Rutherford’s disappointing debut season for the Foxes continued with a second-ball duck as he punched Richard Gleeson straight to the fielder at short third man, leaving the New Zealand opener with just 51 runs from seven innings.Otherwise, it was a satisfactory powerplay for Leicestershire Foxes, for whom Hill was profitably innovative. Arron Lilley’s first scoring shot against his former county went back over off-spinner Livingstone’s head for six.Hill ramped a six as Gleeson’s second over went for 14 compared with three off his first as the Foxes posted 54 for two from six, Scott Steel the other casualty when he hit straight to mid-off. Hill and Lilley added 41 and the Foxes looked well set at 78 for two before the latter was caught at long-on in the 11th.But Lightning’s spinners successfully applied the brake and claimed five wickets as the Foxes stumbled to 125 for seven, two for Matt Parkinson, who removed Rehan Ahmed via a catch at long-on after the youngster had clubbed him over cover for six, two for left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, who dismissed Rishi Patel and Mike in consecutive overs, and one for David, who held a low return catch moments after Hill had completed his first half-century of the season.Callum Parkinson was leg before to a Danny Lamb slower ball, Naveen run out by a direct hit from cover and Colin Ackermann was caught at mid-wicket for 25 as the Foxes innings ended after one ball of the 20th over.

Rory Burns leads Surrey’s response after record-breaking sixth-wicket stand

David Hopps12-Jul-2022They know their history in Yorkshire. When Adam Lyth and Jonny Tattersall broke Yorkshire’s sixth-wicket batting record, prolonged applause burst across North Marine Road the moment that Lyth flicked the ball off his hip. Such momentous achievements have always been met by an outbreak of White Rose pride but these days there is a touch of defiance, too – a statement that the much-chastised County Championship is deep-rooted and forever worthy of protection.Fortunately, by the time Lyth and Tattersall broke the record, the spectator vainly trying to come to terms with his new yellow-plastic rain-protector had decided that the risk of a shower had receded and removed it. He had become so entangled in it, failing to find the arm holes in several futile attempts, pulling it backwards and forwards over his head at various angles, that he would have found it impossible to clap.As far as the main stage was concerned, it was less about contortions than skill and concentration. Lyth and Tattersall had logged 239 runs on the first day and they had extended that to 305 in 77 overs when Lyth pulled Conor McKerr to deep square leg to fall for 183, an innings that spanned nearly eight hours and his highest score in his home county. Tattersall, on his Championship return, was left with an unbeaten, career-best 180 as Tom Lawes took three quick wickets after lunch and Yorkshire were dismissed for 521.Related

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But they are not yet on solid ground and Surrey, the Championship leaders, 191 for 1 at the close, will imagine that they have the batting prowess to put Yorkshire under pressure on the final day. Dom Bess can anticipate a heavy workload and the offspinner took the only wicket to fall when he drew Ryan Patel down the pitch with one that dipped and turned a shade and Tattersall completed a straightforward stumping.There had still been life in the surface on a cloudy morning, for Dan Worrall in particular as he came down the hill, but Yorkshire’s attack rarely threatened. Rory Burns was calmness personified as he closed the second day on 93 not out. He was assured square of the wicket on both sides and his commitment to the long game was illustrated when he made only 10 runs in the last 12 overs of the day, from which he faced 33 balls. He had one moment of fortune, caught at first slip on 72 only to be reprieved because Shannon Gabriel, the West Indian quick who has joined Yorkshire on a short-term contract, had overstepped.Considering the overpowering nature of Yorkshire’s cricket history, it is instructional to reflect that five of the highest batting partnerships for each wicket have been made this century. Holmes and Sutcliffe are famously there for their 555 for the first wicket at Leyton in 1932 – the world record that wasn’t thanks to a faulty scoreboard – and Geoffrey Boycott makes an appearance for his 10th wicket stand of 149 with Graham Stevenson at Edgbaston in 1982 when he memorably remarked, with a lopsided grin, that was down to “his brawn and my brains”. But there are many names of modern vintage – Jonny Bairstow and Tim Bresnan, Bairstow again with Joe Root. Lyth broke his own sixth-wicket record, too, a stand of 296 in league with Adil Rashid in the Old Trafford Roses match eight years ago. Flatter pitches for sure – markedly so – but Lyth, too, and the rest will enter Yorkshire folklore.Major renovations are in progress at North Marine Road•Matthew Allen

For Scarborough to protect its place in history, however beloved it is, the ground must remain solvent. Crowds here have been a little above 3,000 on the first two days which are reasonable, but well down on pre-Covid days and not entirely in keeping with the esteem in which the ground is held. A recent 10-year staging agreement with Yorkshire helps in an age when outgrounds are permanently under pressure but it is also ambitious to become an established centre for women’s cricket. It would have to address primitive broadcasting facilities to achieve that. But anyway, changes are afoot and that can only be positive.The very thought will have been enough to leave Yorkshire traditionalists on red alert because they routinely insist North Marine Road is perfect and want no messing with their memories. The last time it was suggested the place needed a revamp, a Yorkshire supporter on the wooden-benched banking took umbrage on and countered: “You don’t need a sofa to sit on”.Rest assured there are no unwelcome fripperies in a £500,000 upgrade. The first two phases – improved toilet facilities, better communications and new practice net facilities – are largely completed. The final phase, subject to planning approval, is a refurbishment of the incongruous West Stand, which will have new seating and a new ground-floor frontage which will also house a heritage museum and improved catering facilities – or, as they are known these days “innovative places to linger”.Scarborough is also an unusual place to linger for Clean Slate Filmz, Yorkshire’s main sponsor, which is making a biopic of Jhulan Goswami, the great champion of India women’s cricket, in September.Also attracting interest was Yorkshire’s 2nd XI match against Derbyshire at Chesterfield where Gary Ballance is continuing a low-key return to action after missing the bulk of the season with mental health issues. Ballance has made back-to-back hundreds so it appears from afar that he is feeling his way back successfully. He is one of seven people charged – and the only current player – by the ECB after their investigation into Azeem Rafiq’s racism allegations. There is no regulation that stops Yorkshire selecting him, but there is no suggestion that any 1st XI return is imminent and that seems to be the most sensible approach.Yorkshire’s fast-bowler injuries are also relenting. Ben Coad is also involved the 2nd XI fixture, although he is following a programme of limited workload and has yet to bowl, and Matthew Fisher has not given up hope of a match or two at the back end of the Championship season. He has been undertaking fielding drills during the lunch interval on the last two days as he recovers from a stress fracture.

A consummate team effort took Zimbabwe past PNG, while Bas de Leede starred with bat and ball as Netherlands swept USA aside

Peter Della Penna15-Jul-2022Tournament hosts Zimbabwe and reigning tournament champions Netherlands continued their undefeated runs at the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Bulawayo, both sides winning their respective semifinals on Friday to clinch the final two available berths at the T20 World Cup in Australia this October. It will be Zimbabwe’s sixth trip to the T20 World Cup and their first since 2016, while Netherlands make their fifth appearance in the T20 World Cup.Zimbabwe and Netherlands will face off on Sunday in the final of the T20 World Cup Qualifier to determine the final group assignments for the opening round in Australia. The winner of the final will spend the opening round in Hobart in Group B, with Ireland, Scotland and West Indies. The loser of the final will head to Geelong, where they will be paired against Namibia, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates.Zimbabwe’s 27-run victory over Papua New Guinea at Queen’s Sports Club was a consummate team effort as they compiled a first-innings total of 199 after choosing to bat first, despite nobody making more than Wessly Madhevere’s 42 off 29 balls. But the rest of the top six batters scored at least 22, including 38 off 30 from captain Craig Ervine.PNG’s reply got off to a disastrous start when Lega Siaka was run out by Sean Williams off the first ball of the chase and they slipped to 34 for 3 inside of five overs. But Tony Ura’s superlative tournament continued with a 22-ball half-century to keep PNG in the hunt for a second straight trip to the T20 World Cup. However, he slowed down considerably afterward before a heave across the line resulted in him being bowled by Williams for 66 off 35 balls making the score 139 for 5 after 15. PNG needed 61 off the final 30 balls, but with Ura gone lacked the firepower to get within striking distance before eventually ending on 172 for 8.File photo – Bas de Leede picked up two wickets, took a catch, effected a run-out, and scored an unbeaten 67-ball 91•Getty Images

Bas de Leede put in an all-time great performance in the annals of Dutch cricket history to see the Netherlands past USA by seven wickets with an over to spare in their semifinal at Bulawayo Athletic Club. USA were 51 for 0 after five overs after choosing to bat, but de Leede’s spell of medium-pace helped turn the tide as he took 2 for 23 in three overs while also taking a catch and effecting a run-out to help bowl USA out for 138 in 19.4 overs.Paul van Meekeren made the first breakthrough to end USA’s opening stand by getting Steven Taylor to chip a full ball to Max O’Dowd at midwicket for 26 off the first ball of the sixth over. USA captain Monank Patel then fell to a half-tracker from legspinner Shariz Ahmad, picking out Logan van Been at deep midwicket for 32 off 15 balls to make it 68 for 2. It opened the door for de Leede to pounce with a tremendous athletic diving effort off his own bowling to bounce out the dangerous Gajanand Singh for a second-ball duck, then later cleaned up Marty Kain with a slower-ball yorker for a golden duck. Nisarg Patel tried to stretch out the USA innings with 28 off 23 balls at No. 8 before de Leede ran him out with a sharp relay from deep midwicket to deny a second run.USA held a brief glimmer of hope in the first over of the Dutch reply when Saurabh Netravalkar induced a chipped catch by Stephan Myburgh to extra-cover for a third-ball duck. de Leede entered at No. 3 and, after negotiating a tricky next few overs, opened up against Netravalkar in the fifth, driving him inside-out over-extra cover for six. He cleared the rope twice more off Rusty Theron in the following over to take the Netherlands to 53 for 1 at the end of the powerplay.Netherlands suffered two more hiccups just after, when Max O’Dowd fell for 16 in the seventh over, driving a low return catch to Nisarg’s left-arm spin before Tom Cooper flicked Cameron Stevenson’s medium-pace to Jaskaran Malhotra at deep midwicket to make it 62 for 3 after eight. But captain Scott Edwards arrived and rotated the strike well to keep the required run rate comfortable. De Leede brought up his fifty off 33 balls with a single in the 10th.The pair finally put the game out of USA’s reach by attacking the part-time legspin of Aaron Jones in the 12th over. A day after Jones conceded 26 runs off the final over of the first innings to Zimbabwe, including three sixes to Sikandar Raza, USA captain Monank tossed him the ball only to see Edwards sweep him repeatedly in a 12-run over that took the required run rate under a run a ball for the rest of the chase. A single off the final ball of the 19th by de Leede secured victory.

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.

Pakistan represents the majority of the additional names in the draft and includes Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq and Khushdil Shah

Andrew McGlashan24-Aug-2022Ross Taylor, Mohammad Hasnain and Will Smeed are among the final batch of players confirmed for the BBL draft on Sunday taking the total of number of registered players to 332.Hasnain, who is eligible for retention having played with Sydney Thunder last season, is one of two more players in the final group, which were received shortly before the nominations closed on Sunday. Fellow Pakistani Fakhar Zaman is the other having played one game for Brisbane Heat in the 2021-22 edition.Hasnain had his bowling action reported during last year’s competition but has since been cleared to resume bowling.Pakistan represents the majority of the additional names in the draft and includes Test opening pair Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq as well as middle-order white-ball hitter Khushdil Shah.Taylor, who is now retired from international cricket, could be an interesting option if a team is looking for an experienced batter as he does not have any conflicting deals at the moment.Smeed is the highly-rated young English batter who has a strike-rate of 146.23 from 52 T20 matches and he recently became the first player to hit a century in the men’s Hundred. He has already gained global interest and has an ILT20 deal with MI Emirates in January.Off the 332 players lined up for the draft, 28 are eligible for retention by clubs they played for last season. The first 12 players are part of the platinum list, which was announced on Monday, with the rest following in gold, silver and bronze categories.A maximum of 24 players will be signed during the draft with clubs needing to pick a minimum of two and maximum of three names.

Topley to fly home, where he is set to have surgery on his ankle

Vithushan Ehantharajah19-Oct-2022England have drafted Tymal Mills into their T20 World Cup squad after Reece Topley was ruled out of the tournament with an ankle injury.On Tuesday, the ECB said that Topley had “rolled his ankle” after standing on a boundary cushion during a fielding drill ahead of their final warm-up match against Pakistan in Brisbane the day before. The prognosis was initially hopeful ahead of England’s tournament opener against Afghanistan on Saturday in Perth, but the injury is worse than expected and Topley has sustained ligament damage.Topley will fly home to England, where he will undergo surgery on the injury. His absence is a significant blow for England: he is their leading wicket-taker in men’s T20Is in 2022 and can bowl at the death as well as providing an attacking new-ball option in the powerplay.”Devastated,” Topley wrote on Instagram, “but wishing the boys the best of luck and backing them to put in an amazing performance at this World Cup! Thanks for all the messages, I feel so lucky to have people sending so many messages of good wishes.”As ESPNcricinfo revealed, Mills has beaten fellow fast-bowling reserve Richard Gleeson to the call-up on account of his previous tournament experience. He performed well at last year’s Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, with seven wickets at 15.42 and an economy rate of 8.00 in the four games he played. His participation in that tournament was cut short by a thigh injury and, as it happens, Topley was the one to replace him in that 15-man squad.Related

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Mills also has a bank of experience in Australian conditions, with previous Big Bash League stints for Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes and Perth Scorchers. He offers a valuable option for captain Jos Buttler, with his speed and nous, particularly at the death, having performed the role admirably in the previous T20 World Cup.However, Mills has not played any cricket since August 10 after an operation to fix an issue with his right big toe that blighted his 2022 summer. The last of his 13 T20I caps came in July, against India at the Ageas Bowl, taking 1 for 35 from three overs. Having tried to manage the toe injury without surgery, a decision was made to operate in the middle of August after his first appearance in the Hundred for Southern Brave against Birmingham Phoenix.Mills spent the seven-match tour of Pakistan at home getting up to speed before joining the squad in Australia. He has so far participated fully in all net sessions ahead of the tournament. England’s next training day is Thursday.Luke Wood, the Lancashire left-arm seamer who made his international debut in Pakistan last month, has been added to England’s touring party as a travelling reserve, cutting short a holiday as a result. The ECB said he would “join the England party in due course”.

There was a wobble in the run chase when Lilly Mills but in the end it was a comfortable win

AAP28-Oct-2022Adelaide Strikers recovered from a mini-innings stumble to beat Perth Scorchers by six wickets and exact some revenge for their loss to the Scorchers in last season’s WBBL final.Strikers were cruising at 0 for 51 at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Friday. But young Scorchers spinner Lilly Mills struck with three wickets, including the prized scalp of Strikers captain Tahlia McGrath for a duck, in 11 balls to put Scorchers back in the contest.But a nerveless unbeaten 47 from opener Katie Mack guided Adelaide to an important win with nine balls remaining.Strikers’ fourth victory of the tournament lifts them to second on the ladder, overtaking Scorchers.Mack received solid support from Madeline Penna (32 not out), with the pair putting on an unbeaten 52-run stand for the fifth wicket to close out the match.Earlier, Strikers never allowed Scorchers to build their innings with quick Darcie Brown (2-18) and spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington (2-13) on fire with the ball.Australia star Beth Mooney (34) was the pick of Scorchers’ batters, while Amy Edgar hit an unbeaten 27.Strikers are next in action on Wednesday for a clash with Melbourne Stars, while Scorchers face a short turnaround before their match against Brisbane Heat on Saturday evening.

Action shifts to Mount Maunganui with the series now a two-match contest

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2022India’s white-ball tour of New Zealand began with the first T20I in Wellington being washed out without a toss.Both sides were consigned indoors due to continuous rain. Barring a very short dry spell, it was wet throughout.That was disappointing news for the fans in attendance at the Sky Stadium, which was set to host its first men’s T20I match in 20 months.Even while it was drizzling, on-field umpires Chris Brown and Wayne Knights seemed to be inspecting the outfield to gauge the earliest time a match could start once the rain stopped.However, that never happened, with the game called off at 8.52pm local time, roughly 54 minutes before the cut-off time for a five-over shootout.The T20I series now moves to Mount Maunganui for the second match on Sunday, after which the teams will move to Napier for the third T20I on Tuesday.A young India squad is being led by Hardik Pandya for the T20I series with many senior players rested. New Zealand are competing without Martin Guptill and Trent Boult with both sides looking to move on from their respective semi-final defeats at the T20 World Cup in Australia.