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It’s been a 41st birthday to remember for Durham captain Paul Collingwood, as he struck 127 off 174 balls to aid his team’s recovery on the first day of their County Championship Division Two clash against Glamorgan

ECB Reporters Network26-May-2017
ScorecardPaul Collingwood’s century underpinned Durham’s recovery•Getty Images

It’s been a 41st birthday to remember for Durham captain Paul Collingwood, as he struck 127 off 174 balls to aid his team’s recovery on the first day of their County Championship Division Two clash against Glamorgan at St. Helen’s in Swansea.However, it was also a day to remember for new Glamorgan captain Michael Hogan, whose three wickets in a four-ball spell saw him end his first day as skipper with a five-wicket haul. His figures of 5 for 49 helped to bowl Durham out for 342 by the close of play.The visitors wobbled early on, losing two wickets in the first eight overs of the match, including that of key opening batsman Keaton Jennings, clean bowled by Marchant de Lange for four in the fifth over. Subsequently, Stephen Cook was trapped lbw by Australian-born Dutchman Timm van der Gugten, leaving them 17 for 2.Hogan will have felt disappointed at losing the toss. But a poor start left the visitors up against it at 92 for 2 at lunch, having failed to capitalise on an ideal batting wicket, although Graham Clark and Cameron Steel built an 86-run partnership for the third wicket as the visitors began to rebuild.And Glamorgan certainly built on their own morning success with a quick wicket after lunch, Clark falling to a superb low slip catch by Nick Selman off Hogan, the visitors having reached 103 for 3.Steel brought up his fifty off 134 balls, hitting seven fours, but all eyes were on birthday boy Collingwood who had raced to 30, with six fours on all sides of the wicket, by the time his partner had reached the milestone.A useful 60 partnership came to an end when Nick Selman claimed his second slip catch of the innings off Hogan, as Steel departed for 59 to leave the visitors 163 for 4 in the 57th over. Just three overs later, Durham lost their fifth wicket as Ryan Pringle was caught by wicketkeeper Chris Cooke off de Lange for 5, and the visitors were struggling once again at 169 for 5.At tea, Durham were 183 for 5 and the skipper reached the half-century mark just after the break off 100 balls. A sixth wicket partnership of 91 with Paul Coughlin put the visitors back in the game as they claimed a second batting point. However, the stand came to an end when Coughlin was lbw to van der Gugten for 31 and the visitors were 260 for 6.Collingwood went on to reach his century off 158 balls, and had hit 17 fours on his way to 127 before he was trapped lbw by Andrew Salter. An eighth wicket soon followed, Stuart Poynter caught behind off Hogan for a useful 38 as Durham reached 342 for 8.Hogan claimed his second wicket in the over when he bowled George Harding off his second ball and completed a three-in-four-ball stint – and four in seven balls – when Chris Rushworth was caught behind off the last ball of the day to end Durham’s first innings on 342.

A first century of the season for James Hildreth, that great, overlooked west country run-gatherer, provided Somerset supporters with something to clutch to their breasts on what was an otherwise trying day

Alan Gardner at Taunton03-May-2016
ScorecardJames Anderson took three wickets in an over to put Lancashire in control•Getty Images

A first century of the season for James Hildreth, that great, overlooked west country run-gatherer, provided Somerset supporters with something to clutch to their breasts on what was an otherwise trying day. Nearly three games in and this is beginning to look like another difficult Championship campaign. Hildreth was last out for 130 and, facing a first-innings deficit of 180, Somerset were duly asked to bat again.Lancashire have played the percentages well throughout this match and their performance in the field, with plenty of runs on the board, was textbook. Three wickets in five balls after lunch from James Anderson was like a punch to gut of the Somerset innings and although they didn’t quite double over and sink to the ground – mainly thanks to an eighth-wicket stand of 139 between Hildreth and Jamie Overton – there was enough impetus to Lancashire’s efforts to give them a reasonable chance of pulling off victory on the final day.The surface for Taunton’s first home game of the season has played more like one prepared in August. Safer to bat on than a bank vault for the first two days, Lancashire’s attack then produced the tools needed to crack it open: Anderson, Neil Wagner and Kyle Jarvis bowling in bursts as Simon Kerrigan wheeled away from the River End. The grubbing delivery from Jarvis that wrecked Craig Overton’s stumps suggested things could get even more difficult for Somerset.They would have been far worse were it not for Hildreth’s 36th first-class hundred. The time has passed when he was mentioned among England possibles – there are still questions about how the Test XI will line up against Sri Lanka later this month, yet Hildreth has not entered the debate – but he drove, cut and pulled smoothly during an innings that only offered one chance, a sharp one to midwicket that Alviro Petersen put down diving to his right.

Division One ‘closest thing to Tests’ – Wagner

Neil Wagner, Lancashire’s New Zealand international bowler, has praised the quality of competition in the top tier of the Championship. After a hard-fought day in which Lancashire gave themselves a chance of making it back-to-back wins on their return to Division One, Wagner said the changes to regulations that have seen better-quality pitches produced around the country meant that it was the next best thing to playing at Test level.
“Division One county cricket is the closest you get to Test cricket,” he said. “I think the quality of cricket and cricketers is that good, it’s all-round tough cricket that you have to play – especially with the wickets as they are at the moment, they are quite flat, quite tough and hard graft. As bowlers it’s quite testing and that’s where your big characters have got to stand up.”

Keeping him company for much of the afternoon was Jamie Overton, who has a reputation as a lusty hitter but, despite getting off the mark with a pulled six over midwicket off Wagner, was considerably more circumspect in compiling a fourth first-class fifty, from 89 balls. He was out to his next delivery, from Wagner, who had done admirably in attempting to get his bouncer high enough to hit the 6ft 6in Overton in the head and had also seen him edge short of slip on 17.Impeded by Monday’s rain and a slow outfield, which is still bedding in after new drainage was installed, Lancashire took the best part of two days to amass 493 for 9 declared. That effectively took the win out of the equation for Somerset but the way in which they pitched headlong into a mid-afternoon collapse would have been worrying for the new captain, Chris Rogers, and director of cricket, Matthew Maynard, in his second season at the club.Somerset have found themselves similarly off the pace in opening fixtures at Chester-le-Street and The Oval, though they escaped with draws in both. The same result ought to be achievable here but it would not do much to reduce the chuntering among those meandering away down St James Street come Wednesday’s close.The situation had looked brighter in the morning, even though Marcus Trescothick departed tamely to a return catch from Jarvis’ first ball. Rogers produced his first half-century since signing for Somerset and he could walk off to a backdrop of contented applause with his side 101 for 2 at lunch. But things then quickened up rather suddenly after the interval, and not to the home crowd’s liking.Anderson, as wily with the ball as he is unsubtle in discourse with opposing batsmen, prised out Rogers after a 107-ball stay. The delivery may have stopped a little but, facing a 7-2 off-side field and Anderson bowling round the wicket, Rogers could not stop a defensive push looping to one of the catchers positioned in the covers. There was no David Saker to point to on the balcony, as Anderson did after they came up with a plan for Rogers at Trent Bridge in 2013, but it was another example of how exacting a bowler he has become.He was soon on a hat-trick, Roelof van der Merwe extending his limp run with the bat by playing all around a straight one, and although Peter Trego negotiated the delivery securely enough, he was gone two balls later, Alex Wharf slowly raising the finger to complete a car-crash slide from 102 for 2 to 102 for 5.Ryan Davies, a former England U-19s wicketkeeper with a previous first-class best of 17, twice drove Anderson sweetly down the ground – which did not pass without comment from the bowler – and played neatly enough for 45 minutes, until he decided to rush at Kerrigan and was stumped well out of his crease. Craig Overton fell shortly after and, at 150 for 7, Somerset’s chances of batting out the day seemed remote. That they were asked to have another go, with Tim Groenewald facing one final over from Anderson, only made it more galling.

Refreshingly, no one at the County Ground made a secret of their interest in the game unfolding at Chelmsford between third-placed Essex and Glamorgan

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Wantage Road18-Sep-2013
ScorecardRob Key overcame a tough start to make his fourth Championship hundred of the season•Getty Images

Refreshingly, no one at the County Ground made a secret of their interest in the game unfolding at Chelmsford between third-placed Essex and Glamorgan.Northamptonshire are an honest county who have thrived on frank self-assessments of their short-comings. They have already failed in accruing maximum bowling points, despite the career best efforts of James Middlebrook who took 6 for 78 and, with rain set to hamper the game further, 400 in the home side’s first innings inside 110 overs is an absolute must.It was a day that belonged to Kent – who gained full batting points – particularly the trio of Rob Key, Brendan Nash and Darren Stevens who took turns to pass 1,000 Championship runs for the season. Key and Nash marked the occasion further by registering centuries that overlapped each other in both time and quality. The pair came together following the departure of Daniel Bell-Drummond in the eighth over of the day and put on 134 runs in the next 25.4 overs.A scoring rate of 5.22 suggests domination from the duo with the bat – and there were times when both treated the bowlers with such malice that you thought you were watching a scene from Casino (all that was missing was a dissenting Joe Pesci). But Northamptonshire cannot have endured a more luckless period in the field than they did in the first hour.Atmospheric conditions and a lively pitch were always going to lend to an eventful morning. The ball swung, seamed and bounced – Azharullah getting one delivery to do all three; catching the shoulder of Key’s bat and flew high above the head of third slip.But after having his outside edge caught on countless occasions, while his inside edge was beaten, twice, without consequence, Key began to make the most of his good fortune. As the sun came out, he rid himself of any indecision, planted his front foot and began hitting the ball with more purpose as he searched for atonement for a scratchy start.He owes his mid-morning transformation to Nash, who took the onus off his partner with some timely boundaries that led to a shift in impetus that stayed with Kent through to stumps. Lee Daggett, whose first seven overs cost just 17 runs, was hit for 23 in the last two of his opening spell. Azharullah followed an over after he was involved in a war of words with Key, who took great delight in crashing the bowler, on the up, through cover to take him to his fifty.A single off Hall took Key to 70 and into four figures for the season, before Nash joined him with a four down the ground off Crook which also brought up his fifty.Key fell soon after lunch, completing his century with a brace of sixes in three balls – the first of which flew out of the ground over midwicket and required replacing – before sweeping Middlebrook to first slip, via his foot. The disparity between the fluency of his first and second half of his hundred was evident in the 102 and 47 balls it took to bring up each, respectively.Nash continued on, batting with a grace that he’s not often creditted for. His game is one honed through trial and error, but he is capable of the odd flourish one would attribute to a player who has represented West Indies. His flat six over point off a bouncing delivery from Crook was outrageous.He slowed in the nineties, as Crook pushed him onto the back foot. On 91, he defended a rising delivery that then popped over his shoulder and cleared the stumps by a whisker. Six overs after entering the nineties, he left it for the fifth time this season.Finally it was Stevens, on 995 runs going into this fixture, who joined Nash and Key with a single, before moving to his fifty thanks to a drop from Daggett, who failed to hang on to a lofted catch while running from mid-off to mid-on.Daggett would eventually atone as he removed Stevens 14 runs later, but by then Kent were well on their way to further frustrating Northants by passing 400 and, more importantly, holding onto their ninth wicket till the 112th over.

Jos Buttler has admitted his relief at being able to play a part in an England victory after his brutal 32 off 10 balls against South Africa at Edgbaston levelled the Twenty20 series

Andrew McGlashan13-Sep-2012Jos Buttler has admitted his relief at being able to play a part in an England victory after his brutal 32 off 10 balls against South Africa gave England a timely boost ahead of the World Twenty20. It was the first time Buttler had managed to translate his county exploits for Somerset onto the international stage and it has thrown his name into the spotlight as the team fly to Sri Lanka.Buttler’s England career remains in its infancy having made his debut last year against India so time was always on his side, but he came with such a reputation for matchwinning innings at domestic level that it was important to live up to his billing after six previous innings had brought a best of 13. That was quickly eclipsed as he straight drove two sixes off Wayne Parnell then twice flicked him over short fine-leg with his ‘ramp’ shot – the penultimate over of the shortened innings going on to cost 32.”International cricket hasn’t quite gone as I’d have hoped but days like this are really pleasing and give me a lot of confidence to take into Sri Lanka,” Buttler said. “It was something I was desperate to get in an England shirt, to have that innings.”I could take confidence from what I’ve done for Somerset but to do it on the international stage is a really proud moment. It’s nice to repay the faith that people have shown in you. But I need to get back in the right frame of mind a look forward to Sri Lanka.”Buttler conceded that his confidence had taken a hit against Pakistan in the UAE earlier this year where his ramp twice brought his downfall during the Twenty20 series. However, he was not about to shelve a shot he had played since his days at the Somerset academy and continued to use it during this year’s Friends Life t20 and CB40 competitions. He also said that a chat with Mark Bawden, the England team psychologist, and his county captain Marcus Trescothick had relaxed him ahead of the final match against South Africa.”I had a bit of a confidence knock by getting out to it in Dubai, but think being myself was a huge thing,” he said. “I had a good chat about things and had a nice couple of texts off Tres, just saying be yourself and enjoy it and that’s what I did.”It’s a huge part of my game to either get fine leg or mid-off up to be able to hit straight and sweep. I always know I have an option. Guys improvise a lot these days and try to second guess bowlers so I’m glad I can do that and have it in my armoury.”Nowadays players practice scoops, ramps, flicks and switch-hits as much as their cover drives, hook and pulls and Buttler’s belief in the shot comes from hours against the bowling machine to the extent that he sees it as a viable option regardless of how the bowler responds. That was shown on Wednesday at Edgbaston when Parnell tried to counter Buttler’s approach by dragging his line outside off stump only to see the ball still fly over short fine-leg”I’m looking for a ball in an area but I’ve worked on ways to compensate if it’s in other areas and get bat on it and get off strike,” Buttler said. “The way I play it, I think I can do it to a full ball, a wide ball or a back-of-a-length ball. I’m really comfortable with the shot, obviously it didn’t work against Pakistan in the UAE – but talking to people they said it was a huge a part to my game so keep trying it and it came off.”

India’s injury-ravaged squad means Manoj Tiwary could play on Tuesday hours after landing in London

Nagraj Gollapudi05-Sep-2011By Monday evening, Manoj Tiwary had taken two domestic flights in little more than a day, and was faced with a long-haul journey to London. Still, he was anything but exhausted. On Sunday Tiwary left for his home town of Kolkata from Bangalore after his BCCI Corporate Trophy match was rained out. He had already heard about Rohit Sharma fracturing his right index finger the previous evening. He sensed he had a chance. The call from the BCCI official came late afternoon, informing him that he was booked on a Monday evening flight from Mumbai to join the Indian squad.With Sachin Tendulkar being ruled out of the series on Monday, a development which caught even the Indian squad by surprise, there were strong indications from the Indian camp of Tiwary being rushed from Heathrow airport on Monday straight to Southampton to play the match. It might seem cruel on the player but with only six specialist batsmen left in the squad India don’t really have much of a choice other than playing five bowlers and going a batsman light.Nevertheless Tiwary is no stranger to being dashed across continents to join the team at the very last minute. In the 2008 CB Series in Australia, Yuvraj Singh was forced to return home due to knee injury and Tiwary was called in as reinforcement. He reached Brisbane less than 48 hours before the match against Australia, and walked in to face Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson with barely a day’s break. It was his debut. The jet lag was evident as he was bowled by a searing Lee yorker for 2.It took Tiwary three years to make an India comeback, returning during the ODI series in West Indies in June. In his first match of the series, he was played as an opener and once again failed. In the next he batted at his regular No. 4 position but could only muster 22. India lost both matches.But Tiwary stayed confident. In the Emerging Players tournament in Australia last month he did well in the three-day games, finishing fifth on the run charts with 306 runs from three matches at an average of 76.5 including a highest of 188.”I made a point to myself to become to be the highest run-getter in the three-day matches as well as in the Twenty20 matches (in the Emerging Players). That was my main motive,” Tiwary told ESPNcricnfo, over the phone from Mumbai.Tiwary said he was lucky that the Indian coach at the Emerging Players tournament Bharat Arun played him as No. 4, his favourite position where he has played through his career. In the previous Emerging Players tournament in 2009, he had batted in the lower middle-order, something that did not allow him to settle down.Tiwary said setting goals and trying to achieve them has only helped him stay in focus. “Last year the domestic season had gone really well for me. I knew if I had to make a comeback, domestic performances along with the IPL would definitely count. And I got a reward by getting on the West Indies tour followed by the Emerging tournament.”In the Ranji Trophy, Tiwary had an aggregate of 525 runs from seven matches at an average of 75. He even had unbeaten double century (233) and three fifties. In the IPL, his 359 runs was among the reasons for Kolkata Knight Riders reaching the semi-finals.If he does play on Tuesday, Tiwary would not have much time to think about anything except making sure he has got his protective gear in shape. If the flight is on time, Tiwary will land at 7.40 am and then rush to Southampton, another two-hour drive. “It is a big opportunity to grasp because not every time such opportunities come along and I have a good chance to do well against a good side (England).”

Ireland’s trip to Zimbabwe has been confirmed, and in addition to the Intercontinental Cup match against Zimbabwe XI, three one-day internationals between the senior national teams have been arranged

Cricinfo staff26-Aug-2010Ireland’s trip to Zimbabwe has been confirmed, and in addition to the Intercontinental Cup match against a Zimbabwe XI, three one-day internationals between the senior national teams have been arranged. All of the games will take place in Harare, with the four-day fixture starting on Monday September 20. The ODIs follow on September 26, 27 and 30.Zimbabwe withdrew from Test cricket in 2006 and were subsequently admitted to the Intercontinental Cup on the understanding that their four home games would be played at neutral venues. But along with the relative political stability in the country, Zimbabwe Cricket has worked hard to improve its structures after divisive squabbling between players and administrators had wrecked cricket in the country.There had been some speculation as to whether Ireland would make the trip at all, and for a time there had been a possibility that the Intercontinental Cup fixture would take place in South Africa. But both Kenya and Afghanistan recently played their Intercontinental Cup matches in Zimbabwe, who also hosted Sri Lanka and India in a one-day tri-series in June this year, so the pressure on Ireland to make the trip was always going to be immense. Now that their tour has been confirmed, it is almost certain that Scotland – who are scheduled to play Zimbabwe XI in the middle of October – will also make the trip.The Zimbabwe XI are currently in third place behind Afghanistan and Scotland in the Intercontinental Cup, having drawn against Afghanistan and beaten Kenya, Netherlands and Canada. Ireland are fifth on the points table after draws against Scotland and Kenya and a loss to Afghanistan at Dambulla.

Each franchise will have a purse of INR 120 crore, an increment of INR 20 crore from the last time, to build a squad for IPL 2025

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Sep-2024The IPL franchises can retain up to six players each for the 2025 season, the right-to-match (RTM) option is back for the mega auction, and the Impact Player rule will remain in place till the 2027 season. That aside, the auction purse has been increased by INR 20 crore and is now INR 120 crore (US$ 14.3 million approx.). These were among the most significant decisions announced by the IPL governing council on Saturday.Each franchise can retain a maximum of six players via a combination of retention and the RTM option. “It is at the discretion of the IPL franchise to choose their combination for retentions and RTMs,” the IPL release said. “The six retentions/RTMs can have a maximum of five capped players (Indian and overseas) and a maximum of two uncapped [Indians] players.”

Retention slabs for IPL 2025

In case a franchise wants to retain five capped players, the following amounts will be deducted from the purse:

• For the first three retentions: INR 18 crore, INR 14 crore, and INR 11 crore
• For the next two: INR 18 crore and INR 14 croreAs for the uncapped players, the IPL has stuck with INR 4 crore, as was the case in the 2021 mega auction. This means a franchise retaining five capped players and one uncapped before the auction will lose INR 79 crore from the overall purse of INR 120 crore, and will go into the auction with just INR 41 crore. If a franchise retains four capped and two uncapped players, it will lose INR 69 crore from its purse.The total salary cap will now consist of the auction purse, incremental performance pay and match fees. In 2024, the total salary cap (auction purse + incremental performance pay) was INR 110 crore. It will be INR 146 crore in 2025, INR 151 crore in 2026, and INR 157 crore in 2027.
  

  Impact Player not going away

  Despite objections from franchises and concerns from high-profile players such as Rohit Sharma that the Impact Player rule could be detrimental to the development of allrounders, the IPL has decided to retain it for the next three seasons, up to 2027.Related

  • IPL retention: How many players can a team keep? And at what cost?

  • SRH set to retain Klaasen, Cummins, Abhishek

  • BCCI scraps Impact Player rule in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s

  • IPL retention FAQs: What is the modified RTM rule? Has the auction purse increased?

  • October 31 set as deadline for IPL teams to finalise retentions

  Since its introduction in the 2023 season, the rule has stirred wide debate over whether it is indeed beneficial to Indian cricket, which was the original motive, or whether it could be hurting the development of allrounders. That was one of the points the IPL discussed with the franchises during a meeting on July 31, which was attended by several team owners and team principals. While there was no unanimous nod to the rule, the majority was in favour of it being retained.Nine of the ten highest totals in IPL history have been recorded since the Impact Player rule, which allows a team to sub out a first-XI player and field a specialist batter or bowler depending on the match situation. The IPL believes the rule has enhanced the product by creating spectacles and is good from the spectators’ point of view, too.

  RTM card – final bidder to get extra opportunity

  The RTM option gives a franchise the chance to buy back a player during the auction by matching the highest bid made for the player by another franchise once the bidding is over. It was previously used in the 2017 mega auction but was discarded ahead of the 2022 mega auction.The IPL has decided to reintroduce it after at least three franchises argued in its favour. It is understood that the owners of Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad said they wanted seven to eight RTMs. However, players have generally not been in favour of the RTM option because they feel they don’t get the fair price as a result.To advance the cause of the players, the IPL has now modified the rule. It now reads: “The highest bidder will be given one final opportunity to raise their bid for a player before the team holding the RTM card can exercise their right. For example, if Team 1 holds the RTM for Player X and Team 2 has placed the highest bid of INR 6 crore, then Team 1 will be first asked if they will exercise RTM, if Team 1 agrees, then Team 2 will have the chance to increase their bid. If Team 2 raises their bid to INR 9 crore, then Team 1 can use the RTM and acquire Player X for INR 9 crore. If Team 2 chooses not to raise the bid and keeps it at INR 6 crore, Team 1 can use the RTM and get Player X for INR 6 crore.”

  Injury replacements and player loans

  Till IPL 2024, franchises had to seek a replacement for an injured player their seventh match of the season. From IPL 2025, teams can seek replacements till up to the 12th match in the league phase.The IPL has also decided to “reinstate” the player loan process, which can only be activated during the season. However, the rule has never been used to date.

  Rule change allows CSK to retain ‘uncapped’ Dhoni

  During a broader discussion on uncapped players, the IPL informed the franchises that it was reviving the rule it had started in 2008 but scrapped in 2021 – that of allowing Indian players who had retired from international cricket at least five years before the relevant season to go into the auction as uncapped players.”A capped Indian player will become uncapped if he has, in the five calendar years preceding the year in which the relevant season is held, not played in the starting XI in international cricket and does not have a central contract with BCCI,” the release said. “This will be applicable for Indian players only.”This gives Chennai Super Kings the option of retaining their former captain MS Dhoni, whose last international match was at the 2019 ODI World Cup, as an uncapped player. Ahead of the 2022 mega auction, CSK had retained Dhoni as their second player for INR 12 crore. If they are to retain him now as an uncapped player, they can do so with INR 4 crore.

Dom Bess joins on loan as visitors are made to toil on hot day at Chelmsford

ECB Reporters Network25-Jun-2023Tom Westley and Dan Lawrence, England past and present, combined for an imperious double-century stand that put Essex firmly in control of the LV= Insurance County Championship match against Warwickshire.Lawrence, allowed to play by England on the proviso he is ready to scuttle down to Lord’s if required, when he will be replaced in the Essex line-up by nominated substitute Nick Browne, gave full range to his shots in an immaculate 152, his second century of the season.The third-wicket pair put on 227 in 59 overs of elegant stroke-play until Westley dragged Ed Barnard to short midwicket. His 193-ball 114 took his season’s tally to 739 runs, by far the most of any player in Division One.Matt Critchley upped the tempo with 47 from 43 balls in a 70-run stand with Lawrence, who finally departed after five and a half hours, 225 balls and 15 fours, a second victim for Warwickshire loanee Dom Bess. By the close, Essex had amassed 391 for sevenWestley had won the toss on a green-tinged Chelmsford wicket used previously for a one-day international between Bangladesh and Ireland, and consigned Warwickshire to a sweaty day under floppy sunhats in the field.The captain found himself at the wicket at the end of the first over after Feroze Khushi – replacing Browne at the top of the order – dabbed at a ball from Chris Rushworth and nicked behind.Lawrence joined Westley five overs later to resurrect Essex from 20 for two after Alastair Cook was tucked up by Hassan Ali and also went caught behind.Warwickshire had lost spinner Danny Briggs when he limped out of the Blast last week with a hamstring injury and acted quickly by bringing in Bess on loan from Yorkshire.Westley took a liking to the one-time England spinner and cracked two fours through the covers before bouncing down the wicket and striking him over midwicket for another boundary. Bess toiled in the sun and ended the first day of his Warwickshire spell with figures of 32-1-143-2.Westley passed fifty for the sixth time in the Championship this season when he drove his 72nd ball to mid-on for a single. It was marginally quicker – by two balls – than Lawrence’s third score beyond fifty this year.The partnership was worth 99 at lunch and clicked on to three figures from 150 balls straight after. By tea, another 128 runs were added in 34 overs.In between, Lawrence was showing what Essex will miss when he moves to Surrey at the end of the season. There was a glorious off-drive to the fence off Hassan Ali and then an effortless straight-drive off the Pakistan bowler.Warwickshire had also brought in the 30-year-old wrist spinner Jake Lintott at the expense of Olly Hannon-Dalby for only his second first-class appearance. Westley took a liking to him, too. Indeed, his 17th boundary, driven through the covers, took him to his century from 154 balls.Lawrence’s ton also came from 154 balls when he flicked Will Rhodes through midwicket for his 11th four.After Westley’s four-hour stay ended to the first ball after tea, Critchley took up the cudgels, punishing Barnard for his audacity in removing the captain with three boundaries in an over.A six straight back over Bess’s head by Critchley brought up the fifty partnership in just 10 overs. But the ball after he had deposited Lintott over midwicket for a second maximum, he presented the spinner with his first red-ball wicket by slashing a skyer to backward point. He later added Simon Harmer, caught behind, to return figures of 2 for 56In between, Bess took a debut wicket when he had Paul Walter chipping to short mid-on, but was then reverse-swept for the four that brought up Lawrence’s 150. However, Bess claimed Lawrence’s scalp when he flicked a catch off his legs

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

Hemant Brar21-Apr-2022

Big picture

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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Watch the match on ESPN+ in English and in Hindi.

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.

ESPNcricinfo’s updates from Qualifier 2 of IPL 2020

Matt Roller08-Nov-2020