All posts by n8rngtd.top

Focus on missing England star overshadows another crushing win in the North Group

David Hopps23-Apr-2019Nottinghamshire confidently expect Alex Hales to join up as planned for England’s three-day training camp in Cardiff this weekend, despite being given an indefinite break from cricket for undisclosed personal reasons. That is the most optimistic outlook for a player who has lost his footing as he approaches the biggest hurdle of his professional life.Hales’ state of mind dominated the agenda even as Nottinghamshire racked up a thumping 118-run victory over Warwickshire in the Royal London Cup, a campaign in which he is now certain to play no part, as he concentrates instead on getting body and soul together before England embark upon a huge summer which includes a home World Cup and an Ashes series.Nottinghamshire’s view of Hales’ absence appears to be one of philosophical acceptance that everything must be done to get him in the right physical and mental shape for England’s World Cup campaign. He is viewed as England’s stand-by World Cup batsman, but a back spasm for Jason Roy at The Kia Oval on Tuesday has emphasised how he could be required to step into the playing XI at any moment.Hales, who is on a white-ball only contract with Notts, had initially seen the start of their 50-over campaign as a chance to impress on England that he was in mint form ahead of the biggest tournament of his career, but such ambitions have had to be shelved to address pressing personal issues.Only three weeks ago, at a Chance to Shine promotion in Loughborough, he had cut a figure of maturity as he concluded: “Luckily I get four games in for Notts. That will be a good chance to get some runs on the board and feel in good form. We are so lucky to have Peter Moores in charge. For me he is one of the best coaches in the world. To be around his knowledge and enthusiasm is ideal.”Such plans have gone badly awry: he has yet to strike a ball in anger. “Don’t copy Hales” sounds like a Trent Bridge guide for life.Gifted and destructive, and capable of walking into many one-day batting sides in the world, he can hardly afford another mis-step in his career after being banned earlier this year for six white-ball games, four of them suspended, and fined £17,500 by the ECB for his part in the brawl in Bristol that left Ben Stokes facing criminal charges.Notts are certainly managing well enough without him; what remains to be seen as England embark upon their summer is how well he will manage without Notts. They steamrollered Warwickshire at Edgbaston, a third consecutive win which takes them top of North Group.Ben Slater, admittedly unfortunate to be overshadowed by his more illustrious opening partner even in his absence, made 100 from 115 balls on a dry, slightly awkward, surface. It was his fifth century in List A cricket, the format in which he made most impression at his previous county, Derbyshire.Slater also slips under the radar when compared to Notts’ other recent batting signings. Joe Clarke again oozed class in making 39 in an opening stand of 81 in 11.3 overs. Ben Duckett, who malfunctioned on the pull, is more quirky. Both were victims of George Panayi, a strongly-built seamer and former Shrewsbury School captain, But Slater played securely on a pitch where many struggled until Jeetan Patel found substantial turn to strike his off stump.Patel, so often Warwickshire’s saviour, finished with five wickets, but from 207 for 7, a robust eighth-wicket stand of 50 in six overs between Luke Fletcher and James Pattinson swung the match Nottinghamshire’s way.At halfway, with 301 for 9 racked up, Warwickshire already felt out of the match. The loss of four wickets in the first 6.1 overs ensured more soul-searching for a county that lost its previous match, against Northants at Wantage Road, by 194 runs, their heaviest List A defeat. Paul Farbrace, Warwickshire’s new sport director, said he wanted to take himself out of his comfort zone when he relinquished a World Cup as England’s assistant coach, and he appears to have his work cut out.Once Ed Pollock had succumbed to off-spin – Matthew Carter, who opened the bowling for that purpose, had him lbw for nought to a straight ball – some pointedly on-the-mark new-ball bowling from Pattinson and Fletcher caused a speedy decline. Dom Sibley, Sam Hain and Tim Ambrose all fell to balls of insistent length, Fletcher causing Sibley to play on, Pattinson having Hain caught at the wicket before bringing one back to bowl Ambrose first ball.From 69 for 6, two young professionals responded with spirit, Liam Banks and Alex Thomson both making half-centuries at roughly a run a ball. But Fletcher had the last word, fittingly so, had the last word by trapping Patel lbw, a straightforward and resolute professional completing a fine match.

Davey picks up three before Kohler-Cadmore seals nine-wicket win

ECB Reporters Network02-Jun-2023Somerset 142 for 1 (Kohler-Cadmore 64) beat Middlesex 136 (Green 4-20, Davey 3-34) by nine wicketsRampant Somerset made it five victories from as many Vitality Blast South Group games with a nine-wicket demolition of winless Middlesex at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.On a sunny evening in front of a packed crowd, the visitors were bowled out for a modest 136 in 18.4 overs after losing the toss, Ben Green claiming four for 20 and Josh Davey three for 34. Wicketkeeper Jack Davies top scored with 32.In reply, Somerset breezed to 142 for one off just 13.3 overs, Tom Kohler-Cadmore leading the way with 64, off 31 balls, with seven fours and four sixes, and Tom Banton making 27 before retiring hurt.The victory was as emphatic as the formbook suggested it would be and left Middlesex without a point from their first five group matches.Having been rested for the previous game against Kent, a refreshed Craig Overton steamed in from the River End at the start of the game, bowling four fiery overs for just 15 in a single spell.The accurate Davey profited at the other end, scattering the stumps of Joe Cracknell and Pieter Malan in his first two overs to leave Middlesex 14 for two.Max Holden threatened briefly, hitting a straight six and 2 fours in the sixth over, bowled by Davey, but despite his efforts the power play ended with his side 40 for two.Holden also pulled a six off Peter Siddle, who ended his nine-ball frenzy by bowling him for 22, attempting a big shot through the off side.It was 59 for four when Roelof van der Merwe’s second delivery of left-arm spin saw Stephen Eskinazi, on 18, loft a catch to long-off and 68 for five when Green struck in the following over, the 11th of the innings, Ryan Higgins being caught at long-on for six.Five runs later, Luke Hollman chipped a catch to mid-off to give Lewis Gregory his first wicket. Davies and Martin Andersson then produced the most substantial stand of the innings, adding 43 before Andersson, who had struck a six and two fours in his 25, aimed a reverse pull off Davey and guided the ball straight to Tom Abell at backward point.
Davies hit sweetly-timed sixes off van der Merwe and Siddle, as well as three fours, before departing in the 19th over, caught at deep mid-wicket off Green.Toby Roland-Jones fell to the next delivery and Green wrapped up the innings by dismissing Nathan Fernandez via a boundary catch by Kohler-Cadmore.A target of 137 never looked likely to test a Somerset team brimming with confidence. So it proved, as Banton and Will Smeed set about the task in typically positive fashion.Smeed has struggled for runs in the early group games and the scorer of the first ever century in The Hundred was relieved to survive a loud lbw appeal from Roland-Jones with his score on five.The response was a straight six and pulled four in the same over from the talented 21-year-old, who had another scare in Roland-Jones’ next over when dropped by Hollman, a low chance running in from deep mid-wicket.
Smeed’s luck ran out at the start of the fifth over when bowled by Tom Helm for 26 off 14 balls. By then the scoreboard read 39 for one and he was replaced by Kohler-Cadmore, making his 150th T20 appearance.Another catch went down when Banton, on 18, top-edged a pull shot off Helm and Roland-Jones spilled a skyer. With such a small score to defend, Middlesex could not afford such generosity.At the end of six overs, Somerset were 58 for one and in command. Kohler-Cadmore audaciously uppercut Helm for six and also hit two fours as 17 came off the seventh.At 75 for one, Banton had to hobble off with a suspected side strain, but by then the outcome was almost beyond doubt. Kohler-Cadmore signalled as much with a straight six off Roland-Jones as Somerset reached the halfway stage of their innings needing only a further 31.The former Yorkshire player reached his half-century off 28 balls before ending the game with a huge six off Roland-Jones, Tom Abell (25) providing solid support in an unbroken stand of 67.

All of Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, and Shafali Verma, currently participating in the Hundred, would be joining next week

Annesha Ghosh10-Aug-2021A group of 30 India players would be assembling in Bengaluru on Tuesday evening for a camp ahead of the multi-format tour of Australia that kicks off next month. The five India players – Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, and Shafali Verma – currently participating in the Hundred in the UK would be joining the camp starting next week.ESPNcricinfo understands India are due to depart for Australia from Bengaluru either on August 29 or 30 before entering a mandatory two-week quarantine. A trimmed, final squad for the tour would be selected from the pool of 35 players – including the Hundred returnees – called up to the camp.Related

• India call up Meghna Singh, Yastika Bhatia, Renuka Singh for Australia tour

• Gargi Banerjee named India Women manager for Australia tour

• Hundred experience will boost India Women's WC hopes – BCCI

• Powar wants to widen India's fast-bowling pool ahead of 2022 WC

• Mithali Raj and R Ashwin to be recommended for India's premier sporting award

The 30 players initially gathering in Bengaluru comprise the core of the 21-member squad that toured the UK in June-July as well as the one that was picked for the preceding limited-overs home series against South Africa in March. While the BCCI is yet to make any official announcements regarding the camp, it is learnt that Railways fast bowler Meghna Singh is among those who have been asked to join. Haryana quick Mansi Joshi, who featured in three ODIs against South Africa, couldn’t make the cut. But Chandigarh captain Amanjot Kaur, who formerly represented Punjab and plays as a top-order batter and medium pacer, is among the uncapped probables headed to the camp.Match simulation, skills-based training and fitness would be the focus of the camp with intra-squad pink-ball matches also likely to be held in order to help with preparations for the Australia tour that consists of three ODIs, a day-night Test – India’s first – and three T20Is.The last league-stage match of The Hundred is scheduled for August 18 and will be followed by the eliminator on August 20 and the final on August 21. All five teams represented by the Indians – Southern Brave (Mandhana), Northern Superchargers (Rodrigues), London Spirit (Sharma), Birmingham Phoenix (Verma), and the currently bottom-placed Manchester Originals (Kaur) – remain in contention for a playoffs berth.A Cricket Australia release in May stated that the ODIs would be played starting with one at the North Sydney Oval on September 19, followed by those at the Junction Oval on September 22 and 24, before the caravan moves to Perth for the standalone Test, scheduled from September 30. The tour will conclude with the T20Is at the North Sydney Oval on October 7, 9 and 11, with Australia then set to break for the WBBL, which will also have Indian representation.Australia are the reigning T20I champions, having beaten India in the final of the 2020 edition. Also, they are on a 24-match winning streak in ODIs.India, meanwhile, lost the multi-format points-based series against England 6-10 with a solitary win apiece in the three-match T20I and ODI series. They drew the tour-opening Test, their first appearance in the longest format since 2014. Earlier in the year, in Lucknow, they had lost 1-4 to South Africa in the ODIs and 1-2 in the T20Is that followed.

Rahul’s absence could mean an overhaul of the LSG line-up

Sruthi Ravindranath02-May-20235:58

Dasgupta: CSK will be favourites for a day game in Lucknow

Big picture – LSG look to course-correct after RCB drama

What’s an IPL without a little bit of drama, amirite?When Lucknow Super Giants lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday night, Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir and Naveen-ul-Haq picked up big fines. But, more crucially for LSG, KL Rahul injured his hip flexor while fielding and walked off in the second over of the match, and has also been ruled out of the match against Chennai Super Kings*.LSG will want to quickly put all of that behind them as they enter this match. This is the same team that smashed 257 in Mohali less than a week ago, but on Monday, their batting looked toothless, with most of their batters getting out trying to attack on a slow surface at the Ekana Stadium.Related

• LSG receive injury blows to Rahul and Unadkat

With Rahul out, will Quinton de Kock finally get a chance? If they do want to get de Kock in, then one of their options is to bench Naveen-ul-Haq and bring in Avesh Khan. But that makes it an all-Indian bowling attack. They could also make Ayush Badoni play up the order. Or even Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Manan Vohra or Prerak Mankad. Options aplenty there.CSK are coming off back-to-back losses, which have taken them from No. 1 on the points table to No. 4, but the Lucknow pitch might work for them. The surfaces have been slow and have aided turn, and though this one is likely to be played on a red-soil strip, CSK have quality in their line-up.LSG lost to CSK in a high-scoring contest in Chennai the last time these sides met this season.2:41

Should Dhoni bat ahead of Jadeja for CSK?

Team news – Unadkat ruled out, question marks over Rahul

Super Giants’ left-arm quick Jaydev Unadkat has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL because of a left-shoulder injury, which he picked up while training in the nets on Sunday**.Krunal Pandya, who stood in for Rahul on Monday, is likely to lead the team. Mark Wood is expected to be available for their next two games before flying home for the birth of his daughter, and LSG would be tempted to give him a go if a red-soil pitch is in use.

Form guide

Super Giants LWLWL
Super Kings LLWWW

Impact Player strategy

Lucknow Super Giants
Super Giants will have to make a forced change because of Rahul’s injury. De Kock could finally get a game, but it would mean many changes to their make-up. The likelier option is, perhaps, to get an Indian batter to fill in.Probable XII 1 Kyle Mayers, , 3 Ayush Badoni, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Krunal Pandya (capt), 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 8 K Gowtham, 9 , 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Amit Mishra, 12 Naveen-ul-Haq/Mark Wood.

The big question

Chennai Super Kings
Mitchell Santner had been performing well but was dropped once Maheesh Theekshana became available. Theekshana has taken just five wickets in six innings at an economy of 8.4 this season and he hasn’t taken a single wicket in nine overs in the powerplay. CSK could be tempted to bring Santner back, given he’s also a gun fielder and can contribute with the bat.Probable XII: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 , 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 9 Matheesha Pathirana, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Maheesh Theekshana/Mitchell Santner, 12

Pitch and conditions

A red-soil pitch, instead of the black-soil surface for the RCB game, is expected to be used at the Ekana Stadium, which will mean more bounce on offer. Despite expected cloud cover in the afternoon, there is no forecast of rain. The average first-innings score at the venue this season has been 147.

Stats and Trivia

• Kyle Mayers has taken on spinners with confidence, striking at 175 against them this season, which is the second highest for batters who have at least 75 runs. But Moeen Ali has dismissed him twice in three meetings in T20s. Against CSK earlier this season, Mayers brought up a 21-ball half-century before getting out to Moeen in the sixth over.
• Amit Mishra has dismissed Ajinkya Rahane three times in ten meetings.
• LSG have the lowest win percentage (33.3%) while chasing in the IPL since 2022, losing eight out of the 12 matches in which they have batted second.
• Ravindra Jadeja has struggled against spin. This year, he’s scored 21 off 16 balls against that style of bowling.
• Tushar Deshpande could be on his way to setting a dubious record. With 17 wickets in nine games, he is the leading wicket-taker so far in IPL 2023, but he’s also leaked runs at an economy rate of 11.07. Of all previous Purple Cap winners, Mohit Sharma (23 wickets in 2014) had the poorest economy rate: 8.39.

* GMT 8.24am: The preview was updated with information on KL Rahul’s availability for the match
**GMT 4.50am: The preview was updated with the news of Jaydev Unadkat being ruled out

This increases the chances of a debut for Mohammad Wasim jnr as Pakistan attempt to level the series against England

Danyal Rasool08-Dec-2022Naseem Shah’s availability for the second Test against England in Multan is in significant doubt with an ongoing shoulder niggle, first sighted during the Rawalpindi game. This has put a further strain on Pakistan’s pace bowling resources, as they are already without Shaheen Shah Afridi and Harris Rauf, who debuted in the first Test but injured his quad and is now out of the series.Naseem was Pakistan’s standout bowler in Rawalpindi, but with the rest of an attack pummelled by England’s batters, his five wickets made minimal impact. At one point in England’s first innings though, he threw in a ball from the boundary awkwardly, as if protecting the shoulder. He continued bowling through the rest of the Test, however, holding his shoulder occasionally but looking largely untroubled. The niggle has carried into Multan, however, and Naseem didn’t bowl at all in training on Thursday.Pakistan had toyed with the idea of calling up Hasan Ali after Rauf was ruled out but have ultimately decided against it. It increases the chances of a debut for Mohammad Wasim jnr who along with Mohammad Ali – who debuted in Rawalpindi – are the only specialist fast bowlers left in the squad. Pakistan do also have Faheem Ashraf, the allrounder whose bowling has often shored up their pace attacks. Wasim has only played seven first-class matches and like Rauf – who had played eight first-class games before debut – has been a more regular part of Pakistan’s white-ball teams.Babar Azam said at today’s press conference in Multan he expected the pitch to take turn, and Pakistan are expected to rely heavily on spin for wickets during this Test. In Rawalpindi, Pakistan only played one spinner in Zahid Mehmood, but are expected to field allrounder Mohammad Nawaz as well as legspinner Abrar Ahmed in Multan. Left arm orthodox spinner Nauman Ali is also part of the squad.Naseem sustained a similar shoulder injury during a stint in the County Championship in April, only bowling 11 overs on his Gloucestershire debut before suffering the injury. It was to remain his only County Championship involvement all season.

India finished day two with a significant lead of 144, despite a five-for from Australia debutant Todd Murphy

Andrew McGlashan10-Feb-2023
How competitive could Australia’s 177 prove? The answer, it would appear, was not very. This felt like a Test that would be set up by one innings, and Rohit Sharma is likely to have produced that performance with an outstanding century on the second day in Nagpur before the lower order benefited from his efforts.Australia just about kept in touch, largely through the magnificent performance of Todd Murphy who claimed five wickets on debut, but India’s lead grew to a substantial one. Rohit’s century, his first as Test captain, giving him hundreds in all three formats both as a batter and a leader, was supplemented by Ravindra Jadeja adding a half-century to his bowling success alongside a second Test fifty from fellow left-arm spinner Axar Patel.Due to injury this was just the fourth match of Rohit’s Test captaincy tenure so he had not yet had the chance to really imprint himself on the side. He could not have done much more in this display, facing 212 balls over nearly six hours in the middle, an almost faultless display on a surface which, while not as difficult as some had predicted, certainly kept the bowlers in the contest.There was a different tempo to his batting on the second day compared to the first evening when he had taken advantage of a wayward Pat Cummins to skip to a 66-ball fifty. Instead the first session today brought him 29 runs and the second 33, before he was finally extracted by a superb delivery from Cummins with the second new ball, with perhaps a hint of tired footwork.But by then India were in the lead and it was swelled to commanding proportions late in the day as Jadeja and Axar added an unbroken 81 for the eighth wicket against an attack that started to show some weariness. A final-over dropped catch by Steven Smith at slip, while not the pivotal moment, summed up Australia’s position.Most of Australia’s reasons to celebrate on the day were provided by newbie Todd Murphy•Getty Images

It will take a huge effort from them to post enough of a target to defend, but they could at least toast the debut of Murphy, playing just his eighth first-class match, after a performance that belied his professional inexperience but showed why he is so highly rated.Having claimed KL Rahul late on the first day, he provided Australia their opening incision (and would take the first four wickets) when he trapped the rather overqualified nightwatcher R Ashwin lbw with the aid of DRS. A bigger scalp was soon to follow when Cheteshwar Pujara paid the price for a rare sweep, top-edging from well outside leg to short fine.Australia had a glimmer of an opening and it became much brighter straight after lunch when, the first delivery of the session, another leg-side ball, this time to Virat Kohli, brought a wicket with the thin edge being well held at the second attempt by wicketkeeper Alex Carey.Virat Kohli’s dismissal•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

When Suryakumar Yadav’s debut innings ended with a loose drive at Nathan Lyon, allowing the ball to spin back through a big gate into off stump, India were 168 for 5 and still behind Australia’s underwhelming total. However, this India team bats deep and not for the first time it was the lower-middle order who played a crucial role.Rohit’s frustrations at some of his team-mates’ dismissals had been clear, but after the wobble either side of lunch, which saw India lose 3 for 33, he retained his composure and slowly worked through the 90s before reaching three figures with a classy lofted drive wide of mid-off. It was a pumped-up celebration: this was a huge innings in the context of the match, and maybe the series.He had a partner he could trust in Jadeja, these days transformed into a top-order Test player, and the duo saw out the rest of the afternoon session although Jadeja had two moments of fortune. On 22 he edged the luckless Scott Boland past Smith at a wide slip – the ball went under the right hand on the full – and on 33 was the beneficiary of an excruciatingly tight umpire’s call for an lbw shout from Murphy.However, Murphy was not to be denied his fifth wicket. After Cummins, with his best spell of the game, had finally uprooted Rohit – the ball after Smith had missed a clear-cut chance at second slip – Murphy pushed one into the pads of fellow debutant KS Bharat and this time the DRS went in Australia’s favour.A resolute Axar Patel grew India’s lead late on the second day•Getty Images

If the visitors could have cut through the tail quickly the prospect of setting a fourth-innings target would have been realistic, but their pre-play hopes that one wicket would bring a clatter never really transpired. The fact India’s No. 9 (albeit a batter better than that position suggests) was able to play with relative comfort put into context some of the chatter on the pitch that preceded this game.Jadeja and Axar were initially very circumspect – time on the pitch a factor as well as runs – but as the shadows lengthened the run rate quickened with Axar producing some eye-catching drives. You suspected, however, that when this pair and Ashwin had the ball back in their hand on Saturday, batting would look a rather different prospect.

Optus Stadium is starting to feel like a home away from home for Australia’s prolific No. 3

Alex Malcolm30-Nov-20220:42

Green: I’m trying to learn how to leave the ball again

It’s rare for a Queenslander to love Perth as much as Marnus Labuschagne does. But he continued his adoring relationship with Western Australia’s capital and its newest cricket stadium, compiling a masterful 154 not out on day one of the opening Test against West Indies with promises of more to come.Labuschagne has only batted three times at Perth Stadium for scores of 143, 50 against New Zealand and this currently unbeaten hundred, with the venue reminding him of his home in Brisbane.”I love this venue,” Labuschagne said. “I love playing in Perth because the conditions are so similar to Brisbane. And I’ve had some good success in Brisbane so it’s really nice to be able to come to a ground where the characteristics of the wicket are very similar.”Related

• Warner's lack of red-ball prep shows in waning Test returns

• 'We bowled well but luck didn't go our way' – Phil Simmons

• At home, and yet not quite – Green at the centre of unfamiliar homecoming

• Cummins does not want to lose Australia's realistic chance at WTC final (once again)

• Labuschagne's big hundred puts Australia in command

Labuschagne is compiling a staggering Test record at home in general. Of all the Test greats who have played 20 innings or more in Australia, only Sir Donald Bradman averages more than Labuschagne’s 69.28, having scored seven of his eight Test centuries in Australia.Having broken his overseas century duck in Sri Lanka in his last Test match in Galle in July, Labuschagne slipped back into the rhythms of Test cricket in Australia with ease.He negotiated a tricky morning session, leaving the ball well and absorbing pressure as the West Indies quicks tested him on both the front and back foot. Having done the hard yards, he cashed in later in the day as West Indies erred full and wide and he was able to pick them off.Marnus Labuschagne jumps over to get under the ball•Getty Images

“Growing up playing a lot on the Gabba really helps with that because you know there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” Labuschagne said. “So you know you’ve got to put in the hard work early. Knowing the conditions, obviously playing in Brisbane with the bouncy conditions, certainly helps.”You just let the ball go. You understand the game, the tempo isn’t as fast as other venues. You’re not hitting as many balls. You’re letting a lot of balls go. So all those things really helped. And then to be able to then come out after lunch and after tea and be able to put the pressure on, they tried to amend their shorter length and they tried to bowl a bit fuller which created a few more scoring options for us.”Labuschagne’s innings wasn’t without luck. He nicked twice through the slips, with Jason Holder failing to lay a hand on one while the other flew wide of the cordon at a catchable height, and also edged Kraigg Brathwaite onto keeper Joshua Da Silva’s knee with the ball ballooning over slip’s head. He could have been caught at deep point late in the day with debutant Tagenarine Chanderpaul misjudging the flight in the shadows.Luck aside, Labuschagne was pleased to iron out some of the kinks that plagued him late in last year’s Ashes series at home where England’s Mark Wood caused him some problems fending outside off stump.”I certainly looked at a lot of that stuff from last summer,” Labuschagne said. “It’s feeling alright. I’ve certainly felt better. But it’s nice to be scoring runs when you’re not absolutely feeling 100%. Certainly my stance is probably more closed off I think from where it was last summer.”I’m probably not as rigid as I was last summer. I feel like I’m a little bit more relaxed in my hands. So I think that’s helping me on that short ball and that back-foot punch, so I don’t really get stuck and then start fending the ball away from my face.”Labuschagne is loading up to add more to his tally tomorrow with a second Test double-century within reach.”Whenever you’re not out overnight on 150 the next stop is 200,” he said. “So it’s just going to be for me tomorrow if I’m able to stick to the process for long enough. If I do, I’m sure I’ll get there. But put that out of your mind, you’ve got to take it ball by ball and if the 200 does come that’s great, but more importantly, I’m just trying to get as many runs as we can in this first innings and put the pressure on the West Indies.”

Virat Kohli knew that if India’s batsmen could stand up and fight, they had the bowling to win the Test and keep the series alive

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2018India were behind by 2-0 going into the Trent Bridge Test, but it seems there wasn’t too much panic in the dressing room. After sealing an emphatic 203-run victory, that kept India alive in the series, Virat Kohli revealed that the only thing the team was concentrating on was “putting runs on the board” because “the bowlers were doing so well”.”We only spoke about the fact that we were outplayed in only one Test out of the last five overseas, which was at Lord’s and there was no need for us to change anything because Birmingham was close,” he said at the post-match presentation. “As a batting group, we spoke about how the bowlers are doing so well and if we just stepped up as batsmen we will definitely be on top and that’s exactly what we did.”India made 329 in the first innings, having overcome a tough period in the morning to make runs in the sunshine. Then in a reversal of events from the last Test, the clouds returned when it was England’s turn to bat. Harnessing the help on offer, Hardik Pandya picked up five wickets in six overs to bundle the hosts out for 161.”The bowling group was eager to take 20 wickets again. It was just a question of as batsmen what we can do to provide them with that cushion of going hard at the opposition and that’s exactly what we did in this game. When both skills come together with slip catching, you win Test matches and I’m really happy to see everyone taking the responsibility at the right time. Couldn’t have come at a better time for us.”James Anderson shakes hands with Virat Kohli after the match•Getty Images

An important contributor to the victory was India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane. He came out to bat on the back of a string of low scores – 15. 2. 19 and 13 – but changed the “complex of the game” with a fine half-century, his first in 14 innings.”Jinx was very clear with his mindset. That’s something that we really love about him. He’s very positive in his set up. He prepares that way and when he goes out and plays like that he’s very attractive to watch and he changed the whole complex of the game. Exactly what he did. We just kept talking about how we need to keep building a strong and a big partnership and just march on from there. It was all about getting stuck in, not throwing our wicket away, having that patience to grind out the opposition. They’re a quality bowling attack but you need patience grit and determination to score against them. I think Jinx in the first innings and Puji in the second showed that immensely.Kohli and Rahane put on 159 runs in 40.2 overs and then tagged in the bowlers and this time it was Jasprit Bumrah’s turn. Long considered a white-ball specialist, he broke through England’s resistance in the second innings dismissing the centurion Jos Buttler and hastening India’s rush to victory with figures of 5 for 85.”We dominated the game because we put runs on the board and then the bowlers were waiting and ready as always. Someone like Bumrah stepping in, Pandya taking five, Ishant experienced as always, Shami running in as well, Ash as well with his injury bowled so well.”The most pleasing thing for me to see in the morning was the four fastest bowlers in the series so far have been all Indians. That’s something that we’re really proud of. We’ve worked on our fitness levels. We’ve worked one our mindsets and we’re just eager to go out there and make a play for the team. Cutting down any loose deliveries or loose phases. We want the opposition to bat well to get runs, not gift them any. So these guys are getting into that kind of mindset as they’re playing more and more Test cricket. It’s just such a delight to watch guys running in and going hard at the batsmen because as batsmen you understand how hard it is to get Test runs and you want to make it as hard for the opposition as well and these guys are doing it beautifully.”

Former India captain feels Ashwin was picked over Chahal to strengthen the batting

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2022India picked Mohammed Shami over Harshal Patel for their T20 World Cup campaign opener against Pakistan at the MCG and former captain Anil Kumble feels the biggest reason for that decision is to get early wickets with the new ball.”I think most importantly, the reason that Shami is ahead of Harshal Patel is to get wickets up front,” Kumble said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show. “That’s what Rohit will be hoping for. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami to get a couple of wickets early on.”Shami, who had not played a single T20I since the World Cup last year, was brought into India’s squad after Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out with injury and he bowled just one over in their warm-up game against Australia. That over was the 20th over of Australia’s chase, and Shami made an immediate impact with three wickets.India also picked offspinner R Ashwin ahead of legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal and Kumble said the reason for that could be to ensure more batting depth.”If you look at Harshal not being part of the team, then the batting would have stopped at No.7 with Chahal in. India thought we need a deep batting order, because the way they have gone about constructing their T20 innings now with the batting has been a bit more positive, a bit more intent, and if you have to have that kind of approach you need to have the longer batting order,” Kumble said. “So that’s one of the reasons why they have gone with Ashwin. And experience as well.”He also laid out what would potentially be India’s combination in the death overs. “At the death, Arshdeep two, Bhuvi one and Shami one, those will be your last four overs.”India are opening their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan in front of a full house at the MCG. They are in Group 2 of the Super 12s, along with Bangladesh, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Netherlands.

The pair put on their second double-century opening stand of the season, leaving the Blues just 157 runs behind in the first innings with 10 wickets in hand

The Report by Alex Malcolm08-Dec-2018The second double-century opening stand of the season from New South Wales pair Daniel Hughes and Nick Larkin dragged the Blues back into the game against South Australia at the SCG.Just three weeks after piling up a 251-run stand against Queensland in Canberra, the pair again made twin hundreds to leave the Blues just 157 runs behind in the first innings with 10 wickets in hand.Both men showed extreme patience. Larkin struck just four fours and two sixes in his third first-class century. Hughes absorbed 254 balls for his 105 not-out and only found the boundary seven times, in his fifth first-class century.The Redbacks cycled through seven bowlers without making the breakthrough.Earlier, Alex Carey made his second Sheffield Shield century. He finished 110 not-out as the Redbacks were bowled out for 380. Tom Cooper wasn’t able to make his third hundred of the Shield season falling for 89 early in the morning. He was caught brilliantly down the leg side by Peter Nevill from a regulation leg glance.Carey didn’t get much support from the Redbacks tail but they hung around long enough for him to reach his century with a powerful strike down the ground off Steve O’Keefe. Blues debutant Greg West finished with 3 for 88.