All posts by n8rngtd.top

Extreme speed backed up by new-found subtlety as Wood makes his home comforts count

Andrew Miller06-Jul-20230:32

Does Mark Wood think he can reach 100mph?

Hindsight is a terrible tease, but where might this series be now had Mark Wood been fit to play the first Test at Edgbaston? To judge by his ferocious pad-thumper to a motionless Pat Cummins in the afternoon session, Australia’s captain probably wouldn’t have been quite so composed in that fraught run-chase, especially against a bowler with a proven ability to transcend the conditions on flat decks – see Wood’s priceless performance on the final day at Multan for recent evidence.But he’s here now, all right, and after claiming his fourth five-wicket haul and his first on home soil, a sensational 5 for 34 in 11.4 overs, Wood was champing at the bit to make up for lost time in England’s hour of Ashes need.”I’m delighted,” Wood told Sky Sports at the close. “Obviously I haven’t played a Test match in a while, but to be able to come back fairly fresh and produce that was pretty special.”However, Wood was also keen to prove that he’s learnt a few new tricks since he was last unleashed in a home Test, against India at Lord’s almost two years ago. For pace may be pace (yaar) when you’re playing on a road in Pakistan, but on one of the most helpful home surfaces that he’s ever been unleashed on, Wood had a mission to ensure that his eye-watering speed was translated into wicket-taking success.”I was really happy that I could show in home conditions that I can bowl as well,” he said. “Movement, that’s what’s deadly I think. If you just bowl fast, these top players are just used to that. They face dog-stick guys [throwing the ball] off 17 yards, so they’re used to facing quick bowling. So I the thing that helped today was the movement really.”For all that his day’s work was done in the blink of an eye (or three-and-a-bit, to be exact – four precisely measured bursts of four, two, three and 2.4 overs, spread evenly across the innings) Wood’s tactics were more carefully calibrated than his raw speed might suggest, as he explained in front of the Sky Sports replay screen at the close.”In general the wicket felt to me like, when you went up there, it came onto the bat, it slid on,” he said, referencing how David Warner had leant on Stuart Broad’s first ball of the match and pinged it for four down the ground.Mark Wood unleashed extreme speed in his first outing of this summer’s Ashes•Getty Images

“So it was about trying to hold the good length to keep [the batter] on the crease and then I thought, ‘right, this is the one I’m going to try and get the wicket’, push it right up there with a bit of swing, and luckily it paid off.”No wicket was more spectacular in that regard than his first, a stunning stump-wrecker to Usman Khawaja that was clocked at 94.6mph – and given Khawaja’s prior record in this series, 300 runs from almost 20 hours of application across the first two Tests, no wicket was more essential to England’s cause, either.”We were discussing it as a bowling group out there,” Wood said. “At Headingley you think, ‘full, full, full’, but then you can get drawn in, so it’s just that balance of when to attack the stumps and when to hold it in. It was more a case of bashing the top of the stumps on that nicking length, and then the odd one full rather than being full all the time.”A still image of Wood’s point of release during that spell emphasised the extraordinary physical toil his bowling puts on his body, but also the remarkable rewards when his action is perfectly aligned, with a braced front knee, and fully loaded torso, compared to a fractionally buckled load-up for his second spell, when his speeds intermittently dipped below 90mph.”When I’m at full biff, it feels like all my body’s going towards the batsman. It looks like an awful position, but it’s almost like a catapult sling that, when you let it go, all the chinks in the chain fizz the ball out.”But it was the subtlety that Wood brought to his performance that pleased him the most – especially knowing that, in the past, he probably wouldn’t have been given first dibs on such a pitch.Related

• Pat Cummins vs Joe Root – a hallmark of greatness

• Ollie Robinson fit to bat but England sweat on back spasms

• England 'wanted to pick Wood' but settle for Tongue in all-seam attack

• Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Moeen Ali return for must-win Headingley Test

• All guns set to blaze as England enter Bazball's last-chance saloon

“I’m usually on the flat ones, to be fair, and my record is much better away from home,” he said, citing a record of 49 wickets at 24.18 overseas, compared to 35 at 40.71 prior to today, both from 13 Tests.”On wickets like today, when the ball moves around, you’re automatically thinking Anderson, Broad, Robinson, Woakes,” he added. “They are your top guys who can trouble people in these conditions.”For me, being able to move the ball today, it’s really helped me, because that’s not something that I’ve always done to be, to be brutally honest. I’ve tried to work hard behind the scenes on the wobble-seam, through speaking to the other guys and the bowling coaches.”It’s something I’m trying to get better at. I’m 33, but I’m still trying to get better and better, even though it’s a slow progress. It doesn’t just happen overnight.”But I like bowling away from home, because it brings in reverse-swing. And the bouncer attack on flat pitches, I feel really that suits me, because they sometimes skid through and it’s hard to play especially with the field.”The short ball at Headingley, however, proved a trickier weapon to get right, particularly when the WACA-born-and-bred Mitchell Marsh was climbing into his sensational run-a-ball counterattack in the afternoon session.”If you bowled it too short, it looped over the keeper, and then if you didn’t get short enough, it’s in that Australian sweet spot, where they play it really well,” Wood said. “It’s about that happy medium you got to find.”Mitch Marsh played fantastically well. He was difficult to bowl at in that period, when the ball went from having that zip off the wicket, and all of a sudden, it looked very different when he was in. But of course, when a new batter came in, it was tough again.”I’ve had a good day. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, I’ve got to back it up. This is a must-win game, and we’ve got to back it up in the second innings. But the outfield is rapid and rock hard. We’re gonna score quickly if the lads can get in tomorrow.”

Plunket Shield at start of the season was “great for the guys to get into that mode of the longer form”, says Latham

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2020After their thumping 2-0 series sweep over West Indies, New Zealand have strengthened their chances of making to the final of the World Test Championship. But while Tom Latham, who captained them in the second Test in the absence of Kane Williamson, is excited about that “possibility”, he wants the side to look too far ahead and focus on the upcoming Pakistan series – which begins on Friday with three T20Is, followed by two Tests – instead.New Zealand (62.5%) are currently third on the WTC points table – behind Australia (82.2%) and India (75.0%). If they beat Pakistan by 2-0 as well, they will be pushing India to face favourites Australia at Lord’s next year. What has worked in New Zealand’s favour is they play Pakistan at home as well, and wouldn’t be travelling to Bangladesh anymore due to the Covid-19-enforced schedule rejig.Related

• Colin de Grandhomme out of Pakistan Tests; Kane Williamson expected for second T20I

• Holder: If players can travel, why can't umpires?

• World Test Championship – New Zealand put pressure on India as race to Lord's final heats up

“I guess that’s the way with the schedule of the Test Championship at the moment,” Latham said after the win in the second Test against West Indies. “In our conditions, we certainly know how to play in these conditions which is great. Whatever team we face with, we are certainly willing to learn on the back of previous performances. Looking forward to Pakistan in a week’s time – a new opposition, different challenges, so it’s important to adapt.”At the moment, we will enjoy this victory and then we will shift [focus] to Pakistan. I think the beauty of this group is we focus on each game at a time, each series at a time. When you look too far ahead, sometimes you can get caught a little bit. So our focus will shift to Pakistan and then whatever happens post that, then we will access. The goal at the start of the Test Championship was to get to the final, and if we play well and give ourselves a chance, that may be a possibility.”Just like coach Gary Stead did after the first Test, Latham called the side’s performance “clinical” as New Zealand wrapped up the second Test on the fourth morning to register their second successive innings victory. He also said that playing Plunket Shield at the start of the domestic season helped the players to get into the groove for Test cricket.”Clinical is probably the word to use again, I think,” Latham said. “The way we were able to set the game up here, in the Wellington with the bat, on the back of Henry’s [Nicholls] innings was outstanding. Put in to bat first, putting up 460 on the board was outstanding. We talk about from the batting point of view is that your first innings score is a big one and in these conditions, to put a score like that on the board was great and on the back of that, we were able to do the job with the ball. To put in a team to bat twice in two Test matches was not going to be easy for the bowlers in terms of the demands on their body but they kept coming time and time again and did the job with the ball yesterday and today, which was outstanding. So yeah, I think clinical is probably a good word to use.Kyle Jamieson celebrates after taking a wicket•Getty Images

“I think we are lucky we start our first-class season with four rounds of Plunket Shield, which is great for the guys to get into that mode of the longer form of the game. A fine testament to the guys who came back from the IPL, the way they were able to quickly adapt to this format. I think nowadays in international cricket, you need the ability to adapt as quickly as possible whatever that format may be. The way they were able to adapt to this format was great. The guys will shift quickly to T20s in a few days’ time and then we will have to shift back to the red-ball stuff. So, yeah, the ability to shift back and forth is vitally important in international cricket nowadays.”In both Tests, New Zealand went in with a four-pronged pace attack with Kyle Jamieson joining the tried-and-tested trio of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner. Jamieson finished the series as the second-highest wicket-taker with 11 strikes from two outings. In the first Test, he also scored his maiden Test half-century. His all-round performance meant he was named Player of the Series.”His contribution was outstanding,” Latham said. “In the short Test career he has had so far, he has come and had success straightaway. He is a guy who is always willing to learn, always willing to pick the brains of other guys in the group, which is outstanding. And to continuously learn and to come back this year with a few new skills is a testament to himself and he thoroughly deserves to be the Player of the Series.”I think his record probably says it [that he is an allrounder] and if he is able to do that with ball and bat which is great for our side. He has obviously done it with the ball initially, and then the performance he put on with the bat in the first Test was great and for us, if we are able to have contributions down the order, as many as possible, that’s obviously great. As I said, he is a guy who is willing to learn, willing to put in the yards in the training and I am sure he will keep continuing to work hard on that aspect of his game too.”

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.

Eighteen bowlers to start individual net sessions on Thursday and Friday, batsmen return on June 1

George Dobell20-May-2020The ECB have confirmed that 18 bowlers will resume training this week as England ramp up plans for a return of international cricket.Although original plans to return to training on Wednesday had to be delayed due to a series of practical issues, the first group of players will attend nets on Thursday. Others will attend on Friday with the rest of the training group – the batsmen and keepers – returning to nets on June 1.ALSO READ: England’s return to training held up by safety protocolsIn the short term, the training sessions are likely to be lonesome affairs. The bowlers will be expected to turn up in the appropriate training kit and with their own batch of cricket balls, bowl into an empty net and retrieve their own ball. A physio, observing social distancing, will be at each venue to accommodate the sessions, with coaches joining the sessions next week.While the ICC cricket committee decided earlier this week only to forbid the use of saliva on the ball, the ECB guidelines also prohibit the use of sweat.And while bowling to a coach wearing a mitt is termed as individual training, the coach will be expected to provide their own mitt, wear a glove on their other hand and wipe down all equipment between sessions.The ECB are yet to confirm the names of those players involved in the sessions, but it is understood they include five from Somerset.ECB guidance on individual training has been sent to players and coaches•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The grounds used in this first stage of training will be The Cooper Associates County Ground, Edgbaston, Emirates Old Trafford, Emirates Riverside, Kia Oval, Trent Bridge and The 1st Central County Ground. Additional venues will be used when the batsmen and keepers return to training.The ECB have yet to confirm the names of those involved, but they are believed to be: Sam Curran, Amar Virdi (both Surrey); Jamie Overton, Craig Overton, Dom Bess, Jack Leach, Lewis Gregory (all Somerset); Mark Wood, Ben Stokes (both Durham); James Anderson, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson (all Lancashire); Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire); Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer (both Sussex); Chris Woakes, Olly Stone (both Warwickshire), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire, but expected to train at Edgbaston).

Time in middle for South East Stars is best remedy for out-of-favour batter, says Gareth Breese

Andrew Miller15-May-2024Sophia Dunkley will have to wait in line for a return to international action, according to England Women’s assistant coach Gareth Breese, despite an impressive return to form for South East Stars in the opening rounds of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.Dunkley, who is currently leading the tournament run-charts with 293 at 97.66 in five innings, including a century against Northern Diamonds last week, was dropped from the England set-up for the ongoing series against Pakistan after a desperate run of scores on this winter’s multi-format tours of India and New Zealand.In her absence – as well as that of Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is available once again after a minor medical procedure – England’s rejigged top-order endured a torrid start to the summer, collapsing to 11 for 4 in the first T20I at Edgbaston, before a strong middle-order fightback, led by the senior pairing of Heather Knight and Amy Jones, set their side up for a comfortable 53-run victory.Breese, however, insisted that England’s incumbents – including Dunkley’s nominal replacement Maia Bouchier, the stand-out player of the winter just gone – would be afforded the time and space required to grow into their roles, in much the same way that Dunkley herself will now be left to find her form, away from the spotlight, ahead of the final push towards this winter’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.”As batters, it’s one shot, one mistake and you might be back in a pavilion,” Breese said, ahead of Friday’s second match in Northampton. “It’s not an ideal situation to be 11 for 4, but one thing about the set-up here is that we back the girls. After one blip, we’re not just going to make an absolute U-turn on them.”It was the first game, a few people were a bit rusty, we didn’t get off to the start we wanted. Having the experience of Heather and Amy Jones coming in at that stage was brilliant in terms of setting up the recovery. But I’m sure the girls will have learned from seeing the Pakistani attack and will use that experience in a positive frame to go into the next game.”Dunkley, however, remains an integral part of the wider England set-up, as shown by her involvement in a red-ball training session at Loughborough on Tuesday. Breese, who is also her head coach at Welsh Fire, said this was part of a wider effort by the management to “touch base” when it was convenient for those players on the fringes, thereby leaving them more space to find form in their regional set-ups.”What we don’t want to do is bring girls all across the country for three hours, just for a session,” he said. “Every time a player leaves us, we try to support them as much as we can when they’re fairly close to us, while giving them an opportunity to get some more time in the middle. And it’s working exactly how we would want it to work.England’s top order (including Freya Kemp, above) endured a dramatic collapse in the first T20I•Getty Images

“Dunks has been working closely with her batting coach Alex Gidman, and she was in for a session with us yesterday, so she’s still in and around the fold. She’s gone back to doing what she’s done over the years, in terms of to getting herself selected, and that’s scoring runs. That’s all you can ask when you are out of favour, you let the runs do the talking, and I think she’s still in a really good place.”Any player who’s played for a while goes through ups and downs. And if they say they haven’t, then you don’t know how truthful they are in sharing.”In addition to the forthcoming ODI series against Pakistan, England have three ODIs and five T20Is coming up against New Zealand in June and July in which to finalise their World Cup plans. And while that does not, on the face of it, offer a huge amount of opportunities for out-of-favour players to make their case, Breese insisted that offering continuity to the squad incumbents was not remotely the same thing presenting a closed shop for selection.Related

• Dunkley confirms return to form but Stars fall just short of record chase

• England missing Sciver-Brunt for T20I opener with Pakistan

• England survive top-order implosion as Sarah Glenn derails Pakistan's victory hopes

• Amy Jones rides the emotions to deliver dream 100th match

“We’ve seen people that have been selected from just outside our contracted group, and that’s what you want,” he said. “If you can have competition for places, then you’re pushing the girls who are contracted to be better. And that’s a really good environment to be in.”What you don’t want is a clear-cut 15, because if it’s too easy to select them, you probably haven’t got the girls in the right place.”The ultimate difference between the sides in the first T20I came in the bowling, particularly England’s three-prong spin attack. Sarah Glenn – back in the team after suffering concussion in New Zealand – led the line with four wickets, while Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean contributed a wicket apiece. All three bowlers are now in the top five of the ICC’s T20I rankings, with Ecclestone remaining at the top of the pile – a fact that augurs well with favourable conditions looming in Bangladesh.As the team’s spin coach, however, Breese said he wasn’t about to let the players rest on any laurels, describing himself as a bit of a “grumpy dad” when it comes to demanding ever higher standards.”It’s a real credit to the girls for the work they’ve put in over the last few years, to get the recognition in the standings,” he said. “I’m happy with where they are but sometimes, like a bit of a grumpy dad, I keep trying to push them to be better.”I almost don’t try and get flattered by the ratings. I just want to keep improving and then that will happen as a by-product of that. But the three girls complement each other really well, and they also contribute with the bat, which allows you to play all three in the same T20 team.”But I think all of them can get better. Even though Soph’s been top of the rankings, you’ve seen her grow into one of our best death bowlers. Deano has been a real wicket-taker for us, and Glenny’s been stunning since she came in. I’ve been lucky enough to know her since she was on the academy, and her character is probably her stand-out trait. That reflects in how consistent she is with the ball.”

New Zealander will play two Championship games with three frontline seamers sidelined

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2022Jacob Duffy, the New Zealand seamer, has signed for Kent on a short-term deal that will see him play two County Championship matches.Duffy, 27, was part of New Zealand’s enlarged squad for their ongoing Test series against England but was trimmed from the initial 20-man group ahead of the first Test at Lord’s, having played in both warm-up games.Kent have struggled with injuries to seamers throughout this season with Darren Stevens, Harry Podmore and Nathan Gilchrist all sidelined as things stand, while Jackson Bird had his early-season spell as an overseas player cut short by a shoulder injury.Matt Henry, Duffy’s compatriot, is due to return to the club after the third Test at Headingley but the club were keen to recruit an additional seamer for their upcoming County Championship fixtures against Gloucestershire and Surrey, which are interspersed with T20 Blast fixtures.Related

• Duffy ready to do Southland proud as debut looms

• Maddinson lines up Durham stint to press Ashes case

• Denly blazes back into form to light blue touchpaper on Kent defence

• Shoulder injury forces early end to Bird's Kent stay

“We’re delighted to be able to secure Jacob’s services for our next two Championship matches,” Paul Downton, Kent’s director of cricket, said. “It’s a very busy part of the season with Championship matches intermingled with the Vitality Blast and Jacob will strengthen our seam attack at this crucial stage of our Championship campaign.”Duffy will be Kent’s second overseas player for the Championship alongside the South African allrounder George Linde, who is available across formats. Qais Ahmad, the Afghan legspinner, is at the club for the T20 Blast but is not expected to play in the Championship.Kent have endured a difficult start to the season and are ninth in the 10-team top division of the Championship, with four draws and two losses from their six games so far. They have also struggled in the Blast despite their status as defending champions, finally picking up their first win in their sixth group game against Middlesex on Sunday.Elsewhere, Durham have announced that Keegan Petersen has returned to South Africa ahead of schedule due to personal reasons. Nic Maddinson, the Australian batter, is expected to replace him after Australia A’s ongoing tour to Sri Lanka.

Australia are as formidable a unit as they come, but India, in familiar conditions and fresh off the win over England, will be tough to best

S Sudarshanan20-Dec-20231:15

India-Australia Test is ‘huge’ for women’s cricket

Big picture – A tough challenge for India

It’s been almost 40 years. Australia Women played a four-Test series in India in 1984, all of which ended in draws, with the last at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. On Thursday, India and Australia will start a one-off Test match, again at Wankhede, to kick off their multi-format series.Tests are rare for women. Which is why this Test possesses a tough challenge for India, who will step out in whites only four days after a historic win over England in Navi Mumbai.India were helped by an extra day off – they wrapped up the win against England in just over two days – in recovering and setting sights on Australia. “When you are playing back-to-back Tests, it is important to recover and feel fresh,” Harmanpreet Kaur said on the eve of the Test. “The more we feel fresh, the better it will be for us because there is hardly time to prepare. If there was a 10-12 day [gap], you can take two-three days off and again prepare yourself. We were lucky we had fourth day off and then just one day off [after that].”Related

• Cooley impressed with Renuka and Vastrakar's work ethic

• 'Calm' McGrath embraces leadership role

• Australia ready to embrace the Indian spin challenge

• How Vastrakar killed the game on a turning track

For Australia, it’s a fresh start, too. Meg Lanning, under whose captaincy they reached unimaginable heights, is not around anymore. She retired from international cricket just days before the squads for India were announced. Alyssa Healy was handed the reins, and this is the first tour for her and Tahlia McGrath as full-time captain and vice-captain, although they were in-charge on an interim basis at the Ashes, too.”Unbelievably huge shoes to fill in replacing Meg Lanning,” Healy said. “The success she had as not only a player but as a leader of the Australian cricket team is fairly unmatched right around the men’s and women’s game. Big shoes to fill on my part but one that’s really exciting to me. Bring it on, India is a big challenge!”Healy is returning after a finger injury – she was accidentally bitten by her dog after just one game at the WBBL and required surgery. She said “the finger is all good”. “I didn’t realise how much I’d missed it watching WBBL at home and coming here and getting the opportunity to keep and have a bat.” She also confirmed that she will keep wickets in the Test.

In the spotlight – Smriti Mandhana and Jess Jonassen

Smriti Mandhana was one of the busiest players in India’s training sessions on the two days leading up to the Test. Against England, she looked comfortable and was the more aggressive of the two openers, but she couldn’t convert her fluent starts to anything substantial. The last time India played Australia in a Test match – the pink-ball match in Carrara in 2021 – Mandhana scored her only century in the format. Her form is good, and she would want to score big this time too.4:26

Harmanpreet: ‘Our approach hasn’t changed, we will look to attack and win the game’

Jess Jonassen, who led Brisbane Heat to a runners-up finish at the WBBL, idolised Daniel Vettori growing up, but has been studying Ravindra Jadeja to prepare herself to bowl in Mumbai. She became the first to get to 150 WBBL wickets this season with her season haul of 24 to warm-up for the India tour, and on Wednesday, she began by bowling to Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner and focussed on landing the ball on or just outside off. She varied her pace but attempted to bowl in the fuller-than-good-length region even when Phoebe Litchfield and some others faced her. She is one of the best in the business, and if conditions are favourable, she is certain to be a handful for the India batters.

Team news

Harmanpreet gave little away about the combination, saying, “I have 13 players in my mind, and will take a final call in the evening.” Shubha Satheesh, who fractured a finger during the England Test, was not at training, while the work Harleen Deol and Richa Ghosh were put through suggests it could be a toss-up between the two.India (possible): 1 Smriti Mandhana, 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Harleen Deol/Richa Ghosh, 6 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Sneh Rana, 9 Pooja Vastrakar, 10 Renuka Singh, 11 Rajeshwari GayakwadThe allrounders in Australia’s squad give them great depth, both with the bat and with the ball. Expect them to stick with the XI they played at the Ashes, with a likely toss-up between Kim Garth and Lauren Cheatle for the second seamer’s slot being the only point of contention.Australia (possible): 1 Beth Mooney, 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Tahlia McGrath, 5 Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), 6 Ashleigh Gardner, 7 Jess Jonassen, 8 Annabel Sutherland, 9 Alana King/Georgia Wareham, 10 Lauren Cheatle/Kim Garth, 11 Darcie Brown

Pitch and conditions

Unlike at the DY Patil Stadium, the pitch at the Wankhede had a green look to it around the middle the day before the game. But it was brown and bare towards each end. Healy reckoned it was dry, and the green grass “which is very unusual to you guys looks very bare to us”. She added, “If you get an opportunity to bat first, you need to bat long and bat well and bat the opposition out.”The temperature in Mumbai this week has been in the late 20s and early 30s. The mornings have been cool, and that might help the seamers in the first hour. And, as Healy pointed out, the SG ball used for the Test match “swings a little bit when it’s shiny but if you can keep it in some sort of condition, it swings the whole day”.

Quotes

“When you bat and bowl for three days – the likes of Deepti and Pooja, who didn’t get enough rest [after the England Test] – we try to take care of their loads. They need to feel ready for the game and we made them train accordingly. The ones who had lesser loads, we pushed them hard in the nets to feel more confident.”
“We have been part of a few multi-format series with points system coming into play, and giving the Test match, in particular, a greater context. Being a bit cheeky, I would have thought India would have backed themselves in their home conditions and got off to a 4-0 start. It does surprise me a little bit.”

The inquiry will take place early in 2022 and will be conducted by independent legal professionals

Firdose Moonda20-Dec-2021Cricket South Africa (CSA) will launch a formal inquiry into the conduct of director of cricket Graeme Smith and the national men’s head coach Mark Boucher after reviewing the contents of the Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) report. The inquiry will take place early in 2022 and will be conducted by independent legal professionals. Both Smith and Boucher remain in their positions and will continue to carry out their duties for the series against India, which starts on Boxing Day.The SJN report, which was made public last Wednesday, made tentative findings that Smith, Boucher and former international AB de Villiers, amongst others, had engaged in conduct that was prejudicial and discriminatory on the basis of race. However, the ombudsman, Dumisa Ntsebeza, was unable to make definite findings and recommended a further process be undertaken, which CSA will now embark on. Smith and Boucher are not the only figures who will be investigated, but are the most high-profile, as CSA looks into all areas of its operation.Related

• SJN follow-up: CSA will argue in favour of dismissing Mark Boucher at disciplinary hearing

• CSA's SJN follow-up: Mark Boucher charged with 'gross misconduct'

• Elgar: 'Not nice to see our coaches get lambasted for things'

• Graeme Smith's lawyer claims 'fundamental flaws' in SJN process

• Flawed but necessary: SJN hearings reveal no heroes, no villains

“The Board has decided to institute formal enquiries into CSA employees, suppliers or contractors who are implicated by the SJN report,” a CSA statement, issued on Monday morning, read. “The Board has done so mindful of its duty to treat allegations of racism or discrimination with the utmost seriousness and in a manner that ensures fairness and due process in terms of South Africa’s labour legislation and the Constitution.”ESPNcricinfo understands that the new review process has been undertaken, in part, because CSA faced a legal threat from parties who had been implicated in the report because the findings were “tentative.” Therefore, if CSA has acted on those findings, they were at risk of their conduct being reviewed in the courts.The inquiry will also give anyone alleged to have acted in ways that are biased a further opportunity to respond, in addition to their testimony at the SJN. Both Smith and Boucher submitted written affidavits to the ombudsman but did not appear to give oral evidence. It is not yet clear which route will be offered to them in the new process. “We hope this will give implicated parties a fair opportunity to be heard so that finality can be achieved, and any final findings can then be acted on,” Lawson Naidoo, CSA board chair, said.CSA will also announce further steps and actions it intends to take to transform cricket, in line with the SJN report in the new year. Among the SJN’s other recommendations was a suggestion to review payment structures to ensure reserve players on tour are adequately compensated and specifically to look at payments in the women’s game, with a view to closing the gender-pay gap, a focus on grassroots development, the establishment of an anonymous complaints service for any further cases of discrimination and the appointing of a permanent ombudsman.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi picked a wicket as India had England five wickets down and trailing by 310 runs

ECB Reporters Network13-Jul-2025Rocky Flintoff fell seven runs short of a century as England Under-19 fought back on day two of their Under-19 test with India at Beckenham.England were 230 for five at stumps in reply to India’s 540 all, out, trailing by 310.Flintoff was lbw to Deepesh Devendran for 93 just five minutes from the close of play and their captain Hamza Shaikh made 84. Henil Patel had India’s best bowling figures with 2 for 51.Earlier RS Ambrish hit 70 as India were dismissed for 540, with right-arm quick Alex Green claiming 3 for 74, and left-arm spinner Ralphie Albert three for 95.India were 450 for seven overnight and Ambrish reached 50 when he edged James Minto for four through the slips. He had added 20 more when he feathered Green behind.Green should have had a second wicket in the over, but Anmoljeet Singh was dropped by Archie Vaughan at second slip, the fifth drop of the innings. Anmoljeet then survived being hit on both feet and got another life when both batters ended up at the keeper’s end and England were too slow to react.Albert eventually had Henil caught on the boundary by Jaydn Denly, but only after he’d hit him for successive sixes on his way to 38 and Albert then wrapped up the innings by bowling Devendran with the final ball before lunch.Right-arm medium pacer Henil struck in the first over of England’s reply when he had Vaughan lbw for two. Denly was then dropped by Mohamed Enaan after square cutting Devendran when he was on 22, but Henil conjured a beauty that pitched on leg and hit the top of his off stump, bowling him for 27Flintoff was on 25 when he pulled Devendran straight to Kumar, who dropped a chest-high catch and he cashed in after tea when he thick-edged Enaan for four to pass 50.Shaikh then hit Anmoljeet for six over long off, but a partnership worth 154 was broken when 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi had Shaikh caught at mid-off.Ben Mayes was subsequently lbw to Vilhaan Malhotra for 11, but Thomas Rew got a life when India skipper Ayush Mhatre missed a difficult chance to catch him at slip off Anmoljeet when he was on three. The bowler had better luck in the penultimate over, when with a ton there for the taking, he trapped Flintoff lbw.

Shanaka’s unbeaten 64 had taken Sri Lanka to 168 but it wasn’t enough

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Sep-20251:49

Chopra: You look at Saif and go ‘there’s some serious talent there’

Three top order stands, one after the other, led by Saif Hassan, then Towhid Hridoy, propelled Bangladesh to overhaul Sri Lanka’s 168, on a dry Dubai track.Saif’s 59-run stand with Litton Das came off 34 balls. It saw Bangladesh set the platform. Then Saif joined Hridoy for a 54-run stand off 45 balls, that consolidated their innings through the middle overs. Hridoy then took charge in a 45-run partnership off 27 balls with Shamim Hossain that put Bangladesh on the cusp of victory. There were some wobbles very late in the game, but those batters had done enough. Bangladesh only needed five to win going into the final over, and they got there with a ball to spare, even if they’d lost two wickets and almost a third scoring the winning run.Sri Lanka struggled for wickets right through the innings, with Saif especially good at keeping the seamers at bay in the powerplay. By the end of the 15th over, Bangladesh had still only lost three wickets, and needed only 39 more to win. It seemed highly unlikely they would lose from there. In fact, they had looked good for the majority of this chase.In Sri Lanka’s innings, Dasun Shanaka’s promotion to No. 5 had yielded results, as he struck 64 not out off 37 balls, to give Sri Lanka a decent – if not spectacular – finish. But two Bangladesh bowlers had also shone: Mustafizur Rahman took 3 for 20, and Mahedi Hasan claimed 2 for 25.2:07

Maharoof: Shanaka showed up when the chips were down

Saif neutralises Nuwan Thushara

When Nuwan Thushara dismissed Tanzid Hasan in the first over, you wondered if this would be another match which his first spell goes some distance to winning. He has tended to have rich hauls against this opposition. But in Saif, Bangladesh had a beautiful counter to Thushara. Saif was outstanding down the ground as Thushara kept going full (as he often does in the powerplay). Saif hit a four over the bowler’s head first ball of the second over, before running at Thushara next ball and depositing him over the rope. Thushara’s second and third overs would cost 14 runs each, Saif doing the majority of that damage.

Hridoy takes down Kamindu Mendis

Sri Lanka’s general strategy is to have Shanaka and one of the spin-bowling allrounders share four overs between them. Usually Charith Asalanka bowls himself. But in this game he chose not to bowl, and gave the 15th over of the innings to Kamindu Mendis. It would be the one in which the match would swing definitively in Bangladesh’s direction.Hridoy crashed him over cover for four second ball, then when Kamindu fired a shortish ball at the stumps, Hridoy got inside the line and launched it high over the deep square leg boundary. Later in the over, he slashed one between cover point and backward point to fetch another four. At the start of that over Bangladesh had needed 55 off 36 balls. Hridoy’s 16 runs off that over made the equation much simpler.1:55

Chopra impressed with Hridoy’s cricketing smarts

Shanaka’s blitz

Unlike Sri Lanka’s bowlers, Bangladesh kept striking regularly after Sri Lanka’s openers had put on 44 runs together. Shanaka was the only one to make a substantial score through the middle and later overs, crashing six sixes and three fours. He’d been dropped off the bowling of Mustafizur on 38, in a period in which Bangladesh gave at least three batters reprieves. Shanaka’s most productive over was against the spin of Nasum Ahmed, whom he clobbered for two sixes and a four in the 15th over.

Mustafizur and Taskin close well

Arguably the best over Bangladesh bowled was delivered by Mustafizur, who had both Kamindu and Asalanka caught in the 19th over, in which he conceded only five runs. Taskin Ahmed then bowled four dots to a mid-blitz Shanaka in the next over, delivering a clutch of good slower balls. He was hit for a six and a four too, but between them Bangladesh’s senior quicks had conceded only 15 in the last two overs, which Sri Lanka had been well-set to exploit.