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.

Queensland’s openers needed 16 runs from three overs when the umpires called of play due to bad light.

AAP21-Oct-2022Umpire Greg Davidson determine the light was not good enough•Getty Images

It was so close and yet so far for Queensland in a drama-charged final session when bad light robbed them of Sheffield Shield victory against NSW with three overs remaining.Queensland’s openers needed 26 runs to win from the final five overs at Sydney’s Drummoyne Oval in what seemed like a formality. Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw polished off 10 of them in two overs before the umpires took the players off due to the light reading at 6.34pm AEDT.Bulls captain Usman Khawaja came onto the field to ask the umpires why they could not continue as the Blues players swiftly made their way to their dressing room delighted to have secured a draw.The bails were flicked off the stumps by umpires Greg Davidson and Simon Lightbody minutes later to bring an end to an extraordinary day’s play.Related

• Western Australia survive Murphy scare after Handscomb declines chance of 300

• Renshaw's double and Neser's hundred put Queensland in command

When legspinner Mitchell Swepson removed Nathan Lyon to dismiss the Blues for 256, victory had seemed assured.Queensland allrounder Michael Neser summed up the mood in the camp.”It is not the result we wanted. We fought so hard throughout the game,” he said. “We were so close to that win. If we could have [bowled NSW out] a couple of overs sooner it might have been a different result.”NSW batter Moises Henriques was left stranded on 99 after featuring in two match-saving stands.”We were just doing our best to stay out there for as long as we could,” Henriques said of his resistance.Henriques and Matthew Gilkes (48) batted through most of the first two sessions, which included a break for rain, in a 112-run stand. With Henriques at the crease NSW went to tea on 5 for 211 before the game took a roller coaster turn.Pacemen Neser and Mark Steketee then captured 3 for 2 in the space of 12 deliveries with Joe Burns taking two diving catches at slip and wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson snaring one of his own to remove Sean Abbott, Baxter Holt and Ben Dwarshius.Chris Tremain (5 off 68 balls) combined with Henriques to hold up Queensland for 27 overs in a 39-run ninth-wicket stand that was ultimately decisive.

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.”

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.

The left-arm spinner underwent remedial work under CSA’s head of High Performance, Vincent Barnes

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2023Aaron Phangiso, the South Africa and Joburg Super Kings’ left-arm spinner has had his bowling action cleared following a re-test, the SA20 league announced via a press release. The league has also lifted the suspension previously imposed upon the spinner.Phangiso was reported for a suspect bowling action during Super Kings’ game against Pretoria Capitals on January 17 in the inaugural SA20. He was deemed to have a non-compliant action after undergoing a number of laboratory tests and subsequently suspended from bowling in the league.Related

• Aaron Phangiso suspended from bowling in SA20 due to illegal action

• Phangiso's bowling action found illegal

The 39-year-old has since undergone bowling action remodelling and remedial work under the guidance of CSA head of High Performance, Vincent Barnes. He undertook a test at an ICC Accredited Testing Centre at the University of Pretoria, which “noted an improvement in his action, and cleared the way for him to return to bowling.” The Independent Assessment report on Phangiso’s bowling action was presented to SA20’s Independent Expert Panel, which consisted of Zama Ndamane, Gerrie Pienaar, Russell Domingo and Vernon Philander.Phangiso played six matches at the SA20, picking ten wickets – including two four-wicket hauls – and finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker for his team. Super Kings made it to the semi-final of the tournament, where they were beaten by eventual winners Sunrisers Eastern Cape by 14 runs.This was the second time in his career that Phangiso’s action was deemed illegal. He was first reported during Lions’ win against Warriors in the semi-final of the Momentum One-Day Cup in 2016 and was cleared after undergoing remedial work on his action.Phangiso has played 21 ODIs and 16 T20Is for South Africa and last donned the national jersey in a T20I against India in 2016.

Sultans make PSL final for third straight season after bowling out the defending champions for 76

Danyal Rasool15-Mar-20231:00

Wiese: We let ourselves down during certain moments in the chase

Earlier this week, Lahore Qalandars coach Aqib Javed told ESPNcricinfo about how other teams in the PSL prioritised power hitters, while Qalandars wanted to go for the best bowlers. Here, Multan Sultans demonstrated to them the value of power hitters lower down the order, as Kieron Pollard and Tim David dug deep against an imperious Qalandars bowling showing to post 160. Sultans then went about taking apart the defending champions’ batting line-up in astonishing fashion, with Sheldon Cottrell blowing away the top order as Qalandars folded for 76, the third-lowest total in PSL history. It sealed Sultans’ place in the PSL final for the third successive season – the first team to do that – while Qalandars drop down into Friday’s eliminator to keep their title defence intact.Chasing a total down against Qalandars’ bowling line-up has become the most daunting challenge in the PSL, and Sultans were sensible enough to be flexible. They won the toss and batted first for the first time this season, and just the fifth time in their history. But they tend to pick these moments well; they won three of the previous four.Related

• Aqib Javed: 'We wanted the best bowling unit, everyone else is after the best hitters'

• Miller: 'I've really enjoyed challenging myself against the PSL death bowlers'

That victory seemed anything but assured for much of the first innings, with Qalandars at their imperious best with the ball, stifling Sultans in the first 15 overs. The average first innings score this season here was 193, but it became obvious fairly soon the Sultans wouldn’t get anywhere near that. They managed just 46 in the powerplay, and while Qalandars hadn’t picked up any wickets, it didn’t seem as if they needed to.Haris Rauf, at his fearsome fastest, struck the first blow, though the ball he cleaned Usman Khan up with was a slower one. Zaman Khan got rid of a scratchy Rilee Rossouw cheaply, a huge wicket, particularly given Rossouw’s imperious record against Qalandars. Rashid Khan prised Mohammad Rizwan out with a wrong’un to reduce the Sultans to 90 for three, and Qalandars only tightened their grip on the game.Sheldon Cottrell celebrates with his signature salute after a top-order wicket•PCB

It was a sensational lower order counterattack from Pollard that dug his side out of a hole, though it wasn’t without its chances. Sam Billings dropped a skier fairly early on in the onslaught, with Shaheen Afridi and Hussain Talat missing chances to get rid of him. In the meantime, he was grinding through the gears, pushing up Sultans total to a defensible level, never more so than when he powered three sixes off Shaheen in the penultimate over; the 20 the Qalandars captain conceded made it his most costly PSL over. It also brought up a 33-ball 50 for Pollard, winning him the Player-of-the-Match award.Haris hit back with a scintillating final six balls, hitting speeds in excess of 150 regularly and cleaning up both Pollard and Khushdil Shah. It saw just six runs scored and clawed a bit of momentum Qalandars’ way, turning the task over to the batters.But Cottrell, newly arrived at the PSL, wrenched the game out of Qalandars’ hands before they’d even had the opportunity to get the chase off the ground. A double-strike in his second over, making prodigious use of inswing to the right-handers, put paid to both Mirza Baig and Abdullah Shafique, while Anwar Ali from the other end seamed one beautifully to knock back the top of Fakhar Zaman’s off stump. Cottrell wasn’t done with the ambush yet, returning to dispatch Shaheen with a wild swing off the second ball he faced finding Usman Khan at cover.There was more trauma about to be inflicted on a shell-shocked Qalandars. Pollard, their tormentor in chief with the bat, saw two wickets fall in his first over, sloppy running catching Talat out before a sensational running catch from Abbas Afridi brought the curtains down on Sikandar Raza.Qalandars’ thoughts were already turning to Friday’s eliminator. Billings and Rashid fell in quick succession, before a few lusty blows from David Wiese and Rauf gave a packed, partisan home crowd something to cheer for. It was to be ephemeral, however, with Abbas Afridi delivering the knockout blow as Haris feathered one through to the keeper.Sultans were thrashed in last year’s PSL final by this very opposition. But this was a step towards ensuring they might not even need to meet them at that stage one more time.

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

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.

Sussex comfortably overhauled on home patch despite Ravi Bopara efforts

ECB Reporters Network20-Jun-2023Jordan Cox led Kent Spitfires to their fourth Vitality Blast win in a row as they beat Sussex Sharks by six wickets at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove.Cox hit an unbeaten 82 off just 44 deliveries, with six fours and five sixes. And he was well supported at the end by Jack Leaning, who made an unbeaten 28 from 26 balls. Spitfires needed 12 runs from the final two overs but Cox saw his side home with eight balls to spare when he hit the otherwise impressive Ari Karvelas to leg for successive sixes.Both the Sharks and the Spitfires had to win this match to sustain their ambitions in the Vitality Blast and both sides had shown some encouraging form in recent weeks after generally disappointing campaigns.The Spitfires, chasing 170, got off to a good start with 25 from the first two overs but then Karvelas came on to bowl the third, bowling Tawanda Muyeye with his first delivery and then having Joe Denly caught behind with his fourth ball. When Tymal Mills came on to bowl the fourth over he had the Spitfires captain Sam Billings caught behind for just 2 and suddenly Kent were on the back foot at 28 for 3.But Cox put Kent on top once more with a fourth wicket stand of 70 in seven overs with Daniel Bell-Drummond. The pair looked in total control before, in the 11th over, Bell-Drummond attempted to work Ravi Bopara to fine leg and got a top edge. Cox, though, carried on, reaching his half-century from 31 balls with five fours and a six. He then celebrated the landmark by hoisting Brad Currie over square-leg for six, before reverse scooping George Garton over third man for another maximum before his final flurry of strokeplay against Karvelas.Sussex had been guided to a total of 169 for 7 by their captain, Bopara, who hit a typically fluent 53 from 39 deliveries, with four fours and two sixes. They must have hoped for more after reaching the end of the 15th with a score of 133 for 3, but they were frustrated at the end of their innings by some fine death bowling from Michael Hogan and Wes Agar, who had come into the side for Kane Richardson, who had a side strain.Harrison Ward had got the Sharks off to a fine start, as they crashed 44 runs from the first five overs. But from the last ball of the fifth over the in-form Ward, who is often overlooked for these matches, was caught on the square-leg boundary off Hogan for a 21-ball 32.Tom Clark again made a good start without progressing, and Oli Carter looked in the mood after lifting Grant Stewart onto the pavilion roof for six. When he was out, well caught by Cox at extra cover, the best chance of a big total rested with the experienced pair of Bopara and Tom Alsop.They added 43 in four overs but then Alsop was caught at long-on by Bell-Drummond off Fred Klaassen and even Bopara was unable to give the innings a gloss finish against some tight bowling and fielding from the Spitfires.