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While England are on a seven-match winning streak, India have overcome a mini-slump to topple New Zealand and Australia on their way to the grand finale at Lord’s

The Preview by Shashank Kishore22-Jul-2017Match facts
July 23, 2017
Start time 1030 local (0930 GMT)Big picture
The heroes who were toppled in an ICC final a little over a month ago have turned cheerleaders now, as have possibly a billion others. Every Harmanpreet Kaur six or Mithali Raj record has been acknowledged by a Virat Kohli praise, a Yuvraj Singh retweet, a Virender Sehwag comparison, or a Sachin Tendulkar endorsement. It’s proof of the statement that India women have made in this World Cup.Every move of theirs – be it reading a book, grooving to the DJ beats in the dugout, their vivacious celebration, even Harmanpreet’s fury at her young colleague, has attracted unprecedented attention. The BCCI, which is yet to present central contracts six months after it expired, has announced a cash reward of INR 50 lakh for every member of the squad. Having exceeded expectations, India now have a shot at cricket’s biggest prize for the first time in 12 years, in front of what is expected to be a packed house at Lord’s.Players have been flooded with interview requests, their families are being hounded for air time, and management agencies are looking to lap them up – everyone is looking to extract gold from a market that has, for a long time, been untapped in India. Now, it’s as if they’re all rushing to buy gold during Diwali. The interest is real, something that Raj didn’t see coming. After a storied career that has spanned close to 18 years, she now has an opportunity to bow out with the ultimate crowning glory in possibly her final World Cup game.Just the prospect of India being in the final would’ve elicited a snigger, if not outright ridicule, a month ago. Too conservative, they said. They don’t quite have the power game, a few said, while others felt they needed to be better fielders. While none of that is entirely untrue, India have still managed to ride these odds. Harmanpreet’s fierce ball-striking in her unbeaten 171 in the semi-final, and Veda Krishnamurthy’s late onslaught that converted a middling total into a daunting one in their final league fixture against New Zealand, showed their ability to fight back when cornered.England’s journey to reach this final has been equally notable, given the upheaval they underwent a little over a year ago. Mark Robinson, six months after being named coach, made the huge call to end Charlotte Edwards’ magnificent international career. The captaincy was handed to Heather Knight at a time when the side needed to revive themselves, having struggled to initially adapt to the challenges and expectations of professionalism. Sarah Taylor’s return, after she took time away from the game to deal with anxiety, and her form in front and behind the stumps, has been one of the stories of the tournament.With England having conjured a seven-match winning streak after being toppled by India in the tournament opener, it will be as much a battle of nerves and temperament as skill. Natalie Sciver’s ‘Natmeg’ has become a rage. Taylor’s swagger, audacious scoops and paddles, Tammy Beaumont’s belligerence, and Knight’s consistency spell ominous signs for India. This is a side that has come free of the heavy baggage from the last two ICC events – they lost in the final of the World T20 in 2014 and the semifinal of the next edition, in 2016.What could prove decisive, though, is how quickly both sides adapt at a venue that hasn’t hosted a game yet. India won five games in Derby, which Raj equated to ‘home conditions’. The slope at Lord’s could present an altogether different challenge for their swing bowlers. Their spinners may not get the same purchase. England hold the edge in this aspect, especially given the core of their bowling group can bank on familiarity of conditions. But come the big day, these external factors could count for little. It’s the pressure of the occasion and how calm the players are that could dictate the fate of the contest.Natalie Sciver’s ‘Natmeg’ has become an instant hit•Getty Images

Form guideEngland WWWWW (completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLLWIn the spotlight
Smriti Mandhana started the tournament with scores of 90 and 106 not out. She’s endured six straight failures since. Her picking of lengths and shot selection have left her vulnerable, perhaps a sign of her confidence at the moment. India’s batting dynamics are such that she’s unlikely to be left out, which gives her another opportunity to make amends.England coach Mark Robinson believes Fran Wilson’s 75-ball 81, albeit in a defeat against India, triggered a surge. She played that game only because Lauren Winfield was injured. Winfield has since returned to the side, but Wilson has held her own through the sheer weight of her performances, none more significant than her 30 in a tense semi-final win over South Africa. Her career numbers so far don’t reflect her significance in the team, but the final is an opportunity to leave an imprint.Team news
England are likely to remain unchanged.England: 1 Lauren Winfield, 2 Tammy Beaumont, 3 Heather Knight (capt), 4 Sarah Taylor (capt), 5 Natalie Sciver, 6 Fran Wilson, 7 Katherine Brunt, 8 Jenny Gunn, 9 Laura Marsh, 10 Anya Shrubsole, 11 Alex HartleyHarmanpreet Kaur injured her shoulder while batting in the nets and was icing it. However, Raj quashed doubts over her participation and said it was merely a precaution to manage niggles. Poonam Yadav had an off day against Australia. Batsmen had enough time to line themselves up against her loopy legspin. India could consider bringing back Ekta Bisht, who didn’t enjoy a great outing in her previous game, against Australia in the league phase. But she has the experience Raj can bank on.India: 1 Punam Raut, 2 Smriti Mandhana, 3 Mithali Raj (capt), 4 Harmanpreet Kaur, 5 Deepti Sharma, 6 Veda Krishnamurthy, 7 Shikha Pandey, 8 Sushma Verma (wk), 9 Jhulan Goswami, 10 Rajeshwari Gayakwad, 11 Poonam Yadav/Ekta BishtPitch and conditions
It’s set to be the most-watched game in women’s cricket history, with 26,500 fans in attendance, and a few million more expected to tune into their TV sets. The strip is expected to be full of runs. Intermittent showers are on the radar. There’s a reserve day, but it’s unlikely to be needed.Stats and trivia
Mithali Raj is the first captain (men or women) to lead India to an ODI World Cup final twice – 2005 and 2017. Both sides have a 1-1 head-to-head at Lord’s. India beat England by five wickets in the last completed game between the sides in 2012. The ODI in 2014 was abandoned. Nineteen-year old Deepti Sharma is the youngest player to score 200 runs and pick up 10 wickets in a Women’s World Cup. Three England batsmen have scored 350-plus runs in the tournament – Tammy Beaumont (387), Heather Knight (363), and Sarah Taylor (351). India’s only representative in this club is Raj, who is the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 392.Quotes
“It seems like it’s going back to 2005, and I am just too happy that the girls have given us an opportunity to be a part of World Cup finals again.”
“The plan was to get to Lord’s and get a chance to sing our song there. Everything we have done since the last 18 months has been towards that and now we’re here.”

Australia have fought India all the way through the series, and now find themselves needing only a draw to go home with the Border-Gavaskar trophy

The Preview by Daniel Brettig24-Mar-2017Match factsMarch 25-29, 2017
Start time 0930 local (0400 GMT)4:30

Chappell: One of the best series since 2005 Ashes

Big pictureIn a series that has hit plenty of heights, the mountaintop locale of Dharamsala seems as fitting a place as any for the fate of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to be decided. India’s players, and doubtless a few on the other side, probably expected the fourth Test to be a festive occasion, completing a marathon home international season with the completion of a comfortable series win over Australia against the most picturesque background possible. But as the former BCCI president Anurag Thakur found out when the match was first scheduled at the ground of his home association, things don’t always go to plan.Instead Dharamsala plays host to a match that will be anything but valedictory. Australia have fought India all the way through the series, having started with a stunning upset in Pune, and now find themselves needing only a draw to go home with the trophy. India, by contrast, have had to dig particularly deep to avoid defeat, first getting decidedly pugilistic in Bengaluru, then relying heavily on the serene Cheteshwar Pujara to forge ahead of the contest in Ranchi. Even so, Steven Smith’s team refused to buckle under last-day pressure, allowing them to travel to Dharamsala with confidence they can handle just about any situation.There remain questions for both sides to answer. Virat Kohli’s sore shoulder is yet another obstacle for him in a series where the Australians have kept him exceptionally quiet in terms of runs if not words. Quite apart from the physical infirmity, Kohli must find a way to escape the funk he has entered when coming out to bat all series, either attacking too soon as in Pune or finding himself starved into error as in Bengaluru or Ranchi. Equally, Australia’s vice-captain David Warner reaches Dharamsala having not yet made an impression on India’s bowlers; the helmsman of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 2016 IPL title has far more to offer, and in the series’ decisive match he will be straining to prove it.Among the bowlers, the physical strain of back-to-back matches at the end of a long season will loom large. Neither R Ashwin nor Nathan Lyon had as much impact as expected in Ranchi, and only partly because they missed the footmarks provided by the injured Mitchell Starc. Australia’s concern about Pat Cummins’ ability to cope with his workload in the third Test was underlined by precautionary scans on his back that showed no damage done. India have extra pace options in reserve, depending on how the pitch and conditions reveal themselves on match day.In a crucible of this kind, there may of course be further flashpoints between the two opposing sides. The joking observation of Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland – in a radio interview this week – that he’s not sure Kohli “knows how to spell” the word sorry was an unexpected quarter from which to stir things up once more. But as this series has shown and Dharamsala will doubtless confirm, expectation is always a chance of being confounded.If Virat Kohli plays, he will still need to find a way to score runs this series•AFP

Form guideIndia: DWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: DLWWW
In the spotlightBy playing the longest innings ever by an Indian Test batsman, Cheteshwar Pujara made himself Australia’s No. 1 wicket-taking priority in the final Test. The tourists have enormous respect for Pujara’s concentration and shot selection, but also feel that a little extra bounce could be the way to defeat him. As Josh Hazlewood put it: “Any sort of bounce is an added bonus for the quicks against most of their batters, and probably him in particular. But he’s got a great temperament and I guess you’ve just got to try and get under his skin somehow, but he just loves batting and loves batting a long time. He’s definitely a key wicket for us.”By David Warner’s logic, the wheel of his overseas under-performance is bound to turn soon. This series he has hinted at taking control of a match on several occasions, whether the first morning of the series, or the start of the second-innings chase in Bengaluru. But there has also been a sense that India’s bowlers know how to find a way past him, so long as they stay patient. Every other member of Australia’s top six has made a major contribution at least once in this series; Dharamsala could be Warner’s turn.Team newsKohli will undergo a fitness test on Friday night or Saturday morning to determine whether he is able to play. If he is ruled out, Iyer is likely to slot into the middle order to make his Test debut, and Ajinkya Rahane will captain the side. M Vijay may also be a doubtful starter – he did not train on Friday, and had missed the Bengaluru Test with a shoulder injury. If either or both miss out, India are unlikely to tamper with their six batsmen + keeper + four bowler combination, given the loss of so much experience from their batting line-up.India still seem unsure whether Mohammed Shami is fit enough to last five days, so if there is any change in their bowling attack, it is likely to be the inclusion of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in potentially swing-friendly conditions, possibly at Ishant Sharma’s expense.India: 1 M Vijay/Abhinav Mukund, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt)/Shreyas Iyer, 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Karun Nair, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 9 Ravindra Jadeja, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh YadavPat Cummins has been cleared of any back trouble after his return to Test matches in Ranchi, so the likelihood is for an unchanged Australian side after Glenn Maxwell’s first-innings century at No. 6.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Matt Renshaw, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Shaun Marsh, 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Steve O’Keefe, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood.Expectations are that the Dharamsala pitch will have help for all disciplines•AFP

Pitch and conditionsDharamsala’s location and altitude have tended to offer some help to pace bowlers in the past, though during last year’s World Twenty20 the pitch was slow and assisting spin. The surface has a thin film of green grass that is expected to be shaved off by match morning and some help for spin can be expected.Kohli expected it to offer “good bounce for the spinners” and “good pace off the wicket for the quicks”. Dharamsala should have pleasant weather through the Test, with maximum temperatures in the low-to-mid-20s, with forecasts of rain towards the second half of the match.Stats and trivia Australia are seeking their first series win in India since 2004 Dharamsala will become the 27th Test venue in India Should he play, Kohli will need 89 runs to avoid completing his least productive Test series as a batsman – previously 134 runs at 13.40 in England in 2014Quotes”I’m focused on what we can control, and that’s playing each ball one at a time and concentrating on the processes of what we need to do in the middle and doing them for just a little bit longer than we have perhaps in the last two Tests. It’s a really exciting time for this team to be involved in this game.”
“I think the series is beautifully placed and everyone’s really excited for the Test match, both sides and people watching as well. It’s been a very, very exciting series of ups and downs, [a] roller-coaster ride. I hope it finishes really well and people get to see some really good cricket here as well.” 

ICC chief executive David Richardson stated that until the laws of the game are amended, the practice of charging players when evidence shows a breach will continue

Firdose Moonda25-Nov-20162:03

David Richardson: “Unless the Laws are changed, the current practice of charging players when the evidence shows an obvious breach will continue”

The ICC has said it does not agree with Cricket South Africa’s assertion that law 42.3 is unclear in its definition of what constitutes an artificial substance and is “disappointed” with Faf du Plessis’ decision to appeal his guilty verdict for ball-tampering. Although the ICC cannot comment about the matter in detail until the appeal is heard, CEO David Richardson addressed the media in Adelaide and emphasised his organisation’s understanding of the fair- and unfair-play laws.”These state that a player should not use artificial substances to shine the ball,” Richardson’s statement read. “The ICC understands that to include, but is not limited to, sunscreen, lip ice and residue from sweets.”He confirmed that the ICC “does not wish to prevent players from using these substances for legitimate purposes. However, any deliberate attempt to apply such substances to the ball, as was the case here, will not be acceptable.”Richardson did not rule out the possibility that the law could be changed, but stressed that until such an amendment, the laws in their current form will be applied. “This will continue to be reported and the ICC confirms that unless the Laws are changed, the current practice of charging players when the evidence shows an obvious breach will continue. ICC Umpires will remind all teams of the Laws as they stand.”While CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said he hoped to engage with the ICC at their next cricket committee meeting in May – and said it was due for discussion even before the du Plessis incident – Richardson confirmed it could be put on the agenda in light of the recent saga. “I think he (Lorgat) jumped the gun in saying it’s on the agenda. But I think that in light of this incident and of other comments being made by players around the world, I think it’s fair to say it should be discussed by the cricket committee going forward.”Any discussions would be part of what Richardson called a “two-stage process”, the first of which would concentrate on the appeal. A date has not been set but the ICC said the appeal would be heard at “the earliest convenience”. Although the ICC recognised du Plessis’ right to appeal, Richardson maintained that CSA’s conduct, in particular the press conference at the MCG when Hashim Amla stood with the entire squad alongside him and dismissed the allegations against du Plessis, was disrespecting the process.”I think it’s fair to say I’m disappointed that they don’t respect that the laws are there. They are there and the process is not necessarily respected. I was disappointed in the initial sort of comment that this is a joke – that kind of comment,” he said. “But full marks to them, subsequent to that they’ve acknowledged we attend the hearing, go through the process and follow it. So perhaps that initial reaction I thought was uncalled for but subsequently it’s within their rights.”David Richardson on the decision against Faf du Plessis: “These decisions are not taken lightly because it was just so obvious under the current laws that we thought we had to report him.”•Getty Images

Richardson did not read too much into the role broadcaster’s play in bringing transgressions of this law to light, comparing it to instances when the stump microphones pick up players bringing the game into disrepute. “I don’t think the players – or we – should be too worried or concerned about that (the broadcasters). It’s a similar argument when it comes to bad language used around the stump microphones. If you’re going to use bad language and somehow it is picked up by somebody – you’ve got to live with it. So decide what kind of behaviour you want to show and behave accordingly,” he said.And, because it is not easy to monitor which artificial substances are being used, Richardson maintained that if someone is caught, they will be punished.”This has always been an issue that’s been quite difficult to police,” he said. “Even before we spoke about using mints and sweets, lip ice – and we’ve been using lip ice and sunscreen on our faces for years – we understand that inadvertently in shining the ball there’s a potential for it to get onto the ball. And for that reason we’re not going to go around wildly accusing players of cheating and using the lip ice, sunscreen or sweets. We’ve taken the approach that we will only really charge someone if it’s obviously being done for that particular purpose.”There’s two examples in the past. One was Rahul Dravid where he actually took the sweet and rubbed it on the ball, you probably couldn’t get more obvious than that. And in our opinion this instance. So if anyone does something similar we will hopefully get to see it, treat it in exactly the same way we’ve treated Faf in this case. These decisions are not taken lightly because it was just so obvious under the current laws that we thought we had to report him.”Asked what he thought about Steven Smith’s acknowledgment that all players shine the ball the same way, Richardson distanced himself. “I’m not sure he exactly went that far as to say the same way he was talking about shining the ball.”He moved even further away when asked to respond to Lorgat’s comment that Richardson himself was part of the South African brigade that shined the ball.”I thought that comment was probably inappropriate but I can speak for myself and I can confirm I never – probably because I was the wicketkeeper and had no real need to shine the ball in any way, but I can confirm I never used – and I used lip-ice and sunscreen religiously for 30 years – and never put it on the ball.”

حقق فريق ريال مدريد فوزًا أمام ديبورتيفو ألافيس، خلال مباراة الفريقين مساء الأحد، ببطولة الدوري الإسباني موسم 2025-2026.

واستقبل ديبورتيفو ألافيس خصمه ريال مدريد في إطار مباريات الجولة السادسة عشر للدوري الإسباني “الليجا” للموسم الجاري.

وحصل الفرنسي كيليان مبابي، مهاجم ريال مدريد على جائزة رجل المباراة أمام ألافيس، بعد الأداء الذي قدمه خلال المواجهة.

وكان مبابي قد أحرز هدف ريال مدريد الأول أمام ألافيس، ورفع رصيده في جدول ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإسباني إلى 17 هدفًا.

وحقق ريال مدريد الفوز بهدفين مقابل هدف، وأصبح يملك 39 نقطة في المركز الثاني بجدول ترتيب الليجا.

ويتصدر برشلونة ترتيب الدوري الإسباني بـ43 نقطة، وتوقف رصيد ألافيس عند النقطة 18 في المركز 12 بالترتيب.

Chris Woakes’ second spell of the day yielded four wickets for 15 runs, and his six-for took his wickets tally in two first-class matches on the tour to 12

George Dobell in Townsville15-Nov-2017
ScorecardChris Woakes doesn’t fit the classic image of a fast bowler.While the newspapers in Australia are full of stories of his counterparts – brooding, menacing types persuaded to stare down the lens like it just took the last pringle – promising to unleash pace and destruction upon England, Woakes responded to another outstanding performance by saying “it was nice”. And then, after a pause, “and pleasing”.Make a headline out of that: “It’s nice,” roared Woakes. “It’s pleasing,” bellowed Woakes. “I’m focusing on my processes,” vowed Woakes.But beneath the bluster, beneath the wearying propaganda that seems to preface Ashes series these days, Woakes is getting on with his job “very nicely” indeed. And while most of the media may be fixated on the damage the Australian fast bowlers are promising to inflict on England and the absence of Ben Stokes, the tourists’ other fast-bowling allrounder is enjoying the opportunity to warm-up for a confrontation that could go a long way to defining his career. And the result of the series.Woakes’ performance is vital. If he can replicate his record in England – where he has 42 Test wickets at a cost of 24.28 apiece – he will have given England a potency that will support James Anderson and Stuart Broad and ensure they have a viable attack. If he cannot improve his overseas record – he has currently taken eight Test wickets outside England (and Wales) at a cost of 63.75 apiece – then too much will be required of England’s opening bowlers and it is hard to see how they win.The key would appear to be movement. If Woakes can persuade the Kookaburra ball (used here) to move laterally as he can the Duke’s (used in England) then his other qualities – his control, his relative pace (upper 80s, you would think) and his bounce – will all be enhanced.So the good news – from an England perspective – from this tour to date is that he is finding that movement and, as a result, proving a tough proposition. Even on these pudding pitches.Getty Images

Woakes, for the second time in successive innings, produced a spell that effectively cut the opposition in half. This time it was four – the first four wickets to fall – for 15 in six overs. Later he returned to claim two more. It means he has, at present, claimed 12 first-class wickets on this tour at a cost of just 10.25 apiece. The opposition is about to get much tougher but the pace he is bowling and the movement he is generating are encouraging.It may be tempting to read some diffidence into Woakes’ softly-spoken manner. To imagine that he will recoil in the furnace of the Gabba.’Getting close to being cooked’ – Woakes

Chris Woakes feels he is coming to the boil nicely ahead of the first Test in Brisbane.
Woakes claimed 6 for 54 on the first day of the match against a CA XI in Townsville and afterwards spoke of his delight at his own rhythm and his ability to move the Kookaburra ball.
“All the numbers are saying I’m getting close to getting cooked,” Woakes said. “I’m pleased with where my body is at and getting overs in the legs is important. You don’t want to go in to the Test series undercooked and I’m pleased with where I’m at.
“We got a bit of shape with the ball, which was nice. There has been a lot spoken about the Kookaburra ball not doing as much as the Duke’s and generally it doesn’t. The fact that we got a bit of movement today is pleasing and builds some confidence with this ball that we are not as used to.
“The most important thing today was that I was pleased with how it came out and my rhythm. Six wickets is pleasing but had I picked up one or two I would still have been pleased.”

Tempting but wrong. Instead his quiet manner reflects a confidence in his own ability, which doesn’t require the layer of bravado others see fit to use. He knows it is performances that matter, not rhetoric. And he knows, if he “nails his processes” he will end the tour in a “very nice, very pleasing” mood. What’s that saying about empty vessels and loudest sounds? Talk doesn’t take wickets.It’s been noticeable in Woakes’ career to date that he has produced some of his most eye-catching performances when his side have been under pressure. How about that 11-wicket haul against Pakistan at Lord’s? England lost. Or that unbeaten 95 in an ODI against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge? He came in when England were 82 for 6 and chasing 287. Both times, the pressure brought the best out of him.His wickets here generally came from deliveries on or around off-stump that either bounced or nibbled away. So once Nick Larkin and Josh Carder’s fine opening stand (they put on 66 in 26 overs as England failed to fully utilise the first new ball) was ended with Larkin slashing to gully, Carder and Ryan Gibson were unfortunate enough to receive balls that demanded a stroke and nipped away just enough. Jason Sangha and Simon Milenko were beaten for pace by full deliveries while Harry Nielsen also pushed one to gully.Broad’s figures, in comparison, were modest. But he bowled fine generally and used this game for the warm-up that it is. He is, in the best sense of the word, something of a show-off. And performing amid the bucolic charm of Riverway Stadium – and a vocal crowd who were never far away from reminding him he remained wicketless for most of the day – was never likely to inspire him.This is another slow pitch, too. Disappointingly slow. England opted to come here over other options (Drummoyne in Sydney and Hobart were mentioned) as the ground had a reputation for pace that was akin to that expected in Brisbane. Instead, they have something more akin to New Road. Mount Louisa, off in the distance, even did a passable impression of the Malvern Hills. For the third time in succession, they surface they have encountered has been markedly different to that expected in Brisbane.The England camp are remaining tight-lipped on their view of the preparation they have been provided. But it will be no surprise if, the next time they are here for an Ashes series, they bring a battery of their own seamers (and perhaps hire their own training facility) to ensure they face more taxing bowling. The likes of Mark Footitt, Stuart Meaker, Olly Stone and Richard Gleeson could all have been employed – fitness permitting – to ensure England experienced some pace ahead of the Ashes.Getty Images

Cricket Australia would have you believe this CA XI represents almost the best opposition available with the Shield in full swing. It’s not entirely true, though. Ed Cowan, for example, says he would have loved to play this game but, having been offered the opportunity to appear only 48-hours ahead of the Adelaide match, could only promise his availability for the second game. Perhaps, with a bit of planning, the likes of Cameron White and Michael Klinger could have been included, too?England experienced a few nervous moments during the day, though. The most serious came when Jonny Bairstow had to leave the field after hurting the middle finger of his left hand in scuffing a delivery off the bowling of Woakes that appeared to bounce just in front of him.While Ben Foakes, who was permitted to take the gloves by the umpires despite not being named in the XI, is a more than capable deputy (and soon had a catch – perhaps the first ‘caught Foakes, bowled Woakes’ of many), the thought of losing Bairstow from England’s middle-order is enough to keep Joe Root up at night. He will, therefore, have been hugely relieved to see Bairstow reclaim the gloves about 50 minutes later having been diagnosed with nothing more serious than a bruise.The cordon remains a bit of a concern, though. While James Vince, so fallible in the slips during his first spell in the side, has taken to the gully position with some class – he held three sharp chances on the first day here, none of them easy – another two or three chances went begging in the region. The most straightforward went to Root, off Mason Crane, when Matthew Short had 36, while Bairstow – leaping in front of first slip – put down another (this time off Woakes) to reprieve Milenko. Another edge, again off Crane, went between Bairstow and Root, while Mark Stoneman dropped a tough chance – he did well to get a hand on it, really – when Short cut Crane on 25.Short took advantage of his reprieves to record a stubborn half-century (51 from 122 balls with just two boundaries) and ensure the CA XI recovered from the loss of four wickets for 25 runs either side of lunch.Craig Overton impressed, too. He has settled into this tour nicely and, with his height and ability to generate movement, has demanded respect from the batsmen. He has conceded almost exactly two an over in the first-class games on this tour so far and has given himself an outstanding chance of a Test debut in a week’s time.There was also good news off the pitch for England. James Anderson, who missed training on Tuesday due to illness, bowled in the nets, while Jake Ball returned to running for the first time since sustaining strained ankle ligaments in Adelaide, and later also enjoyed a gentle bowl.

The current trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have a more outstanding collection of fast-bowling attributes than the pace trio of 2013, according to Ryan Harris

Daniel Brettig07-Nov-2017

Ryan Harris rates Australia’s Ashes pace battery of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins as superior to the trio he formed with Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle to inflict a 5-0 sweep on England in 2013-14, but believes both teams face potential trouble in the form of unsettled batting line-ups.In a judgement some may find surprising, given the older group combined for a total of 627 Test wickets, including 75 in that Ashes series alone, Harris said that this summer’s combination boasted a more outstanding collection of fast-bowling attributes than the one he was a part of, starting with Hazlewood’s greater height.”I think so. Hazlewood’s probably doing the job that I did and he’s quicker than me, and he gets more bounce,” Harris said in Adelaide when asked if the current attack was better than his own. “And you’ve got Starc who can definitely do a Johnson role, and you’ve got Cummins so you’ve probably got an extra bit of pace.”Cummins on his day, he’s fast as well. Obviously we did a good job last time but the key is going to be working as a team, as a bowling unit. That’s what we did well last time and obviously got the results.”Australia and England each enter the series with doubt swirling around their batting line-ups – for the visitors at the top of the order and the hosts in the middle order. Then there is the uncertainty around the possible participation of Ben Stokes – pending a police investigation and an ECB internal investigation – after his involvement in a fight outside a Bristol nightclub during the northern season. Harris said these issues raised the potential for a closer series than four years ago.”I think both squads are a bit unsettled, more on their batting line-ups, which I think brings them closer together,” Harris said. “I think Australia have got a pretty good idea of who they want to pick but having unsettled feelings going into that first Test – the bowling line-ups are fine – but I think they’re on even par with their batting line-ups.””[Stokes missing] it’s huge. He’s the one that if England lose wickets at the top he is the one that comes out and steadies or counter-attacks. It’s a big hole for England to be honest. I’m sure Australia will be happy he’s not here but they’d also want him here because you want to play against and win against the best. I guess time will tell whether he comes but I think it’s a big hole for them.”Joe Root’s tourists are in Adelaide preparing for a four-day floodlit fixture that will give them a first look at the conditions in which the inaugural day-night Ashes Test will be staged in early December. Harris is coaching a Cricket Australia XI that lacks bowlers of the sort of velocity expected from Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood, but he still expected the adjustment to be a challenging one for England.”The ball will probably swing early around start time, it may stop swinging in that sort of 30-45 overs and then when it gets to dusk the grass seems to stand up and it zips around,” he said. “We saw in the Shield game the other week that Starc got it to talk a bit around that time when the sun goes down.”Talking to a couple of boys they find it tough to bat around that time so that’s where we’ll try to make it as hard as we can for them. Hopefully we’re not batting around that time, that’s my plan. But they’ll have to get used to that real hard seeing time, and we’ve got some good bowlers here. We haven’t got the pace of Starc or Cummins or Hazlewood, but they’ll have to get used to it.”As for the possibility that the moving pink ball would provide an advantage for England, Harris said he saw bowling attacks as the strong suit of each team. “The bowling line-ups are world class and I think they’re going to have a big say on each Test match,” he said. “With the ball moving around, it’s been well documented that we’ve had trouble with that, but we’re in our own conditions.”But Anderson and Broad – I’m not sure about England’s third quick, probably Woakes – but those two blokes can destroy games and destroy line-ups and they’re proven good bowlers over here. Anderson’s gotten better in these conditions, it’s pacey and Broad likesthe pace.”Having met with the national coach Darren Lehmann before venturing to Adelaide, Harris said the invitational side was not planning to “bat for four days” but would endeavour to make life difficult for the tourists, while also keeping a close eye out for any information that might be useful once the Test matches start.

Dimuth Karunaratne has become the latest player to advocate for a stronger first-class competition in Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando at SSC04-Aug-2017

Dimuth Karunaratne has become the latest player to advocate for a stronger first-class competition in Sri Lanka, suggesting that India’s comparatively sturdy domestic infrastructure has seen them thrive in Test cricket.The number of players – both former and present – who have called for drastic change in first-class cricket now represents a consensus. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have been the most vocal critics of the present system, but virtually every former player, from Thilan Samaraweera to SLC cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha (who played as far back as the 1980s), have said domestic cricket is substantially weaker now than it had been when they were emerging as top players.Test captain Dinesh Chandimal and batsman Lahiru Thirimanne have at times spoken of the chasm in quality between domestic cricket and internationals as well. Despite this, the incumbent SLC board has failed to reform the club structure during their two years in office. However, board president Thilanga Sumathipala has promised a stronger five-team, four-day competition for next year – though those schedules have not been finalised yet.Where most players have asked for a higher standard of cricket, calling for a drastic reduction in the number of first-class teams, Karunaratne has said Sri Lanka’s players must play more games in the domestic season. This year a player from one of the top eight clubs played six three-day matches, and four four-day matches. In terms of one-day cricket, SLC hosted a 23-team District Tournament, in which a cricketer could expect to play a maximum of seven games, and most played only four, before hosting a much stronger provincial tournament, in which some cricketers played seven games. There was no domestic T20 cricket.”India have played a lot of good cricket,” Karunaratne said of the manner in which India have rebuilt their team. “They’ve played a lot of IPL and first-class cricket. In Sri Lanka, we only have eight to ten domestic matches in first-class. Then we have five one-dayers. That’s it for the season. I think that’s the main reason. We have to play more first-class cricket and then we can find more players who can dominate the game. That’s the thing SLC have to work on for the players.”Questions over the quality of Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket have also arisen in this match on the basis of left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara’s first-innings performance. He had 558 first-class wickets at 19.85 apiece before he made his debut in this match, but conceded runs at four an over, and finished with figures of 2 for 156 for the innings. Karunaratne, who himself has been through an extended weaning period at the top level, spoke also of the challenge bowlers might face in adjusting to Test-match intensity.”In Test cricket all best batsmen play, and we have to bowl intelligently,” he said. “We have to bowl on one side of the pitch and set the field accordingly. It takes 10-15 overs to get a wicket here. In the domestic level, sometimes you can get five wickets from five overs. International cricket is very different, and we need to get used to that. Like it’s tough to get a run, it’s also difficult to get a wicket.”

Colin Ingram’s refashioned career as a specialist white-ball cricketer will come with leadership duties at Glamorgan

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2017

Devastating South Africa batsman Colin Ingram and veteran Australian seamer Michael Hogan will share Glamorgan’s captaincy duties next season.The decision comes in the wake of Jacques Rudolph’s retirement. Rudolph stood down in the Championship in May, with Hogan stepping in on an interim basis, but he led Glamorgan to Finals Day in the NatWest Blast before his career came to an endIngram has turned himself into a white-ball specialist after a prolific limited-overs season fired his ambition to play in more global T20 tournaments worldwide.The standout performer of any county in limited overs cricket over the last two seasons, Ingram struck 1,026 runs and five centuries in white-ball competitions during 2017 and was named the PCA MVP award winner for the T20 Blast in 2016 and One-Day Cup in 2017.Ingram will feature for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash later this year but his only experience in the IPL came with the Delhi Daredevils before he joined Glamorgan at the end of 2014.Hogan will now continue to lead the side in red-ball cricket next term, while Ingram will have the captaincy duties in the One-Day Cup and T20 Blast competitions.In the first two games under Hogan’s leadership Glamorgan secured back-to-back victories against Durham at Swansea and at New Road over Worcestershire, the eventual Division Two champions, before finishing seventh in Division Two with a line-up featuring up to eight Academy graduates towards the end of the season.Glamorgan Chief Executive Hugh Morris, said: “We are very fortunate to have two excellent leaders within the squad and the decision to appoint Michael and Colin was unanimous by our Committee. By splitting the captaincy during a busy season both players can bring fresh impetus across the different formats.”

AB de Villiers’ Test future appears to be up in the air once again, as he prepares to meet with the South Africa team management to discuss his role in the side

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers14-Jan-2017

AB de Villiers’ Test future appears to be up in the air once again, as he prepares to meet with the South Africa team management to discuss his role in the side when he completes his comeback from injury.Although de Villiers has completely recovered from the elbow surgery which sidelined him for the last three Test series since the end of the CPL in June, and was expected to slot straight back into the XI as soon as he became available, there are renewed questions over whether he wants to continue in the longest format.”We need to sit down with him and plan his future,” Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach said. “AB has got to make that decision, I can’t decide on whether he plays or not.”When I say that, I mean AB has got to make the decision about whether he is available and the selectors have got to make the decision whether he plays. He has obviously got to make some decision about his future in cricket.”Domingo’s comments came after current Test captain, Faf du Plessis, indicated de Villiers was wavering over whether to make a return to the longest format, and was looking at one-day cricket as a priority.”I’m not sure how AB will feel in terms of Test cricket so we will have to see,” du Plessis said. “We are excited to have him back in the one-day team. I am hoping he decides to play [Tests] for us. He is obviously a world-class batter and I, as a captain, would love to have him as a leader in our team, and obviously as a batter. He is a fantastic player.”Du Plessis, a long-time friend of de Villiers, was also asked whether the pair had spoken about de Villiers not returning to Test cricket. He claimed not to have not had that conversation but suggested de Villiers’ six-month absence from the game may prompt him not to continue anyway.”He hasn’t played for a while. The plan was for him to play in this series and then the one-dayers start, but now we will see what AB’s plans are – whether he wants to play,” du Plessis said.De Villiers, who was named permanent Test captain last January, stepped down in early December, before the Sri Lanka series, when it became clear he would not be fit to play in it. Having already missed the New Zealand and Australia Tests – in which du Plessis was a successful stand-in skipper – and with his recovery period becoming more drawn out, de Villiers felt the team needed to move on.During those series, Domingo was always firm in his stance that, when de Villiers was available, “someone will have to make way,” and a common talking point has been the identity of that player.With du Plessis installed as captain and JP Duminy finding form at No.4, the spotlight has been on Temba Bavuma, who has struggled in this series, but all official word, including that of the convener of selectors Linda Zondi who was speaking on public broadcaster SABC, is that Bavuma will be retained. That means it is difficult to make room for de Villiers, despite his reputation.Whether the pressure to find a place, or the concerns over how his elbow will hold up, are playing on de Villiers’ mind is not known, but this is the longest he has been out of the game since making his debut 12 years ago.Ultimately his decision may be based on something entirely different. De Villiers is in demand at T20 leagues around the world and even publicly revealed that he turned down an opportunity to play in the Big Bash last summer. He is also a hot corporate commodity and his MRF bat sponsorship was conditional on him playing all three formats. If that has changed, there is a chance that so too has de Villiers’ mind.Still, he would not be entirely lost to South Africa, and will still lead their ODI side. De Villiers will play a List A match for Northerns next Sunday and, if all goes well, he will play in the third T20 against Sri Lanka before assuming the captaincy ahead of the ODIs. His long-term plan is to take the team to the Champions Trophy and ultimately, the 2019 World Cup.Morne Morkel was also due to play in that Northerns’ match but has suffered a recurrence of some of symptoms of his back niggle. He will need to be reassessed before a call is taken on his availability.

Nikita Miller took his 26th five-wicket haul and nine wickets in the match as Jamaica completed a win inside three days against Trinidad & Tobago in the WICB Regional Four-Day Tournament to move up to second

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2017

Nikita Miller’s five-wicket haul in the second innings, and match haul of 9 for 84 , bowled Jamaica to an 87-run win over Trinidad & Tobago at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain and move to second place. In a low scoring match that had only four half-centuries, Jamaica made identical scores of 201 in both innings. T&T responded with 174 in their first innings, conceding a first-innings lead of 27, before being bowled out for 141, chasing 229.After being asked to bat, Jamaica were troubled by Sheldon Cottrell, who took three wickets upfront. They were lifted by contributions from Jermaine Blackwood (68), while Derval Green struck an important 53 at No. 10 that lifted them from 150 for 9. Legspinner Imran Khan, who scythed through the lower order, finished with 4 for 28.In response, Kyle Hope, the T&T captain, held firm with 67 opening the innings, but T&T lost wickets around him. Yannic Cariah partnered his captain for a fourth-wicket stand of 88, but T&T collapsed after the stand was broken, losing their last seven wickets for 37 runs. Miller took four wickets, while legspinner Damion Jacobs finished with three scalps.T&T were set 229 after Cottrell and Rayad Emrit snared six wickets between them in Jamaica’s second innings. They could have been chasing a lot lesser had it not been for contributions from the lower down. Fabian Allen led the way with 60, batting at No. 7, as Jamaica were lifted from 66 for 5.T&T lost Jeremy Solozano early in the chase, before a 51-run second-wicket partnership between Kyle Hope (35) and Isaiah Rajah (23) steadied them. However, T&T slid drastically thereafter, losing four wickets for eight runs as Jacobs and Miller strangled the middle order. Marlon Richards, who came in at 68 for 6, scored 47 off 42 balls. But Miller took out the lower order, taking his 26th five-wicket haul in the process. T&T eventually folded in the second session of the third day, bowled out for 141 in 43.5 overs.