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“England’s attacking cricket always gives you an opportunity to induce mistakes in them”

Danyal Rasool05-Oct-2024Pakistan vice-captain Saud Shakeel echoed his coach Jason Gillespie’s comments about Pakistan’s game plan, saying his side were looking to use England’s aggressive tactics against them in their three-Test series. England’s reputation for playing high-risk, high-reward cricket under current coach Brendon McCullum means Pakistan are sniffing an opportunity to draw them into making mistakes, according to Shakeel.”England always play attacking cricket, and that always gives you an opportunity to induce mistakes in them, and to use their mistakes to stay in the game,” Shakeel said at a press conference in Multan.Shakeel, who was Pakistan’s second-highest scorer during their series against England in 2022, said Pakistan would draw inspiration from that tour, despite England ultimately beating the hosts 3-0. “The last series we played against England, there were times we were quite close to winning, such as Rawalpindi and Multan, but we couldn’t finish it off.”Related

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It was in Multan, where the first Test starts Monday, that Pakistan ran England closest last time, with Shakeel almost steering his side home. Needing 355 for victory in the fourth innings, Pakistan were securely placed at 290 with half the side still to bat, and Shakeel on 94. But two wickets from Mark Wood on the stroke of lunch ended Pakistan’s resistance, with England ultimately edging to a 26-run victory.The idea of exploiting England’s mistakes is not exactly novel. Most recently, Sri Lanka managed it with relative success in their three-Test series in England, winning the third Test after inducing England collapses in each innings. Pakistan’s ability to execute such a plan, though, is far from guaranteed, given recent struggles with both bat and ball, badly exposed by Bangladesh.Saud Shakeel finished as Pakistan’s second-highest run-scorer when they last played England•AFP/Getty Images

“We’re struggling with the bat from time to time, and unable to convert starts into huge scores,” Shakeel said. “That’s a point of concern. The series that’s over is now in the past. Admittedly we didn’t play well there. Our focus is on what’s ahead.”But we don’t follow any particular style playing cricket, we play according to the requirement of any situation, which gives us flexibility.”Pakistan have been trying to carve out their own identity, something new head coach Gillespie has tried to nail down. In July, he told ESPNcricinfo he wanted his side to find a style of cricket “authentic to Pakistan”, admitting he didn’t yet know what that was.Earlier this week, he told the that Pakistan would look to “hang in there, keep being disciplined” and “strike at the right moments”, suggesting the quest for an identity is temporarily being shelved in the hunt for the results Pakistan have been starved of.”The strategy is often decided on the spot depending on how England play,” Shakeel said. “Reverse swing may also come into play depending on the weather and the pitch [that is] prepared. If a team is being aggressive, it can be easy to get sucked into their style of play and over-attack. If they’re attacking, and we just let them make their mistakes, that might work out better for us.”

With unshakeable confidence, supreme skill and tremendous discipline, Vidarbha’s pacers ran through Karnataka’s batting order to all but knock out the eight-time champions on the fourth day at Eden Gardens

Akshay Gopalakrishnan in Kolkata20-Dec-2017AFP

Vidarbha’s extraordinary resolve and single-mindedness put them within inches of their maiden Ranji Trophy final, as their classic against Karnataka headed towards a stunning conclusion. With unshakeable confidence, supreme skill and tremendous discipline, Vidarbha’s pacers brought Karnataka’s bullish batting order to its knees to all but knock out the eight-time champions on the fourth day at Eden Gardens. At stumps, Karnataka were seven down in pursuit of 198, still requiring an improbable 87 runs.And it was Rajneesh Gurbani, Vidarbha’s find of the season, who once again ripped through Karnataka. Siddhesh Neral’s double-strike had given Vidarbha an opening, but Gurbani pushed the door wide open. He ran through the heart of Karnataka’s middle order with 4 for 35 that included the game-changing scalps of Karun Nair and CM Gautam.Not once did Karnataka look in control of the chase: an unprecedented instance for a team that has racked up totals of over 400 six times in eight matches this season. Perhaps critically, Karnataka made that one mistake that Vidarbha were wise to avoid when they batted, by going into extreme caution after the loss of early wickets, at one point scoring a solitary run in 27 balls.Throughout, Karnataka’s batsmen were found wanting on several fronts, not covering the line of the delivery, failing to get entirely forward and not getting to the pitch. Such lapses made an appearance early, when Mayank Agarwal, the season’s highest run-scorer, fell to Umesh Yadav’s electric reflexes in the third over. Having closed the face of his bat to one that had straightened, Agarwal popped a leading edge to Umesh’s right, who got down in an instant and stuck out his right hand.Dega Nischal, Karnataka’s promising No. 3, lived a charmed life. First, Akshay Wadkar reprieved him by fluffing a simple catch down the leg side. Nischal survived a second time when Paschim Pathak turned down a huge appeal for leg before when Gurbani cut one back into the batsman and seemed to have him plumb in front of middle and leg.Even R Samarth, whose front-foot game is characterised by assuredness, pushed and prodded tentatively on numerous occasions. It cost him when a skiddy inswinger from Neral hit him dead in front of middle stump. Five balls later, Nischal played a shot he will rue for a long time: pushing at a sixth-stump delivery and edging to the keeper.With Karnataka three down for 40, Faiz Fazal brought back his premier paceman, Umesh. The one trick Fazal missed was in hesitating to place a third slip, perhaps guarding himself against the low target to defend. The flaw was exposed when Umesh found Karun Nair’s outside edge that went past second slip and gully. Fazal immediately closed the gap, but Umesh made a fuller offering on the pads next ball. He continued to be erratic and was easily the least impressive of Vidarbha’s pacers.Usually firm-footed, Nair continued to live on outside edges and streaky boundaries. Ill-judged singles and edges became routine as Karnataka showed signs of cracking under pressure. But one way or the other, Nair and Gautam, like they did in the first innings, began to steady Karnataka and took them to 69 for 3 at the tea break.The post-tea passage began in an all-too-familiar manner, Gautam finding an edged four through third man, before Nair crunched an imperious cover-drive off Neral. And then, Gurbani took centrestage.In his first over after tea, Gurbani had Nair poking at one that jagged off the seam and took the edge. Stuart Binny was trapped on his second ball in front of middle with one that shaped into him. Pathak adjudged Gautam to have tickled one to the keeper too, much to the disappointment of the batsman. Having managed bounce, swing in the air and movement off the deck, Gurbani then found reverse swing that had K Gowtham playing all over a delivery that was angled into him, being adjudged lbw for 1. With each wicket that he took, Gurbani’s celebrations grew increasingly ecstatic, and Karnataka’s shoulders sagged as they slipped from 81 for 3 to 104 for 7.Despite Gurbani’s heroics, the contributions of Aditya Sarwate weren’t forgotten. Karnataka soared early in the day, taking out Vidarbha’s overnight batsmen Ganesh Satish and Akshay Wadkar in the morning.Wadkar and Satish had begun well, smartly extending Vidarbha’s lead through singles. But an incisive spell from Binny, who kept probing batsmen and inviting errors, turned the heat on Vidarbha. He struck first ball after his introduction, and it was to a poor shot from Wadkar, who followed the line loosely of an away-going delivery.Satish, Vidarbha’s biggest hope, was bounced out by a fiery Abhimanyu Mithun, and when Akshay Wakhare played at a Binny outswinger, Vidarbha had lost three wickets for six runs.Karnataka did just about everything right on the field, with Mithun’s pace, Binny’s swing, Vinay’s accuracy, some outstanding slip catching, and tidy ground fielding. But Sarwate stalled their charge with a fighting half-century and added 68 runs for the last two wickets. With the field spread out – at one point, Karnataka had as many as six fielders at the boundary – he capitalised by pinching singles.Though he farmed the strike for the most part, the big shots ensued when he turned it over. Umesh played the biggest of them all when he shoveled Binny over wide long-on. A crunching late cut behind square gave Sarwate his fifty as every run, every four, even a tidy forward defence drew rousing cheers from the Vidarbha dressing room as they continued to believe. By the end of it all, it had stood them in good stead.

India’s new middle-order batters starred before Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi left Australia in a tangle

Deivarayan Muthu01-Dec-20234:49

Takeaways: Rinku’s stocks rise, spinners take centrestage

India were limited to 174 for 9 by some accurate death bowling from Australia, but they still defended the target and wrapped up the series, with one game left. Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel were central to India’s successful defence, returning combined figures of 8-0-33-4, on a two-paced Raipur track.Travis Head, who was the only player from Australia’s World Cup-winning XI in this T20I, dashed out of the blocks in the chase, taking Deepak Chahar for 4,4,0,6,4,4 in the third over. Just as India’s fans were beginning to feel a sense of déjà vu, Axar cut Head’s innings short on 31 off 16 balls.At the other end, Bishnoi let rip one wrong’un after another, posing a threat to the pads and stumps. Despite the absence of Glenn Maxwell, Australia’s middle order battled, but the rapidly rising asking rate was too much to overcome.Related

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That India got to a decent total was down to the attacking enterprise of Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, who had replaced Ishan Kishan. Rinku and Jitesh were the only Indian batters to strike at over 150.

Gaikwad’s go-slow

In the third T20I in Guwahati, Gaikwad was on a run-a-ball 21 at one point, but he then hit higher gears to finish with an unbeaten 123 off 57 balls. In the fourth game, Gaikwad had a similar sluggish start, but he couldn’t find those higher gears. He managed 32 off 28 balls and attempted to hit a boundary only five times.Jaiswal was more aggressive at the other end, scoring 37 off 28 balls before Aaron Hardie had him holing out on the last ball of the powerplay. Shreyas Iyer, who returned to the T20I side, then fell to legspinner Tanveer Sangha, as did Gaikwad.Rinku Singh fell four runs short of a half-century but played a handy knock nonetheless•AFP/Getty Images

Rinku, Jitesh crank it up

With captain Suryakumar Yadav also perishing cheaply, the onus was on Rinku to repair the innings along with Jitesh, who had made his T20I debut at the Asian Games earlier this year. Rinku, who came into bat in the ninth over, briefly tapped the ball into the gaps before he unleashed a ferocious reverse-swept six off Matt Short. In the next over, he charged at Ben Dwarshuis and smote him for a 100-metre six over wide long-on.Jitesh, who is among the most explosive batters in the IPL and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20 tournament, also kept taking risks and kept the scorecard ticking. He hit three sixes and holed out in the 19th over when he attempted another one.Dwarshuis and Jason Behrendorff were right on the money with their variations in the last two overs as India lost five wickets for only 13 runs during that period.

Spin to win

Bishnoi and Axar both fronted up to bowl in the powerplay and ended up giving away only two boundaries between them.Bishnoi struck with his very first delivery, knocking out Josh Philippe’s off stump for 8. Philippe was among five changes for Australia and in all both teams made nine changes on Friday.In the next over, the fifth of India’s defence, Axar drew a top-edged sweep from Head. Axar proceeded to dismiss Hardie and Ben McDermott with his stump-to-stump darts.Axar’s T20I future is uncertain – he is not part of the squad for the upcoming tour to South Africa – but he reminded the selectors that he’s around as well with a statement performance.Chahar, who was playing for India for the first time since December 2022, then did his bit with the old ball, dismissing Tim David (19) and Short (22) with his slower variations. Wade hit an unbeaten 36 off 23 balls, including two fours and two sixes, but it was not enough to keep the series alive.

Lasith Embuldeniya struck vital blows for Sri Lanka before the wicketkeeper-batsman rallied with the lower order

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu16-Aug-2019
Lasith Embuldeniya did his best Rangana Herath impression on a wearing Galle track that raised puffs of dust, but BJ Watling combated his left-arm threat and put New Zealand right back into the game. While both Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor were out cheaply, playing a long way in front of their body or away from it, Watling was immovable. He simply did his thing: played close to his body, defended stoutly, and even read some of Akila Dananjaya’s googlies out of his hand. From 81 for 4, he rallied New Zealand to 195 for 7 and a lead of 177 at stumps on day three. Watling is now just 35 runs away from surpassing Brendon McCullum as New Zealand’s top run-getter among wicketkeepers.When Watling entered, Sri Lanka’s spin trio and the close-in catchers were circling around him like vultures around their prey. And when Mitchell Santner swatted a long-hop from Embuldeniya straight into the lap of deep midwicket, New Zealand were 124 for 6 at the stroke of tea. Sri Lanka threatened to ambush Watling and Tim Southee too with spin, but they weathered multiple bursts in a 54-run seventh-wicket partnership. Sixer Southee made way for blocker Southee as New Zealand slowly but surely built their lead. Southee was dropped twice, but Watling’s innings was chanceless.ALSO READ: Why isn’t BJ Watling a bigger deal than he is?He did have a nervy start, though, given out lbw by umpire Richard Illingworth when he was on 1. However, a review detected a thin nick and Watling bedded in. He wore down the spinners and once Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Kumara were swapped into the attack, Watling eased into his shot-making stride. Kumara was cracked for back-to-back boundaries in the 71st over: a rasping straight drive followed by a less violent ramp over the cordon. Southee’s vigil, however, had ended in the previous over when Embuldeniya tricked him with a delightful cocktail of drift, dip, and turn.William Sommerville, too, displayed a tight defensive technique and earned Watling’s trust, helping swell New Zealand’s lead towards 200.The narrative was different when Embuldeniya had nabbed both Williamson and Taylor in successive overs in a marathon spell, leaving the visitors gasping in the face of relentless pressure from the spinners. The New Zealand captain wound up playing a long way in front of his body, yanking his bottom hand off the bat, and skewing an overhead catch to mid-on while Taylor’s panic-stricken advance down the pitch resulted in a simple catch to slip. New Zealand were 25 for 3 at this point, but Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls then put on 56 for the fourth wicket in 11.2 overs to give the innings a leg-up.Niroshan Dickwella lifts one into the leg side•AFP

Latham was the enforcer, sweeping flat and hard and even dashing down the track to launch Embuldeniya over the midwicket boundary. However, the stand was nipped in the bud when Akila found sharp turn to scratch Latham’s outside edge. Nicholls then jabbed at Dhananjaya de Silva and similarly nicked off, but Watling saved the day for New Zealand.In the morning, it was the other wicketkeeper-batsman, Niroshan Dickwella, who made a statement after being ignored for the World Cup and then the ODI series at home against Bangladesh. Dickwella, on 39 overnight, finished with 61 off 109 balls, ushering Sri Lanka to a 18-run first-innings lead.Resuming on an overnight 227 for 7, Sri Lanka added 40 to their tally in the morning session before being bowled out, with Trent Boult and Somerville taking the remaining three wickets and ending the innings about an hour before lunch.The new ball was available at the start of the day’s play, and New Zealand took it immediately. Boult pushed the batsmen back with a barrage of short balls, and while Lakmal was struck flush on his right elbow, Embuldeniya copped a glancing blow on the helmet. Two balls after being hit, Lakmal stood deep in the crease to a ball that wasn’t short enough and dragged it back onto the stumps to be dismissed for 40.At the other end, Dickwella was more competent against the short stuff, often rolling his wrists to keep the ball down. He moved to a rousing half-century with a dink to the leg side off Ajaz Patel, but Somerville dangled an offbreak wide outside off and had him slapping a catch to Williamson at short cover.Watling headlined New Zealand’s batting effort in their second innings before fading light forced early stumps.

Smith insisted he had not requested a move back down the order but rather just told Andrew McDonald his preference

Alex Malcolm21-Oct-20241:36

What’s the logic of moving Smith back down the order?

Steven Smith has said Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne “hated” him opening the batting in the Test team, and believes it was a key driver behind his return to No. 4, but has insisted he did not request the move and would have continued to open if asked to.Australia’s chair selectors George Bailey confirmed last week that Smith would not be opening against India saying Smith “had expressed a desire to move back down from that opening position” and that captain Pat Cummins and Andrew McDonald had made the decision.McDonald stated on ABC Radio at the weekend that he and Cummins were the key decision-makers in the move, playing down Smith’s influence.Related

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Smith wanted it on the record that he had not explicitly requested to move back to No. 4 but had rather been asked by McDonald what his preferred batting spot was. He also added that Khawaja and Labuschagne had both expressed their discontent at him opening.”I got asked where I’d prefer to bat, and I said four. I didn’t ask [to move] though,” Smith said. “I also said I’m happy batting wherever. I’m not really too fussed. I got asked where my preference would be, and I said four. I saw a few things last week saying that I’ve requested to bat at four. That wasn’t the case. I said I’m happy to bat wherever you’d like me to bat but, yeah, four would be my ideal position.”Asked what had changed since earlier this year, he said: “Obviously there’s a spot there now with Greeny [Cameron Green] out. And I think just conversations we had after New Zealand with particularly Marnus and Uzzie, they hated me up top, to be honest. They wanted me behind them.”They just like the…they call it security behind them, in a way. They were pretty strong on me not batting there. So that was a big part of it. And then obviously, I’ve got a decent record at four.”It was good fun having a crack at something new, batting up top. I still feel like I could do a job there for sure. It was a pretty small sample size. But I’ve done pretty well at four for a number of years now. I feel like it’s probably where I can have my best input for this team at the moment.”Smith was set to move regardless of Green’s injury as the conversations had taken place prior to the limited-overs tour of England.He was asked whether he felt like he could have continued in the role longer term given his average of 28.50 in the four Tests in the job was not that bad as no opener averaged more than 32 across those four Tests.In his own style: Steven Smith leaves the ball alone•Getty Images

“Honestly, I’m not that fussed,” Smith said. “I said it when I took that job, I’m not really fussed where I bat. The conversations I had with the other guys, they didn’t like it at all. They wanted some security, I suppose, behind them, where I’ve done really well for a number of years, and I can understand that as well. So it is what it is and I’m not going to be opening this summer. That’s it.”Smith made 3 off 29 balls for New South Wales against Victoria in his first red-ball innings since the New Zealand Test series in March and his first Sheffield Shield match since 2021.On a day when 15 wickets fell at the MCG in difficult batting conditions, Smith was upbeat about the innings despite being caught down the leg side off Fergus O’Neill.”I actually felt pretty good out there, to be honest, for the three that I scored strangely enough,” Smith said. “I felt like I was moving well. I was leaving well, and got a little bit unlucky with the one that sort of took off a little bit down the leg side. And that can happen. But I actually felt like I was getting in nice positions. My bat path was good and felt pretty good. So happy with that.”Meanwhile, Smith has been impressed with his limited time watching 19-year-old Sam Konstas who was lbw after 10 balls on the second day at the MCG”He got a bit unlucky there I reckon,” Smith said. “It looked like it might have been just darting down leg a little bit. I haven’t seen a lot of him. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of him out here in the middle for sure. But from what I have seen in the nets, he’s got a lot of time.Steven Smith threw in Nic Maddinson’s name as a potential opening option•Getty Images

“He’s very organised. He plays fast bowling and spin well from what I’ve seen in the brief couple of times I’ve seen him bat, it’s looked really good. He’s a bright prospect. We’ve got to remember he’s only 19 as well so you he’s got plenty of time. But what I’ve seen so far, it looks promising”He’s got all the makings to definitely be a really good Test player. That’s for sure. Whether it’s now or in the future, time will tell.”Smith also threw Nic Maddinson’s name in the mix as a possible candidate to open the batting for Australia against India given he is a similar type of player to David Warner.”There’s a few really good candidates, guys that have, done really well the last few years,” Smith said. “[Cameron] Bancroft and the usual suspects that have been talked about. Maddo I think is also another really good candidate. He’s had a good couple of years. If you’re looking for someone similar to a Davey replacement, he gets after the ball and can score really quickly.”So he’s someone who probably hasn’t been spoken about a great deal from all you guys in the last little bit, but I think he’s someone that could definitely play test cricket and have a similar impact to what Davey sort of had at the top, the way he plays. So plenty of options. We’ll wait and see.”

ESPNcricinfo understands that Steyn has pulled out of the tournament for personal reasons

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Mar-2024Former New Zealand allrounder James Franklin will replace Dale Steyn as the bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Steyn, who was appointed in the role by Sunrisers in 2022, has pulled out for personal reasons.For Franklin, who played for Mumbai Indians in 2011 and 2012, this will be his first coaching stint at the IPL. At Sunrisers, Franklin, a former left-arm seam-bowling allrounder, will link up with Daniel Vettori, who was appointed as the head coach by the franchise after the 2023 season. The pair has previously worked together at both Middlesex (county cricket) as well as Birmingham Phoenix (the Hundred). Franklin had also served as a head coach at Durham, and currently is at the PSL as an assistant coach at Islamabad United.Related

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Sunrisers have a host of quicks in their ranks including Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pat Cummins, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, T Natarajan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jaydev Unadkat and the uncapped Indian Akash Singh. The spinners’ lot include Wanindu Hasaranga, Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Ahmed.Vettori and Franklin will be confronted with a stiff challenge considering Sunrisers had finished eighth in 2022 and slid further to tenth last year. One key contributing factor for the team’s regression has been the frequent change in leadership. Former Australia allrounder Tom Moody was replaced last year by former West Indies captain Brian Lara, who was dropped after just one season.Heading into the 2023 player auction, Sunrisers released one of their most senior players in Kane Williamson, who had led the franchise since David Warner was released in 2021. Williamson played for Sunrisers for eight seasons, including the title-winning run in 2016 and was retained in 2022 as their most expensive player. Since last season, South Africa batter Aiden Markram has held the captaincy.

Captain describes final selection meeting as “toughest decision” but stands by the 15-man squad that will launch campaign on May 30

Andrew Miller21-May-2019Eoin Morgan says that the process of whittling England’s World Cup squad down to the final 15-man party was “the toughest decision I’ve ever been a part of”, but believes that he personally, and his team as a whole, have never been better equipped to make the big calls, having grown together in the four years since the 2015 campaign.Speaking at the launch of England’s World Cup kit in East London, Morgan admitted that his team’s final approach to the tournament had not been entirely smooth – with Alex Hales’ expulsion from the squad for a second failed drugs test providing a particularly unwelcome distraction in recent weeks.However, with England making a seamless readjustment in Hales’ absence to beat Pakistan 4-0 in another record-breaking run of batting form, Morgan feels that the team has come through a significant stress test of its culture. Looking ahead, he backed his players to find further ways to keep winning in the event of any more disruption during the course of the tournament.”I wouldn’t say it’s been smooth, I’d say we’ve been better equipped at dealing with anything that’s cropped up, certainly as a group,” said Morgan. “For me as a captain, being more experienced, and having been through four years of being captain, our prep and planning has been excellent and the guys have responded to that by performing on a consistent basis, probably more so for last two years than first two.”Asked if the Hales situation was the sort of crisis that would have derailed past England World Cup campaigns, Morgan admitted: “Yeah, it probably would have. It’s something I’ve never come up against before.”However, he also explained that the team management had put in place contingency plans for similar incidents, meaning that they had not been caught entirely on the hop when the news of Hales’ indiscretions were made public.”We hadn’t planned exactly for that, we’d planned for instances when the [team] culture had been tested or individually we’d been tested,” Morgan said. “There’s still loads of things that we’ve planned for that might continue to crop up throughout the World Cup.”Our values as a team include the words ‘courage’, ‘respect’, and ‘unity’, symbolising the three lions on our cap, and taking that cap forward across all three formats and all squads.”ALSO READ: Dobell: Focus on fringe players shows how far England have come“Over a period of time, everyone can relate to it on and off the field. For some people it may only be words, but for us as international cricketers, travelling around all the time, the one thing that’s constant right from the beginning of your journey is your cap. It’s a gentle reminder of how much responsibility you have, and the privileged position you are constantly in to make the most of that.”That shared journey made this week’s decision to cut Joe Denly and, especially, David Willey from England’s final 15 particularly tough, but having been given the casting vote in the selectors’ deliberations, Morgan was able to defend the “logic of the decision and the balance of the squad” that resulted in Jofra Archer and Liam Dawson being called up in their places.”It was the toughest decision I’ve ever been a part of, certainly with this group,” said Morgan. “To leave two guys out, one who has been around for the last four years and been a big part of everything we’ve done on and off the field, and the other is an exceptionally talented cricketer. It’s unfortunate for those who missed out but it was the right call.”Morgan added that he wasn’t able to feel any great sense of relief at having made the cut, given that the contributions of both players had required “the time and dedication” to do them justice. However, he was able to reiterate to both the point he made at the presentation ceremony in Headingley last week, that the nature of a six-week tournament would almost certainly throw up the possibility of a replacement being called upon.”We had a conversation last night,” Morgan said, “explaining the fact that there are nine group-stage games and the fact that we have four fast bowlers, and one of them is likely to get injured. It happens.”And I had the same conversation with Joe. We haven’t had many injuries in the batting department for a long time, so we need to plan for everything, given that they might come into play straightaway, so they need to be prepared for that.”Asked if England were playing “fearless” cricket in the wake of their 4-0 series win over Pakistan, Morgan actually felt that his team had reined in some of the more overt aggression that had led to a few rare but notable mishaps in recent years.”I wouldn’t say that we feel fearless, probably two years ago we felt more fearless, because we were quite young in our growth as a team,” he said. “We’ve had two more years’ experience on top of that, and we are better at coping and adapting to scenarios and recognising different situations throughout a game. I wouldn’t say that’s fearless.”The team’s single biggest disappointment of the past four years, the Champions Trophy semi-final defeat against Pakistan in 2017, was an example of where England had been derailed in the recent past.”One of the biggest learning things that came out of that was that it probably came a little bit early for us,” he said. “We probably didn’t realise how good we were and how poor we were on slow wickets. Since then, we’ve improved our play at both home and away, and on wickets that don’t necessarily suit our planning.”Overall, however, Morgan said that he was simply itching to get started. “We are pretty close to our starting XI, barring a couple of pitch minor adjustments,” he said. “If the game was tomorrow, it would be better for us than seven or eight days’ time. Our preparation against Pakistan was as good as anything we could have hoped for. To perform like we did is extremely encouraging.”

Chris Green gave the visitors a brief scare but in the end the margin was convincing

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2023Brisbane Heat continued their undefeated start to the BBL season with a comfortable 20-run win against Sydney Thunder in Canberra.A classy 46 from in-form opener Colin Munro and clinical bowling from their disciplined bowling attack saw Heat secure victory on Tuesday night on a tricky surface allied to a slow outfield.Only a late flurry from Thunder captain Chris Green restored respectability to the scoreboard, giving Heat just the smallest of scares having had their opposition buried at 80 for 6 in their pursuit of 152.Related

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They moved to 2-0 for the season having backed up their opening night win against Melbourne Stars, with their second clash against Adelaide Strikers washed out.Four different Heat bowlers picked up multiple wickets, led by Xavier Bartlett’s 3 for 35 and a brilliant 2 for 26 from legspinner Mitchell Swepson that included the prized scalps of Cameron Bancroft and Daniel Sams.Thunder had lost opener Alex Hales for a golden duck with just the third ball of the innings as Michael Neser found an edge to slip, and Matt Gilkes joined him in the fourth over by lifting Bartlett to short fine leg.New signing Cameron Bancroft looked to hit the ground running when he hit his first ball as a Thunder player to the boundary on his way to 25 off 19.But Swepson trapped him plumb lbw, deceived by a quicker ball, as he looked to take control leaving Thunder in a hole at 53 for 3.It got even worse courtesy of a stunning catch from Neser, who ran a long distance and put in a full-stretch dive at deep midwicket to get rid of Alex Ross and leave them 56 for 4. Swepson then defeated Sams with another skidding delivery the ball after being hit for sixOnly Ollie Davies, who earlier took a brilliant diving catch to dismiss Josh Brown, put up some fight for Thunder.Earlier, an impressive spell from Thunder spinner Tanveer Sangha helped his side restrict Heat.His tight lines cramped up the Heat batters with his 3 for 21 featuring the wickets of Nathan McSweeney, Matt Renshaw and Paul Walter.Heat opener Munro backed up his 99 not out from his first knock of the season against Stars with another 46.BBL debutant Zaman Khan got in on the act late, bowling Billings and Neser in the one over with an unorthodox slinging action that delighted fans in Canberra.

Michael Lumb, the Nottinghamshire and England batsman, has been forced to retire with immediate effect because of an ankle injury.

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2017
Michael Lumb, the Nottinghamshire and England batsman, has been forced to retire with immediate effect because of an ankle injury.Lumb, who made a century on his ODI debut, against West Indies in Antigua in 2014, is one of only 11 England players to have won a global ICC trophy, following his vital role in the World T20 campaign in the Caribbean in 2010.Lumb’s opening partnership with Craig Kieswetter, who was also forced to retire early due to injury in 2014, provided the foundation of a triumphant campaign for Paul Collingwood’s squad, who beat Australia by seven wickets in the final in Barbados.Born in South Africa, Lumb began his career at Yorkshire, the county club of his father, Richard, and moved to Hampshire before relocating to Trent Bridge in 2012, where he helped Nottinghamshire to victory in the Yorkshire Bank 40 and Royal London One-Day Cup trophies in 2013 and 2017 respectively.Until his record was surpassed by his fellow opener, Alex Hales, in this year’s final at Lord’s, Lumb held the Nottinghamshire record score in List A cricket, 184 against Northamptonshire at Trent Bridge in 2016. His prowess as a hard-hitting opening batsman also earned him stints in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals and Deccan Chargers, and Australia’s Big Bash League with Sydney Sixers.”I have had the best time at Trent Bridge, in my view the most productive years of my career, and Nottinghamshire is the club I have most enjoyed playing for,” he said.”I’m extremely disappointed I’ve had to retire from cricket, particularly in the middle of the season, but I have to respect medical opinion.”I would like to thank all my team-mates, the coaching staff and everyone else at the club for making my stay at Nottinghamshire such a memorable one. Those sentiments also go to everybody at both Yorkshire and Hampshire, who have made my career so enjoyable.”Last, but by no means least, I couldn’t have achieved what I have without the total support of my wife Lizzie and all the rest of my family.”Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, Mick Newell, said: “It’s very sad news for Michael. He’s a hugely talented batsman that has entertained cricket followers all over the world. He’s a great role model to others and a superb professional.””Michael is an immensely popular senior player in the dressing room and highly respected for what he has achieved during his career. We wish him every success and thank him for all he has contributed to the club.”In first-class cricket, Lumb amassed more than 11,000 runs in 210 matches, with his career-best 221 not out coming for Nottinghamshire against Derbyshire at Trent Bridge in 2013.Lumb’s domestic one-day career included more than 11,500 runs, including in excess of 6,500 in List A games and almost 5,000 in T20.His retirement is Nottinghamshire’s second significant injury setback in the space of a week, following the blow to the head that Luke Fletcher sustained while bowling in the T20 Blast at Edgbaston, which has resulted in him sitting out the rest of the season.

Should either of the two be ruled out, South Africa are likely to call up Andile Phehlukwayo

Firdose Moonda17-Sep-2023Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala will undergo fitness tests this week to determine their availability for the ODI World Cup. They were named in South Africa’s initial 15-member squad for the tournament, but played only one fixture each of the five-match ODI series against Australia, before sustaining lower-back and left-knee injuries respectively. A final call on their inclusion will be taken before South Africa leave for India on September 23 with early indication that they are both at risk of not making the trip.”We are continually taking stock as to where both of those players are,” Rob Walter, South Africa’s white-ball coach said following the team’s 3-2 series win over Australia. “The fact that they weren’t playing today with a week to go before we board the plane for the World Cup is obviously a cause for concern. We would have wanted them out there. There are complications around taking players that are injured into a World Cup because then you have to provide a medical reason to be swapped out.”Related

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If Nortje’s absence is confirmed, it will be a major blow for South Africa as he is their quickest bowler, with substantial experience in India, where he plays for Delhi Capitals in the IPL. Nortje played in the Major League Cricket tournament in USA over the South African winter and was rested for the T20Is against Australia. He was then ruled out of the first ODI but played the second. He managed to bowl only five overs before leaving the field. He missed the third game after he was sent for scans and was then ruled out of the series, but was due to begin bowling again with the coaching staff this weekend.Magala’s issue also appears serious. He had not played any cricket since splitting the webbing in his hand at the IPL in early April and was subsequently ruled out of the T20Is against Australia with infrapatellar tendinopathy – pain in the tendon that connects the kneecap to the shin bone. He played in the third ODI against Australia, where he bowled four overs, and has since experienced discomfort in the knee again.Should either Nortje or Magala be ruled out of the World Cup, South Africa are likely to call up Andile Phehlukwayo, who has made his way back despite losing his national contract earlier this year.Andile Phehlukwayo is likely to be called up for World Cup•Getty Images

Phehlukwayo played in the second and fifth ODIs against Australia. While he did not make much of an impression in the first game, he scored 38 off 19 balls to finish the innings strongly in the series finale and then took 1 for 44.”Andile is one of a couple of guys who are part of a broader squad and today he showed us, especially with the bat, what we have seen in terms of his capability,” Walter said. “That knock, you can look at it, and say it was match influencing. A total of 270 looks different to a total of 315 and he was a massive role-player in that. He took an important wicket with the ball as well. I am very happy that Andile was able to deliver that performance today.”South Africa’s conundrum will be what to do if Nortje and Magala are ruled out of the World Cup, especially as Kagiso Rabada experienced ankle discomfort and had to sit out the final ODI. There are other niggles among the back-ups. Wayne Parnell – not part of the World Cup squad – is nursing an elbow injury after also picking up a shoulder niggle and has not played for his domestic side, Western Province, but ESPNcricinfo understands he is recovering well from both. Another candidate is Lizaad Williams, who played in the T20I series but has just one ODI cap to his name and does not have Nortje’s pace or Magala’s death-bowling reputation. “Lizaad is part of the T20 group and that’s really it,” Walter said.Walter also mentioned left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin, though calling him up would change the make-up of South Africa’s squad, which is heavily reliant on fast bowlers.