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Stand-in captain backs Khawaja to bounce back from back spasm; hopeful of Cummins return at Brisbane

Tristan Lavalette22-Nov-2025

Travis Head made a flying start to Australia’s fourth innings•Getty Images

Still in a whirlwind following a frenetic first Ashes Test, skipper Steven Smith was non-committal over whether Travis Head would continue to open the batting after his 69-ball century powered Australia to a crushing eight-wicket victory at Perth. Head opened the batting for the first time in a Test innings outside of South Asia, replacing Usman Khawaja who had spent some time off the ground in England’s second innings due to back spasms.His elevation, after Marnus Labuschagne had been given the task in the first innings, proved a game-changer and he smashed 123 off 83 balls to knock England’s all-out pace attack off the lengths that had proved so effective on the opening day.The opening positions have been a cause for concern for Australia for some time. With Khawaja, 38, under pressure and Jake Weatherald posting scores of 0 and 23 in his debut, there could be a push for Head to take the role on an ongoing basis in this series.”Let’s just digest this first, the last couple of hours have been pretty incredible,” Smith told reporters after the match. “It’s probably too early to say anything on that, but what we just witnessed was quite incredible. I’m glad to have been in the house to see it.”We didn’t like how things functioned in the first innings with Marn going up top and me batting three. So Trav took it on and played one of the great Ashes knocks.”Related

• Khawaja's back issues to be examined as Australia float flexible batting order

• Smith given out after Real Time Snicko confusion; 'correct decision,' says Taufel

• Head: 'It's not going to get much bigger than this'

• Bareknuckle Baz-brawl produces Ashes all-nighter for the ages

• Travis Head's 69-ball ton secures remarkable two-day win for Australia

Khawaja was forced off the field during England’s second innings in a recurrence of back spasms he first experienced on day one. He was fit to take the field on day two, but felt further pain after stretching high for a ball that flew above him in the slips.”He was reasonable this morning. I actually thought it was his knee at one point,” Smith said. “Fortunately, it was the same thing [back spasms]. He [Khawaja] said before that it’s probably one of the best back spasms he’s ever had given the circumstances [of Head’s century].Smith said the circumstances around Khawaja’s ill-timed absence in the field in England’s first innings, making him ineligible to open the batting, was a “little frustrating”. Khawaja eventually batted at No.4 and was dismissed for just 2.”Wasn’t ideal, it all happened pretty quickly,” he said. “I got told, I think just before we got the last wicket….that he needed to be on the field to go and bat.”I think that’s why we landed where we landed yesterday [with Labuschagne opening]. Today we had a little bit more time to go through it and work it out.”I mean, those things can happen in the game. No one’s fault. Move on.”Much like Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg, Smith defended Khawaja’s decision to play golf prior to the Test match. “He’s not moving particularly well in there, the old fella, but his preparation was the same as it’s been for every Test match I think that he’s played,” he said.”There was nothing out of whack there by any stretch. Unfortunately, he just pulled up a bit lame early in the game. That happens when your back goes.”I’ve been there myself when your back seizes up and it’s not a nice place to be. So I can feel his pain right now.”Offspinner Nathan Lyon had very little to do in the match, bowling just two overs in the seam-friendly conditions. But he did cop a blow to his hip while batting and was visibly wincing in the field.”He’s got a few bruises, keeps showing them off. He’s tough though, he’ll be fine,” Smith said.There has been no update on quick Josh Hazlewood amid fears that he might miss the entire series with a hamstring injury. But Pat Cummins has revealed that he’s a chance of returning for the second Test in Brisbane starting on December 4, as he progresses well from a lower back injury.”It’s on track and pulling up pretty well. [I’m] half a chance for the next game,” Cummins said on the Fox Sports broadcast. “I’m pretty hopeful and it’s probably better than it was a few weeks ago.”

He has represented Jharkhard for 17 years and has played for four IPL franchises

Rajan Raj12-Feb-2024Saurabh Tiwary has announced his retirement from professional cricket. The 34-year-old will play his final match for Jharkhand as they close out their Ranji Trophy campaign on February 15 in Jamshedpur.Tiwary began playing cricket at the age of 11. He made his first-class debut, while still a teenager, in the 2006-07 Ranji Trophy season and then went on to win the Under-19 World Cup as part of the team that Virat Kohli captained in Malaysia in 2008.Tiwary’s rise continued, his performances for the Mumbai Indians in 2010, where he hit 419 runs, and for Jharkhand in the same year, led to an India call-up for the Asia Cup in June but he had to wait till October to make his international debut. He played three ODIs, scoring 49 runs and ended up unbeaten in two of them.Tiwary was rather more prolific in domestic cricket, playing 115 first-class matches across 17 years and amassing 8030 runs in 189 innings at an average of 47.51 including 22 hundreds and 34 fifties.”It’s a little tough to bid farewell to this journey that I had started before my schooling,” Tiwary said on Monday at a press conference at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur. “But I’m also sure that this is the right time for this. I feel that if you’re not in the national team and IPL, it’s better to vacate a spot in the state side for a youngster. Youngsters are getting a lot of chances in our Test team so I’m making this decision.”It’s not like I’ve decided this only on the basis of my performances. You can see my record in Ranji and in the last domestic season. It’s always asked what I’m going to do next and for now I only know that cricket is the only thing I know so I’m going to be connected to the game. I got an offer from politics too but I haven’t thought about that.”Related

• Archive: A dream come true for Saurabh Tiwary

• Archive: IPL a good platform to get noticed – Saurabh Tiwary

Tiwary had a bit of an up and down relationship with the IPL. Following his efforts to help Mumbai to their first final, he was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for USD 1.6 million in 2011 but he could not replicate the same level of success in his three years with his new franchise. A shoulder injury ruled him out of IPL 2014 after which he played for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and Rising Pune Supergiant for a year each before returning to Mumbai in 2021 at the age of 31, which was a sign that his left-handedness and his power game were seen as valuable assets in the shortest format.Tiwary finishes with an IPL tally of 1494 runs at an average of 28.73 and a strike rate of 120. Overall, he has 3454 T20 runs with 16 fifties at an average of 29.02 and strike rate of 122.17.He captained his state 88 time across formats, winning 36, losing 33 and drawing 19. He also led East Zone seven times (six in the 50-over Deodhar Trophy in 2023 and one in the four-day Duleep Trophy in 2010)Like his first-class career, Tiwary’s List A career started in 2006. He made 4050 runs in 116 games with 27 fifties and six hundreds at an average of 46.55.In the 2023-24 Ranji season, Jharkhand have secured one sole victory in six games and are out of contention for the quarter-finals.

While Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi could be Afghanistan’s trump cards, India could counter them with Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube

Alagappan Muthu19-Jun-20241:19

How can India fit Kuldeep Yadav into the XI?

Match details

Afghanistan vs India
Bridgetown, 10.30am local, 8.00pm IST, 2.30pm GMT

Big picture – India vs Rashid Khan

This January, these two teams produced one of the greatest T20Is ever – one that needed two Super Overs to produce a result – and that was when they were playing less-than-full-strength teams after the series had been decided. The stakes are a lot higher now. So perhaps Afghanistan and India’s meeting in the Super Eight of the T20 World Cup 2024 will be a little less spectacle and a little more surgical.Afghanistan possess a bowling attack capable of asking questions every over, which works out well because they have to find a way past the experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli early to level the playing field. With those two out of the picture, anything can happen. That’ll be Fazalhaq Farooqi’s job. His left-arm angle coupled with the ability to swing the new ball are threats to batters of even the highest quality.Related

• Trott: Day games suit Afghanistan better

• Hayden expects short-of-runs Kohli to 'work out what to do' in WI

• Six-hitter Dube awaits his moment to unleash

• Farooqi: 'Whatever I am doing with the new ball, that is my skill'

If that happens – and it’s a big if – India will come under scoreboard pressure, which is best friends with Rashid Khan. The Afghanistan captain has walked into plenty of situations where the opposition has just started to wobble, and he finishes them off.It takes a genius to beat a genius, and India are lucky to have Suryakumar Yadav, who has dominated Rashid in T20s, scoring 86 runs in 58 balls at a strike rate of 148 without being dismissed. Shivam Dube goes at a higher strike rate (155) over a smaller sample size (18 balls), but that brings into picture the other advantage that India have: left-hand batters. Rashid has not done as well against them in T20s lately. He kept them down to a strike rate of 109 in 2022 and 2023. This year, it’s up at 141.Afghanistan’s bowling is their best strength, but India have them covered. So that means one of Afghanistan’s batters will have to have a field day.

Form guide

Afghanistan: LWWWW
India: WWWWWAxar Patel’s batting gives India the confidence to hit out from ball one•ICC/Getty Images

In the spotlight – Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Axar Patel

Scoring quickly against high-quality bowling requires both skill and bravery, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz has both in abundance. He scored 80 off 56 balls in a match where only two of his team-mates reached double-digits and the opposition – New Zealand – were bowled out for 75. Gurbaz hits pace at a strike rate of 150 and spin at 145 in T20 cricket, and that may very well be a function of how he doesn’t mind taking risks. Batters like that are hard to stop when it’s their day.So much of the focus in this game will be on mystery spin. But underneath all that, happily flying under the radar, giving both tangible and intangible results is Axar Patel. His left-arm spin is all about containment, but he does that by attacking the stumps, while his batting at No. 8 gives India the confidence to hit out from ball one. Axar should also enjoy the fact that Afghanistan should have only two left-hand batters in their top eight.

Team news

India don’t have any need to tinker with their XI. And despite the loss to West Indies, Afghanistan might not either.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Gulbadin Naib, 4 Azmatullah Omarzai, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Najibullah Zadran, 7 Karim Janat, 8 Rashid Khan (capt), 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiIndia (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rishabh Pant (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Arshdeep Singh1:34

Bishop: Hard to name someone with Farooqi’s skillset

Pitch and conditions

Bridgetown has offered decent batting conditions, having hosted one of the three 200-plus scores seen in this tournament. The weather shouldn’t be a problem.

Stats and trivia

• Afghanistan have played India in 13 games across formats, but are yet to win one
• Gurbaz (167) and Farooqi (12) are currently the highest scorer and the highest wicket-taker, respectively, in the T20 World Cup 2024
• India have not faced Rashid a lot in T20Is, but in two games, they have scored 69 runs in eight overs without losing a single wicket to him
• Rohit and Kohli are tied on 4042 T20I runs, with only Babar Azam (4145) ahead of them

Quotes

“I always thought that during the most difficult phase of T20, like between [overs] 7 to 14, 7 to 16 – I had thought about that a lot before making my debut for India – if I do well here, if I bat with a good strike rate, then I can be a game-changer on that day. And when I kept doing it repeatedly, I felt that this is my game plan going forward.”

An update on her availability for the World Cup opener will be provided over “the next few days”; Australia’s first game is on October 5 against Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2024Australia have been dealt a potential injury concern heading into their title defence at the Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, with batter Phoebe Litchfield being ruled out of the warm-up games with groin soreness. The news came in ahead of Australia’s first warm-up fixture against England in Dubai on September 29.Grace Harris, who has not played competitive cricket since April 2024 because of calf strains in both legs, was also deemed not quite ready to take the field yet because of a “new niggle”, though she is back in training.”Grace has resumed training following a new niggle sustained in her preparation to return to play,” Cricket Australia’s (CA) update said.Harris is making her way back after a first calf strain kept her out of the Women’s Hundred in the English summer, and then a second, in the other leg, kept her out of the recent series against New Zealand.CA said an update on both players’ availability for the T20 World Cup opener will be provided over “the next few days”.Australia play a second warm-up on October 1 against West Indies, before opening their tournament against Sri Lanka on October 5.India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand are the other teams in Australia’s group – Group A. The top two teams from each group will proceed to the semi-finals on October 17 and 18, before the final on October 20.

Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra and Will O’Rourke also return to the white-ball squads after being rested for the Sri Lanka tour

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2024Hard-hitting middle-order batter Bevon Jacobs has been handed his maiden New Zealand call-up by being picked for the upcoming three-match home T20I series against Sri Lanka.Jacobs was part of the New Zealand XI side that took on Sri Lanka in a 10-overs-a-side tour match in Lincoln on Monday, although he did not get a chance to bat.Jacobs’ call-up comes barely a month after he was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 auction, joining New Zealand internationals Trent Boult and the new white-ball captain Mitchell Santner. Jacobs’ maiden IPL contract came after an impressive Super Smash campaign last season, where he hit 134 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 188.73 while batting as a finisher.Related

• For T20 sensation Jacobs, things seem to happen sooner than expected

• Who is Bevon Jacobs, Mumbai Indians' latest under-the-radar recruit?

• Santner named New Zealand's white-ball captain

• Wellalage dropped, Rajapaksa retained in Sri Lanka T20I squad for New Zealand tour

• Champions Trophy: India vs Pakistan on February 23 in UAE

“It’s obviously an exciting time for Bevon and his family,” NZC selector Sam Wells said. “He’s a promising player with a lot of talent and we’re looking forward to exposing him to international cricket.”He’s clearly got a lot of power with the bat, but he’s also shown in the longer formats that he has a decent technique and temperament.”Having come through the system at Auckland, Jacobs had made a switch to Canterbury for whom he made his List A and T20 debuts just over a year ago. But he returned to Auckland ahead of the ongoing home summer, and made his first-class debut for Auckland last month, with scores of 75 and 79.After narrowly missing out on another half-century in his second before, he racked up 80 against his old team, Canterbury.Fast bowler Zakary Foulkes, wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay and top-order batter Tim Robinson are also part of the T20I squad, and could play their first international home games, having made their debuts abroad earlier in the year.Foulkes and Robinson debuted in the T20Is in Pakistan in April, while Hay’s debut came in Sri Lanka in November. Hay is set to keep wickets in the T20Is, and will be cover for Tom Latham in the ODIs that follow.While Jacobs, Foulkes and Robinson have only been called up for the T20Is, Latham, Will Young and Will O’Rourke will join the squad for the one-dayers. O’Rourke has been rested for the T20Is after a heavy Test workload, having featured in all eight Tests against Sri Lanka, India and England.Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra will be back in white-ball action for New Zealand•Associated Press

The series against Sri Lanka will also see Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell and Matt Henry make a return to the white-ball squads, having been rested during their tour of Sri Lanka to prepare for the home Tests against England.New Zealand will miss many big names, due to their commitments to various franchise T20 leagues. Lockie Ferguson, Finn Allen, Adam Milne and Tim Seifert are away at the BBL, while Kane Williamson and Devon Conway are part of the SA20, which is scheduled to begin on January 9.Ben Sears and Kyle Jamieson remain unavailable as they are still recuperating from knee and back injuries respectively.The team will be coached by Luke Ronchi, with regular head coach Gary Stead taking a break. Ronchi will have Jacob Oram for support as the bowling coach, while Craig McMillan will look after the batting and fielding.This will be New Zealand’s final ODI bilateral series before the Champions Trophy, where they will take on hosts Pakistan in the tournament opener.New Zealand also will play a tri-series in Pakistan, also featuring South Africa, before the Champions Trophy begins.”As with the squads that recently toured Sri Lanka, we’re keen to keep exposing new talent to the big stage and it’s nice to have an experienced core of players around them,” Wells said. “The Champions Trophy, like all ICC pinnacle events, is an obvious incentive for players and I know many will be keen to put their best foot forward in the ODI series to be in the frame for selection.”The T20Is will be played on December 28, 30 and January 2 before the ODIs on January 5, 8 and 11.

New Zealand T20I squad vs Sri Lanka

Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Mitchell Hay, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Nathan Smith

New Zealand ODI squad vs Sri Lanka

Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Mitchell Hay, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Will Young

Leg spinner runs through host’s middle and lower order to boost Glamorgan’s title hopes

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay30-Jul-2025Glamorgan 261 and 95 for 2 (Carlson 43*, Anderson 2-20) vs Lancashire A career-best 6 for 19 by Mason Crane led a superb bowling effort from Glamorgan that has put the visitors firmly in the ascendancy after two days at Emirates Old Trafford.Having been bowled out for 261 in their first innings of this Rothesay County Championship division two promotion battle, second-placed Glamorgan hit back strongly to dismiss fourth-placed Lancashire for 137 before reaching the close on 95 for 2 in their second innings to lead by 219 runs.The day turned Glamorgan’s way during a dramatic afternoon session following the introduction of Crane into the attack. The leg spinner ran through the Lancashire middle and lower order after producing an outstanding 10.3 over spell from the James Anderson End that was chiefly responsible for the hosts losing their last seven wickets for 30 runs.Anderson, on his 43rd birthday, took two early wickets in one over when Glamorgan began their second innings but a steadying partnership of 71 between Sam Northeast and Kiran Carlson has the visitors well-placed to push home their strong advantage tomorrow.Following a delay of one hour due to rain, Lancashire took just eight deliveries to wrap up the Glamorgan first innings for the addition of one run to their overnight score of 260 for 8, Tom Bailey trapping Crane lbw for 9 and Anderson having Ned Leonard caught behind for 4.In testing, seaming conditions Asitha Fernando had early reward trapping Luke Wells lbw for 2 and it took some determined and, at times, dogged batting from Keaton Jennings and Josh Bohannon in a partnership of 45 to prevent further damage to the Lancashire reply.It took a superb one-handed catch by Asa Tribe at bat-pad to dismiss Jennings for 28 off spinner Ben Kellaway shortly before lunch and Glamorgan made further inroads soon after the break, Fernando rewarded for a fine spell when having Bohannon lbw for 32.The introduction of Crane into the attack transformed the afternoon as the leg spinner produced a devastating burst of 5 for 12 in 41 balls on a wicket that has taken spin from the start to put the visitors firmly in charge.If the first of the five was a touch fortunate, Marcus Harris hitting a full toss to Kellaway at mid-on for 30, the rest were a result of some excellent leg spin that the Lancashire batters failed to master.Phil Salt edged behind for 8, Matty Hurst (21) top-edged a sweep that deflected off wicketkeeper Chris Cooke to Colin Ingram at slip, Chris Green drove a catch back to the bowler for 2 while Tom Hartley was lbw three balls later.That left Lancashire reeling on 132 for 8 by the tea interval and Glamorgan wrapped up the innings five overs after the break when Fernando gained a third lbw verdict against Bailey and Crane took his sixth after George Balderson chipped to Kiran Carlson at midwicket.Leading by 119 runs, Glamorgan lost Zain ul Hassan bowled for 12 shouldering arms to Anderson who then took a smart, tumbling catch off his own bowling five balls later to dismiss Tribe for 11.Northeast (26 not out) and Carlson (43 not out) steadied matters with their unbroken partnership during the final hour of the day to leave Glamorgan in a strong position going into day three.

No escape from fate as final five wickets fall on fourth morning at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network06-Sep-2023Lancashire’s Luke Wells ripped through Northamptonshire’s lower order taking career best figures of five for 25 with his part-time leg-spin to consign the hosts to their fifth innings defeat of the summer and their fourth at home.Northamptonshire resumed on the fourth morning of this LV= Insurance County Championship match at Wantage Road on 211 for five, still needing another 81 to make Lancashire bat again. Hartley though had other ideas as the Steelbacks were bowled out for 266 to lose by an innings and 26 runs.Lewis McManus (24) and Saif Zaib (45) extended their overnight partnership to 56 against the spin of Wells and Tom Hartley as the visitors waited to take the new ball.McManus chipped Hartley over midwicket for four, but his long vigil finally ended after 82 balls when he turned Wells to George Bell at short leg who took an excellent catch.Northamptonshire started to implode with Wells picking up a second wicket when Zaib chased a wide one, Phil Salt taking the catch behind the stumps. Wells soon had a third thanks to a stunning left-handed catch off his own bowling to remove Tom Taylor (4). Jack White (6) then slashed him to Keaton Jennings at slip.Ben Sanderson was determined to go down fighting, smashing two fours and thumping Hartley over the Family Stand at long-on for six before he became Wells’ fifth wicket, caught at mid-off with Northamptonshire leaving the field after just 50 minutes’ play.

Fast bowler appreciates captain’s commitment to cricket, and confirms his availability for Netherlands fixture

Mohammad Isam27-Oct-20231:33

Taskin: We should appreciate Shakib for working on his game in Dhaka

Shakib Al Hasan’s mid-event Dhaka trip has polarised opinions but the captain’s extra training has won hearts in the Bangladesh team. Taskin Ahmed said that they valued Shakib’s effort to use his day off to travel back to Dhaka for batting drills.Shakib went to Dhaka on October 25, the day after Bangladesh’s World Cup match against South Africa in Mumbai. He went straight to the Shere Bangla National Stadium where he trained under his childhood mentor Nazmul Abedeen. He worked on some of his shots although it was more about the comfort of batting with Abedeen, someone Shakib has known since his teens. He returned to Kolkata on October 26, reportedly on the advice of the team management after it became big news.”He informed the team management that he needs to work on his batting,” Taskin said. “It was a rest day, plus Dhaka is close to Kolkata. He didn’t go to Dhaka for any other purpose. It was cricket-related. He went after the coach and management told him its fine. He didn’t break any rules. He took permission. He batted for four hours on the first day. He practiced on the second day before returning to Kolkata. As players and teammates, we appreciate that he batted on a rest day. His batting is so important to the team, that he too is desperate about improving it.”Taskin said that the team gathered in the team hotel for a dinner on Thursday evening, spending a good time with Shakib, who returned shortly before. “We all went to dinner after he returned yesterday. We had a good time,” he said.Shakib has skipped back to Dhaka from Kolkata on another occasion but that was during the 2019 IPL when Sunrisers Hyderabad weren’t picking him regularly. He had gone to work with his other mentor Mohammad Salahuddin.Related

• Shakib Al Hasan rejoins Bangladesh World Cup contingent in Kolkata

• Bangladesh wary of Netherlands threat as World Cup comes to Kolkata

• Bangladesh vs Netherlands: A forgotten cricket rivalry

Taskin said that the team doctors cleared him to play against the Netherlands on Saturday. He missed two games due to a shoulder niggle, which he said he has been carrying for more than two years. “I had this shoulder injury for the first time in South Africa two years ago. I have a tear in my tendon for a long time. I am playing by managing it. Even in the Asia Cup and World Cup I am playing with it and suddenly it became swollen.”Doctor and physio did the MRI and it was found out so I took rest for couple of days and now I am feeling better. I am personally in a good shape and after playing can I understand where I stand,” he said.Taskin said that the pitches in the World Cup has not really offered much to the fast bowlers so many of the them has had to adjust to the conditions, at times by dropping their pace. “So far, I have not seen much for the bowlers in this World Cup. All the grounds are batting friendly but also, there are some challenge and it’s not all about speed.”Express fast bowlers are also struggling, leaking runs. So in this kind of conditions, it’s not all about speed. You need some variation skills and a game awareness. It’s not all about speed. You need a lot of skills to do well in this kind of surfaces,” he said.

After watching a hat-trick from the non-striker’s end, he told Shoriful to run whether he hit the next ball or not

Mohammad Isam15-Jul-2023Despite playing the match-defining knock in the first T20I against Afghanistan which Bangladesh won in the last over, Towhid Hridoy was nervous as he watched the dramatic win unfold from the non-striker’s end. Bangladesh made a meal out of a cakewalk when, with two needed off five balls, Karim Janat took a hat-trick in the final over in Sylhet. Ghosts of the Bengaluru 2016 meltdown were however banished when Shoriful Islam unfurled a cut that got them the winning runs.At the presentation ceremony, Hridoy said that he was nervous while watching Janat’s hat-trick at the other end. Shortly afterwards in the press conference, he further said that he felt each of the dismissed batters could have hit the winning runs in the last over, and when it came down to two off two balls, he told Shoriful to run regardless of hitting the ball.”I had confidence in everyone,” Hridoy said. “Taskin [Ahmed] , Nasum [Ahmed] and Shoriful all bat well. Taskin won us a game like this with two boundaries against England. I believed Shoriful could do the job. We have played Under-19s together. I was confident till the last ball. I told him that, ‘we are running whether you hit it or not. You will win us the game’.”I felt okay. We needed just two runs. We could score one or two runs if ball hit the bat somehow. I always try to stay calm.”I tried to tell my batting partners what the bowler could do.”Hridoy said that when Shamim Hossain joined him at 64 for 4 and they needed 91 off 59 balls, he felt that two big overs could give them the rhythm. The first of those came swiftly, when they took 21 off the 13th over, bowled by Azmatullah Omarzai, which included five wides after Hridoy slammed two fours, and the asking rate of 9.50 came down to under eight an over.The match could have still swung either way as Bangladesh needed 35 from 24, but they collected 16 runs off Fazalhaq Farooqi in the 17th over to turn the game.”I told Shamim that we have won matches from this situation in domestic cricket,” Hridoy said. “We are middle-order batters so if we can get the momentum in the next two overs, the course of the match will change. That’s what happened. The rhythm changed in those two overs.”We stuck to a plan. We tried to bat with calculative risks. We were focused on execution. International opponents are challenging. Everyone has a strong side. We tried to be positive.”We reacted to the demand of the situation. Regardless of the opposition, this type of win always gives the players a lot of confidence. I am happy to have walked off with the win. These opportunities don’t come always.”But Shamim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz getting out, followed by Janat’s hat-trick underlined the risk Bangladesh are taking by playing six bowlers. This strategy strengthens the bowling, but puts a lot of onus on Nos. 6 and 7 to finish off games. Taskin Ahmed is the most capable of the batters from Nos. 8 to 11. Among the others, Shoriful, Nasum and Taijul Islam can hold their own but Ebadot Hossain and Hasan Mahmud are genuine No. 11s.How the batting coaches shape and improve the last four batting spots will go a long way in Bangladesh’s quest for glory in the two big white-ball tournaments later this year.

Mandhana’s 55 underpinned Southern Brave’s 157, the highest total in the women’s Hundred at Trent Bridge

Matt Roller01-Aug-2023The men’s Hundred is short on overseas superstars after Rashid Khan’s 11th-hour withdrawal but Smriti Mandhana’s stylish 55 ensured the women’s competition launched with a sprinkle of stardust at Trent Bridge.Mandhana’s innings underpinned Southern Brave’s 157, the highest total in the women’s Hundred at this ground and one that proved a long way out of reach. Trent Rockets were late off the launchpad, despite the best efforts of Nat Sciver-Brunt, and Brave saw out a 27-run victory.Sciver-Brunt gave Brave a brief scare, crashing 18 runs off five balls from Maitlan Brown to reach 44 off 27 balls. She hit another boundary off Anya Shrubsole to leave 57 required off 24, but chipped a return catch to fall for 49 and end the game as a contest.Salaries in the women’s Hundred were frozen after the 2022 season but the launch of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in India has transformed the landscape of short-form leagues. Mandhana was retained on a top-bracket £ 31,250 contract by Brave – a wage that is not even one-tenth of the INR 3.4 crore she was paid by Royal Challengers Bangalore.Related

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The women’s game has not yet reached the point of saturation that has left the men’s Hundred struggling for relevance. There are only three top-tier leagues around the world – the WPL, the Hundred and the WBBL – with a handful more operating at a level below.Some of Australia’s top players have skipped the Hundred this year due to heavy workloads, injuries or both. But as a whole, the standard of overseas players in the women’s competition is high – a sense that is only underlined by Mandhana’s presence. “Along with the WPL, this is probably still up there with one of the best competitions in the world,” said Kirstie Gordon, who bowled tightly for Rockets.Fresh from India’s tour to Bangladesh, with only one nets session since arriving, Mandhana dovetailed with both Danni Wyatt and Maia Bouchier in making 55 off 36 balls. Brave raced to 45 for 0 in their 25-ball powerplay as Rockets’ seamers started waywardly, struggling to adapt to the left-right opening combination.”Initially, I didn’t know two or three bowlers,” Mandhana said. “I had just watched their videos, so it was important for me to see them and how the wicket was playing, because I’ve just come off a tour from Bangladesh and the conditions were pretty different.”Brave opted not to retain Sophia Dunkley over the off-season, instead backing their complementary opening pair. “Those two at the top, Smriti and Danni, have been exceptional for us,” Shrubsole told Sky Sports. “They were the two we really wanted to retain because they get us off to such good starts: right and left-handers, they can play completely differently and hit the ball in different areas.”Danni Wyatt and Smriti Mandhana resumed their opening partnership•ECB/Getty Images

Wyatt chipped Bryony Smith into the off side where Sciver-Brunt took a sharp catch running back from extra cover, but Bouchier – unused by England in their Ashes campaign – came out swinging, hitting 31 off 18 balls with four fours and a slog-swept six.Mandhana pounced on Rockets’ spinners through the middle phase, skipping down the pitch and lofting Smith’s offbreak back over her head for a straight six, and when she brought up a 32-ball half-century, Brave looked on course to break their own record total in the women’s Hundred of 166.Brave stumbled towards the back end, losing five wickets for 29 runs off the last 22 balls, but Chloe Tryon’s 10-ball 23 from No. 5 ensured they posted a competitive score.Rockets’ reply started with a run-out, Smith stitched up by Lizelle Lee as Shrubsole’s leg-side wide diverted down to Kalea Moore at short fine leg, and despite the presence of Sciver-Brunt and Harmnpreet Kaur in the middle order, 158 always looked a tall order.This was Brave’s 13th win in 15 group games across the competition’s nascent history. The ECB hope that the tournament will prove to have more competitive balance this season, having introduced a draft earlier this year in an attempt to close the gap between the best and worst teams.Brave’s team looks lighter on paper than in previous years: the England seamer Lauren Bell is missing for the first two games, resting after an exhausting Ashes, and the Australian legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington was drafted by Manchester Originals after two prolific seasons at the Ageas Bowl.But the south coast remains a hotbed of young, homegrown talent – as 18-year-old Mary Taylor proved in removing both Lee and Naomi Dattani early in the run chase. She returned to have Jo Gardner caught at the death, finishing with 3 for 18 on Hundred debut and putting the finishing touches on Brave’s victory.Taylor, a standby for England’s Under-19 World Cup squad earlier this year, said that Brave coach Charlotte Edwards had kept her advice as simple as possible. “She said, ‘Just bowl straight.’ I just wanted to hit the stumps. It felt so surreal. I’m so excited to be here – absolutely buzzing.”