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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.”

The number of star names on show in the tournament has been a topic of debate but there was concern about stopping local talent

Daniel Brettig19-Oct-2020Big Bash clubs are set to be permitted a third overseas player in their XIs for the next two tournaments after the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) dropped their longstanding opposition to the move on the basis that it would take away a spot from a local cricketer.Amid an ugly dispute between Cricket Australia and Channel Seven over the value of the BBL’s broadcast rights, the likely change in overseas player regulations – as part of a series of tweaks to the MoU between CA and the ACA – is a late but welcome chance for clubs to improve the quality of their playing lists this year.The likelihood of expanded Australian squads being required for international matches this year due to Covid-19 “hub” restrictions has raised the prospect of weakening BBL playing ranks to a greater degree than usual. It is one of the central complaints from Seven to CA about the BBL after the free-to-air network paid in the region of A$40 million a season for the competition as part of its A$450 million component of the A$1.18 billion shared deal with Foxtel in 2018 to broadcast cricket in Australia for six years.The BBL figure represents almost 60% of Seven’s total deal, which also includes the rights to broadcast all Test matches played in Australia, and runs in contrast to CA’s strategic position where international cricket sits at the top of the pyramid in terms of player payments and other investments by the governing body. CA has in recent weeks also committed to helping to finance “marquee” deals worth more than six figures for overseas players outside existing BBL club salary caps.CA had hoped to hold its first player draft ahead of the 2020-21 season but that was shelved in August amid the complexities created by Covid-19Dawid Malan (Hobart Hurricanes), Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder), Liam Livingstone (Perth Scorchers), Tom Banton (Brisbane Heat) and Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers) are the overseas players to have been announced by their clubs so far either on new or existing deals. Three overseas slots per team would mean an additional 20 players join the BBL from beyond Australia’s borders.Such an influx would help to cover for the likelihood of players such as Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis missing large chunks of the BBL due to international commitments. Clubs are eager to sign up David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, a trio who have often missed the BBL in recent years, and may well end up doing so again should they want to rest in between international commitments and scheduled tours of New Zealand and South Africa in early 2021.One area of intrigue will be whether CA finally convinces the BCCI to allow some Indian players to take part in the BBL – the IPL has long been the only domestic T20 event to showcase Indian cricketers, whether they are core members of Virat Kohli’s national team or not.Overseas names, of both the established star variety such as AB de Villiers, Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan and Dale Steyn and emerging talents such as Jofra Archer, Rashid Khan and Sandeep Lamichhane, have been vital to the growth of the BBL over its first nine seasons. But teams have always been limited to having only two overseas players at any one time in their 18-man squads, even though the rules were tweaked in 2019 to allow up to six overseas players to cycle through on shorter deals during a tournament.CA and the broadcasters have been eager to allow for another overseas playing spot, but the ACA’s opposition has remained until recently, when the change was again suggested amid negotiations for a range of provisional alterations to the MoU.In addition to the overseas players clause, the players’ association is also working with CA on plans to use some of this years’ untapped player payment pool cash to provide a range of additional support measures for players, particularly in the WBBL. These would include investment in hub facilities in Sydney, plus greater allowances for player access to their families and other means of mental health assistance during what is sure to be a trying summer.

The allrounder has pulled up with a stiff quad muscle after heavy workload in the second Test

George Dobell23-Jul-2020Ben Stokes could play the series decider against West Indies at Old Trafford as a specialist batsman due to injury.Stokes became the first seam-bowling allrounder since 2004 to deliver more than 20 overs and face more than 400 deliveries at Old Trafford. While his performance helped England secure victory, it also left him with a stiff quad muscle. As a result, England will delay naming their side until the morning of the game.Stokes pulled out of the attack midway through an over towards the end of the Test reporting stiffness. Although he said at the time it was a precaution, it would appear the quick turnaround between games hasn’t provided enough time for a full recovery.Having risen to No. 3 in the ICC’s Test rankings for batsmen, however, there is no question that he will retain his place in the side. It could also be that he bowls later in the game as required.”We’ll have to see where Ben is at because he’s still feeling it a little bit in his quad and we need to make sure he’s fit to bowl,” England captain, Joe Root, said on Thursday. “Ben pretty much spent the whole of the second Test on the field so it was a long old game for him.”He is definitely okay to play as a batsman. It’s just how much of an impact he can have with the ball throughout the whole game and in the second innings.”We talk about looking after everyone but this summer, with so many games in such a short space of time, when you are 150 percent every ball for six games on the bounce, it’s always going to take its toll at some point. We all want to make sure we get the most out of Ben and I’m sure he wants to ride the wave. We all want him to do that as well but it is important he’s looked after.”Root also had praise for Stokes in recognising the potential of the situation and pulling out of bowling when he did. It was, Root suggested, something that the younger, more impetuous Stokes may have struggled to do.”He’s matured so much and I think we saw that when he said he wasn’t quite right to finish the over,” Root said. “That’s a massive step forward for him. It shows his maturity with his cricket because we wouldn’t have seen that a few years ago. He would have kept going and might have done himself some serious damage. It does take a lot to keep him down and take him out of the action.”One option England are likely to consider is playing an all-seam attack. That would mean Dom Bess sits out with Root providing the spin as required. Another option would see England retain Bess, with the three main seamers required to carry a heavier workload.”We’ve got plenty of good options,” Root said. “Whatever combination we go with is definitely capable of taking 20 wickets.”

They gave away 61 runs and took no wickets in the powerplay in conditions that were offering swing

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-20231:05

Bishop: Arshdeep will find his way again

Shikhar Dhawan, the Punjab Kings captain now left hoping for other results to go their way to make the playoffs of IPL 2023, rued the lack of execution from his bowlers as they were bested by Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala on Wednesday.In conditions that offered help for the quick bowlers, the Kings were unable to close out the powerplay properly. Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh and Nathan Ellis were hit for seven fours and three sixes between the third and sixth overs. Capitals benefited from that period of profligacy, going from 11 for 0 to 61 for 0 in just 20 balls.”We didn’t bowl really well in the first six overs,” Dhawan said at the presentation. “We should’ve taken some wickets out there, the way the pitch was offering the swing.”Capitals posted 213 for 2 and won a tight game by 15 runs.Kings have had a particularly difficult time bowling in the first six overs this season. They have taken a mere 14 wickets in this phase of play – the second worst in the league behind Lucknow Super Giants – while also conceding 9.20 an over – again the second worst behind Kolkata Knight Riders.”Our bowlers didn’t pitch the ball up, whereas they should have been,” Dhawan said. “That was the plan. Unfortunately they couldn’t implement it. Whether we take wickets or not, that’s a different thing. But we should bowl in the right areas, which we have not been doing for quite a long time and that’s hurting us because in powerplay we are always giving 50-60 runs. And that’s fine but we should be taking wickets as well.”Dhawan’s concern over his quick bowlers’ performance forced him to take a big call at the death. He brought left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar into the attack in the 16th over and had him bowl the 18th and the 20th as well. This was a time when the Capitals had a well-set left-hander at the crease as well and with many of the balls spinning into him, Rilee Rossouw took full toll, especially in the final over, which yielded 23 runs and pushed Capitals’ total above 200.”Even my decision of bowling the spinner in the last over backfired,” Dhawan said. “I feel the momentum went there. Before that also, my fast bowler [Ellis] also got hit for 18 runs [in the 19th over]. Those two overs cost us the game.”Kings are only barely hanging on in the IPL. They have 12 points and a game in hand, which means they can get to a maximum of 14. But their rivals – Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians – are already on 14 points or more with a game in hand. And, Royal Challengers Bangalore have 12 points and two games in hand along with a healthy net run-rate. Dhawan’s men will need several results to go their way to make it to the final four.

The 91-run defeat hurts Capitals’ net run-rate and puts their playoff chances in doubt

Sreshth Shah08-May-20224:10

Where are Delhi Capitals going wrong?

Devon Conway continued his purple patch with a third fifty-plus score, and Moeen Ali took three wickets in a miserly spell to help Chennai Super Kings complete a 91-run demolition job over Delhi Capitals. With Capitals trying to stay in contention of a top-four finish, RIshabh Pant’s side conceded 208 runs in the first innings, after which they lost their last eight wickets for only 45 runs in the chase.For Capitals, it was the seven single-digit scores that hurt their chase. A target of 209 was always going to be steep, but it proved even more difficult in the absence of Prithvi Shaw and a premature end to David Warner’s innings. Every Super Kings bowler enjoyed success on the night, with two-fors for uncapped seamers Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh and allrounder Dwayne Bravo, and a 1 for 29 for mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana.Super Kings’ win took them out of the bottom two for the first time in over a month, and keeps them alive for playoff contention, even though their road to the final-four remains dependent on a huge slice of luck. Capitals are now in danger of slipping from fifth to seventh over the next few days with Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad both on 10 points after 11 games.Moeen Ali all but ended the contest after striking three times in his first two overs•BCCI

The collapseThe Capitals chase offered promise early on, despite the dismissal of KS Bharat – playing instead of Shaw as opener – as he fell to the slip cordon trying to pull Simarjeet. Warner was then out lbw to Theekshana even though he was convinced he got some bat en route to the pad, but then Mitchell Marsh and Pant looked to rebuild. Between the two, the seven fours and the lone six kept Capitals in contention of the net run-rate as they moved into the seventies by the eight over.But then came the fall. Moeen tempted Marsh to slog to a wide-ish ball, only to get caught on 25. The offspinner then returned next over to pick off Pant with a chopped-on bowled dismissal and soon picked up Ripal Patel. A recovery from 81 for 5 was still possible, but a double-wicket over from the other end in the next over made the result a formality. Choudhary picked off Axar Patel and Rovman Powell in the space of five balls in the 11th over, and at 85 for 7, the target for Capitals was to finish respectably, helped in part by Shardul Thakur’s 24. However, all they could reach was 117 before Bravo picked up wickets nine and ten off back-to-back deliveries in the 18th over.Moeen’s day outAfter the game, Moeen said that his primary job as offspinner is to spin the ball, and on Sunday’s used wicket, he found that. It helped Moeen that he picked up Marsh’s wicket three balls into his spell, and used that momentum to remain on top of the batters. Moeen enjoyed a bit of luck with Pant’s dismissal onto his stumps, but earned Ripal’s wicket by ensuring he did not go full after being hit for a six. Instead, his flatter, length ball left the batter trying for a big leg-side swipe even though the ball was not in his arc.Moeen also enjoyed the advantage of the pressure being applied by the bowler from the other end, as his third over came following the two Choudhary wickets. That allowed him to eke out five dots against Kuldeep Yadav – who was still trying to find his feet in the crease – and finished his spell of 3 for 13 with 16 dot balls.Conway shines (again)The left-hander from New Zealand is scoring fifties for fun now, his hat-trick of fifties corresponding to big Super Kings totals, too. Quite early on, Conway made it clear in fellow opener Ruturaj Gaikwad’s company that he preferred spin inside the powerplay, and when it was offered to the batters by Pant, Gaikwad rotated the strike often enough to let Conway face the slow bowlers.That proved to be brutal as Axar was welcomed inside the powerplay with two sixes over his head by the charging Conway, and when Kuldeep came on for the first time in the eighth over, the batter lofted him for six, swept him for another six and drove him for four. The two big overs helped Conway race away to a 28-ball fifty, following up from scores of 56 and 85 not out in his last two outings.Pant continued to trust Kuldeep after an 18-run opening over, and when Conway faced him again, the batter hit him for a hat-trick of fours through the covers. By the time the partnership broke – with Gaikwad falling for 41 to an Anrich Nortje short ball – Super Kings were 110 for 1 after 11 overs.Dube, returning to the side following Ravindra Jadeja’s absence from the XI due to injury, entered at No. 3 and chose to be the one taking the risky batting options as Conway entered his 80s. And he did by hammering Shardul for 6, 6 and 4 in the space of four balls to end the 16th over.But Conway’s prolonged period at the non-striker’s, starved of strike, did have some impact. When he got back on strike on 87 in the 17th over, he failed to get the desired connection off a ramp and fell 13 short of what could’ve been high first IPL century. Nonetheless, he finished on his highest tournament score.At the point of his dismissal, Super Kings were going at over 10 runs per over, and the remaining batters ensured they didn’t let the momentum die after the set batters’ dismissal. MS Dhoni walked in and got off the mark with a six and four, Ambati Rayudu and Moeen swung the bat around for useful boundaries, and despite a tidy nine-run 20th over from Nortje that also included two wickets, Super Kings could not be stopped from posting their fourth 200-plus total.

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.

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

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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.

Insists Hundred is ‘really important’ for young players called up as replacements from Royal London Cup

Matt Roller03-Aug-2021Sam Billings has insisted that the last-minute withdrawals of a number of players from the Royal London Cup as replacements for teams in the Hundred will leave young cricketers “far better off” than staying with their counties.Kent, where Billings is club captain, have ten Vitality Blast regulars – including overseas players Qais Ahmad and Adam Milne – involved in the Hundred, with Zak Crawley on England Test duty, Jack Leaning (Trent Rockets) and Matt Milnes (Welsh Fire) both called up as late replacements in the last week, and Jordan Cox (Oval Invincibles) and Fred Klaassen (Manchester Originals) picked as wildcards.As a result, their Royal London Cup campaign has started poorly, with three defeats and a no-result, but Billings said that players’ involvement in the competition would serve the club well ahead of their Blast quarter-final against Birmingham Bears later this month and in the longer term.In particular, he highlighted the example of Milnes, who played for Kent in the Royal London Cup on Sunday afternoon and was called into the Fire’s set-up on Monday as an injury replacement for Liam Plunkett. With Jake Ball also sidelined – he had a scan on Monday after leaving the field in Saturday’s fixture against Manchester Originals – Milnes went straight into the side against Billings’ Oval Invincibles and dismissed Jason Roy with his first ball in the Hundred, eventually returning figures of 1 for 28 from 20 balls and capturing the attention of Dale Steyn on Twitter as he was clocked at 87mph/140kph.”What a great opportunity for him,” Billings said. “This is what the Hundred is about. Look, I know that in terms of the 50-over comp, the performances for Kent haven’t quite been there at the moment and of course as a club it’s disappointing.”But the positive is we’ve got nine or ten guys in this Hundred at the moment and this is international cricket. You’ve got a full Oval crowd there and he’s come in for his first game after playing for Kent yesterday. It’s a completely different atmosphere, completely different level, against an international line-up.”What a great experience for a young bloke, getting a wicket with his first ball and riding the emotions of that game. That is what’s going to produce international cricketers. For us as a club – and as Kent fans in general – that’s what we want to do: produce England cricketers and franchise cricketers.Related

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• The Hundred is tearing English cricket apart – but counties must take their share of the blame

“These young guys, nine or ten of them, for a ‘small county’, that’s really shown the work we’ve done as a club. It’s great for Matt Milnes and other guys like that and going into our T20 quarter-finals as a Kent group, it’s really important that these guys have this experience because they are going to be far better off for it.”The Invincibles won their second game of the men’s Hundred on Monday night, chasing 122 with seven balls to spare against the Fire, and Billings said that it had been a relief to get back to winning ways on the back of a washout against London Spirit and defeat against Northern Superchargers.”It was hard to get into a rhythm so it was nice to get the win on our home ground,” he said. “We weren’t far away at Headingley and considering how badly we played, we did exceptionally well to take that game that deep.”I still think we can play better and that’s the exciting thing for our group. The fielding certainly hasn’t been up to the standards we’ve set and that’s me included, setting the tone with the gloves. That’s the positive thing: I still think there are areas we can make really good strides in, and if we put it together, we know what a quality outfit we are. We don’t fear anyone and can put anyone under pressure on our day.”The Fire, meanwhile, failed to reach 150 for the first time in the competition and have now lost both of their games since Jonny Bairstow joined up with England’s Test squad. Ben Duckett, their stand-in captain and the leading run-scorer in the men’s Hundred, admitted that the loss of Bairstow – as well as Liam Plunkett, Lungi Ngidi and Ball – was “not ideal”.”If you lose big names it’s obviously going to hurt you but we believe we’ve got the squad to come in and cover for that,” he said. “We’ve had guys stepping up, like Milnesy tonight taking a wicket with his first ball to get J-Roy. We were 20 or 30 short of par so obviously nowhere near good enough, but it’s the first time we’ve struggled with the bat and it’s going to happen in this comp at some stage.On his own form, Duckett said: “It’s probably the best I’ve hit the ball – ever, I’d say – but I was probably 10-15 short myself tonight. I really struggled to get going and we kept losing wickets. I’m feeling good but I don’t like scoring runs when you don’t win the game so I’m a bit disappointed.”

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.

Visitors take 10 points to virtually confirm safety going into final round of Championship season

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-Sep-2025Essex 325 for 5 (Allison 98, Pepper 54*) drew with WarwickshireEssex virtually secured their Rothesay County Championship Division One status as their match with Warwickshire ended in a rain-ruined draw at Edgbaston. No play was possible due to rain on the final day, meaning that three of the four days were completely blank.Essex collected ten points from the draw, putting them pretty much safe from relegation as two of the teams below them – Yorkshire and Durham – meet in next week’s final round of games. It would now take an extraordinary combination of results and bonus points to drag Essex through the trapdoor with Worcestershire.It was a sodden and sorry scene at Edgbaston as Warwickshire’s home season came to an anti-climatic close. After high winds prevented play on the first day and rain did so on the third, persistent drizzle overnight and on the fourth morning again left conditions unplayable. Essex were denied the chance to resume from the 325 for 5 that they build on the second day.Tom Westley’s side at least took a solid ten points from the draw – a more productive return than from the drawn encounter between these teams in their inaugural Championship meeting at Edgbaston in 1895. After three days of hard work and effort, the points gained from that game, in which, incidentally 21 players made their Championship debuts, were Warwickshire 0 Essex 0.