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With the result of the series sealed, the final T20I will give both sides an opportunity to fine tune their ideal XI for the upcoming T20 World Cup

Firdose Moonda23-Jul-2021

Big Picture

It’s South Africa’s last dance at the end of two months away from home and they will want to end on a high. They’ve already won the T20I series, albeit that their batting, in particular, has not been as convincing as they may have liked it to be and their combination remains uncertain. After this series, they will only have three matches against Sri Lanka to pin down a strategy for the T20 World Cup.Ireland also have limited opportunity to firm up their game plan. Their series against Zimbabwe, which was due to start on August 11 will be rescheduled to later in August and September after changes in the regulations over who can enter Northern Ireland.But Ireland have other reasons to put in a big performance in the finale. This is only their third T20I against South Africa and although the results show that they have lost both previous matches convincingly, the margin of the defeat in the second T20I belies how much pressure they were able to exert on South Africa. The Irish attack had South Africa 58 for 5 at the halfway stage of their innings and were in control of the first quarter of the match. They will want to be able to be in control for longer periods of time to pull off an upset.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland LLTLLSouth Africa WWWLW

In the spotlight

Temba Bavuma has had a lean run on this winter tour, with a top score of 46 in the second T20I in the West Indies and 103 runs in nine innings across ODIs and T20s. Form aside, Bavuma has looked comfortable in the leadership role and has handled his bowlers and field placements relatively well, he has presented a measured and even reflective image in his media engagements but will want to sign off with runs as South Africa head into a break before their major tournament assignment.Paul Stirling is three wickets away from entering the top 10 Irish wicket-takers’ list in T20Is and is likely to be used in a bowling capacity more frequently as the team prepare for the T20 World Cup. Stirling has bowled in the format 11 times, taken five wickets and has an economy rate of 5.62, compared with an economy of 7.54 overall, so the signs are there that Ireland are using him well. They’ll want a little more from his batting, after no scores above 30 in the three ODIs and two T20Is so far.

Team news

It may be too early for Ireland to consider benching Kevin O’Brien – who has earned a duck in each of his last three internationals – but their patience with his lack of runs could be wearing thin. Mark Adair had a promising outing in the second T20I and will likely be retained.Ireland: (possible) 1 Paul Stirling, 2 Kevin O’Brien, 3 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 4 Harry Tector, 5 George Dockrell, 6 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 7 Shane Getkate, 8 Simi Singh, 9 Mark Adair, 10 Josh Little, 11 Craig YoungSouth Africa may want to reconsider the composition of their batting line-up, which includes four openers in the top four, move Rassie van der Dussen up and include one of Kyle Verreynne or Heinrich Klaasen in the XI. They may also bring in the spin-bowling allrounder George Linde and one of Kagiso Rabada or Anrich Nortje for a last hurrah of this tour.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Janneman Malan, 4 Aiden Markram 5 Rassie van der Dussen, 6 David Miller, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Bjorn Fortuin/George Linde 9 Beuran Hendricks, 10 Kagiso Rabada/Anrich Nortje/Lungi Ngidi 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Pitch and conditions

The home captain Andy Balbirnie judged the surface as a little slower than Ireland expected but acknowledged that it holds runs for those willing to apply themselves. Temperatures in Belfast are starting to cool off with Saturday’s high forecast at 23 degrees and no rain until next week.

Stats and trivia

• Tabraiz Shamsi is six wickets ahead of his nearest rival, Obed McCoy, in T20Is in 2021.
• Kevin O’Brien has the most ducks in T20I cricket – 12, including two in this series.

Quotes

“Stirling gives us a different option up top. He is someone who probably hasn’t bowled as much for Ireland as maybe he wanted to. We are going to try a couple of things in the coming weeks, with the World T20 in mind.”

Netherlands allrounder to stay at Taunton for at least two more seasons after contract extension

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2021Roelof van der Merwe, Somerset’s South Africa-born, Netherlands allrounder, will remain with the club at least until the end of the 2023 season after signing a one-year contract extension.Van der Merwe, 36, joined the club in 2011 on a short-term contract before returning in 2016, and has since established himself as an important member of the Somerset squad across all three formats, with his left-arm spin complemented by his hard-hitting lower-order batting.He was awarded with his County Cap after playing a key part in Somerset’s Royal London Cup triumph in 2019, and he also holds the record for the highest score by a Somerset player in a 50-over match, after making a match-winning 165 not out against Surrey at Taunton in 2017. He also featured in the inaugural season of the Hundred, after being signed by London Spirit.”I’m really pleased to have extended my time at Somerset,” van der Merwe said. “We have a great group of guys here and I genuinely feel that we are on the verge of something exceptional.”The club holds a very special place in my heart, and I will be doing everything that I can to make sure that we win games of cricket and claim the silverware that the players and our brilliant Members deserve.”Van der Merwe was recently on national duty with the Netherlands at the T20 World Cup in the UAE, having qualified in 2015. Prior to that, he played 13 ODIs and 13 T20Is for South Africa in 2009-10, including the 2009 T20 World Cup in England.SCCC Director of Cricket, Andy Hurry, added: “Roelof is a quality performer across the three formats of the game. His drive, determination and will to succeed are second to none and he is a genuine team man. He is exceptional both on the field and in the dressing room, and all his domestic and international experience make him an outstanding role model for our aspirational players to learn from.”His passion for the game is infectious and his contributions with the bat, the ball and in the field are of the highest standard. I can confirm that we are once again able to register Roelof as a local player.”

Pair recruited by former team-mate Darren Gough, who recently took over as the club’s managing director

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2022Steve Harmison and Ryan Sidebottom, the former England fast bowlers, have joined Yorkshire’s coaching staff on an interim basis.Recruited by former team-mate Darren Gough, who recently took over as managing director in the wake of the club’s racism scandal, the pair will support Tim Boon, the former England assistant coach who will lead training during pre-season preparations.Fielding specialist Cookie Patel, Thunder head coach Paul Shaw, former Durham and Sussex wicketkeeper-batter Martin Speight and Northern Diamonds performance coach Richard Waite will provide additional coaching support.”I am delighted that we have been able to secure interim support of the highest quality, all of whom have many years of experience between them, and our players will hugely benefit from their vast knowledge and expertise,” Gough said.Related

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A Yorkshire club statement added that “all the individuals offering support are not applicants for any of the permanent coaching vacancies currently being recruited”. The application deadline for the head coach role has now closed with the club set to review applications in the coming days.Yorkshire appointed Gough last month, filling the role vacated by Martyn Moxon, one of 16 members of the back-room staff axed following the allegations of institutional racism made against the club by Azeem Rafiq. Gough’s initial appointment is set to run to the end of the 2022 season, overseeing strategy, planning, recruitment and development.It is Harmison’s first foray into coaching with a county side since he retired as a player in 2013, having managed Ashington football club and worked in the media, including on BT Sport’s Ashes coverage and with Gough on talkSPORT radio. He spent a brief stint on loan at Yorkshire from Durham during his playing days.Ryan Sidebottom has experience as a bowling coach•PA Images via Getty Images

Sidebottom ended his playing career at Yorkshire, where he won three County Championship titles. He retired in 2017 and spent a year as a bowling coach with Surrey.Boon was part of Duncan Fletcher’s staff when England won the 2005 Ashes and also coached Leicestershire before becoming an an ECB cricket liaison officer and match referee.

The pair patched up a top-order collapse before Siraj and Prasidh dominated West Indies

Sidharth Monga11-Feb-20221:24

Chopra: Rohit’s tactics as a captain as good as Dhoni, if not better

India completed a clean sweep of the ODI series with yet another win from early strife of a top-order collapse. Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer pulled India up from 42 for 3, Washington Sundar and Deepak Chahar provided late runs, and then the bowlers ran through West Indies to deny them a single score of 200 in the series.This was yet another satisfying win for the team management from a team-building point of view: apart from yet another middle-order comeback, they welcomed back Kuldeep Yadav, who bowled with zip and took two wickets in his first international since last July, when he was part of a second-string squad sent to Sri Lanka.All three pitches in the series have been challenging ones. The extra bounce and dual pace off this surface kept the tall West Indies bowlers in the game. Not only did India make a host of changes to their XI, they also chose to bat first to test themselves in possible dewy conditions in the evening.Once Alzarri Joseph and Kemar Roach found their lengths after the first two overs, they proved to be a difficult proposition for the batters. The wickets themselves were not off magic deliveries. Rohit Sharma played a loose drive to chop on, Virat Kohli tickled a ball down the leg side to get out for a duck in the same Joseph over, and Shikhar Dhawan top-edged a cut to slip. However, it was the dot balls in between because of the tackiness and extra bounce that created the pressure.On this pitch, back from his opening duties in the second ODI, Pant looked the most comfortable even as Iyer scratched around early on. Without playing a shot in anger – an upper-cut here, a targeting of left-arm spin there – Pant scored 56 at better than a-run-a-ball. Iyer found himself stuck on the other end, faced 84 balls in 20.3-over partnership and needed some early luck to survive.Pant, though, perished to the late-cut to a flatter trajectory from legspinner Hayden Walsh jnr, a shot that had brought him runs. This allowed West Indies a way back in as India kept trying to press on. Suryakumar Yadav ended up slicing an aerial cover drive, and Iyer found long-off just before the 40th over, which is when an extra fielder goes back. Iyer scored 55 off the last 51 balls he faced.Deepak Chahar made a strong comeback•BCCI

Washington and Chahar then provided another recovery with a 53-run seventh-wicket stand in just 8.3 overs. Chahar in particular looked threatening with four fours and two sixes in his run-a-ball 38, but Holder intervened with a slower bouncer to dismiss him. Kuldeep met the same fate. Washington, though, batted into the last over for 33 off 34. It was, again, Holder, who restricted the damage he might have caused in the end.Kuldeep was not the only bowler making a comeback. Deepak Chahar, who nearly won India the last ODI he played, has been kept out for more hit-the-deck bowlers. For this match, he replaced Shardul Thakur, the bowler who most closely resembles his style. Chahar, though, gets more swing than Thakur and relies on fuller lengths. They accounted for Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks in the same over, the fifth of the innings. Both of them failed to catch up with the away movement.Even before that, Mohammed Siraj had accounted for Shai Hope with the wobble-seam nipbacker for the second time this series, making it the first time since October 2018 that India had taken more than two powerplay wickets. Again it was not just the wicket-taking deliveries. They regularly hit the higher part of the bat with the extra bounce in the pitch.If these two were troubling the batters with extra bounce, Prasidh Krishna was going to be a handful. Darren Bravo and Holder will testify, getting the higher parts of their outside edges for catches to slips.It was a good time for Kuldeep to ease his way back in. He consistently made the ball drop shorter than the batters’ expectations, getting sharp turn and bounce. Fabian Allen was done in by a wrong’un, playing for the turn back in on the big drive, but getting a faint outside edge. Nicholas Pooran fell to the orthodox delivery, done in again by the dip, edging to first slip.Odean Smith presented a nice little challenge from 82 for 7, hitting Kuldeep for three sixes in his 18-ball 36. This is the kind of pressure you want to see Kuldeep under and see how he holds up. However, it was Siraj, who came back and ended the fun with his hard lengths, drawing a catch to cover an over after Smith was dropped at mid-off.Joseph and Walsh jnr frustrated India even as the dew set in, but they were never going to challenge the target. Siraj and Prasidh came back to end the proceedings with hostile short bowling.

After injury-plagued career, fast bowler’s chance to be involved over-rides any fear of failure

Aadam Patel24-Jan-20221:15

How injury setbacks help Topley perform for England

For Reece Topley, an exceptional return to T20 international cricket demonstrated exactly why England gave the tall left-armer a debut in 2015, aged just 21, and exactly why Eoin Morgan sees Topley as a crucial asset to England’s hopes – not just for this series against West Indies, but also at the T20 World Cup later this year.That he has only represented England 20 times since his debut speaks of a career filled with undoubted talent, yet one that has been damaged by career-threatening injuries. In 2018, Topley was phoned and told that he’d be a part of the England ODI squad against India that summer, only to be told the same day that he would need back surgery.His terrific new-ball spell at Kensington Oval on Sunday evening set England up to level the series in a thriller in Barbados and marked the completion of a remarkable comeback into the England T20 side, almost six years since he last played the shortest format of the game at international level.It was enough to indicate that maybe, there is a new phase ahead for Topley and England. For a man whose journey has required incredible patience, through continuous injuries and a period of depression and falling out of love with the game, Topley insisted that his career trajectory perhaps enabled him to see the game in a different light and not get too carried away with the highs and the lows of sport.”I’ve probably had it slightly differently than other people that play international cricket, in terms of the journey that I’ve had,” Topley said. “I think my perspective is quite unique and last night, I just embraced all the emotion after the game, and all the messages that came through.”Speaking the morning after the second T20I, he added: “I embraced it all, but then I’m very good at parking it. This morning, it’s a new day and it’s all about recovering and focusing on the third T20 [on Wednesday]. I don’t really get too caught up in it. I’m lucky to be playing and I really enjoyed it at the end of the day. Almost having this second opportunity just makes me value it all a lot more.”Related

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On his first appearance in a T20I since playing for England at the 2016 T20 World Cup, Topley was the pick of the pace bowlers, trapping Brandon King for a duck with a full inswinger, before pulling off a spectacular run-out off his own bowling to remove Shai Hope after a devastating yorker. Ironically, replays showed that had England reviewed, Topley would have had one more in the wickets column.He was denied another scalp when Nicholas Pooran was dropped by Liam Dawson but figures of 1 for 18 in his four overs – including 1 for 10 from three overs in the powerplay – summed up a thoroughly impressive and winning return to the England side.Topley insisted that those experiences throughout those years ravaged by injury helped him to deal with difficult match scenarios, as it allowed him to see things from a different perspective.”Even when I’ve been injured so much, you’d almost bite someone’s hand off to play in a T20 and bowl four overs for 40-something,” he said. “It’s almost like, at least I’m out there. So then those bad days it’s like, it won’t be the last bad day I have. It’s not like I haven’t got this competitive instinct, it’s just that I’m very realistic about things now, and very level-headed.”I think that has boded well for me since coming back and playing, because those pressure scenarios, I just embrace them. I almost feel like it’s normal to be nervous and it’s exciting because it’s a game on the line for your country. Who wouldn’t be nervous? It’s almost like it’s normal, and I accept it. So, I think that’s the perspective that I’m pretty lucky to have stumbled upon really.”Topley pulled off an athletic run-out of Shai Hope•Getty Images

Topley was a late addition to the England squad at the recent T20 World Cup as a replacement for the injured Tymal Mills and despite not playing in the UAE, he believed that the experience of being back within the T20 setup was invaluable.”I’ve been around the squads so that made it pretty easy for me to fit back into things,” Topley said. “I’ve been around the guys and training pretty well, so it was just more of the same, taking it out into the middle and a credit to everyone for helping with such a seamless transition. The white-ball squads are pretty similar in ODIs and T20s so being around that for the last few years has definitely helped.”After the World Cup, Topley joined the Melbourne Renegades – a team and a city close to his heart – after spending two summers in Melbourne during his prolonged rehabilitation from injury. It was where he rediscovered his love for the game.Making his debut at the Big Bash was a decision also made with the intention of getting himself back within England’s first-choice squad ahead of next winter’s World Cup in Australia. Topley impressed taking nine wickets in seven matches, including 3 for 27 in the local derby against the Melbourne Stars.On the pace-friendly wickets down under, England will certainly need quality options and given their recent problems with death bowling in the format, his display in Barbados stood out from the rest. While Chris Jordan went for 23 runs in the 18th and Saqib Mahmood went for 28 runs in the last, Topley followed up his wicket-taking new-ball spell with a penultimate over that was executed brilliantly, going for just eight.”As a bowler, my currency is wickets,” Topley said. “If you ask me I’d say that I can take wickets at any stage and in any format at the end of the day. It’s what I get up in the morning for – to try and get batsmen out essentially. It’s why I fell in love with cricket.”If Topley can carry on doing what he loves and closing games at the death, then there is every chance that he will be an integral part of England’s ambitions of holding both the 50-over and the 20-over World Cups simultaneously, when they head to Australia in October.

Coach praises team spirit after battling for the upper hand in Antigua and Barbados

Cameron Ponsonby21-Mar-2022Ollie Robinson and Craig Overton will be available for the third and final Test against West Indies in Grenada, as England look to force a 1-0 victory against a side that has held on for a draw in the opening two matches of the series.Robinson missed the first Test after suffering a back spasm in the warm-up fixture and despite bowling regularly and at full intensity leading up to the second match was not risked. Overton was due to play in Barbados, but was withdrawn from the team on the morning of the match through illness.The availability of the two could lead to a rejigged starting XI as England ponder the make-up of an attack which has toiled on two flat and lifeless surfaces in the Caribbean over the past two weeks.The most likely option appears to be Robinson and Overton returning to the starting XI in place of Chris Woakes, who has struggled in the opening two Tests, and Matt Fisher, who impressed on debut but was playing only as Overton’s late replacement.The more radical option, and one that England may contemplate given the nature of the surfaces that they have so far encountered in the Caribbean, is to play two spinners and give a long-awaited debut to wrist spinner Matt Parkinson.”We’ll have to gauge it over the next couple of days”, Paul Collingwood, the interim head coach, said. “Ollie Robinson has not played in the first two Tests but looks as though he is ready and available and Overton has overcome illness. We will look at the wicket in Grenada
and see what make-up of the team is suited to take 20 wickets.”Ollie Robinson missed the first two Tests after suffering a back spasm•Getty Images

Parkinson has been a regular in England’s squads over the past two years, including last year’s tours of Sri Lanka and India, in which he did not play a single competitive fixture. He was part of the Lions squad in Australia before Christmas, but flew home before he could be drafted into the main Ashes squad, having been overlooked for the unofficial Test against Australia A in Brisbane – a match that featured four of the team that took the field in Barbados, in Fisher, Mahmood, Alex Lees and Ben Foakes.”[Parkinson] is as ready as he can be,” Collingwood said. “The simple fact is, in Covid times, you don’t get matches between. They are back to back, it is putting a lot of stress on the players and the downside is we don’t have matches in between to have preparation time for guys who are not playing. We’ve just got to make sure they get time on their feet, get their steps in fitness-wise and the overs under their belt.”In all, Collingwood was full of praise for his England side after they finished a second successive Test match on the front foot as West Indies batted 65 overs on day five for the loss of just five wickets to hold out for a draw. While it was not a win for the touring side, it was another sign of progress for a team that has won just one of their last 16 Test matches.Related

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“I think the way we’ve gone about it the first two Tests has been very impressive. We are getting closer,” Collingwood said. “We gave ourselves a little chance today. Going into the fifth day people were expecting a high-scoring draw and I thought the way we went about it in that morning session proves what sort of mindset we’ve got. We want to go and win the game.”It is hard work, three back-to-back Test matches takes a lot out of you as players, but you can’t fault the attitude they’ve shown in both matches. I think this has been more impressive, to back up last week’s performance with some high-class individual performances and as a team we never gave up.”Collingwood reserved praise in particular for Ben Stokes, whose 11th Test century was an impressive innings of 120 off 128 balls, with strokeplay reminiscent of his career-best 258 at Cape Town in 2016.The innings was played out in front of more than one set of TV cameras, as Stokes is currently the subject of a TV documentary with a film crew out in the Caribbean filming his movements. It’s a detail that Collingwood isn’t convinced is helpful for the Durham all-rounder, although he can’t deny Stokes’ suitability for playing the starring role.”He’s box office. Everyone was watching. You didn’t want to miss a ball he was facing. In many ways it shows where we are as a team that guys can go out and express themselves. They want to put on a show, get a win under their belts, and we have a great attitude at the moment.”You can tell he wants to make a difference in the dressing room as a leader,” Collingwood added. “When he’s preparing himself like he is at the moment, he certainly leads. He wants to go out in the middle and put in big performances. He wants the ball in hand and to score the runs. He’s doing just that at the moment. It’s amazing when he’s got this kind of attitude, as we all know he’s one of the best. Long may it continue.”

Two superstars of Indian cricket will be going at it on Thursday

Alagappan Muthu06-Apr-20222:45

Who should make way for Nortje? Is Manish Pandey’s place under threat?

Big picture

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. It probably won’t be long before they are entrusted with the fortunes of Indian cricket. Their talent is apparent. Their allure is instant. And it is all because they make the game look easy.A Rahul back-foot punch is a masterpiece in minimalism. Look at it long enough and you start to wonder what all this fuss around batting is even about. Any of Pant’s shots – whether it is a drive, a slog, or even just him overbalancing at the crease – is a spectacle. Look at it long enough and everything else starts to feel a bit bleh. Including that one video of a kitten and an alligator becoming best friends.

Live in the USA

Watch the match LIVE on ESPN+ in English and in Hindi.

It’s a given that everyone will be at the DY Patil stadium just to watch Rahul and Pant go at it, but the outcome of Thursday’s game may hinge on the people around them. Lucknow Super Giants have batting depth like nobody’s business. But their death bowling is propped up on just one man’s shoulders – Avesh Khan. Delhi Capitals have a tantalising array of bowlers to choose from, but their middle order could do with a little more gravitas.

In the news

David Warner and Anrich Nortje will likely walk into the Capitals XI with the opener finally out of quarantine and the fast bowler having recovered well from a back injury.There is a chance the Super Giants might also be getting some reinforcement. Reports suggest Marcus Stoinis, the allrounder whom they acquired ahead of the February auction, could be available for selection.David Warner and Marcus Stoinis could well make their season debuts on Thursday•Getty Images

Likely XIs

Lucknow Super Giants: 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Evin Lewis, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Jason Holder, 9 Ankit Rajpoot, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Avesh KhanDelhi Capitals: 1 David Warner, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Sarfaraz Khan/Yash Dhull/Mandeep Singh, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Lalit Yadav, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Strategy punt

• The T20 stats for Warner vs Ravi Bishnoi tells a compelling tale: four balls, five runs, two dismissals. As much as this season has been about fast bowlers having fun with the new ball, perhaps Super Giants might consider sneaking in an over from their legspinner, especially if the payout is the wicket of a T20 world champion.
• Capitals might also ponder starting with pace off given Axar Patel’s excellent T20 record against Rahul: 14 balls, 13 runs, three dismissals.

Stats that matter

• The average first-innings score at DY Patil stadium in this IPL has been 174, and while teams winning the toss have always chosen to bowl, they haven’t always won the match. The split is actually a very even 2-2.
• Deepak Hooda seems to finally be fulfilling his potential as a middle-order power-hitter. Check out his strike rate splits: 86 (first ten balls), 165 (11-20 balls), 180 (21-30 balls), 186 (30+ balls).
• Among players with a minimum of 750 runs in IPL powerplays, Prithvi Shaw’s strike rate of 147 is second only to Jos Buttler’s 150.
• Capitals are coming off a loss where Pant’s wicket took the game away from them. Super Giants will be mindful of that and might look to match him up with Bishnoi. Since IPL 2020, Pant is among the top five slowest-scoring batters against legspin (min. 50 runs scored) with a strike rate of just 105.

Haynes completes third century in as many matches as Azhar finishes unbeaten on 202

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2022Worcestershire 456 for 3 (Ali 202*, Haynes 127) lead Leicestershire 148 (Barnard 3-45) by 308 runsAzhar Ali scored a superb double-hundred as he and fellow centurion Jack Haynes rewrote the record books on day two of the LV=Insurance County Championship match with Leicestershire at New Road.Pakistan Test batter Azhar and former England Under-19 batter Haynes put on 281 in 78 overs for the third wicket – a record partnership for any wicket against Leicestershire. It surpassed the 278 by Cyril Walters and HHIH ‘Doc’ Gibbons at New Road in 1934.Their efforts were largely responsible for Worcestershire totalling 456 for three by the close – a lead of 308. Haynes was eventually dismissed for 127 but Azhar went onto bring up his double-ton in the final over of the day with a cover drive for four off Rehan Ahmed.It was completed from 328 balls with one six and 18 fours and he then shared in another century stand with Brett D’Oliveira (52 not out).Azhar arrived at New Road after a successful Test series against Australia which included a marathon 175 spanning 11 hours at Rawalpindi. He initially found it a challenge acclimatising to English conditions and his opening six innings yielded 34 runs.But he has flourished since hitting 92 against a Durham attack including Ben Stokes, and for the majority of the time he has been in partnership with Haynes.The pair had been together for stands of 195 (Durham) and 187 (Derbyshire) before joining forces for this marathon effort.Haynes has been quick to acknowledge the influence on his batting this summer of Azhar as he has converted promising innings into major contributions. His maiden hundred came in the Durham game and this was the Worcester-born batter’s third century in successive matches.He was the first Worcestershire player to achieve that feat since Daryl Mitchell in 2017 when he scored hundreds against Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Sussex.The former England Under-19 player has always looked full of class and on this form may soon be knocking on the door for further international recognition.Azhar and Haynes took full toll of a toiling attack and both benefitted significantly from the cut and pull shots as they provided rich entertainment after a delayed start to proceedings.Play did not get underway to 1.10pm but the third-wicket pair made up for lost time by scoring 148 runs during the afternoon session.Haynes pulled Chris Wright for six and Leicestershire were powerless to stem the flow of boundaries before Azhar took a stride forward and flicked Ed Barnes for a single to fine leg to complete his century from 159 balls with 11 fours.His partner followed him to three figures with a clip to deep mid wicket off Rehan. It took 15 more deliveries than Azhar and contained one six and 14 fours.The second new ball was taken immediately after tea but the record stand was established when Haynes cut Mulder for his 17th and final boundary.Mulder had his revenge soon afterwards when Haynes pushed forward and was lbw for 127. He batted for five hours and faced 230 deliveries.Azhar continued to demonstrate some superb stroke-play after he was joined in the middle by Club Captain, D’Oliveira.Some of his cover drives, cuts and pull shots were a delight to watch as he showed little sign of tiringD’Oliveira, a century-maker against Leicestershire at the Uptonsteel County Ground last month, also played fluently in another century stand with Azhar from just 134 balls.His own half century came from only 86 deliveries.

He also hopes to see “exciting prospect” Umran Malik make the T20 World Cup squad

S Sudarshanan25-Jun-2022Former India captain and selector Dilip Vengsarkar believes Hardik Pandya, who is set to lead India for the first time in the T20Is against Ireland, is a captaincy option for the side in the long term. Vengsarkar said he was impressed with Hardik’s leadership skills in the IPL 2022, where he led Gujarat Titans to a title win in their inaugural season. Roger Binny, another former selector, also echoed Vengsarkar’s thoughts but was wary of Hardik potentially under-bowling himself as captain.”He came into bat at the fall of two wickets [in the IPL 2022 final],” Vengsarkar said on the sidelines of the launch of the , a limited edition coffee table book in association with Paymentz, an Indian payment gateway platform. “He led from the front and guided the team very well in his first major tournament as captain. An allrounder plays an important role in the team. He is an option [but] it depends on the selectors, their vision and plans.”Hardik’s career has seen a few swings since his India debut in 2016, from being a dangerous lower-order batter to an injury-prone allrounder and then to an IPL-winning captain. He had also been managing a long-standing back problem and hadn’t played for India since they dropped out in the group stages of the 2021 T20 World Cup, until the five-match home T20I series against South Africa earlier this month.”The way he came back from injury is great,” Vengsarkar said. “He must have worked very hard on his fitness. He did very well in the IPL and as a captain he did well. [He is a] very fine allrounder.”After playing a starring role in Titans’ campaign, scoring 487 runs and returning eight wickets with the ball in the tournament, Hardik impressed with the bat against South Africa. He scored 117 runs in the series at an average of 58.50 and a strike rate close to 154. He also bowled a total of five overs – even though he didn’t pick up a wicket – showing that he is fit to fill in as an allrounder.”He’s got to lead from the front,” Binny said at the same event in Mumbai. “Sometimes you tend to over-bowl or under-bowl yourself – lot of times as a captain you do that. But then you have other players in the side to advice.”You have to keep performing. When you get the post of captain/vice-captain, you have got to lead from the front and got to be consistently playing. He’s got to watch the injuries because he tends to be under the weather. So that’ll be utmost on his mind and also in the minds of the selectors and those watching.”Vengsarkar also termed fast bowler Umran Malik an “exciting prospect” and hoped to see him in the T20 World Cup later this year in Australia.Malik picked up 22 wickets in 14 matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2022, after which he was called up to the national side for the home series against South Africa. Although he didn’t make his debut, he was named in the T20I squad for the tour of Ireland.”He is a very exciting talent,” Vengsarkar said. “He did well in IPL and he deserves a chance as he looked the best bowler in the format. I hope he is in the plane [to Australia] and I am sure he will do well if given an opportunity. He is young and raring to go. He is young, keen to play and hungry for success.”Binny seconded Vengsarkar, saying: “He should be given a chance straightaway. He has proved he is quick – if you saw him bowl some of those yorkers in the IPL, that was brute force. You can’t keep a youngster out for so long.”

Danny Briggs takes four as Worcestershire collapse to 84, and 144-run defeat

ECB Reporters Network24-Jun-2022A blistering century from Adam Hose lifted Birmingham Bears to a crushing 144-run win over Worcestershire Rapids at EdgbastonA crowd of 16,780, the highest in the North Group this season, saw the Bears pile up 228 for eight thanks to a buccaneering stand of 91 from 53 balls between Hose (110 not out, 53 balls) and Dan Mousley (53, 34). Hose hit 13 fours and four sixes on the way to becoming the first Bears player to score two Blast tons.The Rapids’ horrible T20 campaign then went from bad to worse as they floundered to 84 all out, Danny Briggs taking four for 25, Jake Lintott two for 12 and Olly Stone two for 17.The thumping of their arch-rivals, their heaviest ever Blast victory, takes the Bears to the brink of qualification for the quarter-finals. For the Rapids, this miserable campaign cannot end too soon.The Rapids chose to bowl and had the Bears three for two after two legitimate balls as Mitchell Stanley bowled Alex Davies and had Sam Hain caught at slip first ball.Rob Yates (20, eight balls) greeted Moeen Ali into the attack with successive fours before fatally edging the next but, as Hose and Mousley got going, a powerplay which was frenetic even by Blast standards ended with the Bears 79 for three.Both batsmen galloped to 30-ball half-centuries before Mousley, having sparkled in his first Blast knock of 2022, reverse-lapped Adam Finch to point. That was the first of three wickets in nine balls for Finch as Chris Benjamin hoisted to long off and Carlos Brathwaite was castled first ball.Hose cavorted on though and reached his ton from 51 balls in the penultimate over, celebrating with a four and a six from the two further balls he faced.The Rapids’ reply suffered immediate damage when they lost Polly and Dolly in the first seven deliveries, Ed Pollock lifting Olly Stone to mid on and Brett D’Oliveira steering Craig Miles to slip. The visitors’ main hope then swiftly disappeared when Ali hoiked Mousley’s first ball to deep mid-wicket.Whereas the Bears piled up 79 in the powerplay, the Rapids mustered just 31 and there was no way back from there. Colin Munro (34, 28 balls) landed a blow or two but after he edged Briggs and Dwayne Bravo lifted the next ball to long off it was 49 for five and the big, noisy Bears crowd could start celebrating a win that takes their side to the threshold of the quarter-finals.