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Abbas, Abbott apply finishing touches to humiliating three-day loss at Wantage Road

David Hopps22-Apr-2023Hampshire 482 for 8 dec (Vince 186, Gubbins 125) beat Northamptonshire 149 (Cobb 44, Fuller 6-37) and 63 (Abbas 4-31, Abbott 3-9) by an innings and 270 runsTo concede 482 for 8 and then be dismissed twice in 72 overs represents quite a pummeling and it is bound to leave Northamptonshire deeply anxious about the Championship season that lies in store. They were overwhelmed by a Hampshire seam bowling attack that grew in authority with every passing over and mercilessly exposed their shaky confidence.Hampshire’s victory by an innings and 270 runs was the biggest in their history, an emphatic pronouncement of their title pretensions. From Northants’ perspective, things were not as rosy. This represented their eighth heaviest County Championship defeat as they lost 15 wickets in three hours on a pitch that offered decent bounce and just enough movement to keep the bowlers on their mettle.James Fuller’s six-wicket haul in Northants’ first innings was one of the most feel-good performances of a fast-bowling career that has reached fruition on the south coast. Northants were already in a predicament at 95 for 5 overnight and Fuller’s morning burst of 4 for 9 in 27 balls took him to 200 first-class wickets and invited you to wonder how he had taken so few.If Northants were shaken by their first-innings fate, worse was to follow as they lasted only 22.3 overs second time around. Hampshire’s seasoned campaigners, Kyle Abbott and Mohammad Abbas were just too good for them. Their top order suffered for faltering footwork and the lower order, at times, resorted to a bit of a hit. They were also without Lewis McManus, who was unable to resume his first innings because of a broken finger suffered while batting and who took no further part.Hampshire’s captain, James Vince, was thrilled to have bounced back so impressively from last week’s defeat against Surrey. “There are a lot of draws here,” he observed. “It’s as complete a performance as we could wish for.”Northants will be grateful for next week off as they seek a fast-bowling replacement for Chris Tremain, whose visa cannot be extended. His envisaged replacement, Lance Morris, has pulled out of his deal because of what Cricket Australia’s chief selector, George Bailey, called “a bit of a de-load.” By the time David Willey completes his IPL stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore, his much-anticipated return to his former county will be sorely needed.Fuller is the sort of bowler who can get onto a hot streak when others cannot stop the game from drifting. From the moment he had bowled Luke Procter the previous evening with an inswinging, thigh-high full toss it appeared that the force might be with him. He ripped out Gareth Berg’s middle stump as he gated him on the drive and in his following over added Josh Cobb, who had played better than most, with a superb delivery that left him to strike off stump. After Ben Sanderson mistimed a short ball to cover, Tremain offered up the first of two unbridled yahoos – clearly a bowler who prefers a bit of a de-load with a bat in his hands. Exhibit A: a step-back outside leg stump, a swing and a miss.With an unsettled forecast for the final day, Northants had good cause for resolve. Such thoughts were banished when the follow-on was enforced and they plunged to 24 for 5 in 13 overs before lunch. This time Abbott, full-bodied and flavourful, from over and around the wicket, was the chief instigator. This was Abbott approaching his best. He had three by lunch, beginning with Ricardo Vasconcelos, who suffered for a lack of footwork as he was bowled pushing down the wrong line. It is difficult to get forward to Abbott as he pounds out a perfect length and as much as Sam Whiteman sought to do just that, he was bowled by a top-notch delivery that shaded away from him. Rob Keogh pushed forward to be lbw. Abbas’ first spell had lacked its usual accuracy, although he did add Hassan Azad, caught at first slip as he offered up a crooked defence.Madness then descended upon Northants, in the shape of Cobb, who displayed an unexpected appetite for a second run to Abbas at long leg. Maybe gossip had gone round the circuit that his throwing arm had gone? The throw was as dependable as it needed to be. Cobb fell a foot short. Abbott, the bowler, had watched this play out in mid-pitch, his hands resting on his head. Surprised to find Cobb rushing past him to his doom, he punched the air in satisfaction.After a heavy-hearted lunch, Northants found no respite. Fuller defeated Procter’s drive, Abbas tightened his line and improved his figures. At 48 for 8, they were still two runs short of their lowest total against Hampshire in first-class cricket. Some lusty blows from Tremain avoided that before another slog, timed at 2.34pm, brought the sorry proceedings to a close.Hampshire’s seamers had been warned that in the absence of Keith Barker they would have to bowl more overs, but they had not had to bowl too many at all. They will face stiffer opposition than this, but when their pace attack is fit and firing they are a match for anybody.

Mumbai must win, RCB have the advantage of playing last, and Royals can only wait in hope

Shiva Jayaraman20-May-2023With Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants advancing to the playoffs with wins in their last league matches, only one spot remains to be taken. Three teams have a chance to grab that final place in the playoffs. Here’s what the result in the remaining two games of the league will mean for the teams who are still in the fray.Matches to be played
Mumbai Indians v Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai, 3:30pm
Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Gujarat Titans, Bengaluru, 7:30pm

Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore both win

Both Mumbai and RCB will move to 16 points, but this scenario will be stacked in favour of RCB who have the better NRR of the two. Even if RCB win by the barest margin of one run, Mumbai are required to thrash Sunrisers by at least 79 runs to finish ahead of Royal Challengers. Even if Mumbai win by a margin bigger than 79 runs, RCB will have the advantage of knowing exactly what they would need to qualify because they are playing the last game.

Only one of Mumbai or Royal Challengers win

Whichever team wins, moves to 16 points and makes it to the playoffs. RCB losing to Titans is the best case scenario for Mumbai to qualify with a win.

Both MI and RCB lose

This is the outcome Rajasthan Royals will be hoping for, for it would give them a realistic chance of qualifying. If this happens, all three teams – Mumbai, RCB and Royals – will be tied on 14 points. Mumbai will be knocked out on account of their poor NRR.It will come down to NRR between RCB and Royals and here’s what Royals would need from Titans. If RCB bat first and score 180, Royals need Titans to chase down the target in 19.3 overs or before. If RCB field first and concede 180, Royals need Titans to restrict RCB to 174 or less.If the margins of RCB’s loss are tighter than that, then they will go through with a better NRR.

No result in the Mumbai-SRH game

In this event RCB will qualify if they win, otherwise Mumbai will go through to the playoffs.

No result in the RCB-Titans game

In this event Mumbai will qualify if they win, otherwise RCB will go through to the playoffs.

No result in both matches

RCB will qualify on account of superior NRR.

Assam’s Uma Chetry has earned her maiden call-up to the India side as a back-up keeper to Yastika Bhatia

Shashank Kishore02-Jul-2023Pace spearhead Renuka Singh, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, experienced allrounder Shikha Pandey and left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad are among the notable absentees in India’s white-ball squads for the tour of Bangladesh starting July 9.The BCCI’s media statement, which was released less than four days prior to the team’s scheduled departure for Dhaka, didn’t mention the reasons for the omissions. Among these names, Pandey was the only player who was not awarded a central contract for the 2022-23 season.Ghosh’s absence opened the doors for Assam’s Uma Chetry, who is the second wicketkeeper to Yastika Bhatia in both T20I and ODI squads. Chetry, 20, was part of the India A side that had recently won the ACC Emerging Nations tournament in Hong Kong.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

There were also maiden call-ups for Kerala allrounder Minnu Mani (only T20Is) and the left-arm spinning duo of Anusha Bareddy (Andhra) and Rashi Kanojiya (Uttar Pradesh) for both T20Is and ODIs. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead both squads, with Smriti Mandhana as her deputy.Meanwhile, top-order batter S Meghana and seam bowler Meghna Singh, who were part of the reserves in India’s T20 World Cup squad earlier this year, have been drafted into the main squad. Sneh Rana, who was another reserve player, is now part of just the ODI squad.Left-arm seamer Monica Patel and batter Priya Punia are back in the mix. Patel, who found herself in the wilderness after playing just two ODIs against South Africa in March 2021, is part of both squads. She is uncapped in T20Is. Punia, meanwhile, is part of only the ODI squad, and had last played in that South Africa series alongside Patel.Related

• Muzumdar, Arothe in shortlist for India women head coach

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Radha Yadav, the left-arm spinning allrounder, has been left out of both squads. The selectors have instead punted on Maharashtra’s Devika Vaidya and Punjab allrounder Amanjot Kaur, who made her debut earlier this year during the tri-series in South Africa. The tour of Bangladesh is India’s first assignment since the T20 World Cup in February-March when they lost the semi-finals to Australia.All the players in the squads were part of a targeted group of players that underwent a fitness-intensive conditioning camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru in May. It isn’t clear if the new head coach for the women’s team will be part of the Bangladesh tour.The BCCI is in the process of concluding its appointment process, with an announcement imminent. Former Mumbai captain Amol Muzumdar, former Baroda batter Tushar Arothe, who had earlier worked with India women as their coach, and former Durham batter Jon Lewis are among those in contention for the job.The India women head coach’s position has been vacant since Ramesh Powar was removed as part of an internal restructuring by the BCCI. Since then, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the former India allrounder, has been in charge of the team in an interim capacity. Kanitkar was also part of the fitness camp in May.India will begin the Bangladesh tour with a three-match T20I series, which will run from July 9 to July 13. This will be followed by three ODIs from July 16 to July 22. All games will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.This white-ball series marks the start of a busy calendar for India women with New Zealand, England and Australia set to tour over the next six months. England and Australia will play Tests in a multi-format tour.

Tilak Varma’s fifty on tricky track went in vain as West Indies overcame a mid-chase slide of 4 for 3 to edge home by two wickets

Himanshu Agrawal06-Aug-20231:20

Jaffer: ‘Hardik not giving Chahal a fourth over shocks me’

West Indies beat India in back-to-back T20Is for the first time since 2016, thus giving themselves every chance of triumphing over India in a T20I series (two games or more) for the first time in seven years. But none of this was without drama. With 27 runs to get off 37 balls and six wickets still in hand in the chase of 153, West Indies lost 4 for 3 in the space of 13 deliveries, their smooth progress hitting serious turbulence.Who would have thought then that they would win with seven balls to spare? Eventually, it took an unbroken ninth-wicket partnership of 26 between Nos. 9 and 10 Akeal Hosein and Alzarri Joseph to get their side home.But before rescuing West Indies with the bat, both Hosein and Joseph grabbed two wickets each – as did Romario Shepherd – to set the base for the win by restricting India to 152. Nicholas Pooran then led the effort with the bat, clobbering 67 off 40 balls with six fours and four sixes to keep India under pressure for most of the chase.

Powell’s calls, bowlers’ execution spot on

Rovman Powell had lost the toss, but his tactics ensured India’s batters hardly ever felt settled on a pitch where the ball was gripping and turning. Throughout India’s innings, there were only two occasions when a West Indies bowler bowled at least two overs in a row. And even that first happened only when Jason Holder bowled the ninth and 11th overs, with the constant rotation of bowlers not allowing India any momentum.Obed McCoy, Holder, Hosein and Joseph executed the plan to perfection, combining to grab 4 for 111 across 16 overs – an economy rate of less than seven an over – across multiple change-ups. There were fast ones zipping and skidding through on the two-paced pitch – from the pace bowlers and the left-arm spinner Hosein alike – as well as slower balls, cutters and turning deliveries, which India’s batters could not get a hold of.West Indies got everything they could have hoped for on Sunday to keep India in check: the slowness of the pitch playing a part in a leading edge from Shubman Gill, a direct-hit to run Suryakumar Yadav out, turn to have Sanju Samson stumped, and pace and accuracy to clean up Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan. Batting was difficult on this track in general too, as India struggling to 53 for 2 off the first nine overs indicated.Ishan Kishan was cleaned up by Romario Shepherd•Associated Press

Tilak’s maturity holds India together

On debut in the previous game, Tilak Varma wasn’t afraid of pulling back-to-back sixes to open his runs tally despite India having not started well in the chase. He hit 39 from 22 balls there, in Tarouba, as India fell just short. Three days later, Tilak was happy to play anchor. He came in at 18 for 2 in the fourth over, with Gill and Suryakumar’s lean returns continuing.Despite hitting two boundaries, Tilak was only on 21 off his first 24 balls. But even then those fours hinted at his confidence: the first was a clean loft over mid-on, the next a bold scoop over short-fine leg. He ultimately upped the tempo and finished with 51 from 41, though he did enjoy some luck.When on 25, his pull shot was anticipated by Shepherd at short fine leg, where he stuck his right hand up only for the ball to brush it and trickle to the rope; on 30, McCoy ran and dived to his left from long-on, but dropped another tough chance. But a reverse-sweep for four and a heave over short fine for six soon after showed Tilak still wasn’t afraid to take his chances.

Pooran shakes India up

Pooran had arrived at the crease with West Indies 2 for 2 after four balls, and managed only a single from his first five deliveries. But he then came to life as if abruptly waking up from deep sleep. Pandya was heaved over long-on for six and slashed through point for four in the third over; Mukesh Kumar was slapped and drilled through cover for fours in the fifth; and Ravi Bishnoi was deposited for 4, 6, 4, 4 to end the powerplay.That gave West Indies 61 runs off the first six overs, and Pooran got to his half-century off 29 balls to start the tenth over. It all looked rosy for West Indies while he was at the crease, before his dismissal triggered that mini-collapse and set nerves jangling in their dressing room. Fortunately for them, a stoic Hosein and Joseph were up to their task.

Following their success against India, Fargana Hoque and Nahida Akter become the highest-ranked batter and bowler ever for Bangladesh in women’s ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2023Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 271 runs at an average of 135.50 in the three women’s Ashes ODIs has pushed her up to No. 1 – from the second spot – in the ICC rankings.That makes it a double for Sciver-Brunt, who is also the top-ranked ODI allrounder in the world. With Sciver-Brunt moving up, Beth Mooney – 130 runs in three innings – has dropped to No. 3, with Chamari Athapaththu, who hit two centuries in the three-match home ODI series against New Zealand in late June/early July, moving to second place.Sciver-Brunt, who hit 31, 111* and 129 in the three ODIs against Australia as the women’s Ashes ended all square, has now achieved a career-high of 803 rating points. Meg Lanning (878 points) is the only other active woman player to have held a higher batting rating.

Full rankings tables

• Click here for the full team rankings

• Click here for the full player rankings

Following the women’s Ashes, Heather Knight rose two spots to 12th, Danni Wyatt three spots to 18th, and Ashleigh Gardner four spots to 21st on the batter rankings. Gardner also rose three spots on the bowlers’ table to fifth place and two spots among allrounders to third.Sophie Ecclestone continued to top the rankings for ODI bowlers.

Fargana and Nahida prosper after heroics against India

The ODI series between Bangladesh and India ended in a tied decider amid high drama. The key number, though, was 1-1, the scoreline, which most observers might not have expected.Fargana Hoque was one of Bangladesh’s star performers, her sequence of 27, 47 and 107 – the first ODI century by a Bangladesh woman – giving her the Player-of-the-Series award. She jumped 11 spots on the ODI batters’ table as a result, getting to No. 19. She is the first woman from her country to get in the top 20 on the list.Nahida Akter was the big mover among the bowlers, the left-arm spinner going from No. 24 to No. 19 – also the best for a Bangladesh woman cricketer. Nahida picked up six wickets in the three ODIs.

Left-arm spinner withdrawn from tournament’s inaugural draft, on September 3

Vithushan EhantharajahUpdated on 26-Aug-2023Sophie Ecclestone, England’s No.1-ranked white-ball spinner, has been withdrawn* from this winter’s Women’s Big Bash League in Australia after sustaining a dislocated right shoulder while warming up for Manchester Originals’ match against Southern Brave on Wednesday.Ecclestone, 24, appeared to be in considerable pain after the incident at Old Trafford, and required assistance to walk off the field and back up to the home changing room. She was pictured in a sling on the team balcony before being taken to hospital for scans and further assessment, with the ECB confirming the nature of the injury on Saturday morning.Related

• Perth Scorchers WBBL retention decision over Kapp and Devine likely to shape the draft

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• Knight and Ecclestone among England stars in WBBL draft

• Mahika Gaur, Bess Heath earn maiden England call-ups for Sri Lanka series

• Deandra Dottin warns West Indies to get their house in order

Despite the personal setback for Ecclestone, the injury will not immediately unsettle England Women’s preparation for the upcoming three T20Is and three ODIs with Sri Lanka. Head coach Jon Lewis had opted to rest Ecclestone for the limited-overs matches to manage her workloads after the first eight months of the year.Ecclestone’s stellar performances this summer helped England to an 8-8 draw in the women’s Ashes. She took 5 for 129 and 5 for 63 in the one-off Test before taking 10 wickets split evenly across the ODI and T20I components of the series. Her Hundred season finishes with seven dismissals at 13, and an economy rate of 6.50.However, her injury is a blow for the WBBL, for which she had been one of a number of England players to enter the tournament’s inaugural draft, which takes place on September 3. Her 20 wickets at 17.90 were a key factor in Sydney Sixers’ run to the final during the 2022-23 season. As the No.1-ranked bowler in both white-ball formats, she had been expected to be in high demand.*09.00 BST, August 26 – This story was updated following the ECB’s confirmation of the injury

India’s captain cracks a 63-ball century to help beat Afghanistan while famous World Cup rivals Australia and South Africa prepare for their sixth ODI meeting in five weeks

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-20232:13

Dale Steyn: Not easy to hit over the top and through the line like Rohit Sharma did

—Fixtures | Squads | Points table | Tournament Index

Top Story: Rohit and Bumrah headline fiery India display

India vs Afghanistan was one of the closer encounters of the 2019 World Cup, but a blistering hundred from Rohit Sharma ensured there would be no double jeopardy in 2023. Any jeopardy at all was taken out of the game in the first ten overs or so of the chase, when Rohit, who went past Sachin Tendulkar for most hundreds at the ODI World Cup, took the attack to all Afghanistan bowlers, turning a potentially tricky chase of 273 into a net run rate boosting cakewalk. A half-century from Virat Kohli capped a near-perfect day for India as they eased to an eight-wicket win with 15 overs to spare, after a disciplined performance with the ball had restricted Afghanistan to a below-par total despite half-centuries from Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai.India’s top order, Rohit included, had missed out badly against Australia after the hosts fell to 2 for 3. Today, Rohit would ensure there was to be no repeat of that. A sedate first couple of overs were followed by Rohit’s first boundary, and the floodgates opened. Fazalhaq Farooqi was belted over long-off for a six followed up by a couple of fours. There was a repeat dose in his following Farooqi over, with Rohit speeding along to a lightning half-century, which he brought up with a boundary, off 27 balls. Another couple of sixes and a boundary followed, and by the end of the powerplay, India had rollicked along to 94, the highest of this tournament.Rohit Sharma smacked a 63-ball hundred•ICC/Getty Images

Click here for the full report

Match analysis: Kohli’s homecoming party turns into Rohit extravaganza

They came for Virat Kohli, but they got Rohit Sharma. This was an exhibition of white-ball batting in Delhi, as India’s captain turned a chase of 273 – which Afghanistan hoped would prove awkward – into a glorified middle practice, treating their seamers with the disdain usually reserved for net bowlers.India’s second match of this tournament was billed as Kohli’s homecoming, his second and final World Cup appearance in the city he grew up in. Twelve years ago, he made 12 off 20 balls in a low-key win over the Netherlands; now, he was the man whose name featured on every other blue jersey in the 32,000-strong crowd.Click here to read the full analysis from Matt Roller in Delhi

Must Watch: Dale Steyn on the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah1:45

What makes Jasprit Bumrah effective even in tough conditions for bowlers?

News headlines

• Shubman Gill will re-join the Indian team in Ahmedabad but remains doubtful for their World Cup fixture against Pakistan on October 14 as he recovers from dengue.
• New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is “looking good” to make a comeback from injury in their game against Bangladesh in Chennai on Friday, head coach Gary Stead said in a press conference, while also confirming the availability of experienced fast bowler Tim Southee.