Tim Southee to take up captaincy duties; Mark Chapman called up as replacement

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2022New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will miss the third T20I against India in Napier because of a pre-arranged medical appointment. He is expected to rejoin the team ahead of the three-ODI series that begins on Friday.Head coach Gary Stead said Tim Southee would lead New Zealand in the third T20I in Williamson’s absence, while Mark Chapman had been called into the squad as cover.Related

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“Kane’s been trying to get this booked in for a while now, but unfortunately it hasn’t been able to fit into our schedule.” Stead said. “The health and well-being of our players and staff is paramount, and we look forward to seeing him in Auckland.”Stead said Williamson’s medical appointment had nothing to do with his elbow, a pre-existing injury the New Zealand captain has been coping with over the last year. He had missed games for New Zealand and in the IPL because of it.Williamson’s form in the T20 format has come under some scrutiny in recent times. While New Zealand made the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, Williamson scored only 178 runs at a strike rate of 116.33. Last week, he was released by his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad after he scored only 216 runs at a strike rate of 93.51 in their eighth-place finish in the 2022 season.After the first T20I in Wellington was washed out, India won the second match in Mount Maunganui by 65 runs, on the back of Suryakumar Yadav century. Though Williamson top-scored for New Zealand in the chase with 61 off 52 balls, he was unable to challenge the target of 192The third and final T20I will take place on Tuesday in Napier, before the teams head to Auckland for the first ODI on November 25. The second and third ODIs are in Hamilton and Christchurch on November 27 and 30.

Wicketkeeper-batter hurt his knee while fielding in the first T20I on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2023Sanju Samson has been ruled out of the T20I series against Sri Lanka due to a knee injury. Jitesh Sharma, the Vidarbha and Punjab Kings wicketkeeper-batter, has been called in as cover for the remainder of the series.This is a maiden call-up for Jitesh, who is expected to link-up with the squad early on Thursday morning in Pune.”Samson hurt his left knee while attempting to field a ball near the boundary ropes during the first T20I,” a BCCI release stated. “He was taken for scans and a specialist opinion this afternoon in Mumbai by the BCCI Medical Team and has been advised rest and rehabilitation.”Related

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Samson is believed to have picked up the injury in the 13th over of Sri Lanka’s innings in the first T20I on Tuesday. His knee appeared to have got stuck on the turf as he tried to put in a slide at deep third to stop a boundary. Samson immediately left the field.It was largely a forgettable game for Samson, as he managed just 5 in India’s two-run victory. He had earlier dropped Pathum Nissanka in the first over of Sri Lanka’s chase.While Samson did not wear the wicketkeeping gloves in the first game, Jitesh has been added to India’s squad as a cover for Ishan Kishan for the next two T20Is. Jitesh had a good season for Kings last year in the IPL, where he scored 234 in 12 outings with a strike rate of 163.63.He had often played the finisher’s role for the team and was one of the 16 players retained by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2023 auction.Jitesh also had a superb 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Vidarbha, scoring 224 runs in ten games at a strike rate of 175.00.The injury to Samson might provide an opportunity for Rahul Tripathi to make his debut at his home ground. Tripathi has travelled with the squad for a while but is yet to get a game.India lead the three-match series 1-0.

Legspinner selected despite being on bail after Cricket Association of Nepal suspension lifted

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2023Sandeep Lamichhane has been picked in Nepal’s 14-man squad for the tri-series against Scotland and Namibia. The selection was widely expected once the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) had lifted its suspension of the player and included him in a training camp for the series. Lamichhane is currently out on bail, though facing charges of sexual coercion of another person.His impending selection and inclusion in the training camp had led to protests last weekend, with calls for a boycott of the tri-series. Both the visiting sides involved in the tri-series have issues statements that have hinted at – but stopped well short of expressing – unease over the selection.CAN announced the squad on their Twitter feed on Friday. On Wednesday, Cricket Scotland said it was “aware of the reports regarding the legal status of Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane, ahead of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 Qualifiers. As a governing body, and as a squad, Cricket Scotland stands firmly against all forms of abuse, which have no place in modern society. The player’s availability for these games is a matter for the Cricket Association of Nepal and the ICC to consider.”Their counterparts at Cricket Namibia said only that the board “strongly opposes all forms of gender-based violence, discrimination and abuse.”Related

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• Scotland players refuse to shake hands with Lamichhane

• Lamichhane taken into custody upon landing at Kathmandu airport

• Nepal cricket board lifts suspension on Sandeep Lamichhane

• Lamichhane set to be included in Nepal squad for tri-series

When Lamichhane’s suspension was revoked by CAN, Britant Khanal, the board’s general manager told ESPNcricinfo that it was on the condition that Lamichhane would “respect the limitation prescribed” by the court that granted him bail in January this year. If Nepal were to travel outside the country, Lamichhane’s participation would depend on whether the court gave him permission for it or not. Lamichhane was taken into custody after he landed in Kathmandu in October last year, responding to an arrest warrant issued against him in September. At the time of the warrant, Lamichhane was participating in the Caribbean Premier League for Jamaica Tallawahs.His suspension was revoked after he was granted bail by court, on the condition that he could not leave the country until a verdict had been reached in the case.The tri-series is part of the ICC’s Cricket World Cup League 2 and is set to be played in Kirtipur starting from February 14.Nepal squad: Rohit Paudel (capt), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Gyanendra Malla, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sundeep Jora, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sandeep Lamichhane, Gulshan Jha, Bhim Sharki, Surya TamangTravelling reserves: Aarif Sheikh, Pratish GC, Shyam Dhakal, Arjun Saud

Assistant coach Ahmadzai says 2-1 T20I triumph will “give our cricket a new spirit”

Umar Farooq28-Mar-2023Afghanistan are toasting a first ever T20I series win over Pakistan, with their assistant coach Raees Ahmadzai describing the achievement as one that could “give our cricket a new spirit”.Ahmadzai has been with the team for two years now. He was on the sidelines watching as Afghanistan went 2-0 up, their bowlers reducing Pakistan to 92 for 9 in the first T20I and 130 for 6 in the second. They were unable to complete the series sweep as a young Pakistan team found new heroes of their own but the mood in the camp is still understandably upbeat.”Beating a higher ranked team is big for the country,” Ahmadzai told ESPNcricinfo. “I can’t explain the significance of this victory in words because it carries a lot of emotions. This is going to give our cricket a new spirit and give us a belief that we can do it and we did it. It became history and we are going to take this trophy back to Kabul giving our people much-needed joy.”Outside of their exploits against Zimbabwe and Ireland, this was only their third T20I series win over an ICC Full Member. The other two came in 2018 against Bangladesh and 2019 against West Indies.The three matches, which took place over the last week, were not part of the Future Tours Programme. It was arranged to fill the gap in the calendar after Australia withdrew from playing against Afghanistan.Until now, Pakistan and Afghanistan mostly faced off against each other in ICC events, with Pakistan winning a vast majority of the matches. But this time they came into the series resting several first-choice players – including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi – and Afghanistan took advantage.”It is special to win against a top nation,” Ahmadzai said, “And Pakistan fielded a strong side with a lot of PSL performers who have been scoring big runs and taking wickets. So it’s exciting to beat a top cricket nation. It’s not like we never came close to beating Pakistan before. There were some close games in the past in which Pakistan won but it’s good to pull a series.Pakistan came into the series resting several of their first-choice players•Afghanistan Cricket Board

“This is not just a win for Afghanistan cricket but for cricket as a game because this victory is going to inspire many youngsters who will start picking up the game in Afghanistan. Our people back home were skeptical, and taunted us, doubting our ability if we are ever going to beat a bigger team like Pakistan, India, Australia, and England. There were fans who don’t understand the process but just want to win and want to take pride in it and now everyone is happy. It’s like a festival now. Cricket has been a major source of happiness, people love cricket and this series win brought a lot of smiles. The game is already growing in the country and such wins change the dynamic at the grassroots.”The conditions in Sharjah also offered Afghanistan and their spinners a little bit more than the pitches that were used in the PSL and Ahmadzai praised his players for making full use of it. “We knew that Pakistan team coming from scoring so many runs in PSL and they could go all with the same pattern hitting uppish,” he said. “They are very talented cricketers but we knew the pressure of international cricket is going to test them. So we had to exploit the conditions and the rhythm they were enjoying playing in Pakistan. We have world-class spinners and we had to use our new ball smartly.”We didn’t have much time to prepare for the series but we knew this series was an opportunity to learn and execute what we know. We took full advantage of the conditions and restricted them to 90 and 130 odd runs. There are a lot of takeaways from the series, especially in our fast bowling department, we know we need to get more control in death bowling. We have stroke makers in our batting line-up but we have made them learn to take the innings deep when you have a bigger target in front of them. We have world-class spinners and they delivered up to the expectations.”Contests between Afghanistan and Pakistan are quite intense with incidents of both fans and players squaring off against each other. When asked about this, Ahmadzai said, “we have produced the finest [T20] cricketer for the game [Rashid Khan] and I often hear odd things about our nation that we don’t understand the game and don’t have the temperament for high-class cricket which is totally wrong.”We have role models in form of Rashid Khan who is the greatest ambassador of the game. There was an isolated incident of aggression in the field which has given a false impression. We respect the game and showing passion on the ground is a natural act and very much part of the game. We play the game according to the rules and regulations defined by ICC. What happens in the crowd is out of our control, we can’t control how people think and respond and it’s the role of security and stadium authorities to manage.”But what I can tell you is that we are a peace-loving country and play the game in the right spirit. There is a little rivalry going on with Pakistan and that’s healthy for the game.”Ahmadzai cited a passage of play in this series where Mohammad Nabi was seen glaring at Imad Wasim after picking up the wicket of Faheem Ashraf. “There was an incident that, to the outsider might seem like an example of the usually tense atmosphere in these games, but actually showcases Nabi’s smarts. Viewers might remember when he dismissed Faheem in the first T20, he turned around and apparently stared at Imad Wasim at the non-strikers. In fact, they had been discussing how much the ball was breaking on the pitch and when he took the wicket, he turned to show Imad, a team-mate at Karachi Kings, how much control he has over his bowling to have landed it exactly right.”Afghanistan next assignment is a full tour of Bangladesh in June, where they will play two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is.

Australia recovered from a difficult loss in Delhi to win in Indore and draw in Ahmedabad

Andrew McGlashan13-Mar-20232:22

Chappell: Australia didn’t learn a lot about their play in this series

The anguish of knowing their chances of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Indian soil were potentially scuppered by one horrific session of batting will continue to linger for Australia, but they were able to finish the series with a ringing endorsement of their spin attack which was termed the best to visit the country in a decade.Australia knew coming to the ground in Ahmedabad for the final day of the series that their best hope was to survive and keep the margin at 2-1, something they achieved with ease through Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne on a surface that though it started to turn had not done it nearly early enough.The second half of the series was in stark contrast to the first where Australia’s limp batting in three out of the four innings cost them, most dramatically when they lost 8 for 28 on the third morning in Delhi having been well placed on a tricky pitch.”We really hurt after that game in Delhi,” Steven Smith said. “Guys were pretty upset with the way we went away from our methods in that game, it was disappointing, but obviously at that point we knew there was plenty to still play for in the series and guys responded really well and as a group we are proud of the way we bounced back and played some good cricket in the last couple of Test matches. You take the hour of madness away and things could certainly have been different.”Related

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• Murphy's maturity, Khawaja's redemption, Head's promise among Australia's takeaways

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However, even in the opening defeats, the performances of Todd Murphy (seven wickets on debut in Nagpur) and Nathan Lyon (a five-wicket haul in Delhi) stood out and they then combined with left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann during just his second Test in Indore to secure a famous victory.India’s coach, Rahul Dravid, revealed that the quality of Australia’s spin attack had been noted by the home side with some of their batters who could recall rating it the best since they had faced Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar when they earned England a 2-1 series win in 2012-13.”A lot of times you see with overseas teams they have one good spinner but tend to leak runs at the other end and you can control the game from the other end,” Dravid told . “But credit to the two young spinners, they maintained that pressure, [and] they took wickets. A lot of the guys… were full of praise for the quality of spin they had to play which made the series win all that much more sweeter.”Some of the guys were saying since probably Panesar and Swann they’ve not played over the last decade a couple of spinners of this kind of quality or this quality of spells. They’ve played individual spinners who have been brilliant over the last 10 years, including someone like Nathan Lyon, but to have the quality of spin attack, probably since Panesar and Swann it’s been the best quality of spin we’ve played over the last 10 years in these conditions.”The collective average for Australia’s spinners of 26.28 places it second in that time period, behind the 2016-17 combination of Lyon and Steve O’Keefe who shared 38 wickets at 24.73. The England side of 2012-13, dominated by Swann and Panesar, claimed 39 wickets at 28.61.Smith, who took over the captaincy for the last two Tests when Pat Cummins returned home, praised the way Murphy and Kuhnemann, neither of whom were the first-choice spinners for their states in Australia before this tour, had dealt with the pressure.”Debuting in Test cricket in India, it can be quite daunting at times and the way they came in and performed was outstanding,” he said. “The way they have developed and learnt to bowl over here on the go has been outstanding. I thought Murphy in the last game and this Test match as well, how tight he kept it, bowling in a defensive way was outstanding.”Lyon took 22 wickets in the series to finish equal second with Ravindra Jadeja behind R Ashwin, the India duo being named joint players of the series. After the third day’s play, Lyon said he felt he had bowled better in Ahmedabad than in Indore, where he claimed 11 wickets in the match including eight in the second innings, and it was a view endorsed by Smith who even went a step further.”I’ve stood at slip to him for a very long time and the way the ball was coming out, the revs and drop and everything he had on the ball on a surface that wasn’t offering a great deal, I said to him at the end of play, that’s probably the best I’ve seen you bowl,” he said. “For someone who’s played 115-odd Tests to keep getting better, I thought was outstanding.”

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

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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.

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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.