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Duncan Fletcher has said that India have got the potential and the ingredients to be a great side, and he has been impressed by the way they have thrown themselves on the field in the heat

Sriram Veera in Antigua12-Jun-2011One of the important events of this series for India, apart from the opportunities for the youngsters to prove their worth without the guiding presence of the seniors, is the debut of Duncan Fletcher as coach. He came heavily recommended by Gary Kirsten and his approach to coaching is slowly filtering through the anonymity that he cherishes. In the training sessions, he rarely addresses the players in a group. He will pick out a player or wait for him to walk up and have a chat. Even inside the secrecy of the team hotels, he says he prefers one-on-one conversations.”If someone comes and chats to me, we just have a quiet chat,” Fletcher said. “But that’s just been the way that I have always operated and I will continue to operate like that. I have always liked one-on-one situations. People tend to be more free and comfortable in that situation. They are freer to ask questions so if they get it wrong they are not embarrassed. It’s between me and the player. Why should I get it out in the media and help them get onto the bandwagon? That’s why I go one-on-one because I think there is a lot of confidentiality required.”At the end of the third ODI, Fletcher went to Rohit Sharma and told him that he had rarely seen someone finish a game in such style and with such ease, and lavished more praise at the press conference.He also talked about his coaching philosophy. “It’s important that I come here to first observe and understand them, to gain each other’s respect, I mean that’s the first thing. Get to understand how they think. People accept messages in different ways. So it’s crucial how they communicate with other people. Sometimes if you rush in, it’s very easy to destroy a cricketer and far harder to help a cricketer. I just have to be patient.”This tour doesn’t have many Indian reporters and so far Fletcher hasn’t been hounded by the media. He did get a sneak peek, though, before the third ODI. Suddenly, a reporter asked him, “Geoffrey Boycott has said that even his mom can coach this Indian team. What do you have to say?” Fletcher didn’t show any anger, nor even slight irritation. He just said calmly, “I don’t want to comment on that.”As you would expect this is the warm-up tour for him as a coach. The time to get to know the players, settle in and be accepted and respected. Respect is a constant theme in his vocabulary. Even in his first media conference in Chennai after he was named as a coach, he said, “You have to gain their [players’] respect and they have to gain my respect. And that’s what this is about. Once you have that then it makes your job easier.”It must be hard not to come with any perceptions about players, especially in a team like India, but Fletcher says that was the most important thing that he had to do before he took up the job. “A lot of people have a lot of things to say about the players and other people involved in the set-up, but it’s very important that you go in with a very clear mind about the players and make up your own mind about them. That’s why I have stood back and observed and see how they react to things. It’s important for me that this procedure takes place.”He has liked what he has seen so far from this Indian team. “This [third ODI] was a game where we struggled but we won. It shows two things: the character of the team, which is very very important, and that we can win from those situations. That’s not easy. Most sides would crumble under that sort of pressure and so it’s good to win so that you know how to win from those situations. By winning the series three-nil already they have shown great capability with bat and ball. What has impressed me is the way they have thrown themselves on the field in this heat. They have got the potential and the ingredients to be a great side.”

Sri Lanka’s hero of the day, Lasith Malinga, said team batting under natural light had a definite advantage

Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla16-Jun-2010The Asia Cup got off to just the sort of cracking start the organisers would have wanted – a tight, topsy-turvy match littered with classy batting and bowling efforts, and ending with victory for the home side. One cause for concern, though, is the quality of the floodlights at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium, which held its first day-night match in nearly three years.Eight floodlight towers were installed in 2003, but Sri Lanka’s hero of the day, Lasith Malinga, said team batting under natural light had a definite advantage. “The lights are not good enough by international standards, it is a handicap for the side batting second,” he said after the match. “However, Sri Lanka are used to it as we have played number of matches under this condition. We faced only problems when fielding, the fielders found it a little difficult to pick up the ball at times.”The lights would have only made it harder for the Pakistan batsmen to pick the distinctive low, round-arm action of Malinga, who collected his first ODI five-wicket haul. That included the final three scalps of a see-saw game, but he felt the deciding factor was Shahid Afridi.Afridi, already charged with the task of uniting a squad notorious for infighting, had hauled Pakistan from a hopeless 32 for 4 to a position of control with one of the finest innings of his career. He dismantled Muttiah Muralitharan and overcame severe cramps to make his first one-day century since 2005, leaving Pakistan only 47 to get off the final ten overs with Afridi and Abdul Razzaq still at the crease.”I didn’t feel much pressure because we always felt Afridi had to finish off the match for Pakistan and it was solely in his hands,” Malinga said. “It was a matter of trying to contain him and putting pressure on Afridi, we felt that if we got Afridi at any stage, we would win the match.” Afridi fell in the 41st over to a blinder from Kumar Sangakkara, much to the delight of the flag-waving Sri Lankan faithful who had turned up, and the Pakistan tail was clueless against Malinga.The defeat adds to the pressure on Pakistan ahead of their high-profile clash against India on Sunday, but coach Waqar Younis remained optimistic of reaching the finals. “We are still not out of the tournament, if we win against India we are back in business,” Waqar said. “After a long time, we will be playing against India, which is good to see.”As with the batting, Pakistan’s bowlers didn’t finish off the job after reaching a strong position. “I think the way we got them down to 160-odd for 7 and then let them off the hook to reach 242,” he said. “We should have done a lot better in the field, we gave away a few too many runs.”Pakistan’s cause was also not helped by their cumbersome start to the chase, with debutants Umar Amin and Shahzaib Hasan struggling against the Sri Lankan new-ball attack. Waqar, however, was confident they would fare better in the matches coming up. “We are in a re-building process, we brought three youngsters in on the tour, and we are looking to bring in some more for the next England tour,” he said. “We’ve got to give them a chance, it’s tough out there, but that’s how you play top cricket, it was their first game, few nerves around.”The Pakistan batting wears a new look because of the absence of middle-order stalwarts, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, and the decision to push regular opener Kamran Akmal down the order made the top-order lighter on experience.

India enforced the follow-on after Rana’s eight-wicket haul gave them a first-innings lead of 337

Srinidhi Ramanujam30-Jun-2024For the second consecutive day, South Africa’s batters showed great grit to stay in the game after being put on the back foot by the India bowlers in the one-off women’s Test in Chennai. If Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp fought hard on the second day after India declared at 603 for 6, Luus was at it again on Sunday, in the company of Laura Wolvaardt this time, which helped South Africa cut down the deficit to 105 runs after they were bowled out for 266 in the first innings.At stumps on the third day, South Africa were 232 for 2 in their second innings, with Luus scoring her first Test hundred and Wolvaardt remaining unbeaten on 93. South Africa will hope for more of the same on the fourth and final day to push the game to a draw.Related

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It was an eventful opening session for India on a hazy morning where Sneh Rana’s sensational bowling on a pitch offering more turn fetched her five wickets – to go with three from Saturday – to give her figures of 8 for 77. South Africa lost six wickets for 30 runs after starting the day on 236 for 4.Rana got the first breakthrough in her third over, the fifth of the day, when she dismissed a well-set Kapp for 74 with an almost unplayable delivery. Kapp was done in by the extra bounce as the ball, after pitching on off and middle, popped up to beat her outside edge and take the top of off stump. This triggered a collapse as three balls later, Rana removed Sinalo Jafta, who inside-edged one to Shubha Satheesh at short leg.Three overs later, Deepti Sharma picked up her second wicket. This time the ball stayed low when debutant Annerie Dercksen missed with her prod and was hit on her back pad. South Africa took the review but it was in vain. In the following over, Rana took her sixth when Nadine de Klerk perished whipping towards square leg where Rajeshwari Gayakwad dived in front to complete the catch. No. 7 and No. 8 came soon after as Rana finished off the innings.Rana became only the second Indian woman to pick up eight wickets in an innings in Test cricket after Neetu David, now India’s chair of selectors, who took 8 for 53 in a two-run loss against England in Jamshedpur in 1995.Sneh Rana finished with a career-best 8 for 77 in the first innings•BCCI

India enforced the follow-on with South Africa 337 runs behind. They then lost Anneke Bosch early to low bounce when she was trapped in front by Deepti in the first over. But Wolvaardt nailed her cover drives and looked assured in her approach.At lunch, South Africa were 29 for 1. India struggled from that point, going wicketless for close to 66 overs across the second and third sessions.In this period, Luus and Wolvaardt shared a mammoth 190-run partnership for the second wicket to provide South Africa hope of a draw. It was South Africa’s highest partnership for any wicket in women’s Tests.South Africa came out in the afternoon session determined to play the long game and they succeeded, scoring 95 runs in 34 overs to take tea at 124 for 1. Luus, who made 65 off 164 balls in the first innings, carried forward that form and temperament, moving to 64 off 121 balls at the end of the second session.Having been trapped lbw to one that kept low from Rana in the first innings, Wolvaardt used the depth of the crease more in the second dig. She pulled short deliveries through square leg and drove the fuller ones to long-on.Deepti Sharma dropped Marizanne Kapp off her own bowling in the last over of the day•BCCI

India toiled hard to break the stand with Harmanpreet Kaur trying as many as seven bowlers, including herself. But they weren’t disciplined with their lengths and speeds. Perhaps not being used to such a long time in the middle affected them. Deepti also dropped two catches – Kapp benefitting both times – in the last two overs of the day. The first was at slip off a Rana delivery that Kapp edged, and the second was a straightforward return catch.Wolvaardt and Luus, though, reaped the rewards of patience on a pitch that got slower after the first session.Consuming more than 200 balls meant Luus and Wolvaardt also had gotten used to the low bounce, with only the odd delivery popping up in the last two sessions of the day. Luus spent 234 minutes at the crease, hitting 18 fours. When she reached her half-century, Luus brought out the rocking-baby-cradle celebration, a gesture for the team’s strength and conditioning coach Zane Webster, who is an expectant father. She scored her maiden century in the final session, and became only the second South African to score a hundred in India in women’s Tests.The huge stand was finally broken by Harmanpreet when she cleaned up Luus in the 74th over. The low bounce came to her aid as Luus went back to pull but missed.With Kapp at the other end, Wolvaardt marched on to finish unbeaten. That has raised hopes of a South African lead on the last day, a scenario that looked near-impossible at the start of Sunday.For India, Jemimah Rodrigues was off the field for a majority of the last two sessions because of cramps.

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.

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.

Wealth of opening options means that middle-order specialist could be valuable

Andrew Miller13-Oct-2020On the day that England’s logjam at the top of their T20 batting order potentially got even more clogged following the successful promotion of Sam Curran as Chennai Super Kings’ latest opening batsman against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, there is at least one candidate for their World Cup plans who has no intention of pushing his way up the order.After what may yet prove to have been a breakthrough summer in England colours, Sam Billings says he would relish the chance to become the team’s designated finisher, having completed the English international season with his first extended run of opportunities since 2017.And England may well need him to do just that, given that so many of their batting options are currently gravitating towards the top three, both for England and increasingly in franchise cricket.For the moment, Jos Buttler and Jason Roy remain England’s first-choice T20 openers, with Jonny Bairstow slated to come in at No. 3 despite his powerful opening partnership with David Warner for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Tom Banton made his IPL debut at the top of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ order earlier this week, while Dawid Malan, the No.1-ranked T20I batsman in the world, is likely to get a chance to push his case with a stint in the BBL this winter.And with Ben Stokes returning to action this week as Buttler’s new opening partner at the Rajasthan Royals prior to Curran’s powerful opening cameo of 31 from 21 balls on Tuesday, that leaves Billings and Eoin Morgan as the only two specialist batsmen in England’s most recent T20 squad whose skills are not currently being deployed at the front of the innings.”There’s quite a few options at the top of the order,” Billings said. “Jason, Tom Banton, Phil Salt… all these guys. But they can battle it out for those three spots. I’ve just focused on what I’ve done this summer and hopefully I can continue that form over the course of the winter.”It is a different role, and it’s a very specific role,” he added. “So it’s one that I really want to grasp. It’s a role that I’ve done consistently over the last few years for Kent, and something that actually I prefer.”Billings, 29, withdrew from the Chennai Super Kings’ squad last year, prior to the Covid outbreak, primarily to focus on his red-ball duties with Kent. But with England’s squads split across two formats to allow their full international programme to take place in a condensed season, he seized his recall with a pair of match-winning knocks in tight run-chases against Ireland, before producing a maiden ODI hundred against Australia.And while his returns in four T20Is against Pakistan and Australia were less imposing, that is the format in which he has produced his finest innings to date for England – a blistering knock of 87 from 47 balls in St Kitts last year, in which he rescued a scoreline of 32 for 4 in the sixth over, to set up a crushing 137-run win.ALSO READ: England’s winter tours: What is the current state of play?That innings, however, came shortly before Billings dislocated his shoulder in a fielding accident in his first appearance of the 2019 county season – an injury which ended his hopes of featuring in the World Cup and left him fearing his England career would end up being a series of stand-in appearances when he was omitted from the tour of South Africa earlier this year.”It’s easy to say that but, actually, if you look at the record, that was a fact,” he said. “This [summer] was the first time I played consecutive games for England in ODI cricket since 2017. And then before that, it was two games against Ireland, and before that it was my debut series back in 2015.”It’s great to get consistent opportunity and an extended run as a player,” he said. “Chennai have done with loads of players and that’s why they are the most successful franchise around: they give players the opportunity to succeed and fail as well. A game here or there isn’t in anyone’s best interest.”I know my game,” he added. “In the middle overs, if we’ve lost early wickets, it’s about rotating the spinners, as you see all the best players in the world do. That’s something that I strive towards, and then having the power at the back-end of an innings to win games of cricket.”I’m never going to be the biggest run-scorer in terms of a competition or a tournament,” he said. “However, in terms of winning games of cricket, whether it’s ten runs off the last three balls, they’re the kind of contributions that are hugely valued in that role, and I want to be the man to do so.”Sam Billings swings into the leg side•Getty Images

England’s international plans for the winter remain up in the air, with their planned white-ball tour of South Africa still awaiting clearance from the South African government. But one tournament that Billings will be taking part in is the Abu Dhabi T10, which has been pushed back from its original date in November to January 28-February 6.And though he does hope to be in the top three for that particular event, Billings reckons that many of the skills required for finishing in T20s will be in even more demand with only 60 balls to play with.”It’ll be pretty tricky coming in at five or six, you might be in for two balls,” he said. “But it’s about the realisation that, as a batsman especially, your numbers won’t stack up. I think T10 cricket will change how we measure batting, so that instead of averages and traditional strike rates, it’ll be judged in terms of batting impact.”In T20 cricket, everyone wants to bat in the top three, because it is the nicest place to bat. But actually, a contribution of 20 off six balls as a No. 6 batsman has far more of an impact than, say, 40 off 30 at the top of the order. So how cricket is going to change in that respect is really interesting.”

Australia survived the loss of early wickets and a Trent Boult hat-trick to cruise to an 86-run win at Lord’s

The Report by Alan Gardner29-Jun-2019As it happenedBig-game temperament, they said. On a decent run of form, with players coming back in who will strengthen them further. Know how to win a World Cup (or five). Plenty of observers warned the real Australia would turn up at this tournament, though fewer predicted they would be the first team to secure a semi-final place. But after brushing aside the early pace-setters in this round-robin format, Australia look increasingly – and menacingly – close to their best once again.Watch on Hotstar (India only): Highlights of Alex Carey’s match-turning inningsNew Zealand removed Australia’s openers cheaply, chipped away at the middle order and then finished off the innings with a Trent Boult hat-trick – the first in ODIs at Lord’s. That Australia managed to make as many as 243 for 9 was largely down to a century partnership between Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey, the latter batting more fluently than anyone else on the day. Mitchell Starc then corralled a record third World Cup five-for, as a relentless, ruthless and (admittedly) slightly hotchpotch attack dismantled New Zealand.Alex Carey pulls to the boundary as he takes the fight to New Zealand•Getty Images

The key wicket, that of Kane Williamson, was claimed by Starc, whose 5 for 26 saw him overtake his tournament-leading tally of 23 wickets from the 2015 World Cup. New Zealand’s captain had not previously been dismissed by Starc in ODIs – a record which included their group-stage encounter four years ago, when Williamson thundered the final six that sealed a barnstorming one-wicket win in Auckland. At Lord’s, it never got anywhere near so close.Having recovered from 92 for 5, Khawaja anchoring the innings from the fifth over to the 49th – when he became the first part of Boult’s late-swinging yorker tryptich – Australia simply preyed on New Zealand’s insecurities with the bat. Williamson’s 40 included being dropped twice and Ross Taylor was the only other player to get past 20 as the challenge of going at almost five an over on a tacky pitch proved too much.WATCH on Hotstar (US only): Full match highlightsAustralia captain Aaron Finch was able to cycle through as many as four part-time bowlers, including himself, as his three premier quicks plus the orthodox spin of Nathan Lyon kept New Zealand tied down. Never was the sense greater that momentum was with Australia than when Steven Smith was brought on to bowl an over of legspin and promptly claimed his first ODI wicket in five years, as Colin de Grandhomme picked out long-off.Finch, Smith, Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell combined for figures of 9-0-43-1 and that in itself provided a measure of Australia’s eventual dominance. None of the big four went at more than 3.60 an over, with Jason Behrendorff backing up his five-star performance against England by removing both New Zealand openers in an opening spell that was extended to nine overs; and Nathan Lyon claimed his maiden World Cup wicket to suggest Australia have found the right balance for the slower surfaces that have predominated in the tournament.New Zealand were left to ponder another stuttering batting display, which leaves them facing a potentially nervous final group game against England next week. The move to bring in Henry Nicholls for Colin Munro at the top of the order brought only limited success – although an opening stand worth 29 was still New Zealand’s third-best of the competition – while despite starting well with the ball, Ish Sodhi’s legspin was underused and Williamson resorted to bowling himself for seven overs during the pivotal stand between Khawaja and Carey.Williamson perhaps reasoned that his offbreaks were more likely to trouble the pair of Australia left-handers – with both Sodhi and Mitchell Santner turning the ball into the batsmen – but it reinforced the nagging sense that New Zealand are overly reliant on their captain.He did eventually remove Carey, caught at cover looking to press the accelerator in the final Powerplay, though by that time Australia had fought their way back into the contest. Khawaja was largely becalmed, scoring only two boundaries in his first 100 balls, but he proved an adept foil for the more dynamic Carey, who continued his excellent form by scoring more than two-thirds of the runs during their 107-run stand.On a day highlighted by several brilliant catches – Martin Guptill’s to dismiss Smith, James Neesham’s off his own bowling to remove Glenn Maxwell, and Smith off Tom Latham all deserved a mention in dispatches – it was a missed chance that may have proved most significant. Khawaja’s second ball, driving at Boult, flew hard and low off the outside edge only for Guptill to shell it going one-handed to his right from second slip.On a roasting day in the capital, Australia had chosen to bat but, for only the second time in the tournament, Finch and David Warner could not provide a significant foundation. Boult rapped Finch on the knee roll and Warner was the first of a brace of short-ball breakthroughs for Lockie Ferguson, with Smith then plucked brilliantly by Guptill after pulling sweetly but within range of short fine leg; but although neither Stoinis nor Maxwell could produce the goods in the middle order – Australia’s one area of minor concern – they nevertheless found a way to get away.The innings juddered to a halt as Boult struck the stumps of Khawaja and Starc, then had Behrendorff lbw to complete the first World Cup hat-trick by a New Zealander. But it was Australia who ended the day emphatically on top.

David Munden, photographer and former county batsman, has died at the age of 60 after a battle with Parkinson’s Disease

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2018David Munden, the renowned cricket photographer and former county batsman, has died at the age of 60 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.Munden, who was a fixture on England cricket tours in the 1980s and 1990s, had been on Leicestershire’s books from 1975 until 1981 when, as captain of their second XI, he signed off with a century in his final appearance against Worcestershire at Grace Road.He was a contemporary of David Gower’s at the club, with whom he also represented England Under 19s on their tour of the Caribbean in 1976.”His passion for cricket was evident in the way he took to photographing the game once he realised he would not go on to enjoy a senior county career,” said Mark Baldwin, the chairman of the Cricket Writers’ Club.”He was a highly popular and much-respected colleague in and around press boxes at home and abroad. Cruelly, David’s illness eventually forced him to retire from his photographic work and he fought against the debilitations of Parkinson’s for many years.”In 2015, Leicestershire held a fundraising testimonial for Munden at Grace Road, where his father Victor and uncles Donald and Paul had also represented the club.The news of Munden’s death comes in the wake of the loss of Dave Callaghan, the BBC Yorkshire broadcaster, and Neil Bell, the BBC South East sports reporter.”In different ways and across different mediums the three of them contributed much to the promotion and presentation of cricket to a wide audience,” added Baldwin, “and they will be remembered with huge affection. What they shared, meanwhile, was a deep love of cricket and respect for the game.”

Chris Woakes wasn’t the England allrounder who gained the most attention in the IPL auction, but he proved his value to England once again with a match-winning contribution in St Kitts

George Dobell in St Kitts27-Feb-2017
ScorecardJahmar Hamilton and Rahkeem Cornwall added 123 for the sixth wicket•Getty Images

Chris Woakes wasn’t the England allrounder who gained the most attention in the IPL auction, but he proved his value to England once again with a match-winning contribution in St Kitts.England, set 234 to win, were reeling at 177 for 7 in the 40th over before Woakes calmed the situation with a run-a-ball innings of 47 not out. It was the third highest List A score of his career and saw England to a two-wicket victory with seven deliveries remaining. He had proved the pick of England’s bowlers, too, claiming 2 for 37 from nine well-controlled overs.England were grateful for his contribution. With only Jake Ball, who had earlier been forced off the field with a knee injury, left to bat (England later confirmed that he would have batted if required), they were facing an embarrassing reverse against a modest-looking WICB President’s XI side hit by withdrawals with 55 required from the final 10 overs.But Woakes added 35 for the eighth-wicket with Adil Rashid and then an unbroken 22 for the ninth with Liam Plunkett to help England squeak home. Despite taking just one run from the 48th over of the innings – 10 were required from the start of it – bowled by Kyle Myers, he laced Ronsford Beaton for four from the next over to all but end the contest. He had earlier driven Myers for a straight six and produced a couple of sweetly-timed drives through the covers.But this was an unconvincing performance with the bat from England. With Sam Billings, caught off the shoulder of the bat by one that reared at him, again failing to take his opportunity at the top of the order, England were heavily reliant upon an innings of 86 from Jonny Bairstow to get them anywhere near their apparently modest target.Bairstow, thrust into the unusual position of opener, responded with his highest List A score since August 2014 and looked in fine touch. But when he fell, failing to time an attempted paddle and spooning a simple catch to leg slip, it exposed the lack of contributions from the rest of the top order.While Joe Root added 117 with Bairstow, Jos Buttler cut to point, Eoin Morgan missed a reverse-sweep and Ben Stokes was punished for being stuck in the crease when he was bowled for a second-ball duck. When Moeen Ali was beaten by some turn, it seemed England’s familiar nemesis – spin bowling – might be their undoing once more. But while Woakes may not be England’s most glamorous cricketer, he showed again what a reliable allrounder he has become with a match-winning contribution that revived memories of England’s tie against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge in 2016.To be fair to England, conditions appeared to become more difficult for batting as the day progressed. On the same pitch used for Saturday’s game, the ball both spun and appeared to stick in the pitch for the seamers as the match wore on. Chasing the sort of score that Jonathan Trott might have made look simple, they instead exposed a slight lack of sophistication by continuing to attempt to blast their way to success in conditions where accumulation was required. The pitches for the ODI series are expected to be similar.”It was the sort of pitch that got tougher and tougher,” Paul Farbrace, England’s coach, said. “Cricket out here tends to be four quarters: the first 25 overs is a lot easier to bat than the last 25 overs. I don’t want to make excuses, but it got tougher and the ball stopped.”But even so we made it a lot harder for ourselves than we needed to. If one bloke gets 130 not out you win the game comfortably.”Earlier the President’s XI were grateful for a stand of 123 for the sixth-wicket between Jahmar Hamilton and Rahkeem Cornwall. Coming together with their side on 55 for 5, they counter-attacked attractively, with Rashid hit for a series of vast sixes.Cornwall, in particular, is a fascinating cricketer. Standing at six feet, seven inches and carrying a significant amount of surplus weight – he looks as if he thinks of strength and conditioning coaches as a small snack between meals – he still manages to be a good striker of a ball and a more than decent offspinner. Despite his obvious mobility issues – he dropped Bairstow at slip on 46; perhaps a match-defining moment – he has bowled more overs than anyone in the regional four-day competition (and only two men have more wickets) and is a genuine contender for an international place.Those two apart, the President’s XI batsmen struggled against an impressive display from England’s bowlers. Plunkett, learning from the first game, delivered a series of cross-seam deliveries that stuck in the surface and claimed two wickets with catches at leg gully, while Stokes also claimed three wickets as reward for much improved control.When Root and Bairstow were ticking over in their century stand for England’s second wicket, it seemed victory would be straightforward. And had offspinner Andre McCarthy not been bizarrely withdrawn from the attack having just claimed two wickets in three balls, the President’s XI might have exploited England’s familiar weakness against spin. But Woakes held firm and ensures England head to Antigua on Tuesday with victories from both warm-up games.It remains to be seen who lines up in that team. Ball is one obvious injury doubt – Chris Jordan and Sam Curran appear to be the leading candidates to replace him – while it also seems that Alex Hales, who joins up with the squad on Tuesday, will not be considered for the first game or two. That means that Billings is likely to remain as opener and Bairstow may rue is failure to make his excellent start here count. Jason Roy, rested here due to a bruised hand, is deemed fit to play.

Brian Lara has expressed his disappointment at Shivnarine Chanderpaul not getting a ‘proper send-off’

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-20162:29

Bishop: I’m thankful I played with him

Former West Indies captain Brian Lara has expressed his disappointment at his long time team-mate Shivnarine Chanderpaul not getting a ‘proper send-off’ in international cricket. Lara called Chanderpaul, who announced his retirement on Saturday, one of the giants of West Indies cricket.”I was very disappointed that Shiv was not allowed a couple of more Test matches, not necessarily to break the record but to have a proper send-off. Something I think he is very disappointed [about] and unfortunately that did not happen,” Lara said.”That guy with the most Test matches for the West Indies, playing for over 20 years, I don’t think people in the West Indies understand exactly his contribution.”Chanderpaul is West Indies’ second-highest scorer with 11,867 runs in 164 Tests, 86 behind Lara who scored 11,953 in 131 Tests. At 41, Chanderpaul had not played for West Indies since May 2015; the selectors dropped him after a poor home series against England.”Shiv, who played since 1994, had a tremendous career. I started with Shiv in Guyana and remember his first Test match against England,” Lara said. “He has been a great servant for West Indies cricket and he has done some tremendous things throughout his career, and credit must be given to the man for how he has played.”When I do have the opportunity to give him a call and thank him, I will because for me he was one of the giants of West Indies cricket.”