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Can Hope and co. look Gabriel and Roach in the eye after their efforts in this series?

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Jul-2020What exactly did West Indies’ batsmen learn between the second and third Tests? They had to bat time on the final day of both matches. Both days, they walked back defeated.On the final day of the second Test, they managed to survive 70.1 overs out of the 85 they needed to. Today they struggled to last just 37.1 overs, having been tasked to be vigilant for 98.It was shambolic and embarrassing. Every specialist batsman showed the resolve of a child spotting an ice-cream truck. None gave the impression that he understood what the batting group’s main goal was: to bat out the balls they needed to.Jermaine Blackwood was the only visiting batsman today who lasted an hour. The rest of the batting line-up were easily distracted, and lured into the playing shots at balls they could easily have left alone. They were easy pickings for Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes, who barely broke a sweat between them on a breezy, rainy final day of this first-ever biosecure Test series played behind closed doors.Kraigg Brathwaite hangs his head after his dismissal•Getty Images

To understand how listless West Indies and how confident England’s bowlers were, you should have heard Broad recounting an anecdote from fourth day after the victory. Broad said that James Anderson had pointed to Windies opener Kraigg Brathwaite and said it was a matter of time before he would become Broad’s 500 Test victim.Both great bowlers had a chuckle. As it happens, Brathwaite was Anderson’s 500th Test wicket during the 2017 tour of England. Brathwaite might as well make 500 the number he wears on his Test shirt, if the ICC allows.But it is not about being a laughing stock, Brathwaite must understand. His fraught technique, where he bats back and across, not knowing where his off-stump is despite taking an off-stump guard, has contributed to his string of failures, especially in the second innings.Today, he was defeated by a Broad ball that had pitched on the seam, on a good length, on the fourth stump before darting in low and fast to hit his raised back leg. Brathwaite could have played on the front foot, but his defensive mindset exposed him, resulting in him getting squared up.ALSO READ: Why Hope’s Headingley opus might not sustain him much longerOn the flight back tomorrow Shai Hope will definitely think about several what-ifs. One simple question he should be asking himself is: was it really necessary to pull a short ball, trying to shovel it from wide outside off stump, only to balloon an easy catch to mid-on? And that too 45 minutes from lunch, not long after Brathwaite had departed?The stroke that Hope attempted today is a stroke batsmen play predominantly in limited-overs cricket when they spot the mid-on fielder well inside the circle. Were West Indies actually playing for a win today? Hope’s highest score in his six innings in this series was 31, which came today. Questions about his future are certain now.Hope’s was not the only self-inflicted blunder. Similar examples of loose decision-making included: Shamarh Brooks playing at a straight ball that needed to be left alone; Roston Chase – who had proved to be the most reliable player – stuttering to respond to call from Blackwood late and turning an easy run into a run-out; Jason Holder failing to take a stride forward against a length ball that trapped him plumb; and ditto Shane Dowrich. Such benevolence helped Woakes to quietly steal a five-for without being particularly scheming.At about half past two in the afternoon, minutes after he had got out, Holder was caught by the TV cameras holding his head in his hands. That was she same head that was held proudly aloft on the final afternoon in Southampton, after Holder and Blackwood had led West Indies to a historic victory to take the series lead. Prime ministers would call Holder to tell him how proud they were he had kept a cool head to take West Indies past the finishing line.From those giddy heights, about a week later, Holder could not believe his batsmen had failed to show the spine to withstand the mounting pressure from Broad and co. as they were bowled out twice in two days, despite sitting pretty before the final session on the penultimate day of the second Test.Another week later, Holder said he could not explain what exactly had happened that West Indies had lost the series 2-1. England has never been an easy place for visiting teams to win especially in the past eight years, when they have been beaten only once – in 2014 by Sri Lanka.Yet Holder and his troops had been gung-ho having won the home series against England in 2019. That victory was possible because some of their batsmen had excelled at home – including Holder, who had blasted a maiden double-century.This time around, West Indies breached the 300-run mark just once – in the first innings of the first Test. That total had allowed their fast bowlers – led by Holder and Shannon Gabriel – to attack England.Jason Holder reflects on West Indies’ series loss•Getty Images

To put those failings into context, this was first time since 1928 that no West Indies batsman recorded a single Test century against England. It was also only the fifth instance of zero centuries in Test series comprising at least three matches for West Indies.This series West Indies managed just 23.73 runs per wicket which was marginally better than their 2017 trip to England. However, last year when West Indies won the series at home against England that figure was a healthy 31.15. Their top three averaged 20.29 which is the second-lowest against England.At the outset of the series Windies batting great Brian Lara had pointed out that the key to succeed in England is to protect your stumps. However this West Indies batting unit’s defence has been too porous: there were 19 lbw dismissals, which is the second-highest count in a three-Test series for them.West Indies batsmen need to think hard. They are not just letting themselves down, but also their fast bowlers, who strived and fought through the pain of bowling not just in back-to-back Test matches, but also long tireless spells.Can they look in the eye of Gabriel, who was playing in his first Test series since surgery last September and was stiff after his match-winning spell in Southampton? Can they do the same with Kemar Roach, who toiled endlessly throughout the series and finally got to the milestone of 200 Test wickets, but could not celebrate the feat? The fast bowlers need an apology.It is not just about the technique and mental strength that makes Test cricket the pinnacle. To win the minor battles, you need presence of mind, too. West Indies were aware on Tuesday that play would be hampered by frequent showers. West Indies were bowled out six minutes before three o’clock. Less than half an hour later, it was raining heavily at Old Trafford.Michael Holding had the first word in this series, calling “timber” after Gabriel bent back Dom Sibley’s off stump to take the first wicket in this series. Holding had the last word, too. He got a message from a friend in the Caribbean who wanted to check if the rain could save West Indies this afternoon. Holding’s response was: “The Lord only helps those who help themselves.”

Devon Conway took the men’s domestic title for the second year running

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-2020Tim Southee and Tom Latham bagged first-class awards while Devon Conway and Katie Gurrey were recognised for their domestic performances in the New Zealand Cricket annual awards.Southee took the Winsor Cup for first-class bowling after claiming 41 wickets at 22.31 over the voting period with eight of his nine matches being Tests where he claimed 40 scalps.Latham scored 875 runs which included centuries against Sri Lanka and England plus 224 for Canterbury against Wellington in the Plunket Shield – the same match where Conway scored an unbeaten 327.ALSO READ: Ian Smith honoured by NZC for ‘outstanding services to cricket’“It’s a great honour,” Southee said during the awards which are being presented virtually throughout the week due to the coronavirus pandemic. “When you see the great players who have won the award in the past it’s pretty humbling to see my name on it.””The Test win in Colombo was really special as we were able to bounce back from a defeat in Galle in challenging conditions. The way we played our Test cricket at home this summer was especially pleasing. To beat England first up was a great effort and then to perform so well against a very good Indian side was immensely satisfying.”On the domestic front Conway, who was born in South Africa and becomes eligible for New Zealand in August, made it back-to-back player of the year titles following a prolific season for Wellington where he became the first player to top the run-scoring across all three formats: Plunket Shield 701 runs at 87.72, Ford Trophy 553 runs at 55.30, T20 Super Smash 543 runs at 67.87.”It was a brilliant season for the Firebirds,” he said. “We’ve got a great culture in the team and to claim two of the three trophies was a huge effort; especially winning the Plunket Shield after something like 16 years which was really special.”I didn’t ever expect to win this award two years in a row so it’s certainly something I’ll cherish and it’s a pretty awesome feeling to be honest. I’ve got to say thank-you to the team management, support staff and my team-mates – I couldn’t have achieved these awards without their help so I’m really grateful to them.”Gurrey was named women’s domestic player of the year and also took the domestic batting honour after compiling 992 runs in the one-day and Super Smash tournaments. “It means a lot,” she said. “To win any award at this level is a great honour. It’s one of those awards that you hope you may win one day – and now to have achieved it is an amazing feeling.”Jess Kerr, who made her ODI and T20I debuts earlier this year and was part of the T20 World Cup squad, took the domestic bowling prize after claiming 20 wickets in the Super Smash – the most across the men’s and women’s tournaments.The international segments of the awards will take place on Thursday and Friday along with the announcement of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal.

Wicketkeeper-batter Polly Inglis, left-arm seamer Bree Illing and allrounder Flora Devonshire are the replacements

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2025Injuries have ruled out wicketkeeper-batter Isabella Gaze (hip flexor), seamer Hayley Jensen (hip flexor), and batter Bella James (quadricep) from New Zealand’s three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Wicketkeeper-batter Polly Inglis, left-arm seamer Bree Illing and allrounder Flora Devonshire have replaced them.Inglis and Illing made their international debuts during last week’s ODI series while Devonshire is uncapped. Inglis took five catches in three games and scored 34 not out and 9 not out the two times she got a chance to bat. Illing took four wickets across three games, twice dismissing Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu. New Zealand won the series 2-0 after the first game was washed out.Gaze, who played the ODI series as a specialist batter, sprained her left hip flexor in the field during the third ODI. “Her rehabilitation timelines are being reviewed,” NZC said in a release. Jensen and James – both were ruled before the ODI series – are yet to recover full fitness.Related

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“We’re all feeling for Izzy, Hayley and Bella,” head coach Ben Sawyer said. “It’s disappointing for the team and the players, but I know those three have the determination and resilience to bounce back.”Bree and Polly had a really positive start to their ODI career. They both showed great intent and execution and I’m confident they’re ready to take on this next challenge. Flora’s shown a lot of all-round potential at the domestic level and is another exciting young player that has qualities consistent with what we’re looking for in the White Ferns.”The T20I series starts on March 14 in Christchurch. The second game will be played in Christchurch, on March 16, before the teams travel to Dunedin for the final T20I on March 18.

First series win in England since 1999 was firm focus, says vice-captain

Matt Roller13-Jun-2021New Zealand’s series win in England is their first since 1999 and they have an opportunity to add the inaugural World Test Championship title next week when they play India at the Ageas Bowl.Which is the bigger prize? “Both sounds pretty good,” Tom Latham, their vice-captain, grinned after leading them to victory at Edgbaston. “From our point of view, it was about coming here and focusing on these first two Test matches against England and trying to continue doing what we’ve been doing over a couple of years now. Now that we’ve ticked them off, it’s important that our focus shifts to India in a couple of days.”It’s a fantastic achievement from the group. I think it’s important that we celebrate with each other. It hasn’t been done since ’99. For us to come here as a group, it was about trying to play our brand of cricket and I thought we did that really well over the four days and got our rewards at the end.”While New Zealand’s recent record against England has been excellent – they have won four and drawn three of their last seven Tests against them, dating back to 2015 – their away record against the big three of India, England and Australia had been poor since that 1999 triumph, with just two victories in their previous 39 attempts. Latham said that his memories of seeing teams struggle on previous tours made the victory even better.”I certainly remember staying up late, watching teams come over to England and playing Test cricket – at Lord’s, and all these iconic grounds. For us to come here and put a performance on the board that was true to us was really important.”It was about trying to do what we do really well and I thought we did. [It’s] well documented that ’99 was the last time we’d won here and we have been here a couple of times in recent years and haven’t quite got the rewards. It’s certainly an achievement that’s worth celebrating.”New Zealand’s series win also took them back to No. 1 in the ICC’s Test rankings, leapfrogging India, their upcoming opponents. They reached the summit for the first time earlier this year after beating Pakistan, before India nudged past them following their 3-1 series win against England in March.Related

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They made six changes from the team that drew at Lord’s, with Kane Williamson, BJ Watling, and Mitchell Santner suffering elbow, back and finger niggles respectively, and Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson all rested ahead of the main event.Latham said that New Zealand expect to have a clean bill of health leading into that final, and paid tribute to the strength in depth within the squad.”It was amazing from a personnel change of six guys. That hasn’t happened for a long time in this group and it has been a hard team to crack into. For all those guys to get that opportunity – Will Young, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel – was fantastic. They performed their roles really well.”[Watling and Williamson] are travelling reasonably well. It was important for them to get a little bit of rest in order to be fully fit heading into next week. Fingers crossed we’ll have a fully-fit squad.”As for the challenge India will present, Latham said that their performances on their tour of England in 2018 – albeit in a 4-1 series defeat – demonstrated that they would be tough to beat at the Ageas Bowl.”They’ve got a fantastic set of bowlers, [and] a lot of quality batsmen that have scored runs in different conditions all round the world. They were over here a few years ago and played really well, so we know we’ll have to play well to beat them.”Our focus will shift to them in a couple of days. The preparation has been great but it’s important that we do shift our focus and adapt to a completely different side.”

Cricket Ireland high-performance director says Ford wanted to put “his mental health, physical health and family first at this time”

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2021Graham Ford has stepped down as head coach of the Ireland men’s team with immediate effect, with Richard Holdsworth, high-performance director for Cricket Ireland, saying that dealing with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic “has taken its toll and he [Ford] needs a break from the game”.Ireland are getting ready to tour USA in December and then the West Indies in January next year, and Cricket Ireland said in a statement: “Interim coaching plans will be put in place over the coming weeks, while a longer-term plan is developed, which will take into account any recommendations from the current T20 World Cup Review underway.”Related

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In the meantime, Ford will be on leave as he observes his contractual notice period that runs until mid-December.”The last four years have been very special for me – I have enjoyed many happy days with a cricket squad made up of very special people,” Ford said. “I have also enjoyed watching club cricket and experiencing the passion and club loyalty of many fine cricketing people.”When compared with the other ICC Full Member nations, Cricket Ireland has faced many handicaps and challenges. Despite this, on several occasions the team has competed impressively with some of the top teams in world cricket and it has been a privilege for me to experience first-hand the character and togetherness of the Irish players.”However, over a period of time these challenges and handicaps have taken their toll on me. After much consideration and discussion with my family, I realise that this is the right time for me to step away from Cricket Ireland. I’d like to end by thanking all the players and the support staff for their impressive attitudes and loyal support during the four years and I look forward to watching them achieve big things in the future.”Ford, a South African national, was appointed Ireland head coach in late 2017, initially on a three-year contract that was extended by three years in 2019. He oversaw a transitional phase with the team, that included their Test debut in 2018 and, more recently, the disappointing run at the T20 World Cup.During Ford’s tenure as head coach, Ireland played 101 international matches – 51 T20Is, 47 ODIs, and three Tests. He had also provided insights for the restructuring of the men’s inter-provincial set-up, and the regional performance coaching hubs.Ireland made their appearance as a Test nation during Ford’s tenure•Getty Images

Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie thanked Ford for his “consistent positivity”. “Graham has been one of the best coaches I have ever worked with, and I feel very fortunate that I got to spend four years working with him, not just for the playing development side of my game, but for his incredible support during my captaincy to date,” Balbirnie said. “We have had our challenges over the last number of years as a squad, but his consistent positivity has been infectious and his determination to improve the skills of everyone in the squad has brought some of our young cricketers on leaps and bounds…”Holdsworth said he respected Ford’s decision to put “his mental health, physical health and family first at this time”.”It is a sad day to see Graham bid farewell to Cricket Ireland – he is a truly world-class coach who has incredible respect within the game, both for his achievements on the field and his work in developing players off the field,” Holdsworth said. “It would be sugar-coating the occasion to not acknowledge the challenges that Graham has faced – in many respects, unprecedented challenges. The physical and mental impact of the pandemic has been much talked about regarding players, but the coaches and support staff are equally impacted by circumstances…Graham has been a stoic coach, mentor and support for a squad of players dealing with extremely demanding circumstances. And, as he admits himself, it has taken its toll and he needs a break from the game.”He has barely taken a day off voluntarily in his four years here, such is his commitment, and probably hasn’t had a sustained break from the game for well over two decades. The pace, relentlessness and increasing pressures of international cricket – compounded by the impact of the pandemic – are such that we fully understand and appreciate Graham’s position.”

Teenager falls for 91 but Sam Hain remains firm after Olly Stone’s five-for limits Hampshire to 539

ECB Reporters Network07-Jul-2019Teenager Rob Yates fell nine runs of his maiden first-class century as Warwickshire battled hard to eat into Hampshire’s huge first-innings total of 539.Top order batsman Yates, who only signed his first professional deal last December, showed maturity which belied his age to guide his side towards the follow-on target. The 19-year-old academy graduate added a vital 142-run stand for the third wicket with fellow talented youngster Sam Hain, who collected his second Specsavers County Championship half-century of the season.Earlier, Olly Stone had marked his return from almost seven months on the sidelines with a bone stress injury in his lower back with a five-wicket haul. Stone, who had taken three wickets on his first day of action of the season helped wrap up the Hampshire tail inside 20 overs during the morning.Hampshire returned on 450 for 6 after an an extraordinary opening day which had seen Ian Holland and Aneurin Donald notch centuries. The bright sunshine which had shone over the Ageas Bowl made way for overcast conditions on day two, although the wicket remained flat as Hampshire added 89 more runs.Gareth Berg lasted five overs before he was castled by Oliver Hannon-Dalby. Lewis McManus and Keith Barker, against his former county, added 60 for the eighth wicket, scoring 41 not out and 35 respectively. But the final three wickets fell for six runs as Ben Mike had Barker caught at deep square leg before Stone had Kyle Abbott lbw and Fidel Edwards bounced out to claim figures of 5 for 93.Warwickshire’s reply started poorly as Will Rhodes edged Kyle Abbott behind to leave the visitors 15 for 1 at lunch. That became 39 for 2 when Division One’s highest run-maker Dom Sibley tamely chipped Abbott to cover.With 350 runs still required to avoid the follow-on, and an uber-accurate and disciplined Hampshire bowling attack asserting plenty of pressure, Hain and Yates joined for a dogged partnership. Attacking shots came at a premium throughout the afternoon session, with the run-rate barely touching two.Solihull-born Yates, who has played for Warwickshire since their Under-10s, was handed two lives, on 35 and 45, as plenty of runs came through the slip cordon.Yates broke into the first team during Warwickshire’s Royal London Cup campaign and hasn’t been left out since. He batted patiently to reach a half-century in 144 balls, beating his previous best score of 49, and appeared on course for three figures. But he meekly fell for 91 when he struck part-time spinner Felix Organ to short midwicket.Meanwhile, Hain passed his 3000th Championship run before moving to his own fifty in 85-balls as he ended the day unbeaten on 68. Warwickshire on 198 for 3, still 191 adrift of the follow-on and trailing by 341.

The future of Tom Moody as Western Australia’s coach will be decided after Christmas as his team continues to struggle in his third year in the job

Cricinfo staff17-Nov-2009The future of Tom Moody as Western Australia’s coach will be decided after Christmas as his team continues to struggle in his third year in the job. However, the state’s chief executive Graeme Wood has guaranteed Moody, whose three-year contract expires at the end of the season, will coach out the summer.The recruitment of Moody for 2007-08 was seen as a major coup for Western Australia as he was fresh from a successful period in charge of the Sri Lanka team. Other international sides were keen to sound out Moody, but he preferred to head home to Perth to make life more stable for his young family.But with the exception of being Twenty20 runners-up in 2007-08, Western Australia’s results haven’t been impressive during the Moody era. They have finished third and fifth in their two Sheffield Shield campaigns, have come no higher than fifth in the FR Cup and so far this summer they have one set of first-innings points from two four-day games.”Tom’s in his last year so post Christmas we’ll have a look at where the side is and address the situation post Christmas,” Wood told AAP. “Tom is guaranteed [to coach out the season]. In the four-day game I think we’ve shown big improvements, so I think the group’s starting to learn there. But there’s room for improvement in the short form of the game.”I think our four-day cricket has been quite good but our one-day cricket has been ordinary, and not just this year. I think we’ve only won three of our last 13 or 14 games and that’s just not good enough, so we have to make amends for that and start playing a little bit differently, because the way we are doing it at the moment isn’t good enough.”

The substitute fielder kept wickets on the fifth day of the Wellington Test after Watling picked up a hamstring injury

Mohammad Isam in Wellington12-Mar-2019Peter Bocock was helping some of the New Zealand players with their warm-up drills on the fifth morning of the Wellington Test against Bangladesh when he heard his name being mentioned. BJ Watling walked towards him minutes later and told him to get ready. It was 15 minutes before play was to start.As it emerged, Watling had a hamstring injury, and the New Zealand team management didn’t want to risk fielding him. And they also didn’t want Tom Latham, the back-up keeper, to move from the slip cordon. Bocock, out of nowhere, was going to keep wickets for New Zealand in a Test match.”I definitely wasn’t thinking that I would donning the gloves when I was having my morning coffee, that’s for sure,” Bocock said after New Zealand had wrapped up an innings-and-12-run win.”About 15 minutes before the start of play, I was helping the guys with the throwdowns, when I overheard something. BJ told me to be ready, and take a couple (of catches). I was told 15 minutes before the start of play.”Bocock, who plays for Northern Districts in New Zealand’s first-class competition, had a race against time on his hands to get some sort of workable gear ready, but found his “team-mates” to be helpful enough. Watling gave him his shirt and pads, while Latham let him borrow his gloves.”I actually used Tom Latham’s gloves. I am sponsored by Kookaburra, so that worked out perfectly. I wore BJ’s pads. My sub fielding shirt was a little bit big so I borrowed BJ’s,” Bocock explained.Tim Southee celebrates a wicket with Peter Bocock•Getty Images

Within minutes, Bocock was standing behind the stumps, with Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Matt Henry and Neil Wagner steaming in.Incidentally, substitute fielders were allowed to replace wicketkeepers only from October 2017, when the rule preventing such a thing from happening was changed.So how did the slip cordon react, did he ask them many questions? He did.”I asked them where BJ has been standing, and what’s BJ’s plan to a particular bowler. Does he stand on the leg-side a lot to someone like Wagner? I have kept to Wagner couple of times,” Bocock revealed.”It obviously would have been lovely to get a catch. I was pretty close a couple of times, just missing the outside edge. Few from Wagner missing the gloves.”Bocock had originally been summoned by New Zealand manager Mike Sandle from the Northern Districts A side to help the New Zealand players. He then filled in as a substitute fielder on the fourth day when Kane Williamson, the captain, went off to get scans on his injured shoulder.Understandably, the experience has left the 27-year-old happy, though it wasn’t quite a real Test debut. “I would love (to play for New Zealand). Every kid has the dream to walk out with the Black Caps. It is a major goal. I am lucky enough to spend time in that environment as a sub fielder,” he said.

On his return to ODI cricket, Steyn top-scored with 60 then took two wickets, before Tahir cleaned up with 6 for 24 to seal the series for South Africa

The Report by Liam Brickhill in Bloemfontein03-Oct-2018Imran Tahir is overjoyed after becoming the fourth South African to take an ODI hat-trick•AFP

Imran Tahir became the fourth South African bowler to take a one-day international hat-trick as Zimbabwe folded for just 78 in the second ODI in Bloemfontein. Tahir removed Sean Williams, Peter Moor and Brandon Mavuta with successive deliveries over two overs to derail Zimbabwe’s chase and finished with a 6 for 24, taking full advantage of a batting line-up softened up by the alarmingly variable bounce extracted by Dale Steyn and Lungi Ngidi earlier in the evening. Steyn provided a particular fearsome challenge, bowling well above 140kph to rattle the top order. He picked up 2 for 19 on his return to ODI cricket, capping a day in which he also top scored with a career-best 60 to boost South Africa to a total of 198.That already looked like it could be enough when Tahir was brought on in the 14th over, thanks in large part to a pitch that misbehaved all day and became particularly capricious when Dale Steyn opened the bowling under lights. The Willow End, in particular, exhibited variable bounce that made the prospect of chasing look very difficult.Craig Ervine was struck on the glove and the grille by consecutive deliveries from Steyn, while both Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza were made to fend at brutal lifters that reared off a length. With Solomon Mire undone third ball by a full one from Steyn, none of the rest of the top were able to build partnerships and Zimbabwe entered the Powerplay teetering at 28 for 2. The visitors’ last hopes evaporated when Masakadza fell for 27, indecision sewn by the irregular bounce bringing a flat-footed poke to slip off Ngidi.Tahir had, by this point, already started to weave his magic at the other end. Taylor swept a four but then misread a googly to be lbw for 10, Tahir setting off in celebration even as he turned to appeal the wicket. From then on, although the pitch levelled out, Tahir’s variations simply proved too much for Zimbabwe. Williams was drawn out of his crease by one that spun away from him to be stumped off the last ball of Tahir’s third over, while Moor played outside a slider to be lbw to the first of his fourth. The next ball zipped in off a length, right between Mavuta’s bat and pad to spark Tahir’s trademark celebration.Zimbabwe slumped to 59 for 8 with the hat-trick, and the result was now a foregone conclusion. Jarvis slogged across the line at another googly to be bowled for 1, and fittingly it was Steyn who held the final catch to bring the game to an end when Chatara heaved a slider into the deep.The catch completed an almost perfect comeback for Steyn, whose two wickets came after his maiden ODI fifty had carried South Africa out of the depths of 101 for 7. South Africa picked him to bowl, but in his first one-day international in almost two years Steyn’s plucky batting rescued his team. Thirteen years since his ODI debut, and batting for the 48th time in the format, Steyn put on 75 with Andile Phehlukwayo, a new South African record for the eighth wicket against Zimbabwe.South Africa were tottering when Steyn got to the crease, but the mantra being drilled into them is to play positive cricket regardless of the situation and the shots kept coming. Steyn was off the mark with an edge through the vacant second slip, and while he swung merrily Phehlukwayo shrugged off a strong lbw shout to drill Williams over long on for six.An outside edge over slip took Steyn to his highest score in ODIs, and he motored into the 40s with a heave to midwicket – his seventh four. He had scored the bulk of the eighth-wicket stand that rebuilt South Africa’s innings when Zimbabwe finally broke through, Chatara strangling Phehlukwayo down the leg side.Steyn brought up his fifty with a crisp strike down the ground for six off Donald Tiripano, becoming the fourth South African after Lance Klusener, Andrew Hall and Richard Snell to score an ODI half century from no. 9. It was an effort that was desperately needed after three of the top five fell for single figures.Zimbabwe, too, had had some assistance from a pitch that captain Masakadza described as “up and down”, but they had also been rewarded for disciplined application with the ball. The wickets were shared around by their seamers and spinners and Jarvis was particularly probing in his opening spell. Once again, South Africa’s unproven top order stumbled under pressure, and it was left to the two of the oldest men on the field – Steyn and Tahir – to secure the match and the series.

Allrounder said he would honour overseas league commitments, made after missing out on the original contracts’ list

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2022Jimmy Neesham has declined a New Zealand central contract, while Blair Tickner and Finn Allen have been handed their first deals.Neesham was offered one of the two vacant spots in the list after the departure of Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme, but turned it down having already committed to various T20 tournaments since his omission from the original list.”I know the news of my decision to decline a central contract today will be seen as me choosing money over representing my country,” Neesham posted on an Instagram story. “I had planned to accept a contract offer in July, however since being left off the list I have committed to other leagues around the world. It was a difficult decision but I have decided to honour those commitments rather than go back on my word to re-sign with NZ Cricket.”Playing for the [Blackcaps] has been the greatest honour of my career and I remain committed to taking the field with my countrymen for the foreseeable future, especially in pinnacle world events.”Related

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Neesham has his name in for the SA20 league, which has its auction on September 19.Tickner, the fast bowler, and opening batter Allen have filled the two vacant spots. Boult stepped away from his contract earlier this year to allow him more time with family and the ability to play T20 leagues around the world, while de Grandhomme retired from international cricket shortly after being picked in the BBL draft by Adelaide Strikers.The new inclusions have featured in New Zealand’s limited-overs sides in recent months. Allen is a highly regarded talent who can expect to be included for the upcoming T20 World Cup. He has already made 334 runs at a strike rate of 169.54 in 13 T20I innings. He has also played eight ODIs, making a vital 96 on the tour of the West Indies last month and impressing when he came back into the team for the final match against Australia in Cairns.”Finn clearly has huge talent and potential,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. “He’s shown he’s up to the international level in his limited opportunities to date. In particular, his match-winning 96 against West Indies on a difficult wicket in Barbados showed his class and maturity.”Tickner has played six ODIs and 11 T20Is, most recently against Netherlands, and was part of the initial touring squad for the Test series in England earlier this year.”Blair’s been in Blackcaps squads for all three formats over the past 12 months which is testament to his progress,” Stead said. “He’s a bowler who just keeps improving and we’ve been particularly impressed with his red-ball development, which saw him in the recent squads for the England and South Africa Tests. He knows the environment, understands his role, and bowls with good pace and aggression.”New Zealand will name their T20 World Cup squad on September 20. They will prepare for the tournament with a tri-series in Christchurch featuring Pakistan and Bangladesh from October 7 to 14. Their first match of the T20 World Cup is against hosts Australia at the SCG on October 22.