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IPL contracted players not named in T20 squad

Firdose Moonda18-Mar-2021Allrounder Wihan Lubbe and fast bowler Lizaad Williams have received their first call-ups to a South African squad, with Lubbe included in the T20 squad to face Pakistan next month, and Williams in both the T20 and ODI squads. Sisanda Magala, who was part of South Africa’s limited-overs squads to play England and Australia last summer but could not get a game because of fitness concerns, is in both squads.Aiden Markram and Wiaan Mulder have both been recalled to the ODI squad after last playing in 2019, while Migael Pretorius, who was part of the Test squad against Sri Lanka but did not play, has been selected for the T20s. Kyle Verreynne is also part of the T20 squad for the first time. Daryn Dupavillon is back in the ODI squad after debuting in March 2020.The teams will be captained by Temba Bavuma, who has taken over from Quinton de Kock as South Africa’s white-ball captain for the next two years. De Kock, who was on a mental health break until this week, has been named in the squad but, along with the rest of the IPL contracted players will be released early. De Kock, Kagiso Rabada, David Miller, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi are the five players who will leave early. Faf du Plessis, who retired from Test cricket last month but remains available in white-ball formats, has not been selected.”We’re very excited about these two squads that we have selected for our home tour against Pakistan. The ODI squad boasts the calibre of talent we have in South African Cricket and I’m really excited to see how they go about the series. We have enough experience within that squad to provide a good challenge to Pakistan when they arrive on our shores,” Victor Mpitsang, selection convenor said.”The T20 squad is also a good indication of our depth as a cricket nation with the loss of some of the senior players to the IPL. We have a massive 18 months of T20 cricket coming up, with two ICC T20 World Cups for players to contest. We as a selection panel are looking forward to seeing what the new additions to the team will contribute to the Proteas’ system.”All eyes will be on Magala who topped both the domestic one-day and T20 cup wicket-takers’ lists and has established himself as one of the best death-bowlers in the South African game. Keshav Maharaj was the leading spinner in the T20 cup and though he has only been included in the fifty-over group, he has an opportunity to make a case for a long run in white-ball cricket. Maharaj is one of three spinners in the ODI squad, including Tabraiz Shamsi and allrounder Jon-Jon Smuts, who are both in the T20 squad along with George Linde and Bjorn Fortuin. Dwaine Pretorius is the only first-choice seam-bowling allrounder in the T20 squad, leaving no room for Andile Phehlukwayo in the shortest format.The series will be played in a biosecure environment between Johannesburg and Centurion, and starts on April 2.ODI squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Beuran Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Janneman Malan, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Jon-Jon Smuts, Rassie van der Dussen, Junior Dala, Lutho Sipamla, Wiaan Mulder, Sisanda Magala, Kyle Verreynne, Daryn Dupavillon, Lizaad WilliamsT20 squad: Temba Bavuma (captain) Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, George Linde, Rassie van der Dussen, Janneman Malan, Sisanda Magala, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lutho Sipamla, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Pite van Biljon, Migael Pretorius, Lizaad Williams, Wihan Lubbe

Assistant coach says England are building a batting unit to succeed on 2021-22 Ashes trip

George Dobell in Hamilton28-Nov-2019Paul Collingwood has backed Zak Crawley to succeed if he wins his chance in the second Test in Hamilton. Kent batsman Crawley was taken on tour largely to gain experience and so the England management could take a closer look at him, but an injury to Jos Buttler the day before the second Test might well have created an early opportunity for an unexpected debut against New Zealand.”Technically he looks very strong,” Collingwood, who is one of England’s assistant coaches, said of Crawley. “He’s willing to learn all the time. He’s been brilliant in the conversations that we’ve had in the nets. He’s always questioning things and that’s what you want.”He’s good fun, he’s a good athlete in the field as well, so he ticks a lot of the right boxes. He looks very good. But you never know until you get in the pressure of a Test match situation. The signs are really good, though.”ALSO READ: NZ depth ‘definitely the best’ it’s been in my career – TaylorCrawley has impressed the England management on this tour. As well as scoring a century in his one opportunity to bat in a match situation, he has also looked comfortable in the nets and impressed with his agility and fitness in fielding sessions.Notably, the two centuries Crawley scored during the 2019 County Championship season were against attacks containing fast bowlers. He made 111 against a Nottinghamshire side which included James Pattinson – nobody else in Kent’s top six made it to double-figures – and 108 against a Warwickshire side containing Ryan Sidebottom and Henry Brookes. And it is ability to play the short ball which is one of the areas that has impressed Collingwood.”Certainly, anything from waist height upwards he looks to be able to handle,” Collingwood said. “And playing short pitched bowling is crucial in these conditions. He times the ball really well, too; he hits the ball hard for a big lad.”By a “big lad” Collingwood certainly does not mean that Crawley is carrying an excess weight. Far from it. Instead he stands at 6ft 5in and looks as fit as anyone in the squad, with the possible exception of Ben Stokes. At training on Wednesday, it appeared as if he deliberately slowed down not to embarrass his captain, Joe Root, who had joined him on multiple circuits of the boundary.Zak Crawley could be in line to make his England debut•Getty Images

Crawley is still very much at the developmental stage of his career, though. He is just 21 and, as his first-class batting average of 31.27 illustrates, he is still learning his game. Having played a great deal on the seamer-friendly surfaces at Canterbury, however, those figures are not, perhaps, quite as modest as they seem.Collingwood is equally optimistic about the prospects for the rest of this side’s batsmen. As a member of the team that won the Ashes in Australia in 2010-11, he thinks he knows what it would take to repeat that result, saying that scoreboard pressure is a vital ingredient.”I’m very confident that this batting unit, over time, is going to score a lot of runs,” Collingwood said. “I think the mentality of it, the way the guys are working, it feels as though we’ve got the right kind of personnel to score big runs.”We know what Australia are going to do to us. They’re going to batter us with 90mph bowlers and make us feel uncomfortable with a spinner at the other end who will dry us up. But when we won there in 2010-11, we scored a lot of runs and then you’ve got scoreboard pressure.”The other challenge is to get those 20 wickets. And that seems to be increasingly difficult. Sides now generally have longer batting orders and the Kookaburra ball can prove difficult to take wickets with. The old school top-of-off with a Dukes ball back in the England doesn’t necessarily work over here. We’ve found ways at times but if you look at history we haven’t really consistently found a formula or a solution.”But we have to find a way. You can see that New Zealand have a strategy that has worked over time: you’re going to get swing bowlers up front, then Colin de Grandhomme and then Wagner to bounce the living daylights out of you. It’s a system that works for them and it’s our challenge to produce the skills out of our bowlers that work on in these conditions with this ball.”You look back and see what we were doing well [in 2010-11], and everyone refers back to pace, but we didn’t have much pace actually. It was more down to accuracy – ‘bowling dry’ as we called it – and it was almost playing on their ego, because they wanted to score runs, because it was the Australian way.”But teams, even Australia, don’t really play with ego any more. They’re very patient. Steve Smith shows that. So you might need a different type of bowler with some extra pace.”

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.

Shiv Chanderpaul, who seems to have been scoring runs since the invention of electricity, dominated the first day of pink-ball Championship cricket here with the 76th century of a remarkable first-class career

George Dobell at Edgbaston26-Jun-2017
ScorecardThis series of games was meant to be about the future but, at Edgbaston at least, it was a couple of faces from the past that made the greatest impression.Shiv Chanderpaul, who seems to have been scoring runs since the invention of electricity, dominated the first day of pink-ball Championship cricket here with the 76th century of a remarkable first-class career.Lancashire were 55 for 4 not long after he reached the crease. Haseeb Hameed, a year younger than Chanderpaul’s son, Tagenarine, had already fallen – a torturous innings ended by an uppish drive to a short, straight mid-of – and Jos Buttler had gone, too, a 20-ball 2 ended by an attempted pull against a delivery too full for the stroke.But Chanderpaul reacted with the same imperturbable calm that has characterised so much of his career. It wasn’t especially pretty – of course it wasn’t – but it wasn’t slow (his century took only 129 balls) and it was, in its way, a masterful demonstration of how to compile runs on a slow wicket against an accurate attack. This was his third Championship century of the season and, aged 42 and averaging 76.42, he has proved himself a successful short-term signing.He survived, perhaps, one chance to Tim Ambrose off Jeetan Patel on 47. But while others poked and prodded (Steven Croft poked at Boyd Rankin’s first ball and was outstandingly well caught by Rikki Clarke in the slips), Chanderpaul was compact but severe on anything short or over-pitched and showed more patience than Buttler and co. could manage. Liam Livingstone, who is due to join the Lions on Wednesday, was given a couple of days off.A glance at the scoreboard might convince the casual observer that the pink ball provided copious assistance, but it isn’t really so. The new pink ball moved for Keith Barker, but so does the new red one. The older ball moved for him a little, too. But so does the red one. The rest of the Warwickshire bowlers found it harder to gain any lateral assistance and most of the wickets that fell owed more to admirable control from the bowlers and a little lack of patience from the batsmen.There was little sign that the experiment with day-night cricket attracted more spectators. Quite the opposite, really. While about 1,300 attended during the day, most had departed long before stumps at 9.30pm. Sales for the Test here are very strong, though, with a sell-out predicted for the first three days. Without the novelty of the day-night factor, it is hard to imagine that would have been replicated.There was another familiar face at Edgbaston on Monday. Dermot Reeve, not so long ago captain of a side here that won six trophies in little more than 24 months, was also back. He was invited to work with the Warwickshire squad on Sunday and (to address the club’s members on Monday) made a strong impression on the squad with a presentation on the benefits of a positive mental approach. He returns to Australia and Grade coaching duties later this week, but he may well be back next year. He declined the club’s offer to buy his personalised copy of Wisden, instead preferring to take his chance on the open market.One man who was not at Edgbaston was Ian Westwood. He had been due to play (William Porterfield was the man to come into the side in his place; Andy Umeed is being given a chance to establish himself), but went to see Ashley Giles a day or so ahead of the game and said there was simply nothing left in the tank. Years of forcing himself through the uneven battle against the new ball have taken their toll and he decided he simply didn’t have the requisite hunger to force himself through it once more.Good enough to have played a part in two Championship-winning sides, selfless enough to have captained Warwickshire through some tough years and to have dropped himself before a Lord’s final, he was also good enough to have scored more than 8,000 first-class runs against some fine attacks, including memorable centuries against Surrey and Yorkshire. He has served Warwickshire well.There will be another new face at Warwickshire shortly. A batting allrounder who is currently struggling for first team opportunities at his strong county, had his medical on Monday. His signing is likely to be announced on Tuesday.Warwickshire supporters might also be encouraged by the first-team debut of 19-year-old George Panayi. A seam bowling allrounder, Panayi developed through Shrewsbury School and has played for England U19. While he didn’t gain a lot of movement, he bowled at a decent pace – just above 80 mph, you’d think – and was admirably tight in his lines and lengths.Having helped earn the wicket of Hameed – fortunate to survive a leg before appeal on 0 and perilously close to being bowled by two deliveries he left – who struggled over 63 balls for his 17 (he now averages 19.10 for the campaign), Panayi was rewarded with the second new ball and claimed the wickets of Tom Bailey and James Anderson with successive, full deliveries.Dane Villas helped Chanderpaul add 96 for the fifth-wicket but, once he was caught off the shoulder of the bat as he attempted to turn one into the leg side – reward for Rankin’s bounce – Barker swung his way through the middle-order. Lancashire’s total is probably some way short of par on a true surface which also saw action in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final.In reply, Anderson bowled immaculately. He produced a beauty that swung in late to account for Porterfield and later hit Jonathan Trott a crashing blow on the helmet with a fine short ball. But there was no extreme movement or obvious vision problems. Indeed, for most of the day, as Chanderpaul manoeuvred the ball around the field, it was as if nothing had changed.

Sherwin Campbell and Philo Wallace have always approached batting with contrasting yet equally efficient methods

Haydn Gill29-May-2016Sherwin Campbell and Philo Wallace have always approached batting with contrasting yet equally efficient methods.And yesterday was no exception.Compact Campbell and walloping Wallace launched a splendid Barbados response to a challenging Bangladesh ‘A’ first innings total on Day 2 of the fifth-round bottom-of-the-table Busta Series clash.At stumps, captain Campbell was five away from his 22nd first-class century, his unbeaten 95 compiled off 210 balls with due care and application.By then, the rampaging Wallace had long departed, his awesome aggression giving Barbados a flying start. He, however, would have been angry with himself when he gifted his wicket for 81 off 100 balls on an afternoon in which Barbados’ batsmen were seldom troubled.Young Kurt Wilkinson joined Campbell for the evening session and finally overcame his habit of succumbing in the 20s or 30s. By the close, he was unbeaten on 52, having reached his half-century with an impressive lofted drive that was preceded by a couple of sweet boundaries.The efforts of the trio in maintaining a decent scoring rate of almost three-and-a half-runs an over carried Barbados within 50 runs of their first points since the opening round. They also put the hosts in a position to build a commanding lead against what appears to be the weakest bowling attack in the competition.The Saturday Kensington Oval crowd would have especially welcomed the contribution of Campbell, who looked a touch above what we had seen from him recently, but he still feels his timing, movement of the feet and confidence could be improved.It’s not as perfect as I would like it, but I am getting there, said the 31-year-old former West Indies vice-captain.Sometimes, maybe the bat is a little heavy, but I am trying to get an innings together, take my time and try not to force it too much.He was also not too perturbed that he did not complete his century yesterday.I would have loved that, but that’s how it goes sometimes. I feel very good and relaxed and I am confident that I will definitely get a hundred tomorrow, he said.Campbell, recalled to the West Indies team for the first time in more than a year on the recent tour of Sharjah where a fractured little finger prematurely ended his participation, knows the importance of a big innings.I am definitely looking towards a West Indies pick, he said. A good innings here and then maybe in the next two games may give me a chance to play against India.He and Wallace put on 135 for the first wicket in fewer than 33 overs and he and Wilkinson spent the next 38 overs adding 109.Wallace might have gone off after a few balls before he settled at the start, but once he was into his stride, the Bangladishis found it difficult to contain him.There were a couple of powerful pulls and drives on the way to his half-century, but he exploded when the 18-year-old fast bowler Tareq Aziz was recalled for a second spell.The first ball was contemptuously lifted over long-on and onto the Garfield Sobers Pavilion. Before the buzz around the ground could subside, the next ball was lifted straight down the ground, prompting some to scamper for cover.The beefy Wallace seemed headed for an 11th first-class hundred before one of the most innocuous balls of the match caused his demise 20 minutes before tea.It was a long-hop from off-spinner Naimur Rahman and Wallace pulled it down the throat of deep mid-wicket to end his third half-century of the season, which included nine fours in two hours’ batting.As usual, Campbell was the quiet partner in his association with Wallace. When Wallace departed, he was 45, and he used the remainder of the day to diligently accumulate his highest score at this level since 2000.One can usually tell when Campbell will score heavily and it was on the cards from the time he opened his account with one of his trademark cuts.During the four-and-half-hours he was firmly entrenched, the ball constantly hit the middle of his broad bat and there was no hint of the scratchy footwork that has troubled him in recent times.Earlier, Barbados enjoyed a fine morning session, spearheaded by left-arm pacer Pedro Collins who grabbed the last four wickets after Bangladesh ‘A’ resumed on 263 for six.Using the second new ball with telling effect, he bowled mainly a fullish length and Bangladesh ‘A’ were unable to score a run in the first 25 minutes. He induced Mushfiqur Raham into gloving a catch to third slip and then troubled the stumps of the next two batsmen.Mosadek Hossain, playing with a huge gap between bat and bad, was bowled off-stump, while Alamgir Khan was undone by a fullish delivery a few balls after he had swung Collins over mid-wicket when only one fielder was positioned on the leg-side.Collins duly wrapped up the innings and finished with five for 56 from 27.2 overs, but it left Ian Bradshaw without a deserved maiden five-wicket haul. His four for 89 represented his fifth such haul this season in which he has taken 28 wickets.

Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s T20 captain, has said the addition of experienced players in their line-up has made the Twenty20 side better than the ODI side

Mohammad Isam23-Apr-2015Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s T20 captain, said the addition of experienced players in their line-up has made the Twenty20 side slightly more formidable than the current ODI side. He also admitted that his own performance in the one-off game against Bangladesh on Friday will be crucial.Pakistan are the most successful international T20 side, with 50 wins in 85 matches and their players also dominate T20 records. The top three wicket-takers in T20Is are Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul and Afridi, and, of the three of the Pakistan batsmen to score more than 1000 runs in the format, two – Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez – are in the current squad”At the moment, I am saying yes, the T20 team is better than the ODI side,” Afridi said. “Tomorrow will be a good game. I am not saying we will win one-sided. It will be a good game. T20 is all about opportunities, if you get one, don’t miss it.”It is a new format now. Myself, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez are all back. It was good to see Hafeez bowling again. We have a very good combination in T20. I am very positive and confident that we will do well. I have to perform very well because my performance has always helped Pakistan. Everyone doesn’t need to give a lot of performance but if 11 players can give enough performances, it will help us win.”Afridi, who arrived in Dhaka with the T20 specialists last Monday, said it was hard to prepare for tours that had only one or two T20 games but said the time was right for Pakistan to start preparing for next year’s World T20.”It is hard, to be honest. You have just one match in the tour, you have to get the boys together,” he said. “But since cricket has become so professional, players can now adjust very quickly between formats. We are playing T20s against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.”The World T20 is also coming up, so we have to build a unit. Hopefully we can play a similar line-up in the World Cup and not make last-minute changes. As a captain, I will try to prepare a new captain for the future too.”Afridi was happy with the discipline within the team but echoed the opinions of ODI captain Azhar Ali and bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed by stating that the current group of youngsters need more time to adjust to international cricket.”The dressing room atmosphere is very positive. No doubt Bangladesh are playing very well at the moment. With our team, obviously if you don’t have three-four seniors and you are going with new talent – new guys with a new captain – it takes time to have a rebuilding process. I am hopeful that in a few months they will do well as a unit.”Bangladesh have been using the same unit for a long time. There are many new players in this team so of course there is disappointment with the series loss, but your expectation has to be adjusted according to the current team,” he said. “This is the not the era of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Inzamam-ul-Haq. In 6-8 months, the more cricket they will play, the better they will become.”Afridi said that despite their 7-0 win record against Bangladesh in T20s, they expect a hard game on Friday: “You don’t think about the past. If you look at it at the moment, the combination with which Bangladesh are playing, they are doing very well. We have to come hard at them tomorrow.”

England’s defence of their World Twenty20 title ended with a 19-run defeat against Sri Lanka

The Report by Andrew McGlashan01-Oct-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt was the turn of Lasith Malinga to be Sri Lanka’s matchwinner with five wickets•AFP

England’s defence of their World Twenty20 title ended with a 19-run defeat against Sri Lanka, as the home side were cheered on amid a raucous atmosphere generated by a vibrant home crowd. Lasith Malinga ripped out the top order with three wickets in four balls, to immediately set back a tough chase of 170, then returned to finish with 5 for 31 just when Samit Patel offered England a glimmer.Malinga had been relatively quiet in the tournament until today, taking three wickets in five matches, but doubled his tally in the blink of an eye when he was brought on for the third over. Luke Wright, promoted to open after Craig Kieswetter was dropped, unleashed a fierce square cut but sent it straight to backward point, Jonny Bairstow was done by a slower ball to end a difficult tournament and next ball Alex Hales was pinned by an inswinging yorker, although replays suggested it was sliding down leg.There were low expectations from outside the England squad before the tournament and they have never looked like being capable of defending their crown. Patel, at least, could hold his head high with a powerful 67 off 48 balls to show he has been underused whereas others, like Jos Buttler, who gave Malinga his fourth when he hooked to long leg, often appeared out of their depth. Graeme Swann swung strongly, making the highest score by a No. 9 in T20s, and the fifty stand with Patel came from 26 balls but, as against West Indies – whose progression was secured by England’s defeat – it always needed a miracle of Medinah proportions.The top order has cost England throughout the tournament and reshuffling did them no good. From 18 for 3, their hopes were lifted by Patel, who before this innings had not faced a ball in the tournament. Sent in a No. 4, in a failed attempt to keep Eoin Morgan away from the first six overs, he drove a straight six before adding five fours – including three of Ajantha Mendis’ first over – in his first 20 deliveries. For all the talk of spin, Sri Lanka bowled one over of it in the first eight.

Smart stats

• Sri Lanka became only the second team after Pakistan to reach the semi-final stage of the World Twenty20 in three tournaments. They were runners-up to Pakistan in 2009 and lost in the semi-final to England in 2010.

• Sri Lanka’s win was their third in four matches against England. Their only loss came in the 2010 World Twenty20 game. It is also Sri Lanka’s sixth win in home Twenty20 internationals and their fifth batting first (home games).

• Lasith Malinga became the eighth bowler to pick up a five-for in a Twenty20 international. His 5 for 31 is the third-best performance by a Sri Lankan bowler after Ajantha Mendis’ 6 for 8 and 6 for 16.

• Samit Patel’s 67 is the second-highest score by an England batsman against Sri Lanka after Marcus Trescothick’s 72 in 2006. Patel’s previous best in ten innings was just 25.

• The 51-run stand between Patel and Graeme Swann is the highest for eighth-wicket stand for England in Twenty20 internationals. Overall, it is the fifth-highest eighth-wicket stand and the second-highest eight-wicket partnership in World Twenty20 matches.

• Sri Lanka’s total of 169 is their fifth-highest in home Twenty20 internationals and their seventh-highest in the World Twenty20.

Mendis continued to prove expensive when Patel collected two more off-side boundaries and it was his 18-year-old team-mate, Akila Dananjaya, who struck the blow that hurt England the most when Morgan missed a reverse sweep. Ravi Bopara, surprisingly recalled as Kieswetter’s replacement, has looked a tortured soul with the bat of late and it was no surprise when he basically missed a straight delivery from Jeevan Mendis. It may be a while until he is back in an England shirt.Unlike most of the strong totals at this tournament, Sri Lanka’s effort was not underpinned by one substantial effort but was forged by free-scoring throughout the line-up, which quietened the concerns about the middle order. Not that the top three, the big three, failed to lay the foundations and it was Mahela Jayawardene, curiously not officially listed as captain at the toss, who marshalled the first half of the innings with a classy display.England’s bowling attack could be split in half. The combined eight overs of the three players brought into the attack who didn’t face New Zealand – Dernbach, Patel and Bopara – went for 81 while the established trio of Broad, Swann and Steven Finn produced 6 for 82 from 12.Swann evened the contest when he had Jayawardene caught at deep midwicket and next ball Kumar Sangakkara was given caught behind, although he did not appear pleased with the decision, before a counterattacking response from the middle order. It was a fantastic response by Angelo Mathews and Jeevan Mendis to the loss of two key batsmen. Neither took a backward step – Mendis opening his innings with two boundaries off Swann – and Mathews showed elegant clean striking as the fifty stand came from 29 balls.Again England hit back with Broad this time taking two in two balls when Mendis spliced to midwicket and Mathews dragged a pull on to his stumps. Still Sri Lanka kept on swinging and the 18th over, bowled by Dernbach, included a six apiece for Thisara Perera and Lahriu Thirimanne. The sixth-wicket pair added 35 in 19 deliveries to ensure the home side remained ahead of the game. When England’s chase reached the 13th over they were guaranteed a semi-final spot but by then an overwhelming victory was also in the bag. It will take a very good performance to stop them.

Malaysia, Guernsey and Fiji were the victorious teams on the opening day of the World Cricket League Division Six in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2011Malaysia, Guernsey and Fiji were the victorious teams on the opening day of the World Cricket League Division Six in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.Adverse weather conditions meant one of the three games was shortened and the Duckworth-Lewis method applied after the rain clouds arrived in the late afternoon bringing thunder and lightning. No re-calculations were required for Fiji’s match against Nigeria, or Guernsey’s against Jersey, while hosts Malaysia had their game abandoned against Kuwait but not before D/L was imposed.After a delayed start at the Selangor Turf Club cricket ground, Malaysia’s Suresh Navaratnam dismissed Irfan Bhatti with his second delivery as the hosts made a spirited start against Kuwait. Watched by a small crowd of supporters at a venue that is surrounded by the Selangor Turf Club racetrack on the south-side of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia then removed Aamir Javed five overs later when the 22-year-old was bowled by Hassan Ghulam, while Navaratnam dismissed Sibtain Raza not long after for just one run.Captain Hisham Mirza briefly steadied the innings but the slide continued when he fell for 22, with six wickets being lost before the score had passed 100. After a series of sloppy shots Kuwait were bowled out for 151 in the 47th over, Navaratnam collecting figures of 4 for 15.
Faris Almas had his stumps rearranged by Abdullah Akhunzada as Malaysia’s chase suffered some early blows, but captain Suhan Alagaratnam and Ahmed Faiz added an unbeaten 54 for the third wicket and put their side ahead of the required rate before the rains arrived. After a lengthy stop in play, the match was called to a halt and Malaysia won by 38 runs after D/L was calculated.”I am very happy to have won,” said Alagaratnam. “One win and we’re building momentum. I was surprised Kuwait chose to bat, the wicket was a bit sticky early on. Our bowlers, especially Suresh [Navaratnam], did really well and the spinners played a big part. It’s a little disappointing not to have finished the match but we know our strengths and I was glad to see how fast we were to the ball when fielding.””We’re very disappointed to have lost,” added Kuwait captain Hisham. “Our batsmen couldn’t cope with the early swing. If we win the toss tomorrow, I will think hard about bowling first.”We’re missing Mohammad Murad, he’s the kind of bowler that gets early breakthroughs and he works well with Saad Khalid. Nevertheless we’re looking forward to the rest of the tournament. One strong team would have lost today. We can bounce back.”At Kinrara Oval, Jersey took on local Channel Island rivals Guernsey in the sides’ hotly anticipated first round game. Stuart Le Prevost’s side won the toss and elected to bat against Peter Gough’s bowling attackGuernsey’s star allrounder Jeremy Frith made his intentions for the tournament clear after the 33-year-old smashed his way to 80 runs to be the cornerstone of the side’s innings. Frith departed after being caught by Jersey’s Ben Stevens off the bowling of Gough.Ross Kneller ably assisted Frith for some time, with the 28-year-old right-hander hitting a half-century, while after their departure Le Prevost and David Hooper added important runs. Jersey’s bowlers shared the spoils with captain Gough the pick of the attack with 2 for 11.Jersey initially looked like making light work of their target of 252, knocking off 131 runs before a wicket was lost. The fortunes began to change after a passing rain shower forced the teams from the field. Dean Morrison had been run out for 59 before the brief interval, and when the teams returned to the field Ben Stevens departed without a run to his name after being bowled by Jamie Nussbaumer.Nussbaumer then dismissed in-form batsman Ed Farley who dragged the ball onto his stumps to depart for 64, gathering thunderclouds adding to the drama at Kinrara. Corey Bisson added a hard-fought 29 but Jersey captain Gough managed just 17 runs.As thunder and lightning struck around the ground and the rain clouds converged, Jersey began to lose wickets and at six down in the 44th over, it began to look as though the threatening downpours might end the match. Jersey moved ahead on D/L after a 19-run over off Stuart Bisson, but the rain held off and a reinvigorated Guernsey bowling attack fought their way back into the game.Jersey fell just short despite Edward Farley’s half-century•ICC/Peter Lim

With two overs remaining, Jersey needed 14 with just one wicket in hand, and after some tight bowling the target was 10 from the final six deliveries. Tim Ravenscoft bowled James Faudemer with the second ball of the over to secure a nerve-wracking win.”Obviously gutted about today with the fact we couldn’t score a victory but to keep them down to 250 on such a good batting track was good,” said Gough. “I was really pleased with the way our two young lads worked out in the middle. Corey Bisson and Sam de la Haye both worked really hard and now it’s about improving for tomorrow.””I think we were 15 to 20 short of runs on the board and then we didn’t bowl well to begin with which didn’t help us,” added Frith, who was named man of the match. “I am a little disappointed that I didn’t make it to a hundred and got us to 270 but fundamentally today got us two points. Jersey played fantastically and all credit to them, they probably deserved to win. It was a tough game out there but it’s good to walk away with a win and take the two points.”Fiji got their tournament off to a flying start at Bayeumas Oval, beating the promoted Nigeria by 63 runs. Having won the toss and elected to bat, Fiji lost wickets early on but the Rika brothers, captain Joe and his brother Colin, came together and were soon batting fluently in the morning sunshine.Their fightback was cut short when the Fijian captain was removed by Kunle Adegbola, but Colin Rika’s 40 helped his team pass 100 before the lower order took up the challenge. Wicketkeeper Maciu Gauna made an unbeaten 37 from just 35 deliveries while No. 10 Mohammad Khan’s quickfire cameo helped Fiji reach 203 for 8.In reply the Nigerians simply could not handle the veteran Iniasi Cakacaka’s canny offspin, the 43-year-old dismissing key batsmen Ramit Gill and Sean Philips on his way to 4 for 27. Despite the best attempts of Oluwaseun Odeku, who reached 29, Nigeria were bowled out for 140 in 41 overs.the side was on its way to be all out for 140 when Lomani took two bottom order wickets and the victory was sealed for Fiji when Joshua Ogunlola was run out.”It was great to start off with a win and the boys are feeling good,” said Joe Rika. “Iniasi [Cakacaka] did really well to come back after making a duck with the bat, to come back and take four wickets was a great effort. The boys are really happy and we’re looking forward to our next match tomorrow.”

Worcestershire will be playing Division One cricket next season after a remarkable last day run-chase snatched an unlikely promotion

George Dobell at New Road16-Sep-2010
ScorecardWorcestershire will be playing Division One cricket next season after a remarkable last day run-chase snatched an unlikely promotion. But it was not only the worn pitch and demanding target that they defied.It was also the departure of five of their senior players and a crippling financial problem that has forced them to cut their cricket budget to the bone. Their promotion is little short of miraculous.
Just five weeks ago to the day, Vikram Solanki resigned the Worcestershire captaincy after a crushing defeat at Colwyn Bay. At the time, Worcestershire were still 37 points adrift of Glamorgan. Few even considered the possibility of promotion.But, since Daryl Mitchell assumed the captaincy, Worcestershire have enjoyed remarkable success. They have won three and drawn one of their four championship games under his command (it’s seven wins out of nine in all competitions) and, in all, have won four of their last six games.Some, particularly Glamorgan supporters, may feel aggrieved by this result. Certainly, Worcestershire served up some declaration bowling to gift Sussex 106 runs in nine overs and set-up the declaration.Yet the eventual requirement – 301 from 70 overs – still favoured Sussex. The pitch, twice used this season, offered variable bounce to the seamers and generous turn to the spinners.
Worcestershire shouldn’t really have even gone close.But there is a fearlessness in youth. And, in the form of Moeen Ali and James Cameron, Worcestershire have two talented, young cricketers who seem to thrive in such moments. It bodes well for their future and the future of their team.Both men scored centuries. They took the attack the Sussex bowling with such alacrity, that they scored 200 in the afternoon session and paved the way to victory with almost 15 overs in hand. An anxious wait followed to see whether Glamorgan could engineer a victory over Derbyshire but, when the result came through, it precipitated rapturous celebrations at New Road. Thoroughly deserved they were, too.It was surely fitting that it was two young cricketers who should have set up this victory. Worcestershire’s success this season has, largely, been built upon the excellence of youngsters such as Moeen, Alexei Kervezee, Richard Jones and Daryl Mitchell, who at 26, is hardly a veteran.Moeen batted gloriously. At times, none of the bowlers had any answer to his strokeplay as he displayed a range of stoke and sweetness of timing that was more than a little reminiscent of David Gower. Jimmy Anyon for punished for four consecutive boundaries, while Luke Wright was hit out of the attack with something approaching disdain. Monty Panesar, despite conditions he should have savoured, was driven to distraction and cut to ribbons. Moeen scored 99 between lunch and tea and reached his century from just 106 deliveries.The comparison to Gower isn’t entirely positive, of course. It also means that Moeen is sometimes loose outside off stump and there were moments, early in his innings, when he was fortunate to survive. He escaped edges through the slips on 23 and 26 and, had Ben Brown at short-leg responded more quickly, might also have been caught on 54.But there’s substance behind the style. Moeen finishes this campaign as Worcestershire’s leading run-scorer in the championship and T20 and surely faces a winter with the England Lions.Cameron was impressive, too. This, his maiden first-class century, also came in his first game as an opening batsman. He looked secure against all bowling and, in skipping down the pitch to deposit Panesar for two straight sixes in the same over, demonstrated pleasing self-confidence and a wide range of strokes.Sussex weren’t at their best. Maybe it was the fact that they were already assured of promotion, or may it was the after effects of the previous night’s celebrations, but both with the ball and in the field, they appeared jaded. Panesar finished with 52 championship wickets but, on this surface, will be disappointed both not to have taken more and to have conceded more than four an over.Worcestershire stuttered with the winning line within grasp, but they were not to be denied. Their four-wicket victory was their seventh championship success of the season and means, one year after being relegated without a win to their name, they are back up among the best sides in the land. The fact that six of the nine Division One sides are the owners of Test grounds, speaks volumes about the uneven battle that lies ahead.Afterwards Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, credited his side’s spirit for their success. Suggesting that the departure of the bigger name players may not have done the club any harm in the long run, Rhodes also warned supporters not to expect any recruitment this winter.”At the start of the season, everyone was tipping us to finish bottom,” Rhodes said. “So this is a great effort and I’m very proud of them. A good spirit in the dressing room is massive. It’s your 12th man. We’ve had hurdles [to that] in the past. But now we have lads who enjoy eachothers’ company and enjoy playing together. It’s like Shakib said: everyone here comes in willing to work and determined to improve.”It’s important that people understand that next season is about consolidation. It will be very tough, but if we can stay up then perhaps there will be a bit more money around in a year or two.”There’s no funding. Unfortunately we will not have the finances to improve the squad in any way. We should be able to afford an overseas player, but it won’t be a top-notcher. [In Division One] we’ll have to rely on the guys who got us here.”It is true that challenges lie ahead. Worcestershire’s record – they have been promoted three times and relegated twice in the last five years – suggests that life in Division One may prove desperately tough, while the club’s financial position remains precarious. Survival remains the goal.But such worries can wait. For now, Worcestershire deserve their celebrations. In the circumstances, their promotion is an excellent achievement and their team contains a couple of players with very bright futures.

Georgia Voll has been included for the ODIs and T20Is while Grace Harris will be part of the latter

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Dec-2024Allrounder Sophie Molineux has been ruled out of the multiformat Ashes series due to a knee injury that will require surgery while captain Alyssa Healy remains unsure whether she will keep wicket due to her ongoing knee problem.Molineux, a left-arm spinner, managed a knee issue through the WBBL, where she captained Melbourne Renegades to a maiden title, and the problem flared again after the ODI series against India. Molineux was ruled out of the recent trip to New Zealand and now faces a further spell on the sidelines.”Sophie Molineux will undergo left knee surgery next month, following that we will provide further updates on an anticipated return date,” team physiotherapist Kate Beerworth said.Related

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One of the key issues for Australia to resolve ahead of the Ashes will be whether Healy is able to keep wicket having handed the gloves to Beth Mooney in New Zealand. Healy has been included in the Governor-General’s XI squad for a 50-over warm-up game against England on January 9 at North Sydney Oval which she said would be good test for her knee.”That’ll be a great opportunity for me to take the gloves for a little bit and see how everything’s progressing,” Healy told reporters at the MCG. “I can’t really give you any more information than that. It’s kind of play it by ear at the moment to see how everything pulls up.”But I did thoroughly enjoy running around the field in New Zealand. So if that’s the option and is less disruptive to our side, then that could be the way moving forward. But the aim is to take the gloves and hopefully I can do that.”Having an angry joint in there and flaring that up, and knowing the really tight schedule with the Ashes as well, probably managing that and not wanting to blow it up too much that it’s going to affect my ability to play at all. So that’ll be the real test, I think, in the next 10 days, moving into the series as to how that pulls up, how it responds to keeping again, and we’ll just assess as we go.”Georgia Voll, who made a stunning start to her international career against India, with 173 runs in three ODIs including a century, has been included for the one-day and T20I series which form the first two parts of the Ashes. Grace Harris will join for the T20Is at the SCG, Canberra and Adelaide.”It was pleasing to see Alyssa Healy return to action against New Zealand and looked in good touch, along with a number of batters continuing their strong form on from the recent series against India,” national selector Shawn Flegler said.”Whilst Georgia Voll didn’t play against New Zealand, she’s made a brilliant start to her international career and will be a strong option with the bat if required in her debut Ashes series. The bowling group provides plenty of variety which will be important against a strong England batting line up.”A squad for the day-night Test at the MCG in late January will be named in the coming weeks.”I think you look at the way we’ve probably shaped up in Test cricket over the last couple of seasons, it’s looked a little bit different to what we’ve done in the white-ball format,” Healy said. “So there is some reasoning as to why that Test squad hasn’t been announced, and we’ll probably look at that over the next few weeks, just to see where all the bowlers in the domestic cricket are at and their loads and how they’re going to prepare for a Test match.”Knowing it’s pink ball, knowing it swings a little bit more, and what the conditions are going to be like, I think there’s a few players around the country at the moment that could stick their hand up for a baggy green which I think is really exciting.”The Ashes starts with the first ODI at North Sydney on January 12 followed by matches at Junction Oval in Melbourne and Hobart.Meanwhile, legspinner Georgia Wareham has also been called into the Governor-General’s XI squad in place of fast bowler Darcie Brown to give Wareham more game time ahead of the Ashes having only featured in one of Australia’s last six ODIs where she wasn’t required to bat or bowl.

Australia ODI and T20I squad for Women’s Ashes

Alyssa Healy (capt), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20s only), Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham