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Cricket Australia plans to trial day-night first-class cricket with the longer-term aim of playing a Test in the country under lights

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Aug-2013Cricket Australia plans to trial day-night first-class cricket with the longer-term aim of playing a Test in the country under lights. The ninth round of the Sheffield Shield this season will be a day-night affair with pink balls in Queensland, South Australia and Victoria.If these attempts are successful, CA will look to schedule more day-night first-class matches in the 2014-15 season to further trial playing conditions and equipment. The matches are the first step towards a potential day-night Test being played in Australia in 2015-16, according to a CA release, and the board has been in talks with New Zealand Cricket about the possibility, with the neighbours slated to come visiting towards the end of 2015.”There is a lot of work to be done and nothing is guaranteed but this summer’s trials are our first serious effort to make day-night Test cricket a reality,” CA CEO James Sutherland said. “We’ve also had some discussions with New Zealand Cricket to gauge their interest in the concept over the past few weeks given they are due to tour Australia in late 2015.”This is all about the fans. Cricket can’t afford to sit on its hands and must keep working hard to ensure Tests remain the most popular form of the game. There isn’t a major team sport in the world that schedules the majority of its premium content during the working week. At least three days of a Test are played when adults are at work and kids are at school.”No doubt there will be some resistance along the way but for the sake of growing the game in the long term, cricket needs to address the hurdles standing in the way of day-night Test cricket in a rational, mature way.”Sutherland acknowledged the challenges in the way, specifically those relating to developing a ball that works under lights for the long format and about the peculiar problems night conditions would pose. “We acknowledge that one of the critical aspects is how the ball wears, behaves and is seen over the course of an innings. There are also some concerns about dew on the ground at night. There may need to be some flexibility and compromise to get to the outcome.”The ICC last year approved the idea of day-night Tests, a decision which was welcomed by Sutherland, but left it to member boards to decide on the hours of play and the colour of the ball. Pakistan’s offer to Sri Lanka to play a Test under lights in January 2014 on their tour to the United Arab Emirates was turned down by the latter, which cited its players’ lack of practice with the pink ball as the source of their reluctance. Day-night first-class matches have been trialled before in Pakistan, South Africa, England, West Indies, India and Bangladesh.”In encouraging teams to trial Test cricket as day-night matches, the ICC has said it will take a positive and flexible view of any proposed amendments to playing conditions that will allow such trials to proceed,” Sutherland said. “CA’s commitment to Test cricket does not just extend to our men’s team being the best in the world. We also have a responsibility to help grow interest in Test cricket around the world. To achieve this, we need to try and find a way to schedule our premium content at a time when the most number of fans are able to attend and watch.”The game needs to continue to evolve to meet the needs of its fans. We are not proposing all Tests should be played at night in the long-term, however, there are certain venues and times of the year where day-night Test cricket can potentially enhance and further promote and support the game.”

The match had almost all the ingredients of an absorbing Twenty20 match

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran27-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson gathered pace towards the end to finish unbeaten on 98•BCCI

The match had almost all the ingredients of an absorbing Twenty20 contest. Sunrisers Hyderabad lost their top order in a cycle-stand collapse, before Darren Sammy led a lower-order revival to push the score to 144. On a pitch assisting the seamers, Rajasthan Royals had to deal with a testing opening period of swing and seam, which the experienced duo of Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson negotiated. Watson, coming off a century in Chennai, paced his innings and powered Royals home with a blistering unbeaten 98.Watson wasn’t the only Australian making waves at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. James Faulkner demolished the Sunrisers’ top order during a five-wicket haul, the first of IPL 2013. Faulkner and the innocuous Ajit Chandila reduced Sunrisers to 29 for 6, raising expectations of early finish. The top six registered scores of 2,0,4,4,6,4 – leaving much responsibility on Sammy.Kumar Sangakkara had dropped himself for three games owing to his indifferent form, but his return made no difference as he joined the early procession of wickets. After Akshath Reddy fell off a leading edge against Chandila, Sangakkara chased a wide delivery from Faulkner and edged to second slip for 4.Though the pitch gave a lot of assistance to the seamers in terms of movement and bounce, the shot selection by the Sunrisers was poor. Shikhar Dhawan slashed straight to backward point and Karan Sharma, walking in unexpectedly at No.5 – just as Amit Mishra did in Chennai – succumbed to the pressure of needing quick runs by top edging Faulkner to fine leg. Thisara Perera perished to a one-handed slog down to long-on before Hanuma Vihari gloved Kevon Cooper down the leg side. It was the first time Royals had managed so many wickets in the Powerplay.Sammy and Amit Mishra scripted Sunrisers’ recovery with a stand of 58. Sammy made room against the seamers to clear cover and shoveled the ball over midwicket to give the innings some impetus. He hit the first six of the innings in the 13th, a pull off Siddharth Trivedi over deep midwicket. He celebrated his fifty – his first in T20s – in unique style, pulling out a baby pacifier tied around his neck sucking at it, for his baby daughter.The seventh, eighth and ninth wickets added 115, giving the Sunrisers bowlers a fighting total to try and defend.Watson and Dravid, however, used their experience to counter the swing and prevent the loss of early wickets. Several deliveries came back into the right-hander, but Watson ensured he played the ball late, dabbing it down to third man and behind point. He did offer some chances, though. On 16, an outside edge off Perera just beat a diving Sangakkara, and another just dropped short of Sammy at slip.Royals had progressed to 53 for 1 after ten overs, with the asking rate passing nine. The partnership gathered pace in the second half of the innings, Dravid launching Royals’ march with a six over long-on. A costly Ishant Sharma over, which leaked 20, included three fours and a six by Watson. The next, off Perera, went for 15 and hastened Royals’ march to the target. Three powerful blows to deep midwicket, by Watson off Karan Sharma, sealed a clinical win.

Bangladesh scampered to a series-levelling win against Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI, in Pallekele, winning by three wickets in a rain-hit encounter

The Report by Mohammad Isam in Pallekele28-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTillakaratne Dilshan scored his fourth century in Pallekele, but it went in vain•Associated Press

Bangladesh scampered to a series-levelling win against Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI, in Pallekele, winning by three wickets in a rain-hit encounter. They were helped along by Nasir Hossain’s composed 33 off 27 balls late in the chase, the visitors showing nerves as they neared the victory – their first in 15 completed games against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.Overall it was a fine occasion for the visitors, who had left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak becoming the first Bangladesh bowler to aggregate 200 ODI wickets, as he picked up a five-wicket haul that helped drag them back into the game after Sri Lanka’s openers had built a fine platform. The hosts didn’t build appropriately on that excellent start, ending up at 302 for 9 in their 50 overs when they looked on course for much more.Bangladesh began their innings in an equally good manner, with Mohammad Ashraful and Anamul Haque adding 77 runs for the first wicket. But rain delayed the chase for more than two hours, with the score at 78 for 1 in 13.4 overs. As play restarted at 10.20pm local time, as per Duckworth-Lewis calculations, the visitors needed to score another 105 runs to win in the next 13.2 overs, and they did.But things could have been different had Bangladesh wilted after Lasith Malinga’s final over. The two wickets he claimed in that over all but sealed the series for the home side but Nasir charged at Thisara Perera in the next, the penultimate over. He took 14 out of the 18 runs required in that over, playing an easy square-cut and two proper slogs over midwicket to snatch back the momentum. With two runs to win off seven balls, Sohag Gazi top-edged one over wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, before turning and giving his batting partner a hug.Promoted up to No. 5, Nasir witnessed madness at the other end as the batsmen gave a chance to the calm Sri Lankan fielders and bowlers almost every over. But he minded his own end, ensuring he was there when the business end of the game came about.The madness began when Jahurul tried to slog or take off for a suicidal single every other ball, and it contributed to his dismissal. He was batting well when not charging at the bowlers, but he thought it was a situation that called for a change from first to fifth gear. The same can be said about captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who was run out after Nasir had pushed the ball towards the bowler Perera. His deputy Mahmudullah was stringing together an important partnership with Nasir when he decided to play a reverse-sweep off Sachithra Senanayake when the team needed just 39 off 33 balls.But the home side waited far too long to bring on the offspinner Senanayake after the rain break, and that probably cost them. Senanayake’s angle from around the wicket gave the Bangladesh batsmen too much to think about, and there were several moments when wickets were just inches away. He took 2 for 26 from his six overs. Jeevan Mendis hasn’t bowled an over in the series and given the visitors’ weakness against legspinners, Mathews missed a trick there too.It was a completely different game than the one played earlier in the afternoon under brilliant sunshine. Sri Lanka posted a formidable target with Tillakaratne Dilshan scoring his 16th ODI hundred, and second of the series. Along with Kusal Perera, he added 116 for the first wicket but the Bangladesh spinners gained some footing and it ultimately held Sri Lanka back in the final ten overs too.Perera scored his first ODI fifty in the typical manner that everyone has been awed by so far in his short career. He went after the bowling from the third over when he hit a straight six, and then continued to pelt the pace bowlers who went for plenty in the first seven overs.Dilshan went after the bowling in the two Powerplays but remained the anchor through most of the innings. However, he found little support at the other end.The middle-order shuffle didn’t help the hosts as none of Thisara Perera, Mathews or Mendis could contribute as they were expected to. It was left to Lahiru Thirimanne, who was pushed down the order, to bang out two sixes in his quickfire 25, which took them past the 300-run mark.Razzak’s five wickets apart, Mahmudullah and Sohag Gazi tightened things up whenever they were asked to bowl. Mahmudullah made up for his poor run of form with the bat, bowling his ten overs for 50 runs while Gazi was once again accurate during most parts of his spell. And in the end, it all added up to victory for Bangladesh.

The second season of the Sri Lanka Premier League is expected to begin with the player draft on July 14 in Colombo

Sa'adi Thawfeeq07-Jul-2013The player draft of the second Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) season is scheduled for July 14 in Colombo and is expected to contain several international players, including a strong South African contingent, according to the league’s chief executive officer, Ajith Jayasekara. The league is scheduled between August 10 and September 7.”We have the entire South African squad with the exception of Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis lined up to take part,” Jayasekara said. “Pakistan has also shown their intention to send their present lot of cricketers but the participation of most of their key players depends on whether their tour to Zimbabwe takes place.”South Africa are due to tour Sri Lanka from July 20 to August 6 for five ODIs and three T20s and there is a possibility that members of the visiting team will stay back to participate in the league.”With the exception of England and India, players from all the other Test-playing nations have shown interest in participating in the league,” Jayasekara said. “Even a top performer like Chris Gayle has expressed his intention to take part once the Caribbean Premier League ends on August 24.”Other West Indian players like fast bowlers Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor, as well as Australians such as Doug Bollinger, Brad Hodge and Shaun Tait are among those who are expected to participate. The list also includes Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain. Jayasekara also said the franchises would reveal the list of players they are releasing by July 8.The draft rules allow a franchise to pick a minimum of 19 and a maximum of 25 players. If they stick to 19 players, the franchises have to pick seven international cricketers, nine domestic cricketers and three under-21 cricketers. If the squad comprises 25 members, the numbers change to 10, 11 and four respectively.Last season, 56 international players, mostly from Australia and Pakistan, and 90 local players were drafted in the league.Jayasekara brushed aside reports of problems with player payments in the first season. “We are perhaps the only league in the world to pay the players fees on time. Even the IPL has faltered on its payments. Some of the players who represented Kochi Tuskers Kerala have yet to receive their money and most of the players who took part in the Bangladesh Premier League have not been paid.”Like last season, officials of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit will monitor all matches of the second season of the SLPL. SLC is also looking to increase the number of venues this season and matches are scheduled in Hambantota, Galle, Dambulla and Kurunegala, apart from the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and Pallekele stadium in Kandy. Jayasekera said the SLC was also exploring the possibility of hosting matches at Moratuwa and Matara.”We want to take the matches to the provinces that are being represented in the tournament,” Jayasekera said. “Some of the matches will be day games because the venues do not have facilities for night matches.”The SLPL was set up by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to generate steady revenue to improve their wavering financial position after the 2011 World Cup. SLC signed a 15-year agreement with a Singapore-based company, Somerset Entertainment Ventures, to host the SLPL under an equal profit sharing arrangement.Jayasekera indicated that in the inaugural year, SLC earned as much as SLR 285 million, a figure which they approximately expect to receive each year over the next 14 years.The number of teams participating in the league this year is the same as last season: Uva Next (defending champions), Nagenahira Nagas (runner-up), Kandurata Warriors and Wayamba United (losing semi-finalists), Ruhuna Royals, Uthura Rudras and Basnahira Cricket Dundee.

England bowlers allow India to add only 88 to their overnight 276 for 3

Varun Shetty13-Aug-20213:08

Harmison: Anderson phenomenal even on a placid pitch

It was more ebb and flow and less one-sided on day two as England counter-punched throughout to significantly limit India’s chances of running away with an early advantage in the second Test. Spearheading the bowling effort once again was James Anderson, who became the oldest man in 70 years to take a Test five-for; he was aided much better on the day by the rest of the line-up, and together they made sure that India added only 88 to their overnight score of 276 for 3.By stumps, England were 246 behind with Joe Root looking solid, after he had put up an encouraging stand with Rory Burns that came just in time as a potent spell from Mohammed Siraj threatened to put India on top once again.The day couldn’t have begun any better for England. Overnight centurion KL Rahul miscued a drive straight to extra cover off Ollie Robinson, second ball of the day, and Anderson had Ajinkya Rahane caught behind off the first ball next over to put an end to a 23-ball effort for India’s vice-captain that yielded a single run. At 282 for 5, India were suddenly in danger of a rapid end to their innings as England made use of the overcast conditions far better than they had on the first day.Related

• James Anderson, the lord of Lord's when India come calling

• Stats – Anderson the oldest pacer with a Test five-for in 70 years

The last recognised pair – Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja – did come good at that point, even if briefly in a 49-run stand. Pant played with typical panache, stepping out to slash over the bowlers, to pummel through the covers, and on one instance even stepping out and leaving a ball outside off. He was dismissed by Mark Wood, who would eventually go on to get Jadeja as well. India’s last four wickets added 33, a laboured effort that took 16.1 overs of batting around an atypically subdued Jadeja, who was the last man out. That total of 364 signalled a move towards some parity in the game for England.Burns and Dom Sibley looked resolute as they took England to tea, but India would punch back immediately after. They did that via Siraj, and with the use of a strategy they had developed earlier in the year on their Australia tour: the leg trap, a move that involved consistently slanting the ball into batters with packed leg-side fields that eventually proved to be a viable attacking as well as defensive strategy.Siraj was the man entrusted to pull it off, attacking Sibley’s middle and leg stumps until he induced a leg-side strangle that has become endemic for England’s opener in a short career; he had chipped to midwicket at Trent Bridge, and he did it again on Friday after enduring 44 balls for 11. Next ball, India had three catchers in various orientations around midwicket, and that was enough to push the returning Haseeb Hameed to play down a middle stump line to a full delivery that rattled the base of off.It became crucial at this juncture for England that Root would get through Siraj’s spell unscathed, and the bowler didn’t make it easy. He consistently challenged Root’s inside edge with a sustained attack at the stumps. On two occasions he came close to trapping him lbw; on both, Virat Kohli made reluctant reviews that showed the ball was sliding down leg side and India burned two reviews quickly. With the second one, he was visibly distressed with wicketkeeper Pant, seemingly for being too late in telling him that the review wasn’t on.Funnily enough, it was a Siraj over that did eventually release the pressure off England. The 27th over went for three fours, all of them from Burns, who drove neatly past mid-off and followed it up with consecutive pulls to the midwicket boundary to jump from 19 off 78 to 31 off 84. It also managed to take Siraj out of the attack, and began a series of fours, including two from Root at the start of Ishant Sharma’s next over. From 42 for 2 at the end of 26 overs, England swiftly jumped to 73 for 2 at the end of the 30th.The pattern from there was much like that of India’s in the last session of day one, with the sun peeking through the clouds and scoring getting easier. Soon enough, Kohli was forced to turn to Jadeja to tighten up one end in a bid to get to stumps without too much damage.India did pull one back at the end, though: Mohammed Shami going around the wicket for a third wicket that involved the ball coming in at the stumps. Completely against the run of play, Burns was trapped on the back foot, the ball keeping a touch low as he looked to swish it into the leg side. He made it clear he wasn’t pleased with that decision and it ended up costing England a review. But on the balance, at least from the point of view that India didn’t make any massive strides after day one, England will have been the happier team at stumps.

Changes afoot for both teams after drawn encounter at Lord’s

Andrew Miller09-Jun-2021

Big picture

Shall we talk about the cricket for a bit, then? Let’s park the timeline mining and the urge to be outraged by every less-than-savoury comment ever committed to the Twittersphere, and focus on the reason why such remarks from England’s senior sports stars are held to a higher standard than the rest of the poisonous soup that swills around that fetid site.England’s cricketers are public figures – a fact that might have been easy to overlook in the past 12 months of bio-secure bubbling, but at Edgbaston this week, they can expect to feel once again the full roar (or at least, a 70% roar) of the Hollies Stand, as the sport continues its tiptoe back to normality with cricket’s largest crowd since the T20 Blast final in September 2019, when Edgbaston was once again the host with the most.This year in the UK, only Leicester City’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea last month has been witnessed by more spectators than the 17,000 a day that will be permitted in Birmingham, and the euphoria of that occasion was palpable, even while the gaps in the stands remained gaping. All things being equal, this Test promises to be a celebration of cricket’s resilience and rebirth. But as we have been reminded over the course of the last few days, all things are far from equal right now.Nevertheless, the occasion could also be a celebration of a different ilk for the indomitable James Anderson, who now seems to be ticking off a milestone a match as he revels in the “sexy phase” of his career, the phrase recently coined by Peter Moores to describe Stuart Broad’s similarly zen-like confidence in his methods and mien.Joe Root has had much to ponder ahead of the second Test•Getty Images

Given the eight-week gap until the first Test against India, there seems little reason to defer Anderson’s record-breaking 162nd Test appearance on the grounds of workload management, although it was also England’s stated aim before the series to use these games, which fall outside the World Test Championship remit, to expand their pool of potential Ashes performers. Either way, he’ll get there soon enough, and will do so with a seasoned assurance far removed from the raw rookie who tore in on debut at Lord’s 18 years ago, even as his internal monologue was insisting he “wasn’t good enough”.New Zealand, too, are embracing the rest-and-rotation vibe. Some of their changes are enforced – most troublingly, the absence of their captain, the world’s No.1-ranked batter, Kane Williamson due to a long-standing elbow injury – but the rest are anticipated with the bigger picture in mind.For all that Tom Latham, their stand-in skipper, recognises that victory in England would be a memorable achievement in its own right, the three-day gap to the World Test Championship final against India requires a pragmatic approach, particularly to their fast-bowling resources. After six years as one of the premier teams in world cricket, encompassing the heartache of two World Cup finals, this is a glorious opportunity to obtain a tangible reward for their ceaselessly high standards.Related

• Edgbaston Test: Spectators to be allowed at up to 70% capacity

• Trent Boult in line to play second Test after relaxed quarantine in UK

• James Anderson thought he 'wasn't good enough' on debut, as he closes in on England caps record

• Kane Williamson out of second Test; Tom Latham to captain New Zealand

To that end, the first Test could hardly have gone better as a warm-up act. Devon Conway set New Zealand’s agenda with an obscenely assured debut, while there were sturdy workouts for three of the quicks who will spearhead their challenge for silverware, most notably Tim Southee with his third appearance on the Lord’s honours board (after two in the same match in 2013).They would doubtless have liked to cap their dominance with a victory, but England chose not to engage with a teasingly weighted declaration on the final afternoon. It looked, to the uninitiated, like an opportunity squandered, but was more likely an accident waiting to happen – especially for a callow batting line-up that served up four ducks in their flaccid first innings.”I still feel we made the right decision,” Joe Root said on the eve of the second Test, after reflecting on the criticism his side had received for their go-slow approach. “We turn up here, and we’ve got a chance to win the series.”If that is to happen, however, improvements are a must for England, who at least showed a greater willingness to hunker down in their dour second innings, thanks to Dom Sibley, who shut up shop for another of his puritanically grim half-centuries. But first time out, Dan Lawrence and Zak Crawley both fell to the sort of impetuous drives that will have Jasprit Bumrah and Co. licking their lips (let alone Josh Hazlewood and friends) while James Bracey’s six-ball duck and cartwheeling off stump made for an uncompromisingly tough baptism.On a practical level, too, England have been weakened by the absence of their best bowler from that first Test. Ollie Robinson’s misdemeanours require attention, but with seven wickets in the match, and 42 vital first-innings runs to stave off a complete meltdown, his on-field contributions will not be forgotten, even if his off-field actions continue to dominate England’s narrative.

Form guide

England: DLLLW
New Zealand: DWWWW

In the spotlight

Rory Burns is one of the very few England cricketers who is enjoying life more in the current climate than he was at the start of the year. After losing his place (and his sense of humour) during the tour of India, Burns then had to navigate his way out of a more contemporary Twitter rumpus, following his ill-judged response to a tongue-in-cheek comment from the ex-England women’s player, Alex Hartley. In between whiles, however, he put his head down for Surrey to grind out seven fifty-plus scores in nine innings, and has now regained the right to be considered England’s premier opening batsman. His third Test century was a nuggetty masterpiece – last man out for 132 out of 275, a performance that glued the innings together when it briefly seemed a 200-plus deficit was on the cards. He has happy memories of Edgbaston too, with a maiden hundred on his last visit in the 2019 Ashes.Tom Latham has some massive shoes to fill as Kane Williamson’s captaincy stand-in, but at the age of 29, and with nearly 4000 runs at a very healthy average of 41.97, there’s no time like the present for New Zealand’s vice-captain to step up to the higher role. Latham’s unassuming methods mask a steely temperament, although he hasn’t quite returned to the heights he reached in 2018-19, when he racked up five hundreds in eight Tests including a career-best 264 not out against Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, the last of those hundreds was against England at Hamilton, meaning that each of New Zealand’s openers has reached three figures in their last two encounters with Root’s men. If Conway can pick up where he left off with his debut double-century at Lord’s, the new skipper will have all the more space to grow into his new responsibilities.

Team news

Robinson’s suspension means that Craig Overton is in line for his first Test cap since the 2019 Ashes, in that No.8 bowling allrounder role that has become rather crucial to England’s balance in the absence of Ben Stokes (not to mention Edgbaston’s own Chris Woakes – remember him?). But another Birmingham local, Olly Stone, could be given the opportunity to impress, potentially as a like-for-like replacement for Mark Wood, whose workload England are keen to manage. Jack Leach is likely to return as a spin option, not least given the weather forecast, which means either Broad or Anderson could miss out. Bracey caused England something of a scare on Tuesday evening when he required lengthy treatment on a finger injury, sustained during wicketkeeping drills, but he’s set to continue behind the stumps.England (possible): 1 Rory Burns, 2 Dom Sibley, 3 Zak Crawley, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Ollie Pope, 6 Dan Lawrence, 7 James Bracey (wk), 8 Craig Overton, 9 Jack Leach, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James AndersonThere’s a fair amount of upheaval in New Zealand’s ranks, partially by design but largely through injury. Williamson will rest his problematic elbow ahead of next week’s main event against India – he has been managing the injury since March, after missing the Bangladesh ODIs and the early part of the IPL. Will Young, who made a century in his most recent match, for Durham in the County Championship last month, will slot in at No. 3. Mitchell Santner has also been ruled out after struggling at Lord’s due to a cut on his left index finger, which may prompt a call-up for either Ajaz Patel or Rachin Ravindra, the other two left-arm spinners in New Zealand’s ranks. In better news for New Zealand, Trent Boult is back in the squad following his quarantine period, and could come straight into contention, along with Matt Henry, with Gary Stead, the head coach, indicating that they will rotate their options ahead of the WTC final.New Zealand (possible): 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Will Young, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Matt Henry, 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Ajaz Patel / Rachin Ravindra, 11 Trent Boult.Trent Boult is set to play in the second Test•Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

It’s taken a while to splutter into life, but the English summer is now properly upon us, with temperatures in the mid-20s forecast all week. The Edgbaston pitch is habitually a sound one, and Chris Silverwood, England’s head coach, has requested a typically true deck with good carry for the seamers. There hasn’t been a whole lot of spin in evidence at the venue this summer – even that notorious fourth-innings assassin Simon Harmer was thwarted when Warwickshire saw off the champions Essex earlier in the season – but the high temperatures may help the pitch to dry and turn on days four and five.

Stats and trivia

• If selected for his 162nd Test appearance, James Anderson will break Alastair Cook’s record for England Test caps. He needs another six wickets to reach 1,000 in his first-class career.
• Tom Latham needs 12 runs to reach 4000 in Tests for New Zealand, a mark that only eight New Zealanders have previously reached. His next Test innings, coincidentally, will be his 100th, in his 58th match.
• New Zealand have lost on each of their previous four Test visits to Edgbaston, most recently in 1999, a match made famous by Alex Tudor’s 99 not out as England’s nightwatchman.
• Kane Williamson will have to wait at least until the WTC final to score the 44 runs he needs to overtake Stephen Fleming’s aggregate of 7172 in Tests, and become New Zealand’s second-highest run-scorer of all time, behind Ross Taylor.

Quotes

“It’s well documented that Kane’s personality and calm nature is vital to this group. He’s very relaxed, he doesn’t get too high or too low, he’s a wonderful leader, which we’ve seen throughout his captaincy career, but especially in the last couple of years, and he certainly will be missed.”
“I see it as an opportunity for them to go out and score Test-match runs for their country, and I hope they see it like that. They have a responsibility to go and play the situation to the best of their ability and try and eradicate any other thoughts.”

“I think we saw a lot of heart, a lot of commitment. What’s important to our group is our commitment to our style of cricket”

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-20213:08

Is this the greatest New Zealand Test team?

New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson has described winning the inaugural World Test Championship in Southampton as a “special feeling”, but would not go as far as calling it the biggest day in the history of New Zealand cricket.”Certainly is a very special feeling. A couple of close ones and then to get one [final win is special],” Williamson said before collecting the Test Championship trophy. “India are a formidable side and we knew coming into the game it was going to be an incredibly tough challenge.”It’s the pinnacle, isn’t it, being involved in the final,” he added in the post-match press conference. “Even coming into the last day, although it was staggered with the weather and all the delays that we had, all results were on the table. It was just great the heart the team showed to take it across the line.”We saw both teams grab the momentum at certain points in time, and then to have the sixth day as back-up made for a fantastic game to be a part of. For us it’s a very proud moment in our history and a proud moment, just as a team really, to stick to what we do well and come away with the win, which is a really great feeling.”After the heartache of consecutive World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019 – the latter an agonising loss on boundary countback after both the match and the subsequent Super Over were tied – the triumph was sweet vindication for a New Zealand squad that has arguably never been bettered in the country’s history. Williamson, however, was keeping his emotions in check.”It’s a very special occasion and a fantastic feeling,” he said. “We’ve been involved in a couple of finals previously, and I suppose the first one [2015] was one-sided, the second one was pretty interesting, and this feeling is a bit different to those, which is great. I know the guys will celebrate that.”2019 was a great occasion and a brilliant game of cricket as well,” he added. “But obviously it’s a slightly different feeling, being on the right side of the result for us, and also a part of a great game of cricket and a great occasion, the first official World Test Championship. This is a really good feeling.”Related

• Not luck, not fluke – New Zealand deserve to be the World Test Champions

• As it happened – India vs New Zealand, WTC final, Southampton, 6th day (reserve day)

• Under the radar no more, New Zealand trump India to become Test world champions

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Williamson also said that while 11 people took the field for the WTC final, he wished to pay tribute to all 22 squad players who were part of the New Zealand Test side in the championship cycle. He also said that it was his players’ “heart and commitment” that earned them the final win.”I think for us, we know we don’t always have the stars, and we use our bits and pieces to stay in games and be competitive,” Williamson said. “I think we saw that in this match. I think we saw a lot of heart, a lot of commitment. What’s important to our group is our commitment to our style of cricket. And we had to, we know how strong this Indian side is in all conditions. We’ve seen it for a long time.”It’s not always easy I suppose when you’re playing in a one-off Test match as a final where anything can happen, and it’s a fickle game, and we respect that, but yeah, throughout all six days it ebbed and flowed and no one really got the upper hand for a long period of time.”The key partnership on the final day was Williamson’s unbeaten 96-run stand with Ross Taylor, who struck the winning boundary to finish unbeaten on 47. The pair first played together in Williamson’s Test debut back in 2010, also against India in Ahmedabad, and the captain paid tribute to his veteran batter.”It was fantastic to be a part of a partnership like that,” he said. “Obviously Ross is our most experienced player and a leader in the group, so it was nice that we were able to soak up some of the pressure and then score a few together, although it was really difficult to come by. But having an experienced hitter like Ross out there was certainly helpful.”It was a really special feeling to be there at the end together and tick those runs off. Even though it was 130-odd, on that surface you never felt comfortable. It was nice to soak up some of that pressure and put together a partnership.”Williamson also praised his lower-order batters in the first innings, who helped New Zealand take a 32-run lead. He said that while he personally found it tough to score runs against an “amazing” Indian attack, the way the lower order played with the freedom to take them to the lead played a big role in New Zealand eventually winning the match.He also praised the surface prepared for the final, calling it a “sporting wicket” for providing a result despite only four days of cricket possible.”That was tough obviously, an amazing attack, didn’t give you much to hit for long periods,” he said. “It was certainly tough going but we had to apply ourselves and the lower order played with a bit more freedom to take us closer to some sort of lead, which was important on a wicket like this. A very sporting surface, I suppose, and only four days of cricket produced some result.”The result, while a disappointment for India, was warmly greeted by the final’s neutral viewers around the world, who have taken to New Zealand’s style in recent years – starting with Brendon McCullum’s commitment to attacking cricket, and continuing through Williamson’s five-year tenure, including his grace in defeat in 2019.But after it was suggested on the match commentary that ‘nice guys do finish first sometimes’, Williamson insisted that the team’s only aim was to remain true to themselves.”In terms of our team and our behaviours, we try and commit to what’s important to us,” Williamson said. “People can comment on that, or tag us how they’d like, but it’s not about being anything other than authentic to us as a group and the sort of cricket that we want to play, and the behaviours that are important to us day in, day out. That’s something that is important to us as a team.”

Craig Kieswetter has had a fine match, taking everything that came his way behind the stumps and playing an instrumental role with the bat to put Somerset in a position from which they are well placed to win

Les Smith at Chester-le-Street12-Apr-2013
ScorecardCraig Kieswetter steadied Somerset before the rain returned•Getty Images

Craig Kieswetter has had a fine match, taking everything that came his way behind the stumps and playing an instrumental role with the bat to put Somerset in a position from which they are well placed to win.A wicketkeeper is only as good as his bowlers but Somerset’s impressive attack offered Kieswetter eight chances in the match and he snaffled the lot. His batting could also been crucial in a low-scoring match. In Somerset’s first innings, promoted up the order to No. 3 in the absence of Nick Compton and Alviro Petersen, he came in with 12 on the board and steadied the ship for the best part of 20 overs. When he walked to the crease for the second time, his side was in a healthier position but still had a lot to do in pursuit of the 235 set by Durham. By the time bad light brought the day’s play to an end he had 39 to his name. His approach was exactly what Somerset needed, watchful in conditions which still favoured the bowlers, but severe on anything loose, scoring five boundaries.Only 35 overs were bowled in the day and play didn’t get going until 1.40pm. After a gloomy morning, the improvement in the light was barely discernible but nobody, apart perhaps from the fielders on another bitter day, was complaining. Three hours later the light worsened and that was it again.It took Somerset half an hour and eight overs to take the last two Durham wickets. First to go was Phil Mustard who had batted splendidly on the previous evening, but was furious with himself when he was run out attempting a second. The fielding and throw by Jamie Overton were excellent but it was a waste. Overton, who turned 19 two days ago, was Marcus Trescothick’s choice to do the bowling from the River End, and he showed a youthful eagerness to pitch the ball short, especially when he was bowling to Graham Onions. That may not seem such a good idea if Overton finds himself facing Onions on Saturday.Last man Chris Rushworth put bat to ball and had the third highest score of the innings, but he nicked to Kieswetter to give Alfonso Thomas his fourth wicket of the innings.The importance of Marcus Trescothick’s batting to Somerset was clearly demonstrated by the jubilation with which the Durham players reacted to his dismissal for 6 in the first innings. When he went in for the second time he looked much more secure, defending solidly and driving beautifully straight and through the covers. It was a surprise, therefore, that when Ben Stokes replaced Onions he bowled him with his fifth ball. Earlier Onions had trapped Arul Suppiah on his crease with a delivery that nipped in and stayed a little low.Suppiah’s dismissal brought in Kieswetter and, if he can carry on tomorrow as he started this afternoon, Somerset may have the edge.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has expressed frustration at the careless dismissals of his team’s batsmen

Mohammad Isam in Khulna25-Nov-2012The shot selection of Bangladesh’s batsmen contributed to their failure in the Test match. A lot has been said about on the subject in the past, and captain Mushfiqur Rahim brought it up again after the defeat, saying that while the batsmen should not alter natural approach too much, better judgement is required.”We should play natural cricket depending on the situation. Chanderpaul also plays the lofted shot but when he does that, there is little risk. The team, including myself, have to learn from these things, when to play low-risk and high-risk shots. We have to understand that the team comes first, and not individuals,” Mushfiqur said after the Khulna Test.They have banked on batting aggressively at most times and this Test was no different. But this approach isn’t working. They delivered two below par batting performances in Khulna, and one in the first Test in Mirpur. The first innings in the previous game, in which they scored 556, was an exceptional performance as they were playing this format for the first time in eleven months. But the same talent didn’t prove to be good enough to last four consecutive innings in this Test series.”All the wickets that fall in a Test match are not entirely down to the bowlers’ credit. Batsmen are at fault too. But in our case, the batsmen gift them the wickets regularly without the bowlers earning it, that’s the most terrible thing,” Mushfiqur said. “We have to work on avoiding soft dismissals. We have been doing it for a long period during which many of us have scored runs as well. Sometimes situations are such that a single dismissal turns the game away from us. Questions are justifiably raised and we are concerned about it.”The balance between the batsmen’s instincts and the demands of the situation hasn’t been achieved, seen in Mushfiqur’s dismissal in the second innings here; he had skipped down the track only to be beaten and bowled by spinner Veerasammy Permaul.”I don’t even know [if] I’ve got out like that before. I don’t remember getting out to a nothing shot like that. It was my fault. I wanted to play a long innings and forge a partnership with Shakib, but it didn’t happen,” Mushfiqur said.He was also upset with his team’s unspirited comeback from the first Test defeat. “It is quite frustrating because we played well in the first Test. In the first innings here, Abul [Hasan] played outstandingly or we could have been out of the Test very early. He kept us in the game and we scored almost 400.”We also missed some chances and it is important to hold on to them on such pitches, because it becomes difficult to get [batsmen] out. In the second innings, there wasn’t much help for the bowlers. As it happens most of the times, we played bad shots to get out. If that didn’t happen, you saw how Shakib and Nasir [Hossain] batted – there were no demons in the wicket.”Bangladesh play their next Test in Sri Lanka in February next year, in another two-Test series. Judging by the number of limited-overs matches they have scheduled at all levels in the interim, the repeat of these mistakes cannot be ruled out.

Both teams are strong at the top but have a tendency of losing steam towards the end of their innings

Saurabh Somani17-Apr-2021

Big picture

In the blue corner, we have Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant and others. In the red, there are KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and friends. The Delhi Capitals’ contest against the Punjab Kings is of the kind where, were it a boxing match, there would be the promise of some heavy-duty action in the first few rounds, with the possibility of a peter-out later on.That’s because of how the two teams are made up. Both rely on their top orders to do the bulk of the work, and if the top order falters, then the batting goes from sizzle to fizzle pretty quickly. There are other points in common too: they are stocked with lots of pace options, and each has won one game and lost one. However, while the Capitals might look back at their defeat against the Rajasthan Royals and think they could have won two in two, the Kings would need to pick themselves up after a rather comprehensive wipe-out against the Chennai Super Kings.Related

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This will be the last outing at the Wankhede Stadium for the two teams in IPL 2021. The tracks there have not lived up to the reputation of being batting beauties in the last couple of matches, but given a flat track, there are bound to be fireworks.What both teams might look for, though, is a bit more batting depth. Each faced a top-order collapse in their last games, which would have made them conscious of how steeply the batting falls off after the top few. While Pant being around allowed the Capitals to at least hit near 150, none of the top five stayed much beyond the powerplay for the Kings, and it needed Shahrukh Khan at No. 6 to drag them just over 100. They both have the personnel in their squads to lengthen the batting, though that would inevitably come at the expense of the bowling, and it’s a balancing call they have to take. The Capitals could drop one of their overseas bowlers to bring back Shimron Hetmyer, while the Kings could do the same to bring in a Fabian Allen or a Moises Henriques.

In the news

Anrich Nortje, bowler of the fastest ball in IPL history, is back in the Capitals’ team bubble after a Covid-19 scare. Nortje had landed in Mumbai on April 6, and had to spend extended time in quarantine after a positive test, but has subsequently tested negative thrice. The Capitals certainly missed Nortje in their loss against the Royals, and he can now resume his partnership with Kagiso Rabada to provide the pace blast they had last year. Nortje’s addition would almost certainly mean a benching for Tom Curran, who hasn’t been able to control the flow of runs effectively.The Capitals have also roped in Shams Mulani as a temporary replacement for Axar Patel, a like-for-like left-arm-spinning allrounder, and brought in Aniruddha Joshi for the injured Shreyas Iyer. It remains to be seen whether either of them can be fitted into the XIs.Nicholas Pooran has had two ducks, but he remains amongst the best hitters in the game•BCCI

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Lalit Yadav, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Anrich NortjePunjab Kings: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Jhye Richardson, 8 M Ashwin, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Riley Meredith, 11 Arshdeep Singh

Strategy punt

• The Capitals didn’t use up all of R Ashwin’s four overs in their defeat against the Royals, something that coach Ricky Ponting admitted might have been a mistake. They would not want to repeat that in this game, with Ashwin likely to be particularly valuable in the middle, bowling to Gayle and Pooran, both left-handers. Both big-hitting West Indians have not quite managed to get on top of Ashwin. While the offspinner has a long history of success against Gayle and has even kept him to less than a run-a-ball, he bowled superbly to Pooran in IPL 2020’s opening game too, getting him for a duck.
• With Pooran having fallen twice to short balls in IPL 2021 and yet to score a run, expect Delhi to unleash their considerable pace artillery at him too. For the Kings then, a good start is essential. The Capitals might want to have both Ashwin and a pacer bowling to Pooran, but if Rahul, Agarwal and Gayle can get the team off to a good start, then those plans will come unstuck. And while Pooran may have started off with two ducks, he remains amongst the best hitters of the ball, who can cause mayhem when coming in with a set platform.
  

  Stats that matter

  • In five IPL games at the Wankhede, Pant has averaged 63.66 at a strike rate of 192.92. Even including games other than the IPL, Pant has enjoyed himself at this venue, averaging 41.83 at a strike rate of 180.57 in nine matches.
  • Since January 2018, only one batter has scored more than 2000 runs in the IPL: Rahul. He’s done it at an average of 54.54, while the strike rate has veered sharply between extremes in past seasons. It remains to be seen which version of Rahul turns up. While the aggressive version worked wonders in the win against the Royals, the collapse against the Super Kings might make him change tack.