All posts by n8rngtd.top

Former Australia coach will join up with club in February after signing two-year contract

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2024Northamptonshire have appointed former Australia coach Darren Lehmann to take charge at Wantage Road on a two-year contract.Lehmann, 54, succeeds John Sadler, who left his position as head coach in September after Northants were beaten in their Vitality Blast quarter-final. Northants were winless in the County Championship at the time, although rallied to finish fourth in Division Two.Lehmann, who had previously stepped back from some of his coaching work after suffering a heart attack in 2020, will join the club in February after working in a commentary role for ABC during the Australian summer.”Northamptonshire has a great history in our game and I am looking forward to meeting the players and learning about the club and its past and create our own history over the coming months and years,” Lehmann said.”The selling point for me is a group that wants to get better and follow their and the club’s dreams, create memories and play at the highest level possible. I will encourage this on and off the field, as well as open door policy. I’m sure we will have success and fun along the way.”Pre-season will search for the high skill levels that the group possess, and the assistant coaches will drive this until I can get there after our summer. We have excellent coaches who want nothing more than for the players to succeed on and off the field.”Lehmann played more than 100 times for Australia, later coaching them to success in the 2013-14 Ashes. He won the Big Bash League with Brisbane Heat in 2012-13, before returning to the team after his time with Australia, fulfilling the role as assistant coach for their 2023-24 title.He has a wealth of experience in England, having had a long and successful playing career with Yorkshire, later coaching the Headingley-based Northern Superchargers in the first season of the Hundred.Northamptonshire’s CEO, Ray Payne, said: “I am delighted we have been able to secure a new head coach with the history, reputation, skills and knowledge that Darren possesses. It is a real marker in the ground and demonstrates once again, the clubs desire to achieve to its highest level on the field.”From our first conversation with Darren it was clear to see his passion and excitement for the opportunity and his coaching philosophy is something that aligns well with the goals of the club.”With this appointment and David Ripley as head coach of Steelbacks Women, we believe we have strong leadership for both the men’s and women’s Northamptonshire teams and that will be the envy of others and well set for success.”I wish Darren all the best in the role and know he will have the support of the whole club and all of the supporters as we strive for promotion back to Division One of the County Championship and success in both white-ball competitions.”

Australian allrounder hits 44 off 17 then takes three-for as sorry Phoenix lose again

ECB Media22-Aug-2025Welsh Fire claimed their first win of the Hundred’s fifth season at the sixth time of asking as Aussie allrounder Jess Jonassen inspired them to a comprehensive victory over Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston to end their hosts’ slim hopes of progressing to the Eliminator.Fire, last year’s runners-up, were playing for pride after five straight defeats extinguished their hopes of a top-three finish and they produced comfortably their best performance of the campaign so far, Jonassen delivering fireworks with the bat before returning figures of 3 for 24.The omens didn’t look good for Fire when Tammy Beaumont was bowled for 2 by a trademark inswinger from Megan Schutt, but a second-wicket stand of 71 between Sophia Dunkley (53 from 43) and Hayley Matthews, (34 not out from 33) laid strong foundations.Dunkley’s failed attempt at a sweep shot saw her bowled by Hannah Baker to leave Fire 99 for 2 before Jonassen upped the ante with a powerful knock of 44 from 17 balls. The experienced left-hander was particularly brutal against Baker, hitting four consecutive sixes in the legspinner’s final set to propel Fire to 150 for 3.Sophia Dunkley on her way to a half-century•Getty Images

In reply the Phoenix made a stuttering start, Shabnim Ismail (3 for 16) producing a beauty to castle Emma Lamb for a second-ball duck before trapping Marie Kelly lbw two deliveries later.Australian duo Georgia Voll (29 from 18) and Ellyse Perry (53 from 43) gave the innings impetus but Jonassen made another crucial intervention, bowling Voll with a nicely flighted delivery which deceived her compatriot in the air.Amy Jones swiftly followed, bowled by Matthews for a golden duck, before Perry gave the Phoenix a glimmer of hope, registering her first half-century of this summer’s competition.Sterre Kalis (15 from 16) briefly flickered, hitting Jonassen for a straight six, but she had her revenge two balls later when Kalis holed out to Ismail at long-on, and Ailsa Lister fell in identical fashion soon after to give her a third.Ismail returned to see off Perry, dismissed by a low catch from Georgia Elwiss at mid-off, and Matthews (3-21) did further damage as the Phoenix eventually limped to 114 for 9, slipping to the bottom of the table after suffering their fifth defeat in six.”We’ve been searching for a win all season. It’s nice that things clicked today,” Jonassen said. “We were probably just letting ourselves down a little with the bat, more so than anything, and it’s really nice we got a win today but with things still to improve on for the remaining matches. We’re really looking forward to getting back to Cardiff for our next game.”

Test captain trained in Multan but Zak Crawley said England “don’t know yet” if he will play

Matt Roller04-Oct-2024Ben Stokes has emerged as a doubt to play in the first Test of England’s tour to Pakistan on Monday, though Zak Crawley has declared himself fit. Stokes batted for around half an hour in the nets and very briefly bowled off a short run-up at a training session in Multan on Friday, but is not certain to be included when England name their side on Saturday.Stokes tore his left hamstring while batting during the Hundred in August, ruling him out of England’s Test series against Sri Lanka. He has been targeting this three-match series in his rehabilitation but told ESPNcricinfo last month: “I’d rather take an extra two weeks than run the risk of potentially doing something worse, and then putting myself out of the game for longer.”If Stokes is ruled out, Ollie Pope will continue to deputise as England’s captain after leading them to a 2-1 win against Sri Lanka. Stokes’s potential absence may also open the door to Chris Woakes, who is in contention to play his first overseas Test in two-and-a-half years and would help to balance the side from No. 7.Related

• Anderson's golfing absence highlights inexperience of England seamers

• Stokes on track for Pakistan tour comeback after hamstring tear

• Stokes: Criticism of Pope reflects 'English culture towards sport'

• Masood has 'no complaints regarding unity' in the Pakistan side

Crawley, who will return to the side after missing the Sri Lanka series with a broken finger, said England are well placed to cope in the event that Stokes is unavailable. “We’ve got a really deep squad, with plenty of options with the ball and with the bat as well,” he said. “We feel ready. Whatever team comes out, it will be a nice balance either way.”England are expected to name their XI two days before the first Test, as has become customary for them, and Crawley suggested a late call would be made on Stokes’ inclusion. “He seems to be going well, recovering well from his injury,” he said. “We don’t know just yet. I think he’s got to do a few more tests, but he’s been doing some running and stuff.”Crawley himself has not played competitively since England’s third Test against West Indies in July. He fractured his little finger while dropping a catch in the slips on the third day off Jason Holder and his absence highlighted his importance to the side, with Dan Lawrence failing to pass 35 as a makeshift replacement.England trained for the first time in Multan – the venue for the first two Tests of this three-match series – on Friday, having arrived early on Wednesday morning. They will not play any warm-up matches before the first Test, but Crawley said he felt “brand new” and ready to play, 10 weeks after his most recent innings – though he will not field in the slips.”The finger is all right,” Crawley said. “It’s as good as it could be at this stage. I’ve recovered well from it. It was a nasty break at the time, but I’ve recovered well and I don’t feel it at all while I’m batting. In the field, I haven’t done too much. I’m trying to rest it, but I did a few catches there [in training] and it feels fine.Zak Crawley was back in the nets having recovered from a finger break•Getty Images

“I won’t go at slip, just from advice from the doctor. I feel like I could, but I’m just trying to follow the professional advice. It feels back to normal now, so I’m looking forward to cracking on… I feel brand new. I’m looking forward to getting out there. I’ve certainly missed it, so I can’t wait to get out there again with the boys.”Crawley had his hand heavily strapped at the start of his lay-off, to the extent he was unable to pick up a cricket bat until mid-September. “[The break] showed how much this means to me, to play for England, how much I love playing for England,” he said. “I’ve come back with a new hunger, for sure. I feel like I’ve got a lot of energy.”He has been training at Canterbury with Jeetan Patel, England’s spin-bowling coach, and at a net facility in south London, and followed his net on Thursday with several laps of the ground to help him acclimatise to the stifling 38-degree heat. “We’ve all played in heat like this before, so it’s not a concern,” Crawley insisted.Crawley set the tone for England’s clean sweep on their most recent tour to Pakistan with an 86-ball hundred on the first day of the series in Rawalpindi. “That’s my favourite thing about opening: you get to create the tempo, and set it with your innings,” he said. “I take pride in that knock: [it is] one of my favourite days of my career.”But he suggested that he has become a more adaptable player in the two years since. “You’ve got to read the conditions. That’s something I’ve thought about in the past couple of months, being more adaptable, playing the right shots, still being very aggressive – that’s always going to be me – but just playing the right shots.”

Both teams are playing their first T20 World Cup, in a match that has plenty of sub-plots to look forward to if the rain stays away in Dallas

Hemant Brar01-Jun-2024

Match details

United States of America vs Canada
Dallas, 7.30pm local

Big picture – USA start as favourites

In a way, it’s fitting that cricket’s oldest international rivalry will kick off its biggest World Cup, comprising 20 teams. Long before Australia and England played the first-ever Test in 1877, USA and Canada locked horns in a three-day game in 1844. In that match in New York, Canada came out on top by 23 runs.One-hundred-and-eighty years later, the same two teams will come face to face in the T20 World Cup 2024 opener in Dallas. Coincidentally, it is the first T20 World Cup for both sides. USA qualified by virtue of being the co-hosts and Canada by winning the Americas Qualifier.Related

• USA vice-captain Aaron Jones on rivalry with Canada: 'Has been going on for years and years'

• T20 World Cup is coming to America… but is America aware?

• Dallas dreams of cricket

• The oldest international contest of them all

Saturday’s game will be the first T20I at the Grand Prairie Stadium. But there is hardly any buzz in Dallas, which means the 7000-seater may not be packed to capacity. Moreover, a thunderstorm could play spoilsport, as it did during the warm-ups for both sides at this very venue.Nevertheless, USA will be the favourites on Saturday. While they have played only seven T20Is since the 2022 T20 World Cup – all in the last two months – that was enough to show their pedigree. They first beat Canada 4-0 before stunning Bangladesh 2-1, both times playing at home.If the rain stays away, Corey Anderson, the former New Zealand allrounder who now plays for USA, will become the fifth player to represent two teams at the T20 World Cup. Former India Under-19 World Cup winner Harmeet Singh, once touted as the next Bishan Bedi, is also expected to play a key role with bat and ball.In left-arm seamer Kaleem Sana, Canada have got someone who once dismissed Babar Azam in a first-class game in Pakistan. They also have 37-year-old Jeremy Gordon, one of the fastest bowlers in associate cricket.Among other sub-plots, Canada coach Pubudu Dassanayake was previously with USA in the same role, and batting-allrounder Nitish Kumar, who now plays for USA, was with Canada till 2019.

Form guide

United States of America LWWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Canada LLLLW

In the spotlight – Corey Anderson and Aaron Johnson

Corey Anderson made his T20I debut for USA in April. He started with scores of 28 and 55, but at the same time, he looked a bit rusty. In five T20Is he has played for USA till now, he has struck at 112.30. Once upon a time, he held the record for the fastest ODI hundred. Can he turn the clock back to those days?Originally from Jamaica, Aaron Johnson is a powerful opening batter who loves playing no-look shots. The 33-year-old made his T20I debut for Canada in 2022. In 16 games so far, he has scored 713 runs at an average of 50.92 and a strike rate of 166.58. He has five fifties, two hundreds and 48 sixes in the format.Aaron Johnson has five fifties and two hundreds in 16 T20I innings•Getty Images

Team news

In Steven Taylor, Monank Patel and Andries Gous, USA have a solid top order. Ali Khan and Saurabh Netravalkar will lead the pace unit. Harmeet, their main spinner, can also provide late-order hitting.United States of America (probable XI): 1 Steven Taylor, 2 Monank Patel (capt, wk), 3 Andries Gous, 4 Aaron Jones, 5 Nitish Kumar, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Harmeet Singh, 8 Shadley van Schalkwyk, 9 Jasdeep Singh, 10 Ali Khan, 11 Saurabh NetravalkarCanada will rely a lot on their bowlers. Apart from Gordon and Sana, they have Dilon Heyliger in the pace attack. Captain Saad Bin Zafar and Nikhil Dutta know how to keep batters quiet with their spin variations.Canada (probable XI): 1 Aaron Johnson, 2 Navneet Dhaliwal, 3 Rayyan Pathan, 4 Nicholas Kirton, 5 Pargat Singh, 6 Shreyas Movva (wk), 7 Saad Bin Zafar (capt), 8 Nikhil Dutta, 9 Dilon Heyliger, 10 Jeremy Gordon, 11 Kaleem Sana

Stats that matter

• Taylor and Patel have six 50-plus stands in the 12 T20I innings in which they have opened together for USA. Their partnership run rate is 9.65.
• Since the last T20 World Cup in 2022, only two batters have scored 700 or more runs at a 50-plus average and a 150-plus strike rate: India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Canada’s Aaron Johnson.
• Across all T20s, Johnson has taken Netravalkar for 50 runs in 30 balls while getting out only once.
• Aaron Jones has smashed Heyliger for 23 runs in 11 balls for one dismissal. But Saad has had the wood over him: two dismissals in 23 balls for just 15 runs.
• Saad is the only bowler to have registered four maidens in a T20I, a feat he achieved against Panama in 2021 when he finished with figures of 4-4-0-2.
• So far, only four players have represented two different teams at the T20 World Cup: Roelof van der Merwe (South Africa and Netherlands), Dirk Nannes (Netherlands and Australia), David Wiese (South Africa and Namibia) and Mark Chapman (Hong Kong and New Zealand). Anderson could join them on Saturday.

Pitch and conditions

Of the four warm-up games scheduled here, only one saw some action. Batting first in that, Canada posted 183 for 7. In response, Nepal were all out for 120. There is a 40% chance of rain on Saturday, though.

Quotes

“I will say fearless cricket, positive cricket, smart cricket. I think that’s what we’re really and truly trying to do. We don’t want to regret anything. We want to leave everything out there on the park. And then, obviously, if we come out on top, it’s great. If we don’t come out on top, that’s how cricket goes sometimes. But we don’t want to regret anything.”
“At the national level, we are rivals because we are from the same region. We tend to play against each other a lot. Most of the time it’s in qualifiers where there’s a lot on the line, whether it’s the ODI status or the T20 World Cup qualification. But at the same time, we do play a lot of tournaments and franchise cricket in the North American region. So there’s a lot of friendships between the two countries as well.”

“It was a lovely ovation for him today. We certainly felt his presence with us”

Andrew Miller10-May-2024Gareth Roderick said that he felt the spirit of Josh Baker spurring him on during his first-day hundred against Kent at Canterbury, in Worcestershire’s return to cricket after the tragic death of their team-mate, at the age of just 20, last week.Roderick, who opened the batting and made 117 out of Worcestershire’s close-of-play total of 308 for 5, marked the moment of his century with a tap of Baker’s squad number, 33, that has been embroidered onto the team’s shirts for the rest of the season, and a glance to the heavens before saluting the 1000-strong crowd that had gathered at the St Lawrence Ground on the warmest day of the season so far.With the flags above the Frank Woolley Pavilion flying at half-mast, the two teams had lined up on the boundary’s edge before the start of play for a moment of reflection and a minute’s applause, a gesture which Roderick admitted had affected him deeply as he walked out to begin his innings.Related

• Jason Holder, Matthew Waite centuries leave Kent with a mountain to climb

• Josh Baker, Worcestershire spinner, dies at the age of 20

• Worcestershire to wear 33 on playing shirts in memory of Josh Baker

• Roderick hundred lifts Worcestershire on return to action

“It’s been a very emotional day,” he said at the close. “Obviously the boys are devastated at what’s happened, but we’ve pulled together as a group and that was a lovely ovation for him today in his memory. I think it affected the boys quite deeply and we’re quite moved. We certainly felt his presence with us today.”If I’m being brutally honest, the round of applause had a profound effect on me. I didn’t think it would, maybe naively, but I certainly felt him with me today and I thought about him a lot while we were batting out there. I think the boys can all feel him sitting on our shoulders up in the dressing-room.”Worcestershire have not yet confirmed the circumstances of Baker’s death, which occurred at his flat just hours after he had taken three wickets in a second XI fixture against Somerset at Bromsgrove School, a fixture that was subsequently abandoned on the final afternoon.Worcestershire did not play in last week’s round of County Championship fixtures, but when the grieving players returned to training on Tuesday, five days after the incident, they were subjected to a scheduled round of spot testing by Ukad, the national anti-doping authorities – a development that was unrelated to Baker’s death and was denounced as “at best insensitive and at worst incompetent” by the CEO of the Professional Cricketers’ Association.Roderick, however, channelled all the agonies of the week into a doughty innings of 281 balls and five fours, which was built around two key stands of 136 with Kashif Ali and 102 with Adam Hose, and only ended deep into the evening session when Joey Evison plucked out his off stump.”I was very, very disappointed to get out at the end but it was a nice wicket to bat on, with not a huge amount of pace on it. At times it was tough to score, it was very true, but once you get in on that, you can actually kick on.”We talked about in the morning, sometimes things are a bit bigger than cricket, a bit more important,” Roderick said. “Some guys like the distraction of being able to put their mind elsewhere, other guys like to stay away to digest it individually and come to terms with what’s happened.”But today was just about making sure we pulled together as a unit and remembered him. And that’s what we did. We carried him with us today, and thankfully we put together a decent day.”

West Indies coach said the match officials admitted there were errors made during the first Test in Barbados

Andrew McGlashan02-Jul-2025West Indies coach Daren Sammy said that the match officials have admitted there were errors made during the first Test in Barbados, but insisted he holds no grudges against Adrian Holdstock, who will move from being the TV umpire to on-field in Grenada.Sammy was fined 15% of his match fee and handed a demerit point after he questioned the work of Holdstock, particularly decisions against Roston Chase and Shai Hope, adding he had held concerns from the recent England tour. Chase was also highly critical after the match but has escaped any ICC sanction.”I said I wouldn’t want my players to do that press conference because of the questions I think that would have been posted at them,” Sammy said. “I strongly believed in what I said.Related

• Sammy fined for criticising third umpire Holdstock

• Chase calls out 'so many questionable calls' in Barbados Test

“We’ve had further chats [with the officials]. They’ve clarified some stuff. There has been some admission of error as well. This was Barbados and we’re now in Grenada, so we’ve left that behind.”Asked whether he regretted his comments about Holdstock, Sammy said, “I don’t hold grudges. I said what I said, based on what I saw. I’ve been punished for it. I wish Adrian all the best, to be honest. I mean, we’re all human. I have nothing against the umpires. I really wish he has an awesome game.”Australia have not been drawn into any debate around the umpiring, although they have admitted they came out on the right side of it in Barbados. But Alex Carey had fears his diving catch to remove Hope would be given not out when he saw the replays on the big screen.Carey dived full-length to his left to take an inside edge off the bowling of Beau Webster from Hope, who was well-set on 48 in his first Test for three-and-a-half years. Carey was convinced he had taken the catch cleanly.West Indies were unhappy about Roston Chase’s lbw in Barbados•Randy Brooks/AFP/Getty Images

It was eventually confirmed as out by Holdstock. Earlier in the game, he had ruled a low catch by Hope from Travis Head in Australia’s first innings as not out.”I thought it was out straightaway, yes,” Carey said. “I wasn’t confident it was going to stay out when I saw the replay, to be honest. It’s been a really difficult shift in the third umpiring in what’s out and what’s not out. Your opinion is different to my opinion.”I thought that was a pretty difficult game, to have five, six, seven 50-50 examples for the third umpire. He’s not going to please everyone up there, but I thought he did a really good job. We obviously know the other side and the other camp was a little bit disappointed with some of them. I understand that.”But I did think it was out. I never thought I fumbled the ball or had any reason to question the decision. It was a pleasing one to take. A good batter as well, who was scoring some runs.”Holdstock will stand with Richard Kettleborough in Grenada and then with Nitin Menon in Jamaica. Kettleborough will be standing in his 93rd Test, going past David Shepherd’s count of 92 as the most by an English umpire.

The bails being used for WPL 2025 were found to be lighting up prematurely

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Feb-2025In the wake of the contentious run-out incidents during the last-ball thriller between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians on February 15, the WPL has notified teams that the Zing bail will need to be fully dislodged for umpires to judge that the wicket is broken in the context of run-out and stumping decisions.This means the pre-existing playing condition, which states that the stumps are deemed to be broken when the bails light up, will not be applicable in WPL 2025 going forward. Appendix D of the tournament playing conditions, which was shared with teams in the lead-up to the season, states: “where Zing wickets are used, the moment at which the wicket has been put down shall be deemed to be the first frame in which the Zing lights are illuminated and subsequent frames show the bail permanently removed from the top of the stumps.”ESPNcricinfo has learned that the reason for the rule change is that the batch of bails being used during this WPL have been lighting up at the slightest disturbance, even when both spigots have not come off the grooves on top of the stumps. Under the Laws of cricket, a bail is completely dislodged only when the bail comes entirely off the groove.Related

• Run-out calls in MI-DC game turn focus on rules around LED stumps

The BCCI has used Zing bails both in bilateral and domestic cricket including the IPL and WPL. Each bail contains a microprocessor that detects the moment when both spigots have come off their grooves, and causes the bail to light up within 1/1000th of a second. During this WPL, it is understood that the bails began to flash even when one spigot was still resting on its groove. Consequently it was decided that third umpires would base their final ruling on the moment when the bail becomes completely dislodged, with both spigots coming off their grooves.This was why Gayathri Venugopalan, the third umpire for the Capitals-Mumbai match, made her final ruling in the three run-out decisions – which led to widespread debate – based on the point when the bails were completely off their grooves.It is learned that the match officials were told about this rule change on the morning of the Capitals-Mumbai match, which was the second game of the season. The teams, though, were notified on the day after the match.

LSG’s CEO confirmed as much after Mayank bowled just the one over against Gujarat Titans on Sunday night

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2024Mayank Yadav will have his workload managed over the coming week as a “precaution”, according to Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) CEO Vinod Bisht.Mayank, the tearaway quick who’s been turning heads so far at IPL 2024, walked off after bowling just one over against Gujarat Titans on Sunday, leading to questions about his fitness.”Mayank felt soreness in lower abdominal area and as a precaution we are managing his work load over next week,” Bisht said on Monday. “We hope to see him soon in the field.”Mayank’s pace was down on Sunday night, and he was hit for three boundaries in the fourth over of Titans’ eventually unsuccessful chase.9:56

The Mayank Yadav story – A 21-year-old boy from Delhi with express pace

Following LSG’s win, Krunal Pandya, who had starred with figures of 3 for 11 in his four overs, shrugged off concerns about Mayank. “I don’t know what is happening but I did have a brief couple of seconds’ chat [with him] – he seemed okay, which was quite a relief for us,” Krunal had told the broadcaster.”A bright prospect, I’d been watching him from last two years. He used to [be a] gun in the nets,” Krunal added. “Last year, unfortunately, missed it [due to injury]. But again, whatever conversation I have had, what I see is that he has a good head on his shoulders as well.”After four games, LSG sit at No. 3 on the points table with three wins. They host Delhi Capitals in Lucknow for their next match, on April 12.

His left knee has minor swelling due to increased joint loading from his bowling workload

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2024Mohammed Shami will not be considered for the fourth and fifth Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to swelling on his left knee.The BCCI press release on Shami’s fitness came days after India captain Rohit Sharma called on the National Cricket Academy to provide an update on the fast bowler’s progress upon being asked once again about it at the end of the Brisbane Test.”Shami bowled 43 overs in the Ranji Trophy match for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in November,” the BCCI said in a statement. “Following this, he played in all nine games of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he also engaged in additional bowling sessions on the sidelines to build his bowling volume in order to get ready for the Test matches.Related

• Shami to be rested for Bengal's opening Vijay Hazare Trophy game

• 'We're not going to take any risk' – Rohit on Shami's fitness for Australia

“However, his left knee has exhibited minor swelling due to increased joint loading from his bowling workload. The swelling is on the expected lines, owing to the increased bowling after a prolonged period.”Based on the current medical assessment, the BCCI medical team has determined that his knee requires more time for controlled exposure to bowling loads. Consequently, he has not been deemed fit for consideration for the remaining two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.”Shami has not played for India since the ODI World Cup final in November last year, after which he underwent surgery for a heel injury in February. The BCCI said he had “completely recovered” from the heel injury and would “continue to undergo targeted strength and conditioning work under the guidance of the medical staff at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence and build his bowling loads needed to meet the demands of the longest format of the game”.Shami was not included in Bengal’s squad for their first game of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy on December 21 and the BCCI said his participation in the tournament would depend on the state of his knee.

England haven’t lost a Test series since Stokes and McCullum took over but that could change in Ranchi

Hemant Brar22-Feb-20241:11

Manjrekar: Resting Bumrah shows India’s confidence

Big picture: Joe Root looks to bounce back

England have not lost a Test series in the Bazball era. Of the seven completed series in this period, they won four and drew three. However, that could change over the next five days as India – after trouncing England by 434 runs in Rajkot – go into the fourth Test in Ranchi with a lead of 2-1.At various points in the series, India’s batting line-up has looked shaky. But with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill back among runs, and Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel making impressive debuts, it no longer seems to be an issue.Their bowling line-up in Ranchi, though, could be their weakest until now. They have rested Jasprit Bumrah, the most influential bowler with 17 wickets at 13.64 in the first three Tests. Perhaps to offset that, they have prepared a pitch about which Ben Stokes said: “I have never seen something like that before.” But more on that later.Related

• England's young spin trio feel the love on toughest tour

• Stokes unfazed by Bazball backlash as England brace to go again

• Jadeja, the batter – mundane but magnificent

• Robinson, Bashir recalled for Ranchi Test; Wood and Rehan miss out

• How will India replace Jasprit Bumrah in Ranchi?

As far as England are concerned, their middle order needs to fire. So Bumrah’s absence should bring some relief, especially for Joe Root; Bumrah has dismissed him nine times across 13 Tests, including three times in this series. As a result, Root has scored a mere 77 runs in six innings so far on this tour, and his average of 12.83 is the second-worst for him in a Test series.Another positive for England is that Stokes seems ready to resume bowling. Given the England captain’s ability to provide breakthroughs, the prospect must be mouthwatering, but the visitors will be wary of plucking the fruit before it is ripe.

Form guide

India WWLWL (last five Tests, most recent first)
England LLWWD

In the spotlight: Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jonny Bairstow

Yashasvi Jaiswal has been head and shoulders above all other batters in this series. In six innings, Jaiswal has smashed 545 runs at an average of 109.00. Ben Duckett, with 288 at 48.00, is a distant second. And it is not just the runs but also how Jaiswal scored them. He has batted at a strike rate of 81.10, and his 22 sixes are already the most by a batter in a bilateral Test series. If England are to level the series, they need to find a way to stop him.Jonny Bairstow was bowled shouldering arms to Ravindra Jadeja in the first Test•BCCI

Jonny Bairstow has been at the opposite end of the spectrum. With Ben Foakes taking over the wicketkeeping duties, he was expected to bat without any worry. But so far in the series, he has managed only 102 runs at an average of 17.00. The team management is not worried, though. According to head coach Brendon McCullum, they want to “keep on giving him confidence and block out a lot of the external noise”. It is up to Bairstow now to repay their faith.

Team news: England bring in Robinson and Bashir

The only question for India is who replaces Bumrah. With three spinners already in the XI, they are likely to go for either Mukesh Kumar or uncapped Akash Deep. Mukesh should be the frontrunner even though he missed the optional practice session on Thursday, where Akash did a lot of batting and fielding.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Rajat Patidar, 5 Sarfaraz Khan, 6 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Mukesh Kumar/Akash DeepEngland have made two changes. Ollie Robinson replaces Mark Wood and will play his first Test in India, while offspinner Shoaib Bashir has been preferred over Rehan Ahmed for his high release point.England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Tom Hartley, 9 Ollie Robinson, 10 James Anderson, 11 Shoaib Bashir

Pitch and conditions: Rain in the air

The Ranchi pitch far more spin-friendly than any of the previous ones in the series. Stokes described it as “very dark and crumbly”. Ollie Pope noted that one half – if you cut it vertically – had significantly more cracks than the other. More grass was shaved off on Thursday. On the weather front, there is a forecast for showers on the third and fifth days of the Test.Brendon McCullum and Co have a close look at the pitch•Associated Press

Stats and trivia: Anderson on the cusp of 700

• James Anderson is only four away from 700 Test wickets. Only Muthiah Muralidaran (800) and Shane Warne (708) have taken more.
• Stokes is three short of 200 Test wickets. When he reaches there, he will be only the third allrounder after Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis to complete the double of 6000 runs and 200 wickets.
• Bairstow is 94 away from 6000 Test runs, and Rohit Sharma 23 from 4000.
• Ravindra Jadeja, who completed 3000 Test runs in the previous game, is closing in on 300 Test wickets as well. He needs 13 more to become the seventh Indian to get there.

Quotes

“We have been having a lot of conversations with him [Rajat Patidar]. One thing he needs to understand is that this is how this game goes. He has been batting really well, he has scored a lot of runs to get into the team, and he doesn’t become a bad player after two games. He has had a few tough games, awkward dismissals where the ball has stopped on him, which can happen – this is how this game goes. But I have absolutely no doubt that he is a good player and on his day he will come up with a very impactful innings.”
“There is going to be assistance for the spinners, but also the seam [bowlers] because of the dryness and cracks in the wicket. The way Jimmy [Anderson] and Robbo [Robinson] operate, zoning in on an area consistently, Robbo’s release point, I think we’re giving ourselves a good chance if it is spinning; we also have the chance to take wickets with the quick bowlers if there is some variable bounce.”