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Harmanpreet fell with six needed off final ball as hosts clinched error-strewn win

Valkerie Baynes04-Jul-2025England overcame an astounding collapse and a rash of fielding errors to defeat India by five runs and keep their T20I series alive in a last-ball thriller at the Kia Oval.England squandered the most promising of starts at 137 without loss in the 16th over – built on excellent half-centuries by Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge – by losing nine wickets for 31 runs in the space of 25 balls. Deepti Sharma and Arundhati Reddy claimed three wickets apiece and N. Shree Charani two.After an 85-run opening stand between Smriti Mandhana, who scored a classy half-century, and Shafali Verma, India looked like overhauling the target with ease, especially after being gifted several lives by the home side’s poor fielding. Lauren Filer bowled with searing pace, particularly in her final over – the 16th of the run-chase, in which she prised out Mandhana – and finished with 2 for 30 as England’s only multiple wicket-taker. Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Bell and Issy Wong took one each.India needed six off the last ball of the match, bowled by Bell, but Harmanpreet Kaur picked out Ecclestone at mid-off, allowing the hosts to claw their way to a 1-2 series scoreline with two matches to play.Dunkley’s 75 off 53 balls was her first innings of note since the start of the international summer when she scored an unbeaten 81 in the first T20I against West Indies. For Wyatt-Hodge, her 66 off 42 ended a run of 17, 17, 0, 0, 0, and 1 since her previous T20I fifty, which came during the second match of the series in Australia on England’s ill-fated Ashes tour.Whether such a rousing win – under the leadership of Tammy Beaumont, who was standing in for injured captain Nat Sciver-Brunt – can turn the series around remains to be seen, especially given that England were outplayed in the first two games. But they have given themselves a chance and rekindled a series in which India will be looking to turn things back in their favour in the fourth match in Manchester on Wednesday.

England’s openers set the stage

With Sciver-Brunt sidelined by a groin injury, England needed a big stand from their openers and they delivered. Dunkley’s shot selection was top-notch throughout and she cashed in on a second life when she was dropped on 43 to reach fifty off 35 balls. Importantly she pulled her batting partner with her as Wyatt-Hodge finally settled from a scratchy start with 11 off 15 balls at the end of the seventh over to 30 off 25 at the halfway point of the innings, then 50 off 34. Wyatt-Hodge’s second six went a long way beyond the rope when she slammed a Reddy delivery back over the bowler’s head, the ball dropping just shy of the first row of spectators. She raised her half-century in the next over – Sneh Rana’s second – with consecutive fours, driven through the covers and flicked over midwicket.

India hit backCharani’s flippant shrug and flicker of a smile said it all when she had Wong caught behind attempting to cut a wide ball outside off. England were in the midst of the most dramatic of meltdowns and Charani, the 20-year-old left-arm spinner who made her T20I debut in the first match of this series, was in the thick of it with two wickets in as many deliveries. She had just lured Paige Scholfield down the pitch, her swing in vain as Richa Ghosh whipped off the bails with the batter well out of her ground.Sophie Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge put on a century stand•Getty Images

There was to be no hat-trick for Charani, or Deepti, who removed Ecclestone and Filer with the first and second deliveries of the final over of England’s innings, which had gone from promising to pitiful at breath-taking speed. Dunkley’s innings had come undone when she skied a Deepti full-toss and the bowler wheeled round to take the ball neatly over her shoulder. Alice Capsey failed to pass 5 for the third time in this series when she attempted to ramp Arundhati and was well caught by Charani at short backward square leg.Arundhati struck twice more in the same over, the 17th, first with a slower ball which Wyatt-Hodge struck straight to Harmanpreet at deep cover to end her redemptive knock, then pinned Amy Jones lbw next ball, although it took an India review to overturn Jacqueline Wilson’s decision. Beaumont needed to steady things but she missed an attempted sweep off Radha Yadav and was bowled for just 2, setting the stage for Charani to add to her leading wicket-taker’s tally of eight for the series so far and match figures of 2 for 43.

Fielding woes abound

India had made their share of fielding errors in this match. Charani saw two chances put down off her second over. Wyatt-Hodge was on 17 when Jemimah Rodrigues dropped a sitter at deep midwicket and she evaded the same fielder’s fingertips next ball as Rodrigues leapt in vain trying to pull the ball down before it cleared the rope. Dunkley was then handed a life when she chipped to cover and Harmanpreet failed to hold on.Then it was England’s turn. Bell looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her up when she fumbled a chance right in front of a full stand at deep third, the ball dribbling into the rope for Shafali’s second four in as many balls from Filer – her first scoring shots of the match. There was no consolation when Bell, standing in the same place, plucked Shafali’s ramp out of the air and held on for the most spectacular of takes, but landed sprawled across the boundary, her arms and the ball well over.Capsey shelled a chance off Harmanpreet’s top-edged pull to midwicket in Filer’s final over, but Filer made the crucial breakthrough with her next delivery as Mandhana picked out Ecclestone at mid-on. She didn’t let up, striking Richa Ghosh on the helmet with her very next ball as Charlie Dean did well to collect at point. She briefly thought she’d put Filer on a hat-trick until replays showed no contact with the bat.

Mandhana all class

Shafali and Mandhana set India’s run-chase off to an excellent start with their opening stand. Mandhana had led their reunion at Trent Bridge with a maiden T20I century as Shafali felt her way back into the side with a laboured 20, which she then followed up with just 3 in the second match in Bristol. However, her 25-ball 47 in London included seven fours and marked another encouraging step in her comeback before she was bowled by Ecclestone. Mandhana’s innings was another classy one as she raised her fifty in 38 balls.England found a real sense of hope when Filer had Rodrigues caught behind off a faint edge and in her next over accounted for Mandhana. Ghosh was put down by Bell at short backward square, but fell to Dean’s outstanding catch in the deep off Wong, the fielder roaring and pumping her fists to thunderous cheers from the crowd.The home side’s fielding woes weren’t done though. India needed 12 off the last over and when Scholfield dropped Amanjot Kaur off the third ball, bowled by Bell, they needed eight. A dot ball followed and then Harmanpreet cleared mid-off but could only manage two form the penultimate delivery. As she attempted to clear the rope for the winning runs, Harmanpreet picked out Ecclestone at mid-off and England sealed an unlikely victory.

Pakistan batter, demoted to No. 6, hits unbeaten 129 to rescue Derbyshire

ECB Reporters Network12-Jun-2023A brilliant exhibition of counter-attacking batting by Leus du Plooy and Haider Ali halted Yorkshire’s victory charge in its tracks and rescued Derbyshire on the second day of the LV=Insurance County Championship match at Chesterfield.Derbyshire’s decision to move Haider down the order – from opening to No. 6 – proved to be inspired as the Pakistani batter scored his first century for the county and shared an unbroken record-breaking fifth-wicket stand with du Plooy.of 231 from 311 balls.They had come together with Derbyshire heading for defeat at 17 for 4 after Dawid Malan’s 106 guided Yorkshire to 353 and a lead of 242 with Scottish spinner Mark Watt taking a career-best 5 for 83.But du Plooy’s 96 and Ali’s 129 lifted the home side to 248 for 4 and a lead of six when bad light followed by an electrical storm ended play with 10 overs left in the day.Yorkshire had looked set for an even bigger lead until the dismissal of Malan sparked a collapse that saw the last five wickets fall for 28 runs.Malan completed his second hundred of the season from 130 balls but when he failed to get enough on a lofted drive at Watt, Suranga Lakmal took off to his left at mid-off to hold a brilliant catch. Lakmal hurt his right elbow when he fell but was able to take the second new ball although it was the spinners who did the damage.Dom Bess was bowled as he pushed out at Alex Thomson and after dispatching Watt for a big six over long-on, Jordan Thompson drilled the left-armer to mid-on. Matthew Revis edged a big drive at Ben Aitchison before Watt snared his fifth victim when Fisher drove to long-off on the stroke of lunch.File photo: du Plooy clips off his pads•Getty Images

Yorkshire’s advantage was still a substantial one and it looked more than enough when Derbyshire’s top order folded for the second time in the match. Coad struck in his second over from the Pavilion End when a full length ball beat Harry Came’s defensive push and Luis Reece went in the next over.Fisher trapped Reece on the crease and Wayne Madsen went without scoring after he pushed out at Coad and was caught at first slip. When Fisher found the outside edge of Matt Lamb’s bat, a two-day finish looked on the cards but after an uncomfortable start, du Plooy and Haider counter-attacked to put Yorkshire on the back foot.Bess came in for heavy punishment with Haider coming down the pitch to drive his offspin for six and du Plooy swept him for his 10th four to reach 50 off 61 balls.Related

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Haider forced Revis behind square to go to his half-century from 60 balls and when Coad returned to the attack, he dispatched him for three fours in the over. Bess was launched down the ground for another six and by tea, the partnership was 150 in 29 overs with the arrears now down to 75.It had been a spirited response to what looked a hopeless position and it was Yorkshire who now had some problems to solve. They slowed the scoring rate at the start of the last session but there were few signs of the breakthrough Yorkshire were desperate for.Haider swept Bess for his 16th four to reach an outstanding century and then opened up by taking four boundaries in an over from the spinner.The pair passed Derbyshire’s previous highest fifth wicket stand against Yorkshire of 184 by John Eggar and Alan Revill at Bradford in 1949 and when the weather closed in, it was the visitors who were relieved to get off the field.

Key stand between Kamindu and Chandimal threatened to turn tables on engrossing fourth day

Andrew Miller24-Aug-2024England 358 (Smith 111, Brook 56, Asitha 4-102) and 205 for 5 (Root 62*) beat Sri Lanka 236 (Dhananjaya 74, Rathnayake 72) and 326 (Kamindu 113, Chandimal 79) by five wicketsJoe Root provided the calm head for a crisis, while Jamie Smith capped a Player-of-the-Match-winning performance with a vital late injection of impetus, as England overcame a spirited Sri Lanka display with bat and ball to seal a five-wicket win in the first Test, late on the fourth afternoon at Emirates Old Trafford.The victory made it four out of four in the 2024 summer to date, following July’s 3-0 win over West Indies, but as had sometimes been the case in that series, England were not allowed to dictate terms with the authority that they might have envisaged at the halfway stage of the match.Thanks to a sublime century from Kamindu Mendis, the bulk of which came in a 117-run stand with Dinesh Chandimal that spanned the entirety of the morning session, Sri Lanka were able to post a taxing target of 205 for victory.And when a bowling display led once again by Asitha Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya picked off each of the top three inside the first 16 overs of the chase, it required England to swallow their Bazball pride to chisel a path to victory at an unusually sedate rate of 3.58 an over.Sedate, that is, until Smith got into his stride. Though fresh from his maiden century in the first innings, when Smith strode out to replace Harry Brook with the chase still in the balance at 119 for 4, he found himself pitched into a pressure situation unlike anything he’d yet surmounted in his short career.Jamie Smith drags one into the leg side•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Smith’s defensive technique soon proved up to the challenge as he crept along to six from his first 26 balls, in which period England went 14.4 overs, spread across a full hour, between boundaries: an uncommonly fallow passage of play for this regime. But then, after cracking back-to-back boundaries through the leg-side off Jayasuriya, the shackles were off. A subsequent six bounced off down an access tunnel and onto the concourse, and he added two further hooks for four off Vishwa Fernando to send Sri Lanka’s pressure scattering, before Asitha castled him with a superb inswinger for 39 from 48.By then, England needed just 22 to win, and with the evening light holding up well despite the torrential rain that had dogged much of the rest of the country, Root and Chris Woakes did the needful shortly after 7.15pm, with Root notching the 96th half-century of his career before blazing the winning boundary over long-on… though not before attempting to seal the deal with a miscued scoop into his grille – a final flourish that proved the team’s prescribed ethos may have been dormant on this occasion, but it won’t be kept down indefinitely.England’s target may have been surprisingly stiff, but they would have been chasing significantly more had it not been for a disciplined docking of Sri Lanka’s tail by England’s seamers, armed with the second new ball, shortly after lunch. In losing their final four wickets in the space of 26 balls, including the last three for five in ten, Sri Lanka’s innings ended much as it had begun (on first day and third), but up until that point, their seventh-wicket stand had all but turned the contest completely on its head.Between Kamindu, who recorded his third hundred in the space of four Tests, and Chandimal, who was last man out for 79 despite having retired hurt on the third afternoon, Sri Lanka transformed their match prospects, and with scarcely a moment of alarm across their 30-over alliance.Related

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Having let a promising position slip with the ball on the third morning, Sri Lanka’s focus was unwavering as the pair resumed on 204 for 6, with a slender lead of 82. They had more than doubled that advantage before Gus Atkinson prised out Kamindu for 113 shortly after lunch, to create an opening that Woakes and Matthew Potts were primed to pile through.From the outset, England’s problems had been compounded by the absence of their fastest bowler, Mark Wood. He left the field after feeling a twinge in his right thigh on Friday evening, and may now be a doubt for the rest of the series.There had been some controversy overnight about the advantageous nature of a ball-change after the 41st over that allowed England’s seamers to obtain significant swing on the third evening. However, after 20 further overs of wear and tear, there was little lateral movement on show as Kamindu seized on a hint of width in Woakes’ first over to flash his first boundary of the day through point.That set the tone for a proactive half-hour, with Chandimal following his partner’s lead as he built on his overnight 20 not out. The fact that he was there at all was remarkable, given the gruesome blow to the thumb that Wood had inflicted on the third afternoon. He had retired hurt on 10, but after an X-ray had given him the all-clear, returned with no ill-effects, although he did later relinquish the wicketkeeping duties, with Kusal Mendis taking over behind the stumps.Kamindu Mendis celebrates his third Test hundred•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Pope rang the changes for England, but none of them had any answer to a burgeoning stand. Kamindu came into this contest with an average in excess of 100 after two centuries and an unbeaten 92 in his three previous Tests, and the range of his strokeplay was apparent in back-to-back boundaries off Atkinson, driven and pulled respectively, plus a ruthless eye for anything loose from the spin of Bashir.Neither a 30-minute rain delay in the second hour of the morning, nor a brief sighting of the new ball before the interval could disrupt Kamindu’s focus, as he rushed through to his third Test hundred with a decisive slash through deep third off Woakes, to send England into lunch with a real battle on their hands.Their immediate prospects after the resumption didn’t look much better. Kamindu surged onto the offensive after the break with a trio of off-side boundaries as Atkinson struggled with his line, but after an intervention from Pope, he switched to round the wicket with instant success. Kamindu fenced at the new angle, shaping into his left-handed stance, and Root at first slip held on a sharp low chance.Atkinson was immediately yanked from the attack, with Potts adding his second of the innings courtesy of a juggled take from Brook at second slip, who parried Jayasuriya’s punch off the back foot, but recovered well to snaffle the rebound. Potts celebrated with a pat of his fluttering heart, having watched two key chances go down during his excellent but under-rewarded spell on day three.Woakes added his third when Vishwa Fernando played down the wrong line to be struck in front of middle and leg, and though Chandimal attempted to cut loose with only Asitha for company, the substitute fielder Harry Singh stayed cool at deep cover to end a superbly gutsy innings.England’s reply so nearly got off to a disastrous start when, on 2, Ben Duckett jabbed his third delivery down the leg-side, to be brilliantly caught by Kusal in his outstretched right glove. However, in an echo of Duckett’s reprieve against Mitchell Starc in last year’s Ashes, the decision was overturned because Kusal’s palm was pushing the ball into the ground as he completed the catch.Dan Lawrence launched a huge straight six off Prabath Jayasuriya•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Asitha was the unlucky bowler, but he made amends in superb fashion in his third over, flipping the shiny side of his swinging new ball to graze a more regulation edge through to Kusal, as Duckett played for the inswinger that had done him in in the first innings.Dan Lawrence, by this stage, had launched Jayasuriya for a wonderfully clean straight six, but in his unfamiliar role as opener, his frailties outside off were consistently probed, not least by Asitha, whose command of seam and swing once again made him the pick of Sri Lanka’s attack.It was Jayasuriya who made the next breakthrough, however, as Pope – familiarly skittish at the start of his innings – climbed into a reverse-sweep on a deliberate leg-stump line, but managed only to toe-end a simple chance to Dhananjaya de Silva at slip for his second score of 6 in the match. And when Lawrence, on 34, was pinned lbw by a nip-backer soon afterwards, England had slipped to a dangerous scoreline of 70 for 3.Root’s and Brook’s response was to bed in for an old-school rebuilding job, adding 49 for the fourth wicket at a rate of less than 3.4 an over – a reflection both of Sri Lanka’s disciplined attack, but also of the relative lack of depth in England’s batting in the absence of Ben Stokes.Jayasuriya maintained his restrictive line from over the wicket, frequently tempting Brook to sweep his way through a packed field behind square, and England could have been four-down before lunch had the substitute fielder Ramesh Mendis clung on his outstretched right hand at backward square, when Brook had just 4 to his name.However, it was Jayasuriya’s reversion to round the wicket that prised the next opening. On 32, Brook failed to account for the drift back into his stumps, and chipped a toe-ended drive back to the bowler, whose catch was upheld despite Root’s initial belief that the ball had again been grounded – a stance that earned him a hard stare from Kusal as the replay flashed up on the big screen.With 86 more needed, then, out came Smith. His selection ahead of Ben Foakes had been largely a consequence of Foakes’ perceived limitations as an attacking batter, particularly when marshalling the tail. But here was the polar opposite challenge: an onus on defence, to provide a trusty sidekick to England’s most admirable and obdurate matchwinner.Smith duly proved worthy of the task, and more. But it was Root – his senior status all the more towering in Stokes’ absence – who was England’s main man in the final analysis.

Elsewhere, Padikkal and Rahul failed to make impact for Karnataka while Siraj had a cold return for Hyderabad

Shashank Kishore30-Jan-2025Kohli frenzy sweeps Kotla
More than 12,000 fans on a Thursday caused pandemonium at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in anticipation of watching Virat Kohli bat. They had to settle for simply being able to watch him on the field, but that didn’t see to have dimmed their enthusiasm.They’ll go home knowing Kohli’s likely to be batting early on Friday as Delhi will resume on 41 for 1 after Railways posted 241. Kohli’s presence led to a minor security breach when a fan rushed in to the ground to greet his hero, but was whisked away by the security personnel. As the day progressed, the DDCA summoned extra police personnel apart from their own private security to help manage the large gathering.Shardul’s hat-trick, Rahane’s first fifty
At 2 for 6 inside the first four overs, Meghalaya were in danger of being bowled out for the lowest-ever total in Ranji history, but they eventually surpassed Hyderabad’s 21 comfortably. But it didn’t help their position as far as the match is concerned; Shardul Thakur, who picked up a hat-trick in his second over, finished with 4 for 43 as Meghalaya were bundled out for 86 against Mumbai.A maiden half-century of the season for Ajinkya Rahane (83 not out) and his unbeaten partnership of 180 with Siddhesh Lad (89*) helped them open up a lead of 127 by stumps with eight wickets remaining.File Photo: KL Rahul could not convert a good start against Haryana•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Rahul, Padikkal make little impact
KL Rahul missed out despite getting off to a start in Bengaluru. Rahul, who batted at No. 3 against Haryana, made 26 before he was out nicking an Anshul Kamboj peach. During his stay, Rahul was largely solid and looking to score, instead of simply occupying the crease.He had a minor flutter on 9 when an attempted glide to deep third landed to slip on the half-volley. However, when he was dismissed, there was a sense that he had missed out on an opportunity to bat Karnataka into a strong position in what is a must-win game. They ended the day on 267 for 5, with Mayank Agarawal, the captain, top scoring with 91. Devdutt Padikkal too missed out, lbw playing back to a sharp, turning delivery after making 43.Pujara eyes 67th first-class hundred
Saurashtra’s decision to bat first on a turner, in a game they need to win with a bonus point, left them with no option but to try and bat big against Assam. And the top order walked the talk, beginning with openers Harvik Desai (130) and Chirag Jani (80) who put together 146 inside 30 overs.Related

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Then Cheteshwar Pujara, who had endured a lean season outside of the 234 he made against Chhattisgarh, was steadfast against the Assam attack. He remained unbeaten five short of what would be his 67th first-class century as Saurashtra ended on a commanding 361 for 3.Siraj’s cold return
Mohammed Siraj’s return to the Ranji setup was far from memorable, even though Hyderabad ended the day in a commanding position. Siraj managed just one wicket in the 18 overs he bowled, but Hyderabad managed to whittle down their deficit to just 100 after bowling Vidarbha out for 190. Siraj’s lone scalp – off Harsh Dubey, who top scored with 65 off 46 balls – was a crucial wicket. It came after Dubey hit him for three sixes in an attempt to pocket some crucial lower-order runs. Vidarbha are the only team assured of a quarter-final berth as things stand.Tamil Nadu’s stunning collapse
Tamil Nadu came into their game against Jharkhand knowing even a draw would be enough to make the knockouts, but even that is shaping towards being a herculean task after a frenetic opening day in which 20 wickets fell in Jamshedpur. TN handed the advantage to Jharkhand after being bowled out for 106 to conceding a 79-run lead. Their misery was further compounded by a calf injury to Baba Indrajith that has ruled him out of the rest of the fixture. The day began well as the left-arm spinning duo of Sai Kishore and Ajith Ram picked up six wickets between them to skittle Jharkhand for 185, but there was a major collapse in store as TN lost 8 for 40. Late in the day, they managed to pick up one wicket in the second innings as Jharkhand effectively ended on 84 for 1.

Will Rohit Sharma be tempted to tinker with his XI?

Sreshth Shah11-Nov-202325:23

Virat Kohli on the MCG Diwali miracle, part 1

Big picture: Will India give the fringe players game time?

They’ve been occasionally tested, but otherwise, India’s World Cup run has been nothing short of magical. Now on the day of the auspicious Indian festival of Diwali, they have a chance to gift their fans another dose of entertainment, and even though we know that anything can happen in sport, a defeat for the hosts is extremely unlikely.That’s because India have been absolutely dominant during their 8-0 run at this World Cup. Coming into their final league game, they face the least-fancied team of the tournament, Netherlands, even if they have performed better than expected. With a semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday their next big game, Sunday also offers India a chance to rest key personnel should there be a need for it.According to India head coach Rahul Dravid’s press conference, India are not looking at “tactical” changes, but they may yet be tempted to give some game time to the likes of Prasidh Krishna, who is playing his first World Cup, or R Ashwin, who hasn’t played since the first game against Australia last month.Someone who is unlikely to be rested, though, is Virat Kohli, who is chasing a century that will put him where no man has ever gone before – 50 ODI tons. Both Kohli, and India, will hope that a hundred on Sunday brings a close to all the chatter about records being broken, and by the time the semi-final comes along, the collective focus of the Indian side is on that elusive knockout win and not on milestones that, on some occasions, have taken importance over the ruthlessness of victory in this tournament.Netherlands will have their own statement to make. They’ve been in India longer than any other visiting side this World Cup, and despite the highs of two terrific wins, they wouldn’t want to finish rock-bottom on the points table. They wanted to desperately play the warm-up game against India that got washed out, but here is another chance to shine in what will most likely be their team’s most-watched game of international cricket. It will be excruciatingly difficult though, as eight other teams have already learnt.Bas de Leede played a brilliant game against Pakistan but has not hit those same high notes since•AFP/Getty Images

Form guide

India: WWWWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
Netherlands: LLWLL

In the spotlight: Shubman Gill and Bas de Leede

Before the World Cup, Shubman Gill was the unanimous choice among fans and experts as the one player most likely to succeed at the World Cup. But it hasn’t been so. A case of dengue made him lose muscle mass and weight, he wasn’t at full fitness at the start of the tournament, and a run of only two half-centuries in six innings has meant his overall performance has been below the lofty stands he has himself set. With Rohit Sharma and Kohli churning out the runs, Gill’s scores have gone under the radar, but India would want a big score from the opener ahead of the big semi-final in Mumbai.He has the most wickets for Netherlands at this World Cup (14) but he also has the worst economy (7.10) among his team’s quicks. For Bas de Leede, this competition promised a lot of highs but all that followed after his all-round effort against Pakistan has been disappointment. He’s leaked runs, he’s failed to score crucial runs from the lower-middle order, and the bottom line is that he has not lived up to his potential. Here’s one last chance for him to make a mark, and you never know… a strong performance against hosts India could be the perfect finish with an IPL auction also looming next month.

Team news: Bumrah to rest?

Dravid said the team will not “experiment” tactically, but the odd change cannot be ruled out.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul, 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Kuldeep Yadav / R Ashwin, 9 Jasprit Bumrah / Prasidh Krishna, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohammed SirajShubman Gill was in good spirits during India’s training session•ICC via Getty Images

Netherlands should field the same side from the England defeat.Netherlands (probable): 1 Max O’Dowd / Vikramjit Singh, 2 Wesley Barresi, 3 Colin Ackermann, 4 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 5 Scott Edwards (capt), 6 Bas de Leede, 7 Teja Nidamanuru, 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Roelof van der Merwe, 10 Aryan Dutt, 11 Paul van Meekeren

Pitch and conditions: Big score galore

Runs, runs and more runs shall be the theme at the last World Cup game scheduled for the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. Australia scored 367 against Pakistan here while New Zealand thumped 401. If India bat first, their aim will be for a score in that region.

Stats and trivia: India chasing history

• India and Netherlands have played each other twice in World Cups previously (2003 and 2011). In 2003, Bas’ father Tim de Leede was the Player of the Match.
• Roelof van der Merwe is the only Netherlands bowler who has previously bowled to any of the Indian batters (Kohli and Rohit) in ODI cricket.
• India’s 8-0 streak at this World Cup is the third-best streak in this tournament, behind only the 11 consecutive wins achieved by Australia in 2003 and 2007.
• Fifteen years ago, Sybrand Engelbrecht played for South Africa against Kohli and Jadeja in an Under-19 World Cup final in Kuala Lumpur.
• No Dutch batter has reached a century at this World Cup.

Quotes

“We had a balance. We’ve structured the whole thing around certain things. But when that hasn’t happened, we’ve had the ability, the skill, and the mental fortitude to be able to bounce back, and to be able to still compete and do really well. So yeah, I think credit to the guys, credit to, like I said, I think even the NCA for all the work that they do.”

Taskin also returned to the ODI side after having missed the Ireland series in Chelmsford last month

Mohammad Isam17-Jun-2023Mohammad Naim and Afif Hossain have been recalled to Bangladesh’s squad for their three-match ODI series against Afghanistan next month. Taskin Ahmed also returned to the side after missing the Ireland ODIs in Chelmsford last month, but there was no room for Yasir Ali, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Rony Talukdar.Taskin, who took four wickets in the second innings of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, has recovered from side strain. As for Naim, he returned to the ODI squad after a gap of two years. He has was the leading run-getter in the Dhaka Premier League, with 932 runs in 16 innings at an average of 71.69 and strike rate of 91.64. It is likely that the selectors as looking at Naim as a back-up opening option for Rony for the World Cup in India later this year.Afif, who was dropped during the home ODI series against Ireland, returned after some impressive showings in the DPL that ended last month. He had also led the Bangladesh A side in two of the three unofficial Tests against West Indies A recently before missing the last game, citing fatigue.Yasir is among three players who have been left out from the ODI squad that played last month. Yasir didn’t get a game in Chelmsford, but played two matches against Ireland in Sylhet in March. Mrittunjoy, who made his ODI debut in Chelmsford, made way for Taskin.Afghanistan will leave Dhaka after the one-off Test that ended on Saturday. They will return to Bangladesh on July 1 to play the three ODIs on July 5, 8 and 11 in Chattogram, and two T20Is on July 12 and 14, in Sylhet.Squad: Tamim Iqbal (capt), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Afif Hossain, Mohammad NaimIn: Mohammad Naim, Afif Hossain, Taskin AhmedOut: Yasir Ali, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Rony Talukdar

“We’re expecting a slow and low wicket, to test ourselves in tough conditions which will be great preparation for us moving forward.”

Andrew Miller26-Feb-2023Jos Buttler, England’s white-ball captain, believes that the slow, low surfaces that his team are likely to face in their forthcoming ODI and T20I series in Bangladesh will be ideal preparation for this winter’s 50-over World Cup in India.Buttler’s team recently added the T20 World Cup title to the 50-over crown that they won in such memorable fashion at Lord’s in 2019, but their opportunities to finetune the defence of that latter trophy have been impacted by the constraints of the global itinerary.They come into this campaign having played just 33 ODIs since the start of 2020 – by comparison they played 98 between the end of the 2015 World Cup and the final four years later – and have not won a 50-over series in four attempts since beating the Netherlands in June last year. This includes a run of five losses in a row until victory in their most recent outing in South Africa last month.Life is unlikely to get much easier against Bangladesh, a team that hasn’t lost an ODI series on home soil since England themselves beat them on their 2016 tour. Most recently, Bangladesh defeated India 2-1 in December, but Buttler said his side was relishing the chance to test themselves in their last overseas assignment ahead of the World Cup.Related

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“It’ll be a great challenge for us,” Buttler said on arrival in Dhaka. “Obviously Bangladesh are very tough to beat in their home conditions, they beat India as well. So this is exactly the kind of challenge we need, nearing the World Cup, to test ourselves in probably the conditions that we as a side will find the hardest. This can be a great measure of where we are as a team.”We’re expecting a slow and low wicket, which is exactly what we want, to test ourselves in tough conditions which will be great preparation for us moving forward.”With the ongoing Test tour of New Zealand restricting the availability of some of England’s multi-format players, and with a further group of players choosing to honour their T20 franchise commitments rather than join the tour, England will once again be unable to field their first-choice XI.Nevertheless, the tour offers a further opportunity for Jofra Archer to fine-tune his international comeback after a successful return in South Africa. He and Mark Wood, who was rested after the Pakistan Test tour, will offer a 90mph threat which Buttler believes is still a key weapon even if the pitches in Bangladesh are not conducive to pace.”Generally the wicket will be slower, but guys like Jofra and Mark Wood have fantastic airspeed, so someone who can bowl with such pace on these wickets is still a handful. It’s not always to the benefit of the batsman. We have a nice variety in the squad. Right-arm, left-arm, high pace, guys who can swing it … we have a nice balanced attack.The squad has also been reinforced by the addition of Surrey’s Will Jacks, who has flown in after being an unused reserve on the Test tour of New Zealand, and may challenge for a place at the top of the order, in light of Jason Roy’s struggle for form in recent months, especially after impressing in the recent SA20.Another uncapped option is Rehan Ahmed, the 18-year-old legspinner who burst to prominence with his matchwinning role on Test debut in Karachi before Christmas. He may well get a chance in the coming contests, but moreover he will have the opportunity to work closely with England’s veteran legspinner, Adil Rashid, which Buttler believes will be invaluable in his development.”Rehan is a really exciting talent,” he said. “He’s still a very young man, just a teenager, so we’re excited about his development and where we think he can go.”It’s great to have him in and around the England set-up. Adil Rashid has been such a star performer for us for a long, long period of time, so getting to spend time with him and discussing bowling and watching each other bowl will be a huge benefit to him, and the biggest stage in his development.”We’re really excited for someone with so much talent, not just with the ball but with the bat as well. So we look forward to watching him develop and hopefully turning himself into a brilliant international cricketer.”England’s reputation in white-ball cricket has been built on their aggressive batting approach, with Buttler himself leading the way in their most recent world-record total of 498 against the Netherlands. However, he insisted that the approach was more subtle than simply swinging for the fences at every opportunity.”We always try and be as aggressive as we can,” he said. “The misconception is that we’re aiming for 400 every time, whereas it’s more about trying to push the boundaries of what’s expected on the day and not settling for par. We’r trying to push the envelope higher. If the maximum that the wicket allows us is 100, can we try and score 100, instead of 80?”We’re just trying to assess the conditions and imprint our game as much as we can. Of course, you have to understand conditions, but we’ve always been more on the positive side as opposed to the more negative side.”For the hosts, one of the proudest moments in their international history came at the 2015 World Cup, when they progressed to the quarter-finals at England’s expense with a thrilling 15-run victory in Adelaide. Buttler played in that match, which is widely recognised as a catalyst for the dramatic change of approach that propelled England to glory four years later.”Even if we we’d won that game in 2015, we would have fallen down not far after”•Getty Images

But while Buttler acknowledged that that game is seen as a turning point in his team’s fortunes, he also believes that the change was coming regardless.”Even if we we’d won that game in 2015, we would have fallen down not far after,” he said. “Looking back, we were quite a way behind the rest of the teams in the world at that stage. It was very obvious post that World Cup that we had to change the way we played, and try and be at the forefront of where the game was going as opposed to trying to catch up.”I think we would have got to that point regardless, but obviously losing that match and being knocked out of the World Cup at that stage is absolutely now looked back at as that real turning point for English cricket. But I’m sure we would have been found out not long after, had we managed to get through that game.”In the meantime, the 2023 World Cup is looming large, and Buttler recognises the importance of the coming contests, which begin with two ODIs in Dhaka on March 1 and 3, a third in Chittagong on March 6, then three T20Is on March 9, 12 and 14.”All our preparation is geared towards that World Cup,” he said. “These are the conditions that will probably be the closest that we can get to playing in India. We only have these matches, and then we don’t play again until September just before the World Cup, so it’s a great challenge for us and we’re excited for the series.”

Visitors face stiff final day of batting after being set a target in excess of 400

ECB Reporters Network14-Apr-2024Glamorgan pulled in front on day three of their Vitality County Championship match against Derbyshire after they posted 361 for seven declared to set a target of 401 for the visitors.The mainstay for Glamorgan was Chris Cooke who finished on 126 not out, by far the highest score of this match so far. He was well supported by 61 not out from James Harris and a well made 32 from Dan Douthwaite.In the 12 overs that were bowled before the close Derbyshire reached 40 for one with David Lloyd and Luis Reece undefeated.With Derbyshire still 361 runs away from their victory target a Glamorgan victory is the most likely outcome as the match heads into a final day with a mixed weather forecast.Mason Crane had come into bat as a nightwatchman late on day two and he did a good job of supporting Colin Ingram in a 45-run stand for the fifth wicket. Crane was trapped lbw by Thomson for 19 to bring the experienced pair of Ingram and Cooke together. For the first time in this match, batting started looking straightforward.Ingram was batting with great rhythm as he passed fifty from 76 balls. Shortly after reaching the milestone, he called Cooke through for a single and was sent back too late and was run out by a throw from Sam Conners.In the first two innings of the match, it was at this point that wickets had come in a hurry. Here Cooke and Douthwaite put together a partnership worth 109, the highest of the match up to that point. Cooke missed out on a chance to bat during the record-breaking efforts at Lord’s last week and he made the most of his chance in the middle in this game as he made the 13th hundred of his first-class career.After seeing the ball spin appreciably throughout the first two days, it was a lot easier going on day three, but Thomson continued to be a threat. He bowled the first 33 overs of the Glamorgan innings from the River Taff end and sent down 44 overs in total as he finished with career-best match figures of 12 for 201.Cooke was joined by Harris after Douthwaite was dismissed by Thomson to complete his second five-wicket haul of the match and Glamorgan continued to turn the screw with a second hundred-run stand in succession, eclipsing the stand by Cooke and Douthwaite as they made 116 undefeated for the eighth wicket. When the declaration came it set Derbyshire a target of 401.Harris was the man to make the one breakthrough on the third evening when he had Harry Came trapped lbw for three. As the clouds came over Sophia Gardens in the early evening it became too dark for play to continue and the players left the field with three overs unbowled.With the ball still turning on this pitch much will depend on how well Crane bowls on the final day with Glamorgan still needing nine wickets for victory.

The fast bowler is set to become the sixth India player to feature in county cricket this season

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2022Mohammed Siraj is set to play for Warwickshire over the remainder of the 2022 County Championship season. He becomes the sixth India player to be signed by a county team this season, after Cheteshwar Pujara (Sussex), Washington Sundar (Lancashire), Krunal Pandya (Warwickshire for Royal London Cup), Umesh Yadav (Middlesex) and Navdeep Saini (Kent).Siraj is currently part of the India squad that is in Zimbabwe for a three-match ODI series, which began on Thursday in Harare. After the conclusion of the Zimbabwe tour on August 22, Siraj is expected to arrive in Birmingham ahead of Warwickshire’s home game against Somerset, which begins on September 12.