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After Marcus Stoinis’ spell of 3 for 11 restricted the Melbourne Renegades to 6 for 155, the Stars chased the score down with rather ease, led by Kevin Pietersen’s unbeaten 67

The Report by Will Macpherson in Melbourne09-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA week (that feels like a lifetime) ago, Chris Gayle was a columnist for Fairfax Media. In his final column – he has since filed a defamation case against the company for allegations made in its pages – he claimed he and Kevin Pietersen were the Melbourne derby’s big draws, but Pietersen was no match for him. This week, with all the build-up surrounding Gayle for the wrong reasons, Pietersen did as Pietersen does, and stole the show in style.There was only ever one way Gayle could have responded to an eye-popping week with anything approaching elegance. It is now his bat that has to do his talking, as have ruled out any further involvement in their coverage, and he won’t speak to media again during the competition, even if he scores a century. From his first ball, when he miscued a slog sweep off Michael Beer, it was clear that he knew this.After losing his opening partner Tom Cooper early, this mis-hit caused Gayle to go into his shell (if he has one), with seven of his next eight deliveries dots. That was until Adam Zampa entered the attack. Gayle rocked back and sent his second delivery into the second tier, and three balls later, he had six more in a similar region. But the introduction of Marcus Stoinis ended Gayle’s tired innings just as it looked like waking up, as he swatted a short ball to long-on. Gayle’s meaningful contributions were done, and many would have been relieved to note the evening even passed without any overt “Stand by Gayle” moments among the crowd of 43,176 as there had been on Wednesday when the MCG confiscated banners.Vocal distaste was shown towards Cameron White, who moved across town this season, not Gayle. But after a sprightly innings from White, in which he sent the first two balls from the unusually expensive John Hastings for six then four, he fell the ball after Gayle, edging behind when looking to glide Stoinis to third man. When Peter Nevill was run-out in extraordinary fashion at the non-striker’s end off his own bat and Adam Zampa’s nose, and Aaron Ayre was lbw first ball, the Renegades were in deep trouble at 5 for 78.Dwayne Bravo marshalled the rebuild with some fine hitting. He shared 66 with Tom Beaton, who cut powerfully and was strong through square leg and also fell to Stoinis; a clever, looping slower ball sneaking under his bat. Bravo had gone after Hastings, taking him for 23 from 10 balls, including three fours in an over, and a six in the last over almost spectacularly saved by Stoinis at long-off, and the Renegades ended on 155 two balls later.After the second innings of the match was delayed by lingering smoke from ill-advised fireworks involved in the half-time entertainment, the Stars flew out of the blocks. The first three overs cost 32, with Stoinis looking in sublime touch, with drives and pulls through the leg side. Luke Wright had four fours of his own by the end of the third over, and the Renegades managed just four dots in that time. Bravo, and a wonderful trickily disguised slower ball, saw Stoinis bowled behind his legs. Wright continued upon his merry way, before slapping youngster Cameron Stevenson to cover for 37.For Stars, this was barely a speedbump, but Renegades, who are all but out of contention having only taken 22 wickets in six games, were profligate. Pietersen, who offered a tough return catch to Bravo on 7, was joined by Peter Handscomb, who timed his pull shots wonderfully from the start, and the pair ran brilliantly between the wickets. In consecutive overs, with the Renegades in the last chance saloon, Pietersen skied Bravo into the off side and substitute Ben McDermott, running in from deep cover, and White, running back, let a catch fall between them, and soon Bravo let a Handscomb swipe through his hands for six on the midwicket fence.Much in the manner of Wright and Glenn Maxwell a week ago, the pair just calmly chipped away at their total. There were fireworks, a pair of magnificent Pietersen sixes over long-on for instance, but this was the calculated, efficient and ruthless unpicking of an inferior team. Stars are missing big names but, as they cruise towards the finals after their horror start, have plenty left in reserve.

Shannon Gabriel and Shane Shillingford spearheaded West Indies A’s defence of a modest total in Grenada and secured a 2-1 series victory against Sri Lanka A

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-2013
ScorecardThe pace of Shannon Gabriel and the offspin of Shane Shillingford, both operating with new balls, spearheaded West Indies A’s defence of a modest total in Grenada and secured a 2-1 series victory against Sri Lanka A by a 67-run margin.Defending 196, Gabriel and Shillingford bowled economically and incisively. Shillingford struck first, in the fourth over, and Gabriel dismissed two Sri Lanka A batsmen in the space of four balls in the seventh. By the 14th over, the visitors had been reduced to 43 for 6 – Gabriel and Shillingford taking three each – and there was no recovery. Dilruwan Perera top-scored with 48 to lead his team past 100, but the pace of scoring was so slow that the target was not under threat. Sri Lanka A were dismissed for 129 in the 41st over. Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul and fast bowler Jason Holder took two wickets each for West Indies A.The home side also endured difficult moments after they had chosen to bat. They had slipped to 37 for 4 in the 16th over before half-centuries from Andre Fletcher and Devon Thomas steadied the innings. Fletcher made 59 off 95 balls and Thomas 50 off 75, and they added 105 runs for the fifth wicket. Nikita Millar, batting at No. 8, scored 23 off 22 balls to lift West Indies A to 196 for 8. Suranga Lakmal was the pick of the Sri Lanka A bowlers, taking 3 for 28 in ten overs.

Michael Carberry quietened lurking doubts about his fitness when he no longer needed the runner he had summoned the previous day

28-Apr-2012
ScorecardMichael Carberry, recalled to the England Lions squad for the match against the West Indies at Northampton next month, quietened any lurking doubts about his fitness when he no longer needed the runner he had summoned on the previous day because of the dual effects of cramp and a groin injury.Carberry took his overnight 73 not out to 84 as rain and bad light meant only 10 overs were bowled on the third day of Hampshire’s second division match with Leicestershire.With only one day remaining the match is heading for a draw. Hampshire are 217 for 4 from 55 overs, still 17 behind the Leicestershire first-innings total of 234 all out made on the first day and some of the second.

ESPNcricinfo previews the game between Mumbai Indians and Kochi Tuskers Kerala in Mumbai

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo14-Apr-2011

Match Facts

Friday, April 15
Start Time 2000 (1430 GMT)Lasith Malinga has taken wickets in his first over in both games•AFP

Big Picture

In a tournament where predictions based on cricketing logic are often about as valid as that of a prescient octopus, Mumbai Indians have returned some sanity to proceedings. They were the best side on paper coming into the tournament, and rather than succumbing to the supposed “predictable unpredictability” of the IPL, they have translated their theoretical strength into two clinical victories; and Kieron Pollard and Andrew Symonds haven’t even had a bat yet.Friday will be a test not just of whether Mumbai can continue their dominance, but also of whether the IPL itself can occupy the sort of space in the country’s consciousness that it has in recent years. Cricket returns to the Wankhede Stadium for the first time since Sachin Tendulkar was hoisted on his India team-mates’ shoulders during the World Cup celebrations, and the IPL organisers will be hoping the cheers that greet him when he walks out to bat will create a ripple effect that will keep the buzz around the tournament going.Mumbai’s opposition, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, look a lopsided team. Their batting line-up boasts names worthy of making a Twenty20 all-star team, but the bowling, if you take out the ageing Muttiah Muralitharan and the volatile Sreesanth, reads rather eerily like a list of former India bowlers. The weakness was apparent in their first match in particular, when Mahela Jayawardene, stuck for options, had to toss the ball to the inexperienced Raiphi Gomez and watch him get hit for 20 runs in the 18th over of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s chase.If there is one weakness Mumbai have that Kochi can try to exploit, it is the support bowling. But in order to get there, they have to first pass the Lasith Malinga test. Malinga’s mastery of the old ball is well documented, but he has been as lethal with the new one in the tournament so far, striking in his first over in both of Mumbai’s games.

Team talk

Kochi have two options to strengthen their bowling: John Hastings will be back from Australia’s tour of Bangladesh, while Thisara Perera could provide some extra pace. Including either of those two, though, would mean having to bench either Brad Hodge or Murali. Steven Smith will not be joining the Kochi squad as he is returning to Australia to have surgery on his ankle.Andrew Symonds missed Mumbai’s first two games with a niggle and is likely to come in for James Franklin, meaning he will play alongside Harbhajan Singh. They were the protagonists in the Sydney saga in 2008. Harbhajan played down the incident, saying it was behind them and that they were looking forward to playing with each other.Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector. Predict the playing XIs for this match.

In the spotlight

The three squads that have won the IPL so far had one thing in common: they were built around the image of their captains. Mahela Jayawardene has led his national side to a World Cup final (in 2007) and is a dangerous Twenty20 player, although his best performances in the format have come in the opening slot. Pushing himself up the order to take on his team-mate Malinga would be a sign of confidence that could filter down to his team.Rohit Sharma came into the tournament with his $2 million price tag hanging like a weight around his neck; cynics ever-ready to lament the IPL’s ability to inflate the egos of impressionable youngsters. Friday is a chance for him to prove his worth.

Prime numbers

• Ravindra Jadeja is Kochi’s highest run-getter this season with 70 runs from two games. During the first season of the IPL he scored 135 runs in nine innings, while in the second he got 295 runs.
  

• Mumbai’s new wicketkeeper Davy Jacobs scored only 88 runs in eight innings during the Standard Bank Pro20 series in South Africa, while Owais Shah, who is yet to get a game for Kochi, was the leading run-scorer in that tournament with 293 runs from eight innings.
  

  Chatter

  “He’s a great guy. Whatever happened in Sydney, that’s all history now. We don’t want to keep on thinking about what happened then. Hopefully, with his performance and mine, we can do a lot of good things for Mumbai Indians. “
  “It is just the beginning of the tournament, we need not be negative. I think just one win can change things for us and the momentum will take us ahead in the tournament.”

Piyush Chawla, the Kings XI Punjab legspinner who has made a comeback into the Indian team for the World Twenty20 in the West Indies, is eager to grab the opportunity and cement his place in the team

Cricinfo staff20-Apr-2010Piyush Chawla, the Kings XI Punjab legspinner who has made a comeback into the Indian team for the World Twenty20 in the West Indies, is eager to grab the opportunity and cement his place in the national side.”I have worked really hard during the last one-and-a-half years to earn my comeback. Now that the selectors have chosen me for the job, I need to deliver the goods and make a long-lasting impression. I want to be part of the Indian team for a longer period and for that the World Twenty20 will be the most important tournament for me. The competition is tough but I need to stand out,” Chawla told PTI.Chawla was pleased with his form in the IPL, where he picked 12 wickets in Punjab’s 14 league games. “I enjoyed bowling on the Indian tracks as I was able to extract turn from the wickets and was happy to deceive the batsmen in the air. I am in fine form and bowling with rhythm. The IPL was only a dress-rehearsal for the World Twenty20,” he said.Chawla was confident that the pitches in the West Indies would aid spin. “I have never played in the West Indies. But I have been told that the Caribbean wickets are quite similar to the Indian ones. So, I am quite keen on bowling there. I have had a good domestic seasons but my IPL form will give me the required boost and confidence,” he said.Chawla was excited by the prospect of playing a support role to first-choice spinner Harbhajan Singh during the tournament. “I have had the opportunity of bowling with Harbhajan Singh on several occasions. I remember bowling alongside him in Australia in 2008. I was selected with Bhajji when we won the first World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007, but unfortunately got injured. I hope the combination can work for India.”The World Twenty20 begins five days after the finals of the IPL, raising the issue of fatigue, but Chawla believed that it would not be a problem. “I don’t think so [that fatigue will have an impact]. Our top players like MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan are in top form so I think this will help them in the West Indies because we won’t have to start from the scratch. Also we have had closer look at our opposition players, so it will help us in a big way,” Chawla said.

The battle for supremacy in Group C of the T20 World Cup heats up

Sreshth Shah07-Jun-20241:03

Is Kane Williamson’s lack of match practice a worry for NZ?

Match details

New Zealand vs Afghanistan
June 7, Providence, 7:30pm local

Big picture: NZ face a tricky start

Since 2015, no team has been more successful in making it to the knockout stages of a World Cup than New Zealand. They’ve made the semi-finals in each of the six white-ball events since – including three finals – and yet, the trophy cabinet is empty. But if they don’t hit the ground running right away in a group that also includes co-hosts West Indies, their current campaign could very well end early.They take the field for the first time on Friday and a challenge awaits them straightaway. Guyana has been the most spinner-friendly venue of T20 World Cup 2024 and Afghanistan are arguably the strongest spin-bowling outfit in the world. When you take into account New Zealand’s less-than-ideal prep with no official warm-up games played, one wonders if they will turn up undercooked against a unit that has Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi and potentially Noor Ahmad.However, one of the reasons why New Zealand did not play a warm-up was because many of them were at the IPL, and those franchise regulars like Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult could make a difference. They are also boosted by the return of Finn Allen and Devon Conway from injury, and their various right-left batting options gives them various batting strategies.New Zealand have a few spin weapons of their own too. The West Indies is Santner’s favourite place to bowl in, where he averages 16.83 with an economy of 5.50 in T20s. Across the last two T20 World Cups, no bowler has had a higher average release point (2.27m) than Santner. This uniqueness and his ability to vary his release speed and angle will keep all teams on their toes this World Cup.The left-arm spin of Ravindra and the offspin of Phillips gives them flexibility, allowing them to field a strong side without Ish Sodhi in the XI. Factor in the swing of Boult, the pace of Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson, and a string of other seam options, and New Zealand are still very much a threat. For Afghanistan’s batting, that remains the biggest challenge on Friday. They’ll look at the settled opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to put up a strong platform in pursuit of a second win in two games.

Form guide

New Zealand LWWLL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Afghanistan WWWLW

In the spotlight – Williamson, Conway and Farooqi

Kane Williamson and Devon Conway are two of New Zealand’s top-three batters with next-to-zero game time recently. Conway missed the IPL with a finger injury that needed surgery while Williamson got only two games for Gujarat Titans. Neither have played a T20I game since January, but their experience is irreplaceable, especially if conditions are once again tricky for batting. Conway is proficient in scoring against all kinds of spin, however, Williamson could get bogged down by those who turn their stock ball away him, striking at only 106 since the T20 World Cup 2022.1:37

McClenaghan floored by Afghanistan bowling attack

Fazalhaq Farooqi showed against Uganda in Afghanistan’s first game that it’s not all about spinners in their team. In Providence, where this game will be played as well, he found significant deviation off the pitch and swung the ball nearly 2.5 degrees in the powerplay, more than twice that of the other bowlers. His 5 for 9 against Uganda was the fourth-best bowling figures in T20 World Cups, and Afghanistan will look for breakthroughs from him early so that the spinners could apply the squeeze sooner.Related

• Jimmy Neesham: 'I've embraced walking towards pressure in big moments'

• Williamson: 'Afghanistan have one of the better bowling attacks in the T20 World Cup'

• New Zealand battle rain and jetlag ahead of crunch World Cup opener

Team news: NZ assessing combinations

There are no injury concerns on either side. Afghanistan are likely to field the same XI while New Zealand will be considering their spin vs seam balance. Their resources are plenty: even if they keep out Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Tim Southee and Sodhi, they still have eight bowling and eight batting options.New Zealand (probable): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Finn Allen (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Mark Chapman/Rachin Ravindra, 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 James Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Lockie FergusonAfghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Najibullah Zadran, 4 Mohammad Nabi, 5 Gulbadin Naib, 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Karim Janat, 9 Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Pitch and conditions: Spin and rain on the radar

The pitch in Guyana has been sluggish, making chasing the preferred way to go. Since 2022, teams chasing have won 19 of the 27 games and two of the three games in this World Cup. The average first-innings winning score is around 184, however, chances of a shortened game are high with some rain forecast through the evening in Providence.

Stats that matter

• Spinners have an economy of 5.28 in Guyana at this World Cup and have taken 17 wickets, averaging 17.82 apiece. No other venue has seen more than seven wickets to spinners.
• Boult has only three T20I wickets in 13 innings across 26 powerplay overs since 2022, averaging a surprising 67.33 in the phase.
• In matches between Full Members since the last T20 World Cup, Afghanistan’s spinners have the best average (19.45) and economy (6.72).

Quotes

“I think we saw in the 50-over World Cup we’re able to compete with any side in the world. And that’s our philosophy here. So, every game that we play, we expect to put ourselves in a winning position. Or fight to win every single game. So tomorrow that’s no different.”
“We’ve been predominantly training in the day and there are some large differences between day and night in terms of conditions. But from the couple of matches that have been played, it looks like a reasonable wicket, a good wicket, a fair wicket at the same time. Bit there for the bowlers but equally decent for the batters.”

“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.”

“Having collapses every now and then is not a good thing, and that’s something we need to analyse and correct”

Saurabh Somani14-Jan-20227:09

Kohli: ‘We did not apply enough pressure on South Africa’

Virat Kohli has admitted that that there is “no running away” from the fact that India’s batting needs to be looked into, after the team lost a closely fought Test series 2-1 to South Africa.India had won the first Test in Centurion, but South Africa ended up chasing 200-plus totals in both Johannesburg and Cape Town to surge to victory, sealing it with a seven-wicket triumph at Newlands on Friday, the fourth day of the third Test.Related

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“It is definitely batting. I don’t think we can pinpoint any other aspect of our game as a team,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation when speaking of what led to the defeat. “Yes, the batting obviously has to be looked into. There’s no running away from that. Having collapses every now and then is not a good thing. And that’s something we need to analyse and correct, moving forward.”All of Mayank Agarwal, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara averaged in the low 20s in the series, having played all three Tests. The tour continued a lean run for Pujara and Rahane, India’s regular No.3 and No.5 for a long time now, but whose form has come under increasing scrutiny in recent times. Since the start of 2020, Pujara has averaged 26.29 from 20 Tests, while Rahane has averaged 24.08 from 19 games.While India have played against top-quality attacks in bowling-friendly conditions in the last two years, Pujara and Rahane’s averages are at the bottom for those who have batted at least ten innings in the top order (from No.1 to No.6).At the press conference after the game, Kohli elaborated specifically on Pujara and Rahane, when asked about their immediate Test futures.”Honestly, I cannot sit here and talk about what’s going to happen in the future,” Kohli said. “That’s not for me to sit here and discuss, you probably have to speak to the selectors, what they have in mind, because this is not my job. As I said before and I will say again, we have continued to back Cheteshwar and Ajinkya because of the kind of players they are, what they have done in Test cricket for India over the years, and playing crucial knocks in the second Test as well.”You saw that important partnership in the second innings [of the second Test], which got us to a total that we could fight for, so these are the kind of performances that we recognise as a team. What the selectors have in mind and what they decide to do, I obviously cannot comment at this moment sitting here.”Kohli continued to back Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane despite their lean run of form•AFP/Getty Images

Both Rahane and Pujara hit one fifty each in the series, during India’s second innings in Johannesburg, where their stand of 111 propped India up. However, both failed in the second innings of the third Test in Cape Town, getting out within the first two overs on day three, taking India from a reasonable position to a wobbly one.Reflecting more broadly on the defeat, Kohli said the team needed to come back better, to try and win a series in a country that no Indian team has so far.”Obviously very disappointed. We know how far we’ve come as a team,” Kohli said. “The fact that we come to South Africa and people expect us to beat the South African team in their own conditions is testimony to what we’ve done in the past. But that doesn’t guarantee you any results. We still have to come out here and play hard cricket, which we failed to do this time around.”I’m not going to stand here and say, ‘Oh but we won in Australia, we won in England’. You have to turn up to every series and try to win that series, and we haven’t done it in South Africa and that’s the reality of the situation. We need to accept it, get better, move forward, and come back better cricketers. You give credit to the opposition when it’s due and definitely this time around, as the case was the last time as well [in 2018 where India also lost 2-1], South Africa were much better than us in their own conditions.”Alongside the bowling – both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were consistently unrelenting with lines, length and movement – one of the bright spots for India was Rishabh Pant’s swashbuckling century at Newlands. Pant made 100 not out in India’s total of 198 in the second innings, where the next highest score was Kohli’s 29.On the positives to take from this series, Kohli praised the bowlers, and in particularly KL Rahul’s returns as an opener along with Rishabh Pant’s swashbuckling century in the third Test. It came a game after Pant had been pilloried for trying to smash Kagiso Rabada and getting out for a duck. Kohli later said that Pant was someone who would learn from his mistakes, and reiterated that point after the third Test.”Definitely I think it was a high-quality knock given the conditions and the situation and the kind of bowling that was on display, and that’s the talent he possesses,” Kohli said. “Hence I said it’s up to him to keep learning from the mistakes that happen, because we understand what he can do for the team on a regular basis and the quality that he has as a wicketkeeper and a batsman, he can surely keep doing it as a regular occurrence for India and that is only going to help the team to be in match-winning positions, because he’s a special talent and he can do some special things. Tremendous knock, one of the better hundreds that I have seen.”

Saif Zaib’s useful cameo takes game away from Somerset

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2020Adam Rossington defied a hand injury as he struck a quickfire half-century to lead Northants Steelbacks to a nine-run win over Somerset at Wantage Road.Rossington was left grimacing in pain for the majority of his 51 from 31 balls after he was pinned on the right hand by Somerset seamer Ollie Sale and required treatment on the field.But the wicketkeeper-batsman, profiting from targeting the leg side, played the match-defining innings and he shared an 81-run stand with captain Josh Cobb.Rossington was then unable to take his place in the field as the hosts held on to defend 171 for six, with 39-year-old allrounder Gareth Berg, making his Northants debut in the Vitality Blast, claiming 2 for 31.Somerset made a bright start to their chase, reaching the end of the six-over Powerplay at 54 for 1, but lost four wickets in the next five overs as Berg’s experience and changes of pace proved invaluable.Berg initially fooled debutant George Bartlett with a slower ball that found his off stump after a 50-run partnership with James Hildreth.
Hildreth played fluently for 34 but picked out Saif Zaib in the deep off Berg before Tom Abell and Eddie Byrom fell cheaply from successive deliveries. Ben Sanderson removed the big-hitting threat of the Overton twins, on his way to 3 for 36, but Roelof van der Merwe kept Somerset’s faint hopes alive with an unbeaten 41 from 25 balls.Van der Merwe shared an unbroken 46-run stand for the ninth wicket with Sale, but with 21 needed from Sanderson’s final over he was left with too much to do.Northants will now await injury news on Rossington, who missed last week’s Bob Willis Trophy match with a right finger injury, as the only misfortune of their otherwise fine start to the Vitality Blast.After an opening-night washout at Gloucestershire the Steelbacks thumped last season’s finalists Worcestershire Rapids by nine wickets on Saturday before casting aside a Somerset side in good spirits following their Bob Willis Trophy form.Paul Stirling, the hero of Northants’ opening win over the Rapids, had picked up where he left off by carving Craig Overton over point for six but was out next ball edging behind as he stepped away to try and replicate the shot. Richard Levi was then unluckily run out backing up when Craig Overton got a finger to a Cobb straight drive.Rossington suffered the blow to the hand early and while he was in visible pain, struck seven fours and a six, before an athletic diving catch from Sale at backward square leg off Max Waller.The impressive Sale was the pick of the Somerset attack and produced another smart piece of fielding off his own bowling when he held a reflex catch to dismiss Cobb, for 42 from 41 balls, just as the home captain looked set to accelerate.Zaib ensured the late hitting with an unbeaten on 28 from 13 balls – including 10 from the final two deliveries – which proved invaluable.

ECB Reporters Network06-May-2019Nottinghamshire 328 for 9 (Patel 136*, Moores 69) beat Northamptonshire (Vasconcelos 74. Keogh, Cobb 63, Wakely 53) by one wicket

Samit Patel’s masterful century saw Nottinghamshire chase 326 to beat Northamptonshire by just one wicket at Wantage Road. In so doing, they sealed top spot in the North Group and secured a home semi-final in the Royal London One-Day Cup.At 116 for 5 in the 25th over, Notts were slipping to defeat but Patel made a career-best unbeaten 136 to bring the Outlaws home with three balls to spare in front of a bumper Bank Holiday crowd.Fifty-nine more runs were needed from 30 balls when Patel stepped down the pitch to punch Josh Cobb over his head for four, before cutting Nathan Buck past point for his 10th boundary to go to his eighth List A century.He cut Ben Sanderson just past the wicketkeeper for another boundary and punched the same bowler over his head. Another edge, trying to cut Buck, flew over the wicketkeeper again to leave 12 needed from the final over. Patel then heaved Sanderson over square leg for six, drove a boundary past point and lifted the winning runs over the same fielder.Tom Moores also played an important part in the comeback, sharing 111 with Patel for the sixth wicket. With 139 needed in 15 overs, Moores heaved Ian Holland for consecutive sixes over long-on in making 69 from 55 balls before swinging Sanderson to deep midwicket.Before that partnership, Notts looked destined for the play-offs as the top-order all failed. Alex Hales, on his comeback after his suspension for a second failed drugs test, crashed several cuts either side of point but in attempting to guide Luke Procter to third man, chopped into his own stumps for 36 and left Notts 74 for 4 in the 15th over.That was after Sanderson had nipped a delivery through Joe Clarke to take out his off stump for 7 in the second over. Chris Nash then clipped Buck to short midwicket before, next ball, Ben Duckett – back at his former home, having made his England comeback in Cardiff on Sunday – tried to turn his first ball to leg and got a leading edge that looped to midwicket.But Patel’s tremendous innings ensured Notts are now just one win away from a return to Lord’s, earning a home semi-final back at Trent Bridge on Sunday.For most of the day, Northants looked like claiming an impressive consolation victory. Four players went past fifty after they won the toss but none converted their position into an innings of real damage and they were left short of power in the final overs.Patel claimed two of the half-centurions as Cobb lifted him to long-off for 63 – his third fifty in the competition. He and Ricardo Vasconcelos made steady progress for the second wicket in a stand of 117 in 19.5 overs.Vasconcelos pulled James Pattinson and swept Patel among his four boundaries in his 60-ball fifty and generally worked the bowling around with good purpose. But, trying to reverse-sweep Patel, he was lbw for 74 and walked off with several meaty slaps of bat on pad, all too aware of his error.From 160 for 3 in the 31st over, Rob Keogh and Alex Wakely picked the innings up, injecting urgency in adding 96 in 12.2 overs.Wakely was first to his fifty – his third of the tournament – in 38 balls with four fours and a lofted drive for six against Matt Carter’s off-spin. But he chipped a Pattinson slower ball to deep-midwicket for 53. And Keogh made a run-a-ball fifty before carving Jake Ball to deep cover to fall for 71.Afterwards, Wakely was phlegmatic about another performance that proved not quite good enough in the final analysis.”This has been the theme all year really, playing some good cricket but not quite being good enough to win enough games,” he said. “We weren’t at our best with the ball but that was one of the best knocks you’ll see from Samit.”For a long time I thought, ‘take one wicket and we’ve won’ but one batsman can win you a game and Samit just played beautifully.”Patel said: “I was due for a score and needed a score really, just to put to rest a few people who might have been thinking I was past it – but I’m back.”I think in this day and age you can score 100 from the last 10 overs and all through that was my target, ideally with wickets in hand.”I thought Tom [Moores] took it to them and there was a shift in momentum when he was going. His was a great knock and he’ll learn a lot from that.”I always had faith and every one of us in that dressing room had the belief that we can knock those runs off, regardless of what situation we were in and we did it and can look forward to Sunday now.”