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Ryan Sidebottom grabbed a triple-wicket maiden as Yorkshire routed Middlesex for 106 while becoming County Champions for a second successive season and the 32nd time in their proud history

ECB/PA09-Sep-2015
ScorecardYorkshire became County Champions on a dramatic day at Lord’s, with second-placed Middlesex routed for 106 and Ryan Sidebottom grabbing a triple-wicket maiden in perhaps the most remarkable opening over of a match even the world’s most famous ground has witnessed.It was the 32nd outright Championship title in Yorkshire’s proud history, and the Division One game’s first day also included a cathartic 98 from 110 balls by captain Andrew Gale as his team reached 238 for 9 in reply. Prevented by suspension from receiving the Championship trophy last year, Gale will now get his chance to hold the trophy aloft when the official presentation is made at the end of this game.Gale and Lees had shaken hands in the middle of the pitch, with Gale also raising his gloved fist in triumph as his team celebrated on their dressing room balcony, when news came through from Trent Bridge at 3.06pm that Nottinghamshire had been bowled out without collecting the batting bonus points they required to keep the title race alive.”There’s no better place for us to receive the trophy than Lord’s, if it isn’t Headingley of course, and I believe this season’s title win has been a greater achievement given the circumstances of having so many players going off to play for England right across the summer,” Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket, said. “We’ve also done it with two-and-a-half games still to go.”We played brilliantly to win last year, don’t get me wrong, but it’s been a real squad effort this season. It’s been frustrating at times losing so many players to England but we knew, going into the season, that this would probably happen so we have prepared for that. Credit to all our support staff, too, for what they have done.”In truth, there has not been much of a race for the Championship title this summer, because Yorkshire have been seemingly too powerful to be challenged by anyone. Middlesex, indeed, plunged to a barely believable 0 for 3 after just six balls of this game as their hopes of holding up Yorkshire disappeared in a flurry of wickets.By lunch Middlesex had staggered to 92 for 7, and their first innings did not last long afterwards with Tim Bresnan sending back James Franklin and Toby Roland-Jones, leg-before aiming across the line, in the space of four balls during the fourth over after the interval to finish with 4 for 30.Fittingly, however, it was Sidebottom who wrapped up the innings by bowling Tim Murtagh for 3 to earn himself the superb final figures of 12-5-18-5. The other Middlesex wicket to fall was taken by offspinner James Middlebrook, who came on for the last over before lunch and promptly had John Simpson caught at the wicket with the final ball of the morning for 28.Ryan Sidebottom claimed four wickets in an immaculate opening spell to put Yorkshire on their way•Getty Images

Sidebottom, the 37-year-old former England left-arm fast bowler, removed Stirling, Nick Compton and Dawid Malan with the second, fifth and sixth balls of the game’s first over after Gale had won the toss under overcast skies. Stirling was leg-before to a perfectly-pitched inswinger, giving Sidebottom his 700th first-class wicket, Compton caught behind off one angled across him and Malan bowled first ball by a beauty which spreadeagled his stumps.Gale’s decision to bowl first bore even more fruit when Sidebottom had Stevie Ezkinazi, a 21-year-old on debut, caught for 4 by Adam Lyth at second slip to leave Middlesex on 14 for 4.Moxon added: “What Ryan did today was remarkable, and that first over epitomised what he is all about. He’s contracted to the end of next season, and he still works so hard on his cricket. But, as a team, we have bowled really well this season.”Sidebottom’s new ball spell was a magnificent 6-2-11-4 and Yorkshire, who began the match knowing five bonus points by them would ensure successive Championship titles for the first time since 1968, actually only required their three bowling points because both Middlesex and Notts had bad days with the bat.Following Sidebottom’s initial burst, there was a 30-run partnership for the fifth wicket between opener Sam Robson and Leicestershire-bound allrounder Neil Dexter before Bresnan removed both players in his first and fourth overs. Dexter, on 18, edged Bresnan’s fifth ball to wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd, diving to his right to hold a good catch, and Robson’s 45-ball 26 ended eleven runs later when he edged to Lees at first slip to leave Middlesex 55 for 6.Franklin also played and missed several times at Steven Patterson in an unhappy 12, which ended when he swished to third slip, but at least Simpson offered six fours in a punchy 22-ball cameo before Middlebrook struck at the end of an action-packed first session.When Yorkshire batted, Roland-Jones won lbw appeals to claim the wickets of Lyth, for 25, and Gary Ballance for a duck, in a new ball spell of 2 for 34 and he later returned to have Middlebrook caught behind for 4 as Yorkshire’s innings fell away following Gale’s exit. Murtagh also picked up the scalps of Hodd for 20 and Patterson for 0 before bad light ended play four overs early.Lees had been leg-before for 39 to Stirling’s offspin on the stroke of tea, while Dexter chipped away at Yorkshire’s middle order after tea to remove both Jack Leaning and Bresnan lbw, before ending Gale’s fine knock, which included 18 fours, to earn figures of 3 for 24.With a lead already of 132, however, Yorkshire are scenting a 10th win from 14 Championship games this season. “We want victory here, for a start,” replied Moxon, when asked about Yorkshire’s future ambitions. “But if we are to surpass the great Yorkshire sides of the past we have to win a few more Championships yet, although it’s great we now have a chance to leave that sort of legacy.”

Sachin Tendulkar will return as the Mumbai Indians captain for the sixth edition of the IPL, which will commence on April 3

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2013Sachin Tendulkar will return as the Mumbai Indians captain for the sixth edition of the IPL, which will commence on April 3. Tendulkar, who will turn 40 during the course of IPL 6, had given up the Mumbai franchise’s captaincy after IPL 2011 and his India team-mate, Harbhajan Singh, had taken over.ESPNcricinfo understands that Tendulkar agreed to lead the team this year after Harbhajan, who had captained the franchise owned by the Reliance Industries Ltd in the Champions League 2011 and IPL 2012, expressed his inability to continue in the role.The development on the eve of the player auction puts to rest all speculation that Mumbai Indians are likely to go all out for Ricky Ponting or Michael Clarke during Sunday’s auction, as a captaincy candidate.Tendulkar, who missed the first seven games of IPL’s inaugural edition due to injury, was at Mumbai Indians’ helm since its inception. After he passed on the reins to Harbhajan, Mumbai Indians won their maiden title when they claimed the Champions League T20 title in 2011. In IPL 2012, under Harbhajan, Mumbai Indians made it to the knockouts where they lost to Chennai Super Kings in the Eliminator.

Mickey Arthur, the former South Africa coach, has been appointed the new coach of Australia

Daniel Brettig22-Nov-2011Mickey Arthur, the former South Africa coach, has been appointed the new coach of Australia, a role with wide-ranging responsibilities after its redefinition under the recommendations of the Argus review.Arthur is the first foreign-born coach to be appointed to oversee Australia’s fortunes, and will be in place in time for the first Test between Australia and New Zealand in Brisbane from December 1 to 5. Arthur’s contract will run until the end of the 2015 World Cup.”I am honoured and privileged to have another chance to coach an international team, particularly a team of the ilk of Australia,” Arthur said. “I think I bring a fresh, unblinkered eye to the role after plotting against Australia when coaching South Africa, and having now worked within the Australian system with the Warriors.”Australia has an abundance of cricket talent and I am confident the talent is there to ensure Australia is successful.”Following a thorough search that included entreaties to the England coach Andy Flower, among others, Arthur was confirmed in the job after a final round of interviews last week. Steve Rixon, Tom Moody and Justin Langer were among the other contenders for the job.Since resigning from the South Africa job, Arthur worked as coach of Western Australia, familiarising himself with the Australian game and also showing his capability for tough decisions as he worked to revitalise a state that had developed, in his words, “too many comfort zones”.Arthur had kept one eye on events at Cricket Australia since his arrival to coach WA, but said he became seriously interested in the role only after Tim Nielsen’s position was opened up to new candidates and the incumbent chose not to reapply.”Once Tim vacated the role [at the end of the Sri Lanka series] then it got serious,” Arthur said. “It was too good an opportunity not to have a look at, so I think I became interested once the advertisement went out for the post. I was really happy at Western Australia and really happy that we were trying to build something, but this job was just too good not to have a look at.”In addition to coaching Australia, Arthur will be a selector, and also the man responsible for ensuring the coaching philosophy and structure across all state sides will be consistent with and helpful to the progress of the national team. It is a commission similarly powerful to that held by Flower in England, and not dissimilar to Arthur’s in his time with South Africa between 2005 and 2010.During that tenure, Arthur formed a strong relationship with the captain, Graeme Smith, as the team rose from mediocrity to a peak that included in 2008-09 the first Test series win in Australia by any side for 15 years. Arthur acknowledged that his formation of a strong bond with Clarke, who was known to be a backer of Rixon, would be crucial to the team’s success.”I think the relationship between your captain and coach is one of the most important relationships there is in the game. It is almost like a marriage,” Arthur said. “The captain and the coach feed off each other and there can be no discrepancies. Certainly the captain and the coach need to have consistent messages they’re continually giving to the players.”But it doesn’t mean the captain and the coach can’t challenge each other, that’s all part of it and that’s done behind closed doors. I’m really excited to work with Michael Clarke, he’s an incredible talent and I’ve been very excited by the way he’s gone about his captaincy. I think since he’s taken over he’s been innovative, he’s captained with a lot of flair, and I’m really looking forward to supporting him, so he can be the best he possibly can and get the most runs he possibly can as well.”Shaun Pollock, the former South Africa captain and fast bowler, described Arthur’s role with South Africa, and his qualities as a coach. “He’s got a good understanding for the game and he will challenge the players,” Pollock said. “He’s not scared to take on and confront issues, but I think he would be defined more as a man manager.”Arthur’s appointment concluded a momentous round of changes to the structure around the Australian team, including the appointment of Pat Howard as team performance manager, the induction of a new selection panel that will now comprise the national selector John Inverarity, Clarke, selectors Rod Marsh and Andy Bichel and Arthur.The Western Australia coaching position Arthur departed from, also responsible for the Perth Scorchers in the BBL, will be taken over by his assistant Lachlan Stevens.

Australia have named their squad for next week’s first Ashes Test, but their starting line-up is no clearer. Xavier Doherty and Callum Ferguson were the major surprises in a bloated 17-man group that also included Usman Khawaja, Ryan Harris and Peter Sidd

Brydon Coverdale15-Nov-2010Australia have named their squad for next week’s first Ashes Test, but their starting line-up is no clearer. Xavier Doherty and Callum Ferguson were the major surprises in a bloated 17-man group that also included Usman Khawaja, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle, but there was no place for the backup opener Phillip Hughes, who was the only unexpected omission.The squad, which is bigger than England’s touring party for the entire series, will be trimmed to 12 or 13 after this week’s round of Sheffield Shield matches before the first Test begins at the Gabba next Thursday. The selectors are also keen to see how some of the contenders perform for Australia A in their match against England starting on Wednesday in Hobart.The four-day game between New South Wales and Tasmania shapes as a particularly fascinating contest, with the spinners Hauritz and Doherty to go head to head on an SCG pitch that should offer assistance. The inclusion of the left-armer Doherty, who made a promising ODI debut this month but was viewed as a limited-overs specialist, has placed extra pressure on the incumbent Hauritz, who has struggled over the past month.”Nathan Hauritz has performed exceptionally well over the past 12 months for Australia,” the chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, said. “One of the biggest decisions we will need to make is whether we go into the first Test in Brisbane with a right-arm offspinner or with the variation of a left-arm orthodox bowler.”Xavier Doherty has been very impressive in both limited-overs and first-class cricket, in particular last season and the start of this season, and it will be a great opportunity for us to observe both of the spinning options in the Sheffield Shield clash between New South Wales and Tasmania at the SCG this week.”Hilditch’s comments suggest the selectors are not considering an all-pace attack at the Gabba, where the seam-friendly conditions sometimes encourage sides to risk leaving out their frontline spinner. That means the most likely pace attack is Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger, who made a promising return in club cricket on the weekend.Bollinger has been out with an abdominal strain since the first Test in India last month, and he collected 1 for 30 in ten overs for Fairfield on Saturday. He will continue his return in the Sheffield Shield game and providing he comes through unscathed, will be a certain starter on a Brisbane surface that should offer him some assistance.His recovery also reduces the chance of Siddle being included for his first Test since January, while the in-form Harris would need to also shake off a knee problem if he was to make the side. Harris bowled himself into contention with a match haul of 9 for 140 for Queensland at Bellerive last week but after the match had a swollen knee – he had surgery on the joint during the off-season – and his availability won’t be known for several days.”Ryan Harris has a chronic knee injury that requires ongoing management,” the team physio Alex Kountouris said. “As such he will not play in the next round of Sheffield Shield games or for Australia A starting 17 November to allow his knee to fully recover. His availability for the first Ashes Test will determined later this week.”There are unlikely to be any surprises in Australia’s batting line-up, although they are waiting to confirm the fitness of Michael Clarke, who suffered a recurrence of the disc problem in his back while playing for New South Wales on the weekend. Clarke will sit out of this week’s Sheffield Shield match but he is hopeful he will take his place at the Gabba.”I’m not going to play against Tasmania on Wednesday,” Clarke said. “I’m going to give myself another few days off to get my back right. But I’m confident that if I do all the right things over the next week I’ll be 100% ready to go come Brisbane.”Unless Clarke succumbs to the problem, there shouldn’t be any changes to Australia’s established top six, meaning Khawaja and Ferguson will have to wait to receive their baggy greens. Their selection is a strong indication that they will be vying for a position in the middle order should the selectors lose faith with Michael Hussey or Marcus North during the summer.The exclusion of the opener Hughes is a sign that Simon Katich will be fit for the Test, having been out of action due to a broken thumb. Katich made his comeback in grade cricket on the weekend, making 94 for Randwick-Petersham, and will line up for New South Wales in their four-day match this week.Australia squad Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin (wk), Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Xavier Doherty, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger.

A review of the fifth round of games in the 2009-10 Plunket Shield

Cricinfo staff15-Dec-2009 Central Districts’ openers turned around a match in which they were not in the reckoning at any stage, to hand Wellington an unlikely defeat at Basin Reserve. As impressive as the result was the emphatic manner in which it achieved – for the loss of just one wicket.
Set 443 in 105 overs, Central began the final day requiring 374. Openers Peter Ingram and Jamie How seemingly took it upon themselves to win the game – they added a record 428 runs before How departed for 176, including 25 fours and three sixes. He was, however, overshadowed by Ingram whose unbeaten 245 came off only 286 balls and included 36 fours and a six. The partnership eclipsed the previous first-class opening record for New Zealand, set in 1971/72 by Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis against the West Indies.Before the epic stand, Wellington would have expected to win a game they dominated from the outset. An unbeaten 220 from Luke Woodcock and a century from tailender Ili Tugaga rescued them from 215 for 8 to an imposing 440 in their first innings. In response Central frittered away a solid start and lost their last eight wickets for 57 runs to fold for 205, Andy McKay and Jeetan Patel picking up four apiece. The hosts pressed home the advantage through Cameron Merchant’s 93, piling up 205 runs in 54 overs and setting a fourth innings target that would have been safe for at least a draw. Someone forgot to tell the visitors’ openers though.Corey Anderson and Hamish Bennett bowled Canterbury to a ten-wicket victory over Northern Districts at Seddon Park. Beginning their second innings 84 runs behind, Northern collapsed for 111 with only three batsmen managing double figures. Anderson picked up five wickets for 22 while Bennett scalped four to put their side in sight of a victory that was duly earned by the openers who knocked off the target of 28.Earlier, a steady bowling display led by Brandon Hiini’s medium-pace ensured that Northern managed only 205 in their first innings. Opener Michael Parlane’s 65 was their lone bright spot before he became the second of Hinii’s four wickets. Canterbury’s reply was rocked early as they lost Rob Nicol and Peter Fulton with just one run on the board. Centurion Johann Myburgh then combined with Michael Papps to steady the ship and later secure a first innings lead of 84 – a deficit that Northern Districts barely managed to wipe out in the second dig.An unbeaten 152 from Neil Broom guided Otago to a five-wicket victory against Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. Chasing a tricky target of 314, the visitors got into trouble losing three quick wickets to be reduced to 154 for 5. Broom then joined forces with Leighton Morgan to take his side home in the 80th over.The hosts will look back at the match with mixed feelings, having recovered from 136 for 9 in the first innings to make a fist of it. Warren McSkimming was the chief wrecker, snaring 5 for 17 in his eleven overs before a tenth-wicket stand of 93 between Andrew de Boorder and Peter Erasmus took the hosts to 229. Otago also relied on a lower-order rear-guard effort to secure a 41-run first innings lead. Greg Todd anchored the innings with an unbeaten 78 even as opening bowler Michael Bates picked a five-for. Auckland then seized the initiative through Jeet Raval’s century and solid supporting acts from Gareth Hopkins and Reece Young. McSkimming picked four more scalps to finish with an impressive match tally of 9 for 79, but he could not stop Auckland from reaching 354. Broom’s effort however settled the issue in Otago’s favour.Northern Districts maintain their lead at the top of the table despite their defeat while Wellington move down the table to fifth place, only ahead of Auckland who are still searching for their first victory after five games.

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.

The road to 2027 begins already for two teams in search of better 50-over fortunes

Andrew Miller02-Dec-2023

Big picture – Caribbean reboot

The return to action hasn’t been quite so jarringly immediate as it was for India and Australia in the wake of the World Cup final, or indeed for England’s T20 World Cup winners in Australia last winter. And, let’s face it, a four-island jaunt to the Caribbean in December is a reasonably palatable assignment after the indignities that preceded it.Nevertheless, it’s still only three weeks since Jos Buttler’s browbeaten squad limped back to Blighty with their World Cup dreams in tatters, and less than a fortnight since their four-year reign as 50-over world champions was formally ended in Ahmedabad. Whatever way you look at it, it seems a curious juncture in the global cycle to be undertaking another three-match ODI series.And to judge by the inexperienced squad lining up against them, West Indies might be in broad agreement. Not only did they miss out entirely on the World Cup just gone, having fallen short in the brutal qualifying tournament that took place in Zimbabwe in June and July, it now transpires that that failure has condemned them to onlooker status at the 2025 Champions Trophy as well. The road to 2027 will feel all the more dim and distant without that staging post to aim for.Related

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• Shane Dowrich announces international retirement

• 'The system failed again' – Dwayne Bravo on brother Darren's exclusion from WI ODI squad

Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder are among the big names who have opted out of ODIs since the qualifiers, seemingly indefinitely, while Shane Dowrich’s retirement only days after his recall – having played his one previous ODI back in 2019 – was further evidence of the format’s lowly standing within the region at present.Rovman Powell, Dominic Drakes, Kyle Mayers and Jayden Seales are among the other familiar names missing for this campaign, and while Shimron Hetmyer is back in favour with the selectors, the decision to move on from the veteran Darren Bravo feels peculiar in light of the reasons given for Hetmyer’s absence in Zimbabwe. Though he is already 34, and therefore unlikely to feature in 2027, Bravo was still the leading run-scorer in this year’s Super50 Cup, as he captained Trinidad and Tobago to victory in the final.In the bigger picture, it feels there’ll be significantly more at stake for these two teams come the T20I leg of the tour later in the month, when the narrative shifts from two World Cup also-rans to a clash of the defending champions versus the impending hosts of the 2024 tournament next June. Nevertheless, all revivals have to have a starting point, and in the 50-over stakes, that begins at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Sunday afternoon.From England’s perspective, it’s a shot to nothing. A chance for a cast of talented fringe players to impress their captain (and indisputable white-ball GOAT, notwithstanding his recent struggles) Buttler, and make the case for a 2015-style cleaning-out of the stables – even if Ben Duckett, one of the players with most to gain in the coming weeks, has played down the likelihood that any long-term places are up for grabs in the coming days.As for West Indies, at least it’s a return to the fray after their telling absence in the months just gone. Financially, if not necessarily competitively, England’s visit – and moreover the hordes of supporters that are sure to accompany them – offer significant compensation for the recent dents in their coffers. And besides, it’s cricket in the Caribbean with Christmas drawing nigh. What’s not to enjoy?

Form guide

West Indies LWLLW
England WWLLL

In the spotlight – Shimron Hetmyer and Will Jacks

There are a fair few players with a point to prove in this series, but Shimron Hetmyer’s back-story takes some beating. He’s been powerless to influence not one, but two recent World Cup campaigns. In 2022, he was axed on the eve of West Indies’ T20 World Cup campaign after missing a connecting flight to New York, then last summer, he was overlooked for the ODI qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe because the selectors decided to stick with the players who had made their mark on the tour of South Africa earlier that year … and we all know how that decision panned out. Never mind that Hetmyer’s absence had been due to his forceful displays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, or that in 2019, on his previous ODI tour of India (the venue for the World Cup that West Indies missed) his fifth and most recent century had helped to secure a startling eight-wicket win in Chennai. He’ll no doubt be eager to make up for that lost time.Of all the England players who might believe their time has come, few have a better case than Will Jacks. As a hard-hitting opener for Surrey and Oval Invincibles, he had been outshining the mighty Jason Roy at a domestic level long before the selectors decided that Roy’s lock on a World Cup place was untenable. Jacks wasn’t awarded a central contract in the recent round of deals, but that fact has the potential to work in his favour at this early juncture – with nothing to lose, he has everything to win next time out if he can set about making a long-term case. And to judge by his forceful 94 from 88 balls against Ireland in September, he offers an unfettered attitude to top-order strokeplay that wasn’t adequately replicated in Roy’s absence last month.

Team news – Rookies to the fore

Bravo may have been a notable omission but his Trinidad and Tobago team-mate Kjorn Ottley – only a year younger at 33 – is back in favour for the first time in three years and looks set to open alongside Brandon King. Shai Hope, the captain and wicketkeeper, is by some distance the most experienced man in their ranks, although Hetmyer, Alzarri Joseph and Oshane Thomas offer a decent spine to a side that could feature two new ODI caps, including the talented allrounder Matthew Forde, 21, who impressed for the Academy side in the Super50 Cup.West Indies (probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Kjorn Ottley, 3 Alick Athanaze, 4 Shai Hope (capt, wk), 5 Keacy Carty, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Yannic Cariah, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Matthew Forde / Gudakesh Motie, 11 Oshane ThomasAll change for England after their World Cup catastrophe, although how much of it will be permanent remains to be seen. For now, only Jos Buttler remains from the class of 2019, but with the ink still drying on a host of multi-year ECB contracts – including for the likes of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid – you’d suspect one or two of the old guard aren’t quite done yet. That said, there ought to be at least seven names in this opening XI who played no part in the tournament just gone, including the same top three who finished the series against Ireland – Will Jacks, Phil Salt and Zak Crawley – and potentially a spot for the Lancashire left-arm spinner, Tom Hartley.England (probable): 1 Will Jacks, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Zak Crawley, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Ben Duckett, 6 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 7 Sam Curran, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Tom Hartley, 11 Gus Atkinson.

Pitch and conditions

No major damage has been reported after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake in the early hours of Saturday morning in Antigua, so there’s no suggestion that the match will be affected. The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is not traditionally the most high-scoring of Caribbean venues, with just three scores in excess of 300 in 20 previous matches, and none higher than the 322 for 6 posted by Ricky Ponting’s all-time-great Australia in the venue’s maiden fixture during the 2007 World Cup. It’s been an intermittent host for ODIs in recent years, however, with just three matches since 2017. Local knowledge suggests the pitch will take spin.

Stats and trivia

• England have won 52 of their 102 previous ODIs against West Indies, against 44 losses and six no-results.
• West Indies, however, have the edge on home soil, with 23 wins against 17 defeats since their first ODI meeting in the Caribbean in 1981.
• England have won each of their last four ODIs at the venue, spanning their tours in 2014 and 2017, having lost their first three, including two at the 2007 World Cup.
• England’s last series, in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup, ended in a 2-2 draw, including a memorable match in Grenada that featured a world-record 46 sixes.
• Jos Buttler needs 39 runs to reach 5000 in ODIs. However, he has passed that total just once in his last 12 innings.

Quotes

“You see the depth of talent of guys coming through and you want to help shape that period of white-ball cricket. That’s something I feel responsibility and motivation for….to get England white-ball cricket back to where it’s been for a long time.”

Rohit Sharma’s team will be looking to top Group A with another victory in Dubai

Shashank Kishore30-Aug-20226:15

Should India play their full-strength XI against Hong Kong?

Big picture

The build-up to India versus Hong Kong could not be more different to India versus Pakistan. The buzz around the training grounds, press conferences and the match – in terms of ticket sales and anticipation – is extremely low-key. It’s almost as though everyone’s just waiting for next Sunday, when India and Pakistan are likely to face off in the second of three possible meetings at this Asia Cup.But India will remember all too well just how close Hong Kong came to pulling off an incredible upset the last time these sides met. Chances to play India are rare and it’s an opportunity Hong Kong are keen to embrace, even if it means a few players sacrificing time with their newborns at home. How a bunch of semi-professional players handle their nerves could determine how far they go in the contest.Hong Kong’s cricket structure is possibly smaller than what you would find even in a tier-2 city in India. They have a pool of 20 players to choose from at the best of times. In comparison, India’s senior squad has a pool of 40 that plays simultaneously in different countries. And then there are 20 others who are part of the ‘A’ tour programmes, all training to be match ready. The gulf Hong Kong have to bridge is monumental.Related

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India had optional nets on the eve of the game, mindful of the heat and giving their senior players a break. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar took the day off as the rest of the squad trained in the afternoon heat.Hong Kong have preferred to train at night. They are coming off a steady diet of games – at least 30 – in the past three months alone in Namibia, Uganda Zimbabwe, Jersey and Oman. But everything pales in comparison to the opportunity ahead of them on Wednesday.They are excited, and nervous too, but Hong Kong’s coach Trent Johnston knows a thing or two about orchestrating upsets – Pakistan in Jamaica (2007), England in Bengaluru (2011) among his famous ones.

Form guide

India WWWLW (last five completed matches; most recent first)
Hong Kong WWWLWNizakat Khan narrowly missed a century in Hong Kong’s previous match against India in 2018•Associated Press

In the spotlight

All eyes were on Rishabh Pant at training on Tuesday evening, and he was smashing balls hard and far. Yorker-length deliveries disappeared into the arc between long-on and deep midwicket, short balls were swatted, and full deliveries driven handsomely. After being benched against Pakistan, Pant looked in imperious form.Hong Kong captain Nizakat Khan came so close to scoring a century against India four years ago. But he’s been in good form in the lead-up to his game, hitting a century against Jersey in a third-round clash of the ICC Challenger League B just three weeks ago. More recently in the Asia Cup qualifiers in Oman, he anchored a chase against Kuwait with a half-century.

Team news

India have spoken about their willingness to experiment. Don’t be surprised if they make some changes.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Dinesh Karthik, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Arshdeep SinghHong Kong don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing, and will stick to their first XI that played the qualifiers in Oman.Hong Kong (probable): 1 Nizakat Khan (capt), 2 Babar Hayat, 3 Yasim Murtaza, 4 Kinchit Shah, 5 Scott McKechnie (wk), 6 Haroon Arshad, 7 Aizaz Khan, 8 Zeeshan Ali, 9 Ehsan Khan, 10 Ayush Shukla, 11 Mohammad Ghazanfar

Pitch and conditions

A fresh, hard surface will be used for Wednesday’s game and that should mean bounce for the bowlers. The biggest factor, though, has been the absence of dew in Dubai, which has reduced the difficulty of bowling second. And then there’s the extreme heat, which caused delays and brought the over-rate penalty into play in both innings of the India-Pakistan game.

Stats and trivia

• KL Rahul has an impressive T20 record in Dubai – 731 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 147.67, including one century and six half-centuries.
• Offspinner Ehsan Khan was Hong Kong’s leading wicket-taker in the Asia Cup qualifiers, picking up nine wickets in three games.
• In Hong Kong’s previous game against India in 2018, Ehsan dismissed both Rohit and MS Dhoni.

Kusal Mendis continues to be omitted; injured Kusal Perera also out of the two-match series

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Apr-2021Uncapped left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama and left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka have been named in Sri Lanka’s squad to play Bangladesh in the two-Test series that starts on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka squad

Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Roshen Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Asitha Fernando

Kusal Mendis was omitted again, while Kusal Perera was out through injury. The batting group, otherwise, largely comprised the players that toured the West Indies last month. Angelo Mathews returned to the squad after having left the West Indies tour for personal reasons. Offspin-bowling allrounder Ramesh Mendis was picked again.In what may be an indication of the pitches that could be expected in Pallekele, no fewer than five quicks were selected. Not among them was Dushmantha Chameera, who is on personal leave with his wife expecting a child. Returning to the squad, though, was Lahiru Kumara, who had missed the West Indies tour after testing positive for Covid-19. Kasun Rajitha continued to be unavailable through injury.Related

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Surprisingly for a home series, only one specialist spinner was named. Legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga was in the squad, but left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan was not. Ramesh Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva – who are both primarily batters – are on hand to provide support with their offspin.Twenty-two-year-old Jayawickrama’s selection was due to the absence of Lasith Embuldeniya, who picked up a serious soft-tissue injury while fielding in the second West Indies Test. The selectors are understood to have considered two other left-arm spinners to replace him, but both were ruled out; Duvindu Tillakaratne was injured, while Prabath Jayasuriya failed to pass a fitness test.Madushanka, 20, meanwhile, was selected largely based on potential. He had played for Sri Lanka at Under-19 level, but has only three first-class matches on his record.Both Tests will be played in Pallekele. When Bangladesh last visited for an assignment in the longest format, they drew the series 1-1, recording their first win on Sri Lankan soil in Colombo.

Fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep is out injured and has been replaced by Kasun Rajitha

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2020Angelo Mathews has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the T20I series against India starting January 5, and he could play his first T20I in nearly 16 months if picked in the XI. Mathews last played in this format for Sri Lanka as captain, in a one-off match against South Africa in August 2018, and scored a duck. August 2018 also happens to be the last time Mathews played T20s of any kind at recognised level.Mathews’ career has infamously been stop-start due to recurring injuries, but he has been something of a regular in Tests and ODIs for Sri Lanka over the last year or so, playing as a specialist batsman rarely bowling. That makes him one of seven specialist batting options in the 16-man squad named for the tour.Fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep, who played in Sri Lanka’s last T20I series against Australia in November, is out injured and has been replaced by Kasun Rajitha, who had originally been left out of the squad. Shehan Jayasuriya misses out from that squad, and allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva is the other addition apart from Mathews.Squad Lasith Malinga (capt.), Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, Dhananjaya de Silva, Isuru Udana, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Oshada Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lahiru Kumara, Kusal Mendis, Lakshan Sandakan, Kasun Rajitha