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Sri Lanka never really got to grips with the variation and control of the England attack

George Dobell23-Jun-2021England have taken a one-nil lead in the T20I series against Sri Lanka with a comfortable eight-wicket victory in Cardiff achieved with 17 deliveries to spare.A much-changed Sri Lanka side – there were six alterations from their previous T20I in March – never really got to grips with the variation and control of the England attack or a slightly sluggish surface that rendered strokeplay tricky. At one stage they went 10 overs (from 4.2 to 14.1) without hitting a four and there were just three sixes in their innings.Eoin Morgan, the England captain, appeared to have an almost endless array of options and variations on hand in the field. And with Adil Rashid producing the third most economical four-over spell of his T20I career (he conceded 17) and Chris Woakes (three overs for 14) and Liam Livingstone (two overs for nine) adding equally miserly support in conceding just one boundary between them, Sri Lanka never looked to be on course for a competitive total.While Dasun Shanaka, with his second T20I half-century, helped Sri Lanka plunder 25 off the final two overs of the innings to drag his side to something approaching respectability, only one of his colleagues, Kusal Perera, made 20 and Sri Lanka only took their run-rate above a run-a-ball in their penultimate over.That left England chasing a modest 130 for victory. And even without the injured Ben Stokes, that was unlikely to test the side ranked No. 1 in the world in this format.Related

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Jos Buttler and Jason Roy, took 61 from the powerplay to all but end the game as a contest. If Buttler, timing the ball beautifully both through and over the off side, was the more pleasing on the eye, Roy was no less effective as he thrashed through the leg side. It was some surprise when he was brilliantly caught attempting to flay one over mid-off.By then, though, the openers had added 80 from 55 balls. And while Dawid Malan (seven off 14) was unable to get into his stride, Buttler brought up a 38-ball half-century by taking 10 off two deliveries from Akila Dananjaya – a pulled six followed by a drive for four – and ensured England cruised over the victory line with quite a bit to spare.Perhaps the one-side nature of the contest was no big surprise: this was the No. 1 ranked T20 side playing at home against the No. 8 ranked side, after all. Spare a thought for Sri Lanka, though. In the age of Covid, we have become accustomed to teams performing without the warm-up matches and acclimatisation we once expected. Here, though, Sri Lanka were up against a side who are in the middle of their domestic T20 tournament – the Vitality Blast – and had only had a couple of inter-squad matches to prepare by comparison. It was hardly ideal and it may well have shown.Buttler’s opening statementButtler came into this game having spent the last couple of weeks batting in Lancashire’s middle-order in T20 cricket. And with the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes also vying for the opening position in this format, he may have felt he had something to prove. If so, he did a fine job of making his point with an innings that was both controlled and brutal. Early on, it was his shots through the off-side – a lofted drive and a back foot punch, in particular – that caught the eye, but as the ball softened and the sluggish pitch made such strokes less productive, he produced some powerful thumps through the leg side. He gave only one chance, from the final ball of the match, when an outside edge was dropped by Kusal Perera. It was Buttler’s second T20I half-century in succession and his third in four innings. For a man who scores at his rates, that is a remarkable level of consistency. He also scored a century in his final IPL innings.Shanaka’s fightShanaka recorded the second half-century of his T20I career to justify his recall to the Sri Lanka side. Shanaka hadn’t played an international match in this format since March 2020 but here, coming in with his side in some trouble (they were 52 for 4 in the ninth over), he provided the resistance. He looked hurried by Mark Wood initially – he was beaten by his first three deliveries and, after 16 balls, had scored just nine – but, as he settled, he unveiled some powerful strokes and accelerated nicely in hitting 23 from the eight deliveries before his dismissal from the final ball of the innings. Twice in succession, Wood was punished for some width by being cut to the boundary, while he also hit two-thirds of the sixes of the innings: a ferocious drive over long-on off Chris Jordan and a pull off Sam Curran. None of it was enough to take Sri Lanka to victory but he did, at least, give his bowlers something to defend.Like a LivingstoneSome were surprised by England’s decision to prefer Livingstone to Moeen Ali as their spin-bowling allrounder. But Livingstone’s ability to bowl both leg and offspin does give him an edge in being able to adapt to left or right-handed batters. He has been in decent form with the bat in domestic T20 cricket, too, scoring an unbeaten 94 a couple of weeks ago and 45 and 65 in his two most recent games. He didn’t have a chance to bat here but impressed with the ball in delivering two well-controlled overs containing both offbreaks and leggies and without conceding a boundary. It was a performance that provided his captain with a buffer should any of his frontline bowlers have an off day and must have done Livingstone’s T20 World Cup chances no harm at all.Hope in HasarangaSri Lanka’s bowlers weren’t given much of a chance by their batters. But at least Wanindu Hasaranga gave Sri Lanka supporters some cheer with a really well controlled spell of leg-spin that saw him concede just 12 runs and deliver 14 dot balls. With just a little luck he could have had a couple of wickets, too, as England’s batters struggled to predict which deliveries would turn and which would skid on. Malan missed one which slid past his outside edge and Bairstow came within an ace of playing on to another which hurried on to him. The impression was that, given a decent target to defend, he could have caused England quite a lot of trouble.The return of ChrisThe last time Chris Woakes played a T20I, Barack Obama was president of the USA and David Cameron was prime minister in the UK. So a lot has changed since November 2015. But with Jofra Archer missing and Woakes having enjoyed a decent IPL, England recalled him for his first international game since September; a remarkably long time for a player with a central contract who spent much of the winter in the squad’s bio-bubbles. While Woakes didn’t take a wicket, he more than justified his recall in conceding just one boundary in three frugal overs which contained 11 dot balls and cost only 14. With his control, his variations and his experience, he may well have put himself back in contention for a place in the T20 World Cup squad.

Gavaskar to Raj: “Body language is very important – look at Virat Kohli, he stares at opposition and the rest of the team does that”

PTI24-Apr-2021India Women’s ODI captain Mithali Raj wants the 2022 50-over World Cup in New Zealand to be her “swansong”, bringing the curtain down on a career spanning over two decades.”It’s been 21 years of international cricket and I know 2022 is my swansong, the World Cup,” Raj said during a virtual book launch on Saturday. “The last year was equal to the 20 years of my international cricket.”I know we are in difficult times but it takes a lot out of me to keep working on my fitness. I am not getting any younger and I know the importance of fitness. It is important to be in a good emotional and mental set-up, knowing that there will be very few tours before the World Cup.”Related

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India Women are set to play at least two bilateral series – away in England and Australia – before the World Cup.”Every tour (from now on) is important for me as a batter to know how I am going to get the team to regroup and build a side for the World Cup,” Raj said. “Yeah, I am optimistic, looking at the manner in which the girls have been working with whatever facilities they have in these times and the enthusiasm they have been showing for an upcoming series.”Raj admitted that fast bowling was one area the team needed to improve, especially because mainstay Jhulan Goswami has also hit the final lap of her career. “We definitely need to look at a few players and prepare them for New Zealand,” Raj said.Sunil Gavaskar, a co-panelist at the discussion, felt that Raj and her players could take a leaf out of Virat Kohli’s playbook of looking at an opponent’s eyes and giving it back without getting intimidated.”I was with my wife at the Lord’s watching the 2017 Women’s ODI World Cup final. What I saw was that, English girls came hard at your lower order and intimidated them with their attitude,” Gavaskar said. “I would want our girls to glare back at the opposition instead of looking down. I feel body language is a very important aspect. Look at Virat Kohli, he stares at opposition and the rest of the team does that.”

“He’s someone I have a lot of time for – someone that I believe has a lot of talent,” Bravo says of Khan

Barny Read02-Feb-2021Ali Khan paid homage to long-term mentor Dwayne Bravo, who was equally chuffed with the USA seamer’s latest T10 League heroics that saw Khan take three wickets in just five balls. But Khan would be be denied the chance of a hat-trick, thanks to a deep finger cut on his bowling hand that put the leading wicket-taker in doubt for the remainder of the competition.Khan was unable to finish his over thanks to the cut that came from his diving catch that removed dangerman Tom Kohler-Cadmore, but had already done enough to claim Man-of-the-Match honours with his figures of 3 for 0 in 0.5 overs that restricted the Pune Devils to just 57 for 7 from their ten overs.Even with his fourth finger busted open, the 30-year-old removed Alex Davies with his first ball before bowling two dots that preceded the wickets of Nasir Hossain and Karan KC in immediate succession. After his 2 for 4 against the Gladiators the previous day, it secured a second Man-of-the-Match award in less than 24 hours for the Delhi Bulls quick. Khan said the support of Bravo has been a key factor in his excellent form with the ball.Related

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“It’s a really nice setup. DJ Bravo is a really good captain, a leader both on and off the field and gives you a lot of confidence,” Khan said. “Especially in T10, [because] you can go for a lot of runs. He’s always the kind of leader who comes back and backs you and keeps you confident and gets you ready for the next ball.”Bravo has played an important role in Khan’s ascent as a cricketer. It was the West Indies all-rounder who had plucked Khan from a US Open T20 tournament in 2017, and has since taken the pacer with him to the Global T20 in Canada as well as the Caribbean Premier League.That led to Khan being selected for the first time at the last edition of the Indian Premier League, and these milestones in Khan’s career – as well as performances such as those over the past two days – give Bravo an enormous sense of pride.”He’s someone I have a lot of time for – someone that I believe has a lot of talent and to see the way he bowled today with a lot of pace and aggression to pick up wickets, he’s very good for our team,” Bravo said.”He’s someone who’s special to me, because I saw him in the US playing and I invited him to play for my team in Trinidad and since then, he’s done very well. Every time he does good, I feel good.”Khan now has seven wickets from just less than eight overs in the Abu Dhabi T10, with strike rate of just 6.7 and would be a big miss for the Bulls should he not return for the remainder of the tournament. He was also denied a historic IPL debut with the Kolkata Knight Riders, as a side strain ultimately ended his time with the franchise and resulted in his release when the retention lists were drawn up last month.Khan will be hoping that his T10 exploits don’t end in the same disappointment, and fortunately for both the player and his Super League leading team, they are guaranteed a spot in Friday’s set of knockouts with a game to go. It means they may have just enough time to get Khan sewn up and back into their attack by the weekend.”We’re going to get stitches now, so let’s see how it feels by tomorrow,” Khan said. “If it needs to be rested because we’re in a good position, we have that luxury of having getting a rest. So we’ll see how it comes out in the next couple of days and if I can be ready for the playoffs.”

Left-arm wristspinner’s stint could be affected by Afghanistan’s ODIs against Ireland in January

Alex Malcolm18-Nov-2020Afghanistan left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan and West Indies bowling allrounder Keemo Paul are set to play in the upcoming BBL after signing with the Melbourne Stars and the Hobart Hurricanes respectively, while a Covid-19 outbreak in South Australia has affected the Adelaide Strikers’ preparation.Zahir had played in last season’s BBL for the Brisbane Heat but is set to join the Stars as their third overseas signing after they lost Haris Rauf to international duty.The Stars signed Zahir in the hope he could play the entire season, but the availability of Afghanistan’s players for the BBL – including Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman – has been thrown into doubt with the scheduling of Afghanistan’s three-match ODI series against Ireland in the UAE in January.The Stars’ coach David Hussey said Zahir would complement their spin stocks despite already having a left-arm wristspinner in Clint Hinchliffe.”We’re looking forward to having Zahir on board for this season,” Hussey said. “His left arm wristspin will give us a variety of options. Together with Adam Zampa, Tom O’Connell, Clint Hinchliffe and the support of our skipper Glenn Maxwell, we’re pleased with the group of spinners we’ll have available over the course of the season.”Paul won’t have the same availability issues as Zahir, given he is already in New Zealand and like Nicholas Pooran, will not have to quarantine on arrival in Australia due to a travel arrangement between the two countries.Paul has been signed by the Hurricanes on the urging of former Hurricanes and Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who has coached Paul for the last two seasons at the Delhi Capitals in the IPL. Paul did not play a game in the recent IPL as the Capitals reached the final, but he did meet with the Hurricanes’ coach Adam Griffith while in the UAE, as Griffith was working as the bowling coach of the Royal Challengers Bangalore.Keemo Paul launches one into the night sky•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

“I am really excited to be joining Hobart for the upcoming BBL, and I am very grateful for the opportunity,” Paul said.”I have always been a big BBL fan and an avid watcher of the tournament, and I cannot wait to join up with the Hurricanes group. I have spoken to Ricky here at the IPL about Hobart and Tasmania, and he has spoken really positively about the team and the competition. I also caught up with Griff after our [IPL] game recently, and it was great to hear more about the very exciting squad this year.”Griffith was excited about Paul’s inclusion into the squad as the third overseas signing, alongside Dawid Malan and Will Jacks. Colin Ingram is locked in as Malan’s early-season replacement while the Englishman plays the T20I series in South Africa, which ends on December 2. Malan will also need to complete 14 days of quarantine after arriving in Australia.”Keemo is another exciting young player in the early stages of his international career,” Griffith said. “A bowling allrounder with very good skills, Keemo uses different types of slower balls and loves bowling at the death. He’s also a hard-hitting batsman that can clear the fence, adding more power to our lower-middle order to finish off an innings.”ALSO SEE – What is the thinking behind the BBL’s new rules? Trent Woodhill tells usThe BBL remains on track to begin on December 10 with games being played in hubs in Tasmania, ACT and Queensland prior to Christmas.There are games scheduled to be played in Adelaide between Christmas and new year too. However, a recent Covid-19 outbreak in Adelaide’s northern suburbs has created a number of headaches for Cricket Australia with the Strikers being forced to leave South Australia at short notice on Tuesday. Those who played in the last round of the Sheffield Shield in Adelaide also remain in quarantine in other states.There has been no change to the BBL schedule yet and no confirmation of any of the venues for the games in January in February. However, curators at the Marvel Stadium and the MCG in Melbourne have been told to prepare their drop-in pitches for BBL matches in January.The MCG held a small-scale practice run for hosting socially distanced spectators on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming Boxing Day Test against India and the BBL fixtures being held there in December and January.

Brathwaite, Dowrich, Chase show patience and discipline

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Jul-2020Playing late. Kraigg Brathwaite pithily explained it is the best way to succeed in England as a batsman. Brathwaite’s 65 was his first half-century in 21 innings. On the previous tour of England in 2017, along with Shai Hope, Brathwaite was West Indies’ best batsman. But no one remembers what Brathwaite did in the three years since then. Technical errors piled up as the runs turned into drip feed.On Friday, Brathwaite showed West Indies the way. He set the template of how to bat in England. Shane Dowrich and Roston Chase followed Brathwaite’s counsel to put West Indies in a position of control if not complete command of this first Test.The challenge for West Indies was whether their batsmen could bat out the entire day to gain a significant lead. West Indies had done that twice against England in 2019, in two of the three Tests, but that was at home. Overseas, only once since 2017 have West Indies managed to bat out a day (minimum 80 overs) without losing 10 wickets away from home – against India in Hyderabad three years ago.Luckily for the visitors the weather forecast for the last three days of this Test was sunny – the best time to make runs. Brathwaite and Hope ticked the first requirement – see off the first hour. They played out 15 overs, denying James Anderson, Jofra Archer Mark Wood and England captain Ben Stokes the luxury of taking the upper hand they are normally accustomed to.Kraigg Brathwaite bats•Getty Images

It was Brathwaite who looked at ease more than Hope. Brathwaite played the ball as late as possible, in his own words, under his eye line. And as Brian Lara had advised, Brathwaite protected his wicket. Watchful he was, but he was also keeping the scoreboard ticking. Talking with the host broadcaster Sky Sports, Brathwaite said he had made a few technical changes including opening up his stance to counter mainly the incoming delivery, which is prevalent in English conditions.At the other end Hope was stacking up the dots: he had as many as 25 dot balls in his first 30. As he scratched for runs, Archer tested Hope’s patience. In his fourth over Archer attacked Hope on the off stump. Hope had picked a four off his fellow Barbadian, but that was a leading edge which he had attempted originally to respond to by closing the face of the bat.Hope tried that again, attempting to push towards the leg side, to a delivery Archer pitched slightly fuller on the length, just outside off stump. He got rapped on the pads and it looked plumb. Hope asked for the review after brief discussion with Brathwaite. Luckikly for him Archer had bowled a no ball.The relief, if any, was short-lived. In the next over, Hope played with hard hands at a ball that was drifting away from Dom Bess and Stokes picked up an easy catch at slip.ALSO READ: Brathwaite, Dowrich steer WI into commanding positionHis replacement, Shamarh Brooks, did everything that Hope failed to: he played with an assurance and freedom of mind. It transferred the pressure on to the bowler. It also allowed Brathwaite to relax as he picked two fours off Stokes before he was unlucky with the umpire’s call in the same over.If Brooks went on the front foot before lunch, after the break he was pushed to play on the back foot as Anderson pushed the length slightly back and found a hint of movement. Brooks became circumspect and was soon caught behind.Jermaine Blackwood left the Caribbean saying he would “bat as long as possible” in England to erase that fraught assessment pundits had formed of him: as a “ball beater”. Off his third ball, he attempted to loft Anderson over his head, but had to check his drive at the last minute. Anderson would soon deliver him a maiden over. Blackwood was restless. A short time later, when Bess came on, Blackwood indulged in over-confidence: he charged the offspinner to hole out straight to Anderson at wide mid-off. Bess, Stokes and England let out a guffaw as a disgruntled Blackwood rapped his pads.ALSO READ: Blackwood ‘more determined, more focused after being dropped’The visitors were once again learning one of Test cricket’s key lessons: an advantage can slip from the hand like a fistful of sand.Luckily for them, Chase was guarding one end sensibly in the afternoon. For company he had an able hand in Dowrich. Like Brathwaite, Chase played time initially. He was happy to defend or leave out as many deliveries as possible. But it was part of the plan. To blunt the bowler’s plans, to be watchful before scoring freely. In his 142-ball innings, Chase defended nearly half the deliveries (68). He barely scored 20 runs in the second session without once looking impatient.England took the second new ball in the first over after tea. First ball, from Anderson, Chase punched a firm cover drive, a four, his best stroke of the day. When Archer pitched a hit-me ball on his legs, Chase obliged with a flicked four. The new cherry was losing its shine quickly as West Indies bulilt the lead.Chase was comfortable now dealing the testing lines of Anderson – in the channel – and the rib-ticklers form Archer. That is what happens when batsmen talk about the importance of playing time – they get settled in their mind, the impulsive strokes recede, their eyes zoom in on the bowler’s wrist and shine, their feet move according to the delivery. Everything goes like clockwork.Shane Dowrich drives the ball•Getty Images

Dowrich, too, assumed the go-steady template after picking two fours in his first three deliveries against Bess, both played on the front foot, both punched with conviction – one a straight drive and the next through covers. Some might have got the early feeling that Dowrich wanted to take Bess out of the attack. Numbers negate that perception: according to ESPNcricinfo’s bbb data, of the 115 deliveries he played today, Dowrich showed aggressive intent only on eight occasions.Similarly, Chase showed aggressive intent only seven times during his 194-minute vigil, same as Brathwaite, who lasted 125 balls. Dowrich, Chase and Brathwaite were the only three batsmen who played out more than 100 deliveries in West Indies’ innings. The bbb data also shows those were the only three batsmen with high in-control numbers: Chase (82), Brathwaite (80) and Dowrich (71).Brathwaite, Dowrich and Chase were the only three batsmen who showed the discipline that West Indies had talked about in the lead up to the series. They failed to convert their starts into big scores, but they showed the likes of Hope, Brook and Blackwood the importance of patience.

Young batsman turns maiden first-class hundred into a daddy as Warwickshire pile up 517

Jon Culley at Edgbaston11-Sep-2019
Essex have not conceded so many runs since Hampshire piled up 525 for 8 in the first innings at Southampton in the opening match of the season, when they lost by an innings and 87 runs. Having gone unbeaten since, chalking up eight victories and eyeing up a second County Championship in three years, this would not be a timely moment to become reacquainted with defeat.Such an eventuality is some way off. Unless Jeetan Patel can coax a greater response from a slow pitch than Simon Harmer achieved in 60 overs of trying, the likeliest result is a draw. Nonetheless, with leaders Somerset building a considerable advantage against Yorkshire at Taunton, this could be a critical moment in the race for the title.For Warwickshire’s part, a draw and a handful of bonus points would do very nicely, almost certainly banishing any lingering anxiety about relegation with Nottinghamshire heading for yet another defeat.At the heart of Warwickshire’s rare prosperity was a magnificent innings from 23-year-old Matthew Lamb, who turned his maiden first-class century into a seven-hour marathon that eventually saw him out for 173, which is, after Dom Sibley’s double-hundred at Canterbury in June, the highest score by a Warwickshire batsman this year.Lamb’s potential has long been waiting to blossom. Warwickshire identified his talent when he was only 11 and he made his Birmingham League debut at 13. His first-class debut for the county came in 2016 but although he made a couple of half-centuries the following year he has not been able yet to nail down a place. Although he made a good impression in T20, his first six first-class innings this year yielded just 29 runs in total and he would not be involved in this match but for four batsmen being injured.There is a fair chance he will be picked for the next one, having batted with a solid technique and considerable maturity in the face of an Essex attack not helped much by a slow pitch but who nonetheless offer one of the bigger tests he will have faced thus far. Jamie Porter and Sam Cook had bowled well without much luck on the opening day and Simon Harmer, as he has demonstrated time after time in taking 200-plus wickets in three seasons with Essex, tests a batsman’s skill in any conditions.Lamb had some moments of fortune, although not before he had recovered from the setback of losing Sam Hain’s company in the seventh over of the day and held his nerve to complete a 211-ball hundred with his 15th boundary. He was caught at slip off a Ravi Bopara no-ball on 104, survived a huge appeal for caught behind off Porter on 106 and was dropped on 110 in an incident that also saw Essex appeal for a run-out, which was upheld and then rescinded.Alastair Cook, moving to his left at first slip, spilled the chance when Porter found the edge. Harmer, standing next to him at second slip, retrieved the ball and threw down the stumps. Lamb was well out of his ground but, after the umpires conferred, was invited to continue his innings, the apparent conclusion being that he had deserted his crease only under the misapprehension that he was out caught, in which circumstances under a recent tweak to the Laws, a batsman can be deemed to be not out.Harmer said later that he had been happy to withdraw the appeal and Lamb confirmed that the Essex fielders had made it clear to him that, as far they were concerned, he should not be out.How he made the most of that let-off, adding a further 10 boundaries and, having helped Hain add 150 in 49 overs for the fourth wicket, enjoying the benefit of another resilient partner in Henry Brookes, with whom he shared a 105-run partnership for the seventh wicket that was the key passage of the day in securing such a strong position for their side.Immediately before they came together, three wickets had fallen for seven runs in the space of 22 balls. Michael Burgess had followed Hain in edging into the slip cordon, Harmer grabbing a superb catch low to his left at second slip, before the debutant Ethan Brookes – Henry’s younger brother – popped a ball from Harmer into the hands of leg slip.Brookes the elder proved to be the perfect partner, although Lamb ultimately repaid him by calling for a risky single to leg and running him out four runs short of what would have been his fourth career half-century. “I owe him an apology for that,” Lamb said after Harmer had gathered and scored a direct hit with his throw. “It was my fault completely.”Patel further turned the screw with a half-century of his own before Harmer, who had only once bowled 50 overs in an innings for Essex and never 60, dismissed Olly Hannon-Dalby and George Garrett to finish with 6 for 143.”It was a pretty frustrating day for us,” Harmer said. “There is not much in the pitch. If we can bat well then you would expect the match to end in a draw but you never know what could happen when we get to day four.”The Essex reply, though, did not get the start they wanted in the 15 overs they had to negotiate before the close, Patel striking an early blow when Cook edged him to second slip.

Where Jason Holder’s team are counting on its aggression, Australia are hoping to induce errors by creating pressure with their bowling and fielding

The Preview by Daniel Brettig05-Jun-20192:29

Hodge: Australia attack’s versatility might get them over the line

Big Picture

A lot about the meeting between Australia and West Indies at Trent Bridge will be determined by a single question: which West Indies side will turn up?If it is the one that razed Pakistan in their tournament opener, also at Trent Bridge, or the one that clouted New Zealand into submission in the warm-up match, then Australia may well be in for a very difficult time of it, having stuttered their way through an opening victory over Afghanistan in Bristol. However, Aaron Finch’s men have already beaten West Indies once on this tour, and comfortably at that, in their own warm-up match on a postage stamp of a ground in Hampshire. And prior to that, the Caribbean side were near enough bullied into losing a triangular series final to an increasingly confident and capable Bangladesh at picturesque Malahide in Ireland.Australia’s coach Justin Langer certainly gave some indication as to the capriciousness of West Indies cricket – in contrast to the awe-inspiring consistency – allied to flair, that he saw as a child in Perth when watching the teams of Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards. “One thing we know about West Indies, particularly with Andre Russell and Chris Gayle, it’s going to be exciting cricket,” Langer said. “When I was growing up it was calypso cricket and I think we’re seeing plenty of signs of calypso cricket, the way they’re running in, bowling fast, they’re not necessarily going to be bowling the same spot every ball like Curtly Ambrose, but it’s going to be exciting to watch and they all try to hit sixes most balls. Darren Bravo’s a little more orthodox but [it’s] always exciting playing West Indies. When I was growing up, they were my heroes and they’re not my heroes today because I hope we beat them on Thursday.”While Jason Holder’s team have sought to be aggressive in everything they do, Langer and Finch have resolved to play a tighter game. They will be hoping to use the pressure of their bowling and fielding, in addition to the resourcefulness of a batting line-up being kept as deep as possible by the preference of Nathan Coulter-Nile over others, to corner West Indies into errors. Chief among their methods will be liberal use of the short ball, something the Caribbean side also used to good effect against Pakistan. The likelihood of a dry surface at Trent Bridge, as seen in the game between England and Pakistan, will also encourage balls banged in with a cross-seam for another reason – extracting old-ball movement.IDI via Getty Images

Form guide (last five completed matches)

Australia WWWWW
West Indies WLLWL

In the spotlight

It’s a little over six years since Mitchell Starc laid waste to West Indies on a memorable afternoon at the WACA Ground, finding extremes of swing and pace that remain in the mind’s eye of all who witnessed it. He produced a similarly destructive afternoon in 2015 at Eden Park, taking Australia within a wicket of a World Cup pool-game victory their batting scarcely deserved. This time around, he comes to Trent Bridge having looked to be revving into strong form against Afghanistan. While short balls will be a focus of the Australian attack, Starc’s most dangerous deliveries are undoubtedly full, fast and swinging down the line of the stumps. Mixed-up footwork created by liberal use of the short ball can often allow for the full ball to be even more dangerous, as Gayle, Bravo and Holder will remember from that day in Perth.If it was his batting that turned so many heads in the IPL, Andre Russell proved against Pakistan he is also more than capable of being a match-winner with the ball. Against Australia, Russell has provided plenty of evidence of his skills in the BBL, but he last played them in ODIs in 2013, meaning that first-hand experience among his opponents will be relatively slight. In the warm-up game in Hampshire, Russell faced only four deliveries, bowled by Adam Zampa, and delivered three overs for 17. If West Indies are to win, they will need much more out of Russell, and both sides know it.

Team news

Australia have flagged an unchanged line-up, resisting the possibility of recalling Nathan Lyon as a second spinner in place of Nathan Coulter-Nile.Australia (probable) 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 David Warner, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam ZampaKemar Roach is waiting in the wings should West Indies want to alter the balance of their pace-bowling attack after its undemanding outing against Pakistan. Gayle and Russell were both at training on the eve of the game. “Chris was at practice for the last couple days, so Chris for me is all well and ready to go. Andre will be obviously assessed today, and we’re very, very hopeful that he’ll be fit tomorrow.” Holder said, adding that the team will go by what the two men have to say about their fitness.West Indies (possible): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Ashley Nurse, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Oshane Thomas

Pitch and conditions

Trent Bridge, known for high-scoring, did not disappoint in Pakistan’s unexpected victory over England. It will be the 481 pitch, by the way, but the pitch and square can be expected to be dry, with the hunt for reverse swing – by legal means, of course – likely to be some sort of a factor.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Strategy punts

• Spin bowling was a strong suit for Australia in their warm-up against West Indies, as Zampa, Glenn Maxwell and Steven Smith bowled a combined 14 overs for returns of 3 for 67. The ground dimensions that day were small, but there has been no inclination from Langer at least to add to the repertoire by calling in Lyon. “That is because of their left-handers. That said we probably won’t bowl two spinners here against West Indies. There’s always thoughts about Nathan Lyon, every game there’s thoughts about playing Nathan Lyon, but Adam Zampa’s doing a really good job for us. There is thinking about him because of their left-handers but Adam Zampa has a very good wrong’un, good top spinner, Glenn Maxwell’s bowling well, so hopefully we’ll get some balance there. Some of the other grounds we might look to play two spinners or the match-ups for the offspinner will be more appropriate but probably not here.” Either way, Holder’s men will need to find a way to deal more effectively with Zampa and Maxwell in particular, mixing strike-rotation with judicious attack.
• West Indies have made a clear decision to give the new ball to bowlers who will gain swing and seam, reserving the “bang it in” merchants until after some of the Kookaburra’s shine has worn off. They will be the latest group of pacemen to try to exploit Finch’s well-documented flaw when facing deliveries moving back into him from outside the off stump, as classically illustrated by Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Pradeep during a warm-up game that otherwise went swimmingly for the Australians at Southampton. Finch, having made an aggressive 66 against Afghanistan, appears to have found the freedom to launch in the fashion of his best days, while his partner Warner tries to find his best as an international opener after a year’s suspension. The combination of an open, aggressive Finch and probing new ball work from the West Indies has great risk/reward potential for both sides.

Stats and Trivia

• Australia have won only three of eight ODI appearances at Trent Bridge, and their most recent match here was a 242-run hiding by England last year. By contrast, West Indies have only lost once in eight games at the venue, and that was as far back as 1984.
• Of all Australia and West Indies bowlers to have competed against one another, only Len Pascoe’s 21 wickets at 13.52 from eight matches have come at a cheaper rate than Mitchell Starc’s 16 at 13.87 in six.

Quotes

“We expect some fireworks from the West Indies. There’s going to be times where the boys are going to have to take a deep breath and keep smiling and bowling their best ball. But that comes with experience and that’s what great teams and great players do.”

“You’ve got two short balls per over; you might as well use them”

Young bowler is ready, but treat him carefully, says Warwickshire director of cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2018Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, has warned the England management to treat Olly Stone like a Ferrari among fast bowlers rather than an everyday run-around, after the injury-prone quick was named in his first England squad for next month’s ODI series in Sri Lanka.Stone has been arguably the quickest bowler on the county circuit throughout the 2018 season, but had to battle back from a horrific knee injury, suffering while celebrating a wicket in June 2016, as well as a succession of lesser niggles that have disrupted his progress since he first came to prominence for the England Under-19s in 2013.But, speaking at Hove after Stone’s England call-up had been confirmed, Giles had no doubt that his young player was prepared for the step-up to international level.”He’s ready,” Giles said. “We’ve really tried to manage his route back into cricket and it’s been quite tough at times with him in and out of the side after he’s picked up little niggles.”But the bloke bowls at 90mph and he gets the ball back in at the stumps and he gets people bowled a lot. We can only keep him under wraps for so long but after the way we’ve managed it in consultation with England, who have listened to us, he’s now ready to go.”Stone’s most notable performances to date have come in red-ball cricket – including 8 for 80 in his maiden home Championship appearance at Edgbaston in April. But Giles is convinced that he can translate that prowess to the limited-overs game, where his ability to break partnerships remains paramount.”His strike rate in red ball is phenomenal. Because of his extreme pace he’s going to get wickets and I think he can play in all forms but I think that, in 50-over cricket, it’s crucial to have someone who can come on and get wickets.”He’s certainly capable of that and it’s going to be very different in Sri Lanka than over here but I think Olly should be very excited that in the run-up to a World Cup he has been included in a squad. He thought he might not play cricket at all a year ago and now he has a chance of playing in a World Cup. He gets it coming back in and I think that’s a difficult angle for batters.”However, with England’s selectors sorely tempted to include Stone for the Test leg of their Sri Lanka tour, especially given how their absence of express pace in last winter’s Ashes campaign proved so costly, Giles warned them not to overwork their new young asset.”They’ve timed it right but they still need to manage him really carefully,” he said. “You have to manage him with kid gloves. I think if you’re expecting Olly to play every day and be at it, he’ll break down. He’s a Ferrari.”With many bowlers – your BMWs or your Audis – you just get in and go but if you have someone who bowls at pace and has had his history of injury you have to treat them very carefully.”As for Stone’s overall aptitude for international cricket, Giles was confident that he would settle into his new environment quickly.”Who knows until it happens? It’s a really tough environment but he’s pretty relaxed. He’s a good bloke, he’s very calm and he doesn’t seem to over complicate things so I think he’ll be fine.”

Hashim Amla has called on South Africa’s top six to take responsibility for run-scoring and not leave it up to the lower order to finish games in the ongoing ODI tri-series in the Caribbean

Firdose Moonda14-Jun-20162:02

‘Need to operate better as a team’ – de Villiers

Hashim Amla has called on South Africa’s top six to take the responsibility for run-scoring and not leave it up to the lower order to finish games in the ongoing ODI tri-series in the Caribbean. South Africa are carrying a longer tail than usual in the tournament, and the lower order has failed to contribute in the three matches so far, but Amla said it was not up to the tail-end batsmen to get the team over the line.”As a team we have always backed ourselves for somebody in the top six to take it through and bat as deep as possible,” Amla said, ahead of South Africa’s match against West Indies on June 15. “Obviously we are very disappointed after our last game. We got ourselves into a very good position to win it and we didn’t quite take it through. We lost some wickets at crucial times and that cost us. Hopefully we don’t make the same mistake in the next game.”In their loss against Australia last Saturday, South Africa collapsed from 210 for 4 to 252 all out, losing 6 for 42. They had previously lost 7 for 28 in the opening defeat against West Indies and 6 for 91 in the victory against Australia. In the three matches so far, there were only two instances of a batsman in the bottom six getting into double figures: Farhaan Behardien’s 62 and Kagiso Rabada’s 15 in the game South Africa won.Effectively, that means South Africa’s tail begins when JP Duminy, who has not scored an ODI half-century in nine innings, is dismissed. Although Behardien has shown an ability to contribute, he has not done so consistently and Wayne Parnell has been unable to replicate the domestic form that led to his recall to the national side. The bowlers follow Parnell in the line-up, which leaves South Africa with no option but for the top six to pile on the runs, especially as they don’t have much in the way of reserves.The only additional batsman in the squad is Dean Elgar, who was brought in to replace the injured Rilee Rossouw, but including him in the XI is tricky. If Elgar were to come in, South Africa would have to leave themselves short in the bowling department. Another option is to lengthen the batting by including Chris Morris, possibly at Parnell’s expense. Morris has recovered from a hamstring niggle and is available for selection but, as a lower-order allrounder, the responsibility cannot be left to him alone.”It’s the responsibility of the batsmen. That’s what we enjoy doing and that’s what we would like to do,” Amla said. “We didn’t manage to do it in this game and I guess that does happen occasionally where you are not going to get it right, but we want to get it right as often as we can.”At least South Africa know conditions in Basseterre will assist them in their quest for more runs, although Amla warned not to expect some of the towering totals that have come to define one-day cricket recently.”It is a good wicket. It’s a higher-scoring ground than in Guyana, where 200 was a good total. Here 260 seems like a good score,” he said. “In this day and age, where we’ve seen scores of 350 in one-day cricket, it’s sobering to see 250 being a difficult score to get.”Australia managed 288 in their win against South Africa on Saturday, but their 265 was inadequate against West Indies on Monday. Amla believed if South Africa could get somewhere close to the 260-run mark, they would give themselves a chance. “The key is to try and get the team to score around 250 or 260. It’s a good enough wicket that you can to chase it down if you bat well.”If South Africa are faced with a higher chase, Amla said he expected the lower order to come into play. “In many games even chasing scores like 280, you end up needing your No.7, 8 and 9 to contribute a little bit,” he said. “It’s not a matter of batters or bowlers, it’s a collective effort to turn it around in the field as well as with the bat.”All the talk about the need for a better showing is because halfway through the round-robin stage, South Africa are at the bottom of the table. They have won only one match, though they have played one less than Australia. South Africa will now take on a buoyant West Indies, who are fresh off a victory over Australia, on Wednesday. With a maximum of 15 points still up for grabs, South Africa are by no means out of contention but, having failed to score as many runs as they would have liked, they know they are up against it. “We are all extremely hungry to turn it around and get back to winning ways but it’s still early in the competition,” Amla said.

A computer programme will help select North and South teams to take part in a new county one-day competition to be staged in the UAE next spring.

George Dobell09-May-2016A year to the day since he was unveiled as the new managing director of England cricket, Andrew Strauss has announced a new competition aimed at making England more competitive at the next World Cup.The most eye-catching aspect of the competition is the use of the Professional Cricketers’ Association ranking system – effectively a computerised formula – to help select two sides (the North and the South) which will contest a three-match series in the UAE next spring.A maximum of five England-qualified players for each side – the top four players from each division and the top spinner if not one of those four – will be chosen using the PCA’s Most Valuable player rankings from this year’s Royal London Cup, the domestic 50-over competition, with the rest chosen by the England selectors. The spinner will only qualify through their bowling exploits, so batting allrounders who bowl a little spin are unlikely to qualify.The three-match series will take place in Abu Dhabi next March and is currently viewed as a three-year plan aimed at improving England’s chances in the 2019 World Cup.Had the rules been in place in 2015 the players to qualify from the South would have been Steven Davies, Benny Howell, Liam Dawson, Ravi Bopara and, as the spinner, Jack Taylor. From the North, Wes Durston, Samit Patel, Scott Borthwick and Alex Hales would have qualified. Riki Wessels finished ahead of Hales but was not, at the time, England qualified. Stephen Parry would have qualified as the spinner.Twenty-six players will be chosen for the two squads in total, with no age limits applied. Nobody who has retired from ODI cricket will be selected, ruling out the likes of Marcus Trescothick, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood or Jonathan Trott, while it is also unlikely that members of England’s ODI squad – who will have just finished a series in the Caribbean in March – will be considered for selection.No sponsorship or broadcast arrangements have yet been made for the games, though there is plenty of time to resolve both issues.There is no obvious downside to the idea. While it might, potentially, encourage selfish cricket for players on the brink of the top four – and it does raise the vaguely amusing but highly improbable prospect of Kevin Pietersen qualifying in the unlikely event he decided to return to county cricket – the tournament might be considered another small step towards giving England the best chance in 2019.Might it have been played in England? Ideally, of course. But the schedule, for 2016 at least, precludes that. Not only is there limited space, but the 50-over final does not take place until the brink of autumn. Possibly in 2017, when most 50-over cricket is played in a block and the final is scheduled for mid-summer, that could change, but the UAE – with its excellent facilities and reliable climate – remains the more likely host for now. “Nothing is off the table,” Strauss said.But perhaps the most relevant point is that Strauss has chosen to use this idea to promote ODI cricket. He might have used it to improve the T20 or Test sides, but he came into the job after England had endured another wretched World Cup campaign and promising to give new impetus to List A cricket – the format that seems to have slipped down the pecking order at domestic level – and has stuck to that commitment. The ECB see the 2019 World Cup, which they host, as a once in a generation opportunity to inspire new interest in the game and know how important a part a successful England team could play in that.This North v South series is not the full answer to England’s ODI issues. But anything that encourages greater relevance and intensity in the domestic game is to be encouraged and if this scheme “accelerates the progress of one or two players” as Strauss puts it, then all well and good. And, taken in conjunction with other alterations – the move to something approaching a block format in 2017, the emphasis on improved pitches – it should help.The MVP rankings were launched in 2007 and the PCA has worked with the ECB’s high performance centre at Loughborough to enhance them for this new venture. The system moves beyond basic averages, with batsmen gaining points for strike-rate and a percentage of the team’s score while bowlers are rewarded higher for which batsmen they dismiss. The quality of opposition is taken into account as well as overall conditions.”This is a good opportunity for England, domestic players and the game,” Strauss said. “Finding the best players outside the current England set-up, playing them against each other in overseas conditions and placing them in an England environment will help us see if they’re ready for international cricket.”As a player you always like to see how you rank – it gives you recognition and here it comes with the added bonus of getting further into the England reckoning as we look ahead to the World Cup here in 2019.”And for fans it also gives an added element to the Royal London Cup, putting the spotlight on the players to follow in the 50-over game. This is a shot in the arm for the domestic game.”