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The bowlers set up Australia’s win, Zampa, Cummins and Starc doing all the damage after Sri Lanka had raced away to 125 for no loss

Madushka Balasuriya16-Oct-20231:34

Did Australia tick every box against Sri Lanka?

Australia chased down Sri Lanka’s sub-par 209 with some ease, cantering to a five-wicket win in Lucknow to revive their flagging World Cup campaign. The result leaves Sri Lanka second-last on the table with three losses from three, and essentially needing only wins from hereon to stand a chance of making it to the semi-finals.For Australia, it was a victory set up by a tenacious bowling effort, and then capped off by a chase exemplified by its clarity of thought.Having won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch that stand-in Sri Lanka skipper Kusal Mendis had deemed a “280-300” track, Sri Lanka got off to the ideal start with the opening pair racking up 125 runs.But a collapse of astounding proportions saw them lose ten wickets for just 84 runs – the worst such collapse in World Cups since 2011, and Sri Lanka’s worst collapse since their inaugural World Cup game – as they were bundled for 209.Adam Zampa was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4 for 47, while Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc grabbed two apiece. Though special mention should go to David Warner for two outstanding catches in the deep to dismiss Pathum Nissanka and Mendis, wickets which in many ways catalysed Sri Lanka’s downfall. It was also a fielding effort that was a welcome change for Australia, after their opening defeats to India and South Africa had been marked by some uncharacteristically poor catching.In defence of their total, Sri Lanka, and particularly Dilshan Madushanka, started excellently. Madushanka’s first 12 deliveries went for zero runs and two wickets, including a double-wicket maiden. While those two wickets would see the dangerous Warner and Steven Smith sent packing, Mitchell Marsh at the other end offered Sri Lanka no respite.1:23

Maharoof: ‘Absolutely pathetic batting display from Sri Lanka’

Marsh lofted the first ball of the chase, a fullish delivery on off from Lahiru Kumara, back over mid-off and he didn’t look back. Maheesh Theekshana, brought into the attack as early as the third over after Kumara had been hacked for 15 in his opening over, was taken for a pair of exquisite boundaries, and Marsh repeated the feat in Kumara’s next over. The worst, though, was reserved for Dunith Wellalage, who was lashed for three boundaries in his opening salvo.It took a fine Chamika Karunaratne throw from the deep to dismiss Marsh as he looked for a tight second, but by then a third of the chase had been scratched off, and the game was well in hand. Josh Inglis and Marnus Labuschagne then put the result beyond doubt with a stand of 77 off 86; though both fell before the finish line, Inglis notched a half-century. The finishing touches were added by Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, who entered the fray to turbo-power an already comfortable chase and romp home.But on a surface that Cummins had said he would have liked to have batted first on, this was a game won with the ball.Sri Lanka’s partnerships tell the entire story. A substantial opening stand of 125, followed by a brief but industrious 32, and then… well, nothing. Indeed, beyond those two top-order efforts only two others passed double-digits, and that too by the barest of margins. Contrast that to Australia, who put up stands of 24, 0, 57, 77, 34 and an unbroken 23 on their way to victory.The collapse is a worrying theme for Sri Lanka, who have now thrown away a promising position for the second game running – the fourth time in five games if you count the warm-up games. This game also highlighted what could happen if Mendis fails to fire; despite the opening pair of Nissanka and Kusal Perera putting on 125, Sri Lanka’s middle order failed to capitalise on the platform, going from 157 for 1 to 209 all out.Nissanka had got runs against Pakistan but Perera was coming into this game nursing a recently recovered shoulder strain, and not much recent form behind him. But a lacklustre start from the Australia seamers meant that even though the Lankan openers weren’t exactly proficient in rotating the strike, there were enough boundary balls on offer to allay any pressure being built.Together, the pair put on Sri Lanka’s best opening stand of the tournament, which would have had them eyeing a total in excess of 300, but no one could have predicted the extent of the collapse that followed.1:13

Maharoof: Madushanka a real positive for Sri Lanka

While the start of Sri Lanka’s slide will nominally be attributed to Cummins for picking up both openers in the span of a couple overs, a large part of the credit should go to Warner whose catching provided the opening.Either side of Cummins nipping one back and castling Perera, Warner held on to two high-difficulty chances in the deep. The first was to get rid of Nissanka, who mistimed a hook seemingly into the safety of the vacant midwicket region, only to see the patrolling Warner sprint across from deep square-leg and hold on to it on the slide.He grabbed an even better one a couple of overs later, once more tearing to his left – from deep midwicket this time – making up an incredible amount of ground to gobble up a miscued slog sweep off Mendis. He then had to nurse some bruised kneecaps for his troubles as his forward tumble took out lumps from the Lucknow outfield, but it was well worth it as the Australians never looked back from thereon.Zampa was the beneficiary of that second moment of Warner brilliance, and he struck once more an over later, trapping Sadeera Samarawickrama lbw with a slider shown to be barely clipping leg stump on umpire’s call. It was a marginal decision that left Samarawickrama shaking his head, but Australia will feel it evened out a not-out lbw call against Perera when he was on 24, which had they reviewed would have shown three reds.It was around this time that the game was halted by a brief shower, followed by some heavy winds which blew off some scaffolding and adverstising hoardings from the stadium roof. When play continued, it was all Australia as Sri Lanka’s batters struggled to come to terms with the extra bit of zip in the surface following the rain.Dhananjaya de Silva fell just two balls after the restart, chopping one on from Starc, while a period of concerted pressure saw Welllalage attempt an ill-advised single to mid-on, only for Cummins to throw down the stumps.With the innings in freefall, a pair of Zampa googlies accounted for both Karunaratne and Theekshana, shortly before Starc returned to take out Kumara with an inch-perfect yorker. Charith Asalanka was the last man out, slicing a slog sweep off Maxwell.

No further play possible as heavy rains curtail contest in series finale

Valkerie Baynes17-Nov-2024Match abandoned England leave West Indies with a 3-1 T20I series victory after the final match of their Caribbean tour was washed out.Play was abandoned after just five overs in the fifth and final T20I with Evin Lewis and Shai Hope steering the hosts to 44 without loss before a heavy storm set in at Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia.It wasn’t quite the start West Indies’ opening pair had staged less than 24 hours earlier, when they raced to 56 for nought in the first five overs and 136 for 0 in nine, on their way to chasing down a record 219 in Saturday’s dead rubber. But it wasn’t far off, with Lewis striking two sixes and three fours on his way to 29 not out before the rain arrived.Lewis had just pulled a John Turner delivery for a thunderous six over deep midwicket and sent the next ball in the air wide of mid-on for four before he was rapped on the helmet by a steepling bouncer attempting another pull on the last ball of the over – and ultimately the match.The rain arrived just as he was about to undergo on-field concussion checks, but he walked off smiling with the rest of the players.With Hope unbeaten on 14 off 10 balls, it was an abrupt end to what had loomed as another entertaining encounter to end the series after the same pitch had yielded 32 sixes on Saturday.On that occasion, West Indies had won the toss for the only time in this series, but they made a strong start in the face of Jos Buttler’s decision to bowl first on Sunday.Turner, who was playing just his second T20I after making his debut in the fourth game of this series, conceded 22 runs from his two overs while Jofra Archer, replacing Saqib Mahmood for this match, went for 16 off 2. Jamie Overton, who didn’t bowl despite taking the field on Saturday, conceded five runs off his solitary over on Sunday.Player of the Series Mahmood was comfortably the leading wicket-taker for the series with nine at an average of 10.55 and an economy rate of 6.33 with a best of 4 for 43 in the 1st T20I, eight of his wickets coming in the powerplay. Next best was West Indies’ left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein with five.”The one thing I noticed being here previously is the crosswinds at most grounds,” Mahmood told the post-match presentation. “I felt that if I wanted to take the new ball, I’d have to work on my away-swinger a little bit just because Reece Topley and Jofra [Archer] would want the new ball from the other end to swing the ball back in. That’s something I worked on. To perform and show that in a game was nice.”Phil Salt was the leading run-scorer with 162 including 103 not out in the first game and 55 in the fourth. Jacob Bethell, his 21-year-old team-mate, also impressed with 127 runs for once out, and at a superior strike rate of 173.97. The England duo were split by West Indies captain Rovman Powell on 153 runs.

On-loan legspinner shines as Durham chip away on rain-shortened day

ECB Reporters Network10-Jul-2023Gloucestershire 280 for 6 (Dent 85, Hammond 52, Parkinson 3-45) vs DurhamMatt Parkinson claimed three wickets to halt Gloucestershire’s progress on day one of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash against Durham at Seat Unique Riverside.Chris Dent impressed at the top of the order with a resolute knock of 85, while Miles Hammond offered a change of pace with a blistering fifty to steer the visitors to 170 for 2 before Parkinson led the Durham fightback.The legspinner removed Hammond, Grant Roelofson and James Bracey and Matthew Potts added the scalp of Dent to reduce Gloucestershire to 280 for 6 before rain brought a premature end to day one.Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bat under the sun at Seat Unique Riverside. Potts and Ben Raine were on their mettle with the Kookaburra ball from the off against the visitors’ opening partnership of Dent and Ben Charlesworth, beating the bat on several occasions without reward in the first half hour. Potts’ persistence earned him the breakthrough with the wicket of Charlesworth, who clipped a tame drive straight to Parkinson at mid-on.The morning session belonged to Gloucestershire as Dent showed his class at the crease to fend off dangerous spells from Durham’s potent attack, featuring new signing Migael Pretorius. Dent and Ollie Price put on 66 and looked primed to take the visitors into lunch one down, but a lapse in Price’s concentration handed Pretorius his first Durham wicket.Dent had to wait until after the interval to score the single required to bring up his second fifty of the season, and his knock continued to provide a valuable foundation for the Gloucestershire innings. Whereas Dent was reserved in his approach, Hammond took the attack to the Durham bowlers after lunch. The right-hander launched back-to-back sixes into the leg-side boundary against Parkinson as he raced to fifty from 43 balls.But, Parkinson would halt his charge for 52 as Scott Borthwick claimed a brilliant catch over his head at cover, which changed the momentum of the session. Dent had frustrated Potts in the morning session and their duel continued into the afternoon before the England seamer produced a beauty to find his outside edge for an impressive 85.Roelofsen and Bracey pressed Gloucestershire to their first batting point, although both were then bowled by Parkinson to open up the tail for the home side. Zafar Gohar and Josh Shaw were left to rebuild the innings before rain ended the day with the visitors 20 runs shy of a second batting bonus point.

Tamim Iqbal produced a mature and restrained innings of 78 from 179 balls, as Bangladesh set the tempo once again against a curiously passive England attack

The Report by Andrew Miller21-Oct-2016Bangladesh 221 for 5 (Tamim 78, Mushfiqur 48) trail England 293 (Moeen 68, Bairstow 52, Mehedi 6-80) by 72 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTamim Iqbal produced a mature and restrained innings of 78 from 179 balls, as Bangladesh set the tempo once again against a curiously passive England attack to reach the close of the second day at Chittagong in a hugely promising position.By the close, England’s lead had been whittled down to a meagre 72 runs with five wickets still in hand, thanks to a 58-run stand between Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan, who continued Tamim’s business-like theme on a wicket that offered turn and bounce but perhaps less venom than might have been anticipated once the hardness of the new ball had been negotiated.The pair had taken their stand to the brink of stumps, when – with the shadows lengthening and England’s heads beginning to drop – Ben Stokes summoned up one last bout of vigour to lure Mushfiqur, on 48, into a fatal snick to the keeper. The catch, in fact, was very nearly spilled by Jonny Bairstow as he tumbled forward to snatch at a rare opportunity, but he somehow clung on to give England late reward for a day’s work full of effort but somewhat lacking in inspiration.In fact, had it not been for Bangladesh’s peculiar aversion to breaks in play, their position could have been all the more promising by the close. In addition to Stokes’ late breakthrough, three of their other four wickets fell in the final over of a session – two in four balls to Moeen Ali before lunch, before a further breakthrough for Adil Rashid on the stroke of tea. Mushfiqur’s departure left a huge onus on the shoulders of Shakib, who reached the close on 31 not out, and who will resume day three knowing that the second new ball will be available within the first half-hour of play.The most prized scalp, however, went to the oldest spinner in town. In the 14th over of his England comeback – at the age of 39 and having missed the small matter of 142 Test matches since his last appearance, also against Bangladesh at Chester-le-Street in 2005 – Gareth Batty slid in a flatter, faster ball to Tamim, who grazed a thin nick through to the keeper.Batty’s pop-eyed roar of triumph did not merely reflect his personal jubilation. It was a fair reaction to a wicket of huge significance, for Tamim had been threatening – as he so often does against England – to seize the game for his own amusement. Remarkably, this was his seventh half-century in nine Test innings against England, dating back to his thrill-a-minute centuries at Lord’s and Old Trafford in 2010. Having laid the groundwork in a mightily restrained effort, he had looked ready to lift the tempo as England toiled in the afternoon sun.After England had been bowled out for 293 in the first hour of the day, Tamim reined in his instincts on a treacherous surface and waited 48 balls for his first boundary – a full toss from Rashid that he rifled through the covers with power and placement. His caution had been vindicated in the final over of the morning, when his more fluent opening partner, Imrul Kayes, was bowled for 21 by a beauty from Moeen that gripped and bounced to clip his off stump, before – three balls later – Mominul Haque spliced another bouncing bomb to gully to depart for a duck and leave Bangladesh anxiously placed on 29 for 2 at the break.But as Tamim’s innings progressed, so too did his fluency, particularly on the drive which, by staying very leg-side to the offspin of Moeen and Batty, he was always threatening to unfurl. Sure enough, he brought up his half-century from 131 balls with a sweetly timed back-foot drill off Moeen, to confirm that Bangladesh’s 14-month absence from Test cricket had not impacted on his penchant for statement innings against his favourite opponents.He had two significant moments of fortune – first on 28 when he carved Moeen on the up through point and just burst through the fingers of Rashid, diving to his left. Then, on 55, he was given out caught at slip off Moeen – a fine sprawling effort by Joe Root – but successfully reviewed the decision, as replays showed it had deflected off his elbow.Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah steadied the innings for Bangladesh•AFP

The unfortunate umpire was Kumar Dharmasena, who had given Moeen out three times in six balls on the first day, only to have each decision overturned, and he had already added to that tally in the morning session, when a Stuart Broad lbw decision was shown to have been missing leg. Arguably those incidents were still playing on his mind late in the afternoon, when Mushfiqur, on 45, was rapped on the pad by Chris Woakes – one of the few genuine opportunities that England’s seamers were able to create. Hawk-Eye confirmed it would have been clipping leg stump, but Dharmasena seemed reluctant to put his finger on the line yet again.Two balls after Tamim’s reprieve, however, his partner was gone instead. Mahmudullah’s innings of 38 from 66 balls had been a solid, busy performance, right from his first delivery, when he had responded to Moeen’s pre-lunch breakthroughs by galloping down the track with confident footwork to smother the spin before it could bite. But, having come within four balls of completing the entire afternoon session without losing a wicket, he succumbed to a big legbreak from Rashid that looped above his eyeline and snicked a thick edge for Root to scoop a sharp low catch at slip.Aside from that breakthrough, Rashid was a disappointment – too profligate with his full tosses and too easy to navigate off the pitch on the occasions when he found significant turn. Moeen, too, failed to live up to the promise of his double-wicket breakthrough, while Batty, who had shared the new ball with Broad in a seam-spin combo, offered plenty of spirit but little significant threat until Tamim’s departure.It was left to England’s seamers to look lively in the closing overs, as Broad responded to Stokes’ extraction of Mushfiqur by ramping up the pressure on Shakib as Bangladesh dug in for stumps. By and large, however, the trio – Woakes included – were economical but negated, and bowled just 23 overs between them.All in all, England were left to reflect on a first-innings performance that they might initially have thought was above-par for the conditions. After resuming on their overnight 258 for 7, they lost Woakes, the most accomplished of their remaining batsmen, to the first ball of the day, caught at short leg off Taijul Islam for 36, and spent the next 50 minutes scraping together another 35 runs.Rashid, with a penchant for the flick through midwicket, and Broad, using his long levers to sweep to good effect, provided the bulk of those runs but also added their names to the ever-lengthening list of DRS-related decisions in this contest.Rashid, astonishingly, had an lbw overturned when replays showed that an apparently dead-straight pad-rapper would have missed leg stump, while Broad also used DRS to escape an lbw before being last man out, adjudged caught behind after a rare successful review from Bangladesh – the 10th of the innings, a world record. The successful bowler was Mehedi Hasan, who completed a fine debut with figures of 6 for 80.

Bryony Smith seals victory with three wickets as visitors are bowled out in a thriller

ECB Reporters Network07-Jun-2023South East Stars have beaten Central Sparks by six runs in a Charlotte Edwards Cup thriller at Canterbury.Katie George made 53, but needing to hit seven from the last four balls she was caught on the boundary by Claudie Cooper off Bryony Smith, leaving the Sparks all out for 170, with Abigail Freeborn unable to bat due to injury.The Stars had made their highest score of the season, 176 for 6, despite an impressive display by stand-in Sparks captain Georgia Davis, who took 3 for 13. Phoebe Franklin, who’d been awarded the PCA player-of-the-month trophy before the game, blasted 52 from 27 balls and captain Smith made 47.Neither side able was to qualify for Finals Day and both were missing key players through injury and England commitments, but it was a compelling contest that fluctuated almost constantly.After choosing to bowl, the Sparks produced a fielding performance that was a mixture of the brilliant and the ordinary.Chloe Hill could have been out first ball, but after skying Ellie Anderson she was dropped by Freeborn who, given the cloud cover, was trying to catch a white ball against a white background.Smith was on 20 when she offered a regulation chance to Erin Burns. The fielder put her down but subsequently atoned with a brilliant diving effort to get rid of Smith as she was poised for her half-century.Hill was the next to go, caught-and-bowled by Davis for 25 and Charis Pavely then took a brave catch to remove Aylish Cranstone after she’d holed out to Anderson, nearly colliding with Burns in the process.Kira Chathli went for 11 when she hit Bethan Ellis to Chloe Brewer and Davis concluded a superb spell when she bowled Franklin.Ryana MacDonald-Gay drove Ellis to Burns for five in the final over, but although the rate dipped it was still the Star’s highest score of the competition so far.The Sparks’ chase misfired in the second over when Ami Campbell was sent back by fellow opener Ellis chasing a second run that wasn’t really there and she was run out after a smart throw by Hill, but Ellis responded with an enterprising innings, partnered by Davina Perrin.Perrin struck an elegant 25, only to fall to an inelegant swipe off MacDonald-Gay which was caught at point by Aylish Cranstone.Danni Gregory swung the momentum back in the Stars’ favour, removing Ellis for 29 when she pulled her to Tash Farrant at square leg off the final ball of the ninth. Although Burns hit 16 off the tenth over, Gregory then bowled Brewer for a golden duck.
George blocked the hat-trick ball and began scoring so freely that the Sparks seemed to be coasting until Smith brought herself back on at the Pavilion End and immediately claimed the key wicket of Burns for 39.Smith then bowled Pavely but as long as George was at the crease the Sparks looked slight favourites. They needed 26 from the final three and 17 from the last two, but home hopes soared when Cooper had Anderson lbw for 5.George declined a single off the last ball of the over, backing herself to get 10 off the final six balls. The first went for two after a misfield. The tension was ramped up when Cooper then dropped George but ran out Baker who was chasing a second.George drove the third ball to Cooper in almost exactly the same place, but this time the fielder held on to seal an exhilarating win.

Dates and venues announced for home series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2022India’s home international season is scheduled to begin on January 3 with a T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka, a week after their ongoing tour of Bangladesh ends on December 26. That will be followed by another ODI and T20I series in January, against New Zealand, followed by four Tests and three ODIs against Australia in February and March before the IPL.India host Sri Lanka for three T20Is in Mumbai (January 3), Pune (January 5) and Rajkot (January 7), and three ODIs in Guwahati (January 10), Kolkata (January 12) and Thiruvananthapuram (January 15).New Zealand’s tour of India begins three days later, on January 18, with an ODI in Hyderabad before the teams travel to Raipur for the second game on January 21, and Indore for the third match on January 24. The Shaheed Veer Narayan Stadium in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, will become India’s latest international venue when it hosts the second ODI against New Zealand. The city had previously staged home games of Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2013 and 2015.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India also play three T20Is against New Zealand in Ranchi, Lucknow and Ahmedabad on January 27 and 29 and February 1. This will be India’s second limited-overs series at home against New Zealand in the last 14 months; they had visited immediately after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in the UAE in November 2021. India had also toured New Zealand for T20Is and ODIs in November this year, immediately after the end of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.A week after the end of the home series against New Zealand, India will take on Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – the marquee event of India’s home season. Nagpur will host the first Test from February 9; Delhi is the venue for the second Test starting on February 17; Dharamsala will stage the third match from March 1; and Ahmedabad will host the series finale from March 9. India are the current holders of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after winning the 2020-21 series 2-1 in Australia. The series is also crucial for India’s qualification for the World Test Championship final.The four Tests against Australia will be followed by three ODIs in Mumbai (March 17), Visakhapatnam (March 19) and Chennai (March 22). It will mean that India play nine ODIs at home before the IPL, a crucial part of their build up towards the ODI World Cup at home in October and November next year.

With his return, Australia for the first time in the series can at least look to balance the side however they wish

Andrew McGlashan28-Feb-20232:26

What improvements can we expect from Australia?

The last time Cameron Green picked up a bat in India it helped him become the second-most expensive player in IPL history.His value to Australia’s Test side has been made abundantly clear during the first two Tests of this series where the selectors have had to make concessions each way in his absence. Now the allrounder is back and Australia can for the first time, even in the absence of some senior players, at least look to balance the side however they wish in Indore.Related

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• Smith wants Australia to 'slow things down' under pressure

Whether or not Steven Smith keeping every option open on the eve of the match was a bit of pre-game bluster, it highlighted the flexibility that a cricketer such as Green brings. That ranged from playing an extra batter – so Green being part of a four-strong attack – to three quicks or retaining the three spinners used in Delhi, but this time having two pace bowlers alongside them.There remains a small question mark over Todd Murphy after the side soreness he reported during the second Test, although he had an extensive bowl on Tuesday.”In terms of playing an extra batter, that’s on the cards as well,” Smith said. “Three spinners is on the cards, someone with a bit more airspeed is on the cards. We’ve got some options there, we’ll wait and see.”The extra batter route would mean a reprieve for Matt Renshaw who has made just four runs in three innings so far after being parachuted in as David Warner’s concussion sub in Delhi. The reference to airspeed could put Lance Morris in with a chance of a Test debut, although Scott Boland’s wicket-to-wicket skills may also bring value. Australia’s quicks have had precious little impact so far.Cameron Green has not played competitive cricket in two months•Getty Images

They also need to work out how to get through India’s deep batting order and Smith hinted at some new plans. “Particularly with Green and [Mitchell] Starc, two fast bowlers now, and five out-and-out bowlers potentially, it gives us a few different ways to go about things,” he said. “Whether we want to bowl some quick stuff at the tail to try and unsettle them or whether it’s spinning, [we] just have to play what’s in front of us.”The Indore pitch was only getting drier by the hour. The ends were already bare and now much of the grass has been shaved off. It was kept under covers for most of the day, occasionally being revealed by the groundstaff when players and staff from either side wandered over for a look.At one point, there was a brief summit between Australia coach Andrew McDonald and tour selector Tony Dodemaide. A while later Green, along with a few team-mates, asked to have a look themselves with Green kneeling down to have a feel of the wicket’s firmness.Whatever way the selection cards fall, Green will likely need to recall his performance against Sri Lanka in Galle last year when he made 77 on the most spin-friendly pitch he had yet to encounter.”He’s a quality young player and just his all-round ability helps us in terms of the way we want to go about things with our XI,” Smith said. “We saw him play exceptionally well in Galle. He did things a bit differently to how he’s done things in the past. He brought the sweep out, he used his feet, he got deep in the crease. He did all the things that you need to do really well when the conditions were extreme.”Green’s numbers are certainly the right way round for an emerging allrounder: the batting average sits at 35.04 and the bowling dipped to 29.78 when he claimed his maiden five-wicket in Melbourne, the day before the broken finger he is now returning from.But expectations also need to be tempered. It is two months since his last competitive outing and there’s only so much nets can do to bring a player up to speed for the type of Test cricket taking place in this series. Still, it’s one part of the jigsaw puzzle Australia have been missing. And for Green, his India adventure really starts now.

England stutter at the death before Bangladesh batters showcase newfound aggression

Mohammad Isam09-Mar-2023″New Bangladesh” took down England in the first T20I in Chattogram, gunning down the 157-run chase in impressive fashion. The new-look side that had one player returning after eight years, one after two years and a debutant, beat the world champions by six wickets, with two overs in hand. It is very rare to see such a performance in T20Is from Bangladesh.After Hasan Mahmud led with stingy death overs – England scored only 21 runs in the last four overs – the batters did what they are expected to do in a T20 chase: bat with purpose. But this was missing for so long in the Bangladeshi batting approach. Litton Das and Rony Talukdar, the player returning to the side after eight years, struck early boundaries, before Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy kept up the pressure with a fast partnership.Shanto made his third fifty in his last four innings, before falling for 51. Captain Shakib Al Hasan and Afif Hossain then scored the remaining runs, an unbroken 46-run stand in 5.4 overs to complete the chase. Shakib remained unbeaten on 34, clattering six fours in his 24-ball stay. Afif made 15 with two fours, one of them a classic cover drive.But it was not all plain-sailing for Bangladesh. England got off to a great start, reaching 80 in the first ten overs.

Buttler leads powerful start

England fired off 51 for no loss in the Powerplay. Phil Salt struck five boundaries including a six in his 35-ball 38 but it was Buttler who was more punishing. He brought out all his T20 specials including the splayed-leg hoick over long-on and the slightly more open cover drive. Buttler also got his boundaries with the reverse-sweep and the back-foot punch, underlining his authority and quality as a T20 star. He finished with eight boundaries, half of them sixes, in his 42-ball stay.Both Buttler and Salt were dropped in the sixth over. First, Nasum Ahmed dropped a return chance off Salt on 20, before Shakib dropped a sitter at mid-on with Buttler on 19. Salt though wasn’t too happy with his dismissal when UltraEdge picked up an under-edge in the tenth over. Dawid Malan fell shortly afterward, when he holed out in the deep off Shakib.

Hasan triggers collapse

Buttler still was going great guns, adding 47 runs with Ben Duckett for the third wicket. But when Mustafizur Rahman removed the left-handed Duckett for 20 off 13 balls, England still had four overs in hand to put up a big total. Instead, Hasan bowled two mean overs at the death to bring Bangladesh back into the contest.Hasan removed Buttler the ball after Duckett got out, before he dismssed Sam Curran for 6 in his next over, both to catches in the deep. Taskin bowled a strong final over, giving away just nine runs as England finished on 156 for 6. A tally of 21 runs in the last four overs was England’s second-lowest in this phase of a T20I innings.

A rare Powerplay boost

It is quite unusual for Bangladesh to outscore the opposition in the powerplay, but that’s exactly what happened in Chattogram. The home side raced to 54 for 2, to beat England’s powerplay by three runs. The visitors didn’t lose a wicket but T20 sides often don’t bother about losing two wickets in the fielding restrictions.Litton and Talukdar combined six boundaries in the first three overs before the latter missed Adil Rashid’s googly in the fourth over. Shanto survived a lbw appeal in his second ball, before hitting Rashid for a boundary. Litton fell in the next over, but debutant Hridoy ensured Bangladesh finished big in the Powerplay with two more fours.Shanto, Hridoy bring their Strikers’ game
Shanto and Hridoy added 65 runs in just 6.3 overs, reminiscent of their recent exploits in the BPL, playing for Sylhet Strikers. Shanto was the tournament’s highest run-getter, while Hridoy got his senior call-ups for his BPL performance. They played aggressively during this fourth wicket stand against England, something that Bangladesh has missed in the middle-overs from their middle-order for a very long time.Hridoy slog-swept Rashid for a six, before falling for a 17-ball 24, but the innings aided Shanto at the other end. The left-hander drove the ball gleefully, particularly against Mark Wood, taking him for four consecutive boundaries in the seventh over. Shanto steadied himself in the next six overs, before Wood burst one through him. But Shanto’s 51 off 30 balls, and his stand with Hridoy, left an easier equation for the home side.

Pakistan will hope to extend their T20I winning run to nine in a row having already sealed an 11th consecutive series victory

The Preview by Danyal Rasool03-Nov-2018

Big Picture

Pakistan have been pushed this T20I series, in a manner they weren’t against Australia, but no matter the challenge thrown at them, they seem to find a way in this format. The detractors are finding it harder to explain away Pakistan’s spell of dominance as a purple patch, a streak of good fortune, or a consequence of playing against weaker teams. They have now put Australia and New Zealand to the sword with the same ruthlessness that overpowered West Indies, Sri Lanka and Scotland, showing a versatility in the paths to victory this side can take. They have won tough, they have won easy. They have won by enormous margins and heart-stoppingly narrow ones. They have won batting first, they have won chasing. And now, with one to spare, they have won another T20I series, their 11th in a row.This one comes against the side that has tested them more in this run than arguably any other, both this week and in New Zealand earlier this year. Yet, they go into the final game in Dubai having won their last four against Kane Williamson’s men, and their last eight overall. Should they stick to their plans, they are well-fancied to come out of yet another series unblemished, their strength lying not just in the playing XI, but their overall depth. They might make the odd change to the fast-bowling unit, but in what is overall a very settled side there should be no overhaul for a dead rubber. With Pakistan having such a proud recent record to defend, there really are no dead rubbers for Sarfraz Ahmed’s team.Despite having lost one series within three days of the tour beginning, it is unlikely Williamson will be too disappointed with what his men have showed. There is plenty to suggest New Zealand have a lot to offer for the remainder of this tour, with the visitors always likely to mount sterner challenges in the longer formats. A win in the final T20I could well be a springboard to success in the games that follow, and with New Zealand having lost one game by two runs and the other by two balls, it isn’t a stretch for them to hope they can put one on Pakistan even if they cannot prevent them lifting the trophy.New Zealand have missed Martin Guptill’s big hitting at the top, with the young Glenn Phillips unable to complement Colin Munro quite as effectively. They have to work out how to make better use of the first six overs to relieve some of the pressure on Munro. It may see the captain promoting himself to open, with Williamson famous for his ability to pierce narrow gaps in the infield. There is a large discrepancy between Phillips’ T20I strike rate – 98.27 after nine innings – compared to the 134.20 he boasts in T20s overall, and if he is backed for a third game, he will need to bring his best to give his side the greatest chance to victory.

Form guide

Pakistan WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)New Zealand LLLLL

In the spotlight

There are few more exciting players in Pakistan cricket than Fakhar Zaman, and yet, since his heroics in Zimbabwe, he has been going through a slightly barren limited-overs run. Either side of a successful Test debut, Fakhar has scored 105 runs in his last eight white-ball innings at an average of 13.13, numbers that sit uncomfortably with his deservedly elite status in the current Pakistan side. There is no particular reason you could put this down to except just one of those runs every cricketer will go through; after all, in his maiden Test appearance against Australia, he amassed 160 runs. But having returned for the second T20I from a slight niggle, Fakhar may be itching to make the sort of singular impact only he can. With the series won and the pressure off, it is an ideal opportunity, and if Fakhar is primed to grasp it, he could smash New Zealand out of the game very early on.While New Zealand have almost matched Pakistan in both games, the one area where the difference in quality is vast is the spinners the respective captains can turn to. While Sarfraz has a plethora of options the envy of any international side – think Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, perhaps even Shoaib Malik – Williamson is limited to Ish Sodhi and Ajaz Patel. There is a reason Sodhi is ranked among the top ten T20I bowlers, but his economy rate is higher than any of Pakistan’s quartet of spinners, and it was his 17-run over that put Pakistan on course on Friday. Add to that the inexperience of Patel, who after an impressive debut was indifferent in the second game, leaving Williamson to draw on three overs of Munro’s medium pace. If New Zealand are to seriously challenge Pakistan, Sodhi and Patel have to perform out of their skins in these conditions where spin matters so much, because so far, the gulf is evident.

Team news

It is unlikely Pakistan will make too many changes to a side so brimful of confidence. With the series sealed, Waqas Maqsood is set to make his debut.Pakistan: (Possible) 1 Babar Azam, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Asif Ali, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5, Mohammad Hafeez 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Hasan Ali/Shaheen Afridi, 11 Waqas MaqsoodIt has been a bit of a surprise not to see Mark Chapman feature yet. He may be drafted in for the third T20I, should New Zealand decide to drop Phillips. Lockie Ferguson’s pace, too, may see him get a start ahead of Adam Milne, who despite looking promising, hasn’t quite hit the heights he may have this series.New Zealand: (Possible) 1 Colin Munro, 2 Glenn Phillips/Mark Chapman, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Colin de Grandhomme, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Tim Seifert (wk), 8 Tim Southee, 9 Adam Milne/Lockie Ferguson, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Ajaz Patel

Pitch and conditions

Winning the toss and batting first seems to be the favoured formula at the moment, and there has been nothing to suggest the teams rethink that. As has been the case all series, competitive totals appear to nestle in the narrow strip between 145 and 155.

Stats and trivia

• Colin Munro’s strike rate of 162.00 is better than any player ever to have faced more than 250 balls in T20I cricket. The best performer in the Pakistan squad is Fakhar Zaman, with a strike rate of 142.12.
• Babar Azam needs 48 runs to reach 1000 in T20Is. Should he get there on Sunday, in his 26th innings, he will beat Virat Kohli (27 innings) as the fastest to the mark.

Back-to-back no-results keep Afghanistan at the bottom of the Group 1 table, while Ireland rise to No. 2

Himanshu Agrawal28-Oct-2022Afghanistan and Ireland shared the points on offer after persistent rain prevented any action – or even the toss – from taking place in their men’s T20 World Cup match at the MCG on Friday.For Afghanistan, the result came just two days after their game against New Zealand, at the same venue, had also been abandoned.With the point they earned today, Ireland, who had beaten England earlier, climbed up two steps to No. 2 in the group, behind New Zealand, who are on three points from two games.Afghanistan have two points, the same as Sri Lanka, England and Australia. But all those teams have played one game fewer and also have a “W” against their names, unlike Afghanistan, who had lost to England in their first match of the tournament before the successive washouts.It was a frustrating afternoon for all concerned. Although it wasn’t raining an hour before the scheduled start of the match, it started pouring just minutes before the scheduled toss, at 2.30pm local time. The toss was delayed as a result, and at 3pm – the scheduled start of play – the umpires announced an inspection for an hour later, by when losing overs was inevitable.Rain remained on the radar, and while it abated for periods, raising hopes of , another downpour around 3.30pm brought the covers back on. Then, at around 4.15pm, it was decided that an inspection would be conducted only after the rain stopped, but the abandonment was announced just 18 minutes later.A point against Afghanistan might have boosted Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals, but they do have games against Australia and New Zealand lined up. They will back themselves, though, after having pulled off a tight five-run win [DLS method] against England.Australia play England in the evening match at the MCG, with rain set to play a part there too.