All posts by n8rngtd.top

Hope and Carty also fired as West Indies posted 256 for 5, their second-highest T20I total, on their way to a 62-run win

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-2025The sightscreen was punched, the trees were shaken, the crowd ran for cover, and the ball was lost. All this happened multiple times in Bready, as West Indies crashed 20 sixes on their way to 256 for 5, their second-highest total in the format. This despite scoring only 11 runs in their first two overs.Evin Lewis (91 off 44 balls), Shai Hope (51 from 27), and debutant Keacy Carty (49* off 22) led the way for West Indies, who beat Ireland by 62 runs to win the three-match series 1-0 after the first two games were washed out.Only twice before in the history of all T20 cricket had a higher total been successfully chased down, and despite a bright start, Ireland’s chase lost steam in the face of required-rate pressure.Paul Stirling hit the first three balls of Ireland’s innings for boundaries, and Ross Adair and Harry Tector added 101 for the second wicket. But Tector’s wicket in the 11th over sparked a collapse of 3 for 2, and Ireland faded away. Akeal Hosein recovered brilliantly from Stirling’s early assault to finish with 3 for 27 from his four overs.Harry Tector and Ross Adair added 101 for the second wicket•Sportsfile via Getty Images

After West Indies were sent in, openers Lewis and Hope laid the perfect platform to push for a massive total. They smashed 70 in the powerplay, and of those six overs, left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys’ two only went for seven runs.Humphreys bowled the first and the last overs of the powerplay, and in between, Lewis and Hope slapped Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy and debutant Liam McCarthy for six fours and five sixes.Both batters reached their half-centuries with sixes. While Lewis got to the landmark off 29 balls when he heaved Liam over deep square leg, Hope took only 24, launching Ben White down the ground.Barry broke the opening stand at 122 when he had Hope caught at long-on in the 11th over. Rovman Powell and Lewis followed soon after, as West Indies lost 3 for 30 in 11 balls. But there was no let-up in the scoring, as Carty carted four fours and four sixes in 22 balls, while Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd provided sharp cameos. Of West Indies’ total of 256, 200 runs came in boundaries.Liam conceded 81 in his four overs, the most by a debutant in T20Is. Humphreys, on the other hand, stood out with figures of 2 for 16 in four overs. They could have been even better, if Tector had held on to a simple chance at deep cover in the eighth over, when Lewis was on 44. That miss ended up proving costly. Although he missed out on what would have been his third T20I hundred, he built the base for a comprehensive win.

Captain sets the tone as batting bonus points put Division One leaders out of Surrey’s reach

ECB Reporters Network25-Sep-2025Warwickshire 258 and 7 for 3 trail Nottinghamshire 374 (Hameed 122, Verreynne 83, Patterson-White 70) by 109 runsLed impressively from the front by captain Haseeb Hameed’s fourth century of the season, Nottinghamshire clinched the 2025 Rothesay County Championship on day two of the final round of fixtures, the Division One leaders putting themselves out of reach of defending champions Surrey as they totalled 374 in reply to Warwickshire’s 258.Needing just two more points at the start of play to deny Surrey a fourth consecutive title, Nottinghamshire achieved that goal at six minutes before five o’clock as Kyle Verreynne, their South Africa international wicketkeeper, pulled seamer Nathan Gilchrist high over the deep midwicket boundary for six, taking their first-innings total past 300 to secure a second batting bonus point.Verreynne, who also hit the winning runs as South Africa beat Australia at Lord’s to be crowned World Test champions in June, raised both arms in the air before embracing batting partner Liam Patterson-White as a Trent Bridge crowd that had grown considerably since lunch rose to their feet.He went on to make 83, with Patterson-White hitting 70 as the two shared a decisive seventh-wicket partnership of 119. Ethan Bamber, Ed Barnard and Gilchrist took three wickets each but at 7 for 3 in their second innings, trailing by 109 runs, Warwickshire, who had their sights on overtaking Somerset to take third place in the table, are in deep trouble.It is Nottinghamshire’s seventh County Championship in all and their first since 2010, one that was effectively won a week ago when victory over Surrey at the Kia Oval made them short-priced favourites to take the crown.Head coach Peter Moores, for many years the only coach to win the title with two counties until Mark Robinson, twice a winner with Sussex, equalled the feat in 2021 with Warwickshire, now stands alone in winning Championships with three counties, having previously done so with Sussex and Lancashire.Yet for all that it was Verreynne, who hit four sixes, and Patterson-White, who struck 11 fours, who grabbed the glory, it was Hameed who made it possible.Haseeb Hameed raises his bat on reaching three figures•Getty Images

The 28-year-old sometime England opener’s 122 laid the foundations and took his season aggregate to 1,253 runs in first-class matches, the highest of his career. This is the third time in four seasons he has exceeded 1000 runs.Earlier in the day, he and Ben Slater had put on 56 for the first wicket as Nottinghamshire, who had claimed the final Warwickshire wicket with the last ball of the opening day, came through a difficult morning session at 100 for 2.Slater, caught behind as Michael Booth found some extra bounce from the Radcliffe Road End, and Freddie McCann, who lost his middle stump to Bamber, were the two morning casualties.It would have been 78 for 3 had Hameed not been put down by Rob Yates at second slip on 45. As it was, as conditions for batting became a little easier after lunch, Hameed and Joe Clarke (52) added 122 in 32 overs for the third wicket.Two dismissals in three balls then jolted their progress. Clarke, reaching for a delivery outside off stump, feathered a catch to Alex Davies off Bamber, before Jack Haynes, confident he had let his second ball go past the bat, looked up to find Warwickshire’s appeals for a thin edge to the keeper had been granted.Haynes was the third of six victims in the innings for Davies, a total in a single innings bettered by only two other keepers in Warwickshire’s history.If that was not a reminder to Nottinghamshire supporters to take nothing for granted, then the sight of Hameed completing his fourth hundred of the season flat on his stomach surely must have been.Confident there was a single on as he clipped Bamber towards midwicket, the captain was startled to see Tazeem Ali swooping to field and even his full-length dive might not have saved him had the teenager’s shy hit. As it was, Warwickshire ran out neither Hameed nor new partner Verreynne, who would have been out by a distance without scoring had the throw gone to the keeper’s end.Hameed – dropped at slip in the previous over – was bowled middle stump by Nathan Gilchrist on the stroke of tea, leaving them 218 for 5. The ovation from the spectators was fully deserved. The season has seen him make a double-hundred twice and carry his bat through the innings twice.Warwickshire’s seamers were rewarded again half an hour into the final session as Lyndon James edged Barnard to give Davies a fourth catch. Nottinghamshire, now six down, still needed another 52 for 300 and with the second new ball soon to become available.It might have been a moment of jeopardy, yet any sense of that quickly disappeared. Verreynne and Patterson-White had clearly decided on a glorious finale and it was Gilchrist who felt the full force of it.His first over with the new ball went for 17 after Patterson-White had begun it with three glorious shots for four, his second for 15 as Verreynne took centre stage.It was the cue for the seventh-wicket due to really let rip, stretching their partnership to 100 in precisely 100 balls and 119 from 120 before Verreynne, who hit nine fours and four sixes, became a fifth victim for Davies behind the stumps, a ball from Barnard glancing the bat as the South African tried to pull it clear.Back for another spell after his chastening experience earlier, Gilchrist then obtained the smallest modicum of revenge by bowling Patterson-White, and Barnard picked up his third wicket by bowling Brett Hutton.Gilchrist was the bowler as Mohammad Abbas nicked to Davies, leaving Warwickshire, 116 behind, to face four overs before the close, in which they lost both Yates and Davies leg before to Abbas as the Pakistan international delivered a final flourish to Nottinghamshire’s day, Hutton getting in on the act by having nightwatcher Bamber caught at second slip.

BCB’s media committee chairman says the board has given the franchise “enough chances” but they have “crossed all limits”

Mohammad Isam27-Jan-2025The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is preparing to take legal steps against BPL side Durbar Rajshahi after they missed payment deadlines with overseas players and the team hotel. BCB media committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman said on Sunday that the board had given the franchise enough time and consideration and could no longer afford to keep doing so. The situation came to a head this weekend when the unpaid Rajshahi players made themselves unavailable for the match against Rangpur Riders in Mirpur.BPL rules stipulate a team to field a minimum of two and a maximum of four overseas players in a playing XI. When it became clear that the Rajshahi foreigners wouldn’t be playing on Sunday evening, the BPL governing council allowed the side to break the rule. It is the first time in the competition’s history that a team has gone out without a single overseas player in the XI. It is being considered the BPL’s lowest point this season, which has irked the BCB.”We have to take legal action by any means now,” Iftekhar told . “The money has to be paid. Otherwise, BPL’s reputation will be ruined. The violation of contractual obligations like cheque dishonour and other issues will be addressed and we will file cases for all matters, as per the merit of the breaches. The board has given them enough chances. But they have crossed all limits. They were given a contract. There are breach of contract clauses. Until today, we didn’t take any action but now, we will take all the legal actions against them.”Rajshahi captain Taskin Ahmed led the side to a surprising two-run win against table-toppers Rangpur. There was a smile on his face during the post-match press conference. A long and difficult day had come to a nice little end.”It was certainly a new experience,” Taskin said. “I heard that there was a problem with our hotel booking. There was probably a mix-up between the Sheraton and the Westin. We changed hotels [on Sunday morning] and then two hours before heading to the stadium, we heard that the foreign players won’t go [to the match]. We got a call from the board, telling us that at least you [local] guys play. They called the foreign players, telling them that the payment will be cleared. Still [they] didn’t come.”When I asked [the overseas players], they said they won’t play without money. I just said it’s their call. What can I say, I am also a player. We really felt bad playing without the foreign players. We requested the board to play with local players. They allowed it, and then winning the game gave us some respite.”Taskin confirmed that Rajshahi paid the local players some money on Sunday. “We were given the cheque today. We will place it today. One can hope [it goes through]. If the cheque bounces like this wicket, we are in trouble.”Everyone expects to play the BPL in a peaceful environment, so when these things happen, we get disappointed. BPL is quite popular this season, but our team is having problems. I tried to boost up the team by telling them that this is our stage to perform, regardless of what’s happening elsewhere. The feeling is certainly not nice, but we are trying our best.”

Tilak jumped a whopping 69 places after his back-to-back centuries in South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2024India allrounder Hardik Pandya is back on top of the T20I allrounders list in the ICC rankings, while Tilak Varma has broken into the top 10 among batters for the first time.Hardik displaced England’s Liam Livingstone at the top and also overtook Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee after he picked up two wickets and scored 18, 39 not out and 2 in the T20Is against South Africa. His top performance was his spell of 1 for 8 that included a maiden in three overs in the fourth T20I in Johannesburg. The last time Hardik rose to the top of the allrounders list was just a few months ago, after India won the T20 World Cup in June also by beating South Africa.Tilak, the Player of the Series in the recent bilaterals, shot up 69 places among the batters after his consecutive and unbeaten centuries that followed scores of 20 and 33 in the first two T20Is. He is now placed third, after Travis Head and Phil Salt, and closely followed by his captain Suryakumar Yadav. Sanju Samson, the other batter with two hundreds in the series, went up 17 places to 22nd, as he also bagged two ducks between the two centuries. Among bowlers, left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh moved to ninth after gaining three spots with the help of eight wickets against South Africa. Arshdeep was the top-wicket taker in the series among fast bowlers and bagged three-fors in the last two games.Adam Zampa, who picked up six wickets against Pakistan, was among the biggest gainers among the bowlers, reaching third spot after rising five places, just behind Adil Rashid and Wanindu Hasaranga. His team-mate Nathan Ellis shot up a significant 15 spots to reach 11th rank, after he finished the three T20Is against Pakistan with four wickets, including figures of 3 for 9 in the opening match that was truncated by rain.For South Africa, Tristan Stubbs climbed three places to move to 23rd whereas Heinrich Klaasen jumped six places but remained out of top 50, at 59th.After the 1-1 T20I series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, Kusal Mendis rose to joint 12th spot after going up three places. After they won the ODIs 2-0, Maheesh Theekshana went up six places to be placed sixth, that pushed Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj one spot down each, to seventh and eighth respectively.

Voting body uses own votes to reduce the size of that very body by 59%.

Andrew Fidel Fernando and Madushka Balasuriya20-Dec-2024Sri Lanka Cricket’s internal politics and administration is set for sweeping change after the board announced a drastic reduction in votes, from 147 to 60. What is remarkable is that this decision was made by the voting members, meaning the voting body has used their own votes to reduce the size of that very body by 59%.These events took place during an extraordinary general meeting of SLC on Friday, during which the SLC membership “approved significant amendments to the Constitution of SLC, reaffirming its commitment to fostering good governance, transparency, inclusivity, and efficiency in its management structure”, according to the board’s own release.Though SLC’s current constitution, which was drafted soon after Sri Lanka’s World Cup win in 1996, has long been criticised as the font of dysfunction in Sri Lankan cricket (because many of the 147 votes belonged to defunct clubs or ineffective district and provincial associations), there has been little political will within the membership to vote for reform, particularly as votes equated to power within the SLC structure.It is likely that broader political changes within Sri Lanka has affected this vote, however. The recent elections centred on issues of good governance, and combating corruption. In the 21st century, SLC has been seen within Sri Lanka as one of the most dysfunctional institutions in the country, as well as one in which substantial wheeling-and-dealing occurred.This fresh amendment aims to optimise SLC’s decision-making, the board release said.”The new voting structure ensures that voting rights are determined solely based on the level of cricket played by each member club, with all qualified clubs and associations being entitled to only one vote. This marks a pivotal step towards equitable representation and streamlined decision-making.”Several sports ministers, past cricketers, and interim heads of SLC had long spoken of the need to change the constitution. In fact a group of concerned citizens, including former players, had petitioned Sri Lanka’s courts in early 2021 to overhaul the SLC constitution. But it was always seen as highly unlikely for the governing body’s membership to vote against their own self interest.A shift in Sri Lanka’s political environment, however, may have made such a vote possible.

Hosts have to weather sharp opening spell from Agar but finish the day just 30 runs adrift

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay22-Jul-2025Glamorgan 125 for 4 (Agar 3-29) trail Kent 155 (Bell-Drummond 55, van der Gugten 3-27, Harris 3-35) by 30 runsKent collapsed with six wickets falling for seven runs on the opening day against Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens.Daniel Bell-Drummond top-scored with 42 in a day dominated by bowlers, despite the use of the Kookaburra ball as 14 wickets fell on day one. Kent fell to 155 all out from 148 for 3 with Joe Denly retiring hurt, pulling a muscle playing a shot during his innings.Timm van der Gugten and James Harris provided rewards for Glamorgan with 3 for 27 and 3 for 35 respectively with the older ball before Wes Agar responded in kind with the new ball, ripping into the hosts’ top order with 3 for 29, restricting Glamorgan to 125 for 4.Despite the often favoured chance to keep the opposition in the field for as long as possible during rounds using the Kookaburra ball, Glamorgan opted to field first under overcast skies.Ben Compton and Jadyn Denly dealt nearly exclusively in boundaries for their 37 before Asitha Fernando struck – the division’s top run-scorer, Compton, caught behind – a first wicket on the Sri Lankan’s return to Glamorgan for a second spell this season.Unconverted starts continued to be the frustration for Kent. Denly dispatched loose Harris deliveries on his introduction into the attack before slapping another to cover.Notwithstanding Denly’s injury, Kent added 61 for the third wicket before Ben Kellaway found a way through Chris Benjamin, adjudged lbw.From 111 for 2 at lunch and Bell-Drummond reaching 24 in minimal time thanks to four consecutive boundaries off Ned Leonard, the approach was forced to change by Kent with the hosts tightening their bowling.Glamorgan’s revived efforts with the ball started the monumental collapse. Joey Evison flashed at a wide delivery to give van der Gugten his first wicket of a six-over spell in which he conceded just two runs.It wasn’t long afterwards that Kent were getting their whites on to take the field. Bell-Drummond was next to be adjudged lbw off an in-swinger from Harris. Two in two balls came for van der Gugten, before Zain Ul Hassan and Harris finished the job to leave the number eight Stewart stranded, Joe Denly unable to return.With an opportunity in the 42-over final session to close in on a lead before the end of day one, Glamorgan quickly learnt that the task to overtake 155 wasn’t as easy as first thought.Asa Tribe looked troubled from the off before he inevitably chopped on to get Kent underway through Agar. Ul Hassan was more dogged in his approach, as has been his method since bedding in at the top of the order. He stuck around after the dismissals of Carlson and Root before perishing himself for 27.Carlson appeared still to be in Vitality Blast mode, with five fours in his 25-ball 27 before loosely driving to his downfall, caught behind. Billy Root, making his first red-ball appearance of the season, never settled.On the day 40-year-old Colin Ingram was announced to have a first coaching role, the veteran was still showcasing his playing abilities, taking a four and six from the same Evison over. The South African and Kellaway remained unscathed despite periods of concern and grit, including Ingram dropped on 27 late in the day, closing out the long session with a much-needed unbeaten partnership worth 47.

South Africa blown away for 72 to go down by 342 runs – the heaviest defeat in men’s ODIs

Matt Roller07-Sep-2025Jacob Bethell cracked the first hundred of his professional career as England thrashed South Africa by a record margin in Southampton. Bethell’s 110 off 82 balls, a timely reminder of his immense talent, was more than South Africa’s batters managed between them as Jofra Archer ran through their top order in a blistering new-ball spell to set up a thumping consolation win.At 21, Bethell became the second-youngest England player to score a men’s ODI hundred and set the platform for a huge total in a 182-run partnership with fellow centurion Joe Root, who hardly broke a sweat. South Africa were never likely to chase 415 even if Temba Bavuma – who strained a calf in the field – had been fit to bat, but after a dramatic collapse it took a last-wicket stand of 15 for them to surpass their lowest-ever ODI score of 69.Archer struck with his second ball, a loosener which Aiden Markram edged behind, but there were no more of those across an opening burst of 4 for 10 in seven overs. He had Ryan Rickelton nicking behind, Matthew Breetzke top-edging while trying to leave one alone, and Tristan Stubbs caught in the slips as he cranked the pace up to 93mph/150kph.

SA fined for slow over rate

South Africa were fined 5% of their match fee for maintaining a slow over rate. They were one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. As per Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct, players are fined 5% of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

It was a searing spell which had South Africa’s batters hopping around, with Stubbs and Corbin Bosch both wearing blows on the body. Archer was well backed up by Brydon Carse, who had Wiaan Mulder caught off the top edge and Dewald Brevis edging to third slip, before Adil Rashid mopped up the tail. It could have been even worse but for two dropped catches.Harry Brook, England’s captain, hailed the “ultimate performance” from his side, while Bavuma promised a debrief after “a poor showing” in which things went “terribly wrong” for South Africa. “A display like that doesn’t do us justice,” he said, before sheepishly lifting the series trophy.Bethell’s twin failures in England’s fifth-Test defeat to India at The Oval sparked countless column inches, which highlighted the low volume of cricket that he has played this summer. He acknowledged on Sunday morning that he could have played more, but his 76-ball hundred underlined that he is a special talent whose rapid promotion to this level is deserved.Jofra Archer ripped the heart out of South Africa’s batting•Philip Brown/Getty Images

South Africa had the chance to inflict England’s first home whitewash since 2006 after sealing the series at Lord’s on Thursday but were completely bereft of intensity. They rested Lungi Ngidi and were uncharacteristically sloppy in the field: Breetzke made a hash of a very simple chance off Jamie Smith at cover, but Nandre Burger’s drop of Bethell on 44 at mid-on proved particularly costly.Retaining his spot at No. 4, Bethell took the initiative early in his innings by attacking Keshav Maharaj. He punished the short ball, launched three straight sixes, and reached three figures with a rasping cover drive, celebrating his first senior century in his 141st innings across first-class, List A and T20 cricket by running towards the pavilion with his arms outstretched.Bethell has now made at least 50 in four of his six ODI innings this year, and this hundred confirmed his status both as an automatic pick in England’s white-ball teams and as one of the world’s most exciting young batters. If he can continue his form on a tour to New Zealand in late October, he could yet displace Ollie Pope as England’s No. 3 for the first Ashes Test in Perth.Related

• McCullum: England must 'find ways to deal with' packed schedule

• Conrad calls South Africa's thrashing by England 'embarrassing'

• Jofra Archer: 'There was an ooh or an aah every single over'

• Bethell: 'I've got to be ready to perform in Ashes'

• Jamie Overton replaces Saqib Mahmood in England XI for third ODI

Root played in Bethell’s slipstream, reaching an effortless hundred – his 19th in ODIs, six more than any other England batter – in 95 balls. It was vintage Root: he hit only six boundaries but scored 50 singles, 10 twos and two threes to run South Africa ragged. For the second ODI series in a row, they conceded 400-plus in a dead-rubber after going 2-0 up with a game to spare.England made their best start of the series after being asked to bat first by Bavuma, reaching 59 in the ninth over before Ben Duckett’s international summer ended with a top-edged pull to midwicket. Smith looked in fine touch, racing to his second half-century of the series, before he swung Maharaj straight to long-on for 62 two balls after the drinks break.South African heads dropped during Bethell and Root’s vast stand, and even two quick wickets in the 41st over – Bethell stumped charging Maharaj, and Brook run out for the second time in the series while attempting a casual second – could not slow the scoring rate, as Jos Buttler and Will Jacks ensured a strong finish.Buttler belted 62 not out off 32, launching Maharaj back over his head, scooping Mulder for six and turning a ramp off Burger into a late deflection for four. Jacks’ straight six off Burger doubled as a forewarning for the government’s emergency alarm test, which set off a flurry of phones in the stands; a loft over cover took England past 400 for the seventh time in ODIs.South Africa’s bowling effort was summed up by them conceding 27 extras, including 19 wides, while Burger’s analysis – 0 for 95 off 10 – was the most expensive in their ODI history. Codi Yusuf only narrowly avoided the feat himself in conceding 80 from his 10 wicketless overs of medium pace – the most by a South African debutant in ODIs – then became the second of Rashid’s three victims.

This is now a four-match series after the abandonment at the Wanderers left everyone kicking their heels

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan21-Nov-2009

Match facts

Sunday, November 22, 2009
Start time 10.00 (08.00GMT)James Tredwell could leapfrog Adil Rashid for a place in the England side•Getty Images

Big picture

This is now a four-match series after the abandonment at the Wanderers left everyone kicking their heels. The significant development in the last couple of days has been the news of Jacques Kallis’ absence from the series due to a rib fracture, so his partnership with Graeme Smith will be a non-starter.England’s injury situation remains unchanged with Stuart Broad (shoulder) and Graeme Swann (side) already ruled out of the match, but the delayed start to the series will have helped Paul Collingwood and James Anderson recover from their niggles. With the forecast more promising for Sunday’s game, Collingwood should finally have the chance to become England’s most capped ODI player with his 171st appearance, overtaking Alec Stewart’s record.Really, though, it’s as you were in the build-up to the opening match although the rain has taken some of the sting out of the hype. Andrew Strauss won’t mind that, having refused to be drawn into any mind games with the South Africans but, when the action does finally start, the attention will still be on Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott.With one match already gone from the schedule, there is less room for error and therefore even more important to hit the ground running. At least on Saturday the teams were able to train outdoors, and whichever side clicks into gear the quickest after a frustrating few days will be in prime position to take control of the series.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa – WWLWL
England – LLWWW

Team news

With Kallis out of the series, Hashim Amla is set to be given another chance to open alongside Smith, a position he has filled with decent results. South Africa will also have to decide whether to go with a full hand of seamers or play one of their spinners. Without the services of Kallis’ fast bowling and the recent wet weather, the former could be the preferred route.South Africa (possible) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Alviro Petersen, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Ryan McLaren, 9 Charl Langeveldt, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11 Dale SteynEngland may hand an international debut to James Tredwell, who has been called up as cover for Graeme Swann. Quite what Adil Rashid, the second spinner in the original squad, will make of that remains to be seen but Tredwell has the advantage of spinning the ball away from South Africa’s clutch of left handers. However, they too may decide on a full hand of quicks, especially with Collingwood’s troublesome back. The other question is how many batsman to play, and if one misses out it is likely to be Joe Denly.England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Jonathan Trott, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Luke Wright, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Graham Onions, 11 James Anderson

Watch out for

Kevin Pietersen was called back into action a couple of days early when England were hit by injuries ahead of the second Twenty20, but looked in decent fettle for his 29. The 50-over warm-up against South Africa was more of a struggle as he scratched 4 from 17 balls, but he looks eager to make up for lost time. His three ODI tons in South Africa four years ago are still talked about and England would dearly like to see a return of that free-flowing, care-free Pietersen rather than the mentally strained and restrained figure that has been on show for much of 2009.JP Duminy‘s international numbers are already impressive and an ODI average of 37.57 indicates his talent. However, against England, he has struggled to make a mark with 88 runs in six matches with a best of 24. The South African management are giving him the chance to build an innings by promoting him to No 4, and with the absence of Kallis now is the time for Duminy to repay that faith.James Anderson…but not for his bowling. If he gets his turn to bat, Anderson will use the Mongoose bat which made much fanfare last season. It has a shorter blade and longer handle – meaning, in theory, better striking power – and Jimmy has got his hands on one. Without being too harsh, it might be a little wasted.

Stats and trivia

• Collingwood, as well as being one away from an England cap record, also needs three wickets to reach 100 in ODIs

Quotes

“I was actually organising a trip to India for the start of December, so they had to tell me pretty sharpish so that I didn’t put my passport in for a visa.”

Champions Trophy match in Lahore on February 26 had been under threat after calls for boycott

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2025The ECB board has confirmed that England’s men will fulfil their fixture against Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy this month, despite describing the “appalling oppression” of women in the country as “gender apartheid”.Richard Thompson, the ECB’s chairman, said in a statement following a board meeting on Thursday that a “coordinated international response” would achieve more than unilateral action. The board has come under political pressure to boycott the fixture, with more than 160 British politicians calling for England to pull out of the match in Lahore on February 26.”What is happening in Afghanistan is nothing short of gender apartheid,” Thompson said. “At a cricketing level, when women’s and girls’ cricket is growing rapidly around the world it is heartbreaking that those growing up in Afghanistan are denied this opportunity, but the appalling oppression of women and girls by the Taliban goes so much further.”The Board recognises there are different views and opinions on the issue of boycotting the match and has listened carefully. We have been in close contact with the Government, the International Cricket Council (ICC), our England Men’s players and other stakeholders to discuss this matter, as well as considering how best the ECB can support those women cricketers who have fled Afghanistan.Related

• England bank on familiar core for Champions Trophy acid test

• Pressure mounts on ICC amid Afghanistan women's fundraising drive

• Afghanistan women's match a big step on a path unknown

• Exiled Afghanistan women players to men's team: 'Please be the voice of the girls'

• Starmer calls on ICC to 'deliver own rules' amid boycott row

“Following this, we remain of the view that a coordinated international response by the cricketing community is the appropriate way forward, and will achieve more than any unilateral action by the ECB in boycotting this match, while we have also heard that for many ordinary Afghans, watching their cricket team is one of the few remaining sources of enjoyment. As such, we can confirm that we will play this fixture.”Thompson said that the ECB will press the ICC for further action, including ring-fencing funding to support female players from Afghanistan, and considering recognising an Afghanistan women’s refugee team. Last week, the board donated £100,000 to the MCC’s Global Refugee Cricket Fund.An Afghanistan women’s XI played an invitational T20 against a Cricket Without Borders XI in Melbourne last month, mounting pressure on the ICC to support their players.Afghanistan remain full ICC members – with full funding – despite no longer being able to fulfil the requirement to field a women’s team under its Taliban government. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo last month, two exiled players, Firooza Amiri and Benafsha Hashimi, called on Afghanistan’s men to be “the voice of the girls”, despite acknowledging that speaking out against the regime could come with its own risks.”The cricketing community cannot tackle all of Afghanistan’s problems,” Thompson added. “But we urge our international partners to stand together and demonstrate through our actions that we support the women and girls of Afghanistan, including those cricketers now in exile who just want to play and should be allowed to play the sport they love.”

The New Zealand allrounder helped guide the chase alongside Ellyse Perry to ensure they were ahead of the DLS

AAP08-Nov-2024Amelia Kerr has made an immediate impact at Sydney Sixers, combining with Ellyse Perry for the match-winning WBBL partnership against Melbourne Stars.The star New Zealand allrounder was player of the match in her Sixers debut on Friday at Junction Oval as they beat the home side by six runs under the DLS method.Related

• Perry continues fine form as Sixers edge out Hurricanes

• King, Ainsworth combine in Scorchers' thrilling win; Knight-Bates pair maintain Thunder's strong start

Sixers’ chase started badly, when Kim Garth’s first delivery had Sarah Bryce caught by Meg Lanning at first slip in the second over for 1.That brought Kerr to the crease in her first game since tearing her right quad in the October 24 one-dayer against India. Kerr made 46 not out from 41 balls, including five fours, and Perry’s unbeaten 48 from 44 deliveries featured six boundaries as they took the game away from Stars.She also took two wickets, including Stars top-scorer Annabel Sutherland.There were concerns that Kerr, the player of the tournament in the T20 World Cup, might be sidelined for much of the WBBL. But she has recovered from her injury ahead of time. Kerr has signed with the Sixers for three seasons after five WBBL campaigns at the Brisbane Heat.Perry won the toss and Stars made a bright start, before she removed Ines McKeon in the fourth over. Stars stuttered from 32 for 1 to 50 for 3, before Sutherland gave some substance with her 42 from 36 balls, with two fours and two sixes.Kerr dismissed Sutherland in the final over and also claimed the wicket of Tess Flintoff two balls later to finish with 2 for 36 from four overs.English star Sophie Ecclestone was the pick of the Sixers attack, claiming 3 for 19 from four overs.The result means the two Melbourne teams both carry losses into their Saturday derby at Junction Oval, while Sydney improve to a 3-2 record.