All posts by n8rngtd.top

Training with focus and purpose has helped the allrounder achieve consistency of late, says the Australia coach

Daniel Brettig31-Mar-2019Glenn Maxwell can be as good as Virat Kohli if he continues to ally newfound discipline and purpose to the talent he has demonstrated for a long time, Australia’s coach Justin Langer has declared.Ahead of the final ODI between Australia and Pakistan in Dubai, Langer delivered the bold call when queried about how Maxwell had improved over the course of the season, from a time when he seemed uncertain of his place in any team to now winning the coach’s respect for how he had contributed to both the T20I and ODI teams.For Langer, the next step for 30-year-old Maxwell is to maintain the sort of consistency he has shown in the UAE series, as epitomised by Kohli’s near universal presence at the top of global batting aggregates year in and year out.”The challenge for him is, and I’ve said this to him – we’ve just seen Virat Kohli, who is an extraordinarily talented player, he averages 60 [59.57] in ODI cricket; he is a great player – at the moment, in 99 games, Maxi averages 32 or 33 [32.87]. He can be Virat Kohli. He has got the talent to do that,” Langer said. “The way he played that T20 hundred in India, the way he played both T20s – we know he’s a great T20 player. His next challenge is to become a great ODI player and then potentially a Test player.”So there’s huge upside for him and while he keeps practicing with the purpose he’s got and winning games of cricket like he is, it’s great to have him. It’s obviously a massive challenge, isn’t it? He is now 30 years old and he’s played 99 games, but we all see it – and everyone talks about it – he’s got a huge amount of talent and his challenge has always been to deliver on that talent. And he’s done it in patches.”Glenn Maxwell flicks through midwicket•AFP

One of the critical messages Langer delivered to Maxwell last year surrounded training with purpose, after the allrounder had previously been seen as a somewhat wayward talent. “I think he’s put a lot of emphasis into his practice as well. He’s practising with real purpose and he’s getting the rewards for that. It’s great to see,” Langer said. “He’s such an important part of our team. He brings energy to everything that he does – whether it’s fielding, running between wickets, his strike rate.”We saw it last night, he can come in when we were four down (for 101, before he hit 98) and under the pump. He can come in at the end – because his strike rate is 120 in ODIs, that’s the highest by anyone in the world [only behind Andre Russell]. If he can play those more responsible innings and do what he does, it’s very important for us.”He’s such a valuable player for us because of everything he brings. It’s not just his batting, it’s his fielding, his bowling is really important. He’s getting better with his bowling all the time. I think he bowled seven overs in the last World Cup final, so he keeps delivering on that. His fielding is world class. He’s a good package, isn’t he?”Langer also offered strong words of praise for the captain Aaron Finch, who has shrugged off an earlier run of failures by returning to form in India and then following up to telling effect in the UAE. He now has the chance to lead the Australians to a 5-0 sweep of the ODI series against Pakistan, something the team have not achieved away from home since doing the trick against West Indies in the Caribbean in 2008.”Finchy is doing a great job. He’s getting better all the time,” Langer said. “He would have taken confidence out of the Big Bash final as well. As a captain you’ve got to live it, you’ve got to have those really positive experiences. He’s just growing. He’s doing a really good job. He’s obviously batting well and he’s doing a really good job.”He’s had a long, hard summer and he’s getting better towards the end of it. Great resilience, great durability and it also shows great leadership. Because often what happens at the end of a summer, guys can start going south. He’s actually getting better and better.”

Heads of the Indian, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi and Afghanistan boards will meet in Ahmedabad but a final decision will be taken only after consultation with the PCB

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2023Where will the Men’s Asia Cup be played? Will it even be played? Answers to these questions are likely to emerge at an informal meeting in Ahmedabad on May 28 where heads of the Indian (BCCI), the Bangladeshi (BCB), the Sri Lankan (SLC) and the Afghanistani (ACB) cricket boards will be present to watch the IPL final.Pakistan are the hosts of this year’s Asia Cup scheduled for September, but with India declining to travel there, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has been looking at alternatives. Recently the PCB had suggested a hybrid host model for the six-team tournament where four of the 13 matches will be held in Pakistan. The rest, including the final, would be held overseas. However, no final decision has been reached by ACC which is locked in discussions with PCB.It is understood that Pakistan are not expecting any major pushback about the hybrid model. The only issue left to iron out is where India and their opponents will be based. The choice is between Sri Lanka and the UAE.The six teams to contest the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup are India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal and hosts Pakistan. ESPNcricnfo reached out to at least four boards to inquire if a consensus had been reached on adopting the hybrid model recommended by PCB, but all four said no final decision had yet been taken.BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is also president of the ACC, said on Thursday that the presidents of BCB, SLC and ACB will be at the IPL final in Ahmedabad. “We will hold discussions with them for outlining the future course of action in relation to Asia Cup 2023,” Shah said.However, officials privy to the Sunday meeting have pointed out that a final decision on the Asia Cup will only be taken by the ACC in coordination with PCB. No date yet has been set for the next ACC meeting.

Former West Indies offspinner Ryan Austin and former Leeward Islands captain Steve Liburd will be his assistants

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2023Former West Indies batter Robert Samuels has been appointed interim head coach of the West Indies women’s side for their upcoming limited-overs series against Ireland at home. Samuels had been assistant coach to Courtney Walsh until April, when Cricket West Indies (CWI) had decided not to renew their contracts as well as that of the other assistant coach Corey Collymore.Samuels played six Tests and eight ODIs for West Indies in 1996 and 1997, and played 106 first-class and 77 List A games.”Robert brings continuity and stability to get the team through this period,” CWI High Performance Manager Graeme West said of Samuels’ appointment. “He has great knowledge of the players and the women’s game in general – and strong knowledge of the support staff – so it’s almost a seamless transition with Robert coming in as Interim Head Coach.”He has his own ideas, and is trying to implement them now as Interim Head Coach as opposed to assistant coach. He has made a good impact and start over the last few days, and I’m sure it will continue throughout the series.”Samuels will have interim assistant coaches in former West Indies offspinner Ryan Austin and former Leeward Islands captain Steve Liburd, who is head coach of the West Indies Women’s Under-19 Rising Stars.The trio’s first assignment begins with West Indies Women’s three-match ODI series against Ireland from June 26 to July 2. The series will be part of the Women’s Championship, at the end of which the top five sides will directly qualify for the World Cup in 2025. West Indies are currently second from bottom on the 10-team table, with five defeats in six games.The ODI series will be followed by three T20Is from July 5 to 9. All six white-ball matches will be held at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia, where an 18-member West Indies squad is currently training ahead of the series.

Having lost his Test place on Australia’s tour of the UAE, the middle-order batsman made 123 not out from 215 balls and give Victoria a 101-run lead

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2018Peter Handscomb drives through the off side•Getty Images

Peter Handscomb has made a statement to Australia’s selectors with a patient unbeaten century to put Victoria in control of the Sheffield Shield clash with South Australia at the MCG.Handscomb, who lost his Test place on Australia’s tour of the UAE, capitalised on a superb 132-run opening stand from Travis Dean and Marcus Harris to grind out 123 not out from 215 balls and give Victoria a 101-run lead with two days remaining. He struck 15 boundaries in his 14th first-class century, which he brought up with lovely cover drive off Cameron Valente.Victoria at one stage looked set to pile up a huge score but Nick Winter put them back under pressure with three wickets in the space of eight overs. He found the edge of Harris’ bat before trapping Dean in front and got Cameron White caught behind for a duck as well.Handscomb and Matthew Short steadied Victoria for over 18 overs but they again slumped to 5 for 193, losing both Short and wicketkeeper Seb Gotch in quick succession before Handscomb found solid allies in James Pattinson and Peter Siddle. Pattinson made 32 after being promoted to No. 7 while Siddle contributed 13 not out from 72 deliveries in an unbeaten 55-run stand with Handscomb to take the home side through to stumps.However, Victoria’s charge to a third straight win to start the season may be hindered by some wet weather that is due in Melbourne on day three.

Perry adds unbeaten 76 to first-innings ton, Molineux makes fine debut with bat and ball as Australians secure 8-2 points lead

The Report by Valkerie Baynes21-Jul-2019Australia Women 420 for 9 dec (Mooney 51) and 230 for 7 (Perry 76*) drew with England Women 275 for 9 dec (Sciver 88, Jones 64, Molineux 4-95)As Australia drew their Test with England to retain the Ashes, it was only fitting that Ellyse Perry should still be at the crease late on the final day at Taunton.Perry’s performances have been a shining light in this series, not least in the Test, which ended in the non-defeat the tourists needed after she added an unbeaten 76 to her 116 in the first innings.Almost as appropriate was the fact Sophie Molineux joined Perry until shortly before the captains shook hands on the draw when Australia lost the wicket of Ashleigh Gardner to close with a lead of 335 runs, which demonstrated their dominance of the match, despite the result. Spinning all-rounder Molineux made a stellar debut in the long format, claiming four wickets to destroy England’s hopes of reviving the match after a severely rain-affected second day, and then put on 41 runs in a 50-plus partnership with Perry.On a pitch offering little to anyone, the draw gave Australia eight points to England’s two – they split the four points on offer in the Test – to retain the trophy with six points left to be claimed from the upcoming three T20s.It kept alive Alyssa Healy’s bold claim before arriving in England that Australia would not lose a match in the series and breathed life into the debate about whether women should play five-day Tests. In fact, it raised many questions. Should Australia have been more attacking and pressed for a result, given England’s declaration before lunch while still trailing by 145? Should the women’s game have pitches prepared specifically to promote attacking cricket? Or did the Australians simply do what they needed to do to achieve the result they came for – to win the Ashes.Once the follow-on had been avoided, attention turned to a possible England declaration and, when Jess Jonassen trapped Laura Marsh plumb lbw attempting to sweep for her second wicket of the day – and the innings – then Heather Knight made the call to give her team a crack at the Australian batsmen before lunch.Any sense of damned if she did and damned if she didn’t over denying last batsman Kirstie Gordon the chance to have a swing with Sophie Ecclestone needed to be tempered by the realisation that England’s hopes of winning the match had been placed in peril long before.Similarly Australia were faced with the dilemma of whether to put the match too far beyond doubt to be interesting, or press for victory and, incidentally, an exciting end to the Test.As it happened, two early wickets to Marsh forced Australia to put the shutters up – if they hadn’t already – after Ecclestone had begun for England in fine fashion, threatening with every ball of the first over – a maiden – to Rachael Haynes, opening the batting in place of Nicole Bolton, who had injured her thumb while fielding.Lunch was taken after five overs, by which time Haynes was still not off the mark after facing 15 balls and Healy was not out 13 off 15. Marsh came into the attack at the resumption and struck with her second and sixth deliveries, bowling Healy through the gate with a gem that angled across the right-hander, and then trapping Haynes lbw.At 15 for 2, Meg Lanning and Perry dug in, building a 48-run partnership before Lanning’s remarkable dismissal. Replacing Marsh, debutante spinner Gordon struck in her first over with a full toss which Lanning looked to punish on the on-side but managed to pick out Georgia Elwiss at cover, much to the batsman’s disbelief and, possibly, the bowler’s as well.Ecclestone was rewarded when Beth Mooney tried to slog her over mid-wicket and found a cat-like Tammy Beaumont pouncing on the catch at short leg. By that time, Australia had extended their lead to 250 and Perry had a half-century in sight.Perry, carrying a leg-muscle complaint and who benefited from a favourable but apparently errant lbw decision when on 20, brought up her fifty with a four off Katherine Brunt, who did not return from tea after injuring her right arm while fielding late in the second session. Perry did emerge, with the bat, alongside Jonassen after the break, squashing any hopes of a declaration.Sophie Molineux celebrates a breakthrough•Getty Images

Instead, the height of excitement through the final session was watching Player of the Match Perry in action again, and seeing what Molineux could do with the bat. Gardner also chimed in with the only six of the match before she was out for 7. The only other action of note, and it was certainly not positive, was seeing England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor struck on the shoulder by an Anya Shrubsole delivery to Perry that spat up off a full length. Taylor remained behind the stumps for some time before leaving the field for treatment, replaced by Amy Jones.Earlier, Jonassen had claimed the wicket of Natalie Sciver, upon whom England’s hopes had fallen late on day three, only growing as she neared her ton. But Sciver added only 26 runs to her overnight score before she was out for 88 chopping on.Molineux had claimed the first wicket of the day when she tempted Shrubsole to try and hit her over the leg side, only to find herself out of her ground for a stumping by Healy. That gave Molineux match figures of 4 for 95.

It might have been back to the 1930s as a batsman called Hammond cheered the national mood by striking a century at Cheltenham

Paul Edwards at Cheltenham17-Jul-2018
ScorecardIn the 1930s, an era of a National Government and the hated Means Test, a Hammond century at Cheltenham engendered pleasure but little surprise. In the age of Brexit and very different uncertainties a maiden hundred by a different Hammond was greeted with a mighty roar of joyous acclamation on the College Ground. Deep in the second afternoon of this game Miles Hammond square cut David Wiese to the pavilion boundary and suddenly shared more than his surname and a loyalty to Gloucestershire with Wally.Some of history’s more seductive comparisons should be resisted. Unlike Wally Hammond, his namesake’s cover-drives do not suggest he is playing a game with which the rest of humanity is unfamiliar; he has now made one first-class century whereas his predecessor managed 167, nine of them on the College Ground.But most of young Hammond’s shots were fluent enough, not least the majority of his 20 boundaries. His driving square of the wicket and through the covers was wonderfully assertive and particularly fine given the Sussex bowlers did all they could to rough him up before applauding his achievement. The Cheltenham-born Hammond did not look like a batsman playing his first Championship match for three years as he put on 182 with his fellow opener, Chris Dent, thus setting a new first-wicket for Gloucestershire on the ground. And three overs after his captain had been caught at short fine leg for 65 when scooping Danny Briggs, Hammond reached his hundred. Two balls later he edged a catch to Ben Brown when aiming a euphoric flash at David Wiese.And all this was watched by over a hundred former professionals who were attending the PCA’s annual reunion at the College Lawn End. Charged glasses in hand, the old boys watched the 38th over of the innings, during which Hammond avoided Jofra Archer’s malevolent bouncer, played and missed twice and square drove the offended bowler to the Sandford Road boundary. One hoped John Snow, a Sussex and England fast bowler from the last century, appreciated the duel. The former players stood and chatted in their small groups, “recalling the glory they knew in their prime, all batsmen and bowlers of note, who terrified parishes.” Thus Frank Mansell’s “The Old Cricketer”, one of his Cotswold Ballads, written by a poet who played his club cricket for Sheepscombe, which lies some eight miles from Cheltenham.The bowling of Archer and Ollie Robinson on a College Ground pitch which offered a little variable bounce would indeed have petrified some batsmen on this second morning but it did not deter Hammond, not even after he had taken a blow on his helmet from Robinson in the fifth over of the day. A huge leg before appeal went in his favour three balls later and soon he was edging inquisitively forward and looking to drive again. It remains a puzzle why Brown did not post a short-leg.Yet almost all of the cricket on this second day was of a high standard and keenly contested. Those who disparage the Second Division, often without seeing any matches, should be set down and made to watch it before they pontificate again. Errors were rare and properly punished. Phil Salt, who had dropped a snorter off Hammond on Monday evening, also put down a straightforward chance off Dent when the opener had 14. Those mistakes hardly looked to have been rectified by the wickets of James Bracey and Graeme van Buuren, both of whom were dismissed in the evening session as Sussex took the new ball and looked to limit Gloucestershire’s lead.Then a day which had been dominated by the batting of young Hammond ended with a reminder of Jofra Archer’s remarkable ability to change the course of game, even at a time when many spectators are packing up to go home. Inspired and enlivened by the arrival of George Drissell as nightwatchman, Archer demanded the ball and in the penultimate over of the evening session he bowled Drissell and Ryan Higgins with successive deliveries before having Kieran Noema-Barnett caught at the wicket before second ball.Archer’s triple-wicket maiden brought the game back into the hazard, a judgement confirmed when David Miles was leg before to Robinson in the final over. Gloucestershire had lost four wickets for five runs in ten balls and their lead is now a mere 17. One imagines this chaos gave the former players even more to talk about but one hopes they remembered Gloucestershire’s next Hammond.

Apart from a one-off T20I in 2012, the visitors have not won a bilateral series of any format in India

Alagappan Muthu31-Jan-20232:16

Jaffer: Don’t expect spin to play too big a role in Ahmedabad

Big picture: Santner and Hardik impress

India and New Zealand have travelled the length and breadth of the country for six games in 14 days and we are finally at the end, with the T20I series tied at 1-1. It’s time for one last push, and then please remember to put those tray tables in the upright and locked position.Winning a series here is hard work for a visiting team. India have protected their stronghold with ridiculous consistency. Over the last 10 years they have played a total of 55 bilateral series, across formats, and won 47 of them. Only Australia in 2019 and South Africa in 2015 have beaten India in India.Mitchell Santner has stressed this point in press conferences; that apart from the learnings New Zealand can take about conditions they will face during the ODI World Cup in October, there is still the chance to go down in history as a team that beat India in India.Related

• Ferguson, the unofficial leader of New Zealand's pace pack

• Why India trust Arshdeep with the difficult overs

• Mitchell and Santner give New Zealand 1-0 lead

• Suryakumar helps India draw level in spin-fest

• Lucknow curator sacked for 'shocker of a pitch'

Both captains have actually been big gains for their sides. Santner has already shown the poise under pressure that he set out to have, and he seems to be an out-of-the-box thinker too. Dude asked Lockie Ferguson if he’d bowl offspin to make the most of a rank turner in Lucknow.Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, has been an upfront and honest presence, even in front of the camera, which has been great (though not for everybody). Except, is that even a surprise? Guy publicly said he wouldn’t have minded losing to Pakistan in that epic T20 World Cup match because it was an epic T20 World Cup match. He’s well liked in the team. He throws his entire weight behind his players. And he has no fear of failure. The specifics of this series may easily fade from memory but the two captains might just go on to etch their names in history.

Watch live in the UK

You can watch the third T20I between India and New Zealand live on ESPN Player in the UK and on ESPN+ in the USA.

Form guide

India WLWLW (Last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
New Zealand LWTLL

In the spotlight: Kishan and Sodhi

Ishan Kishan scored 210 in one innings in December. In the next eight, he’s scored less than half that. This India team insists on giving its incumbents a long rope. Plus Kishan doubles up as the their wicketkeeper and presents a hard-hitting left-hand option at the top of the order. These are pluses everybody looks for in the modern game. So his place is probably safe, but still, wouldn’t he love a match-defining innings in a series decider…In a New Zealand bowling attack that values discipline and works towards minimising the margin for error, Ish Sodhi is a total wildcard. He’s the kind of spinner who gets bored by even the idea of stringing six balls on the same spot, which is probably why he finds himself on the outs in Test cricket. But what hurts him in whites is what defines him in coloured clothing. Sodhi is the second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is over the past two years.0:37

Ferguson: ‘Hardik’s body language as captain has been fantastic’

Team news: Malik in for Chahal?

Ahmedabad may not want to do what Lucknow did – its already been in the eye of a storm before – in which case India might be tempted to bring back Umran Malik in place of Yuzvendra Chahal.India (probable): 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shivam Mavi, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Umran Malik, 11 Arshdeep SinghBarring injury and other circumstances, it’s unlikely that New Zealand will want to make a lot of changes.New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Mark Chapman, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Michael Bracewell, 7 Mitchell Santner (capt), 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Jacob Duffy, 11 Blair Tickner

Pitch and conditions: The return of the belter?

The Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad has typically been a high-scoring venue for T20Is, with three of its last five games producing totals in excess of 160 in both innings, including a 224 for 2. The weather is set fair.

Stats and trivia

• Apart from a T20I series in 2012, which ended up being a one-match affair, New Zealand have never won a bilateral series in any format in India.
• Kishan’s 19 off 38 in the last game is the third-slowest innings of 30 or more balls by an opener from a Full Member country in T20Is. There were, of course, mitigating circumstances.
• There are 44 players with a batting average above 40 and a strike rate above 130 in T20Is. Two of the top three have been on show in this series: Suryakumar Yadav (47.17 and 175.63) and Devon Conway (47.42 and 130.47)

Rajasthan Royals, at the bottom of the league, need substantial contributions from their most expensive players against Kings XI

The Preview by Nikhil Kalro05-May-20184:26

Dasgupta: Kings XI wouldn’t worry about their two losses

Form guide (most recent matches first)

Kings XI Punjab: lost to Mumbai Indians by six wickets, lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 13 runs, beat Delhi Daredevils by four runs.
Rajasthan Royals: lost to Delhi Daredevils by four runs (DLS method), lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 11 runs, beat Mumbai Indians by three wickets.

Big Picture

Rajasthan Royals spent a combined INR 24 crores on Ben Stokes and Jaydev Unadkat, the most expensive players acquired in the IPL auction. That total spend is 30.6% of Royals’ entire purse. In this season, Unadkat has an economy rate of 10.38 and Stokes 9.80. Stokes has also scored just 148 runs in eight games at an average of 18.50.In business terms, that’s called overvalued stock. In cricket, that translates to an extremely low return on investment and an imbalanced roster. As a result of their two most influential assets not performing, Royals have slipped to the bottom of the points table, with just three wins in eight games.Kings XI, on the other hand, have made valuable investments – Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Chris Gayle and Ankit Rajpoot, for example – and a combination of good returns have held the team in good stead. Despite having five wins in eight games, though, Kings XI still have plenty of work to do at their new home ground, the Holkar Stadium, to ease their way towards a playoffs spot.

In the news

Ajinkya Rahane had strapping on his right knee but looked to be moving well during a fielding drill. Kings XI’s Aaron Finch, dropped for their game against Mumbai Indians, batted for nearly an hour in an optional training session.BCCI

Likely XIs

Kings XI Punjab: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 KL Rahul (wk), 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 Yuvraj Singh/Manoj Tiwary, 5 Karun Nair, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin (capt), 9 Andrew Tye, 10 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 11 Ankit RajpootRajasthan Royals: 1 Jos Buttler (wk), 2 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Rahul Tripathi, 6 Stuart Binny, 7 K Gowtham, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Shreyas Gopal, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Ben Laughlin

Strategy punt

With D’Arcy Short not having found his fluency yet, Royals could push Buttler up to open the batting, like he did in the previous game against Delhi Daredevils. In T20s since 2015, Buttler has a strike rate of 150.5 in the Powerplay, effectively utilising the field restrictions.As an opener in the IPL, Buttler has an average of 30.80 and a strike rate of 167. At any other position, he has an average of 22.10 and a strike rate of 134.40. That could also allow Royals to strengthen their death-bowling resources, by bringing back Ben Laughlin.

Stats that matter

• Kings XI are the most productive batting team in the Powerplay, scoring an average of 58 runs in the period this season.
• Ajinkya Rahane has not been as effective against pace (strike rate of 117.20), as he has against spin (strike rate of 143) this season.
• Chris Gayle is 72 runs away from 4000 IPL runs.
• Since the previous IPL season, no team has won batting first at the Holkar Stadium

Fantasy pick

Have you lost faith in Stokes as a fantasy selection, considering his price? It wouldn’t be surprising if many fantasy players have, which is why he’s a good pick for this game. With short boundaries all around, Stokes may even be promoted up the batting order. If Stokes bats for a few overs, he should fetch you a healthy return.

Quotes

“This is a tournament where all eight teams are really solid. You don’t see teams with weaknesses. The fluctuations in the table keep happening. But it isn’t over yet. We’ve seen teams come back from this kind of situations before, like Mumbai Indians two years ago. So we can take this situation positively as well.”

The offspinner on debut played a starring role as New Zealand came from behind to win a Test series away from home against Pakistan for the first time in 49 years

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-20182:11

Williamson, Nicholls, Somerville react to ‘special’ series win

The New Zealand offspinner William Somerville struggled to contain his emotions after playing a series-winning hand on Test debut following a “long road” to international cricket that has taken him to Australia and back before the call-up came.Somerville was a late addition to the Test squad when legspinner Todd Astle was ruled out with injury and had to wait for the deciding match for his chance with Ish Sodhi having been preferred for the first two Tests. He went on to claim the fourth-best figures by a New Zealand bowler on debut – 7 for 127 – slotting in just behind team-mate Ajaz Patel who claimed 7 for 123 in the opening match of the series which New Zealand won by four runs.ALSO READ: McCullum leads tributes about NZ’s remarkable victorySomerville, who was released from his New South Wales contract earlier this year when offered the encouragement that international honours could come his way across the Tasman, also contributed a 99-ball 12 in the first innings to help BJ Watling stretch New Zealand’s total.With the ball he claimed 4 for 75 in the first innings, helping spark Pakistan’s collapse from 286 for 3 to 348 all out, then added three wickets in the second innings including two in two balls to remove Haris Sohail and Asad Shafiq.William Somerville celebrates a wicket•AFP

“It’s pretty incredible really, I was extremely emotional coming off the field, realising that we’ve won the fixture,” he said. “Obviously nice to be contributing with the bat and ball slightly, it’s just amazing. It still feels like a dream, I’m still pinching myself. Incredibly proud, and proud to have won for the Blackcaps.”That’s why I was so emotional after the game I think, it’s been a long road. I’ve got my family back home and pretty excited to see them, give my kids a hug and see my wife. The sacrifices they’ve made for me have been amazing, and I’m extremely grateful for that.”It’s something we’ll never forget. Incredible feeling to win over here in UAE, not many teams have done it. The Black Caps haven’t won away against Pakistan since 1969 and that’s something we talked about before this game, and we got it done. Amazing.”ALSO READ: Samiuddin: New Zealand greater than the sum of their parts, againNew Zealand were facing defeat when they were four down in their second innings and still 14 runs behind, but a magnificent stand of 212 between Kane Williamson, who scored 228 runs across both innings, and Henry Nicholls allowed them to dictate the pace of the game on the final morning as they set Pakistan 280 in 79 overs.
“Especially as a batter, you always want to have meaningful contributions in a team win. But for it to be in a series decider and in a series-winning game, it’s pretty awesome,” Nicholls, who made his first Test century away from home, said. “It’s great to bat with Kane, the way he played and led from the front for us was pretty awesome.”To give up a deficit of 74 in the first innings, the way the bowlers worked to make it only 74 was huge for us in the context of the game. We took a lot of confidence from the way we won that first Test being behind as well in that first innings.”Someone like Will Somerville to come in, and in his first Test match he bowled the way he did, Ajaz Patel in his third Test – it’s testament to them as bowlers and players, but also the group and the environment we’ve created here. It’s something that we’re going to really enjoy, be humble but also really proud of.”New Zealand now head home to take on Sri Lanka in a two-Test series before Christmas followed by a return to white-ball cricket then a three-Test series against Bangladesh in March. The series win over Pakistan follows their 1-0 victory at home against England earlier this year and the next 12 months gives the side a chance to create a legacy for themselves with series against England, Australia and India to follow.

Jhye and Kane Richardson have been added to the ODI squad

AAP and ESPNcricinfo09-Jun-2022 • Updated on 10-Jun-2022Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the third T20I against Sri Lanka and is in doubt for the early part of the five-match ODI series after requiring six stitches in his left index finger following a bizarre laceration in game one in Colombo on Tuesday.Jhye Richardson, who replaced Starc in Australia’s T20I side and took 3 for 26 in the three-wicket win in game two on Wednesday, and Kane Richardson* have been called into Australia’s ODI squad as cover.Kane Richardson was added to the group on Friday and, initially, will be with the squad for the first two matches in Pallekele to provide an extra pace-bowling option alongside Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. It is expected Australia will rotate their quicks during the ODIs with five matches in quick succession.Starc lacerated the index finger on his bowling hand in the opening over of the first T20I on Tuesday. He reached so far down in his follow-through with his bowling arm that he ended up spiking his own finger with the bottom of his bowling shoes. He was able to bowl his remaining three overs and picked up 3 for 26.He will remain with the squad and will continue to train but he will need a minimum of seven days, and possibly longer, for the wound to heal. That likely rules him out of the first ODI in Pallekele next Tuesday. Australia will likely be cautious with Starc as he will be a key cog in the Test attack later in the month after starring on his last Test tour of Sri Lanka.Jhye Richardson was initially left out of the ODI squad despite being in the original T20I squad. He was set to play in the two Australia A four-day games in Hambantota that run concurrently with the ODI series in Sri Lanka. South Australia quick Nathan McAndrew has been called in from Warwickshire as Richardson’s replacement for Australia A.Australia to persist with Smith in T20I squadMeanwhile, Australia assistant coach Michael Di Venuto is confident Steven Smith will find form to consolidate his spot in the middle-order of the T20I side.Australia will persist with Smith in the T20I squad, believing they can unlock the Test star’s true potential in the shortest format of the game.The 33-year-old’s position in the middle-order has come into question after a prolonged slump in T20Is. Smith’s last T20I half-century for Australia came back in November 2019 and he was barely needed during the run to last year’s drought-breaking World Cup title as Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade were the batting heroes.The former Australia captain averages 25.45 at a strike-rate of 125.31 from 56 matches in T20Is. Since the start of 2020 his strike-rate has dropped to 119.39 across 16 innings and he has only struck above 130 in five innings in that period.Josh Inglis performed exceptionally well when called up for Australia’s home series against Sri Lanka in February, averaging 35.80 and striking at 145.52 in six matches, but he’s been squeezed out for Smith in this three-match series. Tim David is also knocking on the door of the Australia squad for a middle-order/finishing role as he continues to dominate in T20 leagues following another stunning showing for Lancashire on Wednesday.Nuwan Thushara appeals successfully for an LBW to pick up Steve Smith•Getty Images

Smith was not required to bat in game one against Sri Lanka but he unsuccessfully challenged an lbw decision on Wednesday night and was out for 5 off 4 deliveries.”Recent history, we’ve used (Smith) in a different way throughout our middle order, where people have batted around him,” Di Venuto said. “We know his skill level, we know his talent so we’re pretty keen to unlock him as a T20 cricketer and just let him go about his business and show us how good he is.”If he was playing BBL cricket, he would dominate that competition. Unfortunately, a lot of our best players don’t play that competition because they play Test matches. Steven’s had good success in the IPL in years gone past.”The skill level is exceptionally high, we’re hoping to unlock him during this period. We’ve got plenty of games leading into the World Cup so hopefully we see the best of Steve Smith.”Di Venuto said Inglis could not be working harder to earn a recall but will have to bide his time for now.”We’ve got very good players in our batting order and it’s a hard order to break into,” Di Venuto said. “He’s doing all the work behind the scenes, he’s a very valued member of this squad and waiting for his next chance.”