All posts by n8rngtd.top

Hardik back as No. 1 allrounder in T20Is, Tilak No. 3 among batters

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

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.

Australia-India five-Test blockbuster to start in Perth in late November

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Australia will also host Pakistan for white-ball cricket in November while schedule has also been drawn up to boost the BBL

Alex Malcolm26-Mar-2024Perth Stadium has dethroned the Gabba as Australia’s preferred first Test venue with the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy to begin in Perth on November 22 this year before the series moves to Adelaide for the day-night Test, Brisbane, Melbourne for Boxing Day and Sydney for the New Year’s Test.Cricket Australia unveiled their international schedule for next summer with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as the summer’s showpiece event. After Perth, the second Test will be a day-night pink-ball encounter played at Adelaide Oval from December 6-10. The third Test will be in Brisbane from December 14-18. The fourth Test will be at the MCG in the traditional Boxing Day slot on December 26 and the fifth Test will be at the SCG starting January 3.Australia has an unblemished record at Perth’s newest venue having won four out of four Tests there including the first one against India in December 2018, although India went on to claim the series. Perth did not host a Test between Australia and India in the 2020-21 series, which India also won when the final Test was held in Brisbane.Related

  • Pakistan to host Tests against Bangladesh, England and WI in packed 2024-25 season

  • Australia A vs India A to provide lead-in to Border-Gavaskar Test series

  • Stoinis and Agar lose CA deals while Bartlett earns full contract

  • Cricket Australia reaffirms desire to host India-Pakistan bilateral series

  • Australia need Steven Smith at No. 4. But then where will Cameron Green bat and who will open?

Peter Roach, CA’s head of scheduling, said the decision to award Perth the first Test over Brisbane was due to a range of factors with the friendly broadcast timezone for both Australian east coast audiences and India viewers being the final tipping point.”The clear advice from our national team is that there is a preference to start series strongly at venues where they’re really comfortable and Perth and Brisbane they believe are somewhat comparable in terms of the advantage they get out of that,” Roach said. “They’re the hardest and bounciest pitches in Australia. They also believe that playing day-night Tests in Adelaide is a significant advantage and the stats there are pretty conclusive too.”So they will look at this schedule and some will say Gabba first would have been better than Perth. Others will say Perth then Gabba. I think that gap has really closed in recent times and the way our players think about that, and having Adelaide as the day-night Test, they’ll be really buoyed about that again. So we’re really comfortable that this gives us a great opportunity to compete with a really strong Indian team.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Outgoing WA Cricket CEO Christina Matthews is hopeful of a big crowd in Perth after disappointing attendances in recent years, although her preference was to host the pre-Christmas Test.”I would be looking at crowds of 30-35,000 on day one [for India],” Matthews told ESPNcricinfo as part of an interview to be published later this week. “Getting a space in the calendar is really important. Our preference is the last Test before Christmas. But if it’s the first Test, as we’ve had [the past two years], if we know that’s when it’s going to be then it makes it easier for everybody to plan. If we can know if it’s the first Test of every summer or the third Test every summer, that’s the important thing.”While Australia hope to maximise their advantage by starting with Perth and Adelaide, a nine-day gap has been scheduled between the first two Tests. It is understood the BCCI are keen to use that period for India’s players to get some specific pink-ball practice and options are being explored as to whether some form of match practice will be scheduled. A Prime Minister’s XI match in Canberra is on the cards but whether it is before or after the first Test remains to be seen.

BBL window, but availability issues to remain

Test players look likely to miss the BBL finals due to a tour of Sri Lanka•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

The decision to start with Perth and then the day-night Test also means there is a clear window for the BBL to begin after December 10, as those matches are played at night while the Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney Tests are played during the day. CA had to halt the BBL for five days early in the season last summer while the Perth Test between Australia and Pakistan was played in late December. Then the Adelaide Test against West Indies was a day game in mid-January before the day-night Test was held in Brisbane after the BBL had been completed.The BBL will likely start during the three-day break between the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests and will run through until Australia Day on January 26, with Australia’s Test players set to be available for a few weeks after the Sydney Test is completed on January 7.However, Australia have a two-Test tour of Sri Lanka scheduled for late January and early February which could mean some players are withdrawn from the BBL finals as there is a preference for a seven to 10-day build-up for that series to acclimatise to conditions. The dates for the Sri Lanka tour are yet to be announced. Australia’s ODI players will likely head straight to the Champions Trophy after the Sri Lanka tour, with the tournament likely to start on February 19.

Pakistan return for white-ball cricket

Australia will host Pakistan in three ODIs and three T20Is in early November before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins. The ODIs will be part of both teams’ preparation for the Champions Trophy and is likely to be Australia’s last official ODI series before that tournament begins in Pakistan.The ODI series will start at the MCG on Monday, November 4, the night before the Melbourne Cup public holiday in Victoria. The series will then move to Adelaide on November 8 and finish in Perth on November 10.The T20I series will run close to the Test series against India and will likely mean that none of Australia’s Test players will feature. There is set to be significant turnover in Australia’s T20I side by the time the November series starts following the T20 World Cup in June and Australia will likely use the series to develop younger T20I specialists for future World Cups.The final match of the series takes place in Hobart on November 18 with the first Test against India starting in Perth just four days later.There is no men’s international match in Canberra next summer although there will be a women’s T20I during the multiformat Ashes in the lead-up to a historic day-night four-day Test at the MCG between Australia and England starting on January 30, which will celebrate the 90-year anniversary of women’s Test cricket.Australia Men fixtures for 2024-25 seasonODI Series vs Pakistan
4 November: MCG, Melbourne (D/N)
8 November: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (D/N)
10 November: Perth Stadium, Perth (D/N)T20I Series vs Pakistan
14 November: The Gabba, Brisbane (N)
16 November: SCG, Sydney (N)
18 November: Bellerive Oval, Hobart (N)Test Series vs India
22-26 November: Perth Stadium, Perth
6-10 December: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (D/N)
14-18 December: The Gabba, Brisbane
26-30 December: MCG, Melbourne
3-7 January: SCG, Sydney

Van der Gugten, Harris torpedo Kent in six-for-seven collapse

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

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.

Daniel Hughes, Harrison Ward pound Middlesex in nine-wicket win

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Robinson in the wickets as Sussex seal home quarter-final for Sussex

ECB Reporters Network19-Jul-2024Sussex Sharks secured a home quarter-final in the Vitality Blast after thrashing Middlesex by nine wickets in front of a sell-out crowd at Hove.They leapfrogged Somerset, who lost heavily to Glamorgan in Cardiff, and back into second place after securing a ninth win in the South Group and will host the team who finish third in the North in the last eight when the competition resumes in September.The pitch at the 1st Central County Ground was being used for the third time but Middlesex’s 159 for 9 never looked like being enough and conditions were put into perspective by Sussex openers Harrison Ward and the Australian left-hander Daniel Hughes, who put on 141 in 15.1 overs, Sussex’s fourth highest stand for any wicket in T20.Hughes is now the top scorer in what is his debut season in the Blast after taking his aggregate to 560 runs with an unbeaten 96 while Ward, who had been drafted into the Hundred for the first time with Oval Invincibles earlier in the day, celebrated by easing to his third half-century in this season’s competition.Apart from a mix-up which nearly ended in Hughes being run out, the Sussex pair did much as they pleased until Ward was caught at deep mid-wicket for 56 (42 balls, 5 fours, 1 six).Hughes faced just 54 balls, hitting 12 fours and three sixes – the third to win the game with 22 deliveries to spare as he equalled his T20 career-best with his fourth fifty.Some disciplined bowling had set Sussex up. They had reduced Middlesex to 22 for 3 by the third over with Ollie Robinson picking up a wicket with the first ball of his first two overs. The dangerous Leus du Plooy was superbly caught at short-cover by Daniel Hughes and Danny Lamb produced an even better effort to remove Max Holden, flinging himself to his left to hang on to a full-blooded slash at backward point.Later in the same over Lamb put down a much more straightforward chance to reprieve Jack Davies on nought and had to go off with an injury to his right shoulder. It left Sussex a bowler light but slow left-armer James Coles (2 for 28) and off-spinner Jack Carson (2 for 23) strangled Middlesex’s attempts to accelerate, although Davies celebrated his reprieve by making 52.Davies hit four boundaries in an over off Scott Currie and also swiped three sixes but Carson got him in the 14th over courtesy of one of three catches on the mid-wicket boundary by Tom Clark.Luke Hollman made 28 at the end but Hughes and Ward soon had Sussex’s chase under control as Middlesex finished another disappointing campaign second from bottom after winning just three games.

Last chance for Kohli to find runs before India's Super Eight campaign

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The weather in Lauderhill could severely impact the contest between Canada and India

Ashish Pant14-Jun-20241:40

Should India give Kuldeep Yadav a game?

Match details

Canada vs India
June 15, Lauderhill, Florida, 10.30am local time

Big picture: Rain threat in Florida

Canada are facing their toughest test of the T20 World Cup as India aim to go into the Super 8 stage with a clean sheet, but the fixture is at the mercy of the weather in Florida. Friday’s game between USA and Ireland was washed out at the venue, and there’s an 85% chance of rain on Saturday.If the game does go ahead, India could test out their bench strength. They have played the same XI in their first three group games, but with qualification secure and no points advantage carried forward to the Super Eight, they could give the likes of Kuldeep Yadav or Sanju Samson some game time.Related

  • Similar but different India have tough choices to make with their batting order

  • Johnson: That was my best international innings

  • Hardik hits his rhythm to get rid of the blues

India’s final group game is also Virat Kohli’s last chance to find form before the more competitive Super Eight stage. Of all the batters itching to get out of New York, he is right up there. His move to the top of the order has yielded scores of 4, 1 and 0, and Kohli is not even among the top 150 run-scorers of the tournament. He does not have exceptional numbers in Florida, though: 63 runs in three innings at an average of 21.00.Virat Kohli has not yet fired as an opener in the T20 World Cup•Associated Press

With USA confirming their Super Eight berth from Group A along with India, Canada have been knocked out, having earned only two points from their first three games. They have been competitive at their first T20 World Cup though, having scored 194 in their opening game against USA and then securing a comfortable win against Ireland. They even gave Pakistan a scare, and will hope to sign off at their best against their most high-profile opponents.

Form guide: India on a roll

India WWWWW
Canada LWLLL

In the spotlight: Aaron Johnson and Hardik Pandya

Despite making his T20I debut only in November 2022, Aaron Johnson is already Canada’s second highest run-scorer. He had a tremendous start to his international career, scoring four fifties and one century in his first seven T20I innings, and has sustained his form. No other Canada batter has more runs than Johnson’s 400 in 12 innings since the start of 2023. He is coming into this game on the back of a confident 52 against Pakistan.Hardik Pandya has seven wickets in three games at the T20 World Cup•Associated Press

Hardik Pandya has not had much to do with the bat, but has been an asset with the ball. He is India’s joint highest wicket-taker so far in the competition, with seven wickets in three games, and has stifled batters in the middle overs. Hardik has hit those hard lengths and finished the New York leg with an economy of 5.41.

Team news: Will India give Kuldeep a go?

Canada’s move to bring in Ravinderpal Singh for Dilpreet Bajwa did not work, with Ravinderpal out for a second-ball duck. They might go back to Bajwa against India.Canada (probable XI): 1 Aaron Johnson, 2 Navneet Dhaliwal, 3 Pargat Singh, 4 Nicholas Kirton, 5 Shreyas Movva (wk), 6 Ravinderpal Singh/Dilpreet Bajwa, 7 Dilon Heyliger, 8 Saad Bin Zafar (capt), 9 Kaleem Sana, 10 Junaid Siddiqui, 11 Jeremy GordonIndia could rest one of their fast bowlers and bring in Kuldeep, whose wristspin might be required in the Super Eight stage in the West Indies.India (probable XI): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rishabh Pant (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Axar Patel, 9, 10, 11 Jasprit Bumrah/Mohammed Siraj/Kuldeep Yadav/Arshdeep SinghFriday morning was extremely wet at the venue•ICC/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions: Rain alert

Thursday was dry but Friday was a washout in Lauderhill. The forecast for Saturday morning is not promising, with scattered thunderstorms predicted throughout the day.

Stats and trivia

  • Apart from West Indies, who play some international matches here, India have played the most T20Is (eight) in Lauderhill: five wins, two defeats and one washout.
  • Rohit Sharma is the top-scorer in T20Is at this venue: 196 runs, with two half-centuries in in five innings.
  • Arshdeep Singh has the second most T20I wickets in Lauderhill: seven in four innings, with an economy of 7.88.
  • Arshdeep has bowled six overs in the powerplay at this T20 World Cup and conceded just one boundary.
  • Out of the 56 overs India have bowled in the tournament, only nine have been delivered by spinners
  • Canada have never faced India in a T20I.

Quotes

“I saw them last month in April. Those guys were working really hard. I am happy for them. It is a motivation for us, going into the next tournament that USA have down, so can we. In that way, we can look at it.”
“Regarding this stadium, we played earlier so we are slightly aware of the conditions, what we get. Yes, the weather is challenging here, you don’t know about when the rain comes and all, but we have been prepared for all these things. So, we are focusing on what we can control and at this point of the time, we can’t control the weather conditions. So, we are trying to prepare ourselves in the best possible way but we want a game to happen.”
India fielding coach T Dilip isn’t bothered about the conditions

BCB to take legal action against Durbar Rajshahi for not paying overseas players

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

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.”

Lewis 91 leads West Indies to massive total and series win

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

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.

Kallis absence evens the scales

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

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.”

Anisa Mohammed, Shakera Selman, Kyshona Knight and Kycia Knight announce retirements

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

All four were part of the 2016 T20 World Cup-winning squad

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2024West Indies’ Anisa Mohammed, Shakera Selman, Kycia Knight and Kyshona Knight have announced their international retirement. All four were part of the 2016 T20 World Cup-winning squad.Offspinner Mohammed, who made her ODI debut as a 15-year-old in 2003, retires as the leading wicket-taker for West Indies in both ODIs and T20Is. She took 180 wickets in 141 ODIs and 125 wickets in 117 T20Is. She was the first cricketer, male or female, to take 100 T20I wickets, and also the first West Indies woman to take a T20I hat-trick.Mohammed was part of five ODI World Cups and seven T20 World Cups. Her last international outing was in March 2022, the ODI World Cup semi-final against Australia.”The last 20 years have been truly amazing, I have enjoyed every single minute of it,” Mohammed said. “The highs and the lows. I believe the time has come for me to step away from the game and allow the young players to live their dreams as I have lived mine. I was privileged enough to step onto the field wearing my maroon 258 times in my career.”Medium-pacer Selman’s international career started in 2008, with an ODI against Ireland in Dublin. She has 82 wickets in 100 ODIs and 51 wickets in 96 T20Is. She last played for West Indies in February 2023 at the T20 World Cup in South Africa.”I am proud of playing with and against legends, and lucky to have dismissed a few,” Selman said. “My aim was always to inspire and assist others in their dreams. As I transition to the next phase of my career, I look forward to continuing to share my passion for the game in new ways.”Twins Kycia and Kyshona, who will turn 32 next month, made their West Indies debuts in 2011 and 2013 respectively. Wicketkeeper-batter Kycia has made 1327 runs in 87 ODIs and 801 runs in 70 T20Is. Middle-order batter Kyshona has 851 runs in 51 ODIs and 546 runs in 55 T20Is. They both last played for West Indies in December 2022, in a T20I against England in Bridgetown.The Knights said: “As this marks the end of an enjoyable and amazing journey, we would like to take this time to thank our family, friends, team-mates and supporters for the continued love and support throughout the years. None of this would have been possible without the support and love from you guys and for that we are forever grateful.​ Lastly, thank you to CWI for the opportunities granted and memories that will be forever cherished.”

Turkeys vote for Christmas as SLC usher in sweeping reforms

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

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.